Dead Embers (41 page)

I wanted to tense; I wanted to scream and lash out at them.
Anything to vent the deep, dark fury they'd unleashed. How dare they stand
there and talk about me like that? Mutant? Creature? They were studying me and
testing me as if I were some kind of science experiment? What was next?
Dissection?

Shut up, Bryn, and quit with the dissection talk.

Something beeped, and soon the beep sped up, faster and
faster. The men fell silent as the hard soles of their shoes clicked across the
floor. I held my breath, tamping my fury down, needing to calm myself. Too
coincidental that the machines beeped just when I got so furious. Cords and
wires were plastered all over my body, so who knew what they were monitoring
right now.

As I calmed myself, the beeping slowed. "What
happened?" asked the general, his rough voice sounding almost concerned. I
wanted to scoff. It wasn't as if they cared about my health.

"Her heart rate increased there for a minute." A
woman spoke to the sound of tearing paper. "See, there, a sudden rise in
her rate. Maybe a dream?"

"Probably a dream, yes, Nurse Marks," said the
doctor, his voice cold and impersonal. "Keep monitoring her vitals."

"Dr. Lee, is there anything we need to be concerned
about?" There it was again. That name: Dr. Lee! I hadn't registered it the
first time Hammond had used it. But the coincidence was discomfiting. Could it
be Aidan's father? The name was common enough. Still, I had to force myself to
control my fear so as not to trigger the heart monitor again.

"No, General, the rise in her heart rate is most
probably just a dream. She's not about to go into cardiac arrest. She is fit
and healthy, healthier than any human I've ever examined. She is also very
strong. . . ." Dr. Lee's voice trailed off, going strangle-quiet after
mentioning my strength.

"Very well then, Dr. Lee. My team and I will leave you
to your work. Keep me informed, will you?" Boots clacked against the tiles
as Hammond and his team departed.

When the door shut behind them, Dr. Lee grunted his
displeasure. "Bloody fools. They have no idea who they're dealing
with." He moved to the side of my table. I remained as still as possible.
Maybe he'd leave me alone if I feigned sleep. I had no ideas or plans for any
heroics in the near future. Too drained of energy, too full of drugs, too tired
of failure.

"Well, Miss Halbrook. I do believe you are awake and
quite conscious."

How the hell did he know I was actually conscious? I didn't
move a muscle; neither did my heartbeat do any sort of dance on the monitor. A
film of perspiration covered my skin as I slowly began to panic. A silence
followed in which I willed my pulse to behave itself.

"Okay, so I see we will be playing
that
game
now. Not a problem, Miss Halbrook. Not a problem at all." He shuffled
around; fabric rustled, and I cracked open an eyelid to watch, helpless, as he
tapped a syringe and screwed it into the IV tube hanging beside me. He smiled
at the IV and then faced me. I wasn't fast enough to shut my eyes and continue
the pretense. My eyelids flickered wider and I met his eyes, staring, for the
first time, into Dr. Lee's pleasantly smiling face.

Tears gathered and fell, sliding down my cheek, seeping into
the oily hair at my ears. My heart hurt. The room faded and all I could see
were his eyes.

Aidan's eyes.

Strange sounds bombarded my semi-conscious ears. Metal
crashed to the tiled floor and someone grunted as if punched in the gut. A
shout, so close, made me flinch. Or at least I wanted to flinch, but nothing
happened. I tried to move, but not a muscle paid any attention to my efforts.

My heart stabbed my ribs, frantic in its cage. I tried so
desperately to move some part of me. Any part of me. Straining, I almost gave
up when a single toe wiggled, and my pinky followed. They may have budged at
last, but they hurt as if steeped in liquid fire.

My eyelids fluttered; they felt heavy, as if the skin had
grown in thickness and weight and my muscles were too weak to lift them open. I
moaned in frustration, needing to see what was happening, hating how vulnerable
I was.

The sounds of fighting grew steadily louder, closer. Metal
clanged against metal, interspersed with grunts and moans and thuds. Glass
shattered and something bumped into my bed. And while the battle ensued, all I
could do was lie there, unable to protect myself.

I blinked again, swallowed. Tried to rise. Each tiny
movement sent pain barreling into my brain. So much that I almost sobbed.

