AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I waited for Declan to protest, but he remained silent now.
The doctor had lost his wife to a monster. Understandably, that caused him to have certain difficult-to-ignore prejudices.
“May I ask,” I began softly, as I rolled up my sleeve again. “Was your research here triggered by what happened to your wife?”
“My research began a long time ago,” he said with a nod. “But her death has renewed my obsession with it.
Even though he’d already seen it earlier, he still drew in a quick breath of surprise at the sight of my dark blood.
“It is truly incredible,” he mused aloud.
“What?” I asked. “Incredible that I’m still standing. Still breathing?”
A slight smile now played on his lips. “I’d be lying if I said no. Yes, it’s incredible that your body has withstood the Nightshade formula for so long, especially with visible transformations like this. The fusing agent has done what it’s meant to do—bonded your blood with the Nightshade. I’m not sure that it could ever be repeated quite the same as this. It’s...a miracle before my very eyes. One that I believe will make all the difference in the world. You’re quite incredible, Jill.”
“I don’t need to be incredible,” I told him. “I just want to live.”
“You said you could help her.” Declan’s voice cut between us like a knife. “Were you serious?”
By his tone, it seemed that he wasn’t quite as ready as I was to forgive and forget what just happened.
Dr. Reynolds’s pleasant expression tensed. He really didn’t like the dhampyr and wasn’t making much of an effort to hide it. I guess the feeling was mutual between them now. “Yes, I was. I believe that I can use these samples to create a new serum, one that will release the Nightshade from your cellular makeup.”
“Even after the fusing?” Declan asked.
“Yes.”
“Sounds encouraging to me,” I said. And that was a truly massive understatement. My heart pounded so hard and fast it was difficult to appear calm.
If this was really possible, if Dr. Reynolds was being completely serious about having the knowledge and skill to create a new serum to reverse the effects of Nightshade on me...maybe he could help Declan as well.
Given that their introduction hadn’t gone so smoothly, I’d hold onto this incredibly hopeful thought for now without speaking it aloud.
The doctor’s expression darkened. “I must warn you, Jill, that it won’t be a simple process. Once we manage to separate the Nightshade from your blood, we will need to cleanse your blood with intensive hemodialysis. That stage will not be an overly painful process, but I should warn you that the separation process likely will be rather...difficult for you to endure.”
My enthusiasm for my cure immediately ratcheted down by about twenty percent. I’d experienced so much pain since first being injected that it had redefined agony for me. This wasn’t something I’d choose if I had any other option. But there weren’t any other options.
To be honest, I hadn’t expected a magic, sugarcoated pill to cure my ills. It would have been nice, but I knew this wasn’t a fairy tale.
I’d get to my happy ending by whatever means necessary.
I nodded firmly. “I understand that it will be a rocky road. And I’m more than willing to take that road wherever it leads.”
“Excellent. You’ll stay here during your treatment,” Dr. Reynolds explained. “I promise we’ll make it very comfortable for you.”
I assumed that the vampire guinea pigs currently in residence here wouldn’t get the same five-star treatment.
This all sounded good to me, despite the promise of more pain along the way, but something needed to be asked before we went any further. “So here’s my question: What do you get in return for doing all of this? I’m willing to bet that this isn’t covered by health insurance.”
He placed his clipboard under his arm and moved to the other side of the examining table, giving Declan a wide berth.
“What I get in return, Jill,” he said, “is the chance to recreate the Nightshade formula for myself.”
Okay, finally an admission that there was something in it for him beyond helping yours truly. It was a strange relief since I’d found that very few people ever did anything without some kind of personal gain. And if they said they did, then they were probably lying.
“Jackson says that you knew Carl Anderson,” I replied. “That you were partners.”
Dr. Reynolds nodded. “We certainly were.”
