Chayton held onto Tawne’s hand and they made their way toward the elevator. He wanted to show her what he had been working on, and she found herself curious. What made someone become a research doctor rather than working with patients? Being a vampire probably had a lot to do with that.
The end of the hall held the frame for the elevator. He pressed the down button and turned to face her. “We could take the stairs, but it’s four flights. This might be faster. And gives you an idea where the elevator is on each floor.”
She nodded. “I appreciate that.”
The familiar ding announced the lift’s arrival and the doors slid open. He held his hand out for her and she stepped inside. The interior was cream colored with mirrored handrails and a mirrored ceiling. Chayton pressed the B button and the doors closed.
“Do you spend a lot of time in your lab?”
He shook his head. “No, not all of my time. Well, most often as of late only because of what I’m working on. I’m excited to show it to you.”
She smiled. “What is it?”
“It may be easier to show you than to explain, but once we’re down there, you’ll understand. Well, at least I hope you will.”
She tilted her head, curious. “What about it would I not understand?” She didn’t sound rude or condescending, the opposite actually. What was he working on that would be easier to see than to hear about?
The elevator arrived at the basement level and the doors opened.
Tawne had the thought of something like a mad scientist’s laboratory in her mind, however, when the doors opened, it was a different sight completely. It was as if she’d walked into a white- walled department store of glass beakers filled with colorful perfumes. Different shapes and sizes, each contained a different color liquid. From blue to pink, to yellow and red, the kaleidoscope of colors was beautiful.
The lab had the distinctive scent of alcohol and cleaning products, similar to a hospital. It was cooler than the rest of the house she had visited. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself.
“Here,” Chayton offered and grabbed a floor length, white lab jacket. He held it open. She turned around and he slipped it up her arms.
“Thank you.” She pulled it tight around her body, reveling in the immediate small relief it offered, and turned back to face him. “Why is it so cold in here?”
“It keeps the germs and bacteria from growing. They can contaminate and we can’t have that.”
“Right, well makes sense. So, where is this thing you’re working on?”
Chayton grinned and his eyes lit with excitement. “It is something that we all feel will completely change the face of our world. I’m working on perfecting a serum, well, more like a bonding agent.”
The only serum’s Tawne was familiar with were sold by makeup companies or for hair damage. “That sounds pretty important, considering it could change things. Can you give me for specifics?”
“Sure.” He pulled out a stool for her by one of the tables.
She took a seat and placed her hands in her lap. In front of her were a few of the colorful vials. “These are beautiful colors.”
He smiled and picked up a vial, then took a seat next to her. “Before I go into details about this serum, would you like to know more about me?”
She nodded with a smile. “Yes, absolutely. I was hoping you would share, either now or later.”
“Good.” He placed the vial into a metal holder. “Originally, I’m from Minnesota. My family is Sioux and, unfortunately, there are not many of us, my tribe, left. There was a war in the 1800’s I fought in. My tribe fought to keep our land, but it was a losing battle. One night, one of the soldiers snuck into our camp and into my home.” Chayton looked at his hands. “It was that night my maker attacked me. I fought back, though. I won the fight, but it was also my undoing.
“The man bit me during our fight. At one point, he had me pinned to the ground and forced his blood into my mouth. I grabbed my hatchet and killed him, but it was already too late. The blood was in my system. My human body died that night and I was reborn as a vampire.”
“Oh my god,” she whispered. “I can’t even imagine what that must have been like for you.”
“It still haunts me from time to time, but I’ve learned to deal with it and forgive my past. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have the life I do now with my brothers.”
She reached for his hand and squeezed it. “Thank you for sharing your story.”
“You’re welcome.” He picked up the vial and held it out to her.
She accepted the small glass tube and examined the crimson contents. It was thick, like blood. “What is this?”
“It’s the serum.”
She smirked and lifted a brow. “Well, I figured that. What is it exactly?”
He winked then chuckled. “The serum I’ve been working on, think of it like a bonding agent, like I said before.”
