by K. A. Linde
Reyna head swam. “Lords?”
Washington gave her an apologetic look. “I am afraid that vampires were not as we described when Visage took power.”
“Not all were as described,” Beckham clarified.
“I don’t understand.”
“Not all vampires were animalistic, crazed monsters,” Washington told her. “We spun that tale to make it more palatable for the humans when Visage rose up from the ashes of the depression.”
Reyna felt like her entire world had been flipped upside down. “But…there were mass killings. People couldn’t go out after dark except in well-lit places, and even then it wasn’t advised.”
“That’s true. Vampires committed atrocities you could not even imagine. But they were just the masses,” Beckham told her. “However, we were on an elevated plane.”
Reyna blinked up at him.
“But…everyone said that you were so fearsome. You yourself said that you were the deadliest of them all,” she breathed, lapping up this bit of his history.
Beckham frowned as if realizing how much he was giving away. “Yes, we were worse.”
“Regardless,” Washington said, “this woman’s blood was incredibly enticing. It was clear that had she not found someone to protect her she would have been dead long ago.”
Reyna let that settle between her and Beckham. The same could be said for her.
“What happened to her?” Reyna asked.
Washington frowned, clearly not liking where his own story had turned. “He sucked her dry and remade her. He wanted her to be at his side forever.”
“So, he made her a vampire?”
“He tried,” Washington said wistfully. “But…she did not survive the change.”
“Survive?” Reyna gasped.
“Not all do,” Beckham said.
“You mean that some people try to become vampires and are killed?” How had no one ever told her that? She’d never even heard of that happening to someone. Was it very rare or more common and they just covered up the truth? The thought made her feel a little sick.
“A shockingly large number actually,” Washington informed her. He seemed oblivious to her discomfort about the subject. “Vampirism itself is sort of like a virus. A human must drink a vampire’s blood and be completely drained of their own blood. They effectively ‘die’ and are remade. The vampire virus latches onto the host and restarts the heart, producing vampire blood to refill the arteries. The new blood helps with the increased strength and speed. It makes our eyes naturally better adapted to the darkness and prolongs our life far beyond a normal human’s. Thus, with all the changes that occur, it would make sense that not all humans are sufficient hosts for vampirism.”
“And the woman with the blood that smelled like mine…she wasn’t a proper host?” Reyna asked softly.
“She wasn’t,” Washington said.
Reyna knew that she shouldn’t jump to conclusions. There were a million different things that could have prevented this particular woman from changing into a vampire. But it felt too close for comfort.
If this woman with the exact same smelling blood couldn’t turn then…could Reyna turn? Could she become a vampire? The smell of her blood must mean something. Surely it had something to do with her very rare blood type and the way that Beckham could sense her. That meant it was even likely that the woman had been an Rh null human.
Of course, Harrington was Rh null, so obviously just the blood type alone didn’t determine it. So maybe her blood smelled different because of something else in it. Maybe she was similar to that woman in another way and that would prevent her from turning. What was the likelihood of that? Would she want to risk it? She shuddered at the thought of dying. Of course she didn’t want to die. And since when did she want to turn into a vampire?
She didn’t. Did she? Her heart pattered away as anxiety took over. If she didn’t turn into a vampire, then that meant she couldn’t stay with Beckham. She would keep getting older and he would stay the same age. Brian had flung that in her face when he had found out about her and Beckham. As if Reyna turning into a vampire was the only option for them to continue to be together. She clearly must have taken that to heart. She wanted more time as a human…but she’d always thought that it might be the endgame for her and Beckham.
“Reyna,” Beckham said warningly, as if reading her weighted silence.
Reyna swallowed and pushed forward with her heart in her throat. “Can you…can you tell if someone isn’t a proper host?”
Washington stared down at his equipment, still completely unaware as to the turn of this conversation. “Well, I haven’t discovered a way without infecting a person. And then I’m afraid it’s too late.”
Reyna let silence lapse. She could feel Beckham’s eyes boring into her but she didn’t dare look at him. She needed a second to mourn the loss of that option. Because how could she risk something like that? There was no way that Beckham would if there was ever a possibility that she could die. Her safety was his number one priority. And she couldn’t even fathom the thought of having someone else turn her. There was always the possibility that it could work. But it felt like driving away from the mountains and seeing them fade in the distance.
“This should suffice,” Washington said with a bright smile. He looked between Reyna and Beckham and their stern expressions quizzically. “Well, thank you for allowing me to collect your blood, Reyna. I know that it is not something you had otherwise wanted to do.”
She nodded, still not sure that she had words.
“If you want to check in with me, I would love to have you in the lab. I could use an assistant,” he offered.
Reyna’s gaze shifted to Beckham. He trusted Washington. That made a difference to her. It made her see Washington differently. He wasn’t just the vampire who had created the blood type cure, who had gotten her messed up with all of this to begin with. And though donating her blood and being in a hospital still made her queasy, she felt more at ease around him. Plus, she had known that helping was for the greater good, but her own fears had always gotten in the way. She didn’t want to be that person. Maybe…just maybe she might be brave enough to help out. To overcome her fears for this.
