The Catalyst: (Book One) Read online

  She quickly labeled the vials of blood and placed them in the refrigerator, all the while watching Addar from the corner of her eye. He seemed to be ignoring her. He stood with his back to her, as far from her as he could physically be while remaining in the lab. She softly shut the cooler door and turned to face his back.

  “We need to discuss this,” she said.

  He glanced over his shoulder at her.

  “There is nothing to discuss.”

  “From your reaction to my blood, I know that to be untrue. I would like you to explain.”

  Addar turned to face her. His eyes were still bright silver. They reflected the lab’s overhead lights.

  “I would rather not.”

  His lips pulled back in what could have been a smile but looked more like a threat.

  Robin frowned.

  “Are we finished here? I would like some fresh air.”

  She noticed he had not moved from his position on the far side of the room. Robin considered him. Once she got past the hard expression on his face, she noticed his eyes were almost panicked. Odd. Robin nodded her head toward the door and Addar stalked toward it. He was through the door and out of sight before she could reach the threshold.

  Robin stepped into the hallway, expecting Addar to be waiting. The hallway was empty. She looked both ways and headed for the stairwell at a jog. In her mind she pictured the feral look he had given her only moments before. He was dangerous to the population. After a bit of air, he would have to be returned to the holding room in the lab. It was the only choice.

  When she stepped out the exterior door, Addar was nowhere to be seen. The beginnings of panic tightened her chest. She would be fired. No arrested. She drifted down the empty sidewalk, ignoring the traffic. Her heart beat loud in her ears, drowning out the sound of everything else. Her parents would be so ashamed of her. She stopped walking and looked around.

  In opposition to the city traffic, the campus was dark and quiet. She wandered further from the street, into the shadowed realm of the courtyard.

  …

  She was afraid. No. Terrified. He could smell it on her as sure as the sweet scent of her skin. As he crouched in the shadows watching her, he took a moment to take in the graceful way she moved. It would be a pity to kill her. A waste of beauty. And she was beautiful. A thorough search of the internet and the science of attraction had told him as much. In human standards, she was a fine mate.

  Robin was also far too smart for her own good. She would have to die. And what place would be better than the courtyard she so prized? To the exclusion of all else, if the internet was to be believed. One of the great minds of their time, the humans called her. Yet, cold. Unfeeling. With very little difficulty he had found his way to social media accounts. Even her extended family and colleagues described her as more mind than heart.

  Perhaps, he was doing her a favor. He stalked forward from the shadows, too quick for her to react. As he reached out to grab a handful of her hair, she paused.

  “Addar,” she whispered.

  He stopped, his hand still inches from her. Waiting.

  She sighed.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Addar cocked his head to the side in confusion. An apology? He slowly lowered his hand to his side and cleared his throat.

  Robin jumped and whirled around to face him.

  “I’ve been looking for you,” she said, eyes moving over him.

  He was not sure what she was looking for, but she seemed to find it. Clearing her throat, she glanced toward the bright lights of the street.

  “Are you ready to go?”

  “I am returning to your domicile with you?”

  She nodded.

  Interesting. He assumed she would attempt to confine him to her laboratory. That he could not allow. Addar inclined his head.

  “Then, I am ready.”

  They walked side by side toward the street. She was afraid to have him at her back. He could see it in every tense line of her body. When they stood together on the sidewalk, she signaled for a taxi. The ride back to her apartment was quiet. The driver tried to start a conversation twice, but with short, one-word answers Robin dissuaded him. Addar watched her. She was agitated and still tense.

  At the building, she barely gave the doorman a nod as they hurried inside. She was silent, until the door to her apartment was locked behind them. Then, as if it exploded out of her, she turned to confront him.

  “Are you or are you not a danger to others?”

  He raised an eyebrow.

  “Define others.”

  Addar wondered if she could say what she was obviously thinking. She was smart. Surely, she had to have an idea of his nature.

  “Me, specifically.”

  She did not cower, and he found himself admiring her for it.

  “No,” he answered simply.

  She was far more useful alive. Food, shelter, funds. Yes. She had her uses. He refused to consider the idea that he was keeping her alive for anything more than that.

  “I see. And society as a whole?”

  “Define danger,” he said, letting a bit of growl into his tone.

  She raised her chin, refusing to be cowed.

  “Will you attack anyone?”

  “Not mortally.”

  She blinked at his answer.

  “Any more questions?”

  Robin’s eyes narrowed, but she shook her head. She started to walk away and paused after a few steps. Slowly, she looked over her shoulder at him.

  “Your native diet. Is it primarily carnivorous?”

  “Why do you ask?”

  “Curiosity.”

  He smiled.

  “I believe there is an idiom about curiosity and a cat.”

  “For meal preparation, then.”

  His smile widened. What a liar, she was. He found himself answering her, before he could stop the words.

  “Yes. It is mainly carnivorous, but my dietary needs are minor.”

  Curiosity lit a fire in her eyes and they sparkled as she took a step closer to him.

