Page 20 of Red Dragon’s Heart

She recognized the potion bottle right away. It looked like something out of a fairy tale—about four inches high and shaped like a genie’s bottle, thick glass wrapped in a net of gold wire, with tiny jewels studded through it. There was a stopper in the top, sealed with wax.

She wondered where and how it had been made, and why someone with such sophisticated scientific skills would wrap their serum up in such a frivolous container.

When she picked it up, she almost dropped it again. It was cold to the touch, even though the inside of the cabinet wasn’t refrigerated. She felt a chill go up her arm, like the bottle held some kind of electromagnetic charge.

Maddie shivered.

What kind of chemical reaction would hold a charge, and also sustain a reduced temperature? Maddie itched to get this in a lab and analyze it. For a second she was tempted to take it and run, but Zak’s exhausted voice echoed in her head.

Please.

She couldn’t stand to abandon him, begging on the floor.

I’m crazy, she said to herself. I’m certifiably insane, because I’m not running as fast as my legs will carry me, far, far away from here. Why am I not running away?

But she wasn’t, she was walking back towards the cells. She could hear him snarling, and just as she got to the top of the stairs she heard a wild howl, and a body hit the bars of the cell.

She ran down, and stopped dead. He’d gone full-on beast again, crouched in the back of the cell, nothing but crazy in his eyes.

The Tupperware had been torn apart, and so had the jug of water—a puddle spread over the floor. She approached the cell slowly. What the hell did she do now?

Her first instinct was to just shove the potion through the bars and run for her life, but she couldn’t. He couldn’t unseal the top in the state he was in, even if he remembered what to do. And if she opened it before she put it in the cell, he’d probably knock it over, and the potion would be wasted.

She should just leave. She’d done all she could.

But once again, looking into the monster’s eyes, she just couldn’t.

He’s survived this before.

But… without the potion? Alone?

He was still crouched in the back of the cell, growling at her. Maddie peeled the wax seal away with her fingernails, and opened the bottle.

Then, feeling like a fool, she started to sing.

Just like it had the first time, the lullaby calmed the beast. The growl grew softer, his trembling less. Slowly, she walked to the cell door and got out the keycard.

I can’t believe I’m doing this. She opened the door.

He didn’t move.

Still in slow motion, Maddie moved towards the monster, continuing the lullaby. Soothing the savage beast with music. Whoever would have thought that old saying would be true?

Every moment she expected him to leap at her, but he stayed where he was, eyes fixed on hers.

When she got close enough, she held out the bottle. “Here you go,” she said, her voice shaking. “Drink it. Maybe it will help.”

He sniffed, and then made a soft whining noise. His tongue came out from between those monster teeth and licked the top of the bottle.

Slowly, carefully, she reached out to the top of his scaly wolf head and laid her hand on it, exerting the tiniest pressure to encourage him to tilt it back.

He seemed to understand, opening those wicked jaws and leaning his head back so she could pour the potion into his mouth. He swallowed noisily, gulp after gulp until it was gone.

For a moment nothing happened.

Then a huge spasm rocked his body, and his skin rippled and bulged. His hand, half-human, reached out and locked itself around her wrist.

And she was pulled into a swirling nightmare.