Survive the Dawn (12 page)

“It’s all right.” Sebastian tightened the grip on her arm.

They walked down the damp corridor in silence. Sebastian and Alex followed as
Gaylen
weaved in and out of smaller hallways and empty alcoves and finally they stopped at a door.

“Your new laboratory, milady,”
Gaylen
said with a sweeping bow and looked up. “At least I hope it will be.”

When they walked in, Alex was shocked. “This is incredible.”

It looked like a lab in any research department of a hospital. Though dimly lit, it looked completely functional.

“Impressive,” Sebastian said and looked around. “Where’s—” Sebastian sensed her presence before she saw her.

“Sebastian.”

Sebastian heard her sultry voice and looked down the corridor—there she was. Kendra. She looked the same, though her dark curly hair was now cropped incredibly short. Her skin, the color of dark caramel, glistened in the dim lighting. Sebastian remembered her regal high cheekbones and full lips. Yet there was that softness, that soft line of her jaw.

She dressed as Sebastian—in black, from pleated trousers to her v-neck sweater that accentuated her long neck. She still wore the gold ancestral medallion around her neck Sebastian remembered.

For a long moment, Kendra stood there and didn’t move, as if to take in the scene before her. Then her tall slim frame gracefully sauntered down the corridor. She was as beautiful as Sebastian remembered. The century had been good to Kendra.

“Kendra,” Sebastian said with a smile. “Good to see you again.”

Kendra sported a toothy smirk and stood toe to toe with her. She placed her hands in the pockets of her trousers in bored fashion. “Is it? I wonder.”

Sebastian remembered the soft British voice. Memories flooded her brain, which she wisely chose to dismiss for now.

“You haven’t changed much, Sebastian,” Kendra said, her gaze raking over Sebastian’s body. “No,” she whispered, “you haven’t changed at all.”

“Nor have you,” Sebastian said.

For an instant, they looked into each other’s eyes. Sebastian saw the same look in Kendra’s eyes she had nearly a century ago. Her jade gaze held Sebastian for an instant, then Kendra took several deep steady breaths, her chest rising and falling in cadence. “And who do we have here?” she asked, still gazing at Sebastian.

“This is Dr. Alex Taylor,” Sebastian said. “Alex, this is Kendra—”

“An old acquaintance, yes,” Alex said and offered her hand, which Kendra took.

“Something along those lines,” Kendra said and let her hand go. She searched Alex’s face, raising an eyebrow as she sniffed the air. “A mortal.” She then gave
Gaylen
a scathing glare. “And just how did a mortal get in here?”

“The Adored One is with Sebastian,”
Gaylen
said with a grin. “She has accomplished something great, Kendra.” He then leaned over the counter and looked through a microscope.

Kendra leaned against the counter, as well, watching Sebastian and Alex. “And what is this great accomplishment?”

“She’s been doing the same research you have, darling,”
Gaylen
said, still peering through the microscope.

Never breaking eye contact with Sebastian, Kendra reached over and pulled the microscope out from underneath
Gaylen
, who pouted as he stood. “Mustn’t play,
Gaylen
.”

She looked at Alex and smiled. “Now tell me.”

“I’ve found the serum to allow a vampire to stay in the sunlight,” Alex said and tried to avoid the nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach. The green eyes of this woman bore a hole into her. She felt practically naked.

“Ah, so you’re the one.”

Alex glanced at Sebastian, who offered, “It appears that Alex’s blood is the key. It contains the enzyme that was missing.”

Kendra’s nostril’s flared for a moment, then she smiled. “And where is this serum?”

“That’s the problem,” Sebastian said. “If you’ve heard about Alex, you’ve undoubtedly heard that Leigh is dead, but not before she killed Marcus Windham and destroyed the research lab. Leigh mistakenly thought she also destroyed the experiments. It was a stroke of genius that Alex injected the serum into her bloodstream beforehand.”

“I see,” Kendra said thoughtfully. “How perspicacious of you, Dr. Taylor.”

Gaylen
shot a confused look toward Sebastian and mouthed, “Perspicacious?” Sebastian ignored her old friend’s playfulness.

“So tell me, Dr. Taylor,” Kendra went on and folded her arms across her chest. “Why are you here?”

“We…” Alex started and looked at Sebastian.

“We are in need of a laboratory, Kendra,” Sebastian said evenly.

“Are you now?” she replied sweetly.

“
Gaylen
mentioned you were working on the same thing.” Alex hesitated before she continued, “Perhaps we can assist each other. We can exchange information. I know I need to work on the serum to reproduce it—”

“How do you know it works?” Kendra asked. “If it’s only in your bloodstream, then how…” She stopped and looked from Alex, who was blushing, to Sebastian, who was smirking. Kendra’s back stiffened. “I see. How lucky for you, Sebastian, to have your own personal blood bank.”

Sebastian smiled slightly. “Yes, it is rather convenient.” She felt the angry glare from Alex but still she watched Kendra. “So how about it, Kendra? Will you allow Alex to use your lab?”

