Thicker than Blood

4. Geordi

CHAPTER 4

Geordi

S hoot. Elias wants to partner with me? That’s so weird, isn’t it? Is partner another word for murder?

Tapping my pen on the metal lab table, I try to wrap my head around the request. Will Meredith even go for that? Can we trust a vampire?

“What’s wrong with you?”

I startle, nearly jolting out of my chair at the sound of Enyo’s voice.

“Dude.” I shake my head. “Are you trying to kill me?”

“Not in the slightest.” He leans a hip on the table. “You’re over here practically hyperventilating. Did you discover a new gene or something?”

“No. The samples I gathered are boring. Nothing new. Did you see the carnage?”

“Just the bloody snow on my way here.” He offers a crooked smile, his go-to when he’s uncomfortable or nervous. He’s one of the most confident people I’ve ever met, but only a fool would feel that way in the face of tonight’s attack.

Enyo reaches up to tug on his shock of bright pink hair, another habit of his when he’s unsure what to do next, so I jump in to save him.

“I was there when the victims were. I got some blood and tissue samples just to see if a fresh attack showed anything we don’t already know.”

“And nothing?”

“Nothing. You won’t believe what happened though.”

“Try me.”

“Elias Caswell showed up.”

Enyo’s big brown eyes get even bigger. “No fucking way.”

“In the flesh. He just called me too.”

Enyo blinks rapidly. “He called you? Is that a new trait? To telepathically find a phone number?”

I actually chuckle at that. “No, idiot. Meredith made me his contact.”

“Ooh.” Enyo rubs his hands together. “Is he just as gorgeous in person?”

Nodding, I recall the true scope of the vampire’s face. “He’s unreal. He’s even better than Julian Reed in Vampire’s Wish .”

“You’re lying. Julien Reed is the hottest actor alive. That’s literally impossible.”

“I’m telling the truth, En. I could barely talk to him.”

“Whoa. What did he call about? A blood sacrifice?”

“No. He wants to help us.”

Enyo scrunches his face. “Help us with what?”

“The vampire war, my guy. Are you paying attention?”

“I’m trying to. Elias is a vampire though.”

“That’s why I’m hyperventilating.”

“Oooh.” He nods. “I get it now.”

“Glad you caught up.” I huff. “On the one hand, we could use some insider knowledge, but on the other, how do we know he’s not a spy or something?”

“Yeah, no clue.” He leans closer to me with a crazy grin on his lips. “What’ll you do if you end up working with him? We all know about your vampire fetish.”

Rolling my eyes, I shove his arm. “We don’t all know and it’s not a fetish.”

“Okay”—he gives me a knowing look—“but you want some vampire dick, and Elias has a vampire dick. Probably. Assuming, of course.”

I really don’t need another reason to think about Elias’s probable vampire dick. “This problem is bigger than my interest in understanding all aspects of vampirism.”

“You’re right.” Enyo adopts a serious expression. “I guess you should call Meredith.”

“I know, but…” The words trail off as the possible outcomes swirl around me. “What if that’s exactly what she wants?”

“Then you gotta step up. You’re the head researcher for a reason. If anyone can handle Elias Caswell, it’s you.”

“I wish I had your confidence.”

He playfully punches my arm. “You can borrow some. Ooh, maybe he’s poly and we can tag team him.”

All I can do is laugh in response. “No one is fucking the vampires. It’s against the rules.”

“Oh right. I forgot you’re a Boy Scout when it comes to these rules.”

“They exist for a reason and keep us safe.”

“Even though we’ve debunked the need for several of them.”

“I know.” I chew on my bottom lip for a second, knowing I can trust Enyo with my next thought. “You know what? This is an opportunity to try my compulsion vaccine on a live subject.”

“You?”

I nod. “Why not me? If I can determine that Elias can be trusted, then I could run a test.”

“Perilous.” Enyo nods. “But I like it.”

“What’s the worst that can happen? It doesn’t work and he makes me do something against my will?”

“That sounds pretty worst-case scenario to me.”

“I guess it does.”

“Oh.” Enyo scrunches his nose. “He could kill you. That’s pretty bad.”

“To say the least.”

The lab doors open and Meredith enters, trailed by a nervous looking Luci. Meredith’s in all-business mode, which means something else happened. Super.

“Oh good, you’re here too, Enyo,” Meredith says. “There’s news.”

I nod, bracing myself.

“The attacks are isolated to our greater metro area,” she says. “We’ve been targeted specifically. I’d like you to see what you can find out from Elias.”

My jaw tenses. That’s the response I was nervous about because it gives me a path to break protocols big time.

“Excellent timing then,” Enyo says, nudging my arm with his.

“Why is that?” Meredith asks.

I clear my throat. “Elias Caswell just called. He volunteered to work with us.”

Meredith nods while Luci looks surprised.

“Interesting,” Meredith says.

“That’s what I thought. He seems genuine in his offer, but can we trust that he’s really on our side?”

“I think we’re in a situation where we have to go with our guts. He does have a vested interest in keeping things the way they are. Maybe that’s enough reason to trust him.”

“Good point,” Enyo says. “Vampires are notorious for protecting their own interests.”

“Honestly, I don’t think a man like Elias would need to pretend to work with us if his goal was nefarious,” Luci says. “He’s considered the most powerful vampire in existence. My underworld informant tells me those loyal to Elias are very concerned that some vamps went behind his back. He doesn’t take betrayal lightly. I think he’s legit.”

A shiver rolls down my back. Is this really happening?

“I’m putting you in charge, Geordi,” Meredith announces without preamble. “I need you to work with Elias and get intel. Obviously the goal is to suss out who’s behind this uprising, find their weaknesses, and eliminate the threat. You’ll be given access to any and all resources you need. Bernard has the police manpower available, and if we need to bring in military force, we can.”

“Why me? Shouldn’t it be someone with some kind of authority?”

“No. You understand the vampires better than anyone else. You know how they work, how they think, and with Elias’s help, you’re in the best position to help us.”

Enyo squeezes my shoulder. I feel a little sick, but I nod anyway. Am I really ready for this? Do I have a choice?

Meredith steps forward, taking my chin in her hand and giving me the motherly look she’s so good at. “You can do this, Geordi. You’ve trained for it. Trust your instincts with Elias, but don’t forget the rules.”

“I won’t.”

“He’s… charming. Don’t let it distract you.”

Of course she knows how hard it will be to ignore the gorgeous, very sexy, and all too tempting vampire. “I’m on it.”

“Keep me posted, huh?” She musses up my hair. “I have full confidence in you.”

“I won’t disappoint you.”

“I already know that.”

Meredith leaves with Luci and I slump forward on my lab table, burying my face in my arms. “Ugh.”

Enyo rubs my back. “This is exciting, Geordi and I’ll be here too.”

I lift my head. “Promise?”

“Of course. Call Elias back.”

“Is that step one?” I pat the work surface, looking for my planner under all the research notes I was working on.

“Yep. Step one: Let the vampire know you’re officially a team.”

My stomach does a little flip, whether that’s from excitement or pure terror is unclear. I’ve dreamed of a moment when I could put all my research on center stage. I’ve fantasized a million times about befriending a vampire so I could see them outside of a clinical setting. And Elias Caswell himself has starred in more filthy thoughts and jerk-off sessions than I care to admit even to myself.

Now I’m going to call him and casually discuss a working partnership. I’m going to go behind my mentor’s back to test a vaccine when I have no idea what effect it will have. No problem. I’m totally chill about this.

Yeah, and Nosferatu is the sexiest man unalive.