Hybrid by K. T. Hanna Read Free Book Online Page B

building.
    Maybe Mathur made him too human. Maybe he should be the alien he’s supposed to be—the alien at least half of his makeup wants him to be. With no light in the tunnels, the adrium compensates, gently glowing to light his way even though he adjusts his vision once again. The glow is a balm and lulls him into a sense of security in himself and what he’s about to undertake.
    After winding his way for a while, he pauses at the entrance to the underground labs they raided, hand poised by the door as he reaches out with his mind to quiet the silly psionic alarm. An odd choice, given what the lab is supposed to conceal.
    He breathes in that strangely filtered air, with all its suggestive properties floating around, and places his hand on the door to open it. Peace suffuses him, and a calm washes through his mind. Regardless of right or wrong, there is no going back now. He steps into the corridor, and makes his way up through Central.

    Dom sits in the corner of the room, spying on the board of directors. Bastian bites his lip, in that sort of habit he gets when trying to figure something out. For just a moment, a jolt of recognition almost pulls Dom out of his thoughts, but the shadows tug him under and he joins them, comfortable.
    Davis is easy to spot in the room, slightly overweight with a pot belly that belies far too much indulgence in alcohol. His greasy hair is speckled with silver, and his eyes wander the room, lingering with a disdain that’s almost tangible on every person in it.
    Deign taps her foot, and the anger is palpable as she speaks. “Not one of you has yet to bring me a reason for this embarrassment. It’s been far too long in the coming.” She stands, her hands on her hips, her height used to full advantage. She looks thinner than Dom remembers. Perhaps the stress is getting to her. As it should.
    She scowls and it projects. Her tactile empathy only applies to what others feel, not what she’s feeling. And the anger that’s bubbling over into the room from her makes being in it uncomfortable. Davis and Sever squirm. Even Harlow fixes a stray strand of hair behind her ear, eyes never leaving the flickering glow of her implants.
    Deign shifts her weight, and her eyes focus on each person in the room in turn. “Perhaps we can see about replacing some of you.” It’s not a request; it’s a simple statement. Even Dom can feel the tension in the room rise.
    Davis clears his throat, and when he speaks, his voice is as oily as his hair. “I can look into the locators on the dominos and see if we can track them down via those?”
    Deign turns at the sound of his voice, an eyebrow raised as she takes two short steps closer and leans her fists against the table. “Are you asking me or telling me?”
    To his credit, Davis manages not to squirm. “I can do it. In the uproar over the laboratories, it’s been difficult to locate the tracking devices.”
    Selwyn interjects seamlessly. “We have managed to locate the tracking file again and should have it activated by the end of the day.”
    Deign glares at them both, her wave of displeasure wafting through the room. “See to it that you do.”
    A margin of panic tries to assert itself into Dom’s mind—that the Exiled need to know about the trackers, that there could be danger coming their way—but he bats it aside. There are more matters overriding urges that, and he moves smoothly out of the room, ignoring the rest of the conversation as the door opens to let Davis out.
    The man waddles toward the bathrooms. As he turns into the small hall that precedes the toilets, Dom reaches out and grabs him around the throat, his own body still mostly blended into the surroundings.
    Davis splutters and kicks feebly as Dom studies him. His mind feels awfully blank, and yet somehow eager. There’s a gentle compulsion to twist his wrist and just do it, do it. He could. It’d be so easy—so much energy in there for the taking, just like with Sai, except