How to Cure a Vampire Bite without Losing Your Mind
Chapter 16

Grandfather Storenton was pleased to saythe least by how quickly we’d come up with a possible solution to our quandary,and was equally pleased at our readiness to attack the experiment ahead of us.He was, however, more than a little perturbed at Sebastian’s newfound obsessionwith Phyllida, so Raechel, by now having been roused from her cot, was asked tokeep an eye on him. I’m not entirely sure how Sebastian managed to not bemortally offended when she suggested we just stake him and get it over with,but it may have had something to do with the fact that he was staringrapturously at Phyllida as she explained the concept of modern art. Orcus wasall for that idea, and seemed very disappointed by the fact that he would berequired to let the vampire live for a few months more. I tried my hardest notto feel the same way.

Sebastian was more than a little putout by our asking about his toxic tendencies, but willingly donated his saliva.Obtaining his blood was a completely different story. It would require, saidGrandfather Storenton, a friend of Mr. Locke’s, as the tools necessary for suchan extraction weren’t to be found in the house. It put to Orcus another moraldilemma – I say ‘another’, but the reality is it was probably the only one he’dever had: He would have to speak to his father, or allow me to speak for him,neither option being desirable. After a few minutes’ deliberation he decidedthat we would go together. I agreed on the grounds that he wait outside thestudy door and let me do the negotiating. He pointed out that it was asituation he was trying to avoid. Itold him to sit outside with the door open so he could monitor everythingwithout being seen, as his presence was likely only to detract from thevalidity of the conversation and request. It was another ten minutes of coaxingand arguing before he finally agreed, and we made the trek to Edward Locke’sstudy.

As we’d agreed, the study door wasleft open, earning a twitched eyebrow from Mr. Locke. I felt myself go a littlered, and suddenly felt very self-conscious about what I was going to ask; Ihate asking favors of anybody, friend or foe.

“By the way you keep staring at yourfeet, I’m going to venture a guess that you’re here at the request of someoneelse,” he said, the smirk crawling into place at the corner of his mouth.

I screwed my courage to the stickingplace, and held up my chin. “Yes. We, uh, need to collect some blood samplesfrom Mr. Degas, but we replace ourselves lacking the necessary tools andexperience required in thatparticular area.” Because I’m obviously the most qualified person the world tomend a torn ear.

Mr. Locke was, thankfully, a cleverman. “My father-in-law told you about my friend, and suggested my help in thematter.”

“Er – yes.”

Mr. Locke’s smirk didn’t fade. “Andwhy isn’t Orcus asking me?”

“We figured that would do moredamage than anything, given the size of your competing egos.” I gleefullyimagined Orcus grinding his teeth at what he felt was my impudence. “We agreedit would be in everybody’s best interest if I asked you.”

“Given your considerable lack ofego?” the man at the desk ventured.

I grinned cheekily. “If only Orcuswere so clever.”

Orcus hissed something out in thecorridor, but remained largely ignored.

Mr. Locke was chuckling. “Low blow, that,Miss Tourney.”

“I try.”

Mr. Locke was evaluating therequest: His left index finger rested on his lower lip; it was a move Orcusoften mirrored.

“All right,” he finally said. “I’llgive him a call. I can’t guarantee he’ll be as enthusiastic as you might like,but I’ll see if I can’t twist his arm for something.”

I nodded. “I’d say we appreciate it, sir, but Orcusprobably thinks you exist to do his bidding; so I appreciate it.”

There was an indignant sound fromOrcus, and his voice filtered into the study: “I can hear you in the corridor!”

I grinned again, and Mr. Locke’seyes twinkled. “Thank you, sir.”

“You’re very welcome,” he said,pressing a phone to his ear. I retreated to let him make the call. Orcus wassitting in a chair just outside the door, his arms crossed over his chest, faceset in his distinct scowl.

“Lighten up.”

“You are not allowed to make jokesat my expense,” he retorted, getting to his feet and stalking away.

“I just did,” I retorted. “Anyway,who says I can’t?”

“Me.”

“Mmm,” I replied, making it veryclear that his opinion meant nothing. “In the meantime, where do you keep thegarlic around here? And how soon can we get started?”

“There is a market that specializesin what we want a few miles from the edge of the estate,” he said formally.“We’ll start there.”

It didn’t escape my notice that he’dsaid it was a few miles ‘from the edgeof the estate,’ not ‘a few miles away.’ It was like he’d sunk to flouting hiswealth in an attempt to impress. That likely wasn’t the case at all, but it wasnice to imagine it. I almost smiled at the thought of Orcus trying to impressanyone.

