The Dark Side (21 page)

I knew the general process but had never paid attention to the finer details.

Lycanthropy is different to vampirism. It takes hold in your body, changing you and doing whatever it is—the part the scientists haven’t yet figured out—that lets werewolves change shape. It ramps up your immunity and sharpens your senses but there are no outward physical signs until the first time a werewolf changes. For me, it had felt like going through a second puberty on ultrafast forward. Aches and pains and mood swings like you wouldn’t believe. And waves of the overwhelming need for sex the waxing moon ignites in adults.

Vampires however, change physically. They grow fangs. They get fatally sensitive to ultraviolet light. They grow cold and pale. They start to drink blood, to
need
blood to live. There were other changes too. Did it all happen at once? Or gradually? I wrapped my arms around myself. I didn’t want to know the answer to my question.

“Ashley?”

Marco’s voice was quiet and I realized I was staring off into space. “I’m sorry. I was thinking.”

“You asked a question.”

“Yes. Yes, I did.”

“Do you wish for an answer?”

I nodded slowly. If nothing else, I wasn’t sure how many more surprises or shocks I could take today. Better to know exactly what the next few hours might hold.

“
Bene
. Very well. When the doctors bring Signorina Anders here, I will attempt to establish a bond with her.”

“How?”

“It is something like a thrall. But not exactly. If she is my lineage then her mind will—I cannot explain it exactly—her mind will recognize mine. Recognize my authority over her blood.”

“And if she isn’t?”

“Then it will depend. If things go well my age will give me the advantage and I will establish a link anyway.”

I assumed that meant by force if necessary. “What if that doesn’t work?”

“I will try to bind her to me another way.”

“How?”

“I will give her my blood. If I am stronger than the vampire who sired her then it should let me take temporary control. Enough to prevent her from hurting herself or anybody else during the transition.”

A thought struck me. “Is that safe for you?”

Marco shrugged. “I am already a vampire. I can’t be reinfected.”

I hugged myself harder. None of it sounded good. “Does it hurt?” Changing to a wolf for the first time had hurt like a son of a bitch, no pun intended. But only for a short time and then it had felt good.

“There is some pain,” Marco admitted. His hand rubbed his chest above his heart as if remembering a sensation. “The body fights the changes.”

So now Rhi had to suffer as well as be a vampire?

“I still don’t even know how this has happened,” I muttered.

“You were there,” Dan said.

No point muttering with a vampire and a werewolf in the room, they’ll both hear you just fine. “I mean, I don’t understand how the bite had this effect. Rhianna must’ve been vaccinated. Tate fed me that anti-vaccine for three days before he tried turning me. So why has this worked?”

“The doctors will try and look at that but we don’t know.”

“It could just be bad luck,” Marco said. “The vaccines do not always work.”

“Bad luck?” My voice was high and shaky. Bad luck was losing your purse or breaking your favorite coffee mug. Not being bitten by some freak vampire and having your vaccine fail. Had Smith perfected his plague vamps so their bite could always overcome the vaccine? “It’s not bad luck. She didn’t drink that vamp’s blood, so it can’t just be a vaccine failure. And she’s going to be a vampire. And the government wants to—

Dan’s phone rang. “Gibson.” He listened for a moment then hung up. “They’re bringing Rhianna down now.”

A shiver ran through me. This was all about to become real. “Did they say anything about how she is?”

“No. The surgeon is coming with her.”

“The surgeon will not matter if she’s going to turn,” Marco said.

I blinked at him. “What?”

“Changing will heal any physical issues.”

I hadn’t thought of that. But, much like werewolves, in fact much faster than a werewolf, a vampire’s body was healed of wounds and illnesses during the transition. Healed permanently of any number of things.

Including the ageing process and fertility and the need to eat and drink anything but blood.

My mouth tasted sour. “I need a glass of water,” I said faintly, sinking back down into the chair. I wasn’t sure I was ready for what was about to happen. I’d barely eaten all day and fatigue and adrenaline were combining to make everything seem unreal and slightly fuzzy around the edges.

“I will speak to the nurse. This could be a long night,” Marco said.

“It can’t be that long,” I said, as he left the room. “It’s four a.m. already.” A few more hours to sunrise. That was all the time Rhianna had left. Tears rose in my eyes and I blinked them back. “Dan, you have to let her parents see her.”

