LOGINCove’s silver fork clattered onto his plate with a sharp, metallic ring that cut through the heavy silence like a gunshot. His face had gone completely stone-cold. The warmth that had been there just moments ago during their rooftop encounter had vanished. His gray eyes looked distant, almost empty, as if a wall had slammed down between them.
Eli sat frozen across the table, staring at him. The food on their plates had gone cold. The soft lighting in t
Eli didn't sleep that night.He sat in the safe house. The room was dark. The house was quiet. But his mind was racing.The network. The bigger organization. The people who controlled everything.He needed to find them. He needed to stop them.He opened his laptop. He started searching. Old files. Hidden records. Anything he could find.Then he found it. A name. A reference. A shadow."The Network. A collective of powerful individuals. Funded Victor Voss's experiments. Controlled the five families. Operated in the shadows for decades."He read the file. His blood ran cold.They were still active. They were still watching. They were everywhere.He traced the network. He followed the money. He found connections.Politicians. Businessmen. Military leaders. People in power. People who controlled everything."This is bigger than Adrian," he whispered. "This is bigger than everything."
The hospital was quiet.Eli sat in the waiting room. His body was tired. His mind was racing. Cove was beside him. His hand was in Eli's."He's been in there for hours," Cove said."I know.""What if something goes wrong?""It won't.""How do you know?""I don't."They sat in silence. The clock ticked. The minutes passed.Then the door opened. A doctor walked out. Her face was tired. But she was smiling."He's stable."Eli's heart stopped. "He's alive?""He's alive. The surgery was a success. He's going to be okay."Eli closed his eyes. Tears streamed down his face."Thank God.""You can see him now. But he's still weak. Don't stay too long."Eli nodded. He stood up. He walked into the room.David was in the bed. His face was pale. His body was thin. But he was alive."Hey," Eli said.David opened his eyes. He
Eli couldn't sleep.He lay in the bed. The room was dark. The house was quiet. But his mind was racing.There are more of us.Adrian's words kept playing in his head. More survivors. More experiments. More people like him.He needed to find them. He needed to stop them.He sat up. His body screamed. He ignored it.He grabbed his laptop. He opened it. He started searching.The Project. Victor Voss. Experiment files. Anything he could find.Then he found it. A list. Names. Dates. Locations."Subjects who survived initial trials."He read the names. Most were crossed out. Dead.But a few were not."Subject seven. Marcus Thorne. Status: Alive.""Subject thirteen. Anya Petrova. Status: Alive.""Subject twenty two. David Chen. Status: Alive.""Subject thirty four. Elena Vasquez. Status: Alive."He stared at the list. There were others. Others like
Eli woke up to the sound of machines beeping.His body was heavy. His mind was foggy. He tried to move. He couldn't."Hey," a voice said. "Don't move. You're still weak."Eli turned his head. Cove was sitting beside him. He was pale. He was thin. But he was alive."Cove.""I'm here.""You're alive.""I'm alive.""I thought I lost you.""You didn't.""You were bleeding. So much blood.""I know.""I gave you my blood.""I know.""You almost died.""I know.""You almost left me.""I didn't.""You promised.""I kept my promise."Eli closed his eyes. Tears streamed down his face."I was so scared.""I know.""I thought I was going to lose you.""You didn't.""I thought I was going to be alone.""You're not.""I love you.""I love you t
Eli drove like a madman.The city was a blur. The lights. The buildings. The people. He didn't see any of it. All he saw was Cove's face. Pale. Still. Dying."Hold on," he whispered. "Please hold on."He ran every red light. He cut every corner. He didn't care about the police. He didn't care about the rules. He only cared about getting back to the hospital.His phone rang. He answered without looking."Eli? Where are you?"Lena. Her voice was tight. Worried."On my way. Five minutes.""Cove's still in surgery. The doctors say it's bad.""How bad?""He lost a lot of blood. They're doing everything they can.""I'm almost there.""Hurry."She hung up. Eli pressed harder on the gas.---He reached the hospital in four minutes.He ran inside. The waiting room was chaos. Police. Doctors. Nurses. Everyone was moving. Everyone was shouting.
Cove was dying in Eli's arms.His blood was warm. Too warm. It soaked through Eli's shirt. It stained his hands. It pooled on the floor beneath them."Stay with me," Eli whispered. "Please stay with me."Cove didn't answer. His eyes were closed. His breathing was shallow. His skin was pale.Eli pressed harder on the wound. He tried to stop the bleeding. He tried to keep him alive."Help is coming," he said. "Just hang on."He pulled out his phone. He called Lena. No answer. He called Ruiz. No answer. He called everyone. No answer.He was alone.He looked around. The warehouse was destroyed. The walls were cracked. The ceiling was falling.He needed to get out. He needed to get Cove to a hospital.He stood up. He lifted Cove in his arms. He carried him through the rubble."You're heavy," Eli said. "You know that?"Cove didn't answer."You're going to be okay. We're going to get you help."He pushed through the door. The night air hit him. Cold. Sharp. Real.He saw a car. Abandoned. He
Cove’s eyes were dark with want. “It’s the only answer you’re getting tonight.”Eli stared at him, lips still tingling from the rough kiss. His heart was beating way too fast.“Get off me,” Eli said,
Eli’s world had vanished.The darkness was absolute no faint glow from the city skyline through the windows, no sliver of light beneath a door, nothing. It pressed against his eyes like a living thing, thick and suffocating. His chest heaved as panic clawed its way up his throat, raw and primal. Th
Eli couldn’t look away.Cove Voss stood barely three feet in front of him, larger than life and twice as terrifying in person. The penthouse lights cast sharp shadows across his face, highlighting the ruthless cut of his jaw and the storm-gray eyes that seemed to strip Eli bare without mercy. Up cl
The first thing Eli noticed was the taste of blood in his mouth.His head throbbed like someone had taken a sledgehammer to his skull. He tried to move, but thick zip ties bit into his wrists behind his back, and his ankles were bound so tightly his feet had gone numb. A rough cloth blindfold press







