An unbidden image of Riker feeding from a female vampire flashed in her head. He was naked, his muscular body moving against the female in powerful surges. Did he have a regular partner, or did he feed from a variety of females? And why the hell did she care?
She cleared her throat. “We’ve found that a biological reaction takes place during the full-and new-moon feedings that, when combined with intercourse, causes a slight change in the body chemistry of both the male and the female, making conception far more likely than with intercourse at any other time of the month.”
“Yes! Finally, someone who gets it.” Grant threw up his hands. “That’s what I’ve found as well. The key, I believe, is in the hormones and pheromones, which explains why, even if a vampire feeds from a vampire of the opposite sex during a moon phase and then has sex with a human, it doesn’t completely alleviate the pain.”
She studied the board. “Have you tried isolating the VR- enzyme? I’ve seen preliminary lab results that suggest giving extra VR- with a moon feeding can reduce the discomfort in males.”
“Tried that.” Grant sighed. “But the quantities required to cut the discomfort even by half cause undesirable side effects.”
“Like what?”
“Uncontrollable rage and bloodlust. Aiden nearly killed Takis after a strong dose.”
Interesting. Two years ago, she’d written a paper about the causes of irreversible bloodlust among vampires, and she’d theorized that the VR- enzyme might be responsible, although she didn’t know exactly how.
Now she wondered if, perhaps, an unnatural buildup from feeding could play a part.
“Do you mind if I look through your notes sometime?” she asked, and then chastised herself for being a fool. She and Grant weren’t colleagues. She didn’t work here or live here, and he wanted Nicole Martin dead.
“Only if you share some of your knowledge with me,” Grant said.
“Deal,” she agreed, but she doubted they’d get the opportunity to do either. “Now I’m wondering if the VR- enzyme might have something to do with the way some vampires come out of the turning half-insane.”
Grant gave her a strange look. “Some things can’t be explained by science.”
“I’m surprised to hear you say that, being a scientist.”
He jammed his hands in his lab coat’s pockets. “A couple of decades ago, I’d have agreed. But I’ve seen things since being turned that defy science.”
She didn’t know about the defy science thing, but since being kidnapped by Riker she’d experienced things that defied belief. Like kissing not just a vampire, but the very vampire who had haunted her nightmares for years. Worse, something inside her wanted to do it again, to see if it would be as good the second time as it was the first.
Yup. Defied belief.
Giving herself a mental shake, she jumped back into the conversation. “It would help if we knew the exact origins of the vampire species. We think the first case of vampirism started around four hundred years ago, here in America, but we don’t know where the virus came from, if it was originally airborne—”
Grant took a sip of his purple concoction and grimaced. “You know the vampire legend of their origins, yes?”
“Yes, but the legend is ridiculous.”
“Is it?”
He had to be kidding. “Two Native American tribal chiefs kill each other, and then a crow and a raven fight over their bodies, spilling their blood into the men, who afterward rise that night as undead? Um, yes. Ridiculous.”
“Some vampires agree with you. Mostly the turned ones. There are also rumors of demons creating the first vampires, but if they are so much as whispered inside these walls, Hunter will shut them down with rare temper.”
She smiled politely. “When I see demon DNA,
I’ll believe it. Until then, I’m going with the natural— virus theory. If something supernatural was the cause, we’d see vampires with unexplained abilities. Instead of vampires with enhanced natural abilities, like super— speed, we’d see invisibility. Teleportation. Telekinesis. Shapeshifting.”
“Ah. But how many born vampires have you studied? They have rarer and more powerful abilities than turned vampires. Imagine what gifts the oldest, purestvampires must possess. And there have always been rumors of vampires who can do all of the supernatural abilities you mentioned.”
“Rumors. There are also people who believe the earth is flat. People will always believe in things that don’t make sense.” She skimmed her fingers over the microscope like it was an old friend. “And there are scientific explanations about why that is, as well.”