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  “Speaking of your growing up,” Matt interjected, “we have some questions for you.”

  Pike poured himself a cup of cocoa and took a seat at the table. “Fire away,” he said as he reached for another pastry.

  “The girls have offered Shooter and I the chance to become transformed into Vampyres like them,” Matt said, cutting his eyes toward Sam.

  “I know,” Pike replied. “It was my idea, so that the four of you would age . . . or rather, not age, together.”

  “Well, we’d like a little more information about just what it is we’re getting ourselves into,” Shooter said. “We’ve all picked up tidbits of information about the history of Vampyrism and some knowledge about the infection that causes it, but Matt and I would like a few more details before we do something that is irreversible.”

  “That’s completely understandable,” Pike replied, swallowing the last bite of his donut and settling back in his chair as he began to talk. “As I don’t know exactly how much the two of you have learned about my race, I’ll just give you the long version and you’ll have to forgive me if I repeat something you already know.”

  When the boys both nodded, he continued, “Since the dawn of time,” he began, his eyes on the ceiling as he concentrated on the facts he’d learned over years of investigation and research, “another race has coexisted alongside man. Members of this race call themselves Vampyri. They are descended from a small group of gypsies from the Carpathian mountain region of Europe, inbred for untold generations due to their physical and social isolation. Many hundreds of years ago, a mutant gene arose in this group, causing a disease known today as Erythropoetic haemolytica, or simply porphyria. Symptoms of this genetic birth defect are pale, white skin that blisters and burns on exposure to sunlight, phosphorescent teeth that glow in the dark due to abnormal accumulations of phosphorus in their enamel, and a congenital hemolysis or rupture of red blood cells, causing red, bloodstained eyes and tears, and a progressive anemia leading to death at an early age.”

  He paused to take a drink of cocoa, and went on to say, “Sorry if this is too technical for you Shooter, but I’ll try and tell it so you don’t have to be a doctor to understand it.”

  When Shooter and the others nodded, he continued. “With time and experimental diets, the villagers learned to control the anemia by feeding their infants whole blood mixed with milk. Over time, due to inbreeding of this reclusive group, the genetic defect became very widespread throughout all of the gypsy villages in the area. Other genetic traits, at first rare among the gypsies, also became potentiated by their sexual inbreeding. Known for years for their ‘second-sight,’ precognition, and mind-reading abilities, the gypsies slowly by natural selection increased both the prevalence and the strength of these valuable psychic powers. Another trait of the mountain people, also potentiated by their inbreeding, was their tendency toward extremely long lives. In fact, the average life expectancy of the affected villagers rose from fifty to over one hundred and fifty years in the space of just a few generations, and continues to rise with every generation of Vampyres that is produced.

  “Eventually, after many hundreds of generations, an infection of bacteriophage infested the race that was already becoming known in that part of the world as Vampyri. This microscopic viruslike particle had the capability of transferring genetic material from one cell to another. By chance, it latched on to the chromosome carrying the porphyria gene, the genes for psychic ability, and the genetic code for long life, and absorbed them into its own genetic makeup. Thus, the sickness and the abilities were passed from one person to another by the sharing of blood rather than just by genetic chance in their offspring.

  “The practices of mixing blood and milk became a standard part of the Vampyri culture, for both ceremonial and quasi-religious reasons, and soon entire villages were infected with the Vampyre bacteriophage and the race expanded throughout the Carpathian mountain region. As they became more successful due to their mental powers and long lives, they began to move beyond their mountain valleys and to mix with other people throughout Europe. As you can guess, it didn’t take long for the Vampyri to become envied at first and then hated for their long lives and other abilities, and feared when it became common knowledge they drank blood. Soon there was an undeclared but nevertheless vicious war between the Vampyri and the so-called Normals. Over time, the Vampyri were hunted down and slaughtered until they were driven underground and forced to go into hiding and conceal their identities. But the war had another consequence. So many of the Vampyri suffered egregious wounds, that once again by natural selection, those that had the ability to quickly heal themselves became the majority of the race. After many years, only members who were virtually impervious to injury were left to survive and procreate.”