“I’m sorry, Ash,” he said. “I can’t do that.” He came over to me, hunkered down by the chair. “It’s not what I want. But I have to follow orders.”

I looked down into his eyes. Saw the regret in them. But feeling bad about it didn’t change what he was doing. “Screw your orders; you can’t just take their daughter away from them. What are you going to tell them? That she’s dead? That their only surviving daughter is dead? They’ll want to see the body.”

“For the moment, we’re telling them that she’s being transferred to a military facility for more specialized treatment and that we’re working on clearance so they can visit.”

“Are you?”

He closed his eyes briefly. “I don’t know what the final decision will be.”

“It’s wrong.” I stared at him, wishing there was some way to make him understand. He’d never been through what I’d—what the Anders had—been through with Tate. He didn’t know what losing someone violently did to you.

“We have to think of the greater good.”

I laughed. “The greater good? Christ, what is that?”

He laid a hand on my cheek and I flinched away, I didn’t want comfort, didn’t want to feel better. I didn’t deserve it.

Voices in the corridor brought Dan to his feet again. The door swung open and a woman in blue scrubs came through, propping the door open. Then an orderly wheeled Rhianna into the room on a gurney.

Her eyes were closed, her neck was bandaged and, to my eyes, she looked far too pale and still. The woman helped the orderly shift Rhi onto the bed, then started fussing with tubes and IVs, hooking Rhi up to several different monitors. I wondered why they were bothering. If she changed, then there was nothing in any IV that could do her any good. Unless it was a bag of O positive.

“She’s still a little in and out,” the woman said when she caught me watching. “The surgeon will be in to speak to you soon.” Her expression, as she smoothed a last piece of tape over the IV needle in Rhi’s hand, was pitying. The last shred of hope I’d been holding onto shriveled up and blew away.

I gripped the armrest, needing to hold on to something so I wouldn’t start screaming.

“Water,
cara
.”

I flinched. Once again, Marco had managed to sneak up on me. He held out a plastic cup. I took it and sipped, hoping my stomach wouldn’t rebel.

“They will bring some coffee and sandwiches,” he said.

“What about you?”

“I am fine.”

I took another sip. The water eased the sourness in my mouth but wasn’t helping with the tight burning feeling in my throat. My head and ribs seemed to throb in unison. I should’ve asked Marco to score me a shot of something while he was out. Valium. Oxycontin. Morphine. Unconsciousness seemed pretty inviting right about now.

I closed my eyes for a moment, willing the pain away. Neither my body nor my mind paid any attention.

“Agent Gibson?”

A male voice. The doctor, I hoped. I wondered whether if I just sat here with my eyes shut, would everything go away? Then told myself to suck it up and opened them.

Dan was shaking hands with a man in scrubs, just like the nurse’s. The doctor looked tired, stubble darkening his jaw line

“Ashley, this is Dr. Samuels.”

My legs didn’t want to cooperate when I tried to stand. I gritted my teeth and told my body to do what the hell it was told. “Doctor.” I took a few shaky steps. “How is she?”

He came toward me, a frown pulling bushy eyebrows together. “Are you in pain, Ms. Keenan? I understand you were involved in the same...attack as Ms. Anders?”

I waved a hand, careful not to wince as my ribs twinged again. “I’m fine. Tell me about Rhianna.”

He sighed. “We’ve managed to repair the damage to the arteries in her neck. In one way, it’s lucky—”

“Lucky?”

“Agent Gibson has told you that she’s positive for Stokers?”

I nodded.

“It’s helping her. She might not have made it otherwise.”

I couldn’t help feeling that might have been better for her. “I don’t consider becoming—”

Rhianna moaned. I twisted toward her. Bruised-looking blue eyes stared at me.

“Rhi? Can you hear me?”

She nodded slowly. “Ashley? What are you doing here?” She turned her head, eyes widening as she spotted Dan and the doctor. “I’m in a hospital?”

I took her hand, curling my fingers around hers. She didn’t react, her fingers stayed limp under mine. “Do you remember what happened?”

Her eyes closed. “No. Was there an accident?”

“It’s fairly common not to remember much straight after surgery,” the doctor offered. “The anesthesia. And shock.”

I tightened my fingers around Rhi’s. Her skin felt hot. Too hot. Weren’t vampires supposed to be cool? The burning in my throat doubled and I had to swallow hard before I could speak. “Not an accident, Rhi. You don’t remember the hall?”

