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
As I started toward the penthouse, I realized that this was the first time that I had clowned around with Amy. Since Jase was born, she had been letting her hair down a bit more, and I think that being around a baby had a lot to do with it. If I knew Amy, it probably wouldn't take much to get her to move into the castle permanently. I smiled to myself, making a mental note to ask Lorenzo later if he was available.Channing and Blake were standing outside the front door. "How is everything?" "Fine, sir," Channing said, and Blake gave me a nod of agreement as I passed. "Thanks, men," I said as I opened the front door. From the hallway, it seemed eerily quiet, but when I walked in, Leila was sitting in a chair with her feet curled up under her, laughing at something that Xander had just said. Kalyssa punched him lightly on the arm as he feigned injury, but we all knew better. It was funny that I hadn't heard them out in the hallway. Usually, my vampire hearing picked up the slight
I needed to feed her; I just hoped that my blood was enough. A slight twinge of guilt pulled at my chest, knowing that after I was fully human, I wouldn't be able to feed her my blood to heal her. I made a mental note to start filling blood bags with my blood to save for her. I would speak with Elias about it in the morning. Also, I needed to ask Kellen if he would feed her his blood in the event that I couldn't."If I told you, then it wouldn't be a surprise," I said, smiling as I opened the door. Two vampires wheeled in a cart covered with a white cloth and silver trays. The men entered the room and the smell of Italian herbs and spices filled the room, smelling heavenly. I thanked them, and a moment later, they headed out, but when I opened the door, Amy was standing on the other side. "What? Are you stalking us?"Amy smiled. "I was just about to knock."I laughed. "Get in here. You're just in time."She smiled as she entered the room. She looked over at Leila, who looked over a