Descend into Darkness (BOOK 1)

| 27 | First Familiar

"With the way things are going, if you feed one more time, I don't think the restraint will be able to hold you. There's no telling what will happen after that--it's all out of my control. I advise you do what you need to. Regardless of what you do, I expect to get some valuable results from your case."

Dr. Hughes looked up from her microscope and jotted down a few notes. The corners of her mouth twitched, as though she were holding back a smile. 

I had to remember that more than anything, she was a researcher. If she had it her way, I think she would have let me do whatever I wanted. She was all about results.

   "There is no data on the type of cells in your blood. I'm beginning to think that it's something only you possess. It's incredible. Ordinary vampire blood appears human, but there are dead cells present, hence the need to feed on humans. Here, let me show you something."

She pulled out two vials of blood and held one in each hand. She poured them into separate beakers held by a copper stand. Then, from her white coat, she pulled out two silver bullets.

   "This one is your blood, while this one here is the blood of a standard vampire. Excuse the crude example, but I don't have any concentrated silver at the moment. Watch what happens when the silver comes into contact with the standard blood sample."

She plopped the bullet into the beaker and it sizzled violently, until the blood evaporated with a tiny sigh. "Now, yours." The bullet sank to the bottom of my blood with a clink! 

I stared down in anticipation as the blood simmered and a light smoke snaked out of the beaker. The reaction lasted a fraction of a second. Anticlimactic.

"What does it mean?" I asked.

"What you just saw is your blood regenerating while being destroyed. Silver is still poisonous to you, and I imagine it will hurt like hell, but it could never kill you. Holy water had even less of a reaction, and as much as I'd like to conduct further tests... I wouldn't want to risk accidentally killing you."

Her eyes shifted to my chest. The way she said it sounded as though she had done something similar in the past. There was a lot I didn't know about her. While she was always polite and friendly when she saw me, it felt like a persona put on to keep me agreeable.

   "What's with that look? You have no need to worry, we treat you well here. If you had been captured by Krauss or Charion, however, it would be a whole different story."

   "There are more associations?"

   "There's only one association. However, there are multiple divisions. Each one was named after its founder. Ours, Dyonisia Rozen, was the only female founder. She dedicated her time and research to finding a way of peaceful co-existence between humans and inhumans. Godric Krauss and Ulric Charion, on the other hand, were skilled hunters who treated inhumans like animals. Most of their research went into weapons and technology that combated the threat. In the past, there was a lot of friction due to our different philosophies and territorial disputes, but today, we all hold a neutral relationship supported by an exchange of our research for their weaponry."

Dr. Hughes ushered me over to a computer, where she pulled up three different emblem designs.

   "You might have seen this before. This rose represents Rozen. This sword, Krauss. This bow, Charion. Should you ever come into contact with them in the field, I suggest you be wary of Krauss. They have a tendency to shoot first and never ask questions."

"Do you think humans and inhumans will live in peace one day?"

"Well," she hummed. "I'd like to think so. If you and I can exist in a room like this, without so much as a problem, then it seems possible."