Toxic (Venom Series) Book Three Read online

  “With me.”

  “Yes, whatever. With you. She’s under your spell and eating out of the palm of your hand,” I said dryly. “Just how you planned.”

  He grunted. “You sound jealous.”

  “I’m not jealous,” I replied tightly. “But, you do seem to be quite fond of the girl.”

  “I’m fond of the project and nothing more. Obviously, I’m thrilled that we have our next test subject and want to make her comfortable. You should be doing the same thing.”

  “I’m getting her food, aren’t I?”

  He sighed. “Yes, Talia.”

  “It’s Vanessa,” I mumbled. “I’m going to get my name legally changed, by the way.”

  “I know, Vanessa,” he said tiredly. “You’ve already mentioned that more than once.”

  “When are you returning?”

  “After Dr. Shephard gets onto the plane safely.”

  “I don’t see why he has to return to New York, anyway. Can’t he get what he needs in London? With our help there shouldn’t be any problems getting most of what he requires.”

  “He needs the serum and the formula that he created for the embryo. Fast Track.”

  “That’s the Rapid Growth Hormone, isn’t it?”

  “Yes.”

  “I thought he wasn’t going to use it on the first embryo?” I said quickly. Lucian had promised me a baby to raise. If Chelsey became pregnant and everything went as planned, I wouldn’t have much time to care for the child, after it was born. Theoretically, Fast Track would cause it to age at an extraordinary rate. By the time the child was twelve months old, physically it would have already matured into adulthood. At least that’s what had happened to the monkeys that they’d tested the formula on. As far as I was concerned, Fast Track hadn’t gone through enough preliminary trials to even be considered safe. Monkeys and vampires were far from being on the same spectrum. But, Lucian, and his nutty professor, were getting impatient. I had a feeling their impatience would lead to a lot of disappointment and that it would actually take a couple more years to get it right.

  “He wants to move the entire project out here now. It’s a good idea, considering that Aiden and the others will think that we’re back in New York. You know they’ll be looking for the girl.”

  “I don’t know. She’s just a mortal. Slade might forget about her,” I said, although the words sounded weak even to me. Admittedly, I was no longer in love with Slade, but I still felt a pang of jealousy. The blossoming of new love and the giddiness of it all. There had been none of that with Lucian and myself. We’d fallen in love, but it had started out on dismal circumstances, and it wasn’t until we’d been together for several months that I’d realized my feelings for him. Now, we seemed like an old married couple whose sparks had waned over the years. There was still love there, especially on my end, but I wasn’t so sure about Lucian’s devotion to me anymore.

  “I suppose. What about our Lycan sperm donor?”

  “Victor should be arriving as early as tomorrow night.”

  I rolled my eyes. I despised Victor Van Buren. Not only was he a Lycan, but he was a complete asshole. “Are you going to let him have her the traditional way?”

  “Intercourse?”

  “Yes.”

  He was silent for a few seconds. “We didn’t get the funds from Aiden. He’s going to demand some kind of payment.”

  “Knowing Victor, he’s going to demand sex with the girl and a partnership. I still don’t understand why you went to him in particular. He’s such a disgusting swine.”

  “He’s also an Alpha, which will ensure a strong line of offspring.”

  “I hope it’s worth it.”

  “You’re getting the child you’ve always wanted, Vanessa. Tell me that alone isn’t worth it,” he said softly.

  I imagined myself rocking the child in my arms, and singing nursery rhymes. It gave me warm, fuzzy feelings, something I’d been missing for the last century. Even my feelings for Lucian didn’t compare to the longing that I had for a baby of my own. “It is.”

  VANESSA RETURNED A short time later. She handed me a small Take-out container that smelled amazing.

  “What is it?” I asked, inhaling deeply.

  “A steak and cheese sandwich,” she replied and then held up a bottle of water. “And something to wash it down.”

  I smiled. “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome,” she said, sitting down in the chair next to the bed.

  “How long do I have to stay here?” I asked, opening up the white carton.

  “For a while. You really have no other place to go anyway.”

  Thanks for reminding me, I thought sadly. “I know. But, I can’t stay here forever and I feel… fine.”

  “Good.”

  “I’m not going to turn into a vampire, am I?” I asked her. I’d been thinking about it while she’d been gone.

  Her eyes widened. “Not unless you’re bitten three times.”

  “I think I was already bitten twice,” I replied, suddenly remembering that Slade had thought Lucian had bit me.

  “Why is that?” she asked, her eyes narrowing.

  I was afraid to say anything. They’d saved me from the Roamers and I didn’t want to start pointing fingers. Not when I was currently at her mercy and she was obviously in love with Lucian. One minute she was nice to me and then the next, I felt like she wanted to be anywhere but near me. Or maybe she just wanted to rip my throat out and feed. I wasn’t too sure.

  “I don’t know. I must have had a dream or something,” I lied, playing it safe.

  “Did Slade ever draw blood from you?” she asked.

  “Feed? No.”

  “Are you sure? He could have charmed you into forgetting.”

  “No. That’s one thing I’m sure of. Oddly enough, I asked if he’d consider turning me into a vampire, but he wouldn’t,” I replied, thinking back to our conversation in the library.

