Her plan had failed miserably. She wondered what had happened to Logan. There was no way that boat could have outrun him. Why hadn’t he come for her? Did they shoot him like they’d threatened to do to Fiona? Wynter stifled the small sob bubbling in her chest. She needed to conserve her energy. She needed to escape.
“You okay?” Wynter heard the question and glanced over to see Fiona sitting in a chair.
It appeared her hands had been fastened behind her back. But there was something odd about her demeanor and posture. On the boat, after Wynter had tried to get her to jump, she’d held on. Then within minutes, she’d rested on the boat, almost as if she were relaxed, content. But now, Fiona had been bound. Had Wynter imagined what she’d seen? No, there had definitely been something strange about Fiona’s behavior and even now, her face was bright. Unlike Wynter, whose face was bruised and puffy from crying, Fiona’s complexion was clear. But why would Fiona help the vampire? And why was she playing a victim unless she weren’t one?
“I’m fine. I can’t shift. What is this thing?” Wynter asked, trying to act unsuspecting.
“Silver,” Fiona responded without even looking.
“Our kryptonite.”
“What?”
“A human throwback. Superman.”
“It won’t kill you,” Fiona told her with an icy stare. “The vampire. He wants to know what you know about the virus.”
Wynter gave her a sardonic smile and laughed bitterly. “I just bet he fucking does. Well I wish him good luck with that.”
“You have to tell him. He promised to let you go.”
“No, he promised to let you go. And he didn’t. You’re still here, Fiona. He’s a liar.”
Fiona rolled her eyes. “The man on the boat? He’s not in charge. No, I speak of the Directeur.”
“What? How do you know that name?” Wynter demanded, attempting to stand. She bent her knees and pushed upward, bracing herself against the rickety wall.
“The Directeur told me himself. He wants to know if you managed to cure Emma’s virus,” Fiona said emotionlessly.
“How do you know about Emma?” Wynter found herself yelling.
“He told me. He said she’s sick but that your blood, it’ll cure her.”
Wynter closed her eyes and took a deep breath. He knew about her blood as she’d suspected. A rush of nausea poured over her and she struggled not to vomit.
“He saw the New York Alpha in New Orleans. He knows that you sent blood to Emma…your blood. He watches you…always. So tell me, did it work?”
“Yes…yes it worked. Why do you care, Fiona? He’s got you tied up. Why are you asking me these questions?”
“So it’s true then. Have you figured a way to modify the virus? To make it portable?”
A chill crept up Wynter’s spine. Fiona was privy to details…details no one but she and Logan knew. And she hadn’t jumped from the boat. Was this all for show? Even if Wynter had been close at one time to isolating the virus, allowing others to inject it, she’d never tell a soul. She’d die first.
“No,” she lied. “I haven’t been working on it. Emma is cured; that’s all that matters.”
“He knows how to do it. He found a way while you were gone. Did you know he also is a scientist? Perhaps that is why he reveres you so?”
“What?” Wynter couldn’t believe Fiona’s words.
“It’s been him all along. His company. His research.”
“Why are you telling me this? How do you know so much about him? They were going to kill you out there on the lake. Why didn’t you just jump when I told you to?” Wynter’s voice strained. She eyed the door. So weak, but if she could make it outside maybe she could find something to remove the silver.
“I think it’s time,” Fiona said. She pushed out of the chair, placing her hands on her hips. Uninjured and altogether healthy, she gave Wynter an evil smile before clapping her hands. “Come.”
The door flew open and a tall, good-looking vampire entered the room. She knew him…Yes, the man from the boat. Her mind swam with possibilities. No, she’d met him before…at the club…with Léopold. Shocked, Wynter tried to run but Fiona easily stepped in front of her and shoved her to the ground.
“You…you…how could you? And Fiona…Logan’s going to kill you.” Wynter heaved in a deep breath. On all fours, she looked up to the vampire.
“She really is naïve, isn’t she?” Fiona merely laughed.
“You and Phillip shouldn’t have hurt her. Just look at what you’ve done, Mistress. You cannot treat her this way if she’s going to work for me.” The vampire shot Fiona a nasty look, clearly not pleased.
“Work for you? Are you kidding me? Why would ViroSun be involved with something like this? Who are you?” Wynter laughed and cried at the same time. She rolled onto her bottom, unable to stand.
“Dear scientifique, one question at a time. May I?” He retrieved a crisp handkerchief from his suit pocket and attempted to give it to Wynter. She brushed him away.
“Very well then,” he sniffed. “Let’s start at the beginning, shall we? My name’s Étienne. Étienne St. Claire, son of Kade Issacson sired by Léopold Devereoux. And as my Mistress has introduced, I am the Directeur.”
He paced, letting his hands speak flamboyantly into the air.
“However, there is one small discrepancy you should know…you see, we are not ViroSun nor have we ever been. True, though they exist, we forged the necessary documentation to make you believe you were working for them.”
“No, I went to the interview. The building, the stationery…I interviewed with them. I met with people. This isn’t possible.” Wynter shook her head in confusion.
“Ah well, all fake I’m afraid. A necessary expense to make you believe you were going to work for them. You were so eager to find a cure for your friend.”
“But how did you know?”
“I travel to New York quite often. And lucky for me, I’d attended one of your speaking engagements. I found it quite captivating…the notion that someone, a supernatural, could be infected with a feline virus. She’s a lovely speaker,” he told Fiona, who rolled her eyes and pretended to look at her nails. “It didn’t take long to find your ‘Jane Doe’. Emma’s medical records and her blood were easy enough to get at the hospital. I can be very convincing.”
“But I’d been working…the lab. There were others with me,” Wynter countered.
“Were there? We kept you isolated. Do you recall ever meeting anyone after you insisted on leaving?”
Speechless, Wynter closed her eyes. Like a great illusion, the curtain was revealed and she, the fool, was left the victim of a great hoax. How could this happen? She’d researched the company. The high pressure interview had been held in one of the most conspicuous midtown skyscrapers. They’d done intensive background checks, interviewed her friends, Jax.
“My scientifique, are you listening?”
“Stop calling me that!” Wynter cried.
“But you are so special,” he insisted, trailing a long finger over her hair. “Really, darling, did you think you’d stay away from me so long? The Mistress, she’s powerful, but I admit, I’ve crushed on you like a school boy.”
“True,” Fiona spat out in disgust. Her forehead furrowed. “He’s quite obsessed. Too much so.”
“But I digress. You see, Fiona and I, we knew each other from New Orleans. She’s quite the devious little witch, but not so strong. Power doesn’t come easily in the wolf pack…brawn over brains and such. And for me, let’s say it’s tedious being at Kade’s beck and call. But this virus, if it could be used on wolves, well, one can easily extrapolate…vampires could be next.”