The first stage of tests went quickly, and after a pause to confirm the results, so did the second. Ben was grateful for the support of the bed. The long interview and the tests were starting to take a toll on his already depleted energy.
The woman scanned the list of tests remaining. “I suppose you need clearance for a job interview?” she said. “Must be some job.”
Ben smiled, conscious not only of the glance that Fagen sent him, but the tinted-glass windows of the lab. He was almost certain that the remaining committee members waited behind it with the clipboards. “This is more of a test. An experiment, I guess you could say.”
The woman seemed like she wanted to ask more, but Fagen directed her attention to the items on the table. “We’ll start with the garlic.”
It was pungent, incredibly so. Ben frowned, wondering if the smell had always been this strong or if being a vampire had left him with added sensitivity. It felt cold and clammy on his skin, and he couldn’t help shuddering as the paste was applied to a bare patch of his skin.
“A reaction?” Fagen said immediately.
“It feels gross.” Ben said. “Not painful or anything. Just gross.”
The woman snorted and quickly turned aside before Fagen could see her expression. When she turned back to apply a different paste to Ben’s skin, her expression was serious.
One of these will be a control. The others varying degrees of garlic and other vampire repellants. Ben breathed carefully through his mouth. He felt on edge, unsure why. It’s daytime. I’m safe—the vampire can’t make an appearance during the day.
But the underground laboratory was completely cut off from any outside ventilation. The air was still and stuffy, and the two scientists worked in silence.
There was a movement to one side. Ben looked up to see Diya standing on the other side of the laboratory windows, watching. He grinned, giving her a thumbs-up. She didn’t have to stay.
“We’ll give those a bit of time,” Fagen decided. “In the meantime, why don’t we start on those blood samples now.”
The woman picked up the tray and brought them over to him. “I wondered why these weren’t going to the lab with the rest of them. Are we applying the holy water directly?”
“That’s right. We’ll start with an undiluted concentration—” Fagen picked up a test tube. It seemed to dance in his fingers and then leap. There was the sound of shattered glass and then suddenly the smell of blood, overpoweringly strong—
I will feast! The woman had turned her back, leaving herself entirely unprotected. Her hair fell over her shoulders, exposing the clear skin of her neck. The vampire exulted, looking up into the watchful stare of Dr. Fagen—
No. Ben turned aside, clamping both hands over his mouth. He fought the fangs, forcing them back, pushing back the vampire. He breathed through his hands, trying to think. Had he bared his teeth at all?
Fagen stepped forward, pulling Ben’s hands away from his mouth. With one hand on Ben’s throat, he forced his teeth apart.
Every instinct Ben had told him to fight, shake the man off. He forced himself to remain still. “Satisfied?” he croaked.
Without a word, Fagen released him. He turned to the woman, who’d taken a step back. “Clean it up,” he barked.
Ben rubbed his neck. He didn’t allow himself to think of Diya’s anxious expression, or the reactions of those watching behind the glass. “That was on purpose then. What were you hoping to prove?”
Fagen added a drop of holy water to one of the remaining vials. “It is impossible for a vampire to cease being a vampire. I’ve got no idea what you hope to gain by this pretense, but I won’t sign off on it.”
Ben swallowed. He could feel that it was teeth, not fangs, that pressed against the side of his mouth. “You taught me that a scientist keeps an open mind and let’s the facts speak. Every test you’ve given me tonight, I’ve passed. Are you going to ignore that in favor of what you think my results should be?”
Fagen shook the test-tube vial and ignored Ben. He didn’t speak to him directly until he’d concluded his tests. Ben was allowed to wash the traces of garlic and the other tests in a sink at one end of the room, while Fagen conferred with his colleagues.
Ben dressed slowly. He couldn’t make out words, but he could hear the tone of the discussion had become heated. I was so close… He ran his lips over his teeth carefully, before pulling his sweater straight and making his way into the interview room.
“But that reaction to the spilled blood!” Fagen loudly demanded. “How do you explain that?”
