T HE OTHER VAMPIRE GOT AWAY. DAVE BLAMED himself for not being the one to strap him in the capsule, but he’d been so distracted after Belinda attacked Zachary, which was what she’d intended, of course. Zachary bled to death before Bones finished with the last vampire, so he hadn’t gotten to him in time to heal him. Zachary had had the team’s version of a living will, too. One that stated he didn’t want to be brought back as anything inhuman if he were killed on a job. So, all of us somber, we honored his wishes and buried him.
Ethan turned out to be an orphan, which explained why his parents hadn’t strongly opposed the part he’d played as my son. I made Don promise never to use him or any other child again for something so dangerous, and to find him a good foster home. If Don could run a secret branch of the government to fight the undead, finding a foster home for an orphan shouldn’t be too hard.
At last, V-day for Tate arrived. Everyone was at the compound. We were only short one person, and that’s because her flight had been delayed due to mechanical difficulties. Annette, the first vampire Bones ever created, was coming in to help with Tate.
That had been my idea. Bones had barely spoken to Annette since her attempt to scare me off with sordid details of his past, but I knew their estrangement bothered him. So I suggested Annette could trade off shifts in the cell Tate would be locked in after his change. It could take up to a week before Tate would be able to control his hunger without ripping open the first vein he saw, so no one with a pulse could help Tate those first several days. Dave had already volunteered, but with a third person, it would free up some of Bones’s time. And give Annette a chance to mend fences. Wasn’t I just the little peacemaker?
Now, however, I was nervous. In half an hour, Bones would kill Tate, only to bring him back again. The time from bite to rebirth could last one hour, or several. We’d scheduled this for eight p.m., right after sundown, when Bones would be at his strongest. It took a lot out of a vampire to change someone over, or so I’d been told. This was my first experience with it.
True to form, Don had videos set up. He even had electrodes stuck to Tate’s chest and head to monitor the exact moment of death as well as brainwave activity. Bones shook his head upon seeing all the high-tech setup, acidly inquiring if it was being broadcast over the Internet as well. Don didn’t care. He intended to glean all available information he could for study. In that, he was shameless.
Tate was in a room reinforced with a series of titanium locks. Hell, they even had a macabre-looking operating table outfitted with clamps made of the same metal. Bones told Don all these precautions were overkill, pun intended, but Don was worried about Tate busting out and running amok. Tate was strapped to that table now, wearing only a pair of shorts to allow for easier electrode access. I slipped in to see him as a human one last time.
Numerous bags of blood sat in a cooler nearby for Tate’s first few meals. My gaze met his indigo one as I stood next to the inclined slab, maneuvering it until he was upright.
“God, Tate.” My voice wavered. “Are you sure about this?”
He attempted a smile, but it lacked its usual depth. “Don’t look so spooked, Cat. You’d think you were the one about to die, not me.”
I laid my hand on his cheek. His skin felt as warm as mine. This was the last time it would be that way. Tate sighed and inclined his head closer.
“It’s been a strange ride, hasn’t it?” he murmured. “I remember when I didn’t believe in vampires. Now I’m about to join their ranks, led by a son of a bitch I despise. Ironic, huh?”
“You don’t have to do this, Tate. You can change your mind and we’ll call the whole thing off.”
He took another deep breath. “As a vampire, I’ll be stronger, faster, and harder to kill. The team needs that…and so do you.”
“Don’t you dare do this for me, Tate.” My voice trembled with vehemence. “If this is for me, then get off that table right now.”
“I’m doing this,” he repeated, his tone equally vehement. “You can’t talk me out of it, Cat.”
Bones saved me from a response by coming up behind me. “It’s time, Kitten.”
I went to the small observatory one level up, where the video from that room fed into. My uncle was already seated, watching the screen. Juan, Cooper, and Dave came into our room. I couldn’t look away as on the screen, Bones walked over to Tate with the slow grace of a true predator. Tate’s breathing and heartbeat began to accelerate.
Bones studied him without emotion. “You won’t gain what you’re hoping for, mate, but you will have to live with this decision the rest of your days. So, one last time, do you want this?”