Tobias #3
“The labs are all individually warded to contain any potential leaks, either viral or magical,” Dolion continued, his attention fixed solely on Quinn.
“You can’t work through the night. There’s cleansing magic that triggers to clean the room and sanitize any used beakers or vials at sundown.
Any samples will need to be transferred to the refrigeration units…
” He gestured at the back of the lab. “Since the heat treatment used for decontamination will result in sample inactivation. It also happens to be at a temperature no one can survive. A good reminder that your brain needs rest to function as well, though it can sometimes be ill-timed.”
Quinn nodded though she looked somewhat put out.
I, however, felt a tinge of relief despite my efforts to lock it away.
Quinn needed the rest now that Eva’s condition was stable.
While keeping Eva in a magical coma wouldn’t work forever, Quinn had spent far too many nights staying up through the sunrise.
It wouldn’t help either of them if she was too exhausted to continue.
“I made sure everything was ready for you,” Dolion simpered, “but let me know if there’s anything else you need. Due to the nature of your research, and the stigmas around blood and magic, no one besides us knows the exact nature of our work. I, of course, will assist you with anything you need.”
I didn’t like the way he looked at her. Like he was thinking about far more than simply working together.
“She has me for that,” I said before I could stop myself.
So much for control.
“I meant as a fellow healer.” Dolion eyed me dismissively. “As I said, perhaps your expertise would be best used elsewhere. I’m sure the brutes searching for Silvius could use the assistance—”
“If you two are done posturing, I’d like to get to work,” Quinn cut in, her tone unusually acerbic.
My cheeks grew hot as I turned to face her. She briskly unpacked the first bag, avoiding my gaze as she removed the samples of the virus she had painstakingly worked to extract. When she finally looked up, her eyes were ablaze with pure determination.
“We don’t have time to waste,” Quinn reminded us in a quiet voice that was no less powerful. “Eva doesn’t have time for us to waste.”
My stomach sank like a stone, any response dying on my tongue—shriveling against the sheer force of her reprimand. I nodded in mute agreement.
Whether or not this magical statis was working, my sister was still sick. As much as I hoped that she and Bash were happy in whatever dreamland they were in, there was no way of knowing until they woke up. And for that to happen…we needed a cure.
“Of course,” Dolion said smoothly. “Let’s get to it then.”
I hurried over to the other bag, hesitantly reaching for our supply of syringes. Quinn passed me Eva’s blood samples before I could grab them with a muttered, “Can you refrigerate these?”
Taking them, I did as she asked. The three of us carefully unloaded the rest in silence.
“Right.” Quinn let out a quiet sigh that made my gut twist. “First, I’d like to talk over the way it targeted her by using her blood, and the implications that has on its genetic makeup…”
She spread Silvius’s research on the table, as well as her own meticulous notes.
Jealousy flared through me as Dolion took up my usual place beside her.
He leaned close as she tersely walked him through what we had already completed, the work so thorough that I marveled at what she had managed in mere days.
It was a different kind of magic to watch the way her mind worked: how she made sense of that which seemed impossible. She was able to understand a different layer of the world—comprehend it on a microscopic and biologic level—and make connections that anyone else would be oblivious to.
Dolion watched Quinn almost covetously as she spoke, occasionally interrupting her to ask questions. Her answers only seemed to impress him more.
My magic rose to my fingertips and I curled my hands into fists—welcoming the distraction of its burn.
Quinn was extraordinary. Kind without losing her strength of character, smart without being arrogant about it, and beautiful without even trying. No wonder Dolion was looking at her with a mix of surprise and reverence.
She was everything.
He might be some brilliant fae scientist, but if we discovered the cure, there would be no ‘we’ about it. Quinn had gotten us this far, and I had no doubt she would be the reason why Eva survived this.
Had they exchanged more than scientific musings in their correspondence? It was an effort not to bristle as he moved closer to her, turned a page in Silvius’s journal, then didn’t bother to step back.
When she mentioned writing to a friend in Mayim, I had pictured an older professor type.
Not that Dolion was necessarily close to our age.
The aging process slowed significantly for fae after their Seventeenth and the claiming of our magic.
