Shield - A New Species Fanfiction (Wild at Heart Chronicles, Book 1)

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Come now, Ms. Evans," Dr. Malcolm said, as though addressing an insolent child. "Gawking is hardly the reaction I expected from the daughter of an NSO agent. What I hold in my hand is of great value—to both Mercile and its creations. My legacy, if you will. Now, I give it to you. Take it, and then go."

Paige was tempted to comply with her demand, if only to hasten her departure. She didn't know how much longer she had before the next explosion went off and the building collapsed. But to take the box and just leave the doctor to die?

She couldn't do it.

Wiping her sweaty palms against her thighs, Paige stepped around Dr. Rosenburg, taking care to avoid the blood spreading out over the carpet, and glared down at the woman who murdered her with such abandon. It didn't surprise Paige in the least beneath that educated, well-bred façade, she was a vicious killer.

How else could she take the life of an innocent, and not give a damn afterwards?

"It's time to go, doctor," Paige said, keeping the space of two feet between herself and the woman. As though in the presence of a wounded, albeit dangerous animal, the best way to approach her was to keep her discomfort at a distance. "You can hand your precious legacy to the NSO when I get you out of here."

Dr. Malcolm shook her head and smiled, amused despite the blood leaking out of her stomach or the tremor in her hands as she lowered the box to her lap. "What do you hope to gain with this senseless act of altruism, Ms. Evans? A badge of honor? A gold star on your report for good behavior?"

"Gold star, my ass," Paige muttered, as she looked around the office for something to press against the doctor's wound.

She spotted a coat spread over the leather sofa and grabbed it, folding it into a square. When Paige sat on her haunches, prepared for the other's resistance, she was surprised to find the woman staring blankly at the television behind her with tears running down her cheeks. They left a trail of clean, ashen skin.

"That was the last time he saw the beach."

Paige looked over her shoulder at the boy with the impish smile and hazel eyes. She turned back to the doctor and said, "Your son?"

"My world," she replied in a soft voice. "Morgan was my world. My greatest achievement."

"What happened to him?"

A humorless laugh escaped the doctor's lips. "Only the strongest survive in this world, Ms. Evans. Nature abides by that law for a reason, doesn't she? To eliminate the weaker of the species, the least suitable for a place on this earth."

Okay, then...

Prying the box from her loose hand, Paige set it to the floor and pressed the coat to Dr. Malcolm's stomach, using the sleeves to tie it around her waist and hold it in place. The doctor murmured a few words of protest, but she allowed her ministrations in the end; she was too weak from blood loss. Upon closer inspection, what she thought at first were cuts done by a knife appeared to be...claw marks?

An unsettling thought.

Paige positioned her back to the wall next to Dr. Malcolm and lifted the woman's arm to rest it behind her neck for support. She could feel the warm slickness of blood against her skin. Before she could lift them both to their feet, Paige grabbed the box in her hand but the thing slipped from her fingers. When it clattered to the floor, the lid popped open at her feet.

The box was empty.

"Tell me something. I've pondered this notion since your mother refused to disclose the NSO intel, and she allowed me to throw you in the company of that animal." Dr. Malcolm narrowed her eyes at Paige, digging her nails into her shoulder. "In truth, how strong do you think is your surrogate mother's love for you?"