Jekyll, an Urban Fantasy Read Free Page B

her body.
    “Yes. I assumed you would be Eden because of your hair.”
    Eden ran her fingers through her hair, bringing it forward so she could look at the color. It was brown, straight, and just over shoulder-length, not Chastity-red, long and curly. Thank God.
    “But I should’ve known better,” Alex said. “You’re different now.”
    She felt different. For one, she should be crying in pain from the fight in the hallway. But it felt like her body was already healing, or maybe all of her pain receptors had suddenly gone on the fritz. And if the fight had proven nothing else, Chastity’s ability to fight was now Eden’s. Because Eden had always been more of a cowerin-the-corner-until-the-fire’s-out kind of gal.
    “That’s the understatement of the fuckin—” Eden slammed her mouth shut. What other parts of Chastity could Eden access now? The part of her brain that controlled language was definitely screwy, because every other word was one Eden had never used before.
    Alex smiled, nodding. “Yes, it is.”
    “What did you do to me while I was asleep?”
    “Nothing.”
    Her laugh was bitter. “Liar.” She felt like a different person—they’d given her something. “Was it the same crap Carter gave me, but in a higher dose?”
    “That’s the most amazing part, Eden.” Her eyes flashed. “We haven’t given you anything , and yet, you’ve changed.” She leaned forward. “Would you like to know what you are?”
    She rolled her eyes. “Are you kidding me? Of course, I want to know.” But she didn’t. Not really. What she wanted was for Alex to tell her this was all a cruel joke, that they were just messing with her, that she could be the same person she’d thought she was. Before. When her pain had only been the result of a terrible childhood, and not from being a monster whose terrible childhood might be the happiest time of her life. Before she’d been betrayed, fallen in love, and then been dumped faster than week-old take-out. But that wasn’t likely, was it? “So…Alex. What am I?”
    “You’ll be happy to know that the majority of you is human.”
    Eden flinched. “That’s supposed to make me happy ? I don’t know what world you’re living in, Alex. But in mine, when someone tells you that you are mostly human, it isn’t good news.”
    Alex fidgeted uncomfortably. “You’re right, and I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have started off with that.”
    “Ya think?”
    “You are human in all things but one. One we—The Clinic—are trying to understand more fully. There are so many unknowns because each case is so different.”
    Eden swallowed. “How many cases are there?” She only knew of three—herself, Mitch, and Mitch’s father. Mitch had suggested that her mother might also be one, but since she’d died long ago, Eden would never know.
    “Many. A few. It depends on how you look at it.” She shrugged.
    “How about we look at it on a factual basis? I want a number. And stop being so fff—” She stopped the word just before it came out and tried to control it, make it a bit more her own. “—fricking vague. You’re the one who wants to talk. I’m the one who wants to leave.”
    “You can to leave whenever you’d like.”
    She rocked back in her seat. They would just let her walk out? Yeah, right . But easy enough to test. “Well then, let me go. I want to leave now .” She stood, pushing her chair backwards into the guard’s legs. He caught it incredibly fast, scooted it to the side, and stepped closer. “I thought you said I could go. How about you explain it to him?”
    “He’s only here for my protection. And yours. You can go now, if you wish. But I assumed you’d want to know a bit more about your condition. Mitchell Turner’s condition.”
    “Nah. Thanks, but I’m good.” She took one step.
    “He’s going to die, you know.”
    Eden felt a stabbing pain in her gut. This place was so full of lies, she could practically smell them in the air. Why would