Blood: The Third Course

Chapter Seven

The room was dim. A heavy pair of curtains hung closed across the windows, not letting a single speck of sunlight through. A pair of simple lights hung from the ceiling, shrouded by pale shades, but they remained dark and cold. Carson considered flicking on the light switch, but he caught a look of amusement from the largest of the vampires, William, when he'd arrived, and he'd shoved his hand in his pocket and stepped away from it. His vision had acclimatised for the most part as he listened to the discussion. He wasn't going to look weak in front of the vampires, not again.

It was bad enough that he had been called to the vampire pack for a meeting, but to be lectured for so long in dim light was more than frustrating. Why Kaleb hadn't demanded they go out to the farm, Carson didn't know. Maybe he was too weak to ask it. Not that Kaleb would tell him either way. He wondered if perhaps it wasn't the vampires he didn't want at the farm, but his brother-in-law.

Carson rounded past the vampires and stood near the window. He clasped his hands behind his back, his fingers brushing the soft fabric of the curtains. He stared blankly across the room as the youngest of them spoke. Well, youngest in looks, at least, the girl was the youngest in vampire age, but only by a matter of days.

"It's insane," he finally said, cutting the boy off. "If it were that simple to create a true wolf, don't you think we would have been doing it already?"

"It sounds easy, but it isn't," Thomas replied, shifting awkwardly where he stood. The girl, Paige, slid her hand into his and squeezed, giving him an encouraging look. He took a deep breath. "The practice would be... difficult. If my theory is correct, the antibodies in a person's blood would fight off the invasion of the new cells like they would a disease, rendering the transfusion useless. It's only because vampires are technically dead that we're able to use the gifts like the one from that girl."

"You mean Edeline," Carson said.

Thomas nodded and stared down at his shoes.

"Our cells don't replicate the way normal cells do. We use the chemicals and oxygen in blood we take from others, and when it's used up, it dies, and we feed again. It's why any gifted blood drunk only gives a temporary effect."

Kaleb took a seat on the arm of a chair. He scratched at his jaw, heavily stubbled, and stared at nothing.

"If the effects would only be temporary, why are we even discussing it? From what we know, the gift lasts hours, if that. A wolf wouldn't even survive until sunrise."

As Thomas stammered under his breath, Carson expected Paige to give him another show of encouragement. Instead, however, it was William. He stood from the large armchair he'd been lounging in since they arrived and came to Thomas' side. He laid a large hand on the slim shoulder of the young vampire and gave three heavy pats that looked like they might buckle the boy's knees. Carson stifled a smirk.

"Our boy here is smart. He wouldn't have mentioned it if he thought this was all useless, now, would he?"

Kaleb remained silent, and gave a nod to continued. William patted Thomas on the shoulder again, and this time the boy's knees wobbled in his fashionably tight jeans.

"Tell them, boy," William said, his voice gruff and low. It would have been inaudible to most, but with the nearing full moon, it wasn't just the vampires with vastly improved hearing.

Thomas sucked in another deep breath.

"Every human body is flooded with antibodies. Any invasion of new cells, like the werewolf disease, for example..."

Carson's eyes narrowed and a growl rumbled in his throat. When his gaze met Kaleb's, it was to find the same glaring annoyance echoed in the face of his Alpha, and his growl was returned along with it. Thomas' eyes widened.

"I mean, for the purpose of explanation," he muttered, attempting to take a step but going nowhere under William's grip. "The invasion of werewolf cells would constitute a virus to the immune system. In order to overwhelm the body's defences, the virus would have to be so strong that the T-cells are fooled into thinking it isn't a virus at all, but just a regular part of the body, therefore deciding not to fight against it."

Carson rolled his eyes.

"Talk English, kid. Talk about cells and antibodies all you want, but what does it all mean?"

Thomas gulped and shifted his weight. He ran his fingers through his hair and after a brief glance at Carson, turned his gaze upon Kaleb.

"If you want your son's transformation to work, if you want Vince to become a werewolf, it would require draining his blood completely, transplanting it all with the blood of a werewolf. It would have to be done in a single transfusion in order to ensure his immune system can't get a handle on fighting off the altered cells."

Kaleb chewed on his bottom lip, nodding as he glanced over at August Caine. The oldest of the vampires had remained uncharacteristically quiet throughout the meeting, falling silent after greeting Kaleb. He'd not said a single word to Carson. In fact, Carson had caught him glaring at him from time to time, his jaw working as if he wanted to grind his teeth to the gums. Even now, with the suggestion in the air, he said nothing.

"Okay, so we all donate a pint of blood. The pack loves Vince, and it'd be no different to donating to a hospital, right?"

"Orange juice and a cookie at the end," Carson laughed. He was met with such a glare that his laughter died instantly.

Thomas stammered a moment longer.

"No," he murmured. "I don't think you understand."

"What?" Kaleb asked. "What is there to understand?"

"Every virus is different, mutated by the host body. Even your werewolf... uhh... cells, would be different from person to person. That many different viruses, it would kill someone before it would take hold."

August finally spoke up, a small sly smirk on his lips.

"English, Thomas, in a language say, a dog, would understand."

Paige was stifling a grin. William didn't even try to hide it.

Thomas, on the other hand, was so white it looked like he hadn't fed since turning.

"Well?" Carson asked.

"In order to make a new wolf, the blood would have to come from a single source, and the amount needed..."

"Just say it, boy," Kaleb said, though from the look on his face, he already knew what was coming.

They all did.

"The donator wouldn't survive that amount of blood loss," Thomas said. "In order to create a new werewolf, an existing one would have to die."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Dun dun duuunnnnnn.
Okay, so it wasn't a huge cliff hanger, but yeah, it amused me.

I hope it amused you guys too. Don't forget to vote and comment.

See you next week.

Chele