Dragon Blood

Chapter 20

Richard suspected as much. "Nolan Wes."

Immediately the buzzing began. It went on and on. Richard looked questioningly to Ashton, who shrugged. The buzzing continued for over twenty minutes before silence fell once again. "Doctor Price," the male, sounding more interested now than he had the entire night. "We will need you to cease all contact with the Kincaid family."

"Wh-what?!" Ashton sat up so quickly, the last sip of port sloshed out of his glass and all over his shirt.

"Calm yourself, Price, we are not removing you from your role. But our focus needs to be on improving relations with the entity and Nolan Wes. Richard," It was the first time the faceless voice had ever addressed him as such. "You need to convince the entity that you approve of her relationship with Wes."

Stunned silence filled the office. "Sir," Richard spluttered. "For the last twenty years, you have made it clear that she is to never even befriend an Ancient, and any attempt to begin a romantic relationship should be met with force. But now you want me to..."

"Nolan Wes must have a reason to remain in the United States." The voice was frustrated now. "If he is tempted to return to France, our efforts against the king will be for nothing. Raphaël can undoubtedly win against Constantine alone, but Wes is an immovable force. He has the confidence of the people, even the rebels. We cannot lose standing. Constantine must be eliminated."

"We're risking the security of the entity to accomplish her request!" Ashton shouted. "She's a fucking dragon! If she wants the vampire dead so desperately, she should kill him herself!"

"If you wish to tell her that, by all means, Mr. Price." The voice turned to cold irritation. "We will not stop you from contacting her. Though we will insist on your silence regarding the entity itself. It would not be in our best interest for her to learn that she still lives."

Slowly, Ashton relaxed back into his seat. He had gone pale at the invitation. He still bore scars from the last time he made an offhand comment within her hearing range. He knew better than anyone exactly what she would do if she found out Rhia lived. Death. Death to them all. "What should I do in the meantime?" he asked quietly.

"Focus on your research." The male's voice returned the casual monotone.

"Yes, sir."

"Very well. Thank you, Ashton Price. Please, take your annual dose and carry on with your new orders."

One third the black box cracked open with a hiss and a fog of supercooled air escaped from the crack. Ashton lifted open the heavy lid and took out two files of glowing red liquid. He unscrewed the caps, lifted them in a toast to Richard, and drank the contents of the vials in one gulp. "Thank you very much, counsellors," he said coolly, knowing how much they hated being compared to the Ancient Counsel. "I will take my leave. Good night, Richard."

He turned on his heel and all but stormed out of the house. Richard waited for the male to speak again. He had not yet been excused, and he suspected they weren't quite done speaking to him. The low buzzing filled the space left by Ashton. "Mr. Kincaid," the male finally spoke again. "Should we be concerned about the security of the entity?"

The silence of his hesitation hung heavily in the air. "I fear that our tactics may be have been..." he paused again, trying to think of the right word. "Overbearing. She is a strong willed being and has turned away from myself and Landon. I worry that suddenly accepting her involvement with the vampire will only put her guard up."

A short buzzing of conversation. "What about the security of her bloodline?" the male continued. "Does she show any risk of awakening?"

"No." This he was able to answer immediately. "Her power is sealed."

"Then we will discuss her interactions with Nolan Wes further. Now, before we approve your biannual dose, do we need to be concerned about your feelings for the entity?"

"What do you mean?"

"You are an excellent operative, Mr. Kincaid. But you are still human. Our kind has regularly shown that our emotions are our greatest weakness. The entity has been in your care for over twenty years. We just want to be sure that you are still willing to do what needs to be done if necessary."

"Sirs," he said in a tone colder than the winds of antarctica. "I am insulted that you would question my devotion. You think that just because that creature lived under my roof, called me father, called my wife mother, and my son brother that I feel any level of affection for it? That because my wife and son see it as their family, I would hesitate to put it down if that were necessary? Was I not the one you came to when you needed to take on two dragons? Was I not there in Greece when we successfully executed the plan? How dare you, sit there, unseen and unwilling to lift a finger in our cause, accuse of me of sedition!?"

It was quiet again. There wasn't even the buzz indicating the other members talking among themselves. "Thank you, Mr. Kincaid." The male finally said. "Please, take your annual dose and carry on with your new orders."

The phone line clicked closed, and another third of the box hissed open. Richard lifted the two vials of dragon blood from the box, sat back, and stared at them. Supposedly, according to Price, the results of the experiments, and the very dragon who donated to their cause, it should be safe. It would give him near superhero level speed, strength, and senses for about ten months before fading and requiring the next dose. It would keep him alive for an extended time, if not give him true immortality. The moment he drank it, his sciatica and old injury to his knee would stop aching.

All the things that humans everywhere dreamed of were in the two vials he held. That was the main reason why thousands flocked the vampiric and lycanthropic consulates every day, applying to be turned into one of these two contagious creatures. Less than one percent of the applicants had ever been accepted and everyone was willing to pay for their very souls to have their wish.

Richard didn't care much for his soul. He'd given that up long ago. Perhaps when he joined the military to serve in the shifter wars in the Eurasian Steppes. Maybe when he joined a secret government operation after coming out of the military. Or maybe when he plotted to capture the infant in order to run experiments on a handleable version of the oldest creatures in the world. Probably when he advocated for killing the hatchling... as they were supposed to.

No... he wasn't even sure if he believed in the soul. He had, however, clung to his humanity. It was what drove him to work against the Counsel, plot against the Dragons, and work tirelessly to level the playing field between humans and the supernatural.

At least he had. Now he was drinking dragon blood, binding him to the creatures he conspired against.

Where was his humanity now? 

~