I smiled, glad to see that she was in such good spirits, especially after the day we had, and headed into the bathroom. Soon, I emerged from the shower, refreshed, with just a towel wrapped around my waist."Hum," Leila said, sitting in a club chair in the living room, adjacent from the bathroom, "you look good enough to eat."I laughed. "Now, don't you dare get that started." She laughed as she finished the last of the blood in her glass and I headed toward the bedroom. I came out a few minutes later, wearing a dark gray suit, black Versace shoes, with my dark brown hair combed back, still wet from the shower.Leila gave a low whistle, smiling."Don't start," I said, grinning as she laughed."No, I don't want you to be late for your meeting," she said, smiling seductively, "but maybe later."I shook my head. "Leila, you need to rest.""Which I can still do after," she said, uncrossing her legs from under her and standing, "but now I don't want you to be late."Just then, the
I walked over to her and gave her air kisses over both cheeks. "You didn't tell me you were coming, but thanks for being here."She looked at me seriously. "What happened last night affects us all, but I also came for a reason that I will divulge later." Then, she gave my arm a gentle squeeze. "But when it comes to yours and your family's safety, I will always be here."I pulled her in for a slight hug, and she gave me air kisses over both cheeks, careful not to smudge her red lipstick. "Thank you, Raven." I then walked to the head of the table and addressed everyone in the room. "Thank you all for coming tonight. You may be seated." They all complied, but I remained standing. "As you know, we were attacked last night. I asked you to come here tonight so we could exchange information. If you know anything at all about anything that I am about to tell you, please let me know. In exchange, I will do the same. Are we agreed?"A rumble of agreement resonated around the room."Here's wh
Then, I turned to everyone in the room. "There are hors?d'oeuvres and wine. Please help yourselves. Thank you all for coming. I will keep you apprised of any developments. Please, do the same if anything happens in your covens, or if you discover any leads."Then, I walked over to Drake. "May I speak with you privately?"Drake nodded and followed me into a small conference room. I pulled out my checkbook and laid it down on the table. "Drake, I apologize that I haven't to the hospital lately, but Leila isn't well. I appreciate you keeping the deliveries coming, though." I started writing and added a few more zeros than usual, since I hadn't been to the hospital for a while, then tore it off and handed it to him."Thanks, Lance," Drake said, slipping the check into his pocket. "I'll make sure that the hospital gets this."I nodded. "Thanks, Drake. I sincerely appreciate it.""What's wrong with Leila?" Drake asked, concerned.I took a deep breath. "She has severe preeclampsia.""S
I nodded. "Thank you for coming. Kellen can show you out." "I would be happy to," Kellen said as he stepped up beside me and ushered them out."Well, Lance," Xander said, smiling as he slapped me on the back, "although I haven't known you long, every time I see you is always an adventure."I laughed, giving him a man handshake. "That it is, but I can tell you that I'm looking forward to sharing some quieter times, my friend."Xander laughed. "You and I both." "Well, we really must go," Elias interjected. "Please tell Dr. Ryan and your wife that I will be here in the morning to begin work."I nodded. "I will, but I'm afraid that it will be just you and Dr. Ryan, but if you need any assistance, I will be here, so just let me know.""Well, one thing I know, we'll need is a guinea pig; someone to test the serum on," Elias replied, and then asked, "Do you happen to know anyone who may be interested in helping us to test the cure?"I nodded, not telling them who. "There are plenty
When she saw how relaxed we all were, even Adeline joined in the fun. "I'll clean this up in the morning when I come," she said, laughing.I laughed. "No need. I'll have the cleaning crew take care of it in the morning," I said, taking Jase into my arms. "As long as you all are happy, we can always clean the house.""I'm glad to hear you say that," Leila said, and then threw another piece of popcorn at me as everyone laughed. Jase laughed, too, within my arms. "Mommy funny!""Oh, yeah?" I asked, tickling his belly as he laughed. Then, I leaned down and blew on his neck, making a loud noise as he squirmed within my arms."Well, I think that's our cue," Amy said, and then looked over at Adeline. "Shall we?"Adeline nodded as she got to her feet, laughing. "I'll be here in the morning," she said to me. I nodded. "Thanks, Adeline," I said, then added, "but no more popcorn fights for a while, okay?""Hey, you started it," Leila corrected.I laughed. "Actually, Amy started it, but
He picked up on the first ring. "Hey, Lance, what's up? Is everything all right with your wife?" he asked as concern filled his voice.I took a deep breath. "Actually, that's why I'm calling," I said, pausing for a moment, wondering how to ask, but thought that the direct approach was best. "Do you think that Kalyssa could come over and sit with Leila for a while? I'm going to be helping Elias and Amy today."There was silence at the other end, and then Xander came back on. "You're going to help them to create the cure for vampirism?"Lance nodded, even though Xander couldn't see me at the other end of the phone. "Yes."Xander took a worried breath. "You're not volunteering to be their test subject, are you?""Xander, please " I said, ignoring his comment."Lance, Elias said that if you take the cure and become human, then you can never go back," he said. "Just make sure that it's what you want first." "Listen, can Kalyssa come over to sit with Leila for a few hours today or no
She took a deep breath. "Then, let's do it," Amy said, picking up a syringe. "Lance, the way that the cure works is much like the Sunlight Serum. You'll need a series of shots. With each shot, the transition should take you closer to becoming human. Theoretically, it will take approximately three shots for the transformation to be complete. However, if you fail to take the last injection, then your body will revert back to its vampire state. But if you complete the third shot and everything goes well, then your body will complete the transformation and you will be completely human. Do you understand?"I nodded. "What happens if I take the last shot and I'm still not human?" I asked, intrigued. Amy thought for a moment. "Then, you may need another shot to help complete the process. But you must understand that these shots will work directly with your DNA. Therefore, there is a fine balance. If by some chance, we give you too much too soon, then your body will age quickly to your orig
Amy waited patiently, and then asked, "How are you feeling now?"I nodded. "Better," I said as I straightened. Then, I noticed something different about my body. "I'm starting to feel different somehow.""Here," Elias said. "Give me your hand."I did as he asked and he cut the palm of my hand with a knife. "Man! That hurt!" I said, unable to believe it. Normally, a cut on the hand would have tinged a bit, but would not have actually hurt."Look!" Elias said. "It's not healing!""You mean I'm becoming human?" I asked."You aren't fully human yet, but it definitely means that we're on the right track," Amy said. "We'll need to observe you to see how long these affects last."I nodded in agreement. "How long do you need me to stay?"Amy sighed. "At least until you're no longer in pain."Elias did something odd. He leaned over and inhaled deeply. "Dr. Ryan, his scent is changing, too."She nodded. "He's becoming human, although he isn't completely human yet." Amy then examined me