Carissa Ashe stood before a metal hydraulic door. Inside, waiting for her, were the executive directors, including her fiancé, looking for answers.
She straightened out her lab coat, pulling it around her waist to ensure it covered the blasted stain on her left hip. A useless intern had spilt iodine on her while she was making her rounds this morning. Now, she had to meet with a group of middle aged men who all thought they knew better than her. If they got one peek at the stain, she might as well be as useless as the interns beneath her and not have spent years researching genetics, because she was a woman and if she couldn't keep up her appearance, how in the hell could she do her job?
Echo cleared his throat behind her, reminding her he had orders to bring her before the board, willing or unwilling.
"Fuck it," she muttered under her breath. She was as ready as she'll ever be. If they didn't like the stain, they could shove it. She didn't have a case full of awards for nothing.
She swiped her card through the reader and stepped through the doors when they opened, chin held high.
Her gaze met Victor's first at the head of the table. He subtly nodded to her. It wasn't one of assurance, she didn't need that. He had just confirmed what they had suspected.
The board was going to pull the plug on her latest project.
Not if she had anything to say about it.
She squared her shoulders and faced the room. "Gentlemen-"
"You're cut off, Doctor," Nigel interrupted her before she had the chance to speak. Prick. "You're burning money on a pipe dream."
She cast him a bitter smile. "It's not a pipe dream. I'm close to perfecting the formula. I need more-"
"You gave us that excuse last month, Doctor, and you have made no progress."
She clenched her fists so tight, her manicured nails bit into her palms. "No progress? Have you not seen the latest addition to our ranks?" She gestured to the magnificent creature behind her. "Have you not seen what he is capable of?"
"He's still unstable," another spoke up. Of course it was Rick. He leered at her. "You have given us no results. It's time to find another project."
"If you'll let me finish speaking," she ground out, "you'll find that I have made much progress. Echo is the most stable subject yet. I need shifters in their prime. If I can islolate the genome that controls their beasts, I can fix the Serum."
Nigel scoffed at her, gesturing grandly around the room. "And where are they? You have the resources to get them. Go get them."
She withheld a biting remark. As much satisfaction it would bring her to remind them how inept they all were with their simplistic views of the world, it wouldn't add anything constructive to her argument. "They've gone into hiding. We can't pluck them off the streets in the middle of the night anymore. I have hired someone to track them. She will give me valuable data on their whereabouts so I can pick the subjects I need before they get wise."
Calvin rifled through his binder until he found the sheet he was looking for. "Kinsey Ashe? Your sister, I presume?"
"Yes," she replied a little more icily than she intended. The thorn in her side that was disguised as her little sister.
People were already talking about her in the office. The Ashe who smiled at them. The compassionate Ashe.
Hah!
Everywhere she went it was the same. People would bask in Carissa's brilliance, awe at her achievements--then Kinsey would sweep in with her timid smiles and gentle demeanor, and people always asked, "Why aren't you more like your sister?"
What did they want from her? To be compassionate? Gullible? Weak? Why would Carissa want to be any of those things?
Calvin's eyebrows bunched together as he regarded her, doubt clear in his eyes. "She's new to the company. Can we trust her?"
"Of course we can," Victor answered instantly. "She is a great addition to the team."
Everyone swiveled in their seats to face the man whose name was plastered all over the building. The most powerful man. Her man.
"What he means to say," Carissa reiterated for him, because he sounded far too enthusiastic to have Kinsey around when she hadn't delivered what she had promised, "is that she is a people pleaser and easily manipulated. I ensured she would take the job by sabotaging all other opportunities available to her. She's desperate for this job. She'll do anything I ask her to, no questions asked." Well, maybe the last part was a little fib. Kinsey was always armed with an obnoxious amount of questions, but they weren't anything she couldn't handle. It was easy enough to make her second guess herself and her silly questions.
The board was pleased to hear this. "We can make use of her on other projects. We will not waste any more resources on your Mutant soldiers."
She opened her mouth, about to give them a piece of her mind for mocking her soldiers. Like all experiments, they weren't perfect in the beginning. There were flaws and she would learn from them. Mould them into an unstoppable force. Militaries would be lining up to buy the Serum. With her work, they could finally build an army to wipe out the Night Folk.
Victor caught her attention, shaking his head. He smiled at her, a knowing glint in his eyes. "Carissa darling, maybe we should show these fine gentlemen what they've been spending their money on?"
Carissa grinned. "You're perfectly right, Victor. It's clear a first hand demonstration is in order. Echo, lift Calvin out of his seat."
"Wait just a minute-!"
Echo marched over to Calvin, who she picked purposely because he was in the middle of the room. She wouldn't want to deny anyone a front row seat.
Echo grabbed Calvin by the throat and lifted him out of his chair and two feet off the floor. The pathetic man kicked the air desperately to find solid footing and grasped Echo's wrists in a lame attempt to free himself.
The room exploded in uproar. The directors flew out of their seats and pulled their remotes out. As if that would save them. Did they really think she was naive enough to give them the real kill switch to her creations?
Despite the shouts and demands filling the room, Echo only heard her command: "Rip Calvin's throat out."
Without hesitation, Echo's claws sprang forth and dug into Calvin's throat. He didn't bat an eyelash at the blood running down his arm, dripping to the floor. He yanked his hand back, taking a chunk of Calvin's throat with him. The man fell lifeless to the floor in a pool of his own blood.
She faced the blanching directors, a thin smile on her lips. There was nothing more satisfying than bringing a group of supposedly powerful men to their knees. "As you can see, I have full control over Echo. He obeys every command without question. He is stronger than any man and any shifter we have tested him against. Once the Serum is perfected, people will pay any price. Any objections?"
"You crazy bitch!"
"Victor, do something!"
Victor laughed wholeheartedly. "Why? I think Carissa has made her point. If you have any more objections, I'm sure Echo can sort them out for you."
The room went silent. It hit them only now that Victor had her back the entire time and had no intention of pulling the plug on her project. He was the one who told her to use any means necessary to keep her project alive.
Nigel shoved a chair out of his way and stormed for the door. "I'm done! I'm not working with a psycho bitch."
All the directors moved for the door.
"Echo, no one leaves this room alive."
They froze halfway to the door. They shouldn't have; it gave Echo enough time to block the exit.
Rick turned to face her, rage etched in his features. He ran for her. Echo moved with superhuman speed; he was behind Rick in a flash. He grabbed the back of his head and burrowed his claws into his skull with a sickening crunch.
Victor came to her side, slipping an arm around her waist and guiding her to the door, while Echo moved on to his next target. They shut the door behind them and locked it with Victor's unique passcode.
Despite the door being solid steel, they could still hear the men screaming. Victor shook his head. "Tch. They were spineless pencil pushers until the very end. I can't say I'll miss them. They lacked vision." He hooked his fingers under her chin and tilted it up to his. His lips brushed over hers. "That's what I love so much about you, Carissa. You don't let anyone stand in your way."
Her body burned in response to his touch. Only Victor Bane could make her feel so alive. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him more fervently. "Let's go to your office. There are some important things we need to discuss."
His eyes lit up with desire. "I believe we do."
She took his hand and led him to the elevator.