  Pike sat back in his chair and spread his arms. “Have I left anything out?”

  “So, since your condition is due to an infection by an organism that carries the same genetic material as all the other Vampyres, you’re all pretty much equal in your abilities?” Matt asked.

  Pike smiled and shook his head. “No, Matt, not at all. Just as two geniuses may mate and have several kids, some extremely smart and some just average, all Vampyres are not equal. We have some that are very smart and others that are dumb as posts, some that are exceptionally strong and others just about the same as Normals. Also some have more or less psychic ability than others, due to a variety of factors I haven’t fully worked out yet.”

  “So, what’s the bottom line?” Shooter asked. “What do you recommend we do?”

  Pike shook his head. “I can’t make that decision for you, boys. I cannot tell you exactly how the Transformation will affect you or how you’ll handle the changes to your body and mind. In fact, all I can tell you is that if you don’t do it, you two will continue to age and grow old and will finally die while your sweethearts remain as you see them now. You still have a choice, and it’s one only you can make.”

  “The good news,” Sam said, reaching across the table to cover Matt’s hand with hers, “is that with the vaccine you won’t be consumed with a horrible hunger for blood like most of the rest of the race.”

  Pike held up his hand, “But you will still have the occasional urges,” he said. “It will just be up to you to control them, just as you do any other appetites you may have.”

  Matt glanced over at his lover, Sam’s hand still in his. “I think we need to talk about this privately,” he said.

  Shooter nodded and took TJ’s hand in his. “Us too, sweetheart,” he said.

  Elijah looked at them, wondering what he would have done if he’d been given a choice about his own transformation. He knew for a fact that without the vaccine and the possibility to live a relatively normal life and to exist without the necessity of killing innocents, his answer would have been a resounding no. He sighed. The presence of his vaccine changed everything, and he only hoped it was for the better.

  Chapter 4

  At first, John Ashby grinned when Theo Thantos said his plan was for the Vampyre race to take over the world, but his smile faltered when he saw Theo was dead serious.

  In his job as a Mountie stationed in the city of Banff but having responsibility for hundreds of thousands of acres of wilderness, Ashby had seen his share of kooks and nutcases, and he had to admit that in all of his previous dealings with Theo he hadn’t seen any evidence of schizophrenia or paranoia or any other type of mental disorder manifest itself in the man—but this was craziness. True, the man was an egotist and had a rather exaggerated sense of his own importance, but Ashby knew that most of the other Vampyres he’d met suffered from those maladies.

  Hell, Ashby thought as he refilled their glasses with wine, the entire number of Vampyres worldwide can’t be over a few hundred thousand. How can Theo possibly think we could prevail in a fight against the Normals?

  As John handed Theo his wine, Theo’s lips curled in a smile, and for a moment the cruelty that was always present behind
his eyes disappeared and his face was almost handsome. “I can see the wheels turning, Johnny boy,” Theo said lightly. “Is old Theo crazy or what?”

  John laughed nervously and handed Christina and Marya their glasses. “You’re right, Theo. I was just figuring the odds against us must be on the order of several million to one.”

  He took a sip of his wine. “And those are tough odds to overcome in a war,” he added, watching Theo over the rim of his glass as he drank. He tried a tentative mental thrust at Theo to see if the man had any doubts, but he found only a supreme self-confidence. Strangely, this alarmed Ashby more than the finding of some doubts would have. At least then he’d have known that Thantos was fully aware of the magnitude of the task he was advocating they undertake.

  Theo raised his eyebrows and shrugged. “Well, Johnny, I guess it depends on the type of war doesn’t it?” he asked, not really answering Ashby’s question.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re absolutely correct that in the old style in-your-face type of war, troop numbers matter a great deal, but in a guerrilla war, the smaller numbers actually work to our advantage.”

