BirthStone (21 page)

“Okay, so she learned early how not to
conceive. What made her want to destroy me personally?”

“Other than the rape?”

Silas’ gaze returned to the screen, to read
the file. “What rape?”

“Yeah… she was raped and had to marry some
poor sap. Obviously people handled things differently back then.
She was
not
treated as the victim,” Tyrone said grimly.

Silas read the report but did not need it to
know what happened to an unwed mother back then. He had seen the
outcasts, the labeling, and the shame firsthand. It made him glad
he was wolf. “Same question, I did not rape her, so why hate me?”
He glanced at Tyrone, interested in his take on the matter.

For a moment Tyrone didn’t respond, finally
he shrugged. “I don’t know for sure, we won’t know until we talk
with her, but I think it has something to do with the rape. Somehow
she blames you for it.”

“That doesn’t make sense. A full-blood wolf
did not start this madness of blood mixing.” He looked at the data
again. There were too many holes, too many unanswered questions.
“You did a good job of tracking her through the years. The rest of
the information will come from her. Have someone bring her in for
questioning. Make sure you run a full scan and cross scan on her,
make sure she’s safe, and then take her to the basement of the
condo building. If she’s this old, she should know who started the
cross-breeding and why.” He scrolled through the report, taking in
dates and events in Corrina Griggs' life. “Also, send this list of
possible locations of sanctuaries to the Alphas. They are not to
engage the occupants, but if it is a confirmed sanctuary I want the
people watched. I don’t know how far Griggs has gone to carry out
her plot, but the more we can contain them, the better.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“
Silas?
”“
Yes
?”

“
Do something about Jacques! He and Mark
almost came to blows a few minutes ago. Renee may think his
love-sick expressions over mom are funny. But mom is taking Mark’s
side against Jacques, and he’s having a hard time controlling his
wolf.”

“
Has he told her she was his mate
yet?”

“
I don’t think so. She thinks he’s
crazy.”

“
A stubborn mate will do that to
you,
” he murmured.

“
I heard that. Just come get your
boy
,” she snapped.

Silas looked at Tyrone as he stood. “Let me
know when you hear something regarding Griggs. I agree with you, we
are on to something with her.”

Tyrone nodded as he stood. “Yes, Sir,” he
said as he left the room.

Silas pinched the bridge of his nose and
inhaled. “
Jacques, I am in the lower labs, meet me here.”
He
steeled his voice into a command.

“
Yes, Sir.”
Silas shielded himself
against the angst in Jacque’s voice. Human laws and accounting
systems made things more difficult. Gone were the days when a wolf
could simply steal away with his mate, Silas thought wistfully. And
then he choked on the possible reaction of his mate had he
attempted to take her away from her sons and family against her
will. Jasmine would have castrated him in his sleep, and that would
probably have been the least of his worries.

As much as he empathized with his friend, he
could not allow him to disrupt his household. He knew Jacques could
not leave Victoria, his wolf would never allow it. But the man had
to use wisdom and bide his time.

Jacques strolled into the conference room
with a sheepish yet stubborn look on his face. Silas knew he had to
tread carefully, when it came to mates, a wolf would defy the
Goddess if she interfered.

“Yes, Sir?” Jacques' rigid posture screamed
'I will take whatever you mete out but I will not stop.'

“I want to talk to Asia. Do you have any
questions prepared for her?”

Jacques eyes widened as his shoulders
relaxed a bit. “Asia, the bitch that was experimented on?”

Silas nodded, unsure if he spoke, that his
words would lack a sarcastic element.

Jacques pointed to the chair at the table.
“May I sit, Sir?”

Silas’ brow rose at the extreme courtesy,
realizing Jacques had not relaxed his guard fully. “Yes.”

Jacques took the seat, leaned forward with
his hands clasped on the table. “I have read through the notes and
have a few points I plan to submit to you later after verifying a
few items. This woman…Asia, she is remarkable and not of common
stock. Few wolves can withstand the type of altering that she has.
A titanium leg, arm?” He scoffed. “Who is she really? Was she born
or created? If she was created, for what purpose? Is she the Eve in
this drama? If so, who is her Adam?” He paused.

