Page 295 of Awakened

“Oh Fates—you’re both Mated to her.” Albertson sits up straighter, shock replacing his terror. “She’s Mated to a vampire and a wolven? But—how? That’s⁠—”

Soren’s chair screeches across the wood floor as he surges to his feet. He starts back toward the Doctor, but my hand snaps out, and my fingers wrap around his wrist, halting him mid-step. He tries to shake me off, but it’s my turn to hold him back.

“It’s fine,” I mutter. “He would have found out eventually.”

Soren doesn’t take his eyes off the Doctor, and I’m starting to wonder if the man’s heart could take the level of violence radiating in the air.

“You don’t ask the fucking questions,” Soren warns between clenched teeth, pointing at Albertson. His eyes flash, his Beast backing him up.

Fates, if he shifts, I think the Doctor might actually have a stroke.

Albertson snaps his mouth shut and nods frantically. Wiping his palms on his pants, he tilts his head to the side, baring his neck to the wolven Heir.

The act of submission isn’t natural like when Soren’s warriors perform it, but it does seem to calm him down just enough for me to pull him back to his seat.

“Let’s start from the top,” Daxen declares, pulling Albertson’s attention off Soren. “I’m going to ask you some questions, and you’re going to answer truthfully. You’re not going to hold anything back. You’re not going to lie. You’re going to be the most well-behaved Beta to have ever walked through these walls.”

Another nod.

“Words, Doctor. If I want to speak to a bobblehead, I’ll raid Silas’ room and call it a day.”

His voice is croaky and strained when he replies. “Yes, I understand.”

Dax flips open the file in front of him. “What is Idril?”

Alberton’s brow furrows. “She’s—uh—an Omega?”

“Don’t be cute; we know she’s an Omega.” Dax glares, making the Beta lick his lips anxiously. “What Species is she?”

“I don’t know,” he mutters.

Daxen bares his fangs. “My fucking favorite phrase. Would you like to hear a story about how much I love the answer ‘I don't know’? It’s not a pretty one. I’ll be apologizing for my reaction for the next five hundred years at least.”

The words are meant to scare the Doctor, but we all know what he’s referring to. Idril told me about the night in the library. How angry Daxen was when she didn’t have answers to his questions. How he reacted.

“No! No, I don’t need to hear a story; I just—I really don’t know,” Albertson pleads, glancing around the room like he’s looking for someone to back him up. “I know she’s not human, nor is she vampire or wolven. I can tell you about her blood, and quite a bit about what I think she can do, but Varenthrall kept the knowledge of what or who she was a secret. I honestly am not sure he even knows for sure.”

Daxen glances down at his wrist, and that’s when I notice the bracelet he’s wearing.

Holy. Shit. It’s Riven’s. The one he never takes off. The one he found in a forest in Europe centuries ago that changes temperature when someone’s lying.

I don’t know how he got Riven to let him borrow it, but the fact that he did makes me smirk. Daxen must feel my eyes on him because he glances up, returning my smirk with his own.

The shared moment lasts only a second before I pull my eyes away. My smile falls, and from the corner of my eye I see his smile falter too, replaced by regret.

He smoothes out his expression before continuing, shifting to face Albertson.

“We know he’s been injecting Omegas with her blood. We know he’s trying to somehow recreate her abilities in others. What we don’t know is why.” Dax’s green eyes bore into the Doctor. “Why is he injecting Omegas with Idril’s blood?”

Albertson’s already nodding. “Yes, you’re right. The first phase was to create subjects capable of surviving the transfusions. Eventually we were able to isolate the DNA that allows each of her abilities and turn it into a serum. We saw much more success with that.”

I grunt, lips twisting in disgust at the callous way he speaks about them. “Isolate how?”

“Idril has… many abilities…” He hesitates, like he’s not sure how much we already know.

“I’m her Mate,” I reply sardonically. “I know about her abilities.”

“So then you know she can manipulate all four elements. Water, air, Earth and fire.” He straightens, and his body language shifts completely. Almost like he’s much more open to discussing this now that he knows he’s not sharing any of Idril’s secrets. Once more, I find myself softening toward the guy, and I hate it.