After she gave Eleanor one last hug, we all began to retreat through the tight crowd. I cursed when someone knocked into me, causing me to stumble and—in the process—separate from Imani. With a growl, I shoved my way through them, easily catching up to her since she’d come to a halt. “Keep moving, we—”
A violent tremor wracked her body. “Butch…”
I spoke into her ear. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
Turning, she blinked up at me. “I don’t know. Something…”
“What?”
“Something pricked me in the arm.” She swayed, eyes glazing over in a truly creepy way.
I examined the arm she held out just in time to watch a tiny red mark fade away.
“I don’t feel good.” Her knees buckled.
“Shit.” I lifted her, cradling her against my chest. “Hold on, baby.” I carried her to where Sam, Jared, and the others were waiting. They all stiffened at the sight of Imani in my arms.
“What’s wrong?” demanded Sam.
“No fucking idea,” I rumbled.
Lazarus and Annalise appeared at my side. “Oh my God, what happened?” asked Annalise, face creased in concern.
“I don’t know,” I replied. “She said she felt a prick in her arm. Now her eyes are misty, she can’t stay on her feet, and the occasional tremor runs through her.” I watched Lazarus take an almost unconscious step back, head shaking slightly in denial. “What do you know?” I growled.
“We must get her inside.” In vampire speed, Lazarus led us all to a parlour. “Please lay her on the sofa so I can examine her.”
I was hesitant to release her but I did as he asked. I stayed at her side and kept my hand on her hair, needing to touch her.
“Imani, where exactly did you feel the prick?” he asked, an urgency in his tone that was freaking me the fuck out. She shuddered, but she didn’t answer him. He waved his hand in front of her eyes, but they were unfocused and her pupils didn’t respond.
“She felt it in her left upper arm,” I told him. “When I looked, there was a small red mark fading away.”
His eyes flew to mine. “How small? Like an injection site?”
Come to think of it… “Yeah.”
Annalise gasped, hand flying to her chest. “Lazarus, you don’t think…”
“Think what?” snapped Sam.
Lazarus’ expression crumpled as a tremor again assailed Imani from head to toe. “Yes, Annalise, I do.”
My frustration mounting, I advanced on him, invading his personal space as I jabbed a finger at him. “You need to explain what the fuck is going on.”
As if he didn’t have the strength to support himself, he sank into a plush chair. “You remember I told you about my many attempts to create a cure for vampirism?”
“You said they haven’t been successful.”
“My last serum came very close,” Lazarus told me, but there was no excitement in his voice. “We tried it on four people. Unfortunately, the serum didn’t work in the way that we’d hoped.”
Something about his tone made the hairs on my nape rise. “What do you mean?”
“It is designed to reverse the transition we all endured as we changed from human to vampire. As such, they have to re-experience the pain and bloodlust they suffered during that transition before they are once again human.”
My fists clenched, and I barely resisted the urge—no, the need—to punch something. “You think Imani’s been injected with that serum?”
Lazarus swallowed. “It is possible.”
“She’s going to be human again?” asked Ava.
“Not necessarily,” replied Lazarus, regret staining his eyes.
The vague answer made me growl. “What happened to the four volunteers?”
“The result differed from person to person. But in all cases, the transition didn’t fully reverse.”
Leaning into Salem, Ava bit her lip. “What happened to them?”
“The first was Pierce’s cousin,” said Lazarus. “Mid-way through the transition, he weakened until his strength became that of a human. He no longer craved blood. His gift faded. But he also aged at a dramatic rate until his body was that of a hundred year old man. He died of heart failure.”
A chill scuttled up my spine. “Fuck.” I scrubbed a hand over my face. My breath coming in short, soft pants, I asked, “What about the other three?”
“One developed a stronger craving for blood while at the same time aging even faster than Pierce’s cousin. She died when her organs shut down. The second vampire didn’t age at all, but he became so weak and frail that he fell into a coma and died.”
I took Imani’s hand, trying to calm the panic that was riding me hard. “What about the last volunteer?”
He looked pained. “As with the others, the reversal partly worked. But whereas they died mid-transition, he didn’t. However, his mental state remained that of a partly formed vampire. Consumed by bloodlust, he was more animal than man in his way of thinking. Saw everything as prey. We had to kill him.”
Shell-shocked, Sam gaped. “You’re saying that there’s a chance that Imani could find herself either dead or stuck mid-transition, consumed by bloodlust?”
“Yes,” sighed Lazarus. “I’m sure you remember what that’s like.”
I couldn’t recall every moment of the transition, but I remembered the bloodlust, the pain, the confusion, the high sex drive, and the pressing urge to hunt.
Salem asked the question haunting me, a question I couldn’t bring myself to voice. “So either way, she’s going to die?”
“It is likely.”
The words hit my chest like a fucking sledgehammer, causing the breath to explode out of me. No. There was no way I’d let that happen. No. Fucking. Way.
Lazarus sighed again. “I feel responsible.”
Right at that moment, I was holding him responsible. “You should,” I spat. “You knew the serum didn’t work, knew what it could do, but you didn’t get rid of it!”
