Blood Legacy Origin of Species (7 page)

“Jason.”

Jason started at his mother’s voice. Susan was standing in the door, aware of her son’s discomfort and dilemma. She would do her best to rescue him, although she herself wanted to run from the staggering power that was in this room.

“Why don’t you go give Edward a hand?” she suggested, having no idea what Edward was doing at the moment.

Jason was torn. Torn between wanting to run away, wanting to retrieve Drake, and wanting to simply stay right where he was. Drake seemed to sense his friend’s quandary and took it upon himself to rescue him. He smiled conspiratorially at Abigail, then let himself to the ground. He ran over to Jason, grabbed his hand, then pulled him from the room. Susan sought to follow them but was arrested by Marilyn’s voice.

“Hello, Dr. Ryerson,” she said smoothly. It was clear from the tone of her voice that since Susan had removed the source of her entertainment, she was required to take its place.

“Marilyn,” Susan said, “Abigail,” she said, turning to the older woman.

“Dr. Ryerson,” Abigail said.

Marilyn let her eyes drift over Susan, noting the same deep flush as her son. Her offspring had been a beautiful human, a beauty that had only been enhanced by her Change. Marilyn had been unable to Change Susan directly because she was far too powerful and her blood would have killed Susan. But Ryan had chosen a young man from Marilyn’s lineage to initiate the transition and Susan clearly bore Marilyn’s mark. Marilyn wondered idly if Susan was strong enough now to survive Sharing with her, and thought she would perhaps explore that option sometime soon.

Susan turned a deep crimson and Abigail smiled to herself. Although Susan was not yet powerful enough to read the thoughts of others, it wasn’t difficult to tell what Marilyn was thinking. She wore everything on her sleeve, especially her desire.

“Dr. Ryerson,” Abigail continued, “perhaps you can tell us more of Ryan’s condition since Edward was less than forthcoming.”

Susan’s senses returned to her. “That’s actually why I’m here. I’m meeting Victor in the great room to update him on my latest progress, and he’s asked that you be there.”

Abigail entered the great room and Victor turned from the fireplace to greet her. He took the hand she presented and kissed it. She bowed slightly in response.

“My king, it is good to see you.”

Victor knew Abigail’s misuse of the title was intentional. “Technically,” he said, “Ryan is still king until she chooses to relinquish the position.”

“Ah,” said Abigail smoothly, “but it is my understanding that if the king is indisposed, another must be appointed, if even on an interim basis.”

“I see we’re going to get right to the point,” Victor said, his jaw clenching.

Marilyn flowed into the room. “And what is the point, Mon Cher?” She did not offer her hand but rather leaned forward and kissed him fully on the mouth. Susan and Edward followed Marilyn in. Edward was unmoved by the open display but Susan blushed profusely. The desire and interplay between the Old Ones always overwhelmed her.

Aeron’s subsequent entrance surprised both Abigail and Marilyn, not because they had not sensed him, but because it was rare for him and Victor to occupy the same space without violence. Victor glanced at him coldly, but nodded. He opened his mouth to reply to Marilyn’s question, but was stopped.

“And would you hold such a reunion without me?” Ryan said drily, her tone of voice indicating she knew full well the reason for such a gathering. She was dressed casually but was no less striking for the simplicity of her clothing.

Abigail’s expression remained neutral. She had become aware of the girl’s presence, but only as Ryan entered the room. It was apparent that none of the Others, not even Victor, had sensed her approach. It also did not appear that Ryan was making any effort at disguising her aura, it just was not visible. Abigail’s eyes narrowed. This was a gift that would bear watching.

Ryan approached Victor, taking his hand and kissing him on the cheek. It was at that moment Abigail noted the injuries to both that indicated mutual combat.

“How are you feeling?” Victor asked, assessing her carefully. She seemed fine.

“I feel normal,” Ryan said. “But,” she added, “that seems subject to a moment’s change.”

