Axe frowns. “Vessa is human. Are you implying the test shows otherwise?”
“Get to the point, Preston,” Demi snarls. “What did you find in the sample?”
“Come see for yourself,” he says, motioning for the girls to step up to the row of microscopes.
“In each slide, I’ve prepared a preserved blood sample. The first is an anonymous human, the second is lycan blood, and the third contains a few drops of Vessa’s. Watch as I expose the blood to a few particles of Ludone powder.”
Nell and Demi bring their eyes to the first two scopes, watching carefully as the reactions take place. When Nell leans in to observe the third lens containing my blood, her mouth opens with a gasp. Demi’s does the same.
The Beta is the first to speak. “It’s . . . remarkable.”
Jabir goes next. “Indeed,” he whispers.
Axe is equally stunned when he backs away from the device.
Finally, I lower my left eye to the lens and study the blood. The magnification reveals a cluster of small, reddish-pink orbs. Unlike the first two samples, something that resembles a bright silver halo shimmers along the border of each cell.
That’s impossible.
“Are you sure it’s not a defect in the Ludone formula? Don’t they lace it with other psychedelics?” Axe asks.
Demi shakes her head incredulously. “No. This is something else.”
I remain silent, transfixed by the biochemical reaction.
Preston’s expression is strained. “My theory is that this drug might have exposed the essence of fae in your genetic material. Considering the exotic scent you possess, this could very well be a viable theory . . .”
Nell throws her head back and cackles.
Even Demi snickers. “That’s completely absurd. Fairies have never existed on Terris. We know that nothing of the sort originates from Somnium, either.”
Axe snorts. “I don’t know, it could explain her height.”
“I amnota fairy, you moron,” I quip.
“For some irritating reason, I can’t isolate the glow from the membrane.” Preston ruffles his hair. “Perhaps if we gave Vessa a smaller dose of this particular strain in another controlled setting, I could test to see if?—"
Axe and I both jump on him at the same time. “No.”
“Look,” Preston cautions. “These findings are astounding. Forgive me if I find it outrageous as a scientist to simply walk away from what I’ve just uncovered. Human or not, we could be dealing with a new species.”
Axe’s face hardens to steel. “You will, because that is what your orders are.”
“But—" he interjects.
The Alpha’s voice plunges. “We’re finished here. You may go.”
Preston bites down on his lip and turns his back to collect his equipment. The room remains silent as he does so, even as he pauses in the doorway on his way out. Slowly, he peers over his shoulder. “You know exactly what she is, don’t you?”
I watch intently as Axe says nothing. Nell also holds her tongue.
Only after he disappears down the hallway does Demi break the silence, seething. “What the hell am I missing here?”
Still deep in processing, Axe pans over to his second. “Were you able to slip that bug in his hard drive?”
“Yep. It’s set to detonate in six minutes,” Jabir confirms.
“Damn,” I shudder. “You’re going to wipe his computer?”