  “Really? Why wouldn’t he? Did he say?”

  “He said it was a curse.”

  She smiled grimly. “Interesting, considering that he changed Talia into a vampire.”

  “Isn’t that what she wanted?”

  “One of the things…” she said, staring off into space.

  “What happened to her?” I asked before taking a bite of my sandwich.

  Vanessa looked back at me. “She died.”

  “How?”

  “I killed her.”

  “What?” I asked, swallowing wrong.

  She nodded.”

  Coughing, I grabbed the bottle of water, opened it, and took a swig. “Sorry,” I said, clearing my throat. “Did you say that you killed her?”

  “Yes. She turned me into a vampire and then apparently, I drained every last bit of blood from her veins.”

  “Apparently? Don’t you remember?”

  “No. I passed out.”

  She told me the story of how she’d fallen and hit her head and would have bled to death if Talia hadn’t turned her into a vampire.

  “Then, when she offered her blood to me, I… I took everything she had left,” she said.

  “But you don’t remember doing it?”

  “No. Lucian told me about it. He was there when I woke.”

  “Lucian watched it happen?” I asked, confused.

  “No. I mean, I’m not sure. He was there when I woke and showed me her corpse.”

  “Oh.”

  “Talia had once been married to his father. Apparently, he’d been tracking her down.”

  “Why?”

  “My sister was not a good woman, obviously. Lucian believes that she killed his father, who was very wealthy. Once a thief, always a thief, I guess.”

  “Do you really think she was really a murderer?”

  She nodded. “Yes. I believe she definitely had it in her.”

  “So, Lucian was following Talia to seek justice?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did he mean to kill her if given the chan
ce?” I asked, although I couldn’t imagine Lucian harming anyone. He was such a sweet man.

  “I… I don’t know.”

  “He wouldn’t have. Not Lucian. He isn’t a murderer,” I said. “I can tell.”

  “You can, huh?” she asked, smirking. “You think you know him so well?”

  I shrugged. “Sometimes you just know. You know?” I replied, taking another bite of my sandwich.

  She didn’t respond.

  “So, why did you decide to take on your sister’s identity?” I asked.

  “It was Lucian’s idea and wise at the time. I could have gone to prison for murdering my sister, even though it was an accident. I also wanted Slade to believe that I was dead.”

  “Oh.”

  “Plus, she was a wealthy woman. It was easier for me to step into her life then remain in my own.”

  I thought about how heart-broken she must have been at the time, thinking that Slade had deceived her and then losing her sister, even as bad as she was. They were still family. “So, Talia never admitted to you that she deceived Slade into thinking she was you?”

  “No. She said that Slade wanted both of us. I believed him.”

  “So, you’ve spent all of these years hating him because of her lies?”

  “Did she really lie?”

  “Why would Slade lie to me? He had nothing to gain by telling me about the past. He said he loved you and was deceived by Talia. I believed him.”

  She sighed. “I guess I should too, then.”

  “I think you should. From what I gathered, he’d agonized over your death for many, many years.”

  “Hm.”

  “Life is unfair, isn’t it?”

  “More than you could ever know,” she replied softly.

  “I’m beginning to find out.”

  “Yes, you are. Your parents. Slade.”

  I nodded. “We’ve both lost so much. At least you have Lucian in your life.”

  She smiled. “Yes. That’s true. How’s your sandwich, by the way?”

  “It’s very good. Thank you.”

  “It smells good.”

  “You can’t eat mortal food, right?”

  “I can eat nuts and berries if I wanted to. Salad.”

  “Do you miss the way you were, before?”

  “Sometimes.”

  “You were a teacher, weren’t you?”

  She nodded.

  “Slade said that you adored being a teacher. It must have been so hard. Giving that up.”

  Her eyes filled with tears. “More than you can imagine. I loved my students. They meant the world to me.”

  “I bet that you were a wonderful teacher,” I replied softly. Her story was so tragic. She’d had her heart broken and then was forced into a lifestyle without having any say.

  “Thank you,” she said, looking down at her hands. “I liked to think so.”

  “Did you want to be a mother?” I asked and then wished I could take the words back. Obviously, she loved children. Why wouldn’t she?

  “Yes. I wanted to get married and have children of my own. Lots of them. Of course,” she grunted, “that didn’t happen.”

  “Because you’re a vampire?”

  “Yes.”

  “Couldn’t you have adopted?”

  She laughed bitterly. “Adopt? Oh, if it were that easy.”

  “Why wouldn’t it be?”

  Her face became serious. “I’m a vampire. A mortal child wouldn’t be safe under my care.”

  “Oh yeah. There’s that,” I replied, imagining Vanessa holding a baby and wanting to bite it. The thought made me shudder. “And it would be selfish to make a child into a vampire.”

  “Yes. Yes, it would.”

  We sat there for the next several minutes in silence, with me eating and her staring forward, a faraway look in her eyes. I suddenly remembered Aiden mentioning that Torin was supposed to have been arriving.

  “Oh my God.”

  “What is it?”

  “Torin Rylan was supposed to be returning to the castle today,” I said. “You know, Aiden and Liam’s brother?”