“For the common good of the vampire community?” Kendra sported a toothy grin. “How could I refuse?”

“How indeed,”
Gaylen
concurred with a sly grin.

Chapter 10

“What are you doing?” Sebastian asked.

Alex slammed the freezer door, then rummaged through the drawer and pulled out a spoon. She slammed that drawer, as well, and sat down with the tub of ice cream and dug in.

Sebastian was confused. “Alex, it’s after midnight.”

“Oh, goody.” Alex looked up with a glare. “Big Ben.”

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. Sarcasm, she thought, this cannot be good. Humans… “Alex, what’s the matter?”

“What’s the matter? Can’t you read my mind?” Alex offered a smug glare and continued eating the ice cream.

Sebastian scowled deeply. “Will you stop this childish behavior and—”

“Childish?” Alex exclaimed with a mouthful of ice cream.

“All right, infantile if you prefer. What the devil is wrong?”

“Wrong?” Alex asked, slamming the spoon down. It bounced on the table and clanged to the floor. “I’ll tell you what’s wrong.”

She stood and faced Sebastian, who was completely bewildered, a feeling she hadn’t known in some centuries.

“Yes, it’s rather convenient, Kendra,” Alex said, mimicking Sebastian.

“What are you—?”

“Is that what I am? A convenience?” Alex brushed the red curls away from her face and stood defiantly.

It then dawned on Sebastian. “Is that what this is all about?”

“Yes! There I stood, watching you and your old lover, and do not tell me you weren’t lovers, or whatever you vampires are to each other, while you flirted with each other.”

“Flirted?”

“Yes, flirted! My God, Sebastian, she would have fucked you right on the spot as I’m sure, in the past, she has.”

“This is not a conversation we want to have. I don’t think of you as a convenience. You must know that.”

“Then why did you say it?”

Sebastian scowled. “Alex—”

“Did you love her?”

Sebastian now groaned and slumped into a nearby kitchen chair. “I give up. You mortals exhaust me with your emotions.”

“Did you?”

Sebastian looked across the table at the forlorn look and shook her head. “No. I didn’t and vampires don’t flirt with one another,” she said and rubbed her temples. “I can’t believe I’m having this conversation with you. It’s the oddest conversation I’ve ever had in all my existence!” she said in a booming voice.

“Don’t yell at me,” Alex exclaimed. “I was not the one flirting with an old lover.”

Sebastian closed her eyes, breathed deeply, and said through clenched fangs, “I was not flirting.”

They stopped arguing long enough to hear the doorbell ring.

“Who could it be at this time of night?” Alex asked.

Sebastian heard the urgency in her voice and hid her grin. “I’m sure if it’s
Nicholae
, he wouldn’t bother to ring the bell,” she said as she walked out of the kitchen.

“Very funny,” Alex said as she followed. “And this discussion is not over.”

“Oh, yes, it is,” Sebastian said over her shoulder as she opened the door.

An older man stood on the porch. He was impeccably dressed, wearing a long cashmere coat. Sebastian noted the crisp white shirt and gray silk tie.

“May I help you?” she asked.

“If you are Dr. Sebastian, then yes,” he said with a kind smile.

“I am. Please, come in.” Sebastian heard his soft Irish brogue as she stepped back and allowed him into the room. The faint aroma of pipe tobacco wafted past her as he entered the foyer.

“I apologize for coming here at such a late hour. My name is Edward Scanlon. We have a mutual friend,” he said. “Tatiana Messalina.”

Sebastian offered him a chair, which he took. Alex sat on the couch; Sebastian stood by the fireplace. “How do you know Tatiana, Mr. Scanlon?”

“I was her lawyer, solicitor as it were. My family has been in her charge for centuries,” he said softly, then smiled. “It’s good to have a human around for certain situations.” He glanced at Alex.

“I apologize. This is Dr. Alex Taylor.”

Mr. Scanlon nodded, then opened his briefcase. “I realize it’s late, Dr.—”

“Just Sebastian would be fine.”

“Yes, well, as I said, I apologize for the late visit, but when I found out what had happened, I was bound to find you as soon as possible. Not an easy task, I assure you.”

“That’s what we were hoping for, Mr. Scanlon,” Alex said.

“I can imagine.”

“Mr. Scanlon, Tatiana never mentioned you.” Sebastian was cautious, but she felt no malevolence from this man.

“It’s not surprising. Tatiana was very careful,” he said. “She wanted to keep my family safe.”

Sebastian nodded as she thought of the
Windhams
. “I can readily understand that, sir.”

For a moment, he seemed to appraise her. “Yes, I would know you from the description Tatiana gave me.” He smiled then. “Though I thought you would be taller, perhaps it was the way Tatiana spoke of you. Let’s get on with this, shall we? I apologize for the rush, but I believe Tatiana would have wanted this done quietly.” He opened his briefcase, took out a sealed manila envelope, and handed it to Sebastian.

When she took it and saw Tatiana’s handwriting, her stomach clenched. She noted the envelope was sealed with red wax and Tatiana’s crest molded onto it, and she looked up at the old lawyer.