Page 86 of Act of Brotherhood
Garth stiffened. “What? Are you saying he knows what happened to the kids from the experiment?”
Edee touched Garth’s arm. “Nicolette and Claraarechildren from the experiment. Look…it says so here. Landros knows what happened to nearly all of the children from it. And it looks like he’s the reason the trail went cold. He saw to it the information was hidden and the children were safe.”
Garth didn’t look. He didn’t have to. He already knew the truth. Nicolette was the little girl from long ago. The child he’d worried about for two decades. “Her eyes. I knew I’d seen them before. I kept thinking of the little girl when I looked at her.” Another thought hit him. “Her eyes arejustlike Auberi’s. I noticed it twenty years ago, and I noticed again last week. She’s tall like Auberi and has features similar to his. Odin’s fury, it was right in front of me. The truth was there. I chose not to see it.”
“But she’s not a full vampire,” said Edee, reading the chart. She would understand it all with her science background. “She evidently has a large amount of vampire DNA in her makeup, but not enough to require her to live off blood. Though if I’m reading this right, blood would certainly help her feel better. There is a compound mentioned in here. Some sort of energy mix or drink that has extra vitamins and nourishment that she requires in place of blood.”
Garth’s entire body tightened. “The gray drinks.”
“What?” asked Edee.
“She has something she calls a gray drink that she mentioned making in the blender. Something she told me her uncle helped create.”
Edee glanced at the tablet and nodded. “Yes. This combination would yield something that was gray, and it would be administered orally. Looks like Landros spent a lot of time coming up with the recipe. There are notations in the chart about her suffering from fatigue. This probably helps with that. Her system requires more than normal foods, but it doesn’t need blood.”
Auberi shook his head. “She’s not a slave to the blood needs?”
“No,” said Garth, answering for Edee. “She didn’t need blood the entire time I was with her. You’d have needed to feed over that time. She didn’t. She eats normal foods. Well, if you don’t count the cupcakes.”
Auberi gave him a questioning look.
“Pray you never find out what I’m talking about,” said Garth. He grunted. “She tasted my blood the first night we were together and the next day she made a comment about normally needing a gray drink in the morning for energy, but that she hadn’t craved one.”
Edee eyed him. “I’m guessing even a small amount of your blood would be powerful enough to help her. Makes sense she wouldn’t need the drink if she had you.”
Auberi glared at him. “You dared to bed her?”
Garth knew lying was pointless. “Yes.”
Edee paged through the tablet more. “There are old notes in here that are more than likely from the scientists who did the testing on her to start with when she was born. They noted that she seemed to have a sixth sense. And it says here that she has the power of compulsion with her voice. That they had to drug her to keep her from being able to use it on them. And if this is all right, she’s immune to other vampires influencing her in any way. She’s got Fae in her. So does Landros if this is correct.”
Garth cursed and ran his hands through his hair. “I knew I sensed Fae magik around her. It was faint, but there. Right before I lost control and claimed her, she looked at me and when she spoke to me, I swear I didn’t have a choice but to obey.”
Edee nodded. “Makes sense.”
“You lost control with her?” asked Striker, looking horrified.
“Yes and no. I claimed her, but I didn’t hurt her in any way. I ran and got away from her right before I surrendered to the wolf fully. That was when I saw Grid and then Cody and Wheeler got to me.”
Striker calmed. “Guid. It’s bad enough the lass suffered at the hands of The Corporation. It wouldnae sit well with me if she suffered by the hands of her mate as well. I’d have been forced to kill you, Viking, friend or no.”
Edee reached out towards Striker and touched his arm lightly. “Under all of that hair is a really sweet man.”
Striker grunted. “Do nae be spreading that around, Red.”
She rolled her eyes.
Anger coursed through Garth as he thought about how underfed Nicolette had been long ago. The memory of all of the lab children was seared into his brain. As he thought back to them he remembered the little girl who had made the cup of juice float.
Clara.
He saw the resemblance now from the photos Nicolette had of her friend and the little girl from long ago.
His mind raced with the memory of seeing Nicolette back then. He remembered seeing her stop breathing and thinking she wouldn’t make it. He’d seen her skin blistering and wiping away. He’d heard her heart cease to beat. She’d been so tiny. So helpless. Another thought hit him. He stared at Auberi. “You gave her your blood. You never hesitated. It’s like you knew in your bones that she needed blood to live. And before that, you kissed her forehead and called her something in French.”
“He also lost his shit just like you did,” said Rurik. “He needed to be removed from the scene the same as you back then. I’d never seen a vampire let his demon overtake him before then. It was a sight you don’t forget.
Auberi blinked several times.
