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By the look on Dr. Reynolds’ bleak expression, though, I didn’t think he held onto the same hope for Stacy’s survival that his assistant did.
“You still should have told us about Lawrence upfront.” Declan’s voice didn’t hold a sliver of empathy for the vampire’s sad tale. “You having a vampire assistant, no matter what the story is behind it, doesn’t make me feel all warm and fuzzy about being here. I already don’t trust you as much as Jackson says he does.”
Dr. Reynolds adjusted his glasses. The stiffness in his expression made me think he was having trouble speaking cordially to Declan. With his prejudices against dhampyrs, I knew the two would never become best friends.
And yet, he had a vampire as a lab assistant like it was no big deal?
Nice and helpful vampire or not, I couldn’t really say that made a huge amount of sense to me, so I had to side with Declan here.
“If I had told you, you might not have returned,” the doctor countered. “And that would be unacceptable, given what I’ve discovered in Jill’s blood.”
Finally, a welcome change in subjects.
“And what’s that?” I asked.
“Initially, when I first heard rumors of the Nightshade formula that Carl Anderson had been hired to develop,” Dr. Reynolds replied, “I assumed it was a slow-moving poison that would weaken its victim over several minutes or hours. But it’s not like that at all, is it?”
“No, more like seconds,” I told him. “If it wasn’t that fast, I doubt I’d be standing here today.”
“It’s amazing.”
I almost laughed at that. “I have other words to describe it.Amazingisn’t one of them.”
Dr. Reynolds shook his head. “It’s all such a horrible, horrible waste, then.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, tensing up.
He moved to the other side of the examination room, his hands clasped behind his back. “I’m afraid I can’t re-create it. The original composition has changed far too much since bonding with your blood.”
My heart sank like a stone to the bottom of the ocean. I’d hoped that he had the skill, experience, and intelligence to use my blood samples to determine the original formula. So the Nightshade project, as flawed as it had been from the beginning, wouldn’t be a total loss. It could be recreated and used as a weapon against rogue vampires to keep humans safe. The same humans who didn’t even know vampires existed. It would be in their best interest that it stayed that way indefinitely.
“I’m sorry,” I said, my throat tight.
“I’m sorry too. However, while that realization was a great disappointment, I did discover something else I’d like to show to you.” He nodded at Lawrence. “Go get him.”
Lawrence left the room without a word.
Declan finally tucked his stake away. “We didn’t come here for any more experiments or questions. We came here because we thought you had a solution for us. Do you or don’t you?”
“You must have patience!” Dr. Reynolds turned a fiery glare at him. But a moment later he cleared his throat and seemed to compose himself again. “As an accomplished vampire hunter, I believe that you will appreciate how incredibly important this discovery is. Will you just allow me a couple more minutes to demonstrate to you what I’ve found?”
Declan was silent for a moment but then nodded. “A couple minutes. But that’s it.”
“Thank you,” he replied thinly. “I appreciate that.”
Lawrence returned with another man with blond hair and a heavy build. He wore dark blue jeans and a white button-down shirt. He looked to be around thirty years old. With a less-than-gentle push from Lawrence, the man stumbled into the room.
“Take a seat,” Dr. Reynolds said, and the man sat down heavily in the chair without being asked again.
Uneasiness moved through me. “What’s wrong with him?”
Dr. Reynolds went over to the chair and walked a slow circle around it. “He’s been tranquilized so he won’t cause us any problems.”
A breath caught in my chest as I noticed that the man had gray eyes. “He’s a vampire too?”
“Yes.”
A vampire, at this research facility. One who’d been tranquilized. While Lawrence the vampire was a research assistant, this vampire was a researchsubject.
