“What do you make of it?” Drake studied the printout.
“We think it’s a synthesized antigen,” Nadia said. “Probably one with mutagenic properties.”
Drake waited, but the scientists remained silent, leaving her to work it through herself. From what little of the evolutionary history of the Praetern species had been made public, she knew Weres, Vampires, and humans had diverged very early in primate development—resulting in similarities in form but vast differences in function. Were fever was a toxic reaction to silver that produced rapid systemic cellular death. That level of destruction usually indicated disruption of critical subcellular functions. The most important job of a cell was the production of energy to sustain life, and the mitochondria were the powerhouses doing the work. Mitochondria also carried DNA, the genetic maps to any number of critical biological functions.
“The Were genes are in the mitochondria, aren’t they?” Drake said. “And mitochondrial DNA is only passed from the mother, which means only a Were female can produce Were offspring.” The Revniks neither confirmed nor denied, but they didn’t have to.
Everything was so much clearer now. Drake remembered Sylvan’s fury with the adolescent males for taking Misha out of the Compound and failing to protect her. Every female Were, and only the female Weres, carried the genetic material to preserve and propagate the species.
“This antigen you’ve isolated,” Drake said, “it targets mitochondria, but for some reason mine mutated instead of destructing.”
“That’s our present conclusion, yes,” Nadia said.
“But if someone is synthesizing this compound, why?” Drake looked from Sophia to her parents. “Surely they’re not trying to create Weres? Isn’t it more likely they’re trying to produce a chemical weapon against Weres?”
“Either is possible,” Nadia said. “The only thing we can be certain of right now is that all the evidence indicates this agent is almost uniformly fatal in humans. You seem to be the exception.”
“Maybe,” Drake said hollowly. “Maybe the degenerative process is just delayed.”
“No,” Leo said. “We ran your mitochondrial DNA from the muscle biopsies. Your profiles are indistinguishable from native Were DNA.”
Drake’s heart leapt.
“Normal?”
“Structurally, yes. Whether all those gene sites are active remains to be seen.”
“You mean, whether I’ll be able to shift,” Drake said.
Sophia shook her head. “You already have shifted.”
“Yes,” Drake said, “when Sylvan forced me to.”
Nadia Revnik sat forward.
“The Alpha forced you to shift?”
“Yes.” Drake flushed. “That’s when I bit her and she shifted too.”
Nadia cast her husband a worried look.
“What? Isn’t it normal for Sylvan to be able to force a Were to shift?”
“Yes,” Nadia said, “but you were still in the throes of fever. And you bit her.”
Drake’s heart twisted. “You think I might have transferred something dangerous to Sylvan? That this toxin could hurt her?”
“We don’t know. We might be able to tell more from your progenitor cells—to determine just how complete, and stable, a mutation has occurred,” Nadia said.
“Anything. Do it.”
“We’d like permission to do both bone marrow and laparoscopic ovarian biopsies,” Leo said.
“Yes, of course,” Drake said immediately. “We should do it now. Do you have the equipment here?”
“Wait,” Sophia said. “We can’t do procedures of that magnitude without discussing it with the Alpha.”
“Yes, we can,” Drake insisted. “You have my permission, and we need this information.” She turned and took Sophia’s hands. “And we need to know. We need to know for Sylvan’s sake. Please.” Sophia hesitated, then nodded.
“Before we do anything,” Nadia said, “the Alpha wants to speak with Sophia. Her imperator called here a few minutes ago looking for her.”
“I’ll call her now,” Sophia said, rising. “May I use your office, Mother?”
“Don’t you have your cell phone?” Drake asked.
“They don’t work in this building,” Sophia said. “Radio transmissions are blocked for security reasons. Only the land lines function.” She paused. “You can come with me if you want to speak with her.”
Drake wanted to hear Sylvan’s voice almost as much as she wanted to see her, touch her. “No. I want your parents to harvest the specimens now. Tell Sylvan…tell her I’m all right. But don’t tell her about the biopsies. I’ll take responsibility for this. I need to know if I’ve hurt her.”
“She’ll be angry.” Sophia glanced at her parents. “With all of us. You must scent what Drake is.”
Leo said, “She is the Alpha’s mate.”
“No.” Drake shot to her feet. “No, I’m not. And if there’s the slightest possibility I’m a danger to her, I can’t go back to the Compound. I can’t see her again. Ever.”
Niki’s cell rang as she climbed out of the Rover in front of Jody Gates’s townhouse on State Street.
“Kroff,” Niki said.
“It’s Sophia. My parents said the Alpha was looking for me.”
“Are you all right?” Niki asked.
“Yes, I’m fine. Why?”
“You and Drake haven’t tangled. She hasn’t touched you?”
“What?” Sylvia exclaimed. “No! Of course not.”
“Just be careful,” Niki snapped. She caught up to Sylvan and held out the phone. “Alpha, I have Sophia.”
Sylvan paused on the steps and took the phone. “Is Drake still with you?”
“Yes, Alpha. She’s…with my parents right now.”
“How is she?”
“She seems fine.”
“I want her back at the Compound now, and I want Elena to check her as soon as she returns. I won’t be long.” Sophia was silent.
“Sophia?” Sylvan growled.
“I don’t know if she wants to go back to the Compound, Alpha.”
“She doesn’t know what’s best for her right now. I want her somewhere safe.”
“I understand, but—”
“Never mind, keep her there. I’ll be there in less than an hour. Tell her I’m coming. Tell her that.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
Sylvan tossed the cell phone back to Niki. “Let’s hear what the Vampire has to say.”
Becca probably should have been intimidated by the group gathered in Jody’s bookcase-lined study, but she was fascinated.
As a group they were intimidating, but as individuals, they were breathtaking. She couldn’t stop staring at the wolf Alpha. She’d seen photos of Sylvan Mir, heard her interviewed on television. She’d expected her to be beautiful and confident. She hadn’t expected her to be so magnetic. So powerful. The Weres with her, male and female, were every bit as stunning—wild and dangerous and wary. The Alpha wore a stylish suit with a sense of studied disregard and the others, in dark military pants and skintight black shirts, looked exactly like the soldiers they were.
Jody was a mesmerizing contrast. Elegant, refined, completely contained. She was a cipher, an enigma—only her endlessly deep obsidian eyes hinted at the restrained lethality she kept so tightly leashed. But Becca knew what deadly power lay beneath her poised exterior. She’d seen the predator uncaged.
Sylvan, with her guards flanking her, stood on one side of the spacious high-ceilinged room, having declined Jody’s offer to sit in the leather sofas and chairs in front of a marble fireplace.
“Something to drink?” Jody asked, indicating an antique sideboard and an array of liquor in cut-crystal bottles.