Chapter 302 - Deceived
~ SASHA ~
The more Sasha thought about it, the more sense it made.
How could she have been so completely and utterly ignorant? So naïve? So blind?
She wanted to drop her head into her hands and weep. But instead, she sat there, stiffly, waiting, while the technician walked Nathan, Horace, and Nick through a variety of stats and number that she was using to validate everything she'd just told them.
The words just circled in Sasha's head, because her heart was sinking…
It was why Nathan had been so quick to dangle the chance to return to Thana in front of her. It was why Nick was shuttling her around and showing her so much—because they didn't think she'd ever leave.
All these conversations, all these promises, they were just ploys to keep her distracted and focused on something that wasn't actually going to happen, but would keep her compliant until she couldn't deny it anymore.
They weren't going to let her go. They were trying to tempt Zev back, and using her as bait.
Holy shit. How was she going to warn him?
But more importantly, how was she going to get back to him?
As the meeting dragged on and Sasha continued to be discussed the way a piece of equipment, or curious substance would be dissected, speculated about, and analyzed, her heart pounded harder and harder in fear and anger.
They couldn't do this to her. She couldn't let them do this to her.
But what choice did she have?
*****
Sasha didn't know how long they were there before the technician was finally excused and Horace and Nathan turned to face her and Nick.
"Your stay will be lengthened—unless your period begins," Nathan said, his voice completely untouched by emotion. "If that occurs, tell us immediately. We can have the necessary confirmations, and then begin the process for establishing your medical care and returning you to Thana."
Sasha snorted.
Nathan looked up from his notebook where he'd been adding to his notes. His hand stopped moving. "You find that amusing?"
"I don't believe you," she said. "I don't believe that you mean what you say. I believe you're trying to manipulate me so that I won't cause problems for you, but the truth is, unless you hear me and we work this out, you're going to have problems, whether you want them or not. Zev's not coming for me. And if you keep me away from him, you'll lose both of us."
Nick shifted in his seat, but didn't move to stop her. Not that she would have stopped anyway.
"Is that right?" Nathan said dryly.
"Yes, it is. And you can wipe that smug impatience off your face. I told you, I'm not your experiment, and no matter how long you've been studying these people, it's clear that you haven't come to truly understand them. I saw your "sanctuary" today. You really think that's going to keep the females healthy and fertile? And you call me ignorant?!"
"Yes, I did, Sasha, but it's clear that you're going to try to disabuse me of that idea, so please, you have our full attention. Tell me, why should I ignore every indication that we know what we're doing, and listen to you instead?"
Sasha let her disgust for this man show on her face, though it clearly had no effect on him. He just stared at her, waiting.
Sasha threw up a silent prayer for help and some kind of insight, then started talking, ignoring Nick to her left, but letting her eyes fall both on Nathan and Horace.
"You're in a position where everything you've been building towards could come to fruition, or it could all fall over, right? And I get it, those females out there are just pawns in the game. As long as they're functioning, they can suit your purpose. But you've been trying to breed from them and you can't, and I think you know why, but you don't want to admit it because it means giving up some control.
"But seriously, what good is control if it's not getting you what you want? You're doing that with me and Zev too, and you can't even see it. You're so busy trying to make us do what you want that we won't be able to achieve what you're going for. It's ridiculous—you're literally shooting your own goals down, but you're too stubborn to see it."
"But you can, I suppose?" Nathan drawled.
"Yes, I can," she snapped, flattening her hand on the table. "You're trying to force things that require more than physical intimacy. Don't you get it? The Chimera bond—that's happening at a level that you can't control, whether you try to or not. And those bonds make physical things happen. So you have a choice: Put me and the other females back in Thana, or continue to stumble along here until you're suddenly another decade down the line, still having to use only the Chimera you make, because you're too damn stubborn to do what's needed for the ones that could give you what you want."
"And those are?"
"Me and Zev… but what we need is safety. We need peace. We need… we need to be allowed to live our loves, and love and… and be a part of something bigger. That's what they all need—all those females. They were breeding before, correct? But nothing since you brought them here? That's not an accident."
"We've been very selective—"
"Then clearly your process for selection is top notch," she said sarcastically. "But that's not even really my point. You tried your thing, you learned from it. I get that. But now we're on the other side of that learning and you still aren't looking for the real answers. You're still just looking for control."
Sasha glanced at Nick, who didn't respond, but she saw fire in his eyes. The question was, was he excited to see her succeed? Or was he enjoying what he expected to be her inevitable failure? Only one way to find out.
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