More than Truth (Arcane Crossbreeds) Read Free Page A

by a strange expression. She didn’t know if it was the miniscule lowering of his eyelids or the tic of a muscle in his cheek, but the angles of his face appeared lethal. Whatever the hell had just happened, she would bet he didn’t know about the effects of the human trials, which could mean the Triumvirate didn’t either. She pressed, hoping Irial Carrick had more humanity than she had initially credited him with.
    “I might be able to save them, but only if I can get that data and return to Incog. Without me, they will certainly die. This was my research. Only I can fix it, but I need that data. Whatever your original intentions were, Ms. Schaffer’s appearance in my lab couldn’t have been just a coincidence.”
    “No,” he finally responded, his cold gaze lifting to meet hers, “her appearance was no coincidence. However, Ms. Schaffer was not part of the Triumvirate’s plan to bring you back to the fold. It appears her presence merely accelerated it. You see, we were positive you would contact us; we just hadn’t expected it so soon.” He set the printed image down gently next to him and picked up a manila envelope from the seat on the opposite side. He tapped it on his knee as he stared at her. “No, I’m sorry to say this was the lure they hoped to snare you with.”
    Brit stared at the thick envelope in his hand. A dark premonition settled over her flesh like diving into the chill waters of the Bay, and she shrugged away a shiver. Her fingers shook as she took the envelope.
    With a frown, Brit peeled back the flap and eased the papers from the creamy envelope. It was a medical file. Dread was thick and suffocating, a murky sludge that flowed up into her stomach and lungs as she began to read through the information.
    It couldn’t be. It wasn’t possible. This was just an attempt to manipulate her again. If they hadn’t sent Katya to lure her out and they knew the trials were unsuccessful, they would be desperate to have her finish the research. That was all this was—an act of desperation. She’d seen Meghann die, felt the life drain from her. Brit shook her head and thrust the papers back at Irial without looking further than the first few sheets. “I’m afraid I’m not as naive as I once was. Meghann is dead.”
    Irial accepted the file and carefully replaced it in the envelope. He set it aside and picked something else up, cradling it in his hand. “We anticipated this reaction.” He offered her a slim, square device that fit easily in his palm.
    Brit swallowed down the dread that now rose up into her throat, coating her mouth with the foul taste of fear. She opened the small digital player, and Irial reached across to press a button, filling the screen with an image she never thought to see again.
    Meghann. She was older, her hair a dark auburn instead of the bright red it had once been. It hung in thick strands around a pale face that was unmistakable. She was dressed in blue scrubs and was strapped to a medical chair. Brown eyes glared with clear mutiny at someone off-screen. She jerked at her bonds as she swiveled her head to look in the camera.
    “Tell them to fuck off, Bree. Don’t help them with shit.” She raised her chin. “They can’t kill me, and they know it.”
    Irial folded the screen closed before she could see any more. Irial’s face remained impassive as he nodded to the driver behind her.
    Brit felt the pinch of the needle and couldn’t say she was surprised. As the sedative began to pull her under, she frowned. Meghann was alive. Her sister was alive.
     
    IRIAL CARRICK WATCHED the doctor slowly succumb to the tranquilizer. She was cold and controlled. Her dark red hair carefully pulled back away from her face, her attire tidy and conservative. Quite the change from the hellion she’d been at sixteen, emotionally volatile and so very brilliant.
    He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket, removed the small cell phone, and pressed a button.
    “The target has