“There are many possible interpretations,” Godfrey’s voice was mild but those gathered stilled to listen to it. “Disgust, for one. How many people do you know who can’t look at blood?”
“But Hawick was an investigator. He should be hardened to the sight.”
“He is not an investigator now,” Godfrey continued placidly. “And he is striving to separate himself from his past. I suspect that the memory of his time as a vampire is painful for him and that is what was behind the reaction you saw.”
Fagen sounded contemptuous. “You are growing soft in your old age. You cannot possibly believe this preposterous assertion! It is only because you were fond of the boy—”
“On the contrary. It is because I knew Bennet so well that I can be so certain that—strange as the circumstances are—he is who and what he claims to be.”
Ben swallowed. Godfrey— He’d done nothing to deserve his championship. Instead he’d run away like an ungrateful child.
“With all due respect to your age and experience, I have to state again that I am not convinced,” Fagen said. “Nothing like this has ever happened—”
“To the best of our knowledge,” Ben’s former supervisor cut in.
Fagen shot him a glance. “To the best of our knowledge. This—requires specialized knowledge. This requires Saltaire.”
Ben drew a shaky breath. I knew it.
“Godfrey, can you contact him?”
“I can, but I don’t know how long it will take him to get the message. He is deliberately taking a break from work.”
“Mr. Hawick can’t wait that long. His hearing is rapidly approaching.”
“Perhaps I can be of assistance.” An amused voice floated down the hallway. Everyone turned as one to see Hunter casually sauntering toward them. “Am I right in thinking this is a question that needs a vampire’s input?” His eyes rested on Diya, who flinched before settling on Ben in mild surprise. “Ben. This is an unexpected pleasure.”
“Pleasure is not the right word,” Fagen said. “This man claims not only to be Hawick but to be Hawick cured of vampirism—an impossibility as you know.”
“A few decades ago, vampires were widely held to be an impossibility,” Hunter reminded him. “I don’t suppose to know anything of the sort.” His eyes raked Ben up and down in an insolent fashion. “I can certainly not detect any trace of vampire now.”
Ben discovered his throat was dry. He swallowed.
“Then that means that this is something that has stolen Hawick’s appearance, memories, and mind—”
“Dear me.” Hunter raised an eyebrow. “And if he has so much of Ben, who is to say that he is not Ben?” As Fagen spluttered, Hunter turned to the rest of the group. “Suppose you fill me in on the results of the tests.”
They did. Eagerly. Ben marveled that, without even being purposefully charming, Hunter still had people falling over themselves to please him. Diya caught his attention in his peripheral vision, taking a step back. Ben stood beside her, offering her a smile.
“That is an extensive series of tests.” Hunter flicked through the reports. “And his reaction to the blood?”
“Sort of doubled up on himself and choked.”
“Like he was going to be sick?” Hunter raised his eyebrows. “I can assure you, that is the last way a vampire would react to spilled blood. And that was the only unusual reaction?”
The group agreed that it w
as.
“Well. I certainly have no wish to tell you how to do your job, but I know what my conclusions are.” Hunter carelessly straightened his collar. He was dressed down, wearing a blazer over a shirt, suggesting that he’d dropped by on a whim. Was it a whim? Ben looked closely at Godfrey. That the interview had lasted beyond sunset was unusual. Had that been deliberate?
Fagen scowled. “We should vote.”
They did. It was close, but the scientists chose to sign off on Ben’s report.
Ben’s supervisor shuffled the papers together. “I’ll prepare an official report of our findings and send that on,” he told Diya. “And Hawick—if you’re ever interested in recreating that accident scene, I think we’d all want to learn more.”
Ben shook hands awkwardly. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Once out of the building and back in Diya’s car, Ben breathed out.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“It’s not over yet.” Saltaire… Ben would be very surprised if Fagen wasn’t sending Saltaire a detailed report of his misgivings at that very moment. And Hunter—it must have occurred to Hunter to wonder how Ben got into the club if he was truly one hundred percent human.
Diya pulled up outside the apartment building. “I didn’t expect this to take so long. Will you be all right?”
