Page 23 of It’s Kind of a Bunny Story (Hey There, Hop Stuff #3)

“ W here are the records?” Leaning down, I held the knife to his throat. “And you better not waste my time! Because if you think I’m short, you should see my patience.”

“I told you, I wouldn’t know.” The man was as arrogant as he was stubborn.

“Then who would know?” I pressed the tip of the knife until he winced.

“Probably the lab rat, Boom… or Boone? Something like that. He’s always working on his little side projects in his off time.

Personally, I think his research is a waste of the burrow’s resources.

After all, if a rabbit wants to be disobedient and go against the laws of nature, she deserves whatever comes to her, as does any wolf shifter who tries to interfere.

Why should we save them from their own foolishness?

” The councilman was far too calm for someone about to face death.

After all, my mates had told me that I needed to kill people. Well, technically they wanted me to keep my stress levels down. But since he was the one causing my stress, it was pretty much the same thing, right?

“And where will I find him?” I snarled.

As if on cue, the office door swung open.

“Councilman, I didn’t realize you were going to be in so late.”

I kept the knife to the councilman’s throat, but nearly snapped my neck when I twisted around to look toward the door. A young man had stepped into the room and froze.

His eyes widened behind thick-rimmed glasses. “I-I will come back later.” He stammered, spinning on his heel.

The guy bolted for the door, but I was on him like a tick on a hound dog. I collided with him, knocking him to the ground and grinding my knee into his lower back.

All three of my mates could have tossed me off as though I weighed nothing more than a dust bunny.

But he had the tall, lanky build of a man who spent more time indoors than out, which was probably the only reason I kept him pinned.

Or maybe he was just too shocked at the sudden change of altitude and plans to do more than lie there with his cheek pressed to the floor.

“Ah, Boone. Just the guy I was hoping to find.” My delighted relief at not having to hunt him down gave my voice an unintentional psycho vibe that creeped me out… and if his shiver was any indication, I wasn’t the only one.

“Really? You were?” he asked, voice cracking.

“Boone! Do not tell her anything!” the councilman snarled, yanking at the bindings, holding him to the chair. “That is an order!”

“Shut up!” I pointed the knife in his direction, waving it like a teacher wiggling her finger at a naughty student. “Before I make myself a pair of earrings out of your testicles.” Not wanting him to believe I’d actually wear them, I added, “And then I’ll pierce your ears and make you wear them!”

The councilman’s purple face took on a greenish hue, and he snapped his mouth shut.

“I’d like to keep my testicles, if it’s all the same to you,” the man beneath me wheezed. “I’m Dr. Boone. Happy to make your acquaintance.”

I stared at the man beneath me, tilting my head as I studied him.

Was he seriously introducing himself to me right now?

I hadn’t exactly had the chance to do much socializing while living in Blackberry Burrow, or after I left, but even I knew his formality, given the situation, was strange.

Was it possible I’d met someone more awkward than me when it came to ‘peopling’ skills?

Shaking my head, I got back on task. “I’m looking for records regarding the toxin. The one that was formulated by the burrow as a protection against predators.”

“Ah, yes. I know what you’re talking about.”

It seemed he was completely willing to skip the whole I-don’t-have-the-information-you-want part and get right down to business.

That worked for me.

“Good. I want a copy of every document on that toxin.” Deciding he might respond better to niceties rather than threats, I moved from his back, but kept the knife at the ready. “But most importantly, I want to know if there’s an antidote.”

Boone kept his eyes locked with mine as he pushed himself into a sitting position. He was careful to keep his movements slow and non-threatening.

Smart man. My nerves were shot, and my energy was quickly waning. If he attacked, I wouldn’t have the strength to subdue him. I’d have to go for the kill, and I really wanted to avoid that.

“The records aren’t a problem. I can copy the entire folder onto a USB drive. But the antidote is… well, that’s a problem.”

“But there is an antidote? Why is that a problem?” I demanded, my rising fears causing it to come out sharper than I’d intended.

Boone flinched, then pushed his glasses up his nose. “Because it’s in the early stages of development, and those tests haven’t had promising results.”

I bit my lip, blinking hard while trying to hold back my tears of frustration. This couldn’t be the end. There had to be something I could do other than sit and watch my mates die.

“Let’s go to the lab and get the records. I’ll explain more as we walk, since you’re probably in a hurry to get out of here.” Boone’s tone was far too gentle for someone who was having his life threatened.

The councilman deserved everything I’d dished out on him, but Boone seemed like a genuinely nice guy. Guilt mixed with my fear and sorrow. Still, I had to finish my mission.

