Page 81 of Hunters and Hydrangeas

“Yes, just be patient.Anyway. Gerald—he’s a nice guy. And generally pretty even keel. But he went berserk.”

“What did he do?”

“Went vampire on her boyfriend—bled him dry and then snapped his neck. Bloodeverywhere.”

“Get to thepoint, Alfred,” Noah says harshly.

“Okay.” The vampire holds up his hands. “No more visuals. You’re squeamish. I got it. This woman, she takes one look at Gerald, and it was love at first sight. You know how women feel about vampires.” He wags his eyebrows. “The craze hadn’teven gotten started yet, but let me tell you. Those two became inseparable. Gerald was on his way to making her a vampire, but guess what—in a nasty twist of fate, she found out she was pregnant.”

“Vampires are sterile,” Cassian says.

“Correct! But Gerald wasn’t the dad. It was her ex-boyfriend, the man Gerald put in the ground.”

“I still don’t see where you’re going with this,” Cassian says.

“Hang tight—I’m almost there.” Alfred finishes off his martini and sets the empty glass on the low table next to him. “Okay, so she’s pregnant, which means they have to wait for that final bite until after the baby’s born.”

“Why?” I ask.

Noah turns to me. “The virus will kill the fetus.”

“Yikes.”

“Yes, exactly,” Alfred says. “But Gerald is a stand-up guy. He was like, ‘You know what? I love you, and I’m going to love this little guy. He’s a gift. We’ll wait till he’s born to change you, and when he’s old enough, we’ll change him too.’”

“Just like your parents,” I can’t help but say.

“That was the plan anyway—probably the inspiration, too.” He winces. “But his girl and her baby ended up dying during childbirth. Fluke thing. No one saw it coming.”

“Okay, you’ve given us his villain backstory,” Cassian says. “But youstillhaven’t gotten to the point.”

“He was a wreck for a good six months. Finally, he got it together and went to NIHA. He said he was going to experiment with the virus and see if he could use it to create a stable life enhancer without the side effects. Something he could have given his girlfriend while she was pregnant.” He pauses. “The Cure All.”

Cassian curses, apparently knowing where this is going.

Alfred continues, “Duncan was consulted, and ultimately, he turned it down.”

“There are a dozen reasons why a mutated form of the virus is a bad idea,” Cassian says passionately. “Gerald is a scientist—of all people, he should know that.”

“You were on the panel the archduke consulted.” Alfred points at him. “Many claim you’re the reason Duncan rejected it.”

“Iwas.” Cassian smacks his thigh, growling. “And I stand by that decision. I’m sorry for what happened to Gerald, but we need to eradicate the virus, not mutate it. If this hypothetical drug were to enter the scene, I can’t even begin to imagine what kind of effects it would have on the population. Do you realize that about sixty million people around the world die in a year? Multiply that by ten years. Twenty years. Fifty. Now imagine if they didn’t. The Earth can’t sustain those numbers.”

Alfred presses his lips into a thin line, studying Cassian. “You’re not a lot of fun at a party. Are you sure you don’t want a drink? I promise I won’t spike it.”

Cassian sighs, frustrated. “So that’s it then—Gerald is holding me responsible for thwarting his research?”

“No—I mean, probably.” Alfred chuckles. “But that’s not his motivation. He’s working with another house because they agreed to approve his research should they take the throne.”

“Gerald is heading up the illegal research centers Sophia has been contributing to,” Cassian says, looking angry as heck. “Isn’t he?”

“Correct!” Alfred reaches forward, pressing an imaginary button like we’re playing a game show.

“Did you even kidnap her, or is she working with you?” Noah demands.

Alfred rubs the side of his neck, avoiding eye contact. “Kidnap is a strong word.”

“Alfred.”

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