She nodded. “Okay, what does it do?”
Chayton grinned and his eyes gleamed with triumph. “This serum will bond to the blood of a human and transform their genetic makeup into synthetic blood.”
She blinked. “Wait, what? Are you saying that this substance in this tube will make me a blood demon?”
“Yes and no.”
She handed the vial back. “I’m… I don’t know, Chayton. I’m not ready to be a test subject to see if this will work.”
He chuckled. “I would never put you through any kind of testing like that.”
“Then how do you know if it would work?”
“I have blood samples here the coven has collected for my tests.”
She nodded. “So, let’s assume this works. If I were to take this serum, it would change my blood so you could feed on me and gain the same type of sustenance Olivia feeds her men?”
“Exactly, except it would be closer to a carnivore turning into a vegetarian. Rather than eating meat, they would choose to eat tofu.”
She raised her brows. “So, I would theoretically become tofu for you?”
“I would never consider you tofu, but as a purpose of comparison, yes.”
She inhaled a long breath, then slowly let it go. “I don’t know if I’m ready to take such a leap like this.”
“No one is suggesting for you to. It is an option that will be available if you choose to take it. No one would ever ask you to ingest it or force you to do anything you do not wish to do.”
“Oh, well that’s good to know, but what happens with all of us if I, oh, I don’t know, decide to stay with you? If I choose this life but decide to not take the serum. Where does that leave us?”
“It wouldn’t be an issue. The coven has volunteers to feed vampires who do not have a blood demon.”
“Oh,” she whispered. “So, why the serum then?”
“I presented the idea to the coven. If we were able to create a synthetic form of blood for vampires to ingest when blood demons are not an option, it would be a way for us to continue living without the fear of starving. Thus, giving into blood thirst.”
“Blood thirst?”
“Yeah, it’s not something you ever want to see or experience. For lack of better terms, we basically go mad and lose our mind to the lust of blood. There is no controlling or stopping a vampire who is starved and insane from blood lust.”
Fear tinged at the back of her mind. She felt like bait in a pool full of sharks. All it took was a small prick of her blood and the monsters would react. She swallowed hard and sat back in her seat.
“Please, don’t worry about any of us. No one would ever put you in danger like that. If any of us were to come close to losing ourselves, we would be removed before any danger would come to you.”
“Well, I’m happy to know that.” She paused and shifted her gaze to the vial once more. “What would happen to me if I were to take this serum?”
“Nothing physically. You wouldn’t feel a thing. Your blood would change to become synthetic. There are some side effects, though.”
She raised her brow. “What kind of side effects?”
“You would not age any further than where you are today. Over time, if the serum worked its way out of your body, the aging process would pick back up, but if you continued to take the serum, you would continue to remain youthful.”
“Well, that’s not so bad.”
He smiled. “You could be two hundred years of age and look no older than you do right now.”
“Wow,” she whispered. “A part of me says sign me up!” She laughed, then continued. “The other part is still wary of experimenting with something I know nothing about.”
“Completely understood. Only when you’re ready, you may take the serum.”
She stood from her seat. “Thank you for telling me about this. I don’t do well with secrets and appreciate it.”
“If this is the life you want, there will never be secrets between any of us.” Chayton placed the vial back in the metal holding tray, then turned back to her. “Do you have questions you’d like to ask?”
“I’m sure I will, but right now, no. What I’d like to do is go rest for a while. I feel like my up is down and dark is light. I feel like Alice when she fell down the rabbit hole.”
“That’s understandable. You’ve learned a lot the last few days.”
She nodded. “Vampires are real and there’s a serum that didn’t come from the fountain of youth.” She paused, meeting his gaze. “Are there shifters in the world, or any other kind of fae?”
He smiled and took a few steps toward her. Reaching for her, he slid a soft, gentle hand across her cheek and - brushed a few strands from her face. “There’s so much more for you to learn about our world, but in time, Tawne.”
