The Vampire Cure: A Sci-fi Vampire Romance (The Vampire Cure Series Book 1)

by Kat Stiles

  “Please…” I whispered. But I couldn’t hold on anymore. I arched my back, feeling the orgasm in my whole body.

  “Yes, my love.” His tongue found me once more, drinking with the same intensity as he did from my blood. I felt another orgasm on the brink, but this time I was able to hold it.

  I pushed back from him and guided him onto his back. I couldn’t help myself, I had to feel him inside of me. I straddled him, easing my way down slowly. Moving slowly. Savoring his hard cock and the icy chill of his skin.

  His eyes rolled back in his head. He grabbed my waist, thrusting deeper.

  I was right about how long it’d been, for both of us. I felt him start to pulsate inside me, and it pushed me over the edge. I came, the most intense orgasm ever. He screamed, which I took as a good sign.

  I rolled over to one side of him, still breathing heavy. My body was invigorated. Like my whole life up until that point had just been going through my motions. Now I was finally alive.

  He wore a satisfied smile. “That was incredible.”

  “Yes,” I agreed. I’d never heard his voice sound so relaxed. “Are you okay?”

  “Better than okay. Your blood, it…it’s like a drug.” He turned over on his side, facing me. “I’ve never felt this amazing.” He let out a kind of barbaric yawp, followed by the biggest grin.

  I laughed. It felt good to be the source of his euphoria, despite that it may have been more my blood than my body. I had a feeling that for him, the two were intertwined, building on one another.

  He took my hand in his and kissed it. “Thank you for that.”

  For a moment, we both simply lay and stared vacantly at the ceiling, enjoying the bliss of the post-coitus afterglow.

  “Stay tonight,” I said, more of a statement than a question.

  “Of course.” He wrapped his arm around me, and I turned into him, resting my head on his chest.

  Maybe it was the stress of studying the virus, or worrying about my father. Maybe it was being stalked by a psycho vampire out for my blood. Maybe it was the blood loss I’d just experienced. Or maybe it was simply the orgasm of the century, I’m not sure. But nuzzled next to Ryan’s cold body, it took mere seconds for me to doze off.

  I awoke to the sound of Thundarr barking. And by the intensity of the bark, I knew something was wrong. As I slipped back into my clothes, I heard him let out a yelp, like he’d been injured. I ran out, half naked, and found him in the living room. Lying motionless on the floor, his head turned at an impossible angle.

  “Noooo!” I screamed, as I knelt down at his side. But there was no pulse I could find. I rose, scanning around to find the asshole that did this.

  “Looking for me, my dear?” James appeared behind me, as if he’d just materialized out of thin air.

  “No, I…” I blinked, confused. And when I focused again, I realized I was back at the mansion.

  “How did I…”

  James grinned. “You were always here. Always a part of the family.”

  I tried to run away, but fell to the floor. It’s like I was starring in a B horror movie—tripping over nothing so I could be claimed by the killer. And then they were all over me, all the vampires I met at the dinner party. Sinking their fangs in me, drinking my blood. Killing me.

  I screamed, startling myself awake. Thundarr barked outside of my bedroom door, and I was never so happy to hear that annoying racket.

  It was morning, a little later than I usually woke up. Ryan was asleep beside me in bed. I slipped on some workout clothes and quickly shut the door behind me as I exited the bedroom, so that my boyfriend wouldn’t get mauled yet again by my dog.

  Boyfriend? Did I really just think that? I smiled a big, dumb, happy smile.

  I gave my dog the biggest hug. His big tail wagged so hard, it knocked off several items on a nearby table, but I didn’t care.

  “I won’t let those mean old vampires get you, buddy.”

  I withdrew from the hug to get some doggie kisses. He sniffed me first, and then licked my face.

  Even with a vampire in my bedroom, the dog remained as chipper as ever. I took him out for a walk, feeling upbeat, despite that bad dream. I had a good shot at saving my father, and I fell in love. Not the ideal romance, granted, but when you’re first in love, you don’t see problems, you see lovable quirks at best. I felt almost as high as Ryan did last night.