At last the grunts and shouts fell silent, and a finger
brushed the hair from my forehead. "Bryn." My name sounded like a
wave breaking on a distant shore.

I forced my eyelids open. And again, I looked into Aidan's
eyes.

Relief should've flooded my senses, but all I felt was pure
fear—and clearly my eyes hid nothing, since Aidan flinched at the intensity he
saw in them. If he was hurt or upset he didn't show it, just slipped his arm
under my torso, urging me into a sitting position. But my body was rubber and I
flopped forward, my weight drawing me slowly over the edge of the gurney. I
barely heard the bustle of activity around me as I stared emotionless at the
tiles, knowing I was about to smack right into them.

But I didn't fall, didn't hit the floor. Aidan saved me. He
held on, then propped me up against him. My heart struggled, slamming against
my chest. I wasn't sure I wanted to be that close to Aidan right then, not when
it was his father's face that shimmered in my mind's eye.

I wanted to pull away from him—I just couldn't help it.

In that sitting-slouching position, head tilted forward, I
was very aware of my skin. Bare, blue-veined thighs, so pale I could have been
a long-dead corpse. A papery hospital gown pretended to cover my body, tied at
the top of my neck and catching on something at my shoulders. Probably skewed
by my wings. I shifted, tugging the bottom edge uselessly, needing to cover up
in the bright, clinical light of the hospital room.

Aidan gasped just then, his body stiff with shock. Something
was really wrong, but I couldn't turn to see what alarmed him. All I could do
was look at the horror in his eyes as he stared right behind me. Then he turned
away, his face now clear, devoid of the stark horror of a few seconds ago. He
drew me to him for support.

And suddenly I was very afraid.

Afraid of what they'd been doing to me, what experiments
they'd performed on me. But my greatest fear was Aidan's father—the very man
who was now being thrust into the room, held in a death-grip by two Warriors,
his hands cuffed together. Another man followed the struggling trio, and when
he came into full view I flushed. At least I wanted to flush, but seeing that I
barely had any blood flowing in my veins, that particular bodily reaction was
impossible.

Thor's gorgeous blue eyes rested on me. He offered a gentle
gaze and a nod, then averted his eyes, and I knew he felt bad for me. But
despite his concern, I could tell he knew I wouldn't appreciate coddling and
that I hated not being able to do anything for myself.

I rested against Aidan, not that I had much choice; I could
still barely feel my body. What parts of my extremities had begun to regain
sensation felt only mind-numbing pain at first. I had to struggle to breathe
against the pain before I could concentrate on the people in the room, Dr.
Lee's captured staff being led out, and the doctor himself staring
enigmatically at me.

So I sat there, able only to lean my chin on Aidan's
shoulder as he snuck another glance behind me at whatever horror seemed to
control his attention. Despite my curiosity, I had no energy or control of my
body to turn around and find out what had shocked him. I opened my mouth,
intending to ask him what was wrong, but the words never left my lips.

"Valkyrie Brynhildr," Thor's voice boomed. The
vibrations rattled the steel instruments around the room. "I believe this
man is the one responsible for your incarceration. Can you confirm this?"
He nodded at the Warriors holding Aidan's father, and they stepped forward,
bringing the unsmiling doctor closer to us.

Anger blazed from my eyes, providing all the confirmation
Thor needed.

"Very well. He will be taken to Asgard immediately,
along with the other prisoners." Thor began to turn to the guards, no
doubt to give the order to take my jailor away.

At first I thought I couldn't speak, but I damned well had
questions. "No. Wait. Bring him closer," I said, but the words were
distorted by my parched throat and the tears that gathered there. I cleared my
throat and said again, "Bring him closer to me."

Thor nodded, his blond hair glinting in the unflattering
fluorescent light. Still, his hair looked good. Way better than the oily
stringy strands that hung about my own face.

The guards gripped the doctor's arms, shuffling him closer
to the gurney. Closer, but not too close.

"What did you want with me?" I asked. The words
dragged over the gravel of my throat.

"How can you not know what I want with you, Valkyrie
Brynhildr?" The arrogance in his voice grated on my nerves, and I had the
urge to punch the man. But my weak and unresponsive body wouldn't comply.

