Joseph studied me, his eyes slightly narrowed.“Common enough.”
“And does devolution happen often?”
“No, it does not,” he said.“It’s almost unheard of nowadays. Those in their first century are most vulnerable.”
I nodded slowly, ice invading my center.“And is it only caused by abstaining from taking blood from humans?”
Joseph looked thoughtful.“There needs to be a perfect storm of circumstances. There are properties within human blood that can’t be replicated any other way. It feeds the vampiric virus—for lack of a better word—that sustains us. Take away that nutrient source, and it’ll start attacking your system. There have been cases where vampires subsisted on bagged blood for decades. We’re not quite sure why some devolve while others simply weaken.”
“Most spooks are aware of devolution but not the cause,” Daniel said.
“What about only feeding on vampire blood?” I asked.
The two traded a look.
“That comes with its own set of risks,” Joseph said after a pause.“Our blood might stop the onset of toxicity but it won’t treat it once it’s started.”
I didn’t respond, too locked in my own thoughts. Several things that I thought I knew about my past were being rewritten. It seemed people I thought I could trust, people I would have sworn had my back had lied to me, turned me onto a path that could have very well led me to devolution. That, or they were just seriously ignorant.
I didn’t know which was worse.
The captain should have known about this, yet he’d steered me away from the vampires deliberately, told me to avoid them at all costs.
I turned away from the video and started. Liam stood behind me, his thoughts hidden by a wall.
I hesitated, not knowing what to say after watching that video.
His gaze was cool as he noted my hesitation.“We’ll head out on your errands. You were right. There isn’t much more time before sunrise.”
He moved to the side and gestured for me to precede him out of the room. To my surprise, Daniel followed, bringing up the rear.
“Where do we need to go?” Liam asked once he reached the car. It was the same one he’d used the night after Caroline and my drunken revelry, its burnt umber color mocking me.
“My apartment.”
His head jerked towards me. He sat back and fixed me with an intent stare.
“The car won’t start itself,” I noted, glancing at the push start.
“I told you you’re not staying there until this is over,” he said with forced patience.
Daniel was a silent presence in the back seat, watching the two of us like we were a particularly volatile tennis match.
“As much fun as it would be to show just how much you’re not the boss of me, I have other reasons for going there,” I said through gritted teeth.
Cadell and Niall had made it clear they wanted to meet with me. Call me curious, but I wanted to see what they had to say.
As furious as I was with Thomas and Liam, I still couldn’t forget Jerry was caught up in all this. He had earned my respect and loyalty. I still wasn’t sure if he needed my help but I wasn’t going to walk away until I had an answer.
Not to mention the woman and man lying dead in the Gargoyle through no fault of their own. They’d just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Call me crazy, but I found that offensive. I wanted to find the bastards responsible.
None of that touched on the fact that these people had come after me and would probably do so again, if they weren’t stopped. So, yeah, it was tempting to stick it to Liam, to go off on my own, but I wasn’t stupid or crazy. I needed him and his power to deal with this threat. That meant playing nice for the time being.
Liam gave me a scathing smile.“I thought I was the boss of you. Wasn’t it you who begged to be part of this?”
I gritted my teeth. He was tap dancing on my last nerve.“Careful, before I forget all the reasons I need to work with you.”
“Would you two like some room?” Daniel leaned forward, his voice serious.“I can get out and wait.”
