Achilles glanced back at his men. “Seven minutes, people. Mik, stay here and make sure that Eris is truly gone. The rest of you, move out.”
He yanked Beck up from the floor and hurried her to the door leading to the vaults. “Work fast, Doc,” he ordered as he broke into a fast jog down the hall, heading the way she indicated. They plowed through a set of smaller labs heading toward the center of the building.
Their path ran into the two-foot-thick doors that secured the vault. Beck tapped in the security code. Achilles stopped her hand, his thumb rubbing quick and light over her palm making her shiver. “Put these on first.” He slipped the plastic fingerprint clones James had made over her fingertips, checked them for fit and indicated the pad. “Go.”
She pressed her thumb and forefinger to the scanner. She counted off the seconds for the red light to turn green, and the locking mechanism to click. It was the longest five seconds of her life.
The instant it did, she let out a sigh and pushed down on the locking handle to release the door.
“Five minutes. Go,” Titus said, even his words coming in a rush.
Beck stepped in Achilles’s way as he moved to enter ahead of her. As much as she wanted to return to normal, she didn’t want him to be harmed. It would be one thing to be without him and another to know he was gone forever. “I’m the only one going in. If you want it to blow, tell me what to do.”
Achilles glanced at Slade. “You got a package she can take in?”
Slade nodded and handed the gray block of puttylike substance to her, two thin wires stuck into it along with some sort of digital mechanism. “Just put the charge underneath the part you want to blow. We’ll detonate as soon as we’re clear. It’ll incinerate the vault and most of this floor.”
Beck’s fingers trembled. Achilles cupped her hand. “You sure you don’t want us to go in with you?”
Beck looked up at him, loving that he was worried for her, even now. But this was something only she could do without risking her existence. “I’ve got it.”
She held the block gingerly in her hands as she entered the vault, her eyes scanning the shelves for labeling that would tell her where they’d stashed the Vanquish serum.
Toward the back she found it, a refrigerator-size cabinet full of small tubes. Beck gasped. There was so much of it. What if when it blew, it went up into the atmosphere and took out all the vampires within the city? She felt her stomach knot. Near the bottom rack, nine empty holes stared back at her where there should have been test tubes.
“Four minutes!” From her position inside the vault, Titus’s voice sounded like it came from down a tunnel. Beck placed the block of explosives underneath the large cabinet and shut the door. She hurried out of the vault and sealed the door.
“Is there any way we can contain the explosion?”
“Why?” James asked, stepping up beside Achilles.
“There’s enough Vanquish in there to take out every vampire in the Pacific Northwest if it gets blown up into the wind. I just want to make sure what we’re about to do isn’t worse than taking it and destroying it in another way.”
“You mean like a dirty bomb?” Slade asked.
Beck nodded.
Slade muttered a curse.
“The heat of the blast will vaporize it on contact,” Achilles said. “We’ll be fine as long as we’re out of the blast zone.”
In the distance, fire engine sirens began to wail.
“Two minutes,” Titus chimed in.
“Mik, cover us as we exit. There are going to be a lot of mortals out on the grounds. Do what you can to keep them back from the building. The rest of you flux and transport to headquarters.”
Everyone nodded. Achilles grabbed Beck’s hand and pulled her along with him, fluxing in midstride so that she was holding hands with the invisible man. Beck focused, as she jogged to keep up with his long stride, and fluxed, as well.
“One minute,” Titus announced.
A second later, they were back out on the ledge, invisible to the bystanders crowded below. “Move quick.”
All six of them jumped. The fall took Beck by surprise, and a blast of heat and force from behind shoved her to her hands and knees.
The explosion sent an orange fireball and plume of black smoke shooting up fifty feet into the sky. The people around her screamed, rushing and pressing back from the building. But before she could get caught up in the melee, Beck felt herself transport.
She found herself breathless in the same meeting room they’d been in before. Titus, James, Slade and Achilles were there with her, and Dmitri joined them.
“The council wants a report, Captain.” He directed both his gaze and his words at Achilles.
Achilles phased away the hazard suit, and came to attention. The other men followed his lead. “The mission was successful despite Eris’s attempt to sabotage it, Trejan.”
“So it was as you feared. Eris had possessed the scientist.”
Achilles shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Yes.”
“And were you able to subdue her?” Dmitri’s gaze flicked from one team member to another looking for answers. The tension in the room grew, pressing in on Beck, making her want to squirm.
“Silver bullets and DMDs passed right through her, Trejan,” Slade answered.
Dmitri’s gaze pinned Slade to the spot where he stood. “She withstood an all-out tactical assault?”
Slade nodded once, the harsh overhead lighting casting shadows beneath his eyes and making the deep crease in his chin look more like a dark slash.
“Hell.” Dmitri uttered the word beneath his breath. Somehow from the twist in her gut Beck guessed it was both an epithet and a summary of where the danger emanated from.
Beck scooted closer to Achilles. “Eris isn’t just some super vampire, is she?”
Slade looked over at Beck. “She’s a goddess. Truly immortal. But we hoped the silver would disrupt her enough to keep her at bay.”
“She doesn’t react to silver. It’s the orichalcum that does it,” Achilles said quietly, the rumble of his words reaching into her. Uncertainty and doubt collected around Achilles like a thick blanket. Beck fought off the sensation, knowing she was somehow reacting empathically to Achilles.
“But was the storage of Vanquish destroyed?” Dmitri pushed.
“What there was of it,” Beck said grimly. “There were nine vials missing from the storage locker. My guess is that they’ve already been shipped out for reproduction at other facilities.”
Dmitri’s brow creased, his thick brows drawing down. For a moment everything was silent. Dmitri cast his dark gaze in her direction. “Can you give me a list of the possible locations?”
“Of course.” Without thinking, she phased a notepad and pen, and wrote quickly.
Another dark curl of smoke wedged its way into the crowded room and Mikhail appeared. “We lost only the one mortal, Captain. The one Eris had possessed. Firemen and several news crews appeared just before I left.”
Dmitri turned to Achilles. “If there are news crews, then we’re out of time. We need to report this to the council. Now.”
There was no way she was being left out of this. Beck stood up a little straighter, pushing her way into the conversation. She might be planning on being a vampire for only a little while longer, but she was still one now. “Then you’ll need to take me. I’m the only one who went in the vault.”
Achilles grasped her hand. “Better prepare yourself. They’re going to know we’ve imprinted the moment we appear.”
She looked in his eyes and tightened her grip on his hand. “Somebody needs to remind them we’ve got bigger things to worry about.”
This time Beck was ready and waiting for the sensation of being transported and soon found herself standing before the set of huge black double doors emblazoned with the red interlaced triple circles. Of course those circles meant something totally different to her now, reminding her of the imprint she and Achilles sh
ared.
The two guards on either side opened the doors letting the three of them walk in as a unit. Achilles still hadn’t let go of her hand. Beck’s heart swelled. The last time they’d been before the council, he’d tried hard to make sure their imprint wasn’t obvious. Perhaps he was holding her hand in a gesture of support or of defiance. Either way she found it comforting, especially as they entered the intimidating presence of the council.
As they passed through the double doors, the candles in their ornately scrolled wrought-iron candelabras flickered with the movement of the air. All nine of the carved cherrywood chairs in the semicircle around the raised dais were occupied by the council members. Roman sat in the largest and most ornate chair, his face dark and brooding.
The cloying sweetness of the beeswax candles didn’t cover the coppery tang of fear that lingered inside. But Beck couldn’t tell if it was her own fear she smelled or that of the council members. She glanced at the dark vampire on Achilles’s right, the heavy weight on her shoulders lightening a little. Dmitri was clearly there to stand beside her and Achilles in support. They stepped up to the dais and faced the nine carved chairs, each occupied by a vampire with a far too intense gaze.
Beck glanced at Dmitri and Achilles. Both had bowed their heads. She ducked her head, embarrassment heating her face. As fierce as she felt about her imprint with Achilles, she realized that she was on unfamiliar ground.
There were still things about being part of a vampire society she didn’t understand, and probably never would.
Dmitri stood tall and took one step forward to address the council. “My Laird, and lords of the council, we have wiped out the main storage and development of the vaccine known as Vanquish. The facility has been eliminated per the council’s instructions.”
“And the vaccine has been destroyed entirely?” prodded Roman, the clan’s laird.
“Not exactly, my Laird,” Achilles added, as he, too stepped forward. “My fledgling, who was affiliated with the original vaccine’s production—” he glanced back at Beck “—ascertained that nine vials were missing from the storage vault at the lab and may have been delivered to different production facilities across the nation. If this is accurate, then we’ll have at most a month before it could be made available on a large scale.”
“She’s hardly your fledgling. Judging by the scent, you have fully imprinted with one another, is this correct?”
“Yes, my Laird, but—”
“But we will await the judgment on that matter. Dr. Chamberlin is correct. We have bigger problems.” Roman waved a hand and a large flat screen television appeared.
Beck stared at the female reporter who was standing in front of a burned-out building while the orange light of the fire still burned brightly against the early morning sky.
The image widened, and the reporter turned, talking to the painfully thin man beside her. He was bundled in a thick tan wool jacket and had his gloved hands clasped together in front of him.
Pastor Snyder.
His supercilious manner oozed through the screen, as he looked down at the reporter who was a foot shorter.
“Is it true, Pastor Snyder, that the destruction of the building was caused by a group of protestors out to destroy the research paid for by the Foundation for the Greater Good?”
“Yes, Lynn, but despite the destructive efforts of the vandals, our efforts to protect the American public have still been successful. Fortunately, not all of the vaccine was on the premises at the time of the explosion.” He pressed his fingers together so they formed a steeple. “Shortly it will be available to the public.”
He gave a good attempt at a smile, but Beck could tell he was only doing it for the camera. Snyder was worried about something. Perhaps cutting a deal with Eris wasn’t turning out as clean and neat as they’d anticipated.
“There you have it. Back to you, Jeff.”
The television vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Roman narrowed his gaze and asked Beck, “How dangerous is this vaccine in its improved form?”
She swallowed hard against the thickness in her throat. Being the messenger stank, especially when it was to a bunch of powerful vampires who were going to be good and angry about the news. “Any vampire older than a few years could potentially age to their true chronological form in less than forty-eight hours.”
The air buzzed with several low conversations between the different members of the council. Roman held up his hand and silence returned to the chamber.
“What are our chances of defending ourselves against this vaccine should we not be able to discover its whereabouts before distribution?”
Beck sucked in a steadying breath and lifted her gaze to meet Roman’s. “Unless I can create an antidote before distribution begins, none.”
Chapter 17
The dark granite walls of the council chamber seemed to be closing in. All the council members wore looks of horrified disbelief.
“Are you claiming, Dr. Chamberlin, that there is no cure, no antidote for this?” one of the vampires asked.
“Not yet. The vaccine is genetically based on the plague. Something you’ve all been exposed to for centuries, which means this strain is nearly perfect in its ability to single out the vampire virus and activate the deadly aspects of its genetic encoding.”
A low murmur of voices hummed in the room, amplified by the walls and large proportions of the chamber.
“You’re claiming the plague has returned?” demanded one of the lords of the council, his long white hair swinging as he leaned forward, snowy brows drawn down over red eyes.
Beck swallowed. “Scientifically speaking, yes.”
Roman sat stiffly, his gaze touching briefly with each of the council members before coming back to lock on to her face. “By unanimous decision of the council, we would ask that you immediately begin working on an antidote. Not just for our clan, but to protect all our kind. It’s a challenge, but we believe you are the best choice to fight against it.”
Beck grasped her hands together in front of her. Achilles’s hand, warm and strong, settled on her shoulder.
“My lords, I would ask on behalf of Dr. Chamberlin, that in return for her efforts, you grant her amnesty from any charges related to our imprinting.”
Beck stiffened. In her worry over the impact of the vaccine, she’d forgotten the warning the council had issued the last time she’d been in this chamber.
“My lords,” she blurted. “I have my own request. I’d ask that you spare my mentor any charges because of our imprinting. It was my choice. Not his.”
The buzz, sounding like a swarm of angry bees, started up again, but then suddenly stopped as Roman rose from his ornately carved seat. He stepped forward and bent to one knee in front of Beck, gazing up at her face. “My lady, if you can indeed preserve our kind with your knowledge and effort against this new plague, then I, indeed all of us, would be greatly indebted to you. We would of course grant you and your mentor amnesty.”
Beck, not knowing exactly what the etiquette was in such matters, executed a little curtsy. “Thank you, my lords.”
His brow furrowed with worry, Roman rose, then grasped her hand between both of his. The air around him had the musty smell of sorrow. “However, you must be aware, Doctor, though we may forgive the civil infraction you have committed, there is nothing that can be done to change the effects of the imprint once it has been made. Whatever he suffers, so shall you. Whatever powers he has, so shall you share in them. And if, and when, death should claim one of you, the other shall be condemned to the existence of a halfling. In these things there is nothing that can be done to protect you.”
Beck nodded, leaning into Achilles’s side, drawing closer to him for strength. “I knew that going into the imprint and I still did it. It is my hope that if I turn back to mortal that Achilles will be spared those problems.”
Roman gave her hand a small squeeze. “Then so be it.”
Both Achilles and Dmitri placed their
forearms across their chests, hands closed into fists in a form of salute and bowed to the council. Awkwardly, and a few seconds behind, Beck did, too.
A guard rose to the dais to escort them from the chamber and Beck fell into line behind Achilles.
Is she experienced and knowledgeable enough to create an antidote? Dmitri’s voice echoed in Beck’s head.
Can you think of anyone else who’d even have a shot? Achilles answered.
Take her to the laboratories in the medical center. I’ll alert the staff that they are to help her in whatever she requires.
Achilles nodded, then glanced back at her, his lips twitching. “Do I need to repeat any of that, or did you hear it all loud and clear, Doc?”
Her heart did a double bump thump. He was so strong, so kind, so responsible—in short the perfect guy—if he’d been human, or she’d wanted to stay a vampire. Beck cracked a weak smile at him. “Do you want to walk to the medical center or shall we transport?”
“Enjoying your newly developed powers, are you?”
Beck shrugged. “As long as I’m a vampire, I might as well use my skills while I have them, right?”
A hurt look flickered for an instant across Achilles’s strong face. “Be careful working with that vaccine. Don’t take any chances.”
Beck crossed her arms. “What’s the worst that happens? I go back to being mortal just a little earlier than we planned?”
Achilles’s jaw flexed. She waited for him to say something, anything. She reached out, trying to listen to his thoughts and found herself suddenly and effectively blocked.
“Why are you blocking me?” she asked, her tone a little acerbic.
“So you can focus. The antidote is all that matters right now. Let’s get you to work.”
Baloney. Beck wasn’t stupid before, and she certainly hadn’t become so in the last five minutes. Achilles wasn’t telling her everything.
Before she could push the issue with him further, he vaporized into a dark mist. She sighed, then transported herself to the medical center’s atrium.
The Vampire Who Loved Me Page 18