“We’ll need a little of all ofthem,” I said thoughtfully. “Different types of garlic have different levels ofpotency; one or two might be more lucrative than the others.”

Orcus paused, thinking hard.“Obviously. My sole question is what elements in the plant make it deadly tovampires?” He fixed his eyes on me. “I’d like to see his reaction before webegin, as a sort of measure.”

I frowned. “You think it’ll beconducive?”

“Hypothetically, because he bit me, I’d take on the traits thatmake him the vampire he is.” He narrowed his eyes. “And I don’t think hisItalian heritage will have anything to do with his reaction.”

“How do you know?” I challenged. “Itmight.”

“He collected the Y-chromosome fromhis father; the father makes the sex, therefore we must conclude that hewouldn’t be affected or protected from a garlic medicine by his mother’sheritage. She gave birth to him, yes, but the father makes the child.”

He couldn’t seriously think that,could he? “The father makes the child, but the mother makes the man,” I said.“He’ll react differently than lore dictates, just you wait and see.”

The trip to the market wasn’t themost interesting experience I’d ever had in my life bar-none. In fact, had wenot been on a mission to destroy the vampire in Orcus, and hopefully the onesat the school, it really wouldn’t be a whollyremarkable detail. Granted, Orcus dropped hints to anyone who would listenabout the relationship we didn’thave, but that was likely something he’d have done anyway, whether or not hethought he owned me. My only issue was that, for how many actually attractiveyoung men there were in the market, he kept frightening them all away. Iwouldn’t have minded half so much if he’d have let me make him out to be an ass,but he was stubbornly refusing me that particular craving. Apparently theseboys had been on the receiving end of his wrath before, because one quirkedeyebrow or stony face had them racing for the hills, apologizing for steppingover their marked bounds.

When we’d got what we wanted insufficient quantities, we headed up to check-out, Orcus continuing to examineeach bulb. He gestured to the purple stripes, frowning. “We’d best makeextended use of these first.”

“The rocambole species, too,” Isaid, my eye on the cost. “Neither one will last past your expiration date.Which do you want?”

“Are you suggesting we test themindependent?”

“You don’t expect to make the samelevel of progress by testing them all together, do you?”

His mouth was turned down into ascowl. “I want to be accurate, Mallory, not speedy.”

“We’ll double-check each other’swork, then,” I said, digging into my wallet for a bill. The girl behind thecounter almost didn’t notice it she was so busy staring at my cursed suitor.“You work faster than I do, anyhow, so by the time I finish checking mine andyours, you’ll have a more conclusive idea as to what will work, and whatwon’t.”

He opened his mouth to contradictme, but at that moment God heard my prayers and his mobile device went off. Hepulled it out and stepped away, the registrar’s eyes following him; I feltmyself becoming greatly annoyed with her stupidity.

“Receipt,” I said shortly. “Please.”

She nodded and, still watchingOrcus, tore a sticky-note off the dispenser and gave it to me. The handwritingwas illegible, but that was hardly the issue. I snapped my fingers, and herface whipped around, eyes wide. I held up the sticky-note and she blushed,hurriedly taking it back and presenting me with the proper piece of paper. Itossed the garlic bulbs into a paper sack, and when I turned around again, shewas still staring after Orcus.

“You know he’s dangerous, right?”

She looked back to me again. “Ohno!” she said. “He isn’t! He’s good, and gentle, and sweet, and – ”

“You’re delusional,” I said calmly.“He’ll use you for his own ends, none of which are safe, I assure you; and whenhe’s finished, he’ll drop you like a dead fish.”

The girl looked horrified, and for asecond I thought she was going to slap me. “You don’t know him,” she saidfeverishly.

“I do, actually,” I said. “I’veknown him for the last nine years, and believe you me, he is anything but good.”

The idiot girl fixed me with what Isuppose was meant to be an even more terrible gaze; in reality it made her looka bit like a blown up chipmunk. “He’s well-loved in this town,” she saidcoldly. “You should remember that before you say those things again.”

There was nothing for it, so Isighed and went on my way. Orcus did follow me, giving the girl at the counterone last charming smile before he went out the door. When we got back to hiscar, which was surprisingly beat up and trashed, the phone was away, and he wasback to frowning; it didn’t cover up the wicked gleam in his eye.

“What?” I said, knowing I’d probablyregret it.

He smirked. “That was Jo. ApparentlyMcNab is about finished with our two lovebirds.”

I’d known I was going to regret it.“It had to happen at some point today.” As long as she didn’t kill him beforewe’d done our tests.

“I suppose you’d like to relieveher?” He laughed when I narrowed my eyes. “Perhaps not.”

