Holy shit. Hooollly shit. I remembered my mom’s story about being attacked when she was very early stages of being pregnant with me. She said that Carter Atwater, Original of the fourth house had saved her, but that he had been injured. Some of his blood must have mixed with hers, which is why I turned into an ashpire. Dammit, that meant the abusive dick of a father who had been in the army was really my biological dad.
I worried at my lip, unhappy about that. My hair color was from him after all. Still … in lots of ways Carter was as much my father. His blood was what changed my genome as I developed in the womb. I had been little more than a single cell when I received his blood. My mom hadn’t even known she was pregnant yet.
I needed more information. “So the antibodies we have is why my blood can cure vampires. Does it cure ash as well?” I had been wondering for a long time what would happen if an ash bit me.
Rebecca shook her head. “No, because ash don’t have the virus. They’re born of a mutated genome and technically never actually received the virus. Therefore, there’s nothing to cure.”
My brain sort of shorted out then because that shit made no sense to me, but she was super smart and it made sense to her so I just nodded.
“Can you cure vampires as well?” I asked. It would be so great if there were two of us helping to try and deal with the war that was no doubt going to explode in our world.
I was tense as I waited for her answer, and when she shook her head my heart sank a little. “Not really, not permanently. I have some curative properties, which I have been trying to manipulate for many years. Basically, if a vampire drinks from me, they’ll partly return to human form. They can walk in the sunlight, and enjoy human food, but unless they continue to drink from me, the virus reasserts itself and they return to vampire.”
My eyes found Ryder’s and I could see the questions in his as well. “I don’t actually know if my blood can long-term cure either, but the vampire we found was definitely human. And had been for a week or more.”
Rebecca’s eyes lit up. I could see her brain ticking away as she analyzed me and thought about that. “I need to test your blood. We might finally have the secret to this virus. To figuring out how to stop it.”
She looked like a kid in a candy shop, ready to drain my blood in the name of science. But curiosity was a dominant trait in my personality too, so hell yeah, let’s figure out how to cure these bloodsuckers. I nodded and she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet.
“Come, I’ll show you my lab!” Her glasses had fallen on the bridge of her nose and she pushed them up, looking 150% an adorable nerd.
And Sam had noticed.
He was watching her like she was some fascinating creature that he wanted to touch but knew was off limits. Did Becca even realize he felt something for her? Did she feel something for him? Had they hooked up? If not, which one of these idiots was the hold-up, because life was way too short.Even for ash.
Becca walked us back through a narrow hallway that opened up into a huge science lab, all stainless steel benches, fluorescent lighting, massive machines, and shelves filled with beakers, vials, and other science paraphernalia.
“I have all of the latest technology, and I get blood donations from a local blood bank under the guise that I’m researching human diseases. Which I do on the side for fun.”
Of course she did. Jayden and I shared a smile.
She continued: “That’s how we’ll get our food. I have more than enough blood to feed us and continue my human research.”
My eyes were roaming over all of the expensive equipment when I saw Sam pick up a white lab coat off the far wall and pull gloves on. Oh hell no. If Sam was mysterious, sexy, a pilot,anda smarty pants, I was going to lose it.
“How do you pay for all this? You said your grant was only twenty years? It must have run out by now.” I glanced around the room again, chuckling as Kyle touched a heated coil and pulled his hand back, getting burned. Dumbass.
“Sammy funds all of my research now,” she said guilelessly.
Of course he does … probably hacks into crooked politicians’ bank accounts to pay for it.
I met Sam’s eyes and he winked, confirming my thoughts. He was a bad boy to the core.
“Sam, can you ready the centrifuge?” Becca asked, opening a blood-drawing kit.
Sam nodded and walked over to a big machine and began tinkering with it. Wow, I couldn’t imagine these two playing lab partners for decades and not having tumbled between the sheets at least once. I was actually dying to know, and when I looked at Jayden I could see him trying to figure it out too. I knew my BAFF; his gaze was all over these two.
In a smooth, relatively painless move, Becca took a sample of my blood. The moment it exited my veins and entered the tube, the scent of it hit the air. Her nostrils flared, eyes pulsing as she looked at me.
“Incredible! I have the urge to bite you. It’s my immune system wanting the cure! It must be worse for full-fledged vampires…”
Okay ... homegirl was cute and totally socially awkward. I was kind of beginning to like her.
“There’s something you should know,” I said as she pulled the needle from my arm. “My vampire father or sire or whatever is an Original.”
I waited for her shock, but she just smiled.
“I know. Sammy told me. That’s why I’m so eager to get a look at your blood.”
