Page 110 of Once Bitten, Twice Mine

“I’m so sorry to be imposing on you again, but Mrs. Montgomery left her notebook upstairs, and she and Dr. Gardner are leaving tomorrow,” Dr. Murnau said, but his smile died as his eyes settled on Valeria.

Caroline’s brain scrambled for an excuse, but before she could open her mouth, Valeria pushed in front of her, blocking Caroline from the three of them and taking a defensive stance.

“What the hell are you?” Valeria spat out with venom unlike anything she had heard from her before.

CHAPTER 28

Dr. Murnau put up his hands. “We’re just here for the notebook.”

“Quiet human,” Valeria growled. “I’m not talking to you. I’ll ask again: what are you?”

Caroline peeked beyond Valeria and saw Dr. Gardner and Mrs. Montgomery looking very, very still.

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Dr. Gardner started, and she could hear the fear in his voice.

“You know exactly what I mean. I don’t care who you pretend you are to the mortals, but you should know better than to try that with me. I can smell death on you and the woman.”

Fear pooled within her. She didn’t really know Dr. Gardner and Mrs. Montgomery. They had been kind to her, but if Valeria found them dangerous, she couldn’t imagine how bad they could be.

Mrs. Montgomery stepped between Dr. Gardner and Valeria. “Now, we don’t have to lose our temper over this. We can discuss this like rational adults.

“Jane,” Dr. Gardner admonished quietly, but she shot him a deadly look.

“If you take a step closer, I will rip out your throat.”

“Please don’t. I like this dress, and I don’t want to ruin it. I promise you that we’re not a danger. We’re healers and have spent plenty of time with Miss Blythe already. We don’t mean any harm.”

Valeria was still tense, so Caroline put her hand on her waist. “It’s fine, I promise. No one will hurt me.”

“I’ll kill them before they even have the chance.”

“I thought you said the vampire was gone,” Murnau said, his jaw in a hard line, and he didn’t move any further into the room.

“She only just returned. I didn’t lie.” Much.

“But you also weren’t going to tell me the truth. Even after you worked with me all of those weeks, you’ve always been protecting the vampire.”

Valeria’s body was tense, but Caroline didn’t think she was paying any attention to the conversation; her focus was still on the other two.

“I don’t smell magic on you, but your blood is wrong. So, I ask you again, what are you?”

“We don’t have magic,” Dr. Gardner scoffed. “We’re scientists. I figured out the reanimation process, but only using science. Magic isn’t real.”

Valeria snorted. “It’s astounding how easily mortals can get out of their depth. You don’t smell like a necromancer, but your blood is clearly dead. With a mix of something else that I can’t place.”

“I’m a scientist,” Dr. Gardner said again, this time far more forcefully with a growl that sounded inhuman.

She had spent days with him, and he had always been gentle and kind—even if he snapped at people, or occasionally stormed from rooms—but now he was different. He was bigger, somehow both taller and wider. His dark eyes had lightened with a yellow glow.

Caroline took a step back as his face wavered. Even though she was a human, she could see there was something wrong with him. It wasn’t the type of danger The Count was, but something was wrong with him.

“Take a deep breath,” Mrs. Montgomery said, placing her hand on his forearm. It took some time, but he took a few harried breaths and seemed to relax. “Good, good.”

Mrs. Montgomery looked at Valeria and Caroline before continuing, “We aren’t necromancers or any sort of…magicians. We really are scientists, but we were dead. And we didn’t know there was any type of being out there that could smell such a thing.”

Valeria snorted. “You’ve spent weeks working with Murnau to find a vampire, and you never believed him? When you are both undead beings. Mortals,” she said with a shake of her head.

“We prefer formerly dead. We’re alive now, and we aren’t mortal anymore.”