DEVIANT [H.S.]

40 - Saved

The next morning I wake up tangled in bed sheets and Harry.

His lips are parted, his eyes closed as he sleeps so soundly, his arms wrapped around me and his head nuzzled into my chest.

Last night, well.. this early morning, things got heated. I loved it all: his kisses, his delicate nature, his passion. Time is fleeting; we have to show each other love in all the ways we want.

I don't feel obligated to do him any favors and neither does he. I think that's the beauty of our relationship. We don't feel entitled to do more than we should.

That's what makes me trust him all the more.

I carefully wiggle out of his grasp and wince when my bare feet hit the cold concrete floor. I rummage through his clothes and find a random shirt and bottoms to put on before heading out into the lab.

I walk out and see Liam sitting at the metal table, fiddling with the formula I retrieved from the hospital. I walk over to his side.

"Morning," I smile, nudging him.

He looks over at me and returns a smile. "Morning. How are you?"

"I'm better. Much better," I say truthfully. And I believe it. I feel I'm able to cope a little more than before.

Liam nods. "I know Caleb and Dyana's deaths weren't the best highlights. And I know you cared for Caleb. I'm sorry."

I gulp and close my eyes. "No need. He just doesn't deserve to let his name remain in ashes. He was a good guy, with some faults."

Liam's eyebrows crease in confusion. "What do you mean?"

I shrug. "I'm going to make Jeriah pay for what he did."

Liam then stands from the stool, his eyes narrowing as he towers over me. "Serena, revenge isn't the best thing to be considering at the moment."

I look up into his brown eyes which mirror my own. "Then what should I be considering, Liam? What should any of us consider other than that? We can't just sit here and do nothing."

Liam sets a hand on my wrist, comforting me. "Jeriah can come later. Right now you need to focus on saving thousands of lives," Liam replies sternly. "London is suffering out there."

He does have a point. I'm being selfish, thinking that I'm doing the right thing by going on a hunting spree towards the headquarters. But what I fail to remember is that citizens, people, are in agony out there. Zayn and Louis, they're relying on me.

I can't just push that aside.

I nod and look to the vial full of formula from the hospital, taking it from Liam's fingers. Liam smiles, walking away to leave me alone with my thoughts.

I hurry over to the test rack where all the other vials of perfect Protector formula sit untouched, taking one of them into my other hand. I hold them up in front of my eyes, comparing them side by side.

According to Jeriah, the Protector formula enhances the five senses of the human body. These enhancements are supplemented with performance steroids in the mix and there you have it, the concoction of a Protector is made.

The formula has never been perfect, never a one-size-fits-all scenario. Deviants are prime examples of that.

Nevertheless, for a Deviant to develop a symptom means that their body was exposed to a toxin in the formula.

If Malachi was here, what would he have me do?

Going off of a hunch, I take one of the vials I'm holding and pour half of its contents into an empty one, setting it on its own rack for analysis.