Black Moon (Alpha Pack #3)(16)
"Indeed." Malik paused, studying him intently.
He gave a humorless laugh. "Pardon me if I don't believe your bullshit."
"Why do you assume it's bullshit, as you say?"
"Really?" He gaped at the Unseelie, incredulous. "You kill people."
"So do you, and so does your whole team for that matter," Malik pointed out. "I suppose that makes you all evil to a man."
"Well, no, of course not! You're the bad guy!"
"Me? Why?"
"Are you serious? Man, you keep shifters and humans in cages so the scientists who're working for you-or for Kerrigan-can figure out how to splice their DNA and create super-shifter soldiers!"
"I don't keep my test subjects in cages. They're strictly volunteers."
"I can't believe you said that with a straight face." He shook his head, pushed angrily to his feet and paced a few feet away to put distance between them. "I saw with my own eyes two of our team members being held in cages. They'd been tortured and experimented on, one of them for months!"
Malik stood, looking troubled. "Ah. You're referring to Orson Chappell's and Dr. Gene Bowman's unfortunate decisions. They became a bit fanatical in their approach."
"You don't say," Kalen mocked. "And you didn't seduce or coerce them into performing the heinous shit they did in the name of science, I'm sure."
"I didn't, not that I expect you to believe me."
"I don't. You had to know what was going on."
"Whether you believe me or not doesn't change anything. And it certainly doesn't change my goal, which I must say is a worthy one."
"To create this perfect breed of super-shifters."
"Yes." The Unseelie's eyes lit with excitement. "What if we could perfect a soldier whose supernatural abilities far exceed any of the humans' weapons in existence? What if humans were no longer the top of the pyramid of intelligent life on earth? Can you imagine being a part of implementing the greatest fundamental change to civilization in the history of the universe? The soldiers would work for you and me, and the planet would belong to the Fae, shifters, vampires, and every other creature who's had to live in the shadows for centuries. Like you and I have been forced to live."
"That'll never happen. Powerful men in history have tried shit along those lines and ended up with their heads on pikes."
"Men have tried. Never an Unseelie king."
Tired, he rubbed his eyes. "Show-and-tell time, Malik. Let's see what you've got or I'm leaving."
"I was getting to that before our little debate about what constitutes evil. And I happen to know that a bit of sacrifice is necessary for the greater good." He held up a hand before Kalen could voice further argument. "We'll put the super-shifter issue to rest for the evening. Follow me."
"Where to now?" he muttered.
But the other male didn't answer. Kalen followed the Unseelie through the house, turning over in his mind all the stuff Malik had told him. He still couldn't grasp, well, any of it.
Jesus f**k, he was Fae. Like Sariel, Malik's half Seelie-half Unseelie son and the Pack's good friend. Maybe he could trust the guy to answer some questions for him discreetly. Once Sariel recovered and got over the fact that Kalen had been seduced into letting the witch loose, who then almost killed Sariel on his daddy's orders. Yeah, the Fae prince would be happy to have a heart-to-heart with Kalen, become best buddies.
Right. That would happen.
Kalen was brought out of his thoughts when Malik reached a doorway off the kitchen. The doorway opened to a flight of stairs that led down. Right into a dark, creepy basement, it appeared.
Kalen balked. "You want me to go down there with you? I've seen this movie, and it didn't end so good for the stupid hero."
"I'm not going to harm you. You have my word."
"I'm sure that promise is worth framing and hanging on the wall."
Malik descended the steps, waving a hand as he passed. Several lights came on, and at least Kalen could see to the landing at the bottom. With a sigh, he went after the Unseelie. If he was making a mistake, this would likely be his last.
Kalen was completely unprepared for what he found.
In the center of the basement floor, hanging with his arms bound above his head, was a man he recognized. A big son of a bitch he'd met just once before-
That night, weeks ago, when the guy and his hick ass**le buddies had attacked Kalen at the Cross-eyed Grizzly.
Billy Beer Gut.
Chapter Four
"What the f**k's going on here?" Kalen looked from the frightened man back to the Unseelie. "Why do you have this shithead tied up in your basement?"
The shithead in question darted his gaze from him to Malik, eyes bulging in fear. The sharp stench of urine reached his nose. It permeated the room, and a dark stain was visible at the crotch of the man's dirty jeans.
"I see you remember Billy," Malik said pleasantly, as though they were getting reacquainted over a nice dinner of wine and lobster. "He's been kind enough to join us for a brief reunion."
"Listen, I don't know what you're playing at, but Billy is good and scared now. Right, Billy?"
"Y-yeah! I got no beef with either of ya'll!"