Chapter 179
Lynette's POV
My heart was still pounding from what Kael had just said. I'm not playing games. I wouldn't hurt you.
I forced myself to look away from him. Turned my attention back to the stage below.
Needed to focus. This wasn't the time to get distracted by whatever this was between us.
Belser's voice filled the room again through the speakers.
"Tonight's demonstration is only the beginning."
He paused. Let the words sink in.
I watched the crowd below. Saw how they leaned forward. Hungry for more.
"Tomorrow, we'll continue with additional product showcases," Belser continued. "And on the third day, we'll hold the official auction."
My stomach tightened. Three days. We had three days to figure out what the hell was really going on here.
Belser smiled at the audience. That same cold, calculated smile.
"For now, please feel free to enjoy refreshments on the first floor. Or..." He gestured toward the ceiling. "Visit our tenth-floor exhibition space for a more intimate look at our achievements."
The crowd stirred. I could practically smell the greed radiating off them. All that fear and suspicion from earlier? Gone. Replaced by pure desire for power.
The lights came up. People started moving toward the exits.
I felt Kael's hand brush my elbow. Light. Barely there.
"Which floor?" His voice was low. Quiet enough that only I could hear.
I didn't hesitate. "Ten."
He nodded once. "My thought exactly."
The hallway outside the viewing room was already packed with people. Expensive suits. Designer dresses. Everyone still wearing their masks. All of them pretending they weren't salivating over the chance to buy weapons disguised as medicine.
Kael stayed close as we moved through the crowd. Not touching me, but near enough that I could feel the heat coming off him. Near enough that his presence felt like a shield between me and everyone else.
We reached the elevator bank and had to wait. The first car that arrived was already half full. We squeezed in anyway. I ended up pressed into the back corner with Kael standing slightly in front of me.
My mind was racing as the elevator started to climb.
Cole would definitely go to the tenth floor. He'd want to see this up close. I needed to find him. Coordinate. But more than that, if Wild Hunt was planning to use this drug, I needed details. How it worked. What the real side effects were. How to counter it.
Five. Six. Seven.
My fingers found Elara's protection charm on my wrist. The rough texture of the dried herbs grounded me. Stay focused. Get information. Get out alive.
Eight. Nine.
The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Bright light flooded in. So bright I had to squint.
The entire tenth floor had been converted into one massive exhibition hall. No walls. Just open space. Industrial lighting hung from the ceiling and made everything look harsh. Clinical.
And standing on raised platforms throughout the room were at least a dozen of them. Maybe more.
Guards. Security. Whatever you wanted to call them.
But they weren't normal.
Their skin had that same mottled purple-black color I'd seen on the guards at the door. Stretched tight over muscles that looked inflated. Wrong. Most of them were over seven feet tall. Built like they could snap a person in half without trying.
My instincts screamed at me. Not fear exactly but recognition of a threat. These things were dangerous.
A man in a white lab coat stood on a center stage holding a microphone. His voice boomed through speakers as we stepped out of the elevator.
"Ladies and gentlemen! What you see before you is the pinnacle of our research. Unlimited strength. Unbreakable loyalty. The perfect soldiers."
The crowd murmured and pressed forward for a better look. I let myself get pulled along with the flow of people while my eyes scanned the room. Looking for Cole.
That's when I saw him.
Rezar.
He was standing near the far wall. Three of his people flanked him. All of them watching the demonstration with cold calculating eyes.
My breath caught. Shit.
I couldn't leave now. That would be too obvious. Too suspicious. I had to stay. Had to act natural.
Kael must have felt me tense because his hand found the small of my back. Just for a second. A silent question. You okay?
I gave the smallest nod.
The man in the lab coat was still talking.
"We invite any volunteers to test the capabilities firsthand!" He gestured to the nearest guard. "A simple strength test. Completely safe. And the winner receives a special gift from Limen Research."
The guard stepped forward and removed his jacket. His arms were massive. Veins bulged under that discolored skin. But his eyes were what got me. Empty. Completely empty.
No one in the crowd moved.
"Come now," the man coaxed. "Surely someone here is brave enough?"
Murmurs rippled through the audience around us.
"Who would be stupid enough to volunteer?"
"You'd have to be insane."