“All right,” she said softly. “Let’s see how it goes. I can’t promise much, but I’ll try to help where I can.”
“Will you wait outside a moment?” Beckham asked. “I want to have a word with Dr. Washington.”
“Sure.” She hopped out of the chair and hurried out of the room.
She didn’t want to know what they were talking about. She was sure that Beckham was pissed that Washington had revealed some of their history and scared her in the process. And she knew that she should be scared based on the history. But all she felt was numb.
Beckham appeared a few minutes later like a thundercloud. “We should get you back. I need to return to work.”
“Okay.”
Beckham frowned at her compliance but didn’t object. In silence, they walked together back to her rooms.
When they got there, Beckham tilted her chin up, forcing her to look in his eyes. “You are shaken.”
“I don’t know that I can talk about it yet.”
“Explain it to me,” he commanded though his tone was surprisingly gentle.
She tried to grasp at what she felt.
“It is like finding out that you can’t have children. You didn’t really consider whether or not you wanted to have them, but now that you can’t, all you can think about is the loss.”
Beckham’s eyes were haunted by her words. And he remained silent.
“I thought that maybe…one day…you and I…” She trailed off.
“I never wanted you to be this,” he told her, gesturing to himself. “No one deserves this hell.”
Reyna nodded and turned her face
away. “I guess I see that turning me was never a possibility. Never something you would consider.”
“You make it seem like a tragedy.”
“The fact that our time is limited is a tragedy.”
“Such is the way of the world.”
“My world,” she countered. “Not yours.”
“We cannot undo the mistakes of our past. Just hope to make better choices in the future.”
But it suddenly felt as if she had no choice in the matter. And she hadn’t even known it was what she wanted before that moment. Now she might never know.
Chapter 25
It was three days before Reyna received word from Beckham again. But it was good news at least. With only four days until Christmas, Penelope had agreed to help Laura get a dress.
She raced out of her room, her melancholy of the past few days vanishing in an instant. She headed to rec room and found Meghan, Jodie, and Laura seated around a table. The room was crowded for early afternoon.
“Hey!” she said, running up to them.
“Reyna!” Meghan jumped to her feet. “I need to talk to you. Can we do it outside?”
“Can it wait? I want to talk to Laura. I have good news.”
“It’ll just be a minute.” Meghan grabbed her arm and all but tried to drag her out of the rec room.
“What the hell, Meghan? Chill out.”
“Yeah, come on, Reyna,” Laura said, joining in on the fun.
It was only Jodie who seemed too interested in the television to bother trying to corral Reyna out of the room.
“Would you two stop? What is going on?”
She shook them off and turned to face the television. Beckham and Penelope’s smiling faces appeared on the screen. And then a bridal shop.
“Looks like he’s taking her to pick out her wedding dress. I guess they’re closing down the entire boutique just for her,” Jodie said with a sigh. Her eyes finally turned back to Reyna. “Sorry. Seems he played you again.”
Reyna laughed at Jodie. At all of them. Other people turned to look at her, but she didn’t care.
“Let’s discuss this somewhere more private,” Meghan said.
Reyna moved toward the door and they all followed. They meandered back to Meghan’s room. All the girls turned consoling eyes on Reyna.
“It’s a setup,” Reyna told them. “And it was actually my idea to begin with. We asked Penelope to pretend like she was going to get her dress there so we could get the shop to close. Then we can sneak Laura in the back to get a wedding dress.”
“What?” Laura gasped.
Jodie laughed bodily. “Holy shit! Bet Little Miss Mayor is super thrilled about this.”
“This isn’t about me or Beckham or Penelope. This is for Laura.”
“I cannot believe you did this!” Laura squealed. She jumped up from her spot on the bed and threw her arms around Reyna. “You are the best soon-to-be sister-in-law.”
Reyna hugged her back and then released her with a laugh. “You’re welcome! I’m glad it actually worked.”
“This is great, Reyna, but…” Meghan began.
“Oh God, here we go,” Jodie grumbled.
“It’s not safe for you or Laura to leave Elle.”
“We’ll be with Beckham. I’m pretty sure he knows how to secure a facility. He would never put me in any danger.”
Meghan glanced at the floor and back up. “Except that time he did.”
“I put myself in danger. Not him.” Meghan opened her mouth to respond. “This isn’t up for debate, Meghan. If Becks thinks it’s okay for us to go to the bridal shop, then it is. Who else outranks him here? Sydney? Do you want to go ask her?”
“No,” Meghan snapped. “I’m just looking out for you.”
Reyna hugged Meghan and promised to be careful, then dragged Laura away. They went to Reyna’s room and Laura was abuzz with excitement.
Reyna hurried forward into her room, but frowned when she saw that it wasn’t Beckham who was picking them up.
“Ladies,” Gabe said with a wink.
“I thought Beckham was getting us.”
“Slight change of plans. Come along, you two.”