Aidan flinched beside me, the muscles in his arms
tightening. My head lolled off his shoulder. He grabbed for me as I fell toward
the bed, and I sucked back a moan. The drugs and numbness were wearing off drop
by drop, and white agony took their place. Aidan steadied me again, gripping me
beside him as he turned to face my tormentor.

His father.

For a few precious moments, I'd forgotten the evil doctor
was father to the boy who'd stolen my heart. I watched the son stare at the
father. And I frowned; the muscles in my forehead surprised me by actually
responding. Aidan seemed to have no loyalty or sympathy for the man. His eyes
were devoid of any filial emotion.

I'd also forgotten something else, something important.
Aidan's father had ordered Worthington to kill his own son. And Aidan now
glared at the man who'd ordered his termination.

He stiffened, and from the ridge of his jaw I could tell he
barely held on to his own rage.

The room had fallen into a strange, murky silence, as if the
occupants sensed the coming of a violent storm.

"I asked you a question." This time my jaw worked
better and my words sounded like they really were spoken by me.

"Ah, the mutant has spunk." A sneer curved the
arrogant doctor's lips. The same lips that on Aidan's face were perfect, and
yet on this man they looked dangerous and offensive.

"Don't call her that!" Aidan snapped, his voice
vibrating like the plucked strings of a guitar, trembling with anger. He pulled
away from me slightly, as if intending to challenge his father face to face,
but he caught himself when I began to slip away from him. My hands flopped off
the edge of the table. He gathered me against him. "What have you done to
her?"

"Nothing that will not correct itself over time."

From the corner of my eye I saw Aidan glance behind me, and
I raised my head to meet his gaze. What was upsetting him so much? His face was
strained and pale. Pity I couldn't see what the hell he was so upset about,
couldn’t muster the energy to turn, couldn't even grit my stupid teeth in
frustration.

"And was that really necessary?" Aidan's voice
sounded dead, hollow.

Everyone else in the room, including the not-so-easily ignored
god Thor, seemed forgotten, insignificant when compared to this father-son
face-off.

"Everything I do is necessary in the scheme of
things." Dr. Lee's cold smile slid along me, face to wretched gown to
bare, emaciated legs. "Miss Halbrook is truly unique. More than anything,
it's her blood that makes her such a valuable asset to me. Those amazing little
Valkyrie corpuscles are beyond priceless. You have no idea how important she
is." He offered his son a cruel smile. "When I sent you to Craven to
find her, I meant for you to bring her to me. I should have expected your
rebellion, but what I didn't expect was for you to become infatuated with this
. . . thing."

"My name is Bryn." I coughed as I spoke, but
neither one of them paid me the slightest bit of attention.

"But in the end it was you, Aidan, who helped me get
what I wanted." His eyes were chips of ice.

"Which was what?" Each word fell like a dead
weight from Aidan's lips. Dark fury creased his face.

"The blood her father had stored in the clinic,"
Dr. Lee said, nodding coldly when Aidan's expression shifted from rage to
disbelief. "Yes, you retrieved the vials but you left without one of them.
That single vial was enough to help our cause."

"What cause is so all-fired important that you kidnap
and torture innocent girls?" Aidan bit back.

"Come now, tell me you are not so ignorant,
Aidan?" Dr. Lee tutted, shaking his head, the expression on his face one
of pure disappointment. "Still so naïve?"

 "How did you get the vial?" I asked, unable to
stand the ice in his voice, ice that was also directed at his own flesh and
blood.

"I had a little bit of help obtaining the vial from you
two."

I glowered at the odious man, unable to understand how Aidan
could be his child. "Help? Who could've helped you? It was just Aidan and
me in the clinic." My head hurt with all the thinking I was trying to do.
My body hurt more. And yet there was a strange strength inside me that
counteracted the pain a bit. A sensation that felt almost like a surge of
living power flourishing inside my body. I blinked, trying hard to concentrate
on the face of Aidan's father.

"Just the two of you? Oh, really?" He smiled, a
knowing and arrogant sneer that made my blood simmer and the power inside me
grow all the more stronger. I tried to recall how Aidan and I had used Dr.
Lee's access pass to enter the clinic and retrieve the vials of blood. Blood my
father had drawn from me when I was little. We'd placed the vials in the cooler
we'd taken with us, then we'd left it on the floor and turned away to finish up
on the computer.