  “Where do you acquire your energy?”

  So, she had not solved the puzzle. Interesting. He had assumed she would come to the answer in the first few hours of their acquaintance. Though, his own actions would make it difficult for her to make the connection. After all, she was not affected. And the longer she stayed in the dark, the longer she stayed alive. It would be such a pity to kill her.

  “I am hungry,” he said, sidestepping her question.

  She frowned, but nodded.

  “I’ll see what I can find.”

  He followed her to the kitchen and leaned in the doorway to watch her. She was very efficient, removing a large steak from the refrigerator to place in a stainless steel skillet on the stove. In seconds, the smell of cooking meat hit his nose. He moved closer to stand at her right elbow. She glanced at him.

  “Rare.”

  She raised her eyebrows.

  “How rare?”

  He looked up from the skillet to meet her gaze.

  “Very rare.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Robin watched Addar at the computer, as she held her phone up to her ear. The phone rang once, twice, three times, before Amber answered with a bubbly greeting.

  “I need you to run a few tests in the morning?” Robin said, keeping her voice low.

  Addar showed no signs of hearing her, but she could not trust that.

  “What kind of tests?”

  “I will text you the particulars, but I want you there by six.”

  “Whatever you say, Dr. Kay.”

  “Thank you, Amber.”

  Robin started to hang up when Amber stopped her.

  “Hey! Are you feeling okay?”

  Robin turned partially away from the living room.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Uh, okay. You just sound kind of…upset or something.”

  “Do I?”

  Robin rubbed at her forehead.


  “I’m fine, but thank you for asking. At six, then?”

  “Okay…”

  Robin hung up before her assistant could question her further. As she brought up her texting screen, she felt a warmth at her back. She fought not to tense.

  “May I have a cellular phone?”

  Robin glanced over her shoulder at Addar.

  “For what reason?”

  His gray eyes were focused on her cell phone.

  “Communication.”

  His eyes rose to hers.

  “With you.”

  She frowned, sure that was not his only reason.

  “Do you understand how a cellular phone functions?”

  The look he gave her was just short of scathing.

  “Alright,” she said slowly. “I’ll see if I can pick one up tomorrow.”

  He nodded, but did not move away.

  She suddenly realized how close they were standing to each other. The hallway wall was only a few inches from her back and his body closed her in. She licked her lips nervously.

  “If you don’t need anything else—”

  She started to move around him, when his arm lashed out to wrap around her waist. Robin inhaled sharply.

  “Addar,” she said quietly. “In your studies of culture have you not come across the issue of personal space?”

  “I have.”

  She turned her head to look at him. He stared back at her with a challenging glint in his eyes. So he was testing her again. Robin forced her temper to settle and let out a soft sigh. As the tension left her, he cocked his head to the side.

  “If you don’t need anything, I have things to do.”

  He released her and stepped away.

  Robin watched him until he turned and walked back into the living room. She released a sigh and let her shoulders droop. She needed a hot shower. No, a bath. Her eyes moved toward Addar and she considered it. He seemed to be fully immersed in whatever he was looking at on the computer. She made a mental note to check her internet history.

  After a brief moment of deliberation, she walked down the hall to her bedroom and shut and locked the door. Shedding her clothes, she uncharacteristically left them in a messy pile on the floor and walked naked to the bathroom. She locked that door, also. Double checking twice to be sure it was secure. Then, she turned on the warm water and began to fill the tub.

  The steady drumming of the water lulled her into a state of calm, as she watched the bathtub fill. She added a touch of essential oil, an urge she rarely indulged, and sank into the almost too hot water. Robin let out a hiss and then a heavy sigh, letting the heat wrap around her. She laid her head back against the cool tile wall and started to close her eyes.

  “Robin,” Addar called from the other side of the door.

  Her eyes popped open and she sat up.

  “Yes?” she answered, already reaching for the towel.

  “Are you bathing?”

  She was not sure what to make of his smoky tone, so she ignored it.

  “Yes. What do you need?”

  She tried to keep the snap out of her tone.

  He was silent for a moment.

  “You did not require cleansing.”

  She sent the door an incredulous look.

  “Relaxation.”

  “Ah,” he said. “What tests do you intend to run tomorrow?”

  With the towel pressed to her bare chest, Robin stared at the door.

  “Hopefully, nothing insidious.” His tone was dark with an edge of amusement. As if anything she could do to him would simply be a small inconvenience.

  Robin slowly rose from the bathtub.

  “No need to get out on my account,” he said.

  She carefully set one bare foot on the tile floor beside the bathtub. As she shifted her weight, her foot slipped out from under her and she made a grab for the wall. Instead of cool tile, her hand met warm skin. Addar wrapped a sure hand around her upper arm and pulled her into his arms. She stood awkwardly, her toes skimming the floor as he held most of her weight.

  Robin slowly tipped her head back to look at him. His eyes had lightened to silver again and she could see herself reflected in their depths. She swallowed hard.

