Page 42 of Cold Heir

Listening to him speak, I was swept away by his words, visualizing everything as he shared it all freely.

“Needless to say, that all changed around eighteen or so. Give or take. That was when my father took a sudden interest in my social life, declaring that the time between then, and when I hit twenty—a couple of years ago—as his chance to groom me to fill his seat.”

“Did that suck as bad as it sounds like it did?” I asked.

Silas let out a gentle laugh that made me breathe deeply. “Not so much. It was mostly just a crash course of the do’s and don’ts of being in the public eye. Seeing as how I wasn’t exactly the poster child for recklessness, he knew he didn’t have much to worry about.”

Until now.

Hearing how normal his life had been before this made me curious.

“So, how have your parents reacted to news of the blood bond?” I had to ask.

He was thoughtful for a moment.

“Honestly, there wasn’t as much fallout as you might think. Especially with you having seen firsthand how Emperor Westower reacted. I was simply told to be mindful that I was raised to be a man of my word, and whatever I chose to commit to, it was my responsibility to see it through. My mother, however—because she’s chosen not to side with the half of the population who doesn’t quite buy what we’re doing here—has only acknowledged how honorable she thinks my choice has been.”

That warmed my heart, hearing her acceptance of his decision.

“Youarehonorable,” I nearly sang, somewhat in awe of him as an individual. It seemed impossible to find someone so pure at heart.

My declaration seemed to affect him when his gaze lowered with a smile.

“Don’t you believe that?” I asked.

His shoulders lifted with a casual shrug. “I’ve never really considered it,” he confessed, not realizing the response only drove my point home further. “With a lifetime of dealing in facts and figures under my belt, I suppose I’ve learned to operate that way as well. I don’t generally do things with some long-term goal in mind—which some might argue is rather reckless—but I’ve learned to simply go with what makes moral sense to me in the moment.”

“Your mom sounds like a wise woman,” I stated confidently. She seemed to know her son well.

“She is,” Silas confirmed.

“Are they worried about the blood sickness?” I asked thoughtfully, referencing his parents.

“Not so much about their personal supply, but there is great concern for the rest of our Quadrant.”

From what I could tell, the blood distributed to monarchs, and other high-ranking Ianites, was more heavily regulated than that of the general population. Although, that didn’t’ necessarily make them safe.

There was an odd, conflicting pang within me. Having only ever been an advocate forspreadingthe sickness, I was at a loss for what to say to Silas in return. However, with my views on the need for there to be a drastic change soon, I quenched the guilt that arose.

“I have high hopes we’ll reach a viable solution in the near future, though,” he shared, piquing my interest. “I believe we can use the formula that’s been developed so far as a base for something altogether different,” he proposed, “an alternate solution that will suit humans and Ianites alike. Actually, I’ve already discussed the possibility with your team.”

Now I understood. This all tied in with the conversation Liv and I had before dinner, the proposition I shot down almost right away because it had bad idea written all over it. Still, that was only because I cared about her and the team, and couldn’t bear the thought of them doing something reckless on my behalf.

“What’s your idea?” There wasn’t much I could do about the heavy skepticism within my tone. It was real. It was honest.

“Well,” Silas sighed, “I won’t bore you with the science behind the theory, but the plan is to develop asecondaryvirus that can be administered as a vaccine. One that will allow me to remove the aspect of theoriginalstrain, which creates the dependency on human blood. Meanwhile, I might be able to preserve the more favorable traits it produces—speed, strength, immortality—all the things that most would argue have been the positives about becoming what we are.”

“And you really think this can be achieved? You really think it could change things?”

He didn’t rush to give an answer. Instead, he lent real thought to a response.

“I do. And over time, it’s possible I can take it a step further, but I need to do more research.”

His idea could possibly remove the dynamic between his people and mine. What made humans subject to harsh treatment, enslavement. However, it did nothing to even the playing field between their kind and ours. It was a place to start, though.

It was enough to convince me it was worth a try.

“What do you need to get this thing going?”

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