Chapter 29 SIX: SWEET TASTE OF LOVE

William went through the files Frank dropped on his desk. “I don’t understand,” he grunted with frustration. “These are the names of every member and officers on this taskforce. But why are there green dots placed beside each name?”

“This is the full list of active officers registered in this taskforce that has been tested. The green dot represents the members who came out clean, while the red represents the shifters.” Frank explained.

William stole a quick glance at the list, a line between his brows. “But I see no name here attached to a red dot.”

“Exactly my point, sir. Every official and officer working in this taskforce came out clean.”

William looked over the file, feeling sceptical about its credibility.

“I ran a double check on everyone, just to be sure. I can assure you, sir, there are no shifters on the task force.” he assured.

William was silent for a moment, a series of thoughts running through his head. “I was thinking, what if we recreate another shifter just like Mrs. Eulich, only a better and stronger version? So it could be able to defend itself even though it is being attacked.”

The room was left in sheer silence.

“Sir, what you are suggesting is reckless and very dangerous. I told you already, the chances of succeeding at experiments such as this are pretty low. We will risk the life of whoever agrees to volunteer for this experiment.”

“I don’t care how you do it. I just want it done. Do you know how much could have been accomplished if Eulich was still alive? Thousands of shifters live in this city unnoticed, and it is only a matter of time before they ravage our fine city.”

Frank immediately became obedient. “The experiment would be started right away, sir.”

“And one more thing, Mr. Mottek,” he added “I want this to be between us. No one else can know about it, not even the mayor of this city, or the president of this taskforce. I hope you understand why I am doing this?”

“I understand, sir.”

“Can I count on your discretion?”

“You have my word, sir.”

Natasha sat at the corner of the bed, her attention fixed on the book she was reading. The room hummed with teenage life. As much as she hated staying with Landry, she had grown quite fond of the peaceful environment away from her dad. No one was around to dictate her every action and bark orders at her the way her dad did.

A knock sounded on the door, disturbing the silence she’d been enjoying the past few hours. Natasha didn’t bother to look up since only Landry enters the room. She watched from the corner of her eyes as the door slowly opened and a familiar walked in.

“What do you want?” she muttered, without a glance at her guest, eyes still fixed on the book she was reading.

“I’m here to take you home.” A voice she didn’t expect answered.

Raising her head at her unexpected visitor, her entire face lit with joy. “Kevin!” she exclaimed.

She then placed a pen between the pages and dropped the book on a table beside the bed, racing across the room to meet Kevin. Reaching him, she jumped into his arm, squeezing him in a tight hug.

Her lips curled. “Where have you been?”

The door slid open, and Landry entered. Her glare found him. “Kevin, don’t leave me alone with him. I can’t stand being in the same room with him.” she snarled at him. “Take me to see my dad, please. I want to see dad.”

Kevin gave him a silent signalled to leave.

Landry quickly took the hint and opened the door to leave. “I’ll leave you two alone for now. I will be outside if you need anything.” he said and disappeared through the door.

“Get your things,” Kevin said, “We are leaving now. I’m sure your dad would be happy to see you.”

She let out a cheerful smile. “About time.”

She walked to the bed to pick up the book she’d been reading, but Kevin held her hand and yanked her into his arms.

“… but first, there is something I would like to show you.” he said with a cheerful smile.

“What is it?” she asked, looking over him.

He took a hand inside his pocket and reached for something. She didn’t know what to expect. Then he took out a phone and a wristwatch from his pocket. “I guess this belongs to you.”

Gasping, Natasha blinked in surprise, her eyes widening as she watched him strap the watch to her wrist. “How did you…”

“I took it from the guys that raped you.” he smiled.

“You took it from them?” she laughed at the bluff.

“Yeah, I took it from them.”

“I don’t know how you did it, but–” she hugged him again. “Thank you.”

Kevin wrapped her in his arm, then bent to kiss her forehead, hands brushing against her hair. “Your friends mentioned to me how important this is to you.”

“My mum gave this to me before she left.” She said, smiling at the watch that’d been strapped to her wrist. She could hardly conceal her excitement. “This watch is all I have to remember her by.”