Victor smiled grimly as Ryan moved to Susan. In an unusually affectionate gesture, Ryan kissed Susan on the forehead. It was a very gentle acknowledgment that bespoke of Ryan’s current mood. She moved to Aeron, giving him a once-over that bespoke more of their past relationship than her mood.

“My love,” she said, gently sarcastic. She gave him a chaste kiss on the lips and he struggled with the desire that ignited within him. The girl was absolutely ruthless with her sparse affection toward him, causing him endless torment. At one time, he would have taken her to the ground for trifling with him in such a way, or at least wound up in hand-to-hand combat. But now he was not certain of the wisdom of either course of action, although had the Others not been in the room he probably would have pursued one or the other anyway.

Ryan moved on to Edward, taking his hand and bowing slightly. “My friend,” she said simply.

Edward was deeply moved, but he would not presume any familiarity in a public setting. “My lord,” he said firmly. Edward always addressed Ryan in formal masculine form, which somehow did not seem incongruous.

Ryan smiled, and moved on to Marilyn. Although Ryan was exceptionally tall, she was still slightly shy of Marilyn’s height. Ryan also appeared younger than Marilyn, even though physical appearance was no indication of age or power amongst their Kind. This did not stop Marilyn from continually taking advantage of these psychological edges.

“Hello, little one,” Marilyn said, her pleasure evident. She leaned down and gave Ryan a long, languorous kiss. Marilyn’s influence on her was so powerful, Ryan felt her head swim even after centuries of such treatment. Edward finally cleared his throat and Marilyn reluctantly finished the kiss.

Ryan’s jaw clenched, one of the many mannerisms she and Victor shared. She had agreed with Susan that she should not Share with anyone until it was determined safe. But it was already difficult enough being around Victor and Aeron. Adding Marilyn’s constant flirtation to the mix was highly volatile. Ryan turned to the last person in the room.

And then there was Abigail.

The matriarch examined the girl. Outwardly Ryan appeared fine, perhaps just a touch pale. As always, she appeared androgynous as a Renaissance angel, an impossibly ideal physical specimen regardless of sex. The youthfulness of her appearance added to this androgyny because Ryan had been Changed exceedingly young, long before she had matured into an adult woman. The fact that she had lived most of the first 400 years of her life as a man probably added to the illusion.

Inwardly, Ryan’s current state was an entirely different matter. Abigail had seen Ryan in chaotic states before, particularly when she was battling the virus that Aeron had unleashed. She had watched Ryan become the physical manifestation of rage. She had seen her act with reckless abandon and a total lack of self-regard. She had seen the girl exhibit power and gifts that no one thought possible

But this, Abigail thought, this was something different. Underlying all her magnetism, all her strength, all her composure, one thing was quite clear to Abigail…

Ryan was filled with uncertainty. She was so uncertain in fact it seemed for the moment she had given up trying to make sense of things. She was uncertain of herself, uncertain of those around her, and indeed, uncertain of reality itself.

Abigail smiled. Now this was something she could work with.

Ryan felt the subtle probing of her psyche, and knew that whatever had been discovered pleased the elegant woman in front of her greatly. She stepped forward, not completely voluntarily, and grasped Abigail’s outstretched hands. Abigail pulled the girl gently to her, leaned forward, and very slowly touched her lips to the side of her neck, brushing the carotid artery that jumped to life beneath the kiss. The touch staggered Ryan, and Abigail held her for a moment so that she would not fall.

The near-imperceptible act was greeted with various reactions about the room. Edward was unsurprised; it was typical of the she-dragon. Marilyn was completely amused. Aeron’s bloodlust was aroused and Susan felt her insides flutter and twist inside her. Victor was resigned, as Abigail had always toyed with Ryan in such a manner.

“Perhaps we can start now?” Victor said caustically.

Ryan sat at the head of one end of the table, flanked by Edward and Susan. Victor sat at the other end, Abigail at his right and Marilyn at his left. Aeron sat in the middle of the table. For a long moment, no one said anything, and Ryan and Victor just stared at one another. Ryan finally spoke.

