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  Delta-13’s eyes snapped open, his senses immediately alert despite the fog of the sedative still lingering in his bloodstream. He felt the cold steel of restraints cutting into his skin—back in the holding cell.

  His muscles were stiff from the sedative, but his mind remained sharp, even if his body betrayed him. The hunger to escape, to break free from this confinement, surged within him.

  The sound of footsteps echoed through the dimly lit room, steady and deliberate. The door creaked open, and there stood Marcus Gray, the leader of the rogue vampires, his eyes locked onto Delta-13 with an icy stare.

  "So, the prodigal clone returns," Marcus said, his voice low and sharp. "I thought you might slip away again. But here you are, back in my care. How unfortunate for you."

  Delta-13’s vision sharpened, his glowing eyes narrowing as he focused on Marcus, the man who had orchestrated his creation, the head of Project Genesis. He had been the one behind the experiment—the one who made Delta-13 the success he was.

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  "I’m no failure," Delta-13 rasped, his voice hoarse but unwavering, despite the restraints. "I’m the only successful prototype. The rest were just failures, like you."

  Marcus smiled, but it was a cold, predatory grin. "Successful, you say? Perhaps. But you’re still a tool, Delta-13. You’ve been useful... until now. Escaping from my grasp was never part of the plan. Tell me, did you contact anyone? Anyone who might come after you?"

  Delta-13 didn’t flinch. His glowing eyes stayed fixed on Marcus, filled with quiet rage. "I didn’t contact anyone. I came back on my own."

  Marcus’s expression darkened. "So you’re telling me that after all your enhancements, after all the power I gave you, you think you can take me down by yourself? You think you can outsmart me?"

  Delta-13’s jaw tightened. "You’re not the one in control anymore."

  Marcus stepped closer, his vampire senses keen as he examined Delta-13, the successful prototype he had never truly expected to escape. His eyes flicked with irritation. "Don’t flatter yourself. You were always just a weapon—an experiment. You might have been the only one who succeeded, but that doesn’t change your place in this world." His gaze grew colder. "And I will make sure you never escape again."

  Delta-13 remained silent, his mind working even as his body remained restrained. Marcus was angry—understandably so. Delta-13’s escape was the last thing Marcus had expected. But it also made him more dangerous.

  "I’m not a tool for your experiments anymore," Delta-13 said, his voice steadier now, his defiance clear. "You can’t control me."

  Marcus’s hand shot out suddenly, gripping Delta-13’s chin with vice-like force. "You still don’t get it, do you?" he hissed. "You are mine. I created you. Your escape doesn’t change that. You’re nothing without me. And I’ll make sure you understand that soon enough."

  He stepped back, releasing his grip on Delta-13’s chin, his eyes narrowing with venom. "But before you get any ideas, know this: You will never leave here again. I’ll make sure of it."

  Delta-13’s enhanced vision flickered in the dim light, his body still aching from the sedative, but his resolve was as strong as ever. The game was only beginning. Marcus might have created him, but Delta-13 would be the one to end it.

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