over the past six months to a year? Subtle changes, but the fact remained that his own powers had increased significantly. To the point where he fought for control at times.
“We’re evolving,” he murmured. He knew it sounded preposterous but what other explanation was there? “I don’t know why or how, but we are.”
“What about Sam?” Emily asked. “Has he mentioned any new abilities?”
“He might not be aware of any changes, or attributes them to his automatonic enhancements. Besides, I don’t think he’d tell any of us right now even if he had.”
“It’s not as though we can ask him,” Emily commented. “He’s off somewhere again.”
Griffin noticed how Emily’s face fell as she spoke. “Em, Sam’s behavior is not your fault. It’s not anyone’s fault. You did what you did to save him and I told you to do it. If he wants to be angry about it, fine, but eventually he has to get his head out of his arse and be thankful he’s alive.”
Emily’s aqua eyes widened at that.
“Right now I’m more concerned as to the catalyst for these changes in us,” Griff went on. “There has to be something causing it, but what? There hasn’t been anything new in our lives.”
“I’ll run some tests,” Emily offered. “Check our water and our food—anything that gets brought into the house and used by all of us. There has to be somethin’. Changes like this don’t happen over a few months, they take years.”
“Hundreds of them,” Griff added. “Evolution is a slow and steady process. This is anything but. If something in this house is responsible for these changes, I know you’ll find it, Em.”
She blushed slightly. “I hope I’m as smart as you seem to think I am.”
“I know it’s a lot.” Griffin ran a hand through his hair. “You already have your hands full with the automatons. You tell me what you need and I’ll make sure you have it.”
Emily thanked him and Griff smiled. “Don’t thank me. You’re going to have me underfoot in the lab for the next couple of days. I want to do some tests on Finley’s blood.” Briefly he filled her in on what they’d discovered earlier that day. He left out the part about Finley threatening Cordelia.
Emily frowned. “Doesn’t it seem odd to you that everyone who has had ties with your family is either dead or some sort of meta-human?”
Griffin hadn’t thought of that. He’d always been different, so these things sometimes escaped him when he was too caught up in particulars.
Emily jumped on that thought and took it further. “You and Sam grew up together, and both of you have had your abilities from a young age. Finley’s father made sure she was born with hers, but they didn’t manifest until she entered puberty. I’ve been around for a short time and now I’m changing, too. Lad, I think this has to do with you—rather than something we’ve been exposed to in this house.”
The answer smacked Griffin hard, like a slap to the face. “The Organites. Finley’s father was experimenting with them. Sam and I grew up around them, and you’ve been exposed to them since you first came here.” The answer he’d been searching for finally came. “My father said they were the wellspring of life, and that Sam and I had ‘evolved natural abilities.’ Finley’s father didn’t make himself a monster, the Organites simply evolved aspects of his nature to the highest degree.”
Emily’s eyes were wide with excitement. Griff could almost see the gears of her mind working. “We should test blood from all of us, not just Finley. I can compare it to samples I’ve taken in the past. If the Organites have changed us on a cellular level, I’ll find it.”
Griffin had no doubt that she would. Never had he been so glad that he had chosen her over one of her brothers to work for him as he was right then. Sometimes Emily’s intelligence scared him, while his own lack of perspective was sometimes so narrow he wanted to slap himself. “We’ll start tonight. I’ll send for Finley and you can take a sample from her, as well.”
“She’s not here,” Emily informed him, looking a little uneasy. “I saw her leave about an hour ago.”
“Leave?” She hadn’t said a word. He hadn’t even heard her. That could mean only one thing. Her dark side had taken over. He should have known this might happen given the stress of the day. How could he have been so careless?
“You want me to go look for her?” Emily asked.
Griff shook his head. He wouldn’t dream of letting Emily roam around at this time of night by herself. “You won’t find her if she doesn’t want to be found. No, get what you need to take my blood and your own. I’ll worry about Finley.”
And worry he would. The last time she’d gone out, she’d visited Jack Dandy, according to the quick glimpse Cordelia had seen into Finley’s mind. God only knew what kind of trouble she’d be getting up to tonight. Right now he had more important things to do than chase after her. Too many people were depending upon him.
He just hoped Finley didn’t get hurt. More importantly, he hoped she didn’t hurt anyone else.
Chapter 8
Finley woke the next morning still in her clothes. What had she done the night before? Where had she gone? No memory came to her as she sat up, mind blank.
She looked down at her boots—no dirt. At her hands—no blood. Surely that was a good sign? Her knuckles were tender and slightly bruised, but that didn’t mean she’d hurt anyone. She could have hit anything. That didn’t stop dread from pooling in her stomach.
This had to stop. She couldn’t go on like this, turning into her own version of Mr. Hyde. Her darker self had taken over completely—something that had never happened before.
Griffin had offered to help her, but in the few days she’d been in this house nothing had happened that made her think there was any cure for this madness. In fact, the “switches” between her two sides seemed to have worsened. What if Griffin couldn’t help her? Was she doomed to lose herself as Jekyll had and end up a monster?
The thought made her stomach roll and tears burn the back of her eyes. Had her father felt this way, helpless and sick?
Well, she wasn’t helpless, not completely. It was obvious that Griffin had some kind of sway over her darker half. Twice now he had calmed her as that chaos had tried to take her. If anyone could figure out how to make this all stop, it was him.
Feeling slightly less sorry for herself and a tad bit optimistic, Finley swung her legs over the side of the bed. She rose and removed her slept-in clothes, bathed and slipped into fresh black-and-white-striped stockings, black skirt, white shirt and a pretty pink corset with black velvet trim. Everything was brand-new, part of the new wardrobe Griffin had bought her.
His generosity still made her uneasy. She wasn’t accustomed to people, especially young men, being nice just to be nice. That was one thing she and her dark nature had in common—there was always a price. Still, she was willing to try trusting him. He’d been genuinely upset to learn that his father had been involved with her father’s downfall. Maybe he felt as though he owed it to her to do what he could to keep her from suffering the same fate.
Dressed, she put her hair up in two messy buns on either side of her head. She squinted and leaned toward the cheval glass. Was that a streak of black in her hair? It was. It began right at the roots and continued down a bit before stopping abruptly. It was as though someone had started to paint this one-inch-wide section of her hair and then thought the better of it. Curious. It looked somewhat nice, she thought, but it would look better if it went all the way to the ends of her nondescript locks.
Finley left her room and hurried down the stairs to the great hall. It was there that she met up with Emily, who was carrying a small metal tray with what looked like medical instruments on it. The smaller girl looked tired and worried, her eyes rimmed with red. Finley slowed her steps.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
Emily glanced up, as though she hadn’t even noticed Finley’s approach. “Oh,” she said. “It’s you. I was just coming to see you.”
Finley arched a brow as the Irish girl fell silent with a small frown, obviously distracted.