Laura scurried forward and Reyna made the introductions. Laura blushed when Gabe worked his charm on her. Reyna had to refrain from rolling her eyes.
“So…a wedding dress, huh?” he asked Reyna.
“For Laura. She’s marrying my brother.”
“Lucky guy.”
“Oh, shut it,” Reyna said with a laugh.
They took the elevator up to the top floor, went out the steel door, and hurried into the cold. Reyna was glad that they’d bundled up downstairs because it was freezing outside. They hurried into a heavily tinted black van and then they were off.
Reyna sat in the passenger seat next to Gabe while Laura peered eagerly out the window in the back. She had forgotten that it had probably been months since Laura had left the safety of the underground bunker. Who knew when she would do it again? She was soaking everything in.
“So, why you and not Beckham?” Reyna asked, turning her attention back to Gabe.
“I was in the area. Thought it’d be easier.”
Reyna doubted that was the entire story but decided to let it drop. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Do you normally ask for permission?”
“No,” she said with an eye roll.
“Then shoot.”
“The first time I was at Ferrier House, I ended up two floors up in a black-market blood bank.”
Gabe swerved the van. Laura grunted from the backseat and Reyna clutched the side panel.
“Jesus, watch what you’re doing!” she groaned.
“How the hell did you come across that?” he demanded.
“By accident?” she said with a shrug. “There was a riot. We escaped and fled up two floors and found it when we were hiding.”
“We?”
“Everett and I,” she clarified.
“Motherfucker.”
“I just wanted to know if it belongs to Elle?”
“Well, it was a side business that I had been running, but we relocated it somewhere safer shortly after that riot. Elle has some of it. I have some of it.” He shrugged.
“That’s an interesting side business,” she grumbled.
“Hey, it’s hard to make money on the streets. And blood is no different than drugs or sex. It all sells.”
Well, she couldn’t argue with that. But it did leave her with a lot of questions. If Everett was working for Visage when they found the blood bank at Ferrier House, why hadn’t he reported it? He had to have known that it would have been of interest to them. She had so many questions about Everett’s behavior—his friends’ distrust and hatred of vampires, his knowledge of Elle, his interest in her rebellious photography. How could a man like that also work for Visage? How could he have betrayed her?
She sighed and decided it would continue to be a mystery. She needed to focus on the present anyway. Getting Laura a wedding dress and…dealing with Penelope.
Gabe turned them down an alley and then parked the van in a parking garage. “The store has been cleared and paparazzi have been removed from much of this area, but it’s never a guarantee with those fuckers. Reyna, wear this hat,” he said, tossing it to her. “Keep your head down.”
They all hopped out of the van. Gabe ushered them into an elevator that shot straight down to the first floor and opened up the opposite direction into a deserted back alley. He slid a key into the entrance and the door popped open. Reyna and Laura both hurried inside. Gabe swept the alley one more time to check if they were alone and then locked everything back up.
Reyna yanked the hat off her head and breathed a sigh of relief. She hated this sneaking around. She could tell by Laur
a’s expression that she didn’t like it either.
A door opened and Gabe immediately thrust himself in front of them. In strode a shrewd-looking woman in her early thirties wearing a slim-cut black dress.
“Olivia,” Gabe said with a smile. “Good to see you.”
“Gabriel,” she said with a tight-lipped smile. “I wasn’t aware that you would be joining us.”
“Just here for the delivery.”
“Good.”
“Olivia, this is Reyna and Laura. Olivia is part of the cause,” he said with a wink.
“Indeed. Now come along, ladies,” Olivia said, clapping her hands twice. “Let’s get you inside. I hear we have a bride we’re shopping for?”
Laura grinned like a fool and hurried over to Olivia. They immediately began chatting up a storm about the impending wedding.
Reyna nudge Gabe. “Heartbreaker.”
“As if I’m the only one.”
He winked and then disappeared back through the door.
Reyna hurried to catch up to Laura and Olivia, only to be stopped at the door by none other than Penelope Sky herself. Reyna swallowed and tried to remember that she needed to be nice. Nice and happy and appreciative. Penelope had gone out of her way to help set this up. Without her, Laura never would have gotten to pick her own dress.
“Hey, Penny,” Reyna said, forcing a smile on her face. “Thank you so, so much for doing this for Laura. It’s super nice of you. I know both Laura and I really appreciate it.”
“Oh, it’s just you,” Penelope said with a frown. “I thought Beckham had come back finally.”
“Gabe said that there was a change of plans.”
“Yes.”
Reyna waited, expecting her to elaborate. “What happened?”
“Don’t you already know?”
“I don’t.”
“Maybe he’ll tell you when he comes back for me,” she said, and then turned and walked back into the boutique.
Reyna stood there frozen. She closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, and counted to ten. She understood why Penelope was uncomfortable in this situation. They were using her fake engagement to help someone else. It couldn’t be easy being reminded that the engagement was fake. But Reyna was trying to be on her best behavior, and Penelope acting like this didn’t make it any easier.