“Your sister went out looking for the answer to the dead wolves?” Mary asked.
“Yes, she didn’t find anything at first, but then she stumbled onto this pack.” He moved closer. The scent of spicy chicken was overpowering. Her appetite had disappeared yesterday, but now she couldn’t stop eating. He placed the plate down on the clearest part of the desk. “Eat. You need to keep your strength up.”
Nodding, she grabbed a piece of chicken and a napkin. Sinking her teeth into the succulent flesh, Mary moaned as the flavors exploded on her tongue. “Jane is one fine cook.”
She loved cooking, but it was nice to eat without worrying about anything. Zeke kept staring at her then down at her stomach. “What’s the matter?” she asked.
“Nothing.” He moved behind her, caressing her stomach as he pulled out a file with her name on it. “This one is yours.”
Mary stared at the file suddenly feeling sick. “I don’t think I want to read that,” she said, touching his hand where it lay against her stomach.
“Keep eating. I’ve read it.” She took a chunk out of the chicken. He put the file down and kept a hand on her at all times. “Your allergy against silver was a problem. They wrote that for two minutes you had died on the table. The doctor panicked, brought you back to life, and they gave you the serum. There was nothing more they could do for you.”
“Why keep me alive?” she asked. If it had been her she would have killed anyone who posed a threat to any experiment. She liked the fact they hadn’t killed her, but it didn’t make any sense as to why they kept her alive.
“They have their reasons. I’m sure we’ll find them out soon.” He was being vague.
Finished with the chicken, she reached for some more.
“I want to introduce you to my father,” he said.
Tensing in his arms, she glanced behind her. “Is that wise?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” he asked, stroking her stomach.
“We’re not exactly seeing each other.”
He chuckled. “My father knows I’ve got a woman in the house. It would be rude not to introduce her.”
“I’m the woman you’re using as a toy,” she said, biting her lip.
“Wolves don’t care about that. You’re mine to show off as I will.”
She shrugged. It was his father, and she wasn’t going to cause waves between family members.
****
Zeke stared at the file with her name on. He couldn’t tell her the only reason they’d kept her alive was because of him. They had known all along who’d bitten her, but they kept Mary from him, masking her scent so he couldn’t find her. His father knew what was happening, and he also knew about Zeke taking Mary as a toy.
“It’s not the best way to get your woman to stick around you, son,” his father had said.
Fortunately, he’d agreed not to tell Zeke’s secret about him being the one to bite her.
Mary reached for another piece of chicken, and he caressed her stomach. His seed had taken within her. She was no longer fertile but pregnant with his baby.
“All of these files.”
“There are about twenty,” he said.
“Does that include mine and Jessica’s?” she asked, biting into another piece of chicken.
“No. It’s twenty-two if you include yours. My sister is in there as well.”