Page 85 of How to Entice a Fiend

Rylee is extremely pleased.

“So… say we… end up in a situation with Abel again…” Finn starts. “If we have the drug to kill him… would that be so bad?”

“You think we should have Mads make it?” Marcus asks. “Your antidote works with the drug… is it a drug? What exactly is it?”

“It’s a powder that kills instantly when inhaled or ingested by a vampire. The antidote works best for the ammunition since it’s slow acting. The powder is basically the raw form, whereas the bullets use a diluted version which Grady knows how to make. The diluted kind is only lethal when injectedintothe body because it’s not as potent. But with the powder I created, vampires end up breathing it in, getting it in their mouth or nose; even though they don’thaveto breathe, it’s an automaticresponse. It’s extremely toxic to vampires and leaves no time for an antidote unless someone is with them who administers it, but even that isn’t a guarantee. The only guarantee is if the antidote is given beforehand.”

“You said that it can mess with the healing abilities of a vampire? If the powder is toxic enough to kill instantly, why does that part matter?”

“If they can heal, they can survive it. That’s what the antidote does. It doesn’t counteract the toxins, but instead the inability to heal,” I explain. “What I’m saying is that I can create the powder to kill them,butif it gets out in a roomful of vampires, pretty much everyone dies. The only one who’d be safe from it would be Finn. We could give the drug to Finn in case he’s ever in a situation to use it on a vampire, but any of the rest of us using it would either have to inject ourselves with the antidote and then immediately use the powder to kill the vampiresormake sure there’s no way we’d possibly inhale or ingest it.”

“What does the antidote do to humans?” Marcus asks.

“I have no idea. I’ve never tested it. I don’t think it’d be good for them, but they wouldn’t need it since they wouldn’t be harmed,” I say. “Finn would be safe.”

Marcus’s hands tighten on the steering wheel as I think about his reaction.

“Is there a reason Finn might not be safe?” I ask curiously. “Oh wait. Is this because of the traces of vampire blood the council found out about?”

“It is. I guess we’re just… uncertain how my body would react to something like this poison and antidote.”

“But you don’t need to consume blood?”

“No.”

“You’re no faster or stronger?”

“Not really… I can… judge things quite quickly. Like I can pinpoint where to shoot a moving vampire, that type of thing.But I wouldn’t consider myself any faster. If you see me run, you’ll understand that I’m definitely not faster.”

I think about it for a long moment. “That’s fascinating. I would love to dissect you.”

“Stop trying to dissect people,” Ender chides.

“I would very much rather not be dissected, thank you,” Finn says.

Why does everyone want to ruin my fun? “I wouldn’t like murder you to do it. Just a mild dissection. Take some hair, blood, flesh, that kind of thing. Ender already let me cut him open and dig around and he didn’t whine too much.”

“I was half dead. I didn’t have the energy to whine.”

“See? He loved it.”

“Sounds like it,” Finn says as Marcus pulls up to the university. “I sure hope we’re not being followed so they figure out what we’re doing.”

“It’s hard to tell,” Marcus responds. “But I wouldn’t be surprised. I hope they have what you need.”

“Me too,” I say as I follow him inside.

He marches up to the office and flashes his badge. “We need your chemistry lab.”

“What for?” the older lady asks as she eyes his badge. She even puts her reading glasses on to check it over.

“Does it matter?” Marcus growls, and I can guarantee the growl gets him what he wants ninety-nine percent of the time. I have the odd idea that the only one it doesn’t scare off is Finn… and this woman sitting right here.

“Sure does,” she says as she gives him a “fight me” look. Like Marcus is going to have to brawl this elderly lady to get what he wants.

Before Marcus has to defend himself or beat her up, the door opens and a middle-aged woman comes out.

“Oh! You’re from the VRC, correct? I’m the university president; I just got off the phone with your superior. He filled me in on what’s going on, and I told him I would be happy to help. Right this way, right this way.”

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