Chapter 33
Deep, sensitive, and handsome, Luther was exactly how I’d expected him to be.
He had long golden-brown hair and unearthly hazel eyes that gave him the look of a vampire who also might be part lion.
His accent was difficult to pinpoint, as it sounded like a mixture of several brogues thrown together.
Given his age, he probably had resided all over the world.
According to Joseph, Luther was a recluse. He lived deep within the Vienna Woods in a private chateau, and rarely did he entertain visitors. Though they occasionally had video chats, Joseph hadn’t seen his maker in the flesh for decades.
Luther, it seemed, was also an insomniac.
It was morning in Austria, but he was wide awake.
He dismissed our apologies for waking him, stating he sometimes didn’t sleep for days.
I suspected that might be related to his age, but I was smart enough not to press for details.
Vampires, as I knew, could be touchy on the subject.
Luther had been confused as to why his vampire son and some humans in America wanted to speak to him during our Thanksgiving celebration, yet he’d been game for a video chat.
To make things less weird, and because they weren’t essential to the conversation, Jerry, Tim, Robert, and Liz offered to wait in the living room while Joseph, Sebastian, and I used Robert’s office to speak with Luther.
To make it easier for the three of us to see the vamp on the other side of the screen, we crowded around Robert’s desktop computer.
Luther sat as still as a statue while we explained why we were calling.
He hadn’t said much overall, and he seemed to avoid speaking unless a question was posed directly to him.
Despite his peculiar nature, I didn’t find Luther unfriendly.
He had an air of placidity about him that was soothing.
Ironic, since he’d wiped out an entire village of humans, Sebastian’s parents—who would be my relatives, too—among them.
After a pause, Luther sat back in his chair, which was massive and plush like a king’s throne. Of course it was. He rubbed his chin before speaking. “So, you think this possible immunity to the epidemic relates to my bloodline?”
“Technically our bloodline, since I’m part you genetically,” Sebastian said.
Luther’s nod was almost imperceivable, as was the way the corner of his mouth quirked up.
I’d been worried about how he and Sebastian would react to one another, but they seemed fine enough.
Perhaps time had eased whatever animosity they might have harbored, and they chalked up their past issues as bygones.
I doubted they’d start exchanging Christmas cards any time soon, but they conducted themselves cordially for the greater good.
It was better than I could have hoped for, given their history.
It helped matters that Sebastian and Luther both had the same goal in mind, finding a cure for the epidemic.
“What is it you’re asking from me?” Luther asked, cutting straight to the point.
Joseph said, “We’d like to use your blood to create a cure for the epidemic.”
“Hopefully find a cure,” I amended. “I’m also donating more of my blood for the cause. Sebastian is, too.”
“I am as well,” Joseph added. “We don’t know if any of our blood will work when combined with yours, but we can’t overlook the immunities our lineage might offer. If you don’t want to leave Austria, we can come to you—”
“No,” Luther cut in, raising a hand. “I will come to London, if you think it will help your scientists find a cure sooner. No need to complicate things, even if it means I’ll have to meet with Leopold. I’ve never met a vampire more insufferable.”
It didn’t happen overnight, but it did happen.
Though it took some trial and error—Joseph’s blood combined with my blood and Sebastian’s, my blood combined with Sebastian’s, my blood combined with Joseph and Luther’s, etcetera—a cure was found.
Sebastian’s blood combined with Luther’s blood, plus a few chemical additives thrown in, was what ultimately did it.
The VGO had finally created a cure for the virus Richard and Maxine had created.
The antidote was distributed in water sources throughout the world, with a focus on areas with the largest populations of Reborns.
Once again, humans had no idea that their water had been doctored.
Like the serum the Nolans had created, the antivenin wouldn’t hurt us, but it would save a lot of vampires from extermination.
A reversal serum was also distributed to blood banks that catered to immortals.
It was designed for Reborns wanting to revert to vampirism.
To many, this was perhaps the biggest relief, as Reborns had believed they’d never be able to exist as vampires again.
After receiving the serum, they only needed to be turned again by a vampire, which meant going through the whole painful changeover process again. Most saw it as a small price to pay.
New humans like Jerry also had the option of not changing back if they wished, which was as simple as not receiving the blood bank serum.
The antivenin in the water would not reverse the effects of the epidemic—heaven forbid a Reborn turn back into a vamp in broad daylight—but it would stop new cases from occurring.
The VGO assured all new humans that they would be left to live their new lives under the condition that they never discussed the existence of vampires with anyone who didn’t already know.
Michael Graves had been right when he’d said that my involvement with vampires was destined. But he was wrong about the outcome being negative. The crisis had been adverted, and new humans and vampires would live on happily.
Like everything else related to vampirism, it was still a mystery why the combination of Sebastian and Luther’s blood succeeded in curing the epidemic.
Maybe it was because they were the vampire and human at the epicenter of an ancient, altered bloodline—my altered bloodline.
Maybe it was because their cordial reunion had finally broken the curse Caterina had bestowed upon Luther. Everyone had their theories.
I liked to think that it was fate. What were the chances that my best friend would fall in love with the son of the vampire who’d made my grandfather what he was? One could get dizzy just thinking about it.