Mrs. Ray slipped from the stool, her pace confident as she went to collect her purse, inclining her head in good-bye to Piscary and drawing Wolfe to his feet. “Wonderful. Wolfe will get a consensus from his superiors. If the military Weres agree—and I know they will if Wolfe puts his mind to it—the business community will follow. As for myself, I’m eager to stretch into a run without having to go to Montana or the Canadian woods to do it.”
Rynn Cormel looked to Piscary. The master vamp dismissed him with a finger twitch, and the living vampire hesitated only briefly, an unknown thought flitting behind his eyes before he hid it with an expansive smile. “I admire your logic, Miss Orchid,” Cormel said as he came forward to leave Piscary in his chair. “Would you accompany me to DC? I have to bring this to the Columbia vamps for approval and immediate action. They can make a decision for the entire vampire state, and you’ll have one more garden to look for a husband in.”
Orchid glanced at Daniel, clearly loath to leave him, as she’d taken on the responsibility for his continued safety. But when he nodded, the tiny woman rose up on green and gold dust. “You bet, short-fang,” she said cheerfully, circling the man in a maddening circle until he made a grab for her and she darted out of reach with a little giggle.
“What about the elves?” Professor Thole asked as he came out from behind the bar. “I doubt they’ll approve.”
Piscary stirred, breaking his eerie stillness. “As it is their fault, I suggest we all agree to uphold that they’re dead at the hands of the virus they created.” The master vampire looked at Trisk, and she shrugged. They’d been in hiding for two thousand years. It was a small thing.
Professor Thole shook the master vampire’s hand. “I hope this works,” Thole said as their hands parted. “I know you face a difficult choice.”
A flat smile crossed Piscary’s face. “Thank you. Could you stop in next week?”
He’d need a powerful charm to contain Algaliarept, and the tall witch nodded, uneasy as he glanced at Trisk. “I will. Until then, be well, old friend.”
Piscary dismissed him with a wave, and Professor Thole left, taking the Weres, Rynn Cormel, and Orchid with him. “I can’t believe you want this,” Wolfe said loudly as they picked their way past the broken door and into the hall, and Mrs. Ray laughed.
“My dear Wolfe,” she said, her arm possessively on his, “if vampires are reliant upon a drug for their well-being, that will be as sure of a population check as we have ever had.”
Piscary grimaced, the old vampire knowing it as well. And yet he was still for it. A drug would allow them to set aside the mantle of predator, a must if vamps were to make the jump from the shadows to polite society.
Feeling as if they needed to go as well, Trisk took Daniel’s elbow and drew him to his feet. “We should find a radio station,” she said, eager to be gone and back under an open sky. The sooner they could start telling people how to avoid getting sick, the better.
Daniel glanced back at Piscary, the old vampire preoccupied by his own thoughts. “So much for my career. You know anyone hiring?”
She sighed, too tired to even chuckle. Too tired, and too depressed. The need to publicly announce that it was her tomatoes causing the plague was both an itch and a fear. It would cast a shadow on not just her future, but her past. It wasn’t her fault, but she’d never work in a lab again. “Sorry about the mess,” she said as she stepped carefully through the chunks of door, her mind already on how to find a way out of here. Perhaps Leo could drive them.
“Where are you going?” Piscary said, and she and Daniel froze, the hallway feet away.
“Ah, to find a radio station,” Trisk said, exchanging a worried glance with Daniel. Piscary’s pupils had widened to a thick black, and she stifled a twitch when he stood in a smooth motion, buttoning his coat and running a hand over his clean-shaven skull.
“You misunderstand,” he said as he ghosted forward. “We do not come out, and no mention of the T4 Angel plague will be announced, until we find Dr. Kalamack and he agrees to provide us with a drug that allows one scion to supply a master with enough blood for a chance at immortality.” He looked at her pointedly. “I hope you have a firm will, Dr. Cambri. I fear Kalamack will be most reticent and need much encouragement. If he doesn’t agree, I won’t allow anyone to break the silence. In any way whatsoever.”
Trisk’s lips parted. She’d been so anxious to get the word out that she’d forgotten Daniel was still in danger. Her hope died, then rose again as she saw Piscary standing ready. “You’ll help us find him?” she asked, and Piscary’s black eyes glinted with the hunger of a hunter.
“Absolutely,” Piscary said, taking a huge breath of air. “Le-e-e-o-o-o!”
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