His eyes squeezed shut as his face pinched in pain. “I did not for one moment think it would ever be misused this way.”
Jared raised a hand. “Butch, I understand you need someone to blame—”
A violent tremor wracked her body. “Butch…”
I spoke into her ear. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
Turning, she blinked up at me. “I don’t know. Something…”
“What?”
“Something pricked me in the arm.” She swayed, eyes glazing over in a truly creepy way.
I examined the arm she held out just in time to watch a tiny red mark fade away.
“I don’t feel good.” Her knees buckled.
“Shit.” I lifted her, cradling her against my chest. “Hold on, baby.” I carried her to where Sam, Jared, and the others were waiting. They all stiffened at the sight of Imani in my arms.
“What’s wrong?” demanded Sam.
“No fucking idea,” I rumbled.
Lazarus and Annalise appeared at my side. “Oh my God, what happened?” asked Annalise, face creased in concern.
“I don’t know,” I replied. “She said she felt a prick in her arm. Now her eyes are misty, she can’t stay on her feet, and the occasional tremor runs through her.” I watched Lazarus take an almost unconscious step back, head shaking slightly in denial. “What do you know?” I growled.
“We must get her inside.” In vampire speed, Lazarus led us all to a parlour. “Please lay her on the sofa so I can examine her.”
I was hesitant to release her but I did as he asked. I stayed at her side and kept my hand on her hair, needing to touch her.
“Imani, where exactly did you feel the prick?” he asked, an urgency in his tone that was freaking me the fuck out. She shuddered, but she didn’t answer him. He waved his hand in front of her eyes, but they were unfocused and her pupils didn’t respond.
“She felt it in her left upper arm,” I told him. “When I looked, there was a small red mark fading away.”
His eyes flew to mine. “How small? Like an injection site?”
Come to think of it… “Yeah.”
Annalise gasped, hand flying to her chest. “Lazarus, you don’t think…”
“Think what?” snapped Sam.
Lazarus’ expression crumpled as a tremor again assailed Imani from head to toe. “Yes, Annalise, I do.”
My frustration mounting, I advanced on him, invading his personal space as I jabbed a finger at him. “You need to explain what the fuck is going on.”
As if he didn’t have the strength to support himself, he sank into a plush chair. “You remember I told you about my many attempts to create a cure for vampirism?”
“You said they haven’t been successful.”
“My last serum came very close,” Lazarus told me, but there was no excitement in his voice. “We tried it on four people. Unfortunately, the serum didn’t work in the way that we’d hoped.”
Something about his tone made the hairs on my nape rise. “What do you mean?”
“It is designed to reverse the transition we all endured as we changed from human to vampire. As such, they have to re-experience the pain and bloodlust they suffered during that transition before they are once again human.”
My fists clenched, and I barely resisted the urge—no, the need—to punch something. “You think Imani’s been injected with that serum?”
Lazarus swallowed. “It is possible.”
“She’s going to be human again?” asked Ava.
“Not necessarily,” replied Lazarus, regret staining his eyes.
The vague answer made me growl. “What happened to the four volunteers?”
“The result differed from person to person. But in all cases, the transition didn’t fully reverse.”
Leaning into Salem, Ava bit her lip. “What happened to them?”
“The first was Pierce’s cousin,” said Lazarus. “Mid-way through the transition, he weakened until his strength became that of a human. He no longer craved blood. His gift faded. But he also aged at a dramatic rate until his body was that of a hundred year old man. He died of heart failure.”
A chill scuttled up my spine. “Fuck.” I scrubbed a hand over my face. My breath coming in short, soft pants, I asked, “What about the other three?”
“One developed a stronger craving for blood while at the same time aging even faster than Pierce’s cousin. She died when her organs shut down. The second vampire didn’t age at all, but he became so weak and frail that he fell into a coma and died.”
I took Imani’s hand, trying to calm the panic that was riding me hard. “What about the last volunteer?”
He looked pained. “As with the others, the reversal partly worked. But whereas they died mid-transition, he didn’t. However, his mental state remained that of a partly formed vampire. Consumed by bloodlust, he was more animal than man in his way of thinking. Saw everything as prey. We had to kill him.”
Shell-shocked, Sam gaped. “You’re saying that there’s a chance that Imani could find herself either dead or stuck mid-transition, consumed by bloodlust?”
“Yes,” sighed Lazarus. “I’m sure you remember what that’s like.”
I couldn’t recall every moment of the transition, but I remembered the bloodlust, the pain, the confusion, the high sex drive, and the pressing urge to hunt.
Salem asked the question haunting me, a question I couldn’t bring myself to voice. “So either way, she’s going to die?”
“It is likely.”
The words hit my chest like a fucking sledgehammer, causing the breath to explode out of me. No. There was no way I’d let that happen. No. Fucking. Way.
Lazarus sighed again. “I feel responsible.”
Right at that moment, I was holding him responsible. “You should,” I spat. “You knew the serum didn’t work, knew what it could do, but you didn’t get rid of it!”
His eyes squeezed shut as his face pinched in pain. “I did not for one moment think it would ever be misused this way.”
Jared raised a hand. “Butch, I understand you need someone to blame—”