He looked to be in his early thirties, which meant he was likely closer to a hundred or more—especially given his position in the Enclave.
Was this the sort of person Quinn dated back in the mortal realm? Highly educated, ambitious, and with a mind for science…someone that could keep up with her brilliance?
I didn't deserve her, but he certainly didn't either. Maybe no one did.
“We should probably draw his blood.”
I jerked back to attention as I realized they were both staring at me. Quinn looked thoughtful; Dolion shrewd. As I realized what he said, I took an unintended step backwards.
Quinn raised a hand in protest, her eyes flaring with concern. “If we have Eva’s, then we don’t necessarily need his—”
“Given your familial link, your blood might shed some insight into the biological nature of the virus.” Dolion explained. “Studying it could help us understand potential transmission, not to mention how the virus targets its host.”
I far preferred his pointed disregard to the way he now surveyed me like a test subject.
“Like a control group of one,” Quinn added hesitantly. “A baseline for comparison.”
My jaw clenched as I tried not to let the memories slip through the bars of their cage. It was a long moment before I could get my voice to work.
“If you need my blood to help her, I’ll do it,” I muttered to Quinn. “T-take whatever you need.”
“Excellent,” Dolion said briskly. He brushed off his sleeves, then made his way toward the iron door.
“Given the sensitivities of blood drawing and the potential magical implications, syringes are not as common in this realm, so I’m glad to see you brought some with you.
” He paused in the doorway. “I need to grab a few additional supplies. I’ll return shortly. ”
The door closed behind him with a clang that made me shudder.
I let out the breath I was holding, letting my lungs empty completely before sucking air back in.
This was to help Eva. It wasn’t Aviel, or Silvius, or someone that would use my blood to hurt the people I loved.
After all, I trusted Quinn, and if she trusted the need for it…
“You don’t have to,” Quinn said quietly.
When had she walked over to me? My next inhale carried that faint floral scent that immediately calmed my nerves.
Unable to meet her eyes as I tried to wrangle my fear, I stared at the sunflower amulet she always wore.
All I wanted to do was wrap my arms around her, pull her close and let her touch ground me again.
My hands clenched at my sides. “I told you, I’m here to help. If that means letting Dolion,” I injected as much derision into the syllables of his name as I could, “draw my blood, then that’s what I’ll do.”
What was it about him that had made my hackles rise? It was hard not to feel protective about Quinn, though I knew I had no real claim to her.
“I can do it, if you prefer.” A smile flirted at her lips. “Though you realize Dolion’s here to help us, right?”
“I don’t think that’s all he wants from you,” I muttered darkly. The way he watched her, like he had any right to, made me want to wipe the look from his face with my fist.
To my surprise, Quinn laughed. “Could you be more overbearing?”
I shrugged indolently. Little did she know there was no limit to what I would do to keep her safe.
“I could certainly try,” I deadpanned.
She rolled her eyes, even as I watched her fail to stifle her smile.
The sound of the iron door opening sent a spike of fear down my spine.
Quinn frowned slightly, and I cursed myself for letting down my guard, even for a moment.
Dolion glanced between us from the doorway, clearly trying to decipher whatever he had walked in on, before his mouth curved in the faintest of sneers.
It was gone before Quinn looked his way.
“You’ve done well to move as fast as you have identifying the virus,” Dolion said to her as he walked over to our supplies, opening the familiar carrying case that held the syringes.
“Reading your research was truly enlightening. The technology you brought with you from your realm mixed with the magic of ours yielded impressive results.”
I quickly looked away from the syringe. “You forgot to mention that it’s also the result of pure stubbornness, perseverance, and determination,” I added admiringly. “All of which Quinn has in spades.”
Dolion sniffed, as if affronted I had jumped in on his moment of praise. He came forward, the needle of the syringe glinting ominously in his hand. “This will only take a second.”
Closing my eyes only brought on a barrage of memory; a sick slideshow of every time Silvius had done the same thing to me, only without my consent.
Sucking in a breath through my nose, I pictured my cell—the iron bars, the musty, freezing floors—trying to push those memories back where they belonged.
I refused to fall apart again. But the footsteps coming closer sent fractures through my calm with the sound of each step. My eyes flew open, immediately finding Quinn’s.