Page 72

It's not the answer I want, but it's honest. I can respect that.

"So, what's next?" I ask, dropping my hand. "With the cure, I mean."

She seems relieved by the shift back to safer territory. "I've isolated enough of the protein to make a small test dose. It's not much, but it might be enough to show if I'm on the right track."

"Have you tested it on infected blood samples?"

"Yes, and it works beautifully in vitro." She bites her lip again. "But that's not the same as testing it in a living subject."

My heart skips a beat. "Mara."

She nods slowly. "She's the most advanced case we have. If it works on her..."

"Then it could work for anyone," I finish.

"But Onyx, I need you to understand the risks." Her expression turns serious. "This is experimental. Untested. It could do nothing. It could make her worse. It could…"

"Kill her?" I ask bluntly.

"Yes." She doesn't sugarcoat it. "I wouldn't normally suggest human trials this early, but time isn't on our side. Hammond's containment squads are already rounding up shifters. And Mara..."

"Is dying anyway," I say. "How long does she have without the treatment?"

Dahlia's eyes soften with sympathy. "Days. Maybe less."

I take a deep breath, weighing the options. Mara is more than my cousin; she's like a sister to me. After her parents died, she became my responsibility. My pack. My family.

"Do it," I say finally. "Test it on her."

"Are you sure?" Dahlia searches my face. "This isn't just your decision. It's hers too."

"She'd want to try." Of this, I'm certain. "Mara's a fighter. She'd rather go down swinging than waste away in that bed."

Dahlia nods, turning to a small, refrigerated unit in the corner of the lab. She pulls out a tiny vial filled with clear liquid.

"Is this?" I ask, surprised by how ordinary it looks.

"Sometimes the most powerful things come in small packages," she says with a small smile.

We head to the medical room where Mara lies hooked up to monitors. Her condition has deteriorated since yesterday. Her breathing is labored, and the monitors show her heart rate is erratic.

Dahlia approaches the bed, checking Mara's vitals. "Her fever's up. 104.2."

"Is that too high for the treatment?" I ask, hovering nearby.

"No, but it's not ideal." She prepares a syringe, drawing the clear liquid from the vial. "I'm going to inject it directly into her bloodstream. If it works, we should see results quickly."

I move to Mara's side, taking her hand in mine. Her skin burns against my palm. "Hang in there, little cousin," I murmur. "Help is coming."

Dahlia finds a vein in Mara's arm and slides the needle in before she pushes the plunger until all the liquid is gone.

For several seconds, nothing happens. Then Mara's body goes rigid, and her back arches off the bed. The monitors start beeping frantically as her heart rate spikes.

"What's happening?" I demand, gripping Mara's hand tighter.

"Her body's fighting the treatment," Dahlia says, moving quickly to check the monitors. "It's an immune response. I expected it, but this is intense."

Mara begins to convulse, her limbs jerking violently. I must let go of her hand to help Dahlia hold her down.