Roberts jerked a hand through his hair. “When he first started working with the werewolves, Wyatt used a mix of adrenaline and a drug called Lycan-69, some brew he’d made. It was supposed to blend the animal and man within the shifter. To always make them one.”
She remembered the way Trace had looked. Not just a man. Bigger. Stronger. With claws and fangs. But he hadn’t been able to shift into the form of a wolf, not even when he attacked her and Cain.
Because he couldn’t change?
“He’d given that dose to two other werewolves, but according to Wyatt, those test subjects had to be terminated.”
Terminated. “Why?”
“Because their beasts took over. They lost the ability to reason as men. They had only one desire—to hunt and to kill.”
Wyatt had better be burning in hell. “And he gave that same dose to Trace?”
Roberts shook his head. “He was adjusting his formula. Experimenting. Your wolf got Lycan-70.”
So maybe the results wouldn’t be the same. Maybe—
“Wyatt’s report indicated that within five minutes of injection, your friend Trace killed three guards. He couldn’t speak. Only growl and snarl. There was no sign of humanity in him. He was just . . .” Robert’s voice trailed off.
A monster? A wolf in the body of a man.
She swallowed and hoped she kept the emotion from her face. “So that’s why they had his body ready to be burned.” Wyatt had been attempting to cover up his failed experiment.
The detective gave a slow nod as his gaze seemed to weigh her. Those deceptive eyes of his had to be seeing far too much. “There’s a drugged werewolf out there, Ms. Bradley. One who only wants to kill. You sure that you feel safe being out in the open with him?”
She bared her teeth at him in a brittle smile. “Trace isn’t coming for me. If he’s functioning only on animal instinct, the last thing he is gonna do is follow me all the way to the city and—”
“I know a lot about animal instinct,” Roberts drawled. “Far more than most.”
She just bet he did.
“You said that he saw you when he woke up in that furnace room, that he tracked you up the stairs and to Wyatt’s office.”
She didn’t like where this was going.
“His animal had your scent, ma’am. The guy probably doesn’t know what the hell is happening to him, but he has your scent.” Roberts’s hands dropped to his sides. “So trust me when I say, that wolf isn’t gonna be forgetting you. Wolves don’t forget scents.”
No, they didn’t. “Thank you for the warning, Detective.” She turned away again and reached for the door.
He swore behind her. “You’re still refusing protection, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” Because if she was surrounded by cops and Trace should happen to come for her, they’d kill him.
Maybe I can save him.
She opened the door and walked away from the detective. She could hear noise outside the precinct. Sounded like a roar. But it wasn’t an animal, not this time.
Her lawyer sidled over to her. “You ready for this?”
Of course, Janice would know exactly what waited for her. “Always,” Eve lied.
Two officers opened the front door of the precinct, and, for the first time in two weeks, Eve got a taste of freedom.
That freedom included being met by a swarm of reporters. Their voices blended together, roaring in her ears.
He followed her when she left the police station. He watched as she talked to the reporters. As she answered their endless questions with a tired smile.
There were shadows under her eyes.
He followed her to a news station. Eve didn’t know he was there. No one seemed to pay him any attention.
All eyes were on her.
Her voice was strong and certain as she talked about Genesis. About the supernaturals and the humans who’d lost their lives in experiments gone horribly wrong.
She never glanced his way as the cameras rolled.
He knew she’d talked to government officials. The FBI had been with her for days. She’d cooperated with the agents. They’d helped get the charges against her dropped.
Justice could move swiftly in the paranormal world.
An escort took her back to her hotel. She slipped inside, wearing a ball cap over her head as she eased inside the elevator.
Just before the doors closed, he reached out his hand. The sensors reacted, and the doors slid back open.
He stepped into the elevator. They were alone. Finally, her eyes met his.
“Hello, Eve.”