The Progeny (The Progeny Series) (13 page)

“Most of us share a direct blood line. There are a few exceptions
, but we all share a secret truth that binds us.”

“Quinn
, how old is he?”

“He was born in 1820. He was reborn in 1843. He was the first son of Richard.”

“Tristan and Gabe?”

“Gabe is
father’s first born son. He was born in 1640 and his rebirth came in 1664. Tristan’s story is more involved.”

Shauna’s head
whirled, but she was glad to have answers to her suspicions. “Go on,” she encouraged.

“Quinn found Tristan in a hospital ward, dying. Back then, hospitals were less of the medical saviors tha
t they are today. They were overcrowded gateways to death and charities ran them mostly. People endured surgeries without anesthesia and if you were lucky enough to survive the surgery, infection would surely take you out. Tristan was dying of consumption. I think modern day people call it tuberculosis. Rather than let him die a horrid death, Quinn changed him in 1876.”

“Gabe is your half-brother. What about your mother?”

“I’ve never talked to anyone outside of my family about her.”

“It’s okay if you can’t talk about it.”

“No, I want you to know everything, so that there are no more secrets between us. My mother was a most beautiful and proper English woman named Beatrice. She and my father met when he was working on a special project. They fell in love, despite their
differences.
”
He paused, giving her a look of reverie.

“What is it?”

“Nothing really. I was just thinking about a conversation I had with my father recently. He doesn’t speak of his emotions very much, especially the ones concerning my mother, but he was very forthcoming that night. He loved her so very much.” Ascher gazed into Shauna’s wondering eyes. “Much as I love you.” He paused, giving her that gorgeous smile that always melted her heart. “It’s kinda nice to know that I was conceived and born out of such love.”

He seemed so vulnerable, in that moment, as his
face leaned into the cup of her hand. Curling her fingertips along his pale cheek, she stared at him processing all that he’d told her. “You’re loved, Ascher, and not just by me.”

Closing his eyes
, he pulled her back to him, resting his face against hers. “Things were a lot different in 1921. People weren’t as open-minded as they are now. She died after my birth. The strain of delivering a half human, half vampire child was too much for her body. Father took a big risk revealing to her what he was. Most vampires think that humans are better off not knowing that they share the world with us. I want you to know me, the
real
me. I just got you back, and I don’t want lies between us.”

When he paused, Shauna looked directly into his eyes.

“The first time I saw you, I knew you were special. I’ve wanted to tell you about me so many times. I had to wait until I could be sure about you. You don’t know how relieved I am to finally have this off my chest.”

She
stared into his eyes and saw the sincerity of his words. “I don’t know, Ascher. This is all too much to fathom—I’m so confused. My brain has
never
worked right. Maybe, I’ve finally lost it!”

“No,
you’re
not crazy, but
I
am. I can’t stop thinking about you. I tried to ignore my feelings for you, knowing the grief being in love with me would cause you. I tried to forget the emotions when we were apart, knowing that you’d move on without me. I can’t do any of that anymore.”

“Ash, don’t
—”

Ascher looked saddened and his expression was full of misery.
“Wanting you has cost me the love of my brother. It may cost me my life, but I don’t care. I’ll gladly forfeit my life for yours. If it meant that you’d be safe, I’d throw myself upon a thousand silver spikes and die a thousand deaths. I love you, Shauna. I can’t help it, and I can’t stop myself. I’m
in love
with you and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Shauna felt a pain filled tightening in her chest as h
is mouth moved and words came out—
unbelievable
words. This awful truth made things clearer. She gazed into his eyes and couldn’t deny what she was seeing—love, fear, devotion and sacrifice all rolled into one. She smoothed a shaky hand across his face as he leaned in for a kiss. She tangled her body with his, indulging in the sweetness of his lips.

A thousand tingles gripped her body as the heartache melted into a new reality. He still wanted her. He was
in love
with her. There were no more secrets, no more lies, just him, his warm embrace and most importantly—the truth.

She kissed him
even more deeply. If she suffocated in his arms with her lips pressed to his, it would be a good way to go. He was hers and it was too much to comprehend. Shauna released a long gasp and fell limp in his arms.