  And then I went to work.

  Chapter 13

  “Look who made it in,” Frederick said, glancing in my direction. “So nice of you to join us.”

  Because I was so happy, I didn’t even tell him off in my head, let alone say it to his face. “Still not my boss, Freddy. But good morning to you too.”

  “Liz, can I see you in my office?” John’s voice was not the usual carefree tone.

  “Ooooh,” Frederick said, and I was suddenly reminded of grade school, when other kids got called to the principal’s office. Of course I never did.

  I blew him off and joined John, who closed the door behind me.

  Now I knew I was in trouble.

  “Did you leave work in the middle of the day last week?” he asked, his eyes uncharacteristically somber.

  I remembered when I left early to see my father. “I did, but I came back later that evening. What’s this about? You know I’ve been putting in 80-hour weeks lately…”

  “I had to ask. It’s been reported that you’re not putting the time or effort into this project anymore. Perhaps because Frederick is leading it now?”

  I felt my face begin to flush. “Who said that?”

  “I’m not at liberty to say.” He avoided my eyes. “Why don’t you show me what you’re working on?”

  It was one thing to be an elitist prick, but quite another to resort to sabotage. What the hell is Frederick’s problem? “Do you not trust me, John?”

  “Of course I trust you, it’s just that you showed up late this morning, and—”

  Ten minutes late. Geez, call out the hounds. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I was punching a clock. Especially after all the late nights I’ve been working, but that’s fine. I’ll show up on time, but know I’ll also leave on time, if that’s how we’re playing it.”

  “Liz, don’t overreact about this.”

  Overreact? Did he really say that to me?

  The situation was threatening to spiral out of control. I took a deep breath and exhaled.

  “I’ll be more punctual,” I said. “Thank you for the correction.”

  He softened. “Liz, please, that’s not—”

  “May I be excused to work on my project?” I said slowly, keeping my tone even. Trying not to sound like I was ready to scream at the top of my lungs.

  John let out a sigh. “I’m sorry. Yes, go ahead.”

  Every fiber in my being wanted to strangle Frederick. I thought we were working together okay, I mean, it seemed like he was doing his own thing and I was doing mine. But I guess it was silly to think it could be that easy.

  I took careful, measured breaths to try to calm myself down before I spoke with Frederick. When I approached him, he wore a sly grin.

  “Everything all right there, Liz?”

  “You tell me,” I said carefully, trying not to say it with the attitude brimming underneath my surface. “Is there something you’d like me to be working on? Did you want to review my work?”

  The grin faded into more of a smirk. “As a matter of fact, I would like to review your findings. And I could use some help compiling the latest data.” He handed me a huge stack of papers. “If you have the time.”

  I dropped the stack on a nearby desk and flipped through the first few pages. It was menial work anyone on his team could’ve done. I took it for what it was, a power play.

  “Sure, no problem. Would you like some coffee as well?” More than anything, I wanted to shove the stack of papers up his ass. But seeing how John acted earlier, I wasn’t in any position to tell Frederick to screw off.

  “A
ctually, I could use a refill if you’re getting some.” The joy in his eyes was totally uncalled for.

  “I’m not.” I picked up the papers and went to the clean room with my bats and mice. Then I fed the test subjects and observed their behavior as I made my way through the pile of busy work.

  Three hours and several cups of coffee later, I completed the compilation, but didn’t hand it back. I just knew he’d have something else stupid to waste my time. And I was eager to dive into the unusual deaths yesterday. If I could discover how they bled out, it might shed some light as to why.

  First, I tested the seven new mice I injected before Galen attacked me, and confirmed they all had contracted the virus. Then I weighed each of the deceased mice, looked at their organs, tested their blood. Nothing. It felt like I was banging my head against the wall, reviewing the same stuff over and over again. Needing to clear my head, I grabbed my phone and took a break in the lounge area. It was as good a time as any to do a video call with Amy.

  I dialed her number with the video option, but she refused. I got a text back from her a minute later.

  Amy: what’s up?

  Me: wanted to see your face

  talk for a bit

  Amy: It’s not a good time

  Me: Plz

  Miss you around here

  Amy: Ok, gimme a sec

  She called me back on video chat, and I gasped at the image on my phone. Her hair was frizzy, crazy—like she’s hadn’t styled it for a week. And her eyes had huge dark circles. I wondered if she’d slept at all the past week.

  I tried to hide my shock with a rushed smile. “How…how are you doing?”

  She snickered. “I’m alive.”

  “This quarantine sucks, right?”

  Her eyes looked off to the side, as if she were focusing on something else. “Yeah.”

  “You keeping busy?” I asked.

  “Actually I am.” A knowing smile appeared on her face. “How’s the project going?”

  “They gave it to Frederick. Guess I knew it was gonna happen.”

  “That sucks.”

  “If it helps find a solution I don’t mind—this virus is horrible. You haven’t caught it or anything, have you?” It would explain her appearance, though I suspected I knew why she looked the way she did. And it had everything to do my stalker.

  “Nope, been staying home.”

  “Do you…need anything?”

  “Liz, I need a lot of things. But shopping is kinda hard these days.”

  “Send me a list, I can grab it after work,” I offered.

  “Not the stuff I need.” She flashed a polite smile. “Thanks anyway.”

  That answer got me worried. “You know you can talk to me, right?”

  “Yeah.” Her lips formed a tight line. “Look, no offense—there are some things you can’t relate to.”

  “Fair enough,” I said. “But I’m here if you need me.”

  “Thanks.” She focused on something to the side of her phone, which I presumed was her computer. Then a genuine smile appeared. “Gotta go Liz. Talk to you later.”

  She didn’t even wait for me to say goodbye before she ended the chat. I was concerned about her before, but now I was fully worried. I knew she was still upset about what happened with Galen, and I couldn’t blame her. To wake up with bite marks all over your body, knowing that a vampire took advantage of you. And then to not be able to do anything about it…

  Vampire bite marks… I rushed back to the clean room, a hypothesis forming in my head. The two mice that survived looked lethargic, barely moving. I suspected they were hungry, even though they had eaten a portion of the food I’d given them in the morning. I grabbed another mouse I hadn’t used in testing and added it to the cage. The two mice that had survived chased the new mouse until they corned it. I stared, fascinated, as I watched the two mice attack. Did I just see fangs?

  It can’t be… I know the serum was derived from the vampire bats, but for the mice to be mutated like that—it’s impossible. Isn’t it? I wasn’t about to reach in that cage and grab one of them while they were feeding.

  There was a safer way to find out. I shaved the fur off one of the deceased mice, eager to see if my suspicions were correct. I found several tiny pinpricks, always two in a group.

  Fangs. Now the autopsy made sense. I likely would’ve had six survivors if I had separated them. The reason I lost four mice was simply due to survival of the fittest.

  I had to see it with my own eyes. I prepared a tranquilizer and administered it to the two feeding mice. Once they were totally motionless, I plucked one out of the cage and pulled back on his gums to see tiny little fangs. Not as long as on a vampire bat, not even proportionally speaking, but still razor sharp.

  I had so many questions. My heart pounded, thinking of all the possibilities. I looked at the teeth of the deceased mice, and noticed only one had the modified larger and sharper canines in common with the two that survived. Does that mean that not all subjects mutate? Or are their fangs retractable?

  So much more testing was required, but I felt closer to an answer. Once I got a few vials of Ryan’s blood, I’d have even more to test. I gathered up the materials I’d need to extract the blood. Then I injected four out of the seven mice with the serum, taking care this time to separate them into different cages.

  Frederick had asked about my findings, so I printed out my notes for my last completed trial, with the vampiric side effect. I also returned the stack of papers along with my notes to his desk, timing it just right to avoid him completely.

  I was about to jump back into testing when my cell rang. My stomach dropped at seeing the id.

  “Sweetie?” my mom said, her voice unsteady. “We’re at the hospital. He’s…” she trailed off, and I could tell she was crying. “He’s in the ICU,” she finally finished.

  Damn, I’m running out of time.

  I pulled up to the hospital and spotted my mother just outside the entrance. She looked utterly lost, fidgeting with her wedding ring, her disposable mask wet with tears.

  “Mom!” I ran to her, with my arms outstretched, but she stopped me.

  “Stay back, baby.”

  No, it can’t be. Her too?

  “They tested me when I brought him in. I’ve got it too.”

  My logical brain understood she was at a higher risk to catch it, with her taking care of someone infected. But the rest of me was unable to accept it.

  “How do you feel? What symptoms are you experiencing?”

  “Oh honey, it’s your father we need to worry about.” Her eyes seemed so sad. “I’ll be fine.”

  This can’t be happening. Both of my parents sick? “Have the doctors said anything about him? What’s going on?”

  “He’s not breathing on his own. The next 48 hours are critical.”

  I wonder if she had accepted the fact that he would likely die. Though going through that data for Frederick seemed like busy work, it provided me more stats on the survival rate of patients with lung conditions. The outlook was not only grim, it was hopeless.

  If I didn’t come up with something fast, my father would die. I had to get Ryan’s blood.

  “Mom, I’m in the middle of some research, it has to do with this. Are you going to be okay?”

  “Yes, I told you I’m fine. Just, keep your phone with you, in case I hear anything new.”

  I nodded. I so wanted to give her a hug. Tell her everything was going to be fine, even though I wasn’t so sure myself. Tell her she was the bravest person I’ve ever known.

  But I could tell she was already on the verge of losing it.

  “Can you go home and rest?” I asked.

  “I just want to be here if anything changes,” she said, her voice wavering. “He needs me.”

  “Yes, but you’re sick, too. If you don’t take care of yourself, how can you be there for him?”

  She nodded. But I could tell she was going to stay. I definitely got my stubborn streak from he
r.

  “Okay, but promise you’ll leave in a couple of hours? Get some food and rest?”

  “I will.”

  “I love you,” I said, tears welling up in my eyes.

  “I love you too baby.”

  I waited until I was in the safety of my car to totally break down. My parents were my support system my entire life. Imagining one gone was brutal, but both? It would be devastating.

  I took a deep breath and exhaled. It doesn’t have to end like this. I can fix it. With Ryan’s blood, I will find a cure.

  I made it back to my apartment in record time, driving as fast as my little electric car could go. As I approached my floor, something felt off. There was a package near my door. I breathed a sigh of relief when I recognized the company on the return address and realized it was something I’d ordered. And then I noticed my door handle, tilted to one side. When I turned the knob, it wasn’t even functional, like someone had broken it.

  Ryan…

  I pushed the door open and found Thundarr snoozing in the hallway. Poor guy, I bet he got knocked out again the moment Ryan woke up.

  I searched the other rooms, but Ryan was nowhere to be found. And that broken doorknob led me to believe he didn’t leave willingly.

  I was about to call him when my cell phone rang. It was Ryan’s number.

  “Ryan, are you okay?”

  “That’s a matter of opinion,” Galen’s voice replied, followed by an evil chuckle. “I mean, he hooked up with you, so that must have made him feel exquisite! Oh, but now he’s getting his ass kicked, so maybe no?”

  “What do you mean? Did you take him?”

  “Oh and I’m fine, thanks for asking. Whatever you injected me with didn’t work.”

  Damn. It was a long shot, but it wasn’t all a loss. It at least felt good to stab him with something.

  “Where is he?” I practically screamed.

  “James is disciplining him,” he said. “It’s rather a spectacle, you should come see for yourself.”