A Shade of Vampire 31: A Twist of Fates by Bella Forrest Read Free Book Online Page B

thought he would receive applause. Eternal gratitude for finally solving the Bloodless epidemic that was destroying the world. Instead, he found himself, well, dead. But he managed to spread the word to other scientists before he was taken out—other scientists who also attempted to spread the knowledge and were also killed…”
    “And Georgina,” I murmured. She somehow found out about the antidote, which caused her also to be targeted for assassination by her husband.
    Again I found myself extremely grateful for my daughter’s inquisitive mind, which had caused her to unwittingly take up Georgina’s cause. Even if it had led Grace into her current predicament, I could never stop being proud of her for that.
    “So these vampire-Hawk… things ,” my father said, his forehead wrinkled with the same confusion I myself was riddled with. “What are they exactly? Can you describe them?”
    “They look quite human actually,” Dr. Finnegan explained, matter-of-fact. “They don’t have beaks, or even talons. They basically have the characteristics of humans, but with wings.”
    “And my wife,” I murmured. “Her eggs were stolen by the IBSI. Is it possible that one of hers was used?”
    “Oh, it is quite possible,” she replied, making my gut churn. “Hers were of course not the only eggs they had collected. But there’s always a chance that one of the surviving specimens could’ve been derived from her eggs. You’d have to run a DNA test, but this leads me to the main obstacle that you will face in recovering the ingredient… We’ve lost the specimens—or rather, the IBSI lost them.”
    “What? Lost them?” I stared at her, disbelieving. “How could you just go and lose them?” The IBSI were tight in their security. I couldn’t even conceive how they could have let something so valuable slip away from them… unless it had been deliberate sabotage on Atticus’ part? “Could they have been ‘lost’ on purpose?” I prodded Dr. Finnegan.
    Her mouth split in a wry smile. “I see what you’re thinking, but no. They were genuinely lost.”
    “How do you know that for certain?” I pressed.
    “Because they went missing even before Frans came out with his antidote discovery. They were being kept in Canada; much blood had been taken from the specimens, the construction of their blood and DNA studied and analyzed. And then, one night, they just disappeared. Neither Atticus nor anybody else would have had any reason to make them vanish. They genuinely just disappeared.”
    “Things don’t just disappear!” I said through gritted teeth. They weren’t magical beings. There wasn’t an ounce of magic in them. I stood up and gazed down at her. “What do you think happened to them? You must have some speculations of your own?”
    She shrugged, shaking her head wearily. “I honestly don’t know. It baffled everyone involved on the case. There was an investigation into their disappearance, but nobody solved the mystery.”
    A more chilling thought distracted me. “You’re saying there were only five specimens who survived in the first place, and they vanished, what, decades ago? It’s a wonder you still have any samples of their blood left to create additional doses of the cure.”
    “Well, as I said,” she replied dryly, “a lot of blood was drawn from them while they were in the IBSI’s lab. And only a very small extract is required per formula. I don’t know how much is left of the original stock, admittedly. But I’m sure it’s stored somewhere impossible to find within the IBSI. I’m also sure it’s not in Canada. And it won’t be in Chicago either. I don’t know where it is. I don’t think Atticus would have destroyed it because his own organization occasionally requires a person to utilize it—usually only if the person is of particular value to Atticus, and someone he believes can keep a secret. Though, after recent events, and you coming to the knowledge of the cure’s existence,