Chapter 30
VESSA
Exactly twelve hours later, my training commences.
I rise at six o’clock and head straight for the barracks.
Much to my surprise, the sparring ring is empty along with most of the aerobic machines.
Taking advantage of the privacy, I immediately throw myself into my first routine: five thousand steps on the ladder simulator and twenty minutes of rowing, followed by stretching and meditation in the sauna.
By the time I’ve moved on to shooting, all intrusive thoughts are muffled by the sound of my rapid fire against the cardboard. The series of jumping targets selected by Tesni are especially irritating, the criticism even more so than the cramping in my trigger finger.
“This is nothing. The target figures don’t have shit on the real-time speed of vampires. Another round, Vessa!”
“Always keep your thumb and forefinger in position. Never look down to reload. Not even for a second. Taking your eyes off the target could cost your life.”
Tesni worships the art of repetition. Racing against her stopwatch, I practice swapping rounds over and over until it becomes as mindless as exchanging breaths.
Now that I’ve found a style of pistol that feels right at home in the webbing of my hand, my accuracy has improved dramatically.
The tighter my bullet groupings get, the more I start to visualize how they might take down a real threat from a substantial distance.
Before they can get close enough to compel me.
With aching arms, I lower the weapon and switch on my phone to check the time. Five minutes past nine. The forensic analyst should be arriving any minute now.
After stowing away the pistol and the leftover rounds in my locker, I lace up my black combat boots and trudge through the quad, where a familiar face waits in the courtyard.
The Alpha’s sister winks as she waves to me. “Is that gunpowder I smell?”
Back in the manor, we make for the iron door that conceals the lower chambers. Scanning me up and down, Demi looks impressed, noting my loosely braided hair and black hooded vest over my tight catsuit. “I gotta say, this is a great look for you.”
“That’s what Nell said at breakfast,” I snicker. “Well, actually, she told me I looked like a dominatrix.”
Demi cracks a toothy smile. “Someone’s gotta keep Axe in line around here.”
Nell’s grin stretches ear to ear as the ethereal blonde swings open the door to the same conference room we gathered in over a week ago. She squeals at the sight of Demi’s growing belly, laughing as theirs touch when they embrace.
Nell sighs. “I’ve missed you, Demitrya.”
She strokes the back of the Beta’s head. “I wasn’t about to let you plan the party of the century all alone.”
Axe muffles his laughter as his sister’s smile flattens out. She takes hold of his earlobe, twisting it painfully. “You owe me a fat bull. Ten points, minimum.”
Dr. Caulder clears his throat. “Were we ready to begin?”
Axe nods, motioning for everyone to have a seat.
“As most of you know, a few weeks ago, I came at the request of the Alpha to investigate the evidence of Ludone at Sonic Jungle. I can confirm that based off the residue your medic extracted from Vessa’s clothing, this is a new strain.
I also want to share the results of the blood samples I gathered .
. . I expect that you will find them just as astonishing as I did. ”
Demi cocks an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?”
Preston carries on. “I took particles of Ludone from her dress and under a controlled setting, studied the blood’s reaction to the substance. I don’t know how to say this other than . . . that it somehow altered her DNA.”
“Come again?” I blurt.
Axe narrows his eyes. “Are you talking about some kind of mutation?”
Preston smiles gently. “What transpired was more of an activation of sorts.” He turns to face me. “I meant to clarify this at the last meeting, Vessa, but how long do you estimate that the high lasted for?”
I purse my lips, thinking back to the distorted timeline from that night. “Maybe two or three hours?”
Demi’s face scrunches. “The last time we caught humans on it, their trips lasted over eight. Those kids were out of their minds.”
Shrugging, I look to the scientist who slides a piece of glass under the lens of his microscope. “I had a lot to drink that night, too. Eventually, I just dozed off.”
Curiosity shines over Preston’s salt and pepper features.
“That’s not supposed to happen. This drug is designed to stimulate you, to attack your mind.
To make you more compliant to lycans. I think .
. . something in your blood activated at the spike of your adrenaline.
I’d wager that, whatever this metaphysical property is, it came to your defense.
Whatever scent property the Ludone amplified that night, it wasn’t your second sight. ”
Axe frowns. “Vessa is human. Are you implying the test shows otherwise?”
