Chapter Nine

Deacon peaked into Gabriel’s cell as he walked past it to get to Evan’s. The albino-looking male was doing handstand push-ups without his feet against the wall. Deacon was impressed at the level of control it took. When he reached the next room, he paused at the window and observed the “Reborn, ” as Drago had named those who were undergoing the reversal from Unholy. As far as monikers went, Deacon could think of worse. Evan was seated on his bed with his back against the wall, reading a paperback. When Deacon knocked on the door, Evan looked up, his eyebrows raised.

“May I come in? ” Deacon asked.

Evan nodded, and Deacon unlocked the door. “Good morning. ”

“Morning. ”

Deacon held out the paper sack. “I come bearing breakfast. It’s not much, but I thought you might enjoy it. ”

Evan placed the book face down on the bed. “I could eat. ” When he didn’t make a move to get up, Deacon closed the door behind him before moving farther into the room. He wasn’t scared to be alone with the male. He, like the rest of the Clan, had gone up against Unholy numerous times and always came out the victor. Deacon handed the bag over then moved to the small desk and pulled out the chair. He studied the male while he ate, letting him get through his breakfast before asking any questions. Evan had just taken the last bite when Gregor entered the room. They called it a cell, but it was set up with a few comforts like the desk and a small loveseat. The room also had an attached bathroom. They had remodeled this cell when they did Gabriel’s, and it was where Kallisto had been held up until they wanted it for Evan.

Isabelle had been present when they moved Kallisto to a smaller, less accommodating room. Alistair’s daughter had remained silent throughout the move, much to Isabelle’s chagrin. The woman had kidnapped Connor, and Isabelle had no trouble roughing her up if she got out of line.

Gregor leaned against the wall, crossing his legs at the ankle. “Evan, we’d like to ask you a few questions about the reversal procedure. ”

“What do you want to know? ”

“As much as you can tell us, like where you were taken. By whom. How long were you there? Those kinds of things. ”

Evan described the building where the experiments had taken place. “And that’s what they were doing – experimenting. I’ve seen others come and go, and not all of them came back any different than when they left. But that was months ago. I guess they figured out the right concoction, because instead of taking a couple at a time, they took twenty of us. ”

“Tell us about the doctor performing the experiment, ” Gregor said.

“His name is Dr. Craven, but I think he’s more mad-scientist than doctor. He’s older, like in his sixties, and he has five others helping. Two are older, like him, but the other three are all younger, and I don’t think they’re doctors or scientists at all. I think he keeps them around in case any of the Unholy get out of hand. ”

“What makes you think that? ”

“Because they were dressed in all black and carried big weapons. ”

“Did they talk about anything other than what they were doing to you? ”

“Yeah. I guess they thought since we were Unholy we wouldn’t pay attention to what they were saying. While I was being prepped, I overheard them talking about how things had changed since Gordon Flanagan was no longer in the picture. ”

In the next room over, Gabriel yelled, “No! No! No! Izzy! No! Izzy! ” The turmoil within the male hit Deacon hard, bringing him to his knees.

“Deacon? ” Gregor knelt beside him.

“I need to…” Deacon grabbed the sides of his head with his hands. “I’ve… got to… get out of here. ”

Gregor helped him to his feet, and Deacon stumbled to the door and wrenched it open. Gabriel was still muttering when Deacon passed his cell door. The farther away Deacon got, the less pain he felt from the male, but the pain was still close to debilitating. His shifter pushed out with as much comfort as it could, but it still wasn’t enough.

Deacon made his way up the back steps, leading farther away from Gabriel and whatever hell the male was going through, not stopping until he reached his office. When he shut the door behind him, Deacon slid to the floor, landing hard on his ass. Pulling his feet closer, he rested his head on his bent knees, pushing his fingertips into his temples. He knew he didn’t have long until someone came to check on him.

What the hell happened to set Gabriel off? Deacon had been around the male every day since he’d been captured, and although Gabriel didn’t talk much other than to ask for a cigarette, he seemed to be okay with his situation. If he was hurting – which he shouldn’t be since he was a Gargoyle – it would make sense that he called out for Isabelle. Deacon thought back, and when he replayed the conversation, he wondered if it was talk of Gordon Flanagan that upset Gabriel. Whatever it was, Deacon would have to let Gregor and Isabelle deal with it, because there was no way he could be around the male while he was so emotional. Deacon’s head felt like it was splitting in two, even with a couple levels between him and the tormented male.

During the first three centuries, Deacon had wandered the world, staying as far away from large cities as possible. Being black, he was subjected to the threat of slavery. His parents had managed to remain safe because of their wealth. When Deacon left home, he took a small part of that money with him as he looked for his place in the world. As a Gargoyle, he had his strength to keep from being captured, and he’d done his best to only harm those who attempted to trap him. He spent most of his time as a nomad, seeking out small villages on remote islands. The fewer people he encountered, the easier it was to deal with his empathic ability.

