Legacy in Blood (Book 1 of The Begotten of Old Series) by Masha Dark Read Free Book Online

was already extremely serious. Marisa watched as his body was covered in horrifying blisters, which grew and bulged, and then burst with a disgustingly putrid sound. The smell that they produced was also putrid. Marisa was sure that these symptoms were the result of being burned by some acid and she racked her brains trying to think of when exactly the vampire had had time to throw it at Ruslan. It must have been when they fell into that strange stupor.
    It was also odd that when the doctors arrived, they instantly got hold of an epidemiologist, and then they prohibited Marisa from riding in the same vehicle as Ruslan. She was brought separately to an infirmary where she was required to give blood and then wash herself with a nasty antiseptic concoction. The surprising thing was that none of these doctors bothered to explain what all the fuss was about. Physically, Marisa felt excellent, but she was going out of her mind with worry over Ruslan. The CRUSS medics and the doctors from the hospital would not tell her anything. Marisa tried all the methods she knew for getting information: she was rude and threatening; she pleaded and invoked the Swedish Constitution; she even tried to play the pity card. It was useless. Even the invocation of the Statutes and Codes of CRUSS did not help. They dismissed Marisa, but again they did not explain why.
    And now here she was, sitting in a café, drinking coffee that was quickly becoming disgusting and smoking like a chimney. Lighting the last cigarette in the pack, Marisa saw Goldberg. He walked over to her table; Papa’s appearance did not bode well.
    “Hello,” said Goldberg wearily when he reached her table. “How are you?”
    “Let’s see…. I’m smoking.” Marisa couldn’t think of anything else to say.
    Goldberg just raised his arms helplessly and flopped down into a nearby chair.
    “Have you eaten anything today?” he asked and then turned to the waitress, “Miss, a pork chop with vegetables, if you don’t mind.”
    “Papa,” Marisa said sharply, more sharply than she should. “The devil take your pork chop and the devil take your vegetables. What’s going on with Ruslan?”
    And, not giving Goldberg a moment of respite, she continued: “Why did they hide him away in concourse D? Do they think his boils are a symptom of avian flu?”
    Goldberg remained silent, and Marisa continued to pepper him with questions.
    “Have they managed to do anything besides give him an enema and draw blood? It’s a simple burn – that beast probably poured acid on him! Or maybe she has venomous saliva? Like a snake.”
    “I read your account,” Goldberg said. “You maintained that neither of you were in physical contact with the objective.”
    “I wasn’t, but Rus might have been. Maybe I simply didn’t see it. By the way, why did they keep me in the infirmary for so long?”
    “Listen to me,” said Goldberg quietly. “Ruslan had smallpox.”
    “Smallpox?” Marisa repeated dazedly. “Who gets smallpox nowadays? And how could he possibly have caught it in two minutes? Did that bitch infect him?”
    All at once Marisa caught Goldberg’s look and she paused.
    “Papa…why did you say had ?”
    Goldberg suddenly put his rough palm on Marisa’s hand.
    “I’m sorry, my dear,” Goldberg said sadly. “But half an hour ago…Ruslan didn’t make it. Toxic shock syndrome. His heart gave out.”
    Marisa felt as if someone had pulled the floor out from under her feet. No, it couldn’t be. She’d heard wrong.
    “Alexander Goldberg,” Marisa tried to speak as calmly as possible, “tell me once more, what’s wrong with Ruslan?”
    “I’m so sorry,” Goldberg simply repeated.
    Marisa sprang up from her seat.
    “Where are you going?” asked Papa, quickly grabbing Marisa by her wrist. He tried to get her back into her seat, but she jerked her elbow away.
    “Don’t you try to stop me,” snapped Marisa. “I want to see my friend and I will see him and I don’t give