  “Thank you for your assistance,” she muttered, carefully getting her feet beneath her.

  She kept a tight grip on the towel. So caught up in her fumbling, it took her a moment to realize Addar had not spoken. Robin lifted her gaze to take in his expression. His eyes were not on her face. They seemed to be focused on the bare expanse of skin above the edge of the towel. She slowly pulled back from him. He let her go, but his brows drew together in a scowl.

  “You are welcome,” he said abruptly.

  Without a backwards glance, he stalked from her bathroom and slammed the door closed behind him. She started to relax when he spoke.

  “I expect an answer to my question. When you are…decent.”

  She did not hear his footsteps retreat, but a few seconds later her bedroom door slammed closed. Robin ran a shaky hand through her tangled curls. She moved to the bathroom mirror to take a look at herself. She gaped. The towel barely covered her breasts, a wide swath of bronze skin bare above the stark white fabric. Her cheeks flushed and she looked away.

  Robin hurried to the bathroom door. The lock was no more. Addar appeared to have simply twisted the handle until it snapped. She peeked out into her bedroom. He was not there. Robin let out a sigh of relief and stepped into the room. She rushed through dressing, more concerned with being fully clothed than well put-together. When she had on a pair of old jeans and a t-shirt from the university, she pulled her hair up into a messy bun and glanced in the mirror. Her cheeks were still pink, but she looked presentable.

  Her mother would have a fit if she ever found out about the interaction with Addar. She had some very old-fashioned opinions about how a lady was supposed to act. Near nudity toward a stranger was not likely to be something she approved of. Luckily, she would never know. Not that the situation would ever be repeated. Robin chewed on her bottom lip for a second before she pulled open her bedroom door and stepped into the hallway. Another destroyed lock. She shook her head.

  She could see the glow of the computer screen in the dark living room. Robin followed the bluish light to the source, stopping on the other side of the desk to stare at Addar. He continued to focus on the computer screen, not so much as acknowledging her presence. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  “You had a few questions?”

  The only sign that he heard her was the clench of his jaw.

  …

  The subtle fragrance on her skin increased her own natural scent. With every breath her influence grew stronger. He stared hard at the computer screen in front of him to keep from looking at her. He had been fooling himself. Lying since the moment he set eyes on her. Telling himself his study of humanity was for any reason other than understanding Dr. Robin Kay. He was an idiot.

  “Addar?”

  And the way she said his name. He growled low in his throat. Flicking his gaze toward her when she twitched, he took in her apparel. A pair of light blue pants that hugged her hips and a threadbare shirt. She must know what a sight she presented. He barely resisted the urge to reach for her. Even with her dark eyes fastened on him and her heady scent in his lungs, he knew how bad of an idea that was.

  “Yes, Robin?” he bit out.

  She shifted.

  “I am willing to answer your questions, but not if you continue with this show of temper.”

  There it was. The heat in her usually cool voice. A taste of passion. He held back a smile.

  “Fine.”

  He slowly raised his eyes to her face. She was scowling. The expression smoothed almost immediately, overtaken by a mask of politeness. How he hated the distance in that look.

  “What tests do you intend to run?”

  She licked her lips.

  “Tomorrow?”

  He considered her.

/>   “Yes.”

  “Strength and agility.”

  “And?”

  She cleared her throat delicately.

  “Because of your unique situation, it is likely your chromosome number will not be sufficient for procreation. I would like to test it.”

  Addar watched the blush stain her cheeks.

  “I see. And if I am able to procreate, what then? Will you manipulate my DNA to create a female of my species?” He stood and leaned across the desk. “Do you intend to create a breeding population?”

  Robin’s eyes met his then quickly darted away.

  “Gender manipulation has not been approved by the ethics council.”

  Yet. He could hear it in her tone. At the end of the day, he was her science experiment. Addar looked away from her. Robin’s ambition would catch up to her one day and it would be her downfall.

  “Fine,” he said.

  She was silent for several minutes, before she opened her mouth to speak. A bright trill filled the air. It was followed by another. Robin sighed and turned away. He watched her cross the room to where her bag hung on a hook by the door. She extracted another cellular phone and quickly answered.

  “Hello?”

  Her gaze darted toward him.

  “Fine.”

  After a brief pause, she frowned.

  “I really can’t. No. Not even lunch.”

  Addar watched her start toward her room, chewing her bottom lip.

  “Work. No, I don’t have class. Something else.”

  She paused just down the hall and leaned against the wall.

  “I have no intention of seeing him outside of work, mother. No. No. I suppose.”

  She sighed.

  “I won’t ask how you know about that. Yes. Because it is not supposed to go beyond the corporation. My boss.”

  Robin’s shoulders drooped.

  “I know. It was supposed to be mine. I…I suppose. Mother, I am rather busy at the moment.”

  After a few seconds in which she nodded to whatever her mother was saying, Robin hung up. She slowly turned to look at him.