Ben nodded. “I’m not sick anymore, just tired. I’ll be fine.”
It was a relief to step inside the still apartment. After all the prodding and poking, physically and mentally, the last thing Ben wanted was to deal with anyone. But there was still one thing he had to do.
Godfrey, Hunter, Diya…They’re all putting their necks out for me. Nate, too— Ben hadn’t let himself think of Nate all day. He felt his determination waver and quickly pulled out his phone. They’re doing all they can for me. Which means, I have to do my part, too.
Gunn took his time answering. “Who the fuck is this and what do you want?”
“Hawick. I’ve got a proposition for you.”
The phone crackled as Gunn growled. “Not interested.”
“If I find this missing werewolf, you’ll do my paperwork.”
There was a pause. Ben could imagine Gunn raising an insolent eyebrow. “That is quite the change of heart. What happened, Benny? I thought you were too good to dirty your hands with the likes of us anymore.”
“You don’t care what my motivations are. The only thing that matters to you is that I have the skills, the experience, and am not hampered by the laws placed on Department Seven officers.”
“Give me some credit. Does this have anything to do with a trip made to our laboratory yesterday?”
Ben was expecting that. He kept his voice steady. “More to do with Wisner’s goon picking a fight in a very public place. I realized that there’s more important things at stake than my normality.”
“Oh, Benny.” Gunn’s voice was as close to amused as Ben had ever heard it. “You were never normal.”
Ben could feel the start of a headache building. “Well? Do we have a deal? Full moon’s approaching, Gunn. You need all the help you can get.”
“Sure. If you think you can succeed where every hunter in the city has tried and failed, I’ll put pen to paper for you,” Gunn said. “We got a deal.”
Chapter Sixteen
THE IRON GATES of Mason’s Park loomed overhead. The padlock on the chain looped through them was entirely unnecessary. One look was enough to know that there was no way those gates would open.
“Told you the gates would be locked,” Aki said behind him.
“It’s not important,” Nate said. “After all, we’re not here to go for a walk.” He looked down at the dog.
At the word “walk,” the dog’s tail began to wag. He looked from Nate to Aki with his usual optimism.
His usual optimism? Nate frowned. It seemed to him like the dog was forcing itself to act normal. He must know something’s up. Or was this the usual reaction of a dog dragged out of an apartment at three in the morning?
“Nate.” Aki’s voice had a warning tone.
Nate realized that he was patting the dog on his head. He put his hands in his pocket and stepped back. “Okay, um. Listen.”
The dog cocked its head. His tail still wagged.
Nate took a deep breath. “We know what—who you are—Grant.”
“And we are not happy about it.” Aki wrapped his arms around himself. “You wormed your way into our apartment—that was bad enough! Ate our food, let us think you were an ordinary dog—but to then try to worm your way into our lives!” He jabbed an angry finger at the dog. “All the time you were there, you were listening to our private conversations—spying on us!”
The dog’s tail came to a halt. He drooped.
“We should be turning you over to Department Seven,” Nate said. “But neither of us like the thought of anyone being in Wisner’s power.”
“You can thank your lucky stars that your stepdad’s actions are marginally more reprehensible than your own. But if you come back, we’re calling Department Seven at once. No hesitation.” Aki scowled.
The dog looked up at them. His tawny eyes were mournful.
Nate knelt down to stroke the dog’s fur. “It’s not like he had a choice in disguising himself. I mean, with Wisner and everyone looking for him—”
“He could have transformed and told us the truth at any time,” Aki said flatly. “And he didn’t. All the time he was staying with us, he was endangering us. Can you imagine the trouble we’d be in if someone had traced him to our apartment? We’d be looking at a lot worse than community service. Especially after the fight in Century—no one would believe we didn’t know who he was. We’d be charged with collaboration, at the least.” Aki looked around the dark streets. “Let’s go, Nate.”
Nate reluctantly stood. “You’ll be fine,” he told the dog. “You’re smart. You were doing pretty good before we found you.”