She nodded and tilted her head into the palm of his hand. “You’ve been so kind to me, without knowing anything about me.”
“We know plenty,” he whispered. “You love history and long to become a museum curator, but this is not what makes you. What makes you is your passion, your boldness for life, the fact you were willing to take a leap with a group of men who were not from your world. It speaks a lot about you as a person.”
“You make it sound like you’re an alien.”
He chuckled. “Well, not quite. I do have a question.”
She lifted her gaze to his. He was so close. She wanted to reach for him, pull him close, have him hold her the way Cristofano and Evan did. “Sure.”
“Since we first met, and more so now that we’re alone, I want to kiss you. I want to feel your body against mine. I want to taste every inch of your body and have you experience the most amazing pleasure of your life.”
Her breath rushed from her lips and her knees felt weak. She’d felt chilled in this room, but right now, she was hot and needed to remove her clothes. She longed to lie on his metal table while he touched her body. Her face warmed with the blood that rushed to her cheeks. “I would love that.”
His brows rose, and he grinned. Chayton tilted her head up and leaned in. He slanted his lips across hers and possessed her body with a friction that demanded dominance. One of his arms wrapped around her body and he held her close against him.
Tawne needed more. Having kissed Cristofano and Evan, and now Chayton, she began to understand what Olivia had been feeling with her men. It was possible to have more than one man in your life, with feelings for all of them. She wanted this, needed this. She moved her hands up his chest and around his neck, pulling him closer.
His hair fell into his face, ticking her cheeks. Chayton pulled back and looked into her eyes. “You’re a beautiful woman, Tawne. I want so much more from you, but I’m afraid to ask of it. Go, get your rest. We have plenty of time for this.” He rested his forehead against hers and let a sigh fan against her lips.
She nodded. “I should go. I’m concerned if I don’t leave, I may end up taking advantage of you.”
He chuckled. “I find that very doubtful. I’m more than willing to comply.”
She laughed and let him go, taking a few steps back. “I’ll find my way back to my room. I think I want to rest on my sundeck.”
He grinned. “Do that, please. Tonight, if you’ll allow us, we can taste the sun on your skin.”
Her brows rose. “Can you really?”
“In a way, yes. As soon as the sun is down, we’ll come find you.”
“What about Will?”
“He’ll either be there or will join us. Either way, he’ll be with us.”
She bit her bottom lip. “I don’t think he cares for me much. What’s his story?”
Chayton walked her to the elevator and pressed the button. The doors slid open. He took her inside and pressed the third-floor button. “That’s his story to tell when he’s ready.”
“Okay. Then I’ll see you tonight.”
He reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. “I look forward to it.” He stepped out of the elevator and the doors closed.
Tawne leaned against the wall and sighed with a smile. Exhaustion begun to settle in and she yawned. The possibility of having four…well, three men, in her life was becoming more of a reality. The decision was hers if she chose to accept it. What happened if they decided to not choose her? Would Will put a stop to that? It wasn’t something she wanted to consider right now. What she needed was her bed.
The elevator doors opened, and she stepped out. Down the hall she found Will walking toward his room. He stopped just before he stepped inside and turned to look at her.
She stared at him down the length of the hall and offered a smile, then lowered her gaze. She didn’t want to deal with him or his personality just before napping. When she glanced back up, he had disappeared into his room.
She shuffled the few steps needed to get to her room and closed the door behind her. Grabbing one of the pillows off her bed, she removed the lab jacket Chayton gave her, her shoes, and clothes. She left her bra and panties on. Feeling a chill, she picked up a light blanket that was folded on the end of her bed.
Opening her balcony door, she stepped out and lifted her face toward the sun. The rays warmed her, and she smiled. Lying down on her chaise, she tucked the pillow under her head and covered her body with the blanket. She closed her eyes and, in her exhaustion, sleep quickly claimed her. Darkness gave way to erotic dreams of three vampires seducing her, with another in the background, closing in.