“It seems,” she said, humor in her voice, “that I have not been myself lately.”

She turned to Susan as she continued. “I’m sure that Dr. Ryerson can offer more insight than I have, but I’ve been passing through some interesting phases, most of which I don’t remember at all.”

This caught everyone’s attention and Ryan seemed at a loss as how to continue. Susan, though the youngest at the table by centuries, came to her aid.

“When Ryan first returned from captivity, she slept for almost three weeks.” Susan’s voice was hesitant, but grew stronger as she settled into her element. “I monitored her condition and it seemed almost cyclical in nature as she passed through periods of deep sleep, then transitioned into shorter, more fitful bouts, then returned to the deep sleep. It seemed similar to REM and non-REM sleep, but more extreme. I use the term ‘sleep’ loosely because Ryan’s brain waves never indicate a true sleeping state but are more akin to deep meditation.”

Susan glanced at Ryan, who was staring at the table in front of her, her chin resting on her fist. “When Ryan first awoke, she experienced a period of retrograde amnesia, which quickly passed.”

This intrigued Abigail. “Amnesia? Can you describe that, Ryan?”

Ryan removed her chin from her hand and thought back to the strange episode. “I saw a man, and I understood that it was a man, but I had no understanding of how I came to possess that knowledge. I also had no memory of any man other than the one sitting in front of me.”

Ryan nodded to Victor. “That man was my father.” She gave a nod to Susan as well. “When Dr. Ryerson entered the room, I didn’t recognize her either, having that same sense of extreme disassociation. I didn’t recognize anything in the room, or in fact, anything at all until Drake came in.”

“And you recognized your son?” Abigail prompted.

“Yes,” Ryan said thoughtfully. “Not immediately. But when he climbed onto my lap and looked into my eyes, suddenly everything I knew came crashing back.”

Ryan winced at the memory, wordlessly communicating how painful the experience had been. Abigail watched her for a long moment, then turned her attention back to Dr. Ryerson.

“There were other phases?”

Susan nodded. “Yes, a short time later, Ryan described feeling profoundly weak.”

“She actually fainted and collapsed in my arms,” Victor added. “I carried her to the lab.”

Ryan gazed at her father, then took up the story line. “I came to and just felt extremely tired. I could barely hold up my head.”

Abigail, ever astute, caught the shift of expression on Susan’s face, interpreting it correctly. “You have seen this behavior before,” she said.

Susan felt as if she was somehow betraying Ryan, but she could not resist Abigail’s probing.

“When we were in captivity,” Susan said, “Madelyn would bleed Ryan completely, and it would take days if not weeks for her to recover.”

Ryan stared at the table in front of her and began tracing a strange geometric pattern with her finger. Abigail watched the odd, repetitive behavior, then turned her attention to Victor.

“And what happened after this most recent bout of weakness?”

Ryan’s cheeks colored slightly as she continued tracing the pattern. Marilyn noted the blush and leaned forward. This would be interesting.

“Ryan disappeared,” Victor said, “and I went to look for her.” He stared down the table at his offspring, seeking to explain the inexplicable. “When I found her, she very clearly did not recognize me again.”

“But this was different from her earlier memory loss?” Abigail prompted.

Victor was still searching for words to explain. “She was not herself.”

Ryan stopped tracing the pattern. “Apparently I was completely out-of-control,” Ryan said with self-recrimination. “I attacked him.”

Victor slowly shook his head. “No, I don’t think you were out-of-control at all,” he said slowly. “I initially had the same impression. But after some thought, I realized you were on the verge, but your mannerisms were very calculating.” He turned to Susan as if seeking support, “Her physical strength was astounding, and her body temperature was very high.”

Susan nodded. “I didn’t see Ryan until Victor brought her back. But the physiological changes were still present. Ryan’s body temperature was far above even her extremes. And the color of her eyes had changed to a deep maroon which faded as her body temperature returned to normal.”

“And she experienced both retrograde and anterograde amnesia in this instance?”