I shrug negligently on the table as though I'm not lying in a mess of food, my hair now a wild tangled halo around my head. "You started it. You tell me."
He lets out a growl of frustration and shoves me away from him. I fall sideways off the table and land on my hands and knees on the floor. I immediately scramble to my feet, picking food out of my hair and corset. I glare at him.
"Can I go?" I ask coldly.
He gives me a half nod, his own gaze just as cold as I step quickly back. I whirl around, my leather skirt snapping around my legs, and head straight for the door. My booted heels tap against the stone floor with angry intent as I try to get as far away from him as fast as I can. If I don't leave immediately, I will find a way to stab this man.
His voice stops me before I can leave the room. "You want to know what I want from you?" I glance back at him. He’s tall, broad, muscular and still angry. "Everything. I want everything from you. And I won't stop until I get it."
His words reignite the spark between us and the room feels like an inferno of emotion. The intimacy, the fight, everything since the moment I stepped into the Warlord's chambers is raging between us.
I shake my head. "What if I don't want to give you everything?"
He stares at me for long seconds and I think he won't speak. I'm about to leave when finally his voice reaches out to me, quiet but ringing with authority.
"I live for the fight, Skye." His voice is a deep purr as it touches my name. "I will fight for you, I will fight with you and I will fight against you until I get what I want." His amber gaze holds me in place as he says the final word. "Everything."
Twenty-Three
"You need to take your head out of your ass and start thinking clearly, not with all this close-minded prejudice. If you can't figure it out, I'll figure it out for you!"
I'm startled at hearing Dr. Summers’s angry voice as I walk into her new lab, located a couple of blocks away from the palace. I realize right away that she’s speaking to her new assistant, Dr. Starr, the man she predicted she might have some trouble with. I stand back, watching the scene play out. Waiting to see which side things will fall on. If I need to step in, I will.
"I am convinced more than ever that you are the wrong person for this job. You think with your emotions, not the logic born to doctors." Dr. Starr’s nose is stuck up in the air in a way that makes me want to punch it to see if I can straighten him out.
"You mean the logic born to male doctors," Dr. Summers says scathingly, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. "That's bullshit and we both know it. The fact is, you don't like that I’m the lead on this project. You don't like being put into the position where a female is superior to you."
"You're no one’s superior," the soon to be dismissed doctor shouts back at her. "Your ideas are half-baked and based off poor science. The very idea of a cure, or even a treatment, is idiotic at best. It’s impossible and we both know it. The best we can do is a better vaccine."
I feel my blood begin to boil. This man clearly doesn't realize that he’s insulting me along with Dr. Summers, since this whole idea is my conception. It doesn’t matter that he’s echoing the same words Dr. Summers said to me when I asked her about a cure. At least she didn’t call me an idiot.
"Then why are you here?" Dr. Summers demands. "You're an intelligent man. Your expertise is welcome in this lab, but your ego is getting in the way of your work ethic. If you can’t contribute, then you shouldn’t be here."
"I'm here because the project sounds exciting," he snaps back at her. "Unfortunately, your methods leave much to be desired. If you can't come up with better medicine, then I'm out."
"The door is that way." Dr. Summers throws her hand out and points directly to where I'm standing in front of the door. Both sets of eyes turn to me.
Dr. Summers smiles wanly and drops her arm, pulling her shoulders back in an attempt to look more professional. Dr. Starr doesn't bother, he turns his annoyed gaze on me and scowls. I walk straight toward him, my gaze travelling him as I move. He's a small man, shorter than my 5’8”, slim and younger than I'd expected.
I keep my cold gaze on Dr. Starr as I speak. "You were showing yourself to the door?"
He looks startled for a moment and then shakes his head. "You're the one in charge of this mess, aren't you?"
I narrow my eyes at him. "I am in charge of the functioning of this entire city, including this lab. Any problems you can't solve with the head scientist will be addressed to me."
A slight smile curves Dr. Summers’s lips as I acknowledge both her position and mine in one sentence. Dr. Starr is starting to look distinctly uncomfortable. He’s standing in the same room with two powerful women while throwing out some very reckless comments.
"Of course, ma'am." His voice takes on a tone that is fractionally more respectful as he realizes he's talking to the woman who has the Warlord’s ear.
"Do you mind telling me why you're describing this lab as a mess?" I ask him calmly.
The fury rises to snap in his eyes as he flings out a hand to point directly at Dr. Summers. "This woman is reckless and she lacks a basic understanding of the science behind medicine. A cure will not be possible, but with the proper leadership, we may be able to strengthen the current vaccine."
"Oh," I say, my voice reflecting fake surprise. "Please explain why a cure won't be possible. One of the best doctors on this continent has already sanctioned the idea and is giving his advice when we need it. Have you heard of Dr. Bishop from the Tucson Sanctuary?"
Dr. Starr looks startled and his gaze falls back on Dr. Summers, a look of accusation in his eyes.
She shrugs. "You didn't ask who was involved in the project, you just freaked out at my plan."
"What plan?" I demand looking at her.
"In order to even begin working on a cure, we need to have a better understanding of Primitive physiology."
I nod my understanding. "That makes sense."
She waits a beat before finishing, "Live physiology."
I raise an eyebrow at her as I realize what she means. "You require a live specimen to study in order to begin work on the cure? Am I getting this correct?"
"Several live specimens preferably." Her voice is deadpan and her gaze flat as she essentially asks me to bring her several live zombies to work on.
I turn to Dr. Starr, sympathy in my gaze. "I begin to understand why you no longer want to take part in this project."
He looks relieved. "Now you understand. Our efforts are better directed toward the vaccine."
I shake my head. "The vaccine already exists. There's no point in reinventing the wheel." When it looks as though he'll speak, I hold up a hand to stop him. "There's no point in you trying to convince me that you can come up with a better vaccination. It doesn't matter. That is not our priority. Our priority is the cure, or whatever treatment we can get that’s closest to a cure. If you can't get on board with this plan, then you'll be asked to leave the project."