  “Guerrilla warfare?” John asked doubtfully. “You mean like blowing up bridges and assassinating troops—that kind of thing?”

  Theo smiled again and shook his head. “Oh, Johnny, I thought you had more imagination than that,” he said, almost sadly. He leaned forward, speaking earnestly with his elbows on his thighs. “No, I don’t mean blowing up bridges and stuff like that. What I mean by guerrilla is that our enemy is big and powerful, but that also makes him slow to react. We on the other hand are small in number, which makes us able to react quickly and to hit and run with impunity.”

  He paused and took a sip of his wine before continuing his lecture. “Think about the unique position we’re in, Johnny. Number one, our enemy doesn’t know we exist and has absolutely no idea of our many strengths. And when you factor in our immortality and virtual indestructibility, it allows for us to make plans that work over many years.”

  “Okay, so we’re stronger and live a lot longer than the Normals,” John conceded. “But, our very strengths you tout also have kept us undercover for our entire history. There is not a single Vampyre in a position of political or military authority in the entire world. There can’t be ’cause we have always had to remain hidden under the radar of public awareness precisely because of our long lives and failure to age.”

  “You are correct, Johnny, and that is one of our weaknesses that I plan to correct. In fact, you’ve picked the very first step in my campaign for us to rise to our rightful place as the leaders of the world and to our eventual domination of the inferior beings we call Normals.”

  John leaned back and crossed his legs, staring at Theo. The man did seem to have actually thought about this, at least enough to have formulated a plan. “All right, you’ve got my interest. Tell me how you plan to go about engineering this takeover of the world.”

  “First,” Theo said, draining the last of his wine, “let me tell you another of our strengths—the one that is going to make all this possible.”

  John nodded. “Go on.”

  “We have the ability, by the Rite of Transformation, to not only increase our numbers rapidly, but to actually turn any of our enemies into one of us.” Theo grinned and spread his arms wide. “Just think about it, Johnny. In all of history, in all of the thousands of wars that have occurred since the dawn of time, never has one army been able to cause the other’s soldiers to change their allegiance, to make them change sides and become allies almost overnight.”

  John laughed. “Don’t tell me you intend for us to go on a Transformation binge and change millions of citizens into Vampyres so they can help us win the war do you?”

  Theo frowned at the tone of derision in John’s voice. “No, you’re thinking too small, John,” he said sternly. “It is only the leaders of the Normals that we need to change to give us the power to prevail. Think about it, boy! All we need to do is transform a few dozen men and women into Vampyres and then let them do the same to their essential underlings, and we can seize control of the government and, if we’re very careful, no one will even know!”

  John was becoming intrigued now. He turned Theo’s arguments over in his mind. Theo had a point. “I see what you mean,” he said. “If we could get the president and the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the military, so to speak, and maybe the speaker of the house and the majority leader of the senate . . .”

  Theo waved a dismissive hand. “Forget the president. He’s much too closely guarded to gain the necessary access to transform him. Remember, it takes several days for the sickness to go away, days in which several blood feedings are necessary.”

  “Oh,” John said, deflated. He had forgotten for a moment just how little privacy the president had in his daily life.

  “But, you’re on the right track, Johnny. The vice president isn’t nearly so well guarded, and his children are even less watched. Suppose we could get his wife or one of his older children transformed? They would have intimate access and could probably do the rest for us right under the noses of the Secret Service.”

  “Of course,” John said. “And once we had the vice-president, it would be easy enough to get rid of the president, putting our man in power where he could go right down the chain of command transforming those he needed to do our bidding.”

  As Theo leaned back, smiling, John looked down at his hands, which were trembling with the knowledge that it could in fact be done. The revolution would take some years, but hell, they had plenty of those to spare.

