“For two years I’ve been out in the field focusing on blood trafficking. What started off as a search for illegal blood being sold with traces of LIXER, led me to a whole new lead I never expected.”
I nodded. LIXER was a drug that stimulated blood growth in humans to help them be feeders for vamps. It was dangerous as hell, with devastating side effects—hence why it was illegal.
“Eighteen months ago, we discovered there was a link between LIXER and a new drugged blood making its way into the market. This one was used as what we thought was a party drug for vamps.” Darkness clouded his eyes, his voice becoming even deeper when he said, “Drugs and bagged blood weren’t the only things we found.”
My heart seized. Beyond a doubt, I knew that whatever he had to say was linked to Hazel.
“A breeding ground to increase blood supply was located in the southwest of Sydney. Experiments carried out on human women to increase blood-production viability was just one area that was discovered. There was also DNA experimentation to try to create a new blood strand, this one involving shifters, humans, and vamps.”
Breath froze in my lungs.
“Mutilations, death… children….” He swallowed hard, anger making the movement audible.
I gasped for breath, my hands clawing into fists. It was too hard to stay quiet, but I had to. I had to let him finish.
“We managed to close down seven facilities. Out of the 78 women and children we rescued, only seven lived.”
Nausea swirled in my gut. What the hell were these sonofabitches doing?
I couldn’t hold on to my silence any longer. “Lucinda?”
Concerned eyes lined with a furrowed brow met mine. “Her daughter?” He shook his head.
“Yeah, my niece.” Despite the control I craved, my voice cracked. “She’s eight.” While I’d shared this detail with him not so long ago, I had to get him to focus.
Thatch balked, his head shaking more pronounced. “I didn’t know about her. I’m sorry. I only knew Hazel for thirty-six hours, if that. We didn’t talk about anything related to her life outside. If she’d been there, I would have known about it. I’m sure.”
I ignored the icy slither of dread, just as I pushed aside the bubble of hope trying to flare in my chest. That could mean Lucinda had been nowhere near any of this nightmare. She could be somewhere safely hidden. “Her memories.” While it was impossible to locate all memories, surely something as significant as Hazel’s daughter would have pushed through. The mention of her previously seemed to have helped him take control. The reality wasn’t quite like that, but hope could be a brutal, unrelenting emotion. It was also alien to me.
The last thing I’d hoped for was to get lucky with a cute warlock I’d met a few months back in a bar. That hadn’t panned out so well. Sometimes I hoped that my local Thai takeout would bring back their signature dish, which had been pulled a couple of years back, but still nothing. Hope clearly wasn’t something I was used to. The concept had been detrimental to my survival growing up.
Thatch nodded in understanding. He took a gulp of his drink and cracked his neck. The sound made me wince. Eyes closed, his brows dipped low. Not sure if I should prod and attempt to guide or shut the hell up, I pressed my lips together, deciding on the latter for the time being.
Two minutes dragged into five, and I resisted the urge to tap my fingers impatiently on the table. Leaning my head back, I concentrated on breathing regularly and keeping my frustration at bay. If I pushed him, I’d no doubt just annoy him.
Just as the minute turned into its sixth, he spoke, the depth of his voice loud in the otherwise silent room. “She was caught a while back.” I froze, unsure which she he was referring to. “I can’t tell how long exactly, but more than a month.” Thatch’s eyes sprang wide and they connected with me. His hand landed on my forearm, the touch calming and settling on my skin without hesitation.
A growl slipped out of my throat, low and deep. I cleared my throat and apologised. As shifters, we allowed our more predatory and protective instincts to sometimes drive us. At times, though, they were hard to contain, especially when emotions were running high.
His smile was tentative. His hand remained, as did the eye contact as he continued speaking. “It was your sister.” I slammed my eyes closed in relief, a shaky breath escaping me. “She was taken from the street after finishing work. She was alone.” The grip on my forearm squeezed reassuringly before letting go, and I opened my eyes and looked down at the place where I still felt his heat.
Thatch angled his head. “Hazel was definitely worried about her daughter, but not terrified for her.”
“That has to mean she’s safe, right?”
“I think so, but I can only speculate.”
I nodded my understanding. He was right. It would be easy to jump to conclusions, which wouldn’t help us in the long run.
“She was definitely at four different facilities. Not sure if there were more.”
“Are any familiar to you?” I asked, wondering if they were ones he and his unit had previously closed.
“Yeah. Three of them anyway.” He nodded, and a smile traced over his mouth. “I now know the location of the fourth. It’s likely still active. The last facility was Crandore, which was where I met her.” Before I could ask for more details, his eyes widened and alarm registered on his face. “Holy shit.”
“What is it?”
“Your sister witnessed two experiments where shifters were able to turn a human.”
Apprehension arrowed through me. “What do you mean?” I already thought I knew but hoped to hell I was wrong.
“Two semi-successful transformations of humans into shifters.”
“Semi?”
“The shifters survived and weren’t dying at the point of the bite or during the transition. They changed two women. No men were successfully
