But if I had walked away, all of those people in the club would have died, rather than just some of them. And the knowledge that I could have stopped it and didn't would have been even harder to live with than all the crap I was currently going through.
"If you were my watcher initially, why then was Talon placed on me rather than you?"
"Simple. After months of doing nothing but watching you every night, I wanted you fiercely. And that's the very reason he placed Talon on you."
And I'd fallen for Talon's bait—hook, line, and sinker. But then, his bait had certainly been impressive. "Your boss sounds a petty man."
"He is because he was taught to be." He caught my foot in his hands, his expression becoming slightly distracted as he began to knead my instep.
"But if you were ordered to stay away from me, how come you ended up being my mate anyway?"
His grin was sudden, and more than a little malicious. "Because it pissed Talon off."
"So the man behind all this knew you were also trying to get me pregnant?"
"Yes."
"Then why was I kidnapped and placed in that breeding center?"
"They saw an opportunity and grabbed it." He paused. "Over ninety percent of clones and ninety-five percent of their lab-bred crosses are sterile, and they have yet to ascertain why."
"I'm facing those same fertility issues," I reminded him. "No one is actually sure if I can get pregnant, either."
"No, no one is sure whether you can carry to term. Right now, you're totally capable of becoming pregnant."
I didn't bother refuting his assumptions. "So who was fucking me in that breeding center? The man with the blue eyes who thinks that I owe him?"
"Yes."
"Was he the only one?"
"No."
"Then who else?"
"One of the men behind the man."
And thanks to the accident, I couldn't remember a goddamn thing. "Why?"
He shrugged. "Because he was there to give instructions, and because he likes a hot bit of tail."
"I'm gathering he prefers his tail lifeless."
My voice was dry, and Misha smiled again. "Feisty is not a preferred option—but it just might hook him where subservience hasn't."
I raised my eyebrows. "That a piece of advice?"
"A dangerous one, but yes."
"Also useless if you don't give me a name."
"All things come in time, Riley."
I was betting it was going to be a long time before I got the name, though. "So why was he there passing on instructions rather than the big man himself?"
"Because it is safer."
But safe from what? Certainly not us, because we had no idea who he was. Not yet, anyway. I studied him for a moment, then said, "If your boss is so dangerous, why are you here now?"
He raised an eyebrow. "If I answer honestly, I want another two hours with you."
Like I had a choice? Like I'd even know if he was being honest? I shrugged. "Whatever."
"The reason is twofold. First, I've long been at odds with my lab-mates and our so-called leader. Their vision has never been mine."
Meaning the leader of this little crew wasn't a lab-mate? Then who—or what—was he? "And their vision is?"
"As I said before, originally it was a quest for perfection. The desire to create the perfect humanoid, one possessing the most desirable characteristics from all branches of humanity."
"I'm guessing that changed when your master of creation died in the fire."
He nodded. "Now it's more a quest for domination and power."
It was on my lips to ask for his name, but he wouldn't answer a direct question. "Did a brother from a previous batch of clones take over?"
"No. We were the first batch to have survivors into adulthood."
"Then who?"
He raised an eyebrow, a smile touching his thin lips. "His son."
I frowned. "One of your later clone-mates?"
"No. His naturally born son."
That wasn't in any of the records I'd read. And obviously not in the records Jack had read—unless, of course, he did know about the son, and just hadn't told me. Given Jack played his cards seriously close to his chest and I was only a liaison, not an actual guardian, that was all too possible.
"There's no record of said son," I stated.
"No. He was born to one of the women he was using to take eggs from. Our lab father apparently thought it better not to register the birth."
Yet he'd registered his clones, even if he'd lied about what they actually were.
"That would have made getting credit and insurance cards a bitch," I stated dryly.
Amusement briefly warmed the cold depths of his eyes. "Not when you have the ability to assume other people's identities."
I blinked, then said slowly, "Our man is from the Helki pack?" And if Misha was speaking the truth, he was starting to give us some real information.
He nodded. "He's a mix of Helki and human."
"Meaning, the birth mother was Helki?"
He nodded again.
"And what does he actually do for a living?"
Misha merely smiled. I changed tack. "Is he in the military?"
"No."
"Is he a scientist, or in control of a research company like yourself or Talon?"
"No."
"He's a businessman?"
"He calls himself that, amongst other things."
"High profile?"
"Sort of."
"In the news a lot?"
"No."
That made me frown. How could you be a high-profile businessman without being in the news a lot? That didn't make any sense.
"How about his mom? Is she still alive?"
His quick smile was almost proud. "Very good. And yes."
"And he's still on speaking terms with his mom?"
He hesitated. "You could say they have a close working partnership, but it is one not many are aware of."
Very cryptic indeed. But obviously, we had to start with the mom, and the Helki pack. "Can you tell me her name?"
He considered the question for a moment. "What was the name of your mate immediately before myself and Talon?"
"I wouldn't have a friggin' clue."
He grinned. "Then get a clue, and use the feminine form."
"Shit."
"No, I don't believe that was it."
I gave him a deadpan look. "What about a surname?"
"I can't give the whole package on a plate. We both know that once I do, you're out of here." His fingers began to play up and down my leg. "And I intend to drag out my time with you as long as humanly possibly."
He'd certainly dragged out his time tonight. "You haven't yet actually answered my question."
"What question would that be?"
He reached out to touch me, but I caught his hand in mine, squeezing it a little harder than necessary to remind him I wasn't just a wolf. That I was, indeed, more than he could really handle if I chose to get nasty. "Why are you here?"
"Because everything is a game, and I tire of it. I want a normal life, for what remains of my life."
The edge of wistfulness in his voice had me believing him. But then, Misha was a very good actor. He'd certainly managed to fool me into believing he was a kind and gentle soul for the past year. And fact was, he wasn't. He was doing this for his own reasons—reasons he'd yet to fully explain.
He reached forward and caught my wrist, then tugged me off the beanbag and between his legs. "Enough for the night. I want the rest of my payment."
"Not until you give me somewhere to start, Misha."
He considered me for a moment. "There were two labs. The sister runs the second one."
"I thought you said he was an only child."
"No, I said the father had one natural child. I didn't say the mother only had the one."
"So the half-sister is a Helki?"
He nodded. "And runs the second lab."
"Which is Libraska?"