Aimee's eyes darted between Austin and Kasia, her expression changing into barely contained fury. "I don't have to deal with this," Aimee spat and began walking to the exit.
"Make sure you check in with Nadia, or you'll be collared as well," Austin warned Aimee. Aimee paused for a second, her back to him. Kasia could see Aimee's back tense in rage before she swung the door open and left, the sound of the door slamming reverberating through the room.
Kasia watched the door with a neutral expression. "You do realize that it's not safe for her or Kenneth to be running loose like this," Kasia warned. "She's quite vindictive."
"Then, it will be her mistake to doublecross us," Austin responded.
"Really? You allied yourself with someone who would betray their own people for their own mutual gain? Don't be so cocky," Kasia scolded.
Austin's lips twitched in amusement. "It's nice to see that you still care about us. Nothing for you to worry about though. I'll make sure she won't bother you again."
"I am not worried about her. I can handle her. I am worried about the inexperienced hunters," Kasia lied, trying to get more information out of Austin.
"Again, you don't have to worry about that. We have a contingency plan for that," Austin explained, almost casually. "Improved wolfsbane bullets."
"Improved?" Kasia repeated.
"Yes. I remember you didn't really like to use bullets, but normally it would take five minutes to put a mutt down which would be dangerous as a hunter could be killed in the process. Now, it takes less than a minute," Austin explained.
Kasia forced her face to remain neutral and said, "Smart."
"It really is. You know, it was actually my idea to do it. You see, I…"
Kasia began drowning out Austin's voice as she was processing this new information. She needed to act carefully, and strategically. "Deva, take down the block to Kenneth," Kasia instructed internally.
"Hell no! Why would I do that?" Deva exclaimed. "I do not want to hear his nasty thoughts."
"Trust me. Only drop it for a few seconds," Kasia urged.
Deva grumbled but reluctantly obeyed, dropping the block. Almost immediately, Kenneth's voice flooded Kasia's mind.
"Kasia! What happened? Are you okay? They won't let me see you," Kenneth's voice was frantic, almost desperate. It made Kasia want to gag.
"They never meant for me to go back to you. This is all a setup. They have wolfsbane bullets. They're going to betray you," Kasia blurted out in one breath before Deva slammed the block back up.
"I hope you know what you're doing by talking to him," Deva grumbled. "It's better that we escape on our own."
Kasia didn't respond to Deva's complaint, her mind already moving to her next steps. Before she could process her thoughts further, Austin's voice broke through.
"Are you okay? You've just been sitting there on your knees. You know you can get up now," Austin said, placing a hand on her shoulder. The touch was supposed to be comforting, but it only made Kasia's skin crawl.
Kasia slowly stood up, "Do I have to wear this all the time?"
"Only around the compound and on missions," Austin replied smoothly.
"So, all the time, okay," Kasia muttered under her breath.
"Don't be like that," Austin said, his tone shifting to one of mock reassurance. "This is best for everyone. We don't have to give you anymore wolfsbane if you wear the collar. So, it's a win in my book."
Kasia bit back the urge to bare her fangs at him, instead turning her head slightly to avoid his gaze. She couldn't trust herself to keep her composure if she looked directly at him.
Before she could respond, one of the scientists approached. In his gloved hand, he held a syringe filled with an iridescent blue liquid.
"You just said you weren't going to give me wolfsbane. The original dose hasn't even worn off. Are we already starting off with lies? This doesn't bode well with rekindling our relationship," Kasia said.
"This isn't wolfsbane. It is something better," Austin replied.
"We are ready for phase two," the scientist announced, ignoring Kasia.
Kasia's eyes narrowed at the sight of the syringe. "If that's not wolfsbane, what is it?" she demanded.
Austin took the syringe from the scientist. "This," he began, his tone annoyingly condescending, "is the key to unlocking your true potential. It's a specially designed compound to enhance your abilities."
Kasia's brow furrowed. "You don't even know what my abilities are, so how could you have made something so fast?"
"We took some of your blood already," Austin admitted.
"Excuse me? When? I didn't notice…"
"The chair in the office. Small needs, so thin you didn't even notice," Austin continued. Kasia's eye twitched as she realized they really had plotted everything out before she got here.
"Do you really think pumping me full of some mystery drug is a good idea? It's a miracle I'm not a crazed beast based on what I was told," Kasia stated.
Austin's lips curled into a patronizing smile. "I don't just think it's a good idea, Kasia. I know it is. You don't have to worry about losing control. We have the collar now."
"Nah, I think I'm going to opt out of this," Kasia said, taking a step back as Austin stepped closer.
"You don't have that option anymore," Austin countered, his tone firm, a hint of menace creeping into his words. He tapped the control for her collar, letting the motion speak volumes. "Now, you have two choices. You can willingly accept this gift, or..." His fingers brushed the control again. "I'll have to discipline you until you do."
"Do it. If it does enhance our abilities, they won't be able to stop us and we'll be able to escape," Deva reasoned.
"Or it could be too much and it kills us," Kasia countered.
"Better than being enslaved to him," Deva argued.
"Fine," Kasia growled through gritted teeth. "Let's see what happens."