“Before she left?” he raised an eyebrow at her. “Is she…?”

“No, no…” she laughed it off. “My mum is very much alive. She’s in a military camp, training to be an officer. It’s been a while since I last saw her though, but her training would be over soon, and I would get to see her again.”

She couldn’t stop staring at the watch and smiling. “Right now, this watch is all I have to remember her by—until she gets home.”

He smiled at her. “She sounds like a lovable person, your mother. I would very much like to meet her.”

For a moment Natasha looked up at his face, then she gave him a warm smile. “I’m sure you would love her when you get to know her.”

“I’m sure I will.” he placed his hands on her face, caressing her cheek. His smile slipped as he leaned forward and closed his eyes. Her smiles faded too as she braced herself for impact. He pressed his lips on hers and became lost in the sweet ecstasy of love.

Natasha tried to resist, but her body wasn’t hers to command anymore. She remained rooted to the ground—paralyzed, and unable to move away from him. Felt consumed by an overwhelming desire she’d never felt before. Natasha felt strong affection towards him which she never knew had been there all along. Unable to fight it, she finally surrendered.

Kevin felt the rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins as he crushed her lips with his. It was getting harder and harder to deny what he felt for her with every passing minute. It was harder even to acknowledge it.

For a moment, they seized each other’s lips in a prolonged kiss. He ran his hands over her hair, then down every inch of her perfect form. The voices in his head were telling him to stop. They were clear voices. But the desire was overwhelming. He couldn’t bring himself to stop. Not at the moment.

Suddenly, the tortured images of Loretta flashed through his mind, causing his entire body to quiver. He was consumed with fear as he kissed her, shivering in her arms at the thought of losing her, too, to T-Rex, just as he lost Loretta.

Oh, God, we’re not doing this. He felt disappointed in himself.

Natasha hardly noticed him shivering, for she was entirely lost in the kiss. He trembled from his knee as he slowly pulled away from her, but she stopped him—wrapped her arms around his neck. Standing on her toe, she tried to reach his lips, but he turned away.

Her brows furrowed. “What is wrong?”

He looked in the opposite direction, not uttering a word.

“I’m sorry…” she found herself apologizing.

“No, don’t apologize, please.” he held her arms and looked in her eyes “It’s not you, it’s me. I am scared.”

“Scared?” she batted her lashes. “… of what?” Looking up at him, she saw a glimmer in his eyes. She placed a finger on his jaw to turn his face until they established a direct eye contact. “Are you scared of kissing me?”

“You know that is not what I meant.” he bit his lower lip. “I’m scared for your sake.”

The words were already out of his mouth before he realised they came out wrong.

“Scared for my sake?” she raised a hand to touch his face. His words conveyed vague meaning. “What are you on about?”

I fear losing you to T-Rex, just as I did with Loretta. He said in his head, but not aloud.

For a minute, Kevin remained silent, staring blankly at her. His lips trembled as the words tried to form. “I am falling in love with you, and it scares me.”

Natasha smiled, her hands caressing his chin. “You don’t have to be scared. I feel the same way towards you.”

“No!” he withdrew from her and walked to the window. His expression hardened. It was becoming more difficult for him with every passing second. It was harder even to keep her away.

“Don’t you get it? Everyone I love dies! T-Rex will come for you if we do this. He will torture you the same way he tortured Loretta. This is why I wanted you to stay away from me from the very first day we met.”

For a moment, Natasha was taken aback by the way he raised his voice at her, but then she walked to him and hugged him from behind, resting her head on his back and smiling. “What is the point of living my life when you’re not in it?”

“Tasha, please…” Kevin said, shutting his eyes. “Don’t make this harder than it already is. Why do you want to throw your life away just for a stranger you barely even know? Many people still need you to stay alive.”

“Your dad still needs you. Your mom needs you.” He forced her hand away and turned to look at her. “After I get you home to your dad, we are done. Stay away from me, please.”

His tone sounded familiar, like the first time they’d met each other, only this time he sounded politely rude. Every trace of emotion vanished from his face as walked past her to the door.

“I will wait for you outside.” he opened the door and left the room.