* * * *

“Shauna, Shauna!”

Ascher
never thought of her as one who might faint. He placed his hand over her heart, and stared at her unmoving body and peaceful face. A glimpse into her mind revealed various images of his face in her subconscious.

Her eyes fluttered as she squirmed about in his arms. They sprang open, peering into his
with perplexity. “What happened?”

“It’s okay, sweetheart. You’re still at the mansion with me. You passed out
after I told you a lot. I guess it was too much. Do you remember anything that I said?”

Her face was blank until a spark of intuition
blazed in her eyes. “You’re not human.”

Ascher sighed
, because part of him wanted her to remember, so that there would be no secrets between them. Another part, wanted to remain an ordinary man in her eyes. “Yes, that’s right. How do you feel about that?”

“It doesn’t matter to me.”

“I don’t believe it. I don’t know what I expected, but
this
isn’t it.”

“It doesn’t change how I feel about you. I do have more questions.”

“And I’ll answer every one.”

She raised herself up. “I must seem like a weak little human to you.”

“Shauna, you’ve never been anything but strong, since the day I met you.” He stared into her bewildered eyes. “I need to show you something.”

Thirteen ~
Project Progeny

They walked down along two flights of back stairs, ending in the basement. He seemed more at ease, less stressed out, but she still sensed the tiniest bit of apprehension. She imagined it would be hard to hold in all of the information he’d kept a secret.

Ascher
paused outside of an infirmary.

It was a real replica of a hospital room—complete with three beds,
nightstands and divider screens. A wall of medical journals and thick anthologies were displayed along an adjacent back wall, a dark wood bookshelf their captor. The items in a dust-proof case were antique medical instruments, and some of them resembled instruments of torture. She’d seen some of the same items at a natural history museum exhibit about turn of the century medicine.

“Vampir
es have need for an infirmary?”

“War is an unfortunate part of being immortal. Sometimes
, a vampire needs treatment.” A dark emotion passed across his face. “
Sometimes,
they don’t make it.” His face morphed into a grin, surprising her at how quickly his demeanor could change. “You’re blocking me. Why?” He ran a soothing hand down her face. “The detective is already on the case and being briefed by my father. The guys and I plan to leave in two days.”

“No
, it’s not that,” she whispered. “Have
you
ever needed treatment?”

“I
was fortunate to be born during a peaceful period. The last century has been uneventful. I don’t know how long this trend will last, though.” His face was suddenly worried. “I didn’t bring you down here to show you the infirmary. If you’re going to understand me, you have to see what I am and how I started. So, I brought you here because you need to see
this
…”

The room darkened.

Pitch black rendered her eyesight useless while heightening her other senses. She’d always heard that the blind possessed unparalleled senses of touch, taste, smell and hearing. She was getting a lesson on what it was to be blind, and her perceptions intensified. The cool dry taste of the sterile air burned at her tongue, while his sweeter scent equalized the sharpness of the antiseptic air. The darkness made her realize how much the room mimicked the germ-free cleanliness of a hospital environment.

The touch of his hand was different in the dark
, warmer and the thudding pulse more evident in his wrist. Sparks of electricity prickled her skin, covering her in goose bumps. Shauna’s heart synchronized with his, picking up its rhythm, pulsing out a nervous drumbeat inside her chest. His heart thundered, but his breathing remained calm and barely noticeable.

The sound of a generator started, providing a constant source of background noise. A silvery light flooded the room as the back-up power supply engaged. She startled
, as the eerie light bleached his complexion, giving his face a washed out aura.

“Sorry if that scared you,
” he whispered, his pale eyes flickering against the harsh light. “The back-up always comes on when someone steps over here. It’s part of the initiation sequence.” Ascher waved his hand over a copper bust and a keypad appeared from a slot in the wall. Rapping several strokes on the keyboard, he paused.

All of t
his suddenly felt like an action movie to Shauna, complete with gadgets and secret codes. A beam of green light flashed at his eyes while an overhead voice announced, “Good evening, Ascher.”

