“Really?” she asked, leaning forward.
He grinned. “You don’t believe me?”
She shrugged, smiling. “It never occurred to me that you’d be preoccupied with something other than curing what we are.”
In the months she’d been with the pack, he’d rarely left the refuge. His overnight trips, late-night conference calls, teleconferencing, and data debriefs had gone unnoticed. Still, it bothered him that she thought this world was his whole world. “While the infection affects my life, it doesn’t define who I am. I want my work to do that.”
“Work. Not family?” she asked, her gaze fixed on him.
“My turn.” He sat back, rubbing his chin, considering his options. If he opened too strong, she’d shut down.
His expression must have revealed his internal struggling, because she laughed. Laughter transformed everything. And her smile was magic, if he believed in such things. That was her department.
“What precautions should we be taking against the Others?”
Her nod was slight. “Finn has impressive security. I would worry most about Cyrus learning things like location and the members of your pack. If he knows that, he will find a way to infiltrate and eliminate.” She paused. “While you research your cure, he develops new weapons.”
He hadn’t expected her to offer beyond what he was asking. “What sort of weapons?” A hard, cold knot formed in his throat.
She shook her head. “How close are you to testing your infection cure?”
He cleared his throat, impatient for answers of his own but knowing they were entering dangerous territory. Besides, he’d signed an NDA on this research. All RPR scientists had. Still he had to answer her. “Soon.”
Her brows rose. “That is not an answer. Are we done then?”
He shook his head. “I’ve begun testing already.”
Her eyes went round. “You—on what?”
“Blood, DNA samples, some of the bone fragments.” He broke off.
“You don’t want to tell me this?” She shifted in the chair, drawing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. Almost as if she were pulling into herself. “Because you don’t trust me?”
“What weapons?” he repeated his earlier question—and avoided answering hers.
He hadn’t been prepared for her answer. But why was he surprised. At every turn, Cyrus had proven again and again that he was a monster. What she told him turned his blood cold. Injecting silver and cyanide into the bloodstream? Cyrus didn’t just want to wipe out their pack, he wanted to torture them.
“May I see the bone?” There was almost a reverence to her voice.
He nodded. “Why?”
She rested her chin on her knees. “I have no memory of where I came from or who my pack was. I know it’s unlikely this bone will change that, but still, it is a part of our species. Which makes it a part of my history, too.” Her gaze locked with his. “Is it wrong to want to know who I am?”
“No. Not at all.” He couldn’t imagine it. His upbringing was nothing out of the ordinary, but it stitched together who he was. “If you share what you do remember, we might be able to find some clues.”
“It’s my turn to ask why,” she whispered. “Why do you want to help me?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” His irritation returned. “No matter what you think, we’re not enemies. You’ve become part of the pack—one more reluctant member.” But there was more to it than that. Whether she was significant to the pack or not, she was to him. Each day, another thread seemed to tie them together. It was unnerving as hell.
“You know packs don’t work that way, Hollis. I’m simply a guest who’s stayed too long.” She paused, chewing her lower lip. “Is it my turn?”
Her quick dismissal stung. While he was trying to make sense of the hold she had on him, she seemed completely unaffected by him. Save attraction. She wanted his body—but not him. His thirst for knowledge took a nosedive. “I’m not sure.”
“Then it’s my turn.” She smiled. “If you want me in your pack, why not take me to bed?”
His almost abated erection stirred. Damn her. He shook his head, his frustration bubbling up. Now that she’d figured out she was his weakness, she’d be more exhausting than ever.
She nudged his knee with her bare toes. “Don’t go mute now.”