Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 80431 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80431 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
No shit.
“They chose to call you Valor because you were the worthiest and bravest of all the other candidates. And they plan to completely erase your past and mold you into a very powerful weapon at their control and disposal. An assassin. But I came to tell you the truth.”
Truth. That word didn’t belong in this place. Conspiracies and deceit, yes, but not truth.
Still, he listened.
“You are… Well, you were Chief Aiken Torr Oakley of the US Navy.” Her eyes were shiny and wide. “You’re a hero, a leader, and a decorated chief. An officer who’s still considered MIA.”
Valor’s own heart began to race.
“You were ambushed in a rescue mission in Novo Aripuanã. You and your comrade Sawyer survived. You were lost in the Amazon rainforest for three nights before you stumbled upon the illegal animal poaching and experiments the Ravens were doing just outside of Borba.”
Sawyer.
The name pulsed in the back of his mind, a ghostly spirit hovering just beyond reach.
“They took your past, your name, and your identity, Valor. I only managed to skim a small amount of the recon the research team uncovered. There’s a lot more, but I couldn’t stay in the records department for long.” She glanced toward the door. “I have to go—”
“Who are you spying for?”
“For the Order of Imuma Aga Khan. I will explain more later but do not repeat that name here ever. I will explain more when—”
He didn’t know who or what that was, and he didn’t care.
“What’s been done to my body?” he demanded, his voice low and cutting.
He saw her shake her head, heard the sorrowful sigh.
“They merged your DNA with a puma—the apex predator of the Amazon jungle. That’s why you’re faster, stronger, your senses sharper.”
“How is that possible?” he gritted.
She gulped. “Groundbreaking technology, brilliant scientists who specialize in gene mutation and human-animal hybrids, and a shit-ton of money.”
Valor exhaled slowly, primal power burning beneath his skin. He was a man, a military officer, and now he had the instincts of a feline that had existed for over nine million years woven into his DNA.
Am I more man or beast?
“Valor, the director has other assassins, more Ravens.” She scanned the terrace again in an attempt to find him. “But you and Zorion are different. The organization wants warriors with animal instincts with even fewer human morals than what was stripped from the Blacks and the Browns. Their serums wore off over time. Yours won’t. It’s permanent, and now he’s about to send you both into phase three.”
Valor watched her, weighed her every word. He believed what she was confessing. He could sense her and the hint of desperation she had for him…not for herself. She genuinely wanted to help him.
“What is phase three?”
“The Emotrixal injections. A serum that will strip you of all emotions. Your ability to feel compassion, love, empathy. You will be nothing more than an evil killing machine. And if I don’t get you out soon, there’ll be no saving you.”
Evil.
He felt keenly aware, invincible, but far from evil. He didn’t have a desire to kill anyone.
If what this woman—this spy—was saying about him was true, then he’d fought admirably for his country. He’d overseen rescue missions. He’d saved lives, not taken them.
A quiet rage sizzled inside his chest.
“Please trust me, Valor. Use your instincts. See that I’m good and not deceiving you.”
“I believe you,” he said.
This woman knew of other made assassins. She knew the facility well enough to move in the shadows and avoid the guards. She could be the asset, the assistance he needed to get out.
“This other man…Sawyer. I think he’s the one in my dreams.”
Jo was quiet for a few seconds, then nodded. “It’s very possible. You and Sawyer had a connection. I saw footage from when you were in the Ravens camp in Borba. You cared deeply for him.”
“Where is he?”
“It’s protocol that you are kept apart to ensure you’re compatible and—”
“Where?” he said with such force and menace that Jo stumbled backward.
“He’s at the end of the hall. He is called Zorion. He has the mutated gene of the black hawk.”
Valor’s heart soared. Sawyer was the raptor in his dreams. The bird with wings so dark and wide they blocked the light from the moon.
“He is strong, Valor. Zorion means ‘hunter of the sky.’ He radiates power and strength, but he is also your natural enemy, which was not done by accident.”
He is mine.
“They’ll reunite you soon, crossing their fingers that you won’t try to attack each other. The Blacks and the Browns will never turn on their partners, no matter what. They were made to be most effective and deadly together.”
Her answers were fast and sure, meaning true.
A rumble formed low in his gut. The thought of hurting the man in his dreams made anger burn like lava in his stomach.