Kate shook her head. “Not like this. Not half of what I was. Half of what he could’ve loved but never did.” She picked up the discarded stick and began to trace a fierce outline of a lion into the dirt. “Though, I did think, I mean, what the heck. How about one night, you know?”
Emma huffed out a laugh. “One night with Jordan? Before you leave?”
“Yeah. You know. Just a night of great sex—no mating. Something to keep me warm forever.” A dark blush competed with the sleepless circles on Katie’s face.
More laughter bubbled up and Emma let it loose. “That was my plan, too.” She sucked in air and fought the tears of hilarity that welled up. “One time. Just one night with Dage.” She wiped her eyes.
Katie pressed her head back against the tree. “I take it your plan didn’t work out quite that way?”
“Um, no.” Emma shook her head and sighed. “You let a guy like that under your skin, into your heart, and once is never enough.” She kicked a pebble. “There’s never enough.” His blood flowed through her veins and her heart beat in tempo with his.
Dust billowed when Katie tossed the stick back down. “Yeah. You probably think I’m pretty stupid, huh?”
“No.” Emma leaned back against her tree. “I think you’re human. Lost and searching like the rest of us.”
“That sucks. And ... neither you nor I are human, Emma.”
She hadn’t truly let herself consider that fact. “Katie, what about my vision? I told you about seeing you running through some alley, angry and scared.”
“Yeah, you did.” Tawny eyes sparkled for a moment. “I’m not worried, Emma. Even without the ability to shift, I’m a hell of a fighter. If someone chooses to chase me through an alley, they’re going to get hurt.”
Emma smiled. “Katie, I need you here for now. I need your blood to keep an eye on the progression of the virus.” She cleared her throat. “I also want to learn to fight—if you wouldn’t mind giving me a few lessons.” The karate classes she’d taken in college seemed so far in the past.
Katie sighed. “I’d be happy to teach you self-defense.” She stood, brushing off her jeans. “Okay. I’ll stay for a while, but when the time comes, I want the injection. And when I need to leave, I’m gone.”
Emma nodded, pushing to her feet. “I’ll help you, Katie. You know I will.” God help them both.
Chapter 16
Sighing, Emma fought the urge to toss the computer printout to the tiled floor of the small lab. Dage had been gone for hours and she’d thrown herself into the research to keep from thinking. Bleach and the odd scent of rubber filled the quiet space. “The AC21 sample does nothing to the virus.” On paper, calculations showed the concoction would break down the proteins in the virus and demolish the little sucker. And it did in a test tube. But take the same virus attached to a chromosome and the little bastard seemed impenetrable. Damn it. If she had to put on the damn sterile rubber suit one more time today, she’d go nuts.
Kane rubbed a hand over his eyes, his charts spread across the table. “Did you try the sample on the virus or the catalyst?” He stood and stretched his back.
“Both.” The sample was close to the new cancer treatment that infected chromosomes and defeated the cancer cells. “We’re running out of samples of the catalyst. We’ll need Maggie to give more blood.” Of course, her blood could already have transformed the virus into something unique to wolf shifters. Or werewolves.
Kane glanced at his watch, then back up. “Whose blood is in that vial?” He pointed to a sample set in a tray. “And why is it in this lab and not in the clean labs?”
“It’s my blood and I’m not infected, so there’s no need to keep it in the clean lab.” Emma frowned. She’d taken her own sample an hour ago, maybe she should draw another vial. She eyed the hammer sitting on the edge of the counter.
Kane raised an eyebrow and followed her gaze. “Er, okay. Are you afraid you’ve been infected?”
“What?” Emma turned to face him. “Oh, no. I’ve been taking samples since Dage marked me.” A flush warmed her chest and slid like a river north to heat her cheeks.
“Oh. Forever the scientist, huh?” Kane grinned.
“Yes. Changing me from a human with twenty-three chromosomes to a near immortal with twenty-seven is amazing.” Her mind still boggled when she considered the genetics involved. “I don’t know where the science could lead us, but keeping accurate records of the process is vital.”
Kane eyed the hammer. “And the weapon?”
Emma bit her lip and shuffled her feet. “I, er, well ...”
Kane let loose with a chuckle. “Please tell me you weren’t planning on harming yourself.” He reached a large boned hand forward and grabbed the hammer to tap against his other palm. The handle disappeared in his large grasp.
“Well ... it’s just that, if I have Dage’s healing abilities, I want to see how the process works.” Man she felt like a dumbass. Her face burned hotter.
“No.” Kane shook his head. “There’s no guarantee you’ll gain all of the same abilities as your mate, Emma.” He tossed the hammer in a drawer where the iron clattered against wood. “Even if you do, it should take some time. Decades even.”
Oh. Well crap. Good thing she’d chickened out before breaking her finger. “So if I broke a bone, it might take the usual amount of time to heal?”
“Yes.” Kane’s smile widened. “I can’t wait to see your and Dage’s sons blow up your kitchen in the name of scientific experimentation.” With a low laugh, he turned back toward his research.
A low hum of pleasure slid through her skin at the thought. Dage’s kids—little silver eyed devils. She shook off the image. “Hey, I’ve been wondering. Why do vampires and Kurjans only procreate males?”
Kane turned back around. “Vamps and Kurjans have an X chromosome and a Z chromosome and only pass on the Z. So, it combines with one of the X chromosomes passed on by a woman, and you end up with an XZ baby, or a vampire. No matter what.”
How odd to know if she and Dage had babies they’d all be little boys. “What about the demons? Are there female demons?”
“Yes there are female demons, but for some reason they’re rare. Only one in five hundred babies born to demons are female.”
Emma stiffened. “Is that on purpose?”
Kane raised both eyebrows. “No. Not at all. Female demon babies are celebrated as something rare and precious.”
Well. That was as it should be. “What’s the science involved?”
Kane rubbed his chin. “Demons have a D chromosome. Demon females have a DX combination and males have a DY, similar to humans.” He grinned. “I wonder if your kids will be as curious about science as you are?”
She shrugged. The genetic implications from the different species truly fascinated her. Thinking of silver eyes, she closed her eyes and tried to reach out. Dage? Can you hear me?
Loud and clear, love.
Are you there yet?
“Yes. Just waiting on Caleb’s men before we go in. I need to concentrate now. Love you. Shields rose like stalagmites to protect his thoughts.
“Humph.” She frowned.
Kane laughed. “I take it the king shut you out?”
Emma swiveled on her chair. “Why do you do that?”
A Kayrs eyebrow rose. “Do what?”
“Call him ‘the king.’ All of you use his title.”
Kane rubbed his chin. “So we don’t forget.” Violet eyes swirled with wisdom. “Because Dage does forget. He jumps in front of each of us, an older brother needing to protect and defend.”
“That’s bad?”