him at the door.
He inclined his head toward outside and she followed him.
“What is it?”
“ The UDK—”
“ Natasha.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Yeah. Her.”
“You can say her name, you know.” Juli crossed her arms, meeting his gaze. “We’re supposed to be better than them. We deserve to be called by our names and so do they. Right?”
“ Has she eaten or drank anything since we got here?”
“ You’re asking that now …four hours after we’ve been here? Little late, don’t you think?”
“ Has she or not?”
“ She was offered. She refused.”
Instant fire blazed through his veins, scorching him internally as he strode into the house and right for Natasha. Her chin lifted as he loomed over her. Without thinking about what he was doing, Christian leaned down, grabbed the front of her shirt, and hauled her to her feet, her face inches from his.
“You refused to eat or drink. Why? ” he bit out.
“ This isn’t the way—” Jax started, but a look from Christian cut him off.
“ Answer me!”
Natasha clenched her jaw, but remained silent.
He stared down at her for a long time, wondering at the ferocity of her soul. There was a reason she was always combative, even when she didn’t have to be. “Are you hoping to die? Is that your plan?”
“ Let her go, Christian.” Juli put a hand on his tense bicep and he shook her off, his eyes never leaving the UDK’s.
“ When she answers—then I’ll let her go.” Her throat bobbed against his knuckles as she swallowed and Christian’s eyes were drawn to the pulse at her neck. It was rapidly fluttering, belying her stoic stance.
He released her and she fell to her knees on the floor. “You need to eat. You’ll be no good to anyone dead.”
“I’m already as good as,” she rasped, a crack in her composure finally visible.
He cocked his head. “And why is that?”
Eyes blazing, she spat, “Why do you think I was in the tunnels? To get some fresh air? I’m not wanted, because my mother is a UD. I had to run away from a training facility in the middle of the night. I overheard my fellow UDKs discussing how they were going to dispose of me. And I doubt I’m the first or that I’ll be the last.”
Christian’s hands fisted, but his voice was even as he asked, “And how did you end up underground?”
“There are channels near all the facilities, all over the United States, connecting them beneath the surface. I found one and I walked. Not hard to figure out.”
“ Your mouth…is really annoying,” he ground out.
“ So is your existence.”
He stiffened, for the first time in his life seriously thinking of hitting a girl. Instead he stormed from the house, kicking the door shut behind him. When the glass window in the door splintered and shattered, grim satisfaction swept through him, fleeting and anticlimactic.
“Go inside. I’ll take over,” he barked at the UD standing guard.
Lee Michaels jerked to his feet, his blond head swinging around. “You scared me.”
“I don’t think I’d be admitting things like that to too many people,” Christian wryly told him, some of his anger fading.
He nodded. “Yeah. You’re probably right.”
A small grin flashed over Christian’s mouth. Lee was simple and that had to be appreciated. He was also naturally jumpy, a side effect of being on the run most of his adult years. Twenty-five years old with seven years spent outwitting and outrunning UDKs, he didn’t trust anyone or anything, not even his own shadow.
According to Lee; who didn’t know the meaning of secrets, his father was a UDK and since the moment he transitioned into a UD, he was loathed by his dad and told he was dead to him. His dad beat him to the point where a normal human being probably wouldn’t survive, then shackled him up, drove him to the nearest facility, and kicked him out of the car, leaving him in the road to be found by UDKs.
Lee never told anyone what happened after he was discovered,
He inclined his head toward outside and she followed him.
“What is it?”
“ The UDK—”
“ Natasha.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Yeah. Her.”
“You can say her name, you know.” Juli crossed her arms, meeting his gaze. “We’re supposed to be better than them. We deserve to be called by our names and so do they. Right?”
“ Has she eaten or drank anything since we got here?”
“ You’re asking that now …four hours after we’ve been here? Little late, don’t you think?”
“ Has she or not?”
“ She was offered. She refused.”
Instant fire blazed through his veins, scorching him internally as he strode into the house and right for Natasha. Her chin lifted as he loomed over her. Without thinking about what he was doing, Christian leaned down, grabbed the front of her shirt, and hauled her to her feet, her face inches from his.
“You refused to eat or drink. Why? ” he bit out.
“ This isn’t the way—” Jax started, but a look from Christian cut him off.
“ Answer me!”
Natasha clenched her jaw, but remained silent.
He stared down at her for a long time, wondering at the ferocity of her soul. There was a reason she was always combative, even when she didn’t have to be. “Are you hoping to die? Is that your plan?”
“ Let her go, Christian.” Juli put a hand on his tense bicep and he shook her off, his eyes never leaving the UDK’s.
“ When she answers—then I’ll let her go.” Her throat bobbed against his knuckles as she swallowed and Christian’s eyes were drawn to the pulse at her neck. It was rapidly fluttering, belying her stoic stance.
He released her and she fell to her knees on the floor. “You need to eat. You’ll be no good to anyone dead.”
“I’m already as good as,” she rasped, a crack in her composure finally visible.
He cocked his head. “And why is that?”
Eyes blazing, she spat, “Why do you think I was in the tunnels? To get some fresh air? I’m not wanted, because my mother is a UD. I had to run away from a training facility in the middle of the night. I overheard my fellow UDKs discussing how they were going to dispose of me. And I doubt I’m the first or that I’ll be the last.”
Christian’s hands fisted, but his voice was even as he asked, “And how did you end up underground?”
“There are channels near all the facilities, all over the United States, connecting them beneath the surface. I found one and I walked. Not hard to figure out.”
“ Your mouth…is really annoying,” he ground out.
“ So is your existence.”
He stiffened, for the first time in his life seriously thinking of hitting a girl. Instead he stormed from the house, kicking the door shut behind him. When the glass window in the door splintered and shattered, grim satisfaction swept through him, fleeting and anticlimactic.
“Go inside. I’ll take over,” he barked at the UD standing guard.
Lee Michaels jerked to his feet, his blond head swinging around. “You scared me.”
“I don’t think I’d be admitting things like that to too many people,” Christian wryly told him, some of his anger fading.
He nodded. “Yeah. You’re probably right.”
A small grin flashed over Christian’s mouth. Lee was simple and that had to be appreciated. He was also naturally jumpy, a side effect of being on the run most of his adult years. Twenty-five years old with seven years spent outwitting and outrunning UDKs, he didn’t trust anyone or anything, not even his own shadow.
According to Lee; who didn’t know the meaning of secrets, his father was a UDK and since the moment he transitioned into a UD, he was loathed by his dad and told he was dead to him. His dad beat him to the point where a normal human being probably wouldn’t survive, then shackled him up, drove him to the nearest facility, and kicked him out of the car, leaving him in the road to be found by UDKs.
Lee never told anyone what happened after he was discovered,
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