Chapter 28: Abandoned

~ ZEV ~

He wasn't sure how many minutes they lost to her flight, but he could only be grateful for it. She'd been fighting and now she'd given up. 

He hated that he'd made her cry. Hated the fear he could still smell on her. But he knew he was going to prove to her that she was safe with him. And that he'd do anything to keep her that way. 

There was an awkward moment when he'd bundled her into the Jeep, then opened the driver's side to get his clothes and dress again and she turned from the passenger seat to look at him. 

Her eyes went wide, and her pupils dilated as she dragged her gaze down from his face to his chest and down lower… In any other circumstances he would have lifted an eyebrow and taken his time dressing, to give her a show. But they had already lost precious minutes. He didn't know how long it would be before Nick figured out that he'd stayed close and had agents on their trail. So, he raced through getting himself dressed and into the driver's seat.

He'd left the Jeep running, so he threw it into gear and they chugged along the road again. 

They had to get out of here and to the Chimera. It was the only way.

His stomach trilled at that thought, pushing away the whole other world of danger that would descend—on him, not to Sasha—by returning home. But he'd known it just like he'd known he had to get her out from under Nick's nose. 

There was no more time. No more excuses. He had to go back and face his people. 

Plus, they were the only ones who could keep Sasha safe. 

There was no choice.

Sasha sighed and he reached across the gap between them to take her hand, his own throat tightening when she laced her fingers through his and put her other hand over his.

"This is surreal," she whispered, staring at their clasped hands.

"I know," he said, shaking his head. "But I'm not leaving again, Sasha. I mean it."

"I believe you," she said simply. "I don't really have a choice. I can't… I wanted to run away and not have to face that you might..." she trailed off, biting her lip.

"Sasha, I would never—"

"You can't say never, Zev. You've already done it. It's not a never."

He clenched his jaw, rage at Nick and the way his surrogate father had manipulated him all those years ago rising to choke him.

"I'll prove it," he said tightly, through his teeth. "Just… just be patient, Sash. I'll prove it to you."

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She nodded, stroking the back of his hand, tracing the tendons there with a finger. "It's okay, Zev, there's no other choice for me. Whether you mean what you say or not… I'm done. I've been waiting for you for five years. And now you're here. I'm not going anywhere."

He squeezed her hand, humbled. "Thank you."

She shrugged. "I guess you better tell me the rest now, huh? So, I know?"

Zev blew out a breath. "I'm not sure, Sasha. I mean, you've been through so much tonight already—"

"Please, Zev. I… I need to understand. This is all so crazy, give me something to focus on. Tell me what happened to you. You said they made you like this? And you can turn into that wolf whenever you want? And it makes you stronger and… what? What are they doing to you? Tell me?"

He sighed and nodded. "Okay," he said reluctantly. "But if you start feeling scared again, you tell me. Give me a chance to reassure you, okay?"

"I promise," she whispered. He turned his head to look at her and she gave a watery smile. 

"You're going to be okay, Sasha. I promise you that. There's a lot of shit going down, but I'm going to get you through it, okay?"

She nodded. So, he started talking.

He told her about growing up in the Chimera—a near-primitive society that didn't use technology yet were highly intelligent. Stronger, faster, and with better senses than any human. 

He told her about being a teenage Chimera—and how his handlers decided he needed to understand how better to relate to pure humans. 

"So… the humans who made you are there?" she asked quietly.

"They visit," Zev said through his teeth. "It's kind of like… a wildlife sanctuary. Let the natives live their natural life, you know? But then… then they come in sometimes and… interfere."

"With you? Or with everyone?" 

"I was always different—even from the other Chimera," he said, half with pride, half with disgust. "I'm more human, if that makes sense? They always knew they wanted to use me here. So, when I was fourteen, they decided to set me up in the city with fake parents—a handler, and a psychologist—so I could learn what the human life was like and learn how to function normally. It was rough at first," he said, his mind trailing off into memories of the ways he'd frightened people—growling when he was angry, always moving to physically dominate a person in conflict. There'd been a bully at his middle school that he'd almost blinded…

"They had to cover for me a lot at first. But by the time we moved and I got to your high school I was getting the hang of it," he said. "They talked about pulling me out for Senior year, but… by then I'd met you," he said. "And I knew I couldn't go. Not yet. No matter what they needed me to do."

He turned and looked at her.. "Sasha, you're the only reason I'm still alive today." 

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