The wall of books shifted to the right
, exposing a dark corridor. He pulled her along, clutching her hand so tightly it numbed in response.

“Ash
—my hand.”

His grip loosened. “Sorry. Now, I don’t want you to be afraid. There is absolutely nothing to be frightened of
, but if you're serious about wanting me, you need to know
everything
about me.”

Something about the way he said
'everything' made her stomach swarm with nerves. What he had to show her couldn’t be
that
bad—could it?

Another eye scan and they entered a lab, complete with beakers, microscopes, colorful solutions and Jonas Rousseau. He glanced up, gave her a welcoming smile
and went back to his work.

“Father is a geneticist
, and Gabriel is a chemist. The two of them have been working on a serum comprised of my blood. When properly configured, this serum could be the cure for many of the diseases that humans face. Imagine a world free of cancer, diabetes, autism, all of the things that plague the modern day world.”

“And that can be accomplished with
your
blood?”

“It’s possible if they can turn off certain receptors—the ones that are
dangerous
to humans.”

“Dangerous?”

“Genetics aren’t really my thing. Maybe my father should explain it to you.”

Ascher
pushed her hesitant body towards an empty stool beside his father.

Jonas looked up from the microscope in front of him, flashing another warm smile. “Hello, my dear. I’m assuming Ascher has told you about us.”

Shauna nodded, too overwhelmed to speak a word.

“I know it’s a lot to take in
, but you’re still here. That’s the most important thing. I want you to see something.”

Jonas
shifted the microscope over to her, placing a slide on the stage. She squinted, glancing down into the eyepiece. It was blurry and she couldn’t see much. An icy presence brushed her hand making her jump then shiver.

“Sorry about that.”
Jonas let out nervous laughter. “
We
aren’t as warm as Ascher.” A quick turn of the focus and everything became crystal clear. “You’re looking at a slide of human blood.”

She glared at the clusters of red globules. “I’ve never been one for science. I hated the dissecting in biology.”

Jonas laughed. “It’s not for everyone, I assure you. Isn’t it lovely?”

“What?”

“The cells,” he practically sang. It was obvious that he loved what he did. “They move, twirl and dance about, performing the remarkable opera of life. They manage to live and die instantaneously while living and dying, existing together unimpeded by one another. Much like Ascher.”

At his sudden somber tone,
Shauna glanced up. The serious part, the part that sparked the dim dread in Ascher’s eyes was coming.

“My son lives life in limbo. He is a mix of two beings, life an
d death existing in him at once. He’s the living amongst the dead. He’s also the best of both worlds—a compassionate, beating heart merged with the strength, abilities and immortality of our kind. I designed him this way.”

“
Wait a minute...you
made
him?”

The warm shackle of
Ascher’s embrace surrounded her. He slipped onto the stool, wedging himself under her then steadied her in his lap before she could process the movement.

“See what I mean?”
Jonas chuckled. “In 1898, Gabriel and I had a secret government contract. Our partnership—Genesis Research Institute did much of the research for a new project. The British government was interested in creating a ‘super soldier.’ For all of the charms humans possess, you still have a fault that makes you undesirable.” He gave her a ghostly glance. “You die. Your mortality makes you a liability.”

Ascher patted her hand as his father paused.

“We called our research Project Progeny. It started with animals. At first, we concentrated on artificial insemination, and most of the pregnancies ended in live births. We were living in London at the time. The amount of data our research produced made it impossible for us to keep track of it—even with our sleepless nights. We needed an employee to help with the backlog, so we combed the city for a gifted scientist to add to our team. We found exactly what we needed in Ascher Westridge and his daughter, Beatrice, who was equally as talented as we were. She spent her time in the lab working with us, analyzing data and keeping an accurate account of our records.”

Ascher’s arm tightened around her, his lips r
esting at the base of her neck.

She managed to ignore the tingles his lips
, so close to her, caused. “Ash’s mother.”

Jonas
nodded. “The British government threw insane amounts of money into our project, hoping we’d get the breakthrough to validate their expense. Between 1908 and 1918, we got serious about our project, delving deeper into the data, using what we’d learned about insemination on
humans.
”

Shauna gasped.