  He took a deep breath. Yeah, it could be done, but should it be done—that was the question John had to face. Theo obviously thought so, but John wasn’t so sure. He didn’t know if he was ready to face a world controlled by men, or rather by creatures like Theo Thantos. Hell, in John’s previous experience with members of his own race, he’d found few he liked, and even fewer that he truly respected. Ed and Kim Slonaker were just about the extent of his experience with Vampyres, and he knew that neither of them would ever go for a scheme like this one.

  As he thought about it, he kept his mind carefully shielded. He knew that if Thantos even suspected he had any doubts, the man would kill him without a second’s hesitation. He chuckled to himself. Such were the people he was allying himself with.

  * * *

  Elijah Pike stood up and stared into Matt and Shooter’s faces, meeting their eyes. “I think I’ve answered most of your questions, and as for any others like how does it feel and so forth, the women can handle those. Now, I’m going to go over to the Wal-Mart in Norway and get some supplies while you four talk it over.”

  After he left, Shooter shook his head, a worried expression on his face. “I don’t know, guys. You are all doctors, and you’re used to dealing with infections and viruses and bacteriophages or whatever they are. Me, I’m just a flatfoot cop who doesn’t know from nothin’ about that kind of stuff. This is all way over my head.”

  Matt glanced over at Sam and smiled. “The way I see it, there are pros and cons to be considered, just as in any major decision.” Now he looked at Shooter. “The pros are we get to stay with the women we love for a hell of a long time, and in addition we’ll be free from disease and will be able to heal from almost any injury that befalls us. We’ll also get some sort of psychic ability, though we won’t know how much until after it’s over.”

  “Yeah,” Shooter said, his face somber. “And the cons are we’ll be changed forever with no chance of undoing what we’ve done, and we’ll be dependent on a vaccine to keep us from becoming . . .” he hesitated, blushing as he looked at TJ.

  TJ laughed and rubbed the back of his neck with her hand. “Go on and say it, Shooter, it’s all right. You’re afraid of becoming blood-sucking monsters like Sam and me, right?”

  He gave her his lopsided grin. “Darlin’ I wouldn’t exactly put it that way, but yeah, kind’a. After all, I’ve seen what you a
nd Sam can turn into if you stop the medicine, and it ain’t exactly pretty.” He took a deep breath. “In fact, it’s downright scary.”

  “Is that what’s bothering you, Shooter?” Matt asked. “Are you afraid you might be forced to kill innocent people for their blood?”

  Shooter’s grin faded. “Yeah. What if for some reason, the vaccine stops working, if we build up a tolerance for it after a few years or something?”

  Matt shrugged. “Then, we still have a choice about how we get the blood we need,” he said. “That doesn’t mean we’ll go around killing people to feed on. Look at Elijah. Once he decided he wasn’t going to do it any more, he just took blood from his patients and used that without harming anyone.”

  “I think what Shooter’s afraid of is that he might revert to some sort of killing machine, like Michael Morpheus,” TJ said. “That he might in fact find that he likes to kill and suck other people’s blood. Right, sugar?”

  Shooter hung his head as he nodded. “You guys are all doctors who love humanity and have taken oaths to protect and help people. Me, I’m just a cop who for the past ten years has had to deal with the dregs of society.” He looked around, “In fact, present company excluded, I don’t particularly like people very much. I’m just afraid if I had the power and the vaccine didn’t work, I wouldn’t be all that particular where I got the blood I needed.”

  Sam put her hand on Matt’s shoulder and made a gesture with her head toward their bedroom. “I think we should all go to our rooms and talk about it with our mates in private,” she said. “The decision doesn’t have to be made right now. We’ve got some time to make up our minds about what to do.”

  “Come on, baby,” TJ said, pulling Shooter to his feet. “Let’s go discuss it in our room.”

  As they walked away, Matt and Sam could hear Shooter whispering to TJ, “You’re not gonna hold that blood-sucking monster thing against me, are you sweetheart?”