“Get to the point, Preston,” Demi snarls. “What did you find in the sample?”
“Come see for yourself,” he says, motioning for the girls to step up to the row of microscopes.
“In each slide, I’ve prepared a preserved blood sample. The first is an anonymous human, the second is lycan blood, and the third contains a few drops of Vessa’s. Watch as I expose the blood to a few particles of Ludone powder.”
Nell and Demi bring their eyes to the first two scopes, watching carefully as the reactions take place. When Nell leans in to observe the third lens containing my blood, her mouth opens with a gasp. Demi’s does the same.
The Beta is the first to speak. “It’s . . . remarkable.”
Jabir goes next. “Indeed,” he whispers.
Axe is equally stunned when he backs away from the device.
Finally, I lower my left eye to the lens and study the blood. The magnification reveals a cluster of small, reddish-pink orbs. Unlike the first two samples, something that resembles a bright silver halo shimmers along the border of each cell.
That’s impossible.
“Are you sure it’s not a defect in the Ludone formula? Don’t they lace it with other psychedelics?” Axe asks.
Demi shakes her head incredulously. “No. This is something else.”
I remain silent, transfixed by the biochemical reaction.
Preston’s expression is strained. “My theory is that this drug might have exposed the essence of fae in your genetic material. Considering the exotic scent you possess, this could very well be a viable theory . . .”
Nell throws her head back and cackles.
Even Demi snickers. “That’s completely absurd. Fairies have never existed on Terris. We know that nothing of the sort originates from Somnium, either.”
Axe snorts. “I don’t know, it could explain her height.”
“I am not a fairy, you moron,” I quip.
“For some irritating reason, I can’t isolate the glow from the membrane.” Preston ruffles his hair. “Perhaps if we gave Vessa a smaller dose of this particular strain in another controlled setting, I could test to see if—"
Axe and I both jump on him at the same time. “No.”
“Look,” Preston cautions. “These findings are astounding. Forgive me if I find it outrageous as a scientist to simply walk away from what I’ve just uncovered. Human or not, we could be dealing with a new species.”
Axe’s face hardens to steel. “You will, because that is what your orders are.”
“But—" he interjects.
The Alpha’s voice plunges. “We’re finished here. You may go.”
Preston bites down on his lip and turns his back to collect his equipment. The room remains silent as he does so, even as he pauses in the doorway on his way out. Slowly, he peers over his shoulder. “You know exactly what she is, don’t you?”
I watch intently as Axe says nothing. Nell also holds her tongue.
Only after he disappears down the hallway does Demi break the silence, seething. “What the hell am I missing here?”
Still deep in processing, Axe pans over to his second. “Were you able to slip that bug in his hard drive?”
“Yep. It’s set to detonate in six minutes,” Jabir confirms.
“Damn,” I shudder. “You’re going to wipe his computer?”
“Preston could sell his findings to the Council, for all we know.” Jabir scratches his beard anxiously when Demi takes another step closer, ready to jab a finger in his face.
Nell sighs. “You might want to sit down, Demitrya. I’ll go get Maurleen’s journal from my office.”
“Hang on,” Axe orders. “Obviously, Demi doesn’t have all the information. But neither do we.”
I swallow deeply, palms gleaming with sweat as Nell slips out of the door. Axe too starts to make for the exit.
Everyone in the room trickles out, quickly making our way up the stairs. My heart pounds as we arrive at the guest suite where Maurleen and Wyatt have taken up. The door is propped slightly open.
Axe grits his teeth, slamming his hand against the wall. The room has been cleared out, bed sheets stripped and smoothed, Sylvie’s crib vacated. A small note has been left on the nightstand, written in the witch’s loopy cursive script.
Take care, Vessa. You’re going to do amazing things.
-M & W
“They’re gone,” I whisper.
Nell bursts through the doorway, out of breath as she clutches her stomach. “Guys . . . the journal.”
Sure enough, in the fireplace, a small inferno crackles, devouring the hardbound diary, turning all our pivotal moments, all her visions of the future to ash.
My gaze falls to the farewell letter in my hand. The only surviving page. In the lower frayed corner, a small drawing catches my eye. A snowflake.