Page 10 of Thicker than Blood

“Then you gotta step up. You’re the head researcher for a reason. If anyone can handle Elias Caswell, it’s you.”

“I wish I had your confidence.”

He playfully punches my arm. “You can borrow some. Ooh, maybe he’s poly and we can tag team him.”

All I can do is laugh in response. “No one is fucking the vampires. It’s against the rules.”

“Oh right. I forgot you’re a Boy Scout when it comes to these rules.”

“They exist for a reason and keep us safe.”

“Even though we’ve debunked the need for several of them.”

“I know.” I chew on my bottom lip for a second, knowing I can trust Enyo with my next thought. “You know what? This is an opportunity to try my compulsion vaccine on a live subject.”

“You?”

I nod. “Why not me? If I can determine that Elias can be trusted, then I could run a test.”

“Perilous.” Enyo nods. “But I like it.”

“What’s the worst that can happen? It doesn’t work and he makes me do something against my will?”

“That sounds pretty worst-case scenario to me.”

“I guess it does.”

“Oh.” Enyo scrunches his nose. “He could kill you. That’s pretty bad.”

“To say the least.”

The lab doors open and Meredith enters, trailed by a nervous looking Luci. Meredith’s in all-business mode, which means something else happened. Super.

“Oh good, you’re here too, Enyo,” Meredith says. “There’s news.”

I nod, bracing myself.

“The attacks are isolated to our greater metro area,” she says. “We’ve been targeted specifically. I’d like you to see what you can find out from Elias.”

My jaw tenses. That’s the response I was nervous about because it gives me a path to break protocols big time.

“Excellent timing then,” Enyo says, nudging my arm with his.

“Why is that?” Meredith asks.

I clear my throat. “Elias Caswell just called. He volunteered to work with us.”

Meredith nods while Luci looks surprised.

“Interesting,” Meredith says.

“That’s what I thought. He seems genuine in his offer, but can we trust that he’s really on our side?”

“I think we’re in a situation where we have to go with our guts. He does have a vested interest in keeping things the way they are. Maybe that’s enough reason to trust him.”

“Good point,” Enyo says. “Vampires are notorious for protecting their own interests.”

“Honestly, I don’t think a man like Elias would need to pretend to work with us if his goal was nefarious,” Luci says. “He’s considered the most powerful vampire in existence. My underworld informant tells me those loyal to Elias are veryconcerned that some vamps went behind his back. He doesn’t take betrayal lightly. I think he’s legit.”

---