Page 77 of Risking Immortality

“I’m working on it. But, Amelia, this is good, this is progress.”

“In what universe? All we have are more questions?” I seethe. I’m so tired of this shit.

“We have more information. Anya’s blood is a mix of her own and Barty’s.” Dr. Mendhi watches us with delight as both Erin and I try to figure out what it means.

“I don’t understand,” I admit finally.

“Erin, may I take a sample of your blood? To prove my theory, I need to look at yours under a microscope.”

“Of course. Can we do it now?”

“Yes, absolutely. I have the equipment.” They are rabbiting on and I’m still trying to figure out what the hell it means. How in the world does Anya have a mix of human and vampire blood?

I watch silently as Dr. Mendhi draws Erin’s blood. Thinking he’s going to pop it in a test tube and file it away in his briefcase, I’m surprised to see him pull out a microscope from his kit. Bustling over to my father’s desk, the doctor wastes no time clearing a space and getting to work.

Erin is gripping my hand tight. We wait for what seems like hours as the doctor hems and haws, as he selects different magnifications. I’m almost bursting at the seams when he finally turns around.

“It’s interesting.” Interesting! Interesting, is that it? Erin’s hand squeezes me again. She can feel my anxiety and ire reaching its boiling point. “Erin, your blood is still human.” I feel her deflation. “However, it has been marked by vampire blood.”

“What the fucking hell does that mean?” I cry, making the doctor jump.

“My love,” Erin coos. “Sit and listen.” She then nods for the doctor to continue.

“At some point, you have come in contact with vampire blood. Not just on your skin, mind you, no, you would have ingested it.”

We look at each other for a second, trying to figure out when the hell Erin ingested vampire blood. A look of realization overtakes her face. “When Amelia collapsed on my birthday. I kissed her after she coughed up blood.”

“Yes!” Dr. Mendhi exclaims. “Yes, that would explain it.”

“But what does that mean?” I ask calmly. I’m doing my level best to rein in my true feelings.

“I believe Anya had a similar thing happen to her. It’s my theory that Anya ingested Barty’s blood before they mated. As the bonding took hold, the dormant vampire blood in her system fused together the moment their souls did. I think this is what turned Anya.”

“So, you think the moment Erin ingested my blood, it lay in wait until we bonded? But if that were the case, why isn’t it a true mix? You said she’s still human.”

“I think the change will happen on her birthday.”

“Like Anya,” Erin says.

“Yes.”

“But you can’t be sure,” I ask, to be clear.

“No, but I think it’s the closest we’ve come to an actual answer.”

“And yet it still comes down to us waiting,” I sigh.

“Dr. Mendhi, would you give us a few minutes? Maybe you could fill in the rest of the family for us.”

The moment the doctor is out of sight, Erin takes me into her arms. “Amelia, this is good news.”

“It’s more guesswork,” I croak.

“It’s not guesswork. Anya’s blood is proof. My blood is proof that we are close to an answer.”

“But what if we take this at face value and it doesn’t play out that way on your birthday?”

“What if an asteroid falls from the sky? What if we enter World War III? Amelia, we can’t answer everything, but we can sure as hell hang on to the good news we’ve just been given. I know it’s hard and you’re struggling—”

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