Chapter 58 Catalyst
❀ Maeve ❀
For the first time since awakening my wolf, I cursed my heightened sense of smell.
Ugh. It was awful.
Tammy looked green, Nikolai’s nose kept twitching, and my stomach roiled over and over.
Bodies in various stages of decay sprawled on the ground, soaking in the water. One even hung from a jutting rock shelf.
These were no doubt failed experiments, as the catalyst for change was death.
The two stages of transformation for both vampires and werewolves were: life after death, and sanity after life.
My appreciation for the sun grew tenfold. If this were out in the open, the bodies would’ve turned to dust.
Running my gaze over the dark tunnel, I increasingly doubted Graves would be here. A fabled scientist wouldn’t operate in such garish conditions. This lab was abandoned.
“Is this similar to the one you were taken to?” I asked Tammy.
“No, this one feels deeper in the earth. That one was smaller, and more airy.”
“Then he has multiple of these turning labs,” I observed.
“All connected in the same cave network,” Nikolai contributed.
Which means one right turn, and we’d find him. My claws ached with suspense. I almost wished something would jump out and attack us.
The passage bled into a wider hallway.
Up ahead was the lab. The hallway had long wooden benches lined up on one side, the entire length of the way.
He must’ve had so many people in here.
Nikolai positioned himself slightly in front of us but still kept us in his sights. Relief coursed through me at the intent look on his face.
Woe truly be on anything that attacked this vampire’s bride. Me.
I basked in the pleasure the thought brought me. At least I had a protector…
The world tilted.
I fell to one knee, pressing a hand to my temple.
“Ah!”
Tammy’s voice pierced my skull. “Princess!”
“Maeve, are you hurt?” Nikolai asked from my right.
My head spun and spun as I gritted my teeth, trying to stay upright.
When it slowed, I took controlled breaths.
“I’m fine… just dizzy.”
I opened my eyes to see a stricken look on Nikolai’s face. He hurt to see me hurt.
“I’m fine, really. It’s probably the smells and overstimulation. I’ve only just gotten my wolf, remember?”
His face relaxed a touch. With a nod, he drew me up.
A new urgency punctuated his movements, his gaze flicking over the space wildly, as though wishing to run into Graves and finish the mission as fast as possible.
We followed behind him, past the waiting area with the benches, and into the private space for blood transfusions.
A weird smell I’d noticed increased here, but I clenched my fists to keep my wits.
Tammy turned in a circle, noting everything. “This is where he turned them.”
A metal pole with multiple hooks stood by a raised metal platform. Large glass vials with small tubes at the bottoms hung on the pole, tinged with red crust.
Tiny surgical blades and chains were scattered on the ground.
I pictured the scene.
A person would recline on the metal platform, and Graves would drain all their blood, until they were a hair’s breadth from death.
Then he would replace their blood with a mixture of his and Queen Lyssa’s blood, ensuring their loyalty to him if they rose again—
Footsteps. Loud. Angry.
Nikolai swept Tammy and me behind him, his sword swishing as he unsheathed it.
A tall shadow lumbered at the entrance of the turning room, huge and hissing. We were trapped.
When the feral stepped into the room, Tammy whimpered, and I gasped.
Half his face was missing, scraped to the bone. His sole eye roved over us, blazing red with hunger and palpable evil.
He threw his head back and roared, shaking the walls.
Nikolai’s sword flashed.
Its head landed with a sickening thump on the floor.
“Come,” Nikolai said, hand outstretched.
I grabbed a trembling Tammy to drag her. Her breaths were shallow and shaking.
But then we froze.
More hissing and snarling swept from the passage ahead of us.
Nikolai tensed, ready to trace, then Tammy shouted,
“There’s a door here!”
Just as we turned to see what she meant, ferals rushed into the room.
Nikolai met them head-on.
Tammy and I hurried to the hidden door, a cut-out square of rock.
I focused all tension on my heels, pushing the door with all my strength. It moved, scraping open, but not fast enough.
I glanced back to see Nikolai swarmed but somehow still holding his own.
I pushed harder. Tammy pushed alongside me, her strength not making a dent but appreciated nonetheless.
In my distraction, my palms slid on the surface of the stone. The rough surface skinned my flesh.
“Ah!” I hissed, wiping the blood on my dress so I could continue pushing.
The door had opened a slice, but too slim for even Tammy to pass through.
Nikolai bellowed behind us.
I turned just in time to see a feral had gotten past him, heading for us.
I dug my bloody hand into my skirts, then sent the dagger in a wide arc across the feral’s neck.
It fell with a blank expression, eyes glassy.
“It’s not moving!” Tammy cried, still pushing futilely.
My attention divided, I noticed, to my horror, that the ferals were sidestepping Nikolai and lunging at me.
Their already crazed, glazed-over eyes seemed to glow brighter, more desperate.
The next one I kicked had its arms outstretched as if reaching for a lifeline.
My heart thundered, my palms bleeding.
Soon, all the ferals were avoiding Nikolai to get to me. He cut them down from behind, his own gaze slitted with rage.
Bodies fell apart under his sword, his cloak now soaked with blood.
“Maeve!” he bellowed, but the ferals were like a sea between us.
I gripped my dagger tighter, claws sinking into my wounds.
Instincts flaring, I snarled, beheading the nearest one with a hand on fire—