Moonlight's Ambassador (Aileen Travers Book 3)(25)

He blinked in acknowledgment of the irony. "As much as you may dislike me, you'll see that you need me. This is a cold, hard world you've found yourself in. You're going to need allies, and it's my duty to ensure you're prepared whether you like that or not. Keep that in mind."

"Don't forget. We have a deal," I told him. "I allowed you to claim me as yours, but you agreed to stay out of my life."

"That agreement only holds so far. I cannot make requirements as your sire." He stepped closer, the deadly predator that had enabled him to claim the city present in his eyes. "But be warned, this city is mine as is everything in it. As its master, I still hold power over you."

Finished with his speech, he opened the door and gestured me inside, his expression back to the bland politeness of before. I held his eyes for a stubborn moment before preceding him into the room.

It wasn't like most doctor's offices. That was for sure. One—it was in a mansion full of vampires. Two—it lacked the sterile brightness of most medical offices I've been in. It looked like a regular home office, granted nicer than I was accustomed to with its antique wood furniture, expensive artwork, and heirloom decorations. The only nod to the fact it belonged to a doctor were the medical instruments laid out on one of the tables and an examination table tucked into the corner of the room.

The office was warm and cozy and invited its occupants to sit down with a cup of tea or maybe a glass of scotch. The man standing next to the desk didn't fit this scene. He was a caged tiger that looked like it had already eaten the zookeeper. Wild, and convinced nothing could ever challenge its spot in the food chain. Arrogance showed in every line of his posture. Arrogance and superiority.

"You're late," he barked before we were even all the way in the room.

"Yes, there was an unexpected complication," Thomas said in a smooth voice.

The other man sneered, but refrained from saying anything else. "Is this her then?"

He studied me from eyes that would have been beautiful, if they hadn’t been glaring at me. He was tall, with skin the color of coffee, eyes a light hazel, and a face that invited sin.

"It is," Thomas said.

The other man tilted his head toward the table. "Get on."

"With a bedside manner like that, I'm surprised you don't have more patients," I said in a dry voice as I made my way to the exam table and took a seat, feeling like a teenager about to have a checkup.

"What would I do with more idiots running around?" the tiger asked. He stepped closer, picking up a stethoscope and putting one end to his ear.

"How does this work anyway? I thought the thing that made us was magic. How can science help figure this out?"

"Be silent." I kept my response to myself and complied. He listened for a moment then moved the stethoscope again. "Breathe deeply."

I took a deep breath.

Thomas stood across the room, his arms folded over his chest, and a watchful expression on his face.

The doctor stepped back, setting the stethoscope down on the desk behind him and picking up a needle. I couldn't help my grimace. I'd never been a fan of needles.

The doctor gave me a dry look. "You're a vampire with fangs more dangerous than any needle, yet you're afraid of this tiny little thing?"

I shrugged. "It's not a rational fear."

One side of his mouth quirked up. "Phobias so rarely are."

He prepared my arm as expertly as any human doctor I'd ever met. Better even, because as a vampire, he had an instinctual feel for where the vein was.

"To answer your question, the critical component of our transformation is magic, but it acts more like a virus. It's spread through blood and saliva much like a human STD," he explained in a grudging voice.

"And looking at my blood under a microscope will show you this magical virus?" I asked.

"Not exactly. We've found that certain markers are produced when the virus is present. Those will also tell us a little about the human you were."

As he talked, I caught movement out of the corner of my magic-seeing eye. Little black dots, the size of ants oozed out of his skin and marched down his arm to where he was holding me. The little ants disappeared into my skin, making it quiver and dance under the sting of phantom bites.

I jerked my arm away, or at least I tried. The other man held tight, not letting me budge an inch.

"Is there a problem?" Thomas asked.

"She's fighting me."

"Of course, I'm fighting you. You're hurting me," I said through gritted teeth. I put more strength into trying to pull away until we were in the oddest arm wrestling match I'd ever been in.

"Joseph."

"I don't know," the man holding me snapped.

"Let go of me." My mouth felt crowded as my fangs came out to play. It was now more than merely small ant bites and the little suckers had made it all the way up to my shoulder.

"Almost done."

The pain crested, and I screamed as it coursed throughout my body. Fuck this. This exam was done. I balled up my fist and hit Joseph with everything I had, which was a lot since I had Liam's super-charged blood coursing through me.

Joseph's head turned with the force of my blow. His grip didn't budge. He turned back to me and licked the blood off his lip. "That all you got?"