Page 56 of The Hollowed

They didn’t deserve her research, and she couldn’t trust them with the vaccine.

But rage alone wouldn’t save her.

“Please,” she whispered, lifting her eyes to the doctor’s shielded face. “Let me see him again. Just once. I’ll do whatever you need me to. Tests, trials, the program — all of it. But please,” her throat caught, and the plea bled out desperately. “Let me say goodbye.”

Behind the mask, the doctor’s eyes softened again with something Luci couldn’t quite read.

Sympathy maybe, or perhaps regret.

Luci’s heart ached but she held the woman’s gaze and refused to look away. If Prometheus was going to try and chain her, she would fight until her last breath.

The silence between them stretched until Luci’s pulse throbbed in her ears. Then, finally, the woman let out a quiet breath and gave a small nod. “Alright,” she said, relenting. “I’ll authorize it. A few nurses will come in first to take your blood. Once that’s complete, I’ll allow your companion in to say goodbye.”

Luci swallowed hard and forced herself not to break right there and then.

The doctor hesitated almost as if she hated what she had to say next. “I know this may not seem fair,” she added softly, “but it’s for the greater good.”

The greater good.

That was the line they all hid behind, the justification for every cruelty and every stolen choice. For sterilizing Alex. For trapping her here. For twisting her discovery into their property.

She dropped her gaze to her hands and gave a small nod. “Ofcourse.” Her voice came out quiet, but stable. “I’ll be waiting for the nurses.”

When the doctor left and the door locked behind her, Luci sat in silence. For a moment she stared at the floor and let her heart ache until that pain turned into rage.

If Prometheus thought she would go along with their plan without a fight, then they were terribly mistaken.

Chapter 24

Alejandro

Alex’s eyes snapped open at the sound of Luna’s low relentless growls echoing through the room. For a split second he didn’t recognize where he was, only that his skull throbbed with a pounding so painful that it made him grit his teeth. The sedative still clung to his veins, heavy and nauseating, but none of that mattered. He could endure pain.

As his senses cleared, he remembered where he was and more importantly, who wasn’t there with him.

Luci.

The empty space beside him hurt more than the ache in his head.

Luna’s barking cut off the moment she sensed him stir. Her nails clicked against the floor as she trotted over and pressed her damp nose against his cheek. A rough lick followed before she climbed onto his chest and settled there, letting her weight ground him. She gave a pitiful whine as if begging him to fix what she couldn’t understand.

Alex’s throat tightened, and he lifted a shaky hand to run his fingers through her fur. “I know,” he whispered. “We’ll find her. I swear it.”

For a moment, he let himself cling to the last comfort he had left, but when he forced himself upright, the reality of theirsituation hit him like a brick at full speed.

The room was bare, and their bags and weapons were gone. Everything had been stripped from him like he was nothing more than Prometheus’s property. Without his gear, he felt useless, and the thought of facing Prometheus empty handed made his chest burn with anxiety.

They’d left him with nothing.

Nothing but Luna, his fists, and the promise he’d made.

That would have to be enough.

Every passing second gnawed at Alex’s nerves until the door’s lock jolted him upright. Two guards stepped in, their rifles slung over their shoulders.

“On your feet,” one of them ordered. “And bring the dog.”

Alex rose slowly and rested his hand on Luna’s back to secure her as she growled. He squared his shoulders, forcing his tone to stay even. “Where are we going?”