Forcing my emotions to the back of my mind, I glanced between Boone and the councilman, trying to think through my next decision. Boone could be taking me into a trap. But even if that was the case, what choice did I have?

I rose to my feet and hurried to the councilman’s side.

Grabbing the roll of duct tape, I wrapped it not only around his mouth but also around the back of his head.

He might eventually work it off his mouth, but it was going to take him a while.

Hopefully that would give me the time I needed to make my getaway.

With a last look back at the duct tape mummy, I followed Boone into the hall.

I braced myself, expecting him to grab me the moment I stepped around the corner, but he didn’t.

Instead, he reached into his pocket and wrote Fumigation in Progress.

Do Not Enter onto the dry erase board framed on the wall next to the door.

“That should keep anyone from opening the door and accidentally finding him… at least for a little while.” He gave me a tentative smile, then ducked his head and hurried further down the hall and away from the entrance where I’d come in. “Okay, so you want to know about the antidote?”

“Yes,” I gasped, jogging to keep up with his long-legged strides.

“We’ve found that all the rabbits living in the burrow have antibodies against the toxin in their blood.

This is because of the high levels they are exposed to on a daily basis from the barrier, as well as the plants we grow.

We extract the base toxin from parts of those plants, but other parts are edible, and they’re used in the kitchens. ”

“Anything to save money so the council can get richer,” I murmured, not even a little surprised.

Boone stopped in front of another door and typed in a code. When the lock clicked, he motioned me inside. “I used blood samples from myself and gave them to the wolves that were exposed to the toxin. The wolves’ immune systems responded to the antibodies, but not fast enough.”

He sagged down into a well-worn office chair. Removing his glasses with one hand, he pinched the bridge of his nose with the other. “I wanted to save them. Instead, I just prolonged their death.”

Staring at the broken young man in front of me, I wanted to rage at him for taking part in what was done to the wolves. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that, like me, free will wasn’t something he’d been allowed to possess.

“I will save my wolves. Failure is not an option.” Straightening my spine, I lifted my chin.

“Your wolves?” Boone’s head snapped up, his eyebrows drawing together.

“Two of my mates are wolf shifters, and they’ve been exposed to the toxin. It’s been over twenty-four hours, and they are still alive.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.” Boone drummed his fingers on the desktop and his gaze took on a faraway look. “None of the wolves survived that long.”

Maybe not to him, but I was beginning to connect at least a few of the dots. “I think it might be because they claimed me.”

“And by claiming… you mean?” Boone dragged out the question, obviously unfamiliar with werewolf mating behavior.

“Bit me. Left their mark on my neck. Claimed me as their mate.” Turning my neck from side to side, I let him see the pale white scars.

“Are you sure they weren’t just hungry?” His eyes widened with obvious horror.

“Of course I’m sure,” I snorted, then blushed as I remembered what they’d been doing when they’d marked me. “What I’m trying to say is that they ingested some of my blood prior to their exposure.”

Boone’s confusion gave way to an expression of excitement. “So, they already had some antibodies to the toxin in their system… giving them a leg up when they became exposed.”

“Is it possible?” I asked.

“It has to be!” Boone spun in his chair to tap his keyboard and bring his laptop to life.

His fingers danced across the keys, blurring as he pulled up record after record.

“Yes, that’s the only thing that makes sense.

We never tried to introduce the antibodies before the exposure, only afterward.

And by then, it was too late to do more than delay the inevitable. ”

“So, what you’re saying is my guys have a fighting chance?” My voice shook.

If he hadn’t already figured it out, now he knew my mates were my biggest weakness… what I cared about more than anything else on earth. It was something he’d be able to use against me, but there was nothing I could do about that at this point.

I’d moved to stand next to him so I could read the screen over his shoulder. He paused to look up at me. “Yes. As long as they’re still alive, there’s a chance. But how bad are they?”

“Not good.” Exhausted, I sank into the chair next to him.

I kept the knife pointed at him, although I wasn’t really worried he was going to try something.

He seemed too dedicated to his research, too focused on gleaning information from whatever source he could, to be interested in overpowering me.

Other than Fletcher, Boone was the only male rabbit shifter who didn’t give off completely icky vibes.

“What if they got more of my blood? Could that save them?” My words came out as barely more than a whisper.

Boone leaned back in his chair. “I don’t know. This is uncharted territory.”

“But based on your research so far, what’s your best guess?” I pressed.

“I don’t think your blood possesses enough antibodies. Even if you still lived in the burrow, your antibodies wouldn’t be high enough.” He paused, then asked. “I’m assuming you’re Charlee, the female who managed to get away?”

“Yes.” I leveled my gaze at him and lifted my chin, prepared to defend my actions.

Boone gave me a small smile. “Good for you.”