Tremble (Denazen #3)(60)
“Zendean is where the Henley suit came from,” Brandt said, pushing past her and into the room. I didn’t miss how he nudged Kale forward as he went, forcing him to step inside. Brandt took a seat on the couch next to Mom. “That’s where I was undercover, trying to find a cure. I’m still in contact with someone there. I found out that a week after I left, Cross and some of his Sixes took over the facility. It’s where Kiernan and Kale have been staying.”
“Since Brandt is on the outs with these guys, I suppose Kale can conveniently get us in, right?” Alex said. He leaned back in his chair, eyes affixed to Kale’s, and grinned. “Pick a side, Reaper. This back-and-forth shit is giving me a headache.”
Kale’s eyes darkened and he turned to me with a sneer. “Are he and I friends?”
“Not even close.”
“Good.” In one swift move, Kale shot forward and kicked the legs out from Alex’s chair, sending him to the ground with a loud thud. “Don’t talk to me.”
Brandt snickered. “Huh. You’re right,” he said to me. “It is funny.” My cousin and Alex had been friends until he cheated on me. After that, things between them turned icy. Now, even though the truth behind what Alex had done was out, Brandt hadn’t really forgiven him.
Ginger sighed and pushed past them, settling in her armchair. Eyes trained on both boys, she said, “I didn’t miss the bickering.”
I did my best to stifle a giggle. She might not have, but I sure had.
Kale made his way around the coffee table and settled next to me on the couch. “We talked to Ben again this morning,” he said, glancing at Ginger. The expression on his face said it all. “He has sporadic moments of lucidity, but overall, he’s not coherent anymore.”
“From what we gather, it started the day he got to France. He flew out there to see a friend, but when things got bad she abandoned him. Somehow he managed to board his plane back to the U.S., and we all know what happened from there.” Ginger sighed.
“Did he say anything useful? He couldn’t help at all?”
Kale frowned. “No.”
I downed the rest of my coffee and thumped the cup on the table. “We need that blood.”
“Even if we find it, there’s still a problem,” Brandt said.
I let my head fall into my hands. “Isn’t there always?”
Brandt chuckled, but when I picked up my head to look at him, his expression was serious. “They’ve been working around the clock to produce Domination. My contact on the inside says they’ve used nearly all the blood.”
Kale glanced from me to Brandt. “If we’re lucky, there’ll be enough left to cure one person.”
“But the Domination serum has the blood in it, right?” Dax tapped the edge of the table and Mom grabbed his hand. They were so perfectly in sync with each other. “What if we got our hands on some of that?”
“It’s a possibility—and it might be a last resort—but there’s not much in it. If that Wentz guy can make it work, it might be enough for someone who hasn’t already entered the decay state but someone who’s already showing signs? I don’t know.” Brandt looked away. “Plus, there’s the risk. Only half the people given the drug survive. From what I’ve heard, it’s not pretty…”
“It’s better than nothing,” Mom said coolly.
“What about Reaper’s blood?” Alex piped up. “He’s been given the serum. Couldn’t we make a fix using him?”
Mom shook her head. “We don’t know how Domination affected him. Before he was given the drug, Kale’s blood used to keep Sixes compliant. I don’t think it’s worth the risk.”
Kale nodded, resolved. “Getting the drug will be slightly easier than getting the blood, but I think we can do both. Dez can take the blood and the others can get Domination.”
“No way,” I said, and for the second time that morning every eye swiveled in my direction. I was starting to feel like a neon spotlight followed me everywhere I went. At one point in my life I would have reveled in it. Now? It was getting annoying.
Alex jumped to his feet, snapping, “Why the hell not?” while Kale slammed a hand down on the arm of the couch and said, “Yes, you will.”
“Whoa.” Jade appeared in the doorway. She looked from Kale to Alex before her gaze fell on me with one of her usual sneers. “Looks like everything’s back to normal.”
“Who is this?” Kale asked, looking her up and down. He didn’t seem impressed, which gave me all sorts of warm fuzzies.
Jade’s lips split with a wicked grin as she crossed the room, wedging herself between Kale’s chair and mine. “It hurts that you don’t remember me. We shared something very special.”
He looked from her to me, then back again. “Incredibly hard to believe. I don’t find redheads the least bit attractive. Maybe if you looked more like Dez I could see it.” Unlike the old Kale, who would have simply spoken blunt and to the point, this version added the tiniest bit of a barb—and I loved him even more for it.
Jade opened her mouth, then closed it again, retreating to the coffee pot without another word.
Ginger slammed her cane against the table. The sound was like a shot through the room, ending the bickering in an instant. “While I suspect that falling into old patterns might help Kale feel more acclimated, this is not what I had in mind. Could we possibly focus, people? Or do I have to start swinging?”