The Other Side of Truth (The Marked Ones Trilogy Book 3) by Alicia Kat Vancil Page A

office.
    “It’s, ah…the biometric scanner booth,” I replied in a startled voice, caught off guard. I was fairly certain that Kiskei didn’t spend a whole hell of a lot of time meeting with people, being that you had to walk past most of the labs in the Department of Medical Research and Development to actually get to his office. But still, he hadn’t needed to look up to know it was me that had entered his office.
    “What, is it not working?” he asked, finally looking up from the screen on the desk in front of him. His black-blue eyes as serious as a knife’s blade.
    “No, it’s working alright,” I replied, blowing out a long breath of air.
    Kiskei narrowed his eyes in confusion. “Then what’s the problem?”
    “It won’t identify anyone with the K1-2012 mutation as Kalodaemon .”
    “ Oh ,” Kiskei said, his eyebrows shooting up. “That is a problem.”
    “On the bright side, no Kakodaemon will ever get past that system,” I stated as I jabbed my thumb back in the direction of the door.
    Kiskei stood and started pacing his office, his hand curled up against his mouth in thought. Pieces of his pitch-black hair spilling free from his ponytail each time he turned, so that when he stopped, they formed a dark forest on either side of his face. Reminding me once again that if anyone had ever looked like a ronin lost in the wrong era, it was Kiskei Kirihara.
    “If I could get you the genetic markers for the K1-2012 mutation could you add them to the list for Kalodaemons?” he asked as he traced his fingers across the ePapers covering his desk.
    “Well sure,” I answered as I ran my hand back through my hair. “But wouldn’t it be easier just to make a new designator like we did for Neodaemons?”
    “Yes, but I think we should hold off until we fully understand the extent of the mutation.”
    The emotions flowing off of him were making me uneasy. It was almost like he was trying to—
    “Travis?”
    “Hmm?” I replied as I jerked my head up to look at him.
    “Will that work?” he asked as he arched his eyebrows for emphasis.
    “Yeah, just get me the data, and I’ll include it in the system,” I replied distractedly.
    “Well, for that, I’ll need you to go visit Parker in lab 7B.”
    “Why?” I asked suspiciously. I mean, I loved any excuse to go see Parker, but Kiskei’s emotions were putting me on edge.
    “So she can run your blood against someone who’s actually still a Kalodaemon.”

The Truth Is Whatever You Make It
    Monday, November 5th

    TRAVIS

    “S o why are you only sticking me with needles?” I asked as I watched Parker slide the needle into the crook of my arm.
    The Embassy hadn’t officially reopened until today, but a few of us had been allowed back into our labs ahead of time. So other than a lot of cleanup and a new door, my office had been fine. And the subbasement tech labs had been untouched. However, apparently nearly all the experiments in the med labs had been spoiled. Which meant all of the blood samples they had taken from Patrick and Nualla had had to be dumped, and they were in need of a fresh batch.
    “Because your brother is sociologically damaged,” she answered as she filled up another vial with my blood. Her beautiful British accent coating the words like syrup. A result of her living in Kaigan Kirian until her and Kiskei had moved to Seattle when she was fourteen.
    “And you’re saying I’m not?” I asked with a crooked, ironic smirk.
    She gave me a wry smile, and rolled her startlingly blue eyes at me. “ And he has a pathological fear of needles.”
    “And Nualla?”
    Parker looked at me with playful dubiousness, her long, Norwegian blond ponytail bouncing slightly with the movement. “She’s an arius , I can’t very well go around sticking her with needles, can I?” She had a point, Nualla was already in the tabloids enough as it was.
    “So you get to be my guinea pig,” Parker continued on in the same playful voice.
    I stiffened,