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n~ ZEV ~

nZev’s entire body shook so hard that his feet scuffed on the ground. Sasha fell apart in his arms and his heart pounded so hard, that piece where they’d shared themselves pulsing so violently it felt like his chest was about to rip open.

nHe’d known, deep down, that this was a possibility. But he hadn’t wanted to even think of it. It was why he’d avoided confronting Nick. Because Nick would have lied, and Zev would have caught the lie, and Zev would have killed him.

nCorrection, Zev was going to kill him.

nHe could smell the rage beginning to burn in Sasha too. Her scent had been washed in grief and fear when they’d first heard those awful words. But as she stood there, as he held her, while the other emotions hadn’t eased, her anger had roared to life and was now burning like a torch, lighting her scent—and her eyes.

nShe paced the dirt in front of him, hands in her hair, while the guards watched on. They might not understand a female’s sense of loss directly, but all the Chimera cherished offspring and hated the humans. To hear that one of theirs had been taken when it was so young and vulnerable…

nHe, Zev reminded himself. His child was a he.

nHis chest shuddered with a swallowed sob.

nZev was a father.

nHe had a son.

nAnd that **er Nick had known.

nHis hands shook as he raked them back and forth through his hair.

nHe felt like he stood in chaos. The calm at the center of a tornado. Except… the opposite was true. His entire being had been rocked and was being thrown to and fro, like a leaf in the wind. Around him was relative calm.

nThe guards held Patty, who sobbed and pleaded with Sasha. He didn’t think his mate could even hear her.

nYhet stood alongside them, poised to catch anyone who got loose—including Zev himself. Being enclosed in those iron arms had very nearly tipped him over the edge. Yhet must have realized because he’d loosed his hold on Zev and muttered that he would let him go if only he’d prove he was in control of his own decisions.

nZev had made himself still, though he was still trembling, then Yhet had let him go, clapping a hand to his shoulder as Zev rushed to Sasha.

nBut now his mate was in turmoil—pacing, swearing, not meeting anyone’s eyes.

n“We have to get him out,” she said.

n“You can’t. Not yet,” Patty sobbed. “You’ll kill him if you take him out of the incubator before he’s at least three months. They usually try for four, just to be safe.”

nSasha turned on her. “You knew! You knew all of this and you let me leave!”

n“For your safety! For theirs. You will have other children, Sasha. And this one… this one will save so many lives. They know what he can do now. They know what Zev can do and they’re certain that the baby will be the same. They’ve found the gene.”

n“What are you talking about?” Zev growled.

nPatty looked at him, wide-eyed. “You are Abraham, Zev. The father of a nation. As numerous as the stars. They aren’t taking chances this time. They’ll grow him, and clone him. And if you have more, they’ll clone them, too. It’s easier to do when they can match the genetics of an embryo—they were too late with you. The process is too flawed. But not this time. This time they know—they can follow the recipe. The exact genetic code. The exact growth and hormone pattern. They are… they’re building a new race, Zev. And you’re the father of it. Can’t you see? You’re going to save the world—”

n“STOP TALKING LIKE A FUCKING PROPHET!” Sasha screamed. She plowed forward, shoving Patty to the ground when the Guards let her go. She pulled back a leg to kick the woman, but Zev grabbed her at the waist and pulled her away, struggling to hold her as she tried to push his arm off and run for the woman. “THAT’S MY FUCKING CHILD YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT!”

n“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

n“NO, YOU AREN’T YOU’RE STILL IN LOVE WITH WHAT THOSE SICK FUCKS DO!”

n“No, I’m not! I’m not! I promise you! I just… I wanted you to know… we don’t follow them because we’re trying to hurt. We follow them because we’re trying to help!”

nHe still held her at the waist, but he’d let her to the ground, holding her against his hip. Sasha shook her head, then turned to look up at him as if she’d never seen him before.

n“How can you all fall for this… bull** that they spew?!” she cried, including all of them in her rage, even the guards, who looked nervously at Zev. “How do they suck you in so you will follow them? How can you do these things and tell yourself that they’re okay?”

nHe knew it was a rhetorical question, but it was one he’d been asking himself for months, and he finally knew the answer.

n“Because we couldn’t have lived with ourselves if we didn’t,” he croaked.

nSasha went still, her hands still clasped, prying at his forearm as she tried to get loose. “What… what are you saying, Zev?” she whispered.

nZev closed his eyes for a moment, the ache within him growing. “They… they give you a vision,” he whispered. “They show you what it will look like at the end and… it sounds perfect.” He swallowed hard. “Then they tell you what you have to do to get there and they make it sound like it’s worth it.”

nPatty, now on all fours at the feet of the guard, nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks.

nBut Sasha turned. “What did they do to you?” she asked, her voice broken. “What haven’t you told me?”

nThe answer to that question bloomed in his mind, though he’d never admitted it to another person, not even a Chimera. The temptation was there to speak it. To finally absolve himself of all the sick and horrible ways he’d been deceived, and all the ways he’d acted at the hand of these **ers. But there was already too much to face. Too many things to deal with.

nI will tell you, he said into her head. I promise I will. But right now, we have a people and a baby to save.

nSasha’s face crumpled.

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