“You did fine.” I close the catalog and tap the cover. “It’s fine. Really.”
Evie gives me a death glare.
The room goes silent as I wonder if I should speak or just hide under the table. Somehow, this makes me more uncomfortable than when General Lopez was threatening me with execution.
“Astrid has a background in languages and curation,” Evie says, her tone one degree above frostbite. “She was working at the Smithsonian when her Army major father evacuated her here. She’s been working for the cause ever since, first cataloging the incoming materials and then moving to studying the vampires.”
“What can you tell me about them?” I try to hurry past the awkwardness.
Astrid’s face loses some of its dourness, though her light brown skin is still tinged with red. “I’ve learned a lot. I mean, what do you want to know?”
“How many bloodlines?”
“Three.” She perks up.
“Name them.”
“Dragonis, Corvidion, and Tantun.”
“Abilities?”
“Dragonis can control humans and each other through their blood. Corvidion are the winged ones. Tantuns are venomous in their bites, their scratches, and their blood.”
“Who rules them?”
“Gregor, though some of our sources indicate the other two houses, and those within House Dragonis, are after his position somewhat perpetually. It’s like an age-old game of king of the hill. Anyway, he maintains control through his blood bonds and his progeny. Theo, whose death weakened Gregor’s position substantially, and Valen, who serves as his top general, the Specter. Not much is known about any of them, but Theo was at the White House throughout the tenure of President Clark.” She looks away. “After his death, Valen became more of a central figure, leading the charge against us. We don’t know why they attacked or what their end goal is. The blood camps are gone, so they aren’t after a food source. Their hold on the government disintegrated when they destroyed DC, and their ability to appeal to the rest of the world died when they executed missile strikes on major population centers. They’ve made no demands. There doesn’t seem to be any unified goal other than killing us.”
There’s nothing to argue with. “Fair assessment.”
“You’ve been with them though, this whole time, right?” Her face brightens. “You must know so much more. I would love to sit down with you and record your?—”
“I don’t think she’s ready for that yet, Astrid,” Evie says.
“Oh.” She laughs nervously. “Of course. Sorry. I just get a little carried away when it comes to knowing about them. I’ve done all the research I can, really. I interview soldiers and civilians remotely when they’re waiting in the virus quarantine areas. I’ve compiled a lot of data that way. I’ve also gotten a few reports from some of the military doctors who’ve studied materials from the skirmishes.”
“Materials?” I raise a brow.
“Body parts.Vampirebody parts,” she amends. “They’ve examined them, though apparently they degrade quickly, and if they’re exposed to sunlight—well, you know what happens.” She lowers her voice. “I’ve heard we have prisoners. Vampires. Liveones. If I could just talk to one of them, I feel like I’d be able to get a better handle on their motivations, on a lot of things, really. The soldiers deny that they have prisoners at all, but there are rumors that they’re doing experiments.”
I give Evie a questioning look. “They’re experimenting on vampires?” I don’t like the sound of that. Not one bit.
She frowns. “I honestly don’t know. I’ve heard the rumors, too, but none of that data or any evidence has ever made it here. Not even the samples they’ve taken from the body parts. I guess they don’t clue us in since we’re only here to work on a vaccine. I know for sure there are other labs deeper in the base, other scientists—mostly military—but we don’t cross paths with them, and they certainly don’t share information.”
Eradicating the vampires, experimenting on them—what are we becoming? Or is this what we always were?
“Sorry.” Another nervous laugh from Astrid. “Like I said, I get carried away when I’m discussing them, and I’d really love to hear about your experiences.”
“It’s all right.” I give her what I hope is an encouraging smile despite the misgivings her information has cemented in my mind. “I’m kind of on a tight deadline right now, but once I’m past that, I know just the place for you.”
“A place?” She pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose.
“Yep. A library filled to the rafters with books, plenty of them about vampires. You could research there for the rest of your life and never get to the end.”
Her eyes grow huge behind her glasses. “Are you serious?”
“She is,” Evie says.
“How do we get there?”