“Nate. Let’s go.” Aki had already started.
“Good luck!” Nate jogged after Aki.
“Let’s not stick around.” Aki walked quickly.
Nate looked over his shoulder. “He’s not following us.”
“Doesn’t need to. He knows where we live.”
“And he also knows what will happen if he tries to take advantage of our hospitality again.” Nate hesitated. It seemed like there was more to Aki’s anger than the werewolf’s deception. “Are you okay?”
“Don’t ask stupid questions. That—wolf—was living with us for days! I feel cheated. Doesn’t it make you upset knowing that all the time we were being nice to it, the dog was using us?”
Nate winced. “Yeah… But I also feel sad, too. He didn’t have to do that. If he’d trusted us, I’d have wanted to help.”
“You want to help anyway.” Aki stuck his hands in his pockets, walking so fast that Nate was forced into a jog. “You keep looking back. Hoping the dog is following us?”
Nate started, snapping his gaze back to the street in front of them. “Wondering if he’s going to be all right.”
“What happens to him is entirely the werewolves’ business. Put it out of your mind, Nate. From now on, you worry about you.”
Nate swallowed. “Right.” His chest felt heavy. It didn’t sit right with him. This is pathetic—I know the werewolf used us, and I still can’t get angry about it. What is wrong with me? Aki was so furious, he was shaking. Ben—
Nate swallowed. Ben’s words at the park came back. “If the rogue werewolf hadn’t run away, Wisner wouldn’t have an excuse to put his wolves out on the streets so blatantly. There would be no cause for the media panic, no justification for Wisner’s actions.”
Nate chewed his lip. By hiding the wolf, had he and Aki given Wisner more control over the city? The guy had even wormed his way into the Vampire Senate… Nate groaned. Once again, my desire to help only gets me and my friends into trouble. Now, the entire city was in jeopardy.
SUNLIGHT FELL OVER him like a se
cond blanket. Nate stretched out, intent on soaking up as much of its glorious warmth as he could. His body felt warm, more rested than he had in days. Nate shifted and became aware of the sheets beneath him. Something tickled his neck. Exploring it with his fingers, he discovered something smooth and glossy nesting at his collar bone.
Ivy. Shit.
Nate jerked out of his half doze. He sat up, finding himself alone in his bedroom. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. His skin looked healthy, and the shadows under his eyes were gone. He looked thoroughly normal in fact—except for the ivy starting at the bite marks and draped around his neck like a scarf.
Nate fingered the ivy’s starting point. He could no longer feel the individual incisions made by Ben’s fangs. There was no pain, just the slightly ticklish feeling of a fresh scab. The leaves gently brushed his skin, disturbed by his movements.
Nate breathed out. It’s cool. I’m fine. Already it felt like he’d never been hurt. In another day, the marks would be gone completely, and it would be like it had never happened—except for the distance between himself and Ben.
Nate shivered. He realized suddenly that the sunlight had shifted, leaving him cold. He swung his legs over the side of the bed. He picked up a sweatshirt off the floor, but instead of pulling it on, pushed the window up. He climbed out onto the fire escape and stood, feeling the sun directly on his skin. His collection of plants rustled as a breeze went through them. Nate took a deep breath, savoring their leafy aroma. A little more of this and I’ll be fine.
But even standing on the fire escape, his skin soaking up the sun, Nate felt cold. He sat on the metal steps, the sweatshirt draped on his knee, and tried to pin down the chill. His skin was warm everywhere the sun touched, and his blood pumped the sun’s rays through his body. He felt it everywhere—
Except here. Nate put his hand over his chest. An ache remained that even the sunlight couldn’t soothe. Am I just—sad?
In the streets below, a movement caught his eye. Ben! He caught his breath and watched.
Ben was with a woman in a business suit, who gestured energetically as they walked toward a red car. Ben nodded. His body language was muted, and though it was hard to tell from a distance, Nate thought he still looked pale. As Nate watched, he turned his face up toward the apartment building, his gaze settling on Nate’s plants.
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