15
BLOOD & BULLETS
After not enough hours of sleeping, Lycaon woke me up, smelling of soap with a towel wrapped around his waist.
“Come on, sleepyhead, time to go.”
I stretched lazily, feeling more exhausted than before, then pushed myself out of the large, comfy bed and marched on autopilot to the en-suite bathroom.
The place was amazing. The feeling of street urchin clung to me even more.
Marble flooring that was warm under my feet, a claw-tub, and a separate shower. The towel rack was packed almost floor to ceiling with sumptuous towels. Even the products looked expensive. It must pay well to be a vampire.
As the hot water washed away the fears, I heard talking coming from the bedroom, then the scent of coffee wafted into the bathroom. It mixed with the sweet honeysuckle scented soap. Really? Honeysuckle? I’d never associated vampires with that. Sandalwood, musk maybe?
Smiling, Lycaon waited, dressed, his wet hair pulled back, a mug of coffee in his hand.
“There’s fresh coffee and Nathaniel has this small cup of herbal tincture for you. He suggested you drink it first because it tastes, in his words, revolting. You won’t have any adverse effects, it will stop...” he glanced at the floor.
“I know. Better safe than sorry.” I felt my cheeks flush. Everyone seemed to be involved in my welfare, but he was right. Condoms aren’t the most effective and I really, really didn’t like the thought of having a werewolf baby. Only lycan women survived that birth.
It tasted awful, but I followed it with coffee to mask the taste.
Now I felt more refreshed. After dressing, we made our way downstairs.
Nathaniel passed us striding from the kitchen, a cup in one hand, phone to his ear in the other. He cocked a brow and darted down the staircase that led to the cellar. We followed, finding Anthony and Hakon bent over the microscope in deep conversation.
Wide eyed, Hakon beckoned us. “Now that you two lovebirds have sealed your love, come have a look at this. Seems it’s not just shifter and angel’s blood in this ammunition. But, so much more.”
My face burned, but none of them made any comment. I would never normally, you know, do that and in someone else’s house.
Anthony noticed my burning cheeks. “Don’t be embarrassed. You’ve never seen Nathaniel’s parties. Debauched is an understatement. Heck, we wouldn’t bat an eyelid if you two did it here.”
Grinning, Hakon added, “Please, feel free to do that! We’d love a five-some!”
Shooting him a glare, Lycaon adjusted his T-shirt, which made Hakon snigger more, whispering, “But he’s so big!”
Taking a breath, I asked him, “Did you find Cerberus?”
“Ah, I did. He’s working with Aaron and other Nephilim to round up those sinners that escaped Hell. They’re having to put soldiers at every exit, which is a bit like herding cats. There are a lot of gateways. Foras and company have been housed in quarters usually given to the higher kings, though technically some of them are lesser kings. It’s complex.” Anthony rubbed his face. Even his white eyes had dark circles underneath.
Clearing his throat, Nathaniel announced, “Michael’s coming over later. Seems his brother is too loved up right now to get involved. Understandable. After all he’s been through.”
Tutting, Hakon looked at Anthony. “Shame, I haven’t seen Luci since, well…”
Leaning on the desk, Anthony gestured to Lycaon and me. “Would you like to look? I’ve wired up the microscope through the laptop. I think we have werewolf blood and vampire blood. A potent mix.”
We crowded around the screen, with Nathaniel interrupting Anthony. “Lycaon, to get to the point, we want a sample of your blood. In fact, a few samples. With Elsa’s blood inside you and your newfound ‘abilities’, we want to see how this reacts. This,” he pointed to the screen, “is no doubt what’s making Adara so powerful.”
Anthony interjected, “What he’s trying to say is that Adara are using blood taken from many different immortals, mixing these together and taking that themselves. Therefore, giving themselves extraordinary powers, strengths and abilities of other species, whilst at the same time forbidding others to mix.”
I gripped the edge of the desk. “That would explain how my dad went mad, crazed enough to try to kill me. They cannot control it. The blood shouldn’t be mixed. Oh, shit!” I glanced at Lycaon.
Where I had first thought, as he and everyone did, that I’d saved him, had I in fact planted a time bomb? And now he wasfeeling the effects? Would they get worse? And he had drank the blood of Adara’s infected werewolf!
Snappingme out of my trance, Hakon barked, “Speak to us, Elsa. What’s your thoughts?”
“Um… That my blood is destroying Lycaon? And the blood he drank from Adara’s werewolf?”