“Ten women were impregnated with a mixture of vampire and human semen. At first, we were curious if a vampire could even impregnate a human, since we are essentially the
undead
. Eight of the pregnancies progressed to the tenth week. None of the pregnancies resulted in a half-blood embryo.”

“Did they know? The women, did they know what you were doing to them?” Shauna questioned.

“Of course not, my dear,” Jonas answered swiftly. “Our greatest concern is staying inconspicuous. We’d never risk telling anyone who couldn’t be trusted. By 1920, our hope was exhausted, and the British government cut our funding. Gabriel and I made plans to return to the States. We were two weeks from returning when Ascher Westridge was murdered—a government hit. Project Progeny failed and we knew too much to live. Gabriel and I eventually tracked down and killed the perpetrator—a Colonel by the name of Isaac Dorton.”

Shauna clutched her chest in horror.

“The Colonel’s death caused a ripple effect. Most of those intimately involved in the funding of Project Progeny soon died, or disappeared without a trace. The cover-up had started. Gabriel and I went underground, fleeing to France. Beatrice came with us because she was alone after her father’s death. Besides.” Jonas’s eyes smoldered with an emotion that resembled a human’s blushing. “By then Bea and I were becoming
close
.”

Shauna
felt Ascher’s breathing quicken briefly, before returning to a calmer pace, his fingers flexing against her waist.

“It was nice to be home. In 1922, we attempted insemination with only vampire sperm. All five pregnancies took. Three miscarried within the first six weeks
and of the remaining two, one made it to the eighth week before miscarrying. The last was viable up to the twelfth week. We terminated it, learning as much as we could about ‘Adam.’ What we found was astonishing.”

Shauna's throat nearly closed up as she attempted to speak
. “What did—you find?”

“I’ll show you
,” Ascher offered as the warmth from his body left her, his form disappearing then reappearing on the opposite side of the table. Before her eyes could adjust to seeing him in one place, he moved like lightning to another location. His body blurred, flashed and tore through the room, gathering things as his father spoke them.

As
cher placed slide after slide into the microscope, showing the results of Sub Project Adam. It was unbelievable. Ascher placed the last slide on the stage, encouraging her to look. She peered down into the eyepiece and the breath caught in her chest.

“Shauna
,” Ascher whispered. “Breathe.”

She drew a shallow gulp.

“This is Ascher’s blood. See the difference?” Jonas asked. “The blood cells are both crimson and black. The globules dance around one another, bump into one another and seem to merge without harming one another. We learned one thing from ‘Adam.’ His cells were unstable. The black cells killed off the red ones, and he would’ve died within weeks.”

“If the government pulled your funding, why did you continue the experiments?”

“I’m a scientist by nature, Shawnette.” Jonas raised a brow, speaking as if Shauna should know him well enough to ascertain this. “Curiosity is a huge part of being successful. I became obsessed with solving the puzzle and making sense of what seemed unattainable. You might say I became a mad scientist. After the first trial failed using Gabriel’s sperm, we decided to try again using myself as the donor.”

“Sweetheart, up until that time, the possibility of a half-blooded child had never been explored. It would take a tremendous amount of restraint for a vampire to be that close without feeding,” Ascher stated.

“Gabriel produced a serum from Adam’s blood and cells,” Jonas continued. “We tested it in ten mice and all ten became amazingly strong. We introduced them to five diseases and watched as their highly resistant immune systems neutralized the diseases, before they could cause them harm. The test mice developed a thirst for blood, preferring the blood of other mice but we expected that.”

“The
mice
became vampires?” Shauna breathed with disbelief.

“
What we didn’t expect was what happened when we inseminated the female with one of the test mice’s sperm. Normal gestation for a mouse is about twenty days. Our female gave birth to a full-term litter in ten. All of the offspring’s cells showed stark similarities to Adam, but with one difference. The introduction of Gabriel’s serum stabilized the cells. The aggressive black vampire cells peacefully co-existed with the red cells. We were ready to attempt Project Progeny on another human.” Jonas disappeared, returning with a projector and box of slides.