Midnight's Captive(81)

“Shite,” Aiden said as he turned to his father and Galen. “Both of you might want to see this.”

As soon as Galen and Quinn reached her, Britt told them what she had just explained to Aiden.

“I’m no’ a scholar,” Galen said. “I understand that you’ve found something important, but how does that relate to us?”

Britt looked at each of them before her gaze came to rest on Aiden. “It means, I’ve found a way to combat the drough blood when it reaches a Warrior’s bloodstream.”

“How?” Quinn asked.

If Britt thought there would be a celebration for her discovery, she’d been dead wrong. She pulled the sample from the microscope and held it in front of her. “It’s the unique nature of the enzyme that causes the drough blood to essentially begin attacking a Warrior by reaching all the organs through the blood.”

“Unfortunately, most of us know that part,” Galen said with a frown.

Britt could only imagine how painful it must feel after witnessing it through a microscope. She cleared her throat and continued. “Let me show you.”

She placed another slide beneath the microscope and moved so they could peer into the machine. “This is a sample of your blood, Quinn.”

Once the three of them had seen it, Britt then put a sample of drough blood under the microscope for them to see. When they had looked their fill, she got a fresh slide and put a drop of Quinn’s blood on it before adding a drop of drough blood. Britt hastily put it under the machine and stepped back.

Aiden was the first to look. His face was ashen as he stepped aside and motioned for his father to look.

Quinn was silent for a long time before he straightened. “Holy hell,” he murmured.

“This explains a lot,” Galen said as he looked through the microscope.

Britt nodded. “What you’re seeing is how the drough blood consumes Quinn’s blood. Now, let me add Galen’s sample.”

Aiden watched as Britt moved with efficient speed, taking the slide out of the microscope and adding in more blood before replacing the slide.

“Here, you’ll be able to see what more Warrior blood does to the attacking drough blood,” she said, and stepped back to give them room.

Aiden motioned for his father to look first. Quinn’s brow was furrowed when he stepped away to allow Galen a chance to view it, and then it was Aiden’s turn.

He watched, mesmerized, as the attacking drough blood was stopped in its tracks. “I doona understand,” he said as he lifted his head. “Why couldna the blood already within the Warrior no’ stop the drough blood?”

“I suspect because it doesn’t have time with the drough blood attacking it,” Britt said. “New, fresh Warrior blood is too much for the drough blood. Each Warrior has a god inside him giving him immortality and powers, so it’s no wonder the blood helps other Warriors.”

Galen was the first to speak into the silence. “Can we isolate it, or can we create something to counteract the drough blood?”

“That’s what I’m working on,” Britt said.

“The X90s bullets they use are filled with drough blood,” Quinn said. “We doona stand a chance against them. Is there any way to have something to counter them before we get hit?”

Aiden watched Britt’s lips compress as she began to think. He could practically see the wheels turning in her head.

“Possibly,” she said. “I’ll need more time, though.”

Aiden jerked when he heard an explosion somewhere in the building. “We need to leave. Now!”

Quinn and Galen instantly shifted into their Warrior forms as Aiden began destroying Britt’s samples.

“What are you doing?” she demanded.

Aiden pushed her hands away when she tried to stop him. “It’s Jason. I can get you more samples, Britt. We can no’ leave anything for Wallace to find.”

That seemed to spur her into action. With her help, it took no time for them to remove all evidence of her work.

“Wallace is here,” Galen said as he ran back into the room.

Aiden knew their time had run out. There was nowhere left for them to run, and by the way Quinn squeezed his mobile phone at his ear, he couldn’t get a hold of Fallon.

Quinn lowered the mobile and turned to Galen. “Get my son and Britt out of here.”

“I’m no’ leaving you,” Aiden said, furious that his father would sacrifice himself.

Quinn smiled sadly. “You and Britt are the future. Together, the two of you can find a way to beat Wallace and any drough who dares to take his place.”

“I need you. We all need you,” Aiden argued.