Chapter 2 A Shadow cont.

“I don’t see the appeal in having a strange man or woman touching my body in that way.” Leaning against the white quartz counter, propping my heeled foot against the dark gray cabinet, chugging down the chilled liquid with a refreshing sigh. Disgusted with the lingering tang of metallic, bitter..UGH!! laced across my tongue as the soothing liquid cooled my core temperature.

“I take offense to that. If Leo heard you talking like that, he would tie you up himself. Hell, I’m fixing to fly down there to tie you up myself. Sex is like breathing. How can you not want a man or a woman fondling every inch of your flesh, driving you mad with ecstasy so fucking fabulous that you crave it day in and day out? For an accomplished seductress, you’re quite the prude, Shadow.” Flapping my fingers in mockery of his lecture, walking down the baren soft gray hallway into the master suite with its plush king-size bed draped in crisp whites on a dark gray upholstered frame.

“It’s called being genetically engineered, Blue. Fighting and killing targets are my only reason for existing.” Unbuckling my heeled boots with a silent sigh, wiggling my metallic gray polished toes with a smile, shimming out of the tight leather catsuit in the soft glow of the side lamp.

“How about this, when you arrive tomorrow for briefing and your next assignment, you give the club a chance. On the house.” Walking into the massive white on white bathroom with the same dark gray cabinets, glass-enclosed shower with two rainfall showerheads, and body jets with a large white modern soaker tub to the side.

“Fine. Just this once. After that, no more talk about it.” Pulling out the stainless-steel case, scanning my thumbprint into the infrared sensor as it clicked open with a soft whoosh of chilled air, lifting the hard lid revealing six glass vials of bright blue liquid and an injection gun.

My silent misery.

“You’ll be a new woman by the end of the night.” Smiling at his cheeky tone, loading up a vial, pressing the cold metal to my thigh as the gun hissed out against my heated flesh with a burning pressure. Removing the empty vial, returning both to the hard case, trailing my tingling fingertips over the cool Styrofoam inlay with a strange feeling creeping across my skin.

“Goodnight, Blue.” Clipping the words coldly.

“Ciao, Shadow.” Exhaling heavily as Celeste disconnected the call draping the house in a soothing silence.

Pressing my palms against the cool quartz counter, staring at the woman in the mirror with her jet-black locks twisted up in a secretary’s bun with a dramatic smoky eye and red painted lips. Unclasping the black lacy bra allowing my breasts to breathe, removing the matching thong tossing them aside.

“Just another day.” Laughing coldly at my reflection, examining my curvy 5’9” figure of ivory flesh, tracing a finger over the healing bruises across my ribcage, turning slightly to see the slash marks across my shoulder blade closing under the thick layer of dried crusted blood.

Thank you advanced healing.

If it wasn’t for the vampire and wolf traits spliced into my genetic coding that asshole would have seriously hurt me. Removing the pins from my hair, shaking out my long locks of silky black as they brushed over my butt cheeks, tousling them with my fingers. Uncapping the contact lens container, gently removing the brown lenses, blinking quickly to refocus my blue topaz eyes with crystallized white streaks against the irises.

Another trait of being genetically engineered.

Project Zodiac was just another excuse for a man to play God, using Government funding to create the perfect silent killer, well, killers. A hundred specimens were created per zodiac sign, mine being the Aries sequence. Spliced with vampire and wolf traits, while others were spliced with just one trait. SF-01-00 is my laboratory identification sequence. Specifically, Specimen Female, 1 of 100, double zero to represent the year of creation 2000. I’m considered the Elite of my sequence.

Yep, I’m 22 years old, and I kill supernatural creatures the Government deems dangerous.

A Supernatural Assassin.

Tracing my fingertip over the invisible UV ink marking my skin like a barcode on the inside of my left bicep, closing my eyes. Flinching back with the rapid flashes of growing up in specialized training laboratories. Grinding my teeth as strange thoughts flickered between the images, uncertain of what was happening to me.

“Regeneration healing complete. Serum saturation sixty-three percent, DNA mutation fifty-five percent.” Celeste’s mechanical voice chimed through the bathroom breaking me from the congestion of unknown sensations, and thoughts that have been more frequent these past few months.

Shit! Drop kicking the hard case into the bedroom with a thunderous bang, slamming my fist into the mirror. The flickering glass shards scattered out around my fist in a dancing explosion of glimmering sparks of reflection before plinking violently against the quartz countertop and sink. Licking the seeping blood from my knuckles as the lacerations closed with a soft fizzle of flesh.

Slithering into the rushing waves of steaming water, exhaling heavily as the cascading water drowned out the chaos plaguing my mind. The blood hunger takes over once the serum saturation reaches fifty percent but the DNA mutation is my biggest problem.

I knew the risks of being genetically spliced with werewolf and vampire traits, but it seems to have accelerated in progression. Once it hits seventy-five percent, I might as well put a bullet in my head because the Federation will not hesitate to exterminate me. Wrapping the fluffy white towel around my heated flesh, stalking gingerly towards the bed with an angry exhale as the cool fluffiness embraced my flopping body.

Staring up at the smooth ceiling ghosted in the soft waves of warm light and whites as Blue’s words pranced around in challenge.

Maybe I should let loose just this once. It won’t change anything. I’ll be disposed of in a matter of time according to the protocols of Project Zodiac, so maybe it’s time for The Shadow to play.

Closing my eyes as the soft hum of silence lulled me into the darkness.