Silas could not utter a word, the questions
Jacques voiced had never entered his mind, yet they made sense in a
warped way.

Jacques leaned back in his chair. “She is a
huge part of the mystery and the success of your enemies' plans.
Yet she helps you, why? To what purpose? I am not sure she is a
wolf. I am not sure she is not red herring, or sleeper. If she is
gathering intel on your operation, the best way to do it is to gain
your trust, to feed us bits of information difficult to confirm.
And if we use her data, it may be a set up to lead us into a trap.”
Jacques exhaled. “So, to answer your question, I have questions but
they are not very nice. I have never met her but I do not trust
her. She is a weapon, no question. But for who?”

Silas closed his eyes and mulled over
everything he just heard. When he opened them, he met Jacques gaze.
“You lost control last year.”

Jacques flinched but remained silent.

“Arianna rolled your mind, had you acting
out of character, doing things to those you love while hating it,
so I know you have an inside track of what Asia may be going
through. When we meet with her in a few minutes, I want you to
search for signs of that. Once again I find your thoughts
invaluable, they have walked a path I had not noticed despite my
dealings with Arianna. But hold them close to your chest, I don’t
want her to think I am considering she may not be as she appears.”
He paused, unsure if he should share this bit of information. “I
spared her life at the request of the Goddess.”

Jacques head snapped up and met his gaze.
Silas tried to read the emotion in them, but couldn’t settle on
fear or disappointment.

“I have not conferred with her in two
months. I have been lax in my duties. I will remedy that today,
perhaps that will allow me to make the connections clearer without
bringing in my personal experiences.”

“Jacques.” Silas had not meant his comment
as a slight, but he wanted, no needed, his friend to listen to Asia
with an open mind uncolored with his past experiences.

Jacques held up his hand as he glanced away.
“I am much better these days. Although there are still moments…
when I have these flashes.” He inhaled and then released it. “I
would like to speak with Asia, Sir.”

Silas gazed at the man who had been his
friend for two decades. They had seen and been through much
together. The experience with Arianna had changed Jacques, as it
would any wolf. The woman had captured Jacques' wolf and turned it
against his humanity. The wounds beneath the scars still festered,
yet the man offered his assistance knowing Asia’s condition
resembled his personal nightmare.

Unable to think of a way to gracefully
refuse without causing more damage, Silas nodded, pushed back the
chair and stood. “This way.”

It did not take long to reach Asia’s cell.
After typing in the code, Silas waited a moment for her to scent
them and become presentable. Opening the door, he noticed her head
bent, kneeling on the floor. He ushered Jacques in, allowing him a
moment to take in the scene before speaking.

“Hello Asia. I have a friend of mine with me
today. Jacques, this is Asia, Asia…Jacques. As usual I want to
talk, see if we can discover anything new.”

“Yes, Sir,” she said without raising her
head.

Silas sat in the chair. Jacques leaned
against the wall, watching intently. “Please take a seat,
Asia.”

“Yes, Sir.” She moved fluidly from the floor
to the top of her bed, folded her legs beneath her, and sat with
her hands in her lap. Even with the locked blindfold, she appeared
the picture of serenity.

“I am going to scan you. I want to check the
devices in your head to make sure there has been no change.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

Silas glanced at Jacques to gauge his
reaction. After Arianna had left Jacques almost comatose, Silas had
entered his mind as well. There had been a few lesions but nothing
that should have been permanent. He and Jacques had never talked
about it.

With the conversation fresh in his mind
regarding her humanity, Silas search her cranial cavity with a
sharper eye. He looked for anything that might suggest Asia was not
as she appeared. The vein joining the eye camera and the small
device attached to her brain appeared to be the same. He would let
the doctor know so they could alter their treatments. This time he
took a little longer, poked around a bit for additional
abnormalities. Everything in him said the brain was human tissue,
but he had been fooled before. He radiated energy, sending waves of
healing through her body. His wolf recognized an answering response
in her wolf. She was lonely. This separation from all others was
hard on her wolf, she needed pack. Silas stroked the beast, allowed
her to make the connection with him. He would talk to Tyrese,
someone had to spend quality time with Asia or she could lose
it.

