Page 117 of Lucy Undying

This is so heady, so potent even one small bag has me feeling like I’ve been lit on fire. Like I’m alive.

“It feels like your whole body is an orgasm,” the Doctor says bluntly. “I know. I’ve sampled Goldaming blood, out of scientific curiosity. Please focus, though. We have to get off this floor. There’s an elevator, but I can’t get it open on my own. Together, we might stand a chance.”

Beyond the curtain, we’re surrounded by heartbeats. Seven…eight. Eight people. “What about the—”

The Doctor moves faster than I’ve ever seen her. Before I can come out from behind the curtain, there are no more heartbeats.

“Can’t have them tripping an alarm.” She wipes the corner of her mouth, then sweeps her eyes over her carnage. “Wasteful,” she mutters, stepping over the bodies on her way to the elevator.

I join her. I can feel the immovable boundaries of my body. It’s not long before twilight, but not long is still too long. I can’t change form until then, which means moonlight and mist aren’t going to get us out of here.

“Are they keeping Iris in this building?” I ask, examining the door. It’s solid metal. It would take me ages to punch my way through.

“I doubt it, but we can check. Assuming you can get us out of the basement.”

“Put your fingers in the seam. We’ll try pulling together.”

Before we can, the doors slide open with a cheery ding. Inside is a young vampire with silky brunette hair, big brown eyes, and a haunted expression. She’s wearing a security guard uniform, complete with a badge declaring her name Del Toro. “Come on.” She holds the door for us.

“I know you,” I say. “You were the vampire on Iris’s doorstep.” The first one there who was so desperate to get in and stop Dracula.

She nods. “I was following her. I wanted to talk to her. To ask about— It doesn’t matter. I saw what I needed to in the kitchen.” She pushes the button to take us up.

“Why are you helping?” the Doctor asks.

The elevator slows, then stops. Del Toro leads us out. We’re trapped by several inches of clear plastic. But Del Toro solves that, too. She presses her palm to a pad and the sealed door opens. Beyond that is a plain wooden door, and beyond that, we’re free in a hallway leading to a lobby.

“Because,” Del Toro says, “they told me I would be a living god. They told me I would help people. That I was changing lives for the better. But they lied about everything. You tried to save Iris from that monster. They punished you, and whisked him away to safety. That’s who I sold my soul to. I’m not a god, I’m just another vampire. Doesn’t mean I have to be their vampire, though. Good luck.”

She walks back through the wooden door toward the elevator.

“Where are you going?” I ask.

“To help people and change lives for the better. By destroying the lab.” She smiles sadly over her shoulder, then the door closes.

“Come on. There might be alarms,” the Doctor says. We race down the hallway to the main lobby. It’s almost twilight. I can feel it creeping closer, the body around me less like a demand and more like a choice. I flex my fingers, ready. Waiting. I’m going to be unbound, and then everyone in this building will be—

“Everyone on this floor is already dead,” the Doctor says, frowning. “No heartbeats at all.”

“Oh, hi!” The Lover pops up from behind the reception desk. “We found you! Look, I found them!” She points excitedly.

The Queen steps out of a nearby hall, golden blades dripping blood. She nods regally at us.

“More friends of yours?” the Doctor asks.

I could swear she’s jealous, but I don’t have time to feel happy about it. I always knew she loved me, though. “I’m going to check all the floors. Where Iris is, we’ll find Dracula, right? He’s in charge here.”

“Oh no, they took Iris?” The Lover’s eyes get big and sad.

The Doctor answers me. “Dracula’s not in charge.”

“What? But all these vampires smell like him. I thought—”

The Queen shakes her head. “She’s right. That devil could never run a billion-dollar company. All he’s capable of are small, petty intrigues in pursuit of his next conquest. This requires vision. Determination. Clever industriousness. It has to be someone else’s work.”

“The Goldamings,” the Doctor says. “They’re the brains, and also the blood. It’s their blood that hooks people. It gives them a flush of youth and a renewed hunger for life. I could have done such great things if I’d been given the chance.” She looks longingly in the direction of the lab entrance, then shakes her head. “No matter. It’s all meaningless in the end. They only turn the most loyal fools into vampires. I assume that’s where Dracula comes in. He’s their pet plague rat. They’ll be keeping him hidden somewhere. If you get me upstairs, I can find out where he is.”

I want the Doctor’s help, but I want it freely given. I won’t make the mistake I made with Iris. “We’re going to kill Dracula,” I tell her.

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