He smiled. "No."
"Then what?"
"My companies partner several others in drug research."
What was the betting he had a finger in the pie that had made ARC1-23? "Does that mean you knew all about Talon trying to impregnate me?"
Again amusement glittered in his eyes. "Yes."
Anger whipped through me, and my fingers clenched. "And you approve?"
"No."
"Then why the hell didn't you warn me?"
"Because again, I was warned not to."
I snorted softly. "And you never go against orders? Bullshit, Misha."
"There are lots of things happening you don't understand. Lots of restrictions on me that I cannot countermand, no matter how I might wish to."
That raised my eyebrows. "Care to explain that sweeping statement?"
"Not yet."
I blew out a breath and thought about the bits and pieces he'd told me over the last few days. "You told me to imagine the supersoldier you could build if you could have all of a vamp's abilities and none of the restrictions. Is that what you're doing? Trying to build a supersoldier by crossing human and vampire genes?"
"Perhaps." He smiled idly
"Then what about hybrid nonhumans?"
"What about them?"
"Are you involved in creating them?"
"I've already said no."
There wasn't a flicker in his face or his eyes, and yet I sensed that he'd just told his first outright lie. "Then you know nothing about an attack that occurred shortly after I'd been speaking to you on the phone."
He raised an eyebrow. "I want to fuck you, not kill you."
I leaned back, partially wanting to trust him but mostly not. "That didn't answer my question."
"Yes, it did." He hesitated. "I actually tried to warn you, but you hung up."
"So you knew about the attack in the graveyard?"
"Yes."
"How did they know where I was going to be?"
He glanced down at the arm that held the tracker, giving me the answer in an instant. I swore softly. "Then how did you know about the attack?"
He gave me that smile again and didn't answer
I tapped my fingers against the table. "So are you going to tell me who owns Konane?"
His gaze swept down my body, and the fever that had lain in wait ignited. His silver eyes met mine, echoing the hunger that burned through me. I didn't want to want him, but at that moment, I had no choice. And I needed the answer he'd yet to give