Tremble (Denazen #3)(41)
“Rested state? You mean when they were asleep?”
She nodded. “Asleep or relaxed. Some of my communications with Kale were while they had him semi-sedated, shortly after administering the drug.”
“This is very interesting, but it doesn’t tell me why you chose to communicate with me and not the others,” Kale said flatly.
“You were overwhelmingly sad and frightened after you received the drug—not like the rest. You were so worried not only for yourself but for the girl you loved. A girl from the previous trial.”
Kale glanced at me, then quickly looked away.
Penny’s eyes teared as though the pain were her own. “Those first few days were excruciating. You felt so alone—but you weren’t. I was there with you.”
Kale stood and took several steps toward the door. “This is crazy.”
“But something changed.” Penny stood as well, frowning. “The connection grew clouded and erratic. I could still sense you—could still feel you—but it was pure confusion. I thought it was possibly a new side effect of the drug. That maybe you were somehow allergic but not fatally so. Now I understand it must have been what they did to your mind.”
“A Resident did it. They needed to be sure they could control him if he survived,” I said.
Kale shook his head and was almost to the door. “You’re both wrong,” he insisted. The look in his eyes was enough to steal the breath from my lungs. Fury, disappointment, and worst of all, pain. “No one controls me.”
The ferocity in his voice sent my heart thundering. Kale had been given a taste of freedom—his first—when we met in the woods behind my old house. Until that day he’d been told where to go, what to do, and who lived and died. Once free from all that, he swore no one would ever have that kind of power over him again.
“I showed you where to find me so I could help cure your girlfriend,” Penny said softly.
“Your blood,” I said, watching Kale. “We have friends who believe they can create a cure using it.”
“This is ridiculous,” Kale snapped, making both of us jump. “She’s not my girlfriend and I wasn’t given Domination. This is the way I’ve always been.”
“It’s not,” I said quietly.
“He knows.” Penny took a step closer to him. “I can feel the confusion swirling inside his head. His mind is at war with his emotions.”
Kale froze a foot from the door, pinning her with a dangerous glare. “Shut up.”
She ignored him and turned to me. “Whatever they did goes deep, but you are familiar to him.”
“Stop it,” he said, this time louder. He took a menacing step toward her, and I jumped between them as, at the tips of his fingers, a black mass started swirling.
But Kale’s hostility didn’t faze Penny. She gently nudged me aside and stepped closer. “Think, Kale. This is what you wanted more than anything. To save her. You found your way here—against all odds. Denazen buried everything you knew. You couldn’t remember your own name—or hers—yet you found me. For her.”
“You said it yourself,” I added, as the convulsing mass of black receded. Hesitant, I reached out and took his hand, surprised when he didn’t pull away. Instead, he stared down at our twined fingers, mouth agape, tightening them around mine. The sensation sent tingles of excitement shooting through me. “You don’t know what to believe. She’s right. You found your way here. There has to be a reason for that. Maybe you should at least hear her out before making any rash decisions, okay?”
He thought about it for a minute before nodding once in Penny’s direction. “Fine. I’ll hear you out.”
Penny nodded. “Denazen must never get their hands on more of my blood. They haven’t been able to reproduce it synthetically and, since they need it for the current successful drug trial, it will run out eventually.” She held up her arm. The one with the stunning red bracelet. “Inside this bracelet is a device that, with the push of a button, will destroy this house and everything inside it. I don’t ever leave.”
I blinked. “You’re telling us that you’re essentially wearing a suicide bomb?” That was it. Jury was in. Penny Mills was insane.
“There is so much you don’t know about Denazen. Their influence—their reach—extends much further than you can possibly imagine. If they were able to bring me into custody—a veritable never-ending source of the thing they so desperately need—they could engineer the army they set out to create all those years ago. The economy, world government—nothing would be safe. I am willing to sacrifice myself—and anyone else—to ensure they never get what they’re after.”
A lump formed in my throat. Anyone. The message came across loud and painfully clear. She’d said she brought Kale here to help me, but something had changed. “You changed your mind, didn’t you? You’re not going to give me your blood.”
“Quite the opposite, actually. When I first sensed Kale, I had no intention of helping you. I simply intended to make his transition smoother. Please, don’t take it personally. But this is a war we’re fighting. As with all wars, there are always innocent people caught in the crossfire. Then I realized who Kale was and what you meant to him.” She bowed her head and sighed. When she looked up, her expression was resigned. “I have no choice but to help you.”