“We had coffee.”

“After that?”

Her head moved from side to side. Her hair fell across her face, limp and bedraggled. I smoothed it back.

“I don’t remember.” Her mouth trembled a little and suddenly she looked very much like Julie at sixteen.

I glanced up at Dan, hoping he’d jump in. I didn’t want to be the one to tell Rhianna what had happened. But Dan’s expression didn’t look like he’d be letting me off the hook.

“Ashley?” Rhianna said. “Is something wrong?”

I swallowed hard. “Sweetie, something happened at the hall. There was an attack. You got hurt.”

“An attack? What sort of—” Her hand drifted upward to her neck, touching the dressing with shaking fingers. “Why does my throat—oh God.
No
.” Her eyes filled with horror.

“I’m sorry, Rhi. It was a vampire.”

It didn’t seem possible that she could turn paler but she did. “But I’m okay, right? I mean I’m vaccinated, so I’m
okay
.”

Dr. Samuels cleared his throat. “We’ve repaired the damage to your neck, Rhianna.”

“Why do I get the feeling there’s a big ‘but’ in that sentence?” Rhi pushed herself up on the bed, wincing as she moved. “Somebody tell me what’s going on.”

“Rhi, the vamp who bit you, he was—” I stopped, no idea what to say next. How did you tell someone who is only twenty-one that life as she knew it was over?

“He was carrying a mutated strain of the virus,” Dan said into the quiet. “I’m sorry, Rhianna, but the test results show that you’re infected.”

I held my breath, expecting her to start screaming or something. Instead, she broke into laughter. The sound rang round the room as she grinned and giggled. Even when she covered her mouth with her hand, snorts and chuckles escaped and her face grew pink.

The rest of us looked at each other, not entirely sure how to react. “Is she hysterical?” I asked the doctor.

“I’m not hysterical,” Rhianna said. I saw dimples flash in and out of her cheeks as she tried to sound serious. “I just figured this out. It’s a joke, right? How can I be infected? I didn’t drink any vampire blood. And I’m vaccinated.”

“Sweetie, no.” I reached for her hand again. “Listen to me. It’s not a joke, I’m serious. The virus was mutated. You’re infected. By sunrise you’re going to be a vampire.”

The smile on her face froze. “You’re wrong. You have to be wrong.”

Marco stepped forward. “She is not wrong. You are changing.”

“Who are you?” She stared at him and the scent of fear suddenly filled the room.

He bowed and I knew he was trying hard to make the move look human rather than unnaturally graceful. He was only partly successful. His bow was like a dance.

“My name is Marco. I’m here to assist you in your transition.”

Rhianna shrank back. “You’re a vampire.”

“Rhi, he’s okay,” I said. “He won’t hurt you.” Her racing heart sounded like drums. Jungle drums. Warning of impending doom.

“He wants to turn me into a vampire!” The pounding of her heartbeat grew louder.

I touched her face, trying to calm her. “He’s here to help you.”

“No.” Her voice was shrill. “No. No.
NO
!” She ripped her hand out of my grip, wrapping her arms around herself.

I looked at the doctor. “Can you give her something?”

He shook his head. “No, her system won’t respond to most sedatives at this point. We were lucky she stayed under for the surgery.”

“Maybe I can help,” Marco said.

I shot him an incredulous look as Rhi’s protests redoubled. “Maybe not right now.”

He ignored me and walked to the end of the bed. “Rhianna.”

She shut her eyes, curling into a ball.

“Rhianna, look at me.” Marco’s voice dropped to a silky, commanding tone. He moved up to her side, reached out and touched her head. “Open your eyes.”

Her eyes opened reluctantly. “Go away.” She tried to shake off his touch but his hand didn’t move.

“I’m not going to hurt you. Let me help you relax. It’s easier if you don’t fight.”

She shivered. “You’ll thrall me.”

Her voice broke and I felt my heart break with it. I wanted to reach out and hold her but I didn’t dare in case it interfered with whatever Marco was trying to do.

“No.” His voice dropped lower, until it was almost hypnotic. “No, I’ll just help you. Just listen to my voice.”

Rhi panted, the fear scent rolling off her until it filled the room. It made me want to retch. The wolf liked fear but the human remembered that smell.