“What?” Sebastian asks.
“Come again?” Toshi asks.
“They’ve turned him,” I say. “Kyle’s not—he isn’t—”
I look up into Clarissa’s eyes as tears well in them. I want to reach up and brush them again, but I can’t. They drip onto my skin and crush my soul as my body tries to mend itself from the pain.
“Oh no,” Clarissa says in a whisper. “No, no, no, no.”
Chapter 3
Clarissa
Istumble back from Theo’s head and scurry to my feet. That isn’t possible. Kyle can’t possibly be a Primal. Project Eden was targeting female fetuses and mothers pregnant with them.
Theo must be mistaken.
I feel a hand come down onto my arm and help me up. I look into the eyes of Joel, the man who has taken us all in. He helps me to my feet and leads me off to the side as my mind continues to swirl. He guides me through the small cottage and down a private hallway before he leans me against the wall.
“Better?” he asks.
“Much. Thank you,” I say.
“Can we talk now?”
“Okay?”
“It doesn’t surprise me if your friend’s telling the truth.”
“What?” I asked.
“The Council have been doing experiments for a very long time. Especially after they found out about Project Eden.”
“How do you know about that?” I ask.
“You guys aren’t the only ones searching for answers. Project Eden was on our group’s radar for a long time. We’ve been stationed out here for centuries, tasked with working our way into the ranks of the Council and taking them out from the inside.”
“And how’s that working for you?”
“It’s not,” he says. “It’s why our generation has decided to take them face-on. Clarissa, when we first learned of them enslaving and experimenting on humans, our grandfathers and great-grandfathers were outraged. But they thought if they raised a generation of young adults they could feed to the Council, they could embed within them tactics to take them out from the inside.”
“I take it that didn’t work?”
“No,” he says. “They slaughtered anyone who tried without a second thought. Primals tout that they try to live in commune with humans, but the Council means to take them out.”
“All humans,” I say.
“Yes. Now, can I take a stab in the dark as to why you’re here?”
“Sure. Go ahead,” I say flatly.
“You’re one of the results from Project Eden, aren’t you?”
I freeze as a small growl reverberates from my chest.
“I’m not going to hurt you, but it is pretty obvious. You came in with camouflage and no trail like a Cat. Then you sprayed yourself everywhere like a Wolf. But you were massive, like a Bear. It didn’t take long for me to put it together once your buddies started showing up,” Joel says.
“You said the Council’s been experimenting for a long time. What do you mean by that?”