A Night with a Vampire by Cynthia Cooke Read Free Book Online Page B

going?”
    â€œCall it a hunch.”
    And then she heard it, the soft moans Marius had probably been hearing all along. Cayman. She rushed forward to the end of the hall to the last windowless room on the left. Cayman lay in a bed, hooked up to various machines and an IV. Forgotten and alone.
    â€œOh, my God!” She hurried to her brother’s side. “What happened to you?”
    Cayman turned to her, his skin a purplish gray, his eyes a very pale blue.
    She froze as her heart dropped with a heavy thud into her stomach.
    Behind her, Marius placed a gentle hand on her back. “He’s been infected.”
    She shook her head in denial. “No.”
    â€œIt was an accident,” Cayman said, his voice gravelly. “Was poking around and touching things I shouldn’t have been touching.” His eyes drifted closed as if the effort of speaking took more strength than he had.
    This couldn’t be happening. They had to do something. Marius dragged a chair to the side of Cayman’s bed for her. Grateful, she sat down, grasping Cayman’s hand with her own. His skin felt dry and cold to her touch. She kept staring at his hand, rubbing her thumb over it, back and forth as a strange numbness came over her. She was shutting down. She could feel her mind closing off like a dark cloud falling over the city, blocking out the sun’s light with its thick heavy despair.
    He was going to die, a voice inside her whispered, and tears filled her eyes. She rested her head on his hand, feeling his papery skin against her cheek. She took a deep breath, trying to reign in her emotions. She had to be strong for him. She had to make him strong, to help him fight. He could make it through this. He had to.
    â€œWhat is he doing here?” Cayman asked, looking up over her shoulder.
    â€œMarius helped me find you.”
    â€œCan’t trust—” A fit of coughs wracked his body, making him visibly weaker.
    Xana’s stomach twisted into knots. “Cayman, save your strength. We’re going to help you.”
    â€œWhere is the antidote?” he whispered.
    She looked at him with confusion then turned to Marius, the question in her eyes. Marius just shook his head. “What antidote?” she asked.
    â€œThe case I gave you. It has the antidote in it.”
    Tears filled her eyes as the horror of his words sunk in. “I don’t know. I lost it.”
    He cringed then started coughing again.
    â€œWhen did you last have it,” Marius asked, his hand a comfort on her shoulder.
    â€œI don’t—”
    â€œDon’t tell him,” Cayman said, his voice barely a rasp. “Don’t trust him. He’s involved.”
    She looked up at Marius, Cayman’s words making her hesitate. Did she trust him or had he put some kind of mind-spell on her, too? She thought about all they’d been through that night, at the bar, at Cayman’s house. He cared about his people, that had been clear. He cared about saving them as much as she cared about finding Cayman. If they worked together, maybe they could save them all.
    â€œI trust him,” she said to Cayman.
    â€œThen you’re a fool,” he replied, his words cutting her to the quick.
    â€œWhere is the formula?” Marius asked him. “What did you do with it? We need it to create a vaccine so we can stop the spread of the virus. If we had it, we could make an antidote. We could help you.”
    Cayman’s eyes flashed bright blue. “I had an antidote. It was in the case I gave Xana. I don’t have time to wait for you to make another one.”
    â€œWhy didn’t you get it back from me at the warehouse? Why did you disappear?” Xana asked, grasping for understanding.
    â€œI had to go. I was sick and getting sicker. I couldn’t let Marius see me. Couldn’t take that chance. I waited at the top of the road but then…the explosion. Too…big.” He