Magic Burns

Page 86

 

 

 

“No. Why this sudden concern for my well-being?”

 

“No episodes of dizziness? What about a slight prickling in the chest and along the neck? Feels a little like the rush of blood into a limb after it has fallen asleep, except the process occurs from the inside.”

 

I crossed my arms. “Is there a particular reason why you’re describing the initial stages of colonization by Immortuus pathogen to me?”

 

The vampire crept closer. “There can only be one reason.”

 

“I’m not turning into a vampire, Ghastek.” It was physically impossible. My blood chomped the vampirism bacterium for breakfast and then asked for seconds. No vampirism for me. No shapeshifting, either.

 

The vampire took another careful step to me. “May I see your irises, please.”

 

“I’m telling you, I’m not infected. I wasn’t bitten.”

 

“Indulge me.”

 

I leaned forward. The vampire reared from all fours and lifted its face to mine. We stared at each other, the corpse and I, with only inches of space between us. Almost touching. I looked into the vampire’s eyes, once blue, and now red from the capillaries expanded by the flow of blood brimming with vampiric pathogen. Within their depths lay hunger, a terrible, all-consuming hunger that could never be doused. If Ghastek’s control slipped just a hair, the abomination would rip into me, clawing at my flesh in search of hot blood.

 

At least it would try. And then I would kill it. I’d crush its disgusting mind like a gnat. It would feel good.

 

It would make my day.

 

I would’ve liked to kill them all. I would’ve liked to go up the People’s food chain until I reached Roland, their legendary leader. There were things I needed to discuss with him. But our conversation would have to wait until my power grew, because right now he could wipe me off the face of the Earth with a twitch of his eyebrow.

 

The vampire dropped to the floor.

 

“Satisfied?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You sound disappointed. Does the idea of navigating me after my undeath appeal to you?”

 

The vampire’s face twitched, trying to imitate Ghastek wincing somewhere in an armored room within the Casino’s depths. “Kate, that was in poor taste. Although you would make a magnificent specimen.

 

You’re in excellent physical shape and well proportioned. I just looked through the stack of applications this morning and half of the candidates are malnourished, while the other half have wrong proportions.”

 

Ghastek in all his glory. Clinical “R” Us.

 

I sighed. Was there any remote chance that he would get to the point of his visit this morning? Time was