It wasn’t until Deacon met an old woman who told him he needed to head west to the Americas that he set out for a place where he would need to shield himself from the myriad of people he encountered. She told him that’s where his destiny lie. Over the course of his travels, Deacon had met enough people with special abilities to know she believed what she told him. Some were gypsies, some witches, some merely humans with gifts of sight. Tessa’s cousin, Lilly, was one of those witches.

Deacon had done as the old woman suggested, and when he landed in the United States, he started in Rhode Island where there weren’t as many people. As he became accustomed to living around humans and getting a grip on his abilities, Deacon branched out to larger areas, and he eventually settled in Chicago. He was there when the world fell apart. While reading over Sabrina’s background, he wondered if he could have encountered her at some point when she was a child. Thinking back on the way his life had gone sideways, had it been because his mate had been close by and he didn’t know it?

Deacon was still sitting on the floor when Gregor entered his office.

“Are you okay, Brother? ”

“I will be. Gabriel’s pain hit me hard. What the hell happened? ” Deacon had admitted his empathic abilities to Gregor when he first came to work at the Pen. His boss needed to know in case he had an episode like the one earlier. Deacon had become accustomed to all the inmates’ emotions, and for the most part, those who were behind bars were resigned to being in a cell. They were guilty, and they knew it was what they deserved. It was only when he had to visit The Basement where they kept the Unholy that his beast had to help shield him from the outbursts, both physically and mentally.

“Gabriel heard Evan talking about Craven and Flanagan. It took his mind back to when he was captured and tortured. Isabelle arrived and was able to get him settled, but any further conversations with Evan are going to need to be done somewhere other than his cell. ”

“I want to be there when you talk to him. ” Deacon pushed up from the wall, and he took Gregor’s hand when he offered it.

“Do you need time to regroup? ”

“No. I’m better now. The worst of the pain has dulled to its usual hum. ” Deacon had explained to Gregor as best he could how the emotions of so many was a constant buzz in his brain.

“If you’re sure. We moved Evan to the holding room we first had him in. I want to know everything he does about Drago and everyone they have amassed for their army. When he comes for us, we need to know what we’re up against. ”

“I agree. Let me grab some water, and I’ll meet you down there. ”

Gregor inclined his head and left Deacon’s office. Deacon poured a tall glass of water from the cooler and downed it. He did that several times before making his way to the bathroom, where he splashed water from the tap on his face. He took stock of his appearance in the mirror while he dried off with a handful of paper towels. His eyes were still a little bloodshot as they got when his pain was the worst, but other than that, there was no indication there was anything wrong. Tossing the towels into the garbage can on the way out, he headed down the hallway to the stairs which led to the Basement.

It took a few hours once he reached Audrey’s hometown, but Drago found her human piece-of-shit husband and disposed of him. He didn’t bother telling the man why he was going to die. Audrey was gone, and the man already knew it. Drago couldn’t bear to speak her name, but even if he could have, Burt Hughes didn’t deserve to hear it. Afterward, he’d driven to the small cemetery where his mate was buried. Had he not been hellbent on going after the one who killed her, Drago would have taken her body and had her cremated so he could keep her ashes with him. Arden had remained at the hotel to keep an eye on Audrey’s friend. Lacy had passed out while the male had been choking her as he fucked her. A maid had found an unconscious Lacy and a deceased Audrey. Lacy had described what happened to the local police and then gone home to tell Audrey’s family their daughter wasn’t coming home.

With the first payment for the women in his bank account, Drago put in a call to Dr. Craven. The serum he’d come up with to reverse some of the effects of the Unholy was expensive, but
Drago needed more of the Reborn to help in the war against the Stone Society. Craven had another serum he’d used before when Gordon Flanagan was alive. One that created a type of super-soldier. When Drago first took over the Unholy, he’d met a couple of the humans, but with nothing for them to do other than sit around babysitting the Unholy, they had taken off in the middle of the night. Drago needed males he could control. So, that particular serum was sitting on a shelf somewhere in Craven’s possession. Drago had no doubt the man would sell it to the highest bidder, but that wasn’t Drago’s problem.

Drago had convinced the doctor to come up with a reversal of sorts. It had taken several attempts, but the latest batch seemed to be working. He wasn’t going to use it on all the Unholy. He needed some of the mindless for collateral damage when it came time to take on Rafael. Once Drago was King, he might revisit the super-soldier need, but for now, he could only focus on the Gargoyles.

His phone rang, and Drago pushed the Bluetooth button on the steering wheel. “Craven, ” he said as his greeting. “I have your money for the next batch of counteragent. As a matter of fact, I have enough to double the amount you made last time. ”

“You have my account number. As soon as I receive notice the funds have been transferred, I’ll get started. ”

“Very good. How long until it’s ready? ”

“A couple days at most. I’ll call you when it’s ready. ” Craven disconnected without another word. Drago was fine with that. He took the next exit where he could find somewhere to park and make the transfer. Forty more reversals with this batch would give him a nice number of Reborn. Another double batch after that would put them at one hundred. Now, he needed Arden to take care of getting more women to Mr. Collins. He had no doubt his second-in-command wouldn’t let him down.

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