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I shook my head. “I suggested that to someone else, but if it hits oxygen, it’s useless as a poison. Something about the air keeps it from working properly.”
“Then it shouldn’t come in contact with oxygen.” Dr. Reynolds opened a case on the table to our left and removed what looked like a gun. It was small and silver, with a short, thick needle protruding from the end of it. “Inside this is a vial of your blood.” He held the device in his right hand, just as he might a gun. He approached the vampire.
I tensed. “What are you going to—”
I didn’t have the chance to finish my sentence. Dr. Reynolds pressed the device to the vampire’s throat, jabbing the needle into his flesh, and squeezed the trigger.
FIVE
The vampire gasped as he was injected. He looked around as if seeing us for the first time.
“What did you—” He drew in a shaky breath, and his face began to show strain. “Please, no—I need to—”
His words broke off, followed by a chilling moment of silence. Then he screamed, raising himself up off the chair. Before he could get fully to his feet, fire poured out of his mouth and quickly consumed his entire body. A moment later, just after the stench of burnt flesh filled my nostrils, he exploded in a scattering of fiery ash. It was the usual death of a vampire—one I’d seen several times before this. Quick. Efficient. Scary as hell.
I stood frozen in place, my hand against my mouth, my eyes wide with shock. I’d known what was coming, but that hadn’t made it any easier to see. It was exactly the same as what happened when a vampire bit me. It was my poisonous blood—the take-out version.
“Holy shit,” I managed to say.
Dr. Reynolds smiled widely. “It’s amazing. This is the third vampire we’ve tried it on.”
Lawrence nodded. Considering he, too, was a vampire, I was surprised he didn’t look more disturbed. “It’s worked perfectly every time.”
Declan stood stoically beside me as he watched the proceedings. “The Nightshade formula alone was useless. It had to be bonded to a human’s blood to work.”
Dr. Reynolds’s smile faded as if he’d forgotten the dhampyr was still in the room. “That’s right.”
“Then it’s too bad you can’t replicate it and find another volunteer to take Jill’s place.”
The doctor looked down at the silver gun. “That would make everything much simpler. The source is Jill’s blood itself—and any new blood her body creates is immediately infused with the poison. Jill’s blood is the beginning and the end of the Nightshade program.”
This was one situation where it wasn’t that great to be popular. It was too bad that the very thing that was killing me could be a huge help to others. Talk about a lose-lose situation.
A million possibilities sped through my mind. “Why don’t we take a couple of days and you take all the blood samples you can from me before we start getting the Nightshade out of my system?”
Dr. Reynolds’s expression held relief. “I’m glad you’re willing to help.”
I leaned against the examining table. “Of course I’m willing to help. This isn’t my world, this isn’t anything I want to be a part of for longer than I have to be, but I’m not naïve. I know that my blood can kill vampires and that this is a very good thing. If the Nightshade wasn’t also killing me, I’d be all for making regular donations.”
“But it is killing you.”
Apart from the poison, I’d been bitten, bruised, and beaten nearly senseless. This roller-coaster ride sure as hell didn’t come with a safety harness.
I nodded. “Yes. It is.”
His jaw tensed. “I don’t want to hurt a civilian, Jill. You’re a civilian.”
“It’s time for this to be over,” Declan said sharply. “You can either help or you can’t. Which is it?”
I could tell he didn’t approve of my blood donation suggestion. It wasn’t on our current to-do list.
Dr. Reynolds glared at Declan, then back at me. “You care about your companion a great deal. I wasn’t sure at first, but it’s true, isn’t it?”
“Her safety is my first priority.”
Dr. Reynolds laughed under his breath. “My wife and I were opposites, too. Two different worlds, but we made it work.”
I wasn’t sure how we’d moved into this area of conversation without any warning. “Whatever Declan and I are to each other isn’t exactly important right now.”