“Raechel may hate them, but she’sfar more self-controlled than I am, and if this is going to go anywhere, he’llneed to be alive.”

“You are far too generous, Mallory,with the gift of life,” Orcus said, climbing into the car. “He is a uselesspest.”

I rolled my eyes. “Just becausesomeone is a useless pest doesn’t mean they deserve to die. If that were thecase, you’d have been killed a longtime ago.”

Orcus laughed. “If only I were auseless pest. As it is, dear, I amfar from that, and very much in demand everywhere I go.”

I scowled. “They only want youbecause they need your money.”

The smile didn’t go away, and I wasa fool to expect it to. “A fact which nullifies your classification of me as auseless pest.”

I huffed. “Fine. Not useless, just apest.”

We lapsed into silence as he pointedthe car home. My silence was more out of irritation, his was satisfaction thatI’d let him under my skin so easily. This boy was incorrigible, and there wasabsolutely nothing to be done for it. I suppose killing him was an option, but I needed his brain,and while he may have been effectively human, that was no guarantee he wouldactually die.

“Do you think you’ll ever stopresisting me?” he asked suddenly. I’d have been a complete and utter moron notto detect the dark hint in his voice.

I snorted. “You keep asking me that,and I keep telling you no.”

“I thought not,” he said. Anotherpause, and then: “My father likes you well enough.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Isaid, genuinely confused and somewhat taken aback by his attitude.

“What I said,” he snapped. “He likesyou.”

“Maybe it’s because I’m notpsychotic, unlike some people I know.It makes me easier to talk to, actually.”

“That’s not what I meant, and youknow it, daft woman.”

I did know it; I was trying toignore it. “Come out and say it then,” I snapped. “Don’t be shy about it now.”

Orcus skidded to a halt on the sideof the road, his face set. “Who could blame him?” he said, scowl growing everdeeper. “You’re beautiful,” I snorted, “you’re of age, it’s your last year inschool, you’re set to be an apprentice with Cunningham at the embassy inLondon; you’re intelligent enough for him – ”

“Orcus.”

“ – you get to the point inconversation, you know what the hell you’re talking about most of the time – ”

“Orcus.”

“ – you’re my academic rival, andlet’s face it, my father isn’t exactly cheering for my success, is he?”

“Orcus.”

“You come from a decent sort ofstock – ”

“Orcus, your father does not fancy me, and definitely not in that kind of way. You’re beinggross and purposely obtuse.”

Orcus laughed.“Mallory-don’t-be-ridiculous,” he said in a breath. “Father doesn’t bother withwomen, particularly ones our age,” hesaid, his tone bitter.

“Why are you bothering yourself oversomething that’s not even real?” I retorted.

“I told you, Tourney,” he said angrily, “I do not share; not fame, notwealth, not glory, and especially not women.”

Common sense and past experiencetold me that if I lost my temper it would only make the situation that muchworse. Taking a deep breath, I counted ten as slowly as I dared. “Orcus,” Isaid, my voice controlled, “I don’t belong to you.”

He jaw was set. “For now, anyway.”

“And your father definitely does notfancy me. I’m young enough to be his daughter, and he happens to be inpossession of common sense - unlike you, apparently - and wouldn’t be inclinedto do something so stupid.”

“That’s what you think,” Orcusgrowled.

I rubbed my eyes; it was clear Iwasn’t getting through to him, and it was imperative that I do so. “Fine. Takeus back to the – museum. . .we can relieve Raechel and get started on this.”

“I don’t want to start untiltomorrow,” he said decidedly. “We’ll need at least eight solid hours availableto us, and we don’t have that sort of time left today. For now we’ll look upwhat we can on the molecular structure.”

“No doubt found in your library?” Isaid.

“Naturally,” he replied. “Chancesare not in our favor that Father’s friend will be available at our convenience;tomorrow will be devoted to checking Degas’ saliva.”

I frowned, not sure if I should berelieved that the conversation was back on the academic route. I wasn’t good attalking about emotions, and Orcus didn’t have any, so this was a subject bestsuited to us both if we weren’t going to murder each other in the car. “Ifthere is venom in the saliva, a decent amount anyway, wouldn’t the blood beredundant?”

“I don’t think so,” he said shortly.

I’d forgotten that Orcus wasn’tdoing this for anyone other than himself; I should be shot for being so stupid.I settled back into my seat, subdued and occupied by the direction my mind wastaking. If there was venom in the saliva, we wouldn’t need the blood. Orcus wasgoing to take it anyway. I stole a glance at him, not entirely sure what tomake of it all. The herbal green orbs were narrowed in concentration, and anidea germinated in the back of my brain. He woulduse it in that way, too, I was sure of it….