Margot appeared in the doorway. "Mr. Lindström. Ms. Kerrigan." Her cultured voice carried precise formality. "Lord Damien and Lady Alyssa."
Tyr rose from the loveseat, and Beth hastily copied him, standing by his side.
Lord Damien entered the room with fluid grace. Beth had expected someone physically imposing, but the ancient vampire was of average height—and somehow that made him even more terrifying. His compact build belied the power she could feel radiating from him. She found herself unable to look away from his eyes—dark as midnight, with occasional flickers of red like embers in a dying fire.
Beside him was a woman of ethereal beauty, her blue-green eyes sparkling with welcome. Her midnight hair seemed to shimmer as she smiled, the gesture transforming her delicate features into something even more breathtaking.
"Tyr." Lord Damien's voice carried the weight of ages - deep, commanding, and unmistakably ancient. "And Beth Kerrigan."
Tyr bowed deeply, a gesture of respect that Beth hastily mimicked. "My Lord. Lady Alyssa"
"I've been looking forward to meeting you, Beth." Lady Alyssa's musical voice held genuine warmth as she came forward to embrace Beth in a gentle hug. "Please, sit."
Beth settled back onto the loveseat beside Tyr, her initial nervousness easing as she studied Lady Alyssa more closely. The Djinn's eyes held a mischievous sparkle, so similar to Jacinth's that Beth immediately warmed to her, feeling as if she knew her already. The same playful intelligence shone in those aquamarine depths, along with that distinctive otherworldly quality Beth had come to associate with the Djinn.
Beth settled back on the loveseat, perched on the edge of the cushion, trying not to stare at the ancient beings before her. Lord Damien's presence filled the room like a physical force, yet there was something almost gentle in the way he regarded her.
"So," he said after a moment, studying her face. "You are our newest vampire. And, I understand, quite unique."
"Yes, my lord." Beth's voice emerged steadier than she expected. "I seem to have retained my shifter abilities after the Turning."
"Antonio has kept both Aleksei and myself well-informed of your unique situation." There was a gleam in his expression that she thought might have been humor. "I imagine the scientific community will be quite interested in studying your case."
Beth couldn't hold back a grimace. "They already are. Both the vampire and the shifter science teams keep calling and texting."
"Not to mention the emails," Tyr added, his thumb stroking soothing circles on her shoulder. "Our phones haven't stopped buzzing since word got out."
"They all want interviews and blood samples and various tests," Beth said, unable to keep the exasperation from her voice. "One team even suggested a full physical evaluation under laboratory conditions." She shuddered slightly at the thought of being treated like a specimen.
The temperature in the room plummeted as a growl tore from Lord Damien's throat. Beth's breath misted in the suddenly frigid air as his face transformed into something from nightmares—five thousand years of predatory rage focused into a single, terrifying expression.
"They dare to treat you like a laboratory specimen?" His voice held the weight of ages, crackling with barely contained fury.
Beth felt Tyr's arm tighten protectively around her shoulders as Lord Damien's anger filled the space between them. Damien's growl subsided, though his expression remained fierce.
"I will contact Maroulla immediately. Between us, we will put a stop to this harassment. No one, human or Other, has the right to intrude upon your privacy this way."
"If I may suggest," Alyssa said, her blue-green eyes thoughtful, "both communities could appoint a single representative to act as liaison. That person could coordinate any questions or research requests, presenting them to Beth and Tyr only when they feel ready to address them."
Beth brightened at the suggestion. "That would be so much better than dealing with dozens of different researchers."
"And this way," Alyssa continued with a gentle smile, "you maintain control over how much information you choose to share, and when. The decision remains entirely yours."
Ancient power filled the room like a gathering storm as Lord Damien's expression darkened further, what looked like literal flames leaping in his eyes.
"No." The single word held the weight of millennia. "There will be no tests. No examinations. No blood samples." Each word fell like a hammer strike. "Beth's unique nature is not for their scientific curiosity."
"But surely some basic information—" Tyr began diplomatically.
"No." Damien cut him off with a sharp gesture. "They may document that a shifter was successfully Turned. Nothing more." His dark gaze fixed on Beth. "You are not a specimen to be studied. You are a vampire—a member of my clan and a shifter—not a lab rat."
Beth's hands trembled as relief swept through her. The constant pressure from researchers had been suffocating her—phone calls, emails, demands for her blood, bone marrow,xrays—making her feel like... well, like a lab rat. But Lord Damien's absolute authority lifted that crushing burden from her shoulders.
"Thank you," she told him gratefully.
"The scientific community will simply have to accept that some mysteries remain unexplained," Alyssa added, her blue-green eyes twinkling. "It will do them good to remember that not everything in our world can be reduced to data points and laboratory analysis."
Damien nodded in agreement, his fury settling into something more controlled but no less adamant. "You are what you are. That is enough."
