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“Yes,” Pearl said, nodding. “After a great deal of study, we’ve come to the conclusion that all vampires, if they exist long enough, will gradually revert to mortality and die. Of course, for the lucky ones, reverting may take thousands of years. But no creatures, not even vampires, are truly immortal.”
“An interesting hypothesis, ladies.” Ramsden dragged a hand over his jaw. “Bowden seems completely unaware of the fact that he carries the werewolf gene. How do you account for that?”
Edna tapped her finger against her lips for a moment. “You said he’s never shown any symptoms. If that’s true, he’d have no reason to suspect he was infected.”
“That’s true.” Pearl picked up one of the other slides and studied it through the microscope. “Have you taken the baby’s blood? Was the gene passed on?”
Ramsden shook his head. “I’ve tested his blood, but the baby appears to be normal.”
“I don’t see how that could be possible,” Edna said, frowning. “With a vampire for a mother, even one now mortal, and a father who carries the werewolf gene, even a dormant one . . . What do you think, Pearl?”
“Look at the Cordova twins,” Pearl said. “They appeared to be normal until they reached puberty, and then all hell broke loose.”
“Of course,” Edna said, “but as far as we know, no blood tests were ever taken. We don’t know if abnormalities in their blood would have shown up sooner . . .”
Ramsden swore softly. “Are you saying we’ll have to wait until the baby reaches puberty to find out if he has any preternatural powers?”
“I’m afraid so, Doctor,” Pearl said. “Although there’s no way to know for certain. An abnormality could surface at any time.”
Edna clapped her hands together. “Won’t it be exhilarating to see which way he goes?” she asked, her voice rising with excitement. “Will he become a vampire or a werewolf? Fanged or furry?”
“Or perhaps a combination of the two, dear,” Pearl mused. “Wouldn’t that be remarkable?”
“That’s all we need,” Ramsden muttered irritably. “Hairy vampires!”
“Hairy vampires,” Edna repeated, and burst out laughing.
“You know,” Pearl remarked, “if Bowden’s sperm is effective in impregnating other vampires . . .”
“We could make a fortune!” Edna exclaimed, finishing Pearl’s thought.
“My idea exactly,” Ramsden said. “I plan to use his sample to artificially inseminate my wife just as soon as she gets here.”
Janis Ramsden arrived at her husband’s secret lair the following night. She was not in a good mood.
“What’s going on, Tom?” she asked, tossing her fur coat over a chair. “Why did you want me to come here?” She glanced around, her nose wrinkling in distaste as she took in her surroundings. The walls were gray stone and cement. There were no lights; a black leather couch and a wooden table were the room’s only concessions to comfort. “This is where you’ve been hiding?” she asked disdainfully. “It certainly isn’t the Ritz.”
“Janis, shut up.”
At his tone, her head snapped back as if he had slapped her. “How dare you . . .”
“I said shut up. I brought you here for a couple of reasons, and I think you’ll like both of them.”
“I’m listening.”
“One, I’ve got a baby that needs looking after . . .”
“A baby!” she squealed. “Is it here? Is it ours? Can we keep it?”
“Yes, to all three questions. You can see him in a minute.”
She clapped her hands in delight. “It’s a boy!”
“Janis.” The warning in his tone stilled her tongue. “Secondly, I want you to be part of an experiment I’m conducting.”
“What kind of an experiment?” she asked warily.
“I want to see if you can get pregnant.”
Her eyes widened. “Pregnant? Me? How?”
“You don’t need to know the details. We’ll do the procedure tomorrow night and every night for a week. For now, I want you to get some rest.”
“Not until I’ve seen the baby. Where is it?”
Ramsden jerked his head toward a closed door. “Be quiet. He’s asleep.”
Janis hurried across the room. She paused at the door, then opened it quietly before stepping inside. This room, too, was made of stone and cement. A quick glance showed a crib standing alongside a king-sized bed.
Tiptoeing across the floor, she gazed down at the sleeping baby. When Tom came up behind her, she murmured, “He’s adorable, isn’t he?”
“Yeah. His name’s Derek, but you can call him anything you want.”
“Derek.” Janis smoothed the baby’s silky hair, then turned to face her husband. “Thank you, Tom. I’m sorry I’ve been such a shrew . . .”
Pulling her roughly into his arms, Ramsden said, “Let’s go to bed and you can show me how sorry you are.”
Chapter Thirty-nine
Like a restless tiger, Kyle paced the floor of his cage. Back and forth. Back and forth, until his legs ached. He rested a few minutes, and then he paced some more. His life had become an endless, waking nightmare. Trying to resist the vampire’s commands was futile. If Kyle refused to do what he was told, the creature simply compelled him to obey. The vampire took his blood every night, his semen and tissue samples a couple of times a week. No matter how many times Kyle begged to know why he was there or what the vampire was doing, the bloodthirsty monster refused to answer.
There were three women on the premises now, two elderly females, and a rather pretty woman with russet-colored hair, and light brown eyes that carried a hint of madness. Kyle was certain that his son was somewhere nearby. There had been times when he’d heard a baby’s cry, times when he was certain it was Derek. He had to get out of here, had to get his son away from this place, away from the monsters who kept them in captivity.
He paused in his endless pacing to stare at the door across the way. If only he had something he could use to pick the lock on his cage. He never saw the vampire or the three women during the day; no doubt the creatures slept when the sun was up. If he could only manage to escape the cage, he could find Derek and get the hell out of there.
He glanced at the tray that had held his nightly meal. There was nothing on it that he could use as a weapon, nothing he could use to pick the lock. The plates and cup were paper, the utensils plastic, the food uninspired.