  “He’s dead,” she said in a flat tone.

  “Are you sure?”

  “They’re all dead. The Roamers butchered them.”

  I looked down at my half-eaten sandwich and suddenly felt nauseous. “They’re all monsters.”

  “Yes they are and that’s why you’re here. So we can protect you.”

  I looked at her. “If I were a vampire, I wouldn’t need your protection.”

  She looked surprised. “Do you want to become a vampire?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. I hate feeling so… vulnerable.”

  She leaned closer. “If you want to become a vampire, we can help you.”

  “You would?” I replied, frightened but intrigued at the same time. My eyes narrowed. “I thought you didn’t like being one?”

  “I don’t like being one because I can’t have children. Do you want children?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe,” I said, sighing.

  She bit her lower lip. “What if I told you that there might be a way to have both?”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. Dr. Shephard is working on a project that might enable me to have the baby I always wanted. A child that I wouldn’t be tempted to… hurt.”

  “Oh, I hope it works out for you,” I said, smiling at her sincerely. “You deserve it.”

  She smiled. “Thank you.”

  “Would they reanimate your eggs?”

  “Reanimate?”

  I grinned. “Sorry. I probably have watched too many science fiction movies.”

  “No, they wouldn’t be able to reanimate anything. We’d get a surrogate mother.”

  “A surrogate mother? A mortal or a vampire?”

  “One that’s in between.”

  “Oh.”

  “I know it sounds confusing. I’m talking about a girl who’s willing to be a surrogate and willing to become a vampire.”

  “Are there girls out there who’d want to do both?” I asked, surprised.

  “We’ve met some. Yes.”

  “Have they tried testing the theory out yet?”

  “A few times. They’re still trying to iron out the kinks. We’re almost there yet.”

  “Well, good luck.”

  “Thank you.”

  Thinking about what she’d said, I finished the rest of my sandwich in silence. When I was finished, she threw the carton away for me.

  “So, are you really interested in becoming a vampire?” she asked, walking back over to me.

  “I don’t know,” I replied. “Maybe.”

  “If you want to pursue it, Lucian or I will be happy to help you out. Just think – you wouldn’t have to worry about the Roamers. Just like you said.”

  “Would I be strong enough to go after Faye myself?”

  “I don’t know but you’d be able to defend yourself in an attack. Right now, as it stands, if she caught you, it wouldn’t take much to kill you.”

  “Is she still looking for me?”

  She nodded.

  I let out a ragged sigh. “Why does she hate me so much?”

  “It might not be about hating you. Faye Dunbar doesn’t like to leave any rocks unturned. Once she sets out to kill you, she won’t rest until she does. That’s why you might want to consider becoming one of us. Eventually, you’ll be on your own. A sitting-duck.”

  “Maybe I should do it, then,” I said, giving it a serious thought.

  “Once you become a vampire, you could hone your skills until you were strong enough to become a worthy opponent. Then you could seek vengeance against her. Hell, you might be able to enlist the help of other vampires. She has made a lot of enemies, both in America and overseas.”

  “Good to know,” I said, imaging the possibilities. I’d never been much of a fighter, but the thought of striking back at her put a fire in my belly.

  “The only way you can do that is to become
one of us,” said Vanessa.

  I frowned. I was so torn. It was frightening but also intriguing. It would solve many of my problems. I also understood that it would create new ones.

  “You don’t have to make a decision right away. Give it some thought,” she replied. “In the meantime, I’m going to make a couple of phone calls.”

  “Okay.”

  She nodded toward the television. “You can watch television, if you’d like. The remote control is right there, on the nightstand.”

  Grabbing the remote control, I wondered if there would be coverage on what happened at the castle.

  As if she could read my mind, she said, “You probably won’t find anything about the massacre, at Rylan Castle, on television. Immortals traditionally clean up their messes, to avoid any kind of investigation. I know that Faye would have made sure nothing led back to her or the Roamers.”

  “I’m sure you’re right,” I replied, thinking about how her crew had butchered and then dumped my family into Shore Lake. When that hadn’t been enough, they’d showed up in Dublin to finish what they’d started. I was still alive, though, so she wasn’t finished.

  But, neither was I.

  “Vanessa?” I said, as she walked toward the doorway.

  Vanessa turned around. “Yes?”

  I took a deep breath. “I want it.”

  Her eyes widened. “You want to become a vampire?”

  “Yes.”

  She smiled. “It’s a wise choice. You have to protect yourself, especially now that you know of our world and… we know of you.”

  Her words gave me the chills. If I didn’t do something about it now, I’d be in hiding for the rest of my life. As a vampire, I’d be hiding, but I wouldn’t be as vulnerable. I would also have a better chance at avenging the deaths of my family, my friends, and the man who might have very well been, the love of my life

  “I agree.”

  Her smile was radiant. “You’re making the right choice.”

  WHEN I REACHED the airport, I called Bradan and told him what was happening.

  “That bastard,” he muttered. “It sounds like something he’d pull.”

  “Do you know him?”

  “Not personally, but I’ve heard plenty of stories.”

  “They were obviously true,” I replied, walking quickly over to the terminal information.