Oh hell. With all our yapping, we didn’t notice him waking up, and the restraints probably weren’t tight enough.
Nice looks at Miriam and then at me.
I am unsure what he thinks he is doing—perhaps planning to hold the serum ransom in exchange for something. Maybe he thinks he can use it as leverage and get out of here or take Miriam. He doesn’t know I can make more.
I’m about to tell him his time on this earth is over, because now I really have no use for him, when he tosses his head back, swallowing the entire vial. “Human! Human again!”
What in the world…?
Suddenly, Nice falls to the ground and starts convulsing. I rush over to check him.
“He has a pulse,” I say, pressing my fingers on his neck. “And he feels hot.”
“Why did he pass out?” Freddy asks.
“He took the entire batch,” I say. “Maybe the white blood cells attacked too fast. It could be a shock to his system.”
“But it’s working?” Miriam asks.
“Yes. Come over here and smell him.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” She sees the filled dropper sitting on the floor to my side. It must’ve fallen when Nice sacked me.
I pick it up. “Take it. And when you wake, you can watch me use Nice as a pincushion for my fangs.”
“Why did he take that serum?” Miriam shakes her head.
“I guess he secretly wanted to be human again.” And he’s probably smart enough to know I would never give him the cure. I’d rather see him rot for a few centuries as a miserable vampire and then dust him. But the gift of being human again? Nope. “At least we know the serum works. Go ahead,” I say.
Miriam hesitates, her eyes toggling between me and Stella. “Are you sure?” she asks me again.
“You were never meant to be a vampire.” I take her free hand and kiss the top. “You deserve the life you’ve dreamed of, so let me give it to you.”
She smiles warmly, flooding me with her loving gaze.
“Well…here goes.” She puts the dose on her tongue and waits.
I watch with bated breath. “How do you feel? Anything?”
Suddenly her eyes roll back, and she falls to the floor.
“Miriam!” I crouch down and check her pulse.
Nothing.
Stella rushes over and starts to cry. “What’s wrong with Mommy?”
Freddy picks up Stella and holds her. “She’s just fine. Your mommy’s body is just changing back to human. That’s all.”
I check her pulse again. “Her heart rate is increasing steadily, and her skin is heating up.” I can even hear her stomach growling. “It’s working,” I say, my eyes lit with excitement.
This is going to change everything. Well, everything but me. It is not the plan I’d hoped for, but perhaps we can salvage things. Freddy can still take over as me and keep the vampire world in check, a task far easier with half the population of vampires. Yes, I believe that many will take this cure. And lucky them, they already have human identities—social security numbers, mortgages, businesses, and jobs. The transition will be seamless into their new human lives. As for me, I can still assume Freddy’s identity. We will tell people he chose to stay a vampire, but that he still ran off with the king’s woman.
“I am truly a genius,” I gloat, beaