“Hmm,” Kane said as he read over the sheet. “We’ll need to do further testing. Let’s use the robust flame ionization detector.”
“Out,” Emma said. “I know what I’m doing.” Even though he was a good head taller than she was, Emma put both her hands on his chest and pushed him toward the door. “I appreciate the consult, and I’ll be in touch once I have more information.”
“Jeez, fine,” Kane said, stomping off. “Call me when you need me.”
The tension in the room dissipated with his departure. “I swear, your uncles.” Emma sighed.
“My mom was just as bad.”Hope chuckled.
“Yeah, Janie’s a sweetheart,” Emma said, her expression softening. “I probably shouldn’t have kicked her out when I kicked your dad out, but Zane’s pacing was upping my anxiety.”
Her parents were still overprotective even though she was twenty-four years old. “How much of this unknown compound remains in my blood?”
“Not much,” Emma said. “The second tests show that it’s dissipating quickly, whatever it is, but I still want to identify the compound. It’s something I haven’t seen before.”
Hope flopped back on the comfortable table, her hair spreading out over the pillow. Her arm ached, but she didn’t care. “Thatcan’t be good.”
“No, it can’t. I need to take another sample from Paxton.”
Hope swallowed. “How is he?” She felt like an idiot for asking, but if his head was pounding as bad as hers was, well, he probably deserved it.
“He’s not talking,” Emma admitted. “He’s just sitting there looking like Pax.”
Her heart hurt. “They have him in a cell?” Hope had to talk to him. None of what had happened made sense. Paxton, her best friend for life, wouldn’t have betrayed her like this. Something was off. It had to be.
“Oh yeah,” Emma said. “He’s definitely in a cell.”
Hope didn’t know how to ask the question, but she’d never shied away from the truth. “Are they going to torture him?”
“I hope not.” Emma’s brow furrowed. “I just can’t believe he’s the one who hacked into Dage’s schedule. It doesn’t make a lick of sense. He probably has it onhis Realm app.”
“No, he doesn’t,” Hope said. “We put protocols in place three years ago so only a few of us have Dage’s schedule at any one time. Even my parents don’t have it unless they ask for it.”
Emma’s eyebrows rose. “I didn’t know that.” Not surprising, considering the queen lived in her lab. “I’m glad. Sometimes I worry about Dage.”
“He always worries about you.” Hope forced a smile. “And, Emma?”
“Yes?” Emma reached for Hope’s wrist totake her pulse.
“How much faster did Paxton come out of the drug than I did?”
Emma finished and made a notation on a tablet she kept on the counter. “According to your cousins, Paxton was conscious and swearing at them within two hours.” She scanned Hope’s forehead with a thermometer. “No fever. Apparently, Pax didn’t like the way they trussed him up for the long flight home.”
Hope exhaled slowly and waited until her aunt met her gaze. “I should be stronger than all of them, since I’m the only female vampire in the entire world. I have the blood of almost every species in my veins.” She paused and looked down at the cast and sling holding her arm to her chest. “I can’t believe you set my arm.” She should have been able to heal a simple fracture herself. “Why am I not strong and fastlike they are?”
Emma pressed her lips together and studied her. “You still have a lot of time to come into your strength. You’re young yet.”
Hope sat up again. She had to face facts. “I figured I’d gain strength by the time I turn twenty-five next year, but there’s nothing new. I hadn’t realized it fully until I started training with my team. I’m not like them. Plus, you had to actually set this bone.” She said the last on a whisper.
“It’s doubtful you’ll go from where you are now to full immortal vampire strength in just a year,” Emma mused.
Exactly, and it was time to stop waiting to figure out what was wrong with her—especially since this broken bone proved irrevocably that Hope lacked immortal abilities. “That’s unacceptable. If my fate goes anything like my mom’s did, then I’ll need to meet my destiny when I’m twenty-five.” She wasn’t ready.
Emma took a piece of candy out of her pocket and slowly unwrapped it before popping it into her mouth. “We’ve studied your blood your entire life. There’s nothing wrong with you on a genetic or cellular level.”
“Then whydo I get sick?”
“It’s a question I’ve been asking since you were born,” Emma said. “Your chromosomal pairs are those of a vampire. Your tissues, blood, muscles, and everything else I’ve ever studied are those of an immortal.”