When he pulled out, she was wiping moisture
from her face. “Thank you, Sir. Thank you so much.”

Touched that such a simple thing like
stroking her wolf evoked such a response, Silas released his
breath. He had been remiss in his duties, Asia was wolf and under
his protection. He would find a way for her to exercise her beast
and remain safe.

“I am your Alpha, it’s my job to make sure
you have what you need. I will inform Dr. Passen of the scan. Have
you thought of anything else that might help me win this war?”

She shook her head and stopped midway. “When
you were in my mind a moment ago, you did something different
before you dealt with my wolf. It seemed familiar. There was warmth
and a moment of clarity, like a sunrise. I saw a warehouse with a
long corridor with doors on both sides. Some glass as well.” She
stopped. “It didn’t hurt.” She laughed. “I said warehouse and it
didn’t hurt.” She covered her mouth with her hands. “Sir, can you
do that again, whatever you did.”

“Yes.” Silas entered her mind, focused on
her and who he was to all wolves, and then released healing energy.
He remained longer this time, hoping to counteract whatever had
been done to her. He heard a pop, but continued the stream. There
was a slight hissing sound and another popping noise.

“Sir.”

Silas heard Jacques and started to pull back
when he noticed the small device had detached from her brain.
Quickly he surrounded it and tugged on the cord leading to the
camera. It wouldn’t break free so he left it, and pushed the other
device through her system.

When he exited, Asia lay on her side on the
floor with blood trickling from her nose. Jacques knelt in front of
her with two fingers on her neck. “She passed out.”

“I see that,” Silas said, watching from his
chair. “Step back, I am going to call her wolf.” Jacques stood and
moved away as Asia flowed into her wolf.

“Hard to believe she has metal inside when
she changes so smoothly,” Jacques said.

Silas watched the wolf stand shakily with
her head lowered before walking around the small space. “Sit for a
while, Asia. Your body is healing. The small device that was
attached to your brain is gone. The camera is still in place and I
don’t know how it transmits, so the blindfold will remain. But if
that device blocked your memories, they should come back to you
soon.”

Asia released a howl and then another.

Silas laughed.

Jacques smiled.

“Be easy, young bitch. I want you healed and
whole. Then you can decide what you want to do with your life.”

Asia stopped howling and sat on the floor.
Silas had no idea what she was thinking over his announcement. The
room remained silent. He met Jacques' quizzical gaze with a shrug.
Asia shifted.

“I will decide what I will do or where I
will go?” Her voice held a measure of uncertainty.

Silas silently thanked the good doctor .
“Yes. You’re here for two reasons. One, you are not well. Two,
there are those who would capture or kill you if they could. I
don’t believe either of those situations will last forever. Perhaps
after a few more healing sessions the camera behind yours eyes will
clear up, who knows? I plan to win this war, so those who would
harm you will be defeated and you can live free from fear, or at
the very least be in a position to defend yourself against your
enemies.”

Jacques nodded at him. Asia may not push the
envelope as hard for others, but the promise of freedom was an
intoxicating nugget. One he intended to dangle in front of her at
every opportunity. He was convinced the secrets to defeating his
enemy were stored in her mind; they needed her cooperation to
access them.

“Thank you, Sir. You have given me a lot to
think about. And for the first time since…well I cannot remember
when, thinking is not painful. Passen gave me a recorder to use as
my memories return. I will continue to use it and push harder to
wade through the sluggishness of my mind. It always seems as if
something important is just on the other side, close but out of
reach. As we speak, there are tingles in my head, not unpleasant
but different. I hope this is a good sign.”

Silas recognized the statement for what it
was, a need for reassurance. “It is a good sign, your brain is
making repairs. The healing energy followed by your shift helped.”
Silas stood. “Don’t push it, let your memories return naturally,
use the recorder. You should be fine. But if you have any
discomfort, shift and call out to me. Your wolf will start healing
immediately, but I want to know if there are any adverse affects
from removing the device.”