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“You, Jillian.” Dr. Reynolds turned to look at me directly, his gaze sweeping over me from head to foot. “When I heard about the Nightshade formula, I had assumed it was a slow-moving poison that would weaken its victim over time, something that would lead eventually to death. But it’s not like that at all, is it?”
I let out a shaky laugh. “No, it’s a bit more immediate than that.”
“It’s amazing, is what it is.”
I grimaced. “I have other words to describe it. Amazing isn’t one of them.”
“When a vampire bites you, only seconds need to pass before it dies.”
“Pretty much. But it’s still enough time for them to kill me if they want to.”
His jaw tightened. “It’s such a waste.”
“Why?”
“I can’t re-create it.” His expression reflected his deep disappointment. “The original composition has changed too much since bonding with your blood. However, I discovered something I’d like to show you.” He nodded at Lawrence. “Go get him.”
Lawrence left the room without a word.
Declan finally tucked his stake away and let go of my arm. “We didn’t come here for any more fucking experiments. We came here because we thought you had a solution for us. Do you or don’t you?”
“Patience,” Dr. Reynolds snapped, casting a fiery glare at him. But then he cleared his throat and took a deep breath. “I apologize for my rudeness. But as a hunter, you, I think, will appreciate how important this discovery is. Will you just give me a couple minutes to show you what I’ve found?”
Declan was silent for a moment but then nodded. “A couple minutes. That’s it.”
“Thank you.”
Lawrence returned with another man whose gray eyes were glazed. With a push, he stumbled forward into the room.
“Sit,” Dr. Reynolds said, and the man sat down heavily in the chair without being asked again.
Uneasiness moved through me. “What’s wrong with him?”
Dr. Reynolds went over to the chair and walked a slow circle around it. “He’s been chemically subdued so he won’t cause us any problems.”
A breath caught in my chest. “He’s a vampire?”
“Yes.” The doctor grasped the vampire’s chin in his hands and squeez
ed. “Last week he killed a family whose car had broken down at the side of the road. Three children and two adults died to feed his hungers.”
“I needed to feed.” The vampire’s voice was weak. “I couldn’t stop myself.”
“You’re a murderer who killed five innocent humans. You’ll get no sympathy from me.” Dr. Reynolds let him go, and the vampire’s chin dropped to his chest. The doctor wiped his hand on the front of his lab coat.
My stomach churned at the thought of it. At the moment he didn’t look that dangerous. “You have him on drugs?”
“Yes. We have very powerful tranquilizers on hand here, but they still don’t last long when it comes to monsters like this.”
I eyed the other vampire in the room, the helpful one. If he didn’t show his fangs, he looked as human as anyone else, apart from his pale gray eyes. He stayed on the other side of the room, a good twelve feet away from me. Most vampires didn’t have a problem with the scent of the Nightshade as long as they kept their distance. I’d really rather not have any more problems today.
I crossed my arms tightly over my chest. “Look, I’m not letting him bite me, if that’s what you want me to do.”
“I don’t want that.”
“Then what sort of experiment is this?”
“It’s to show you how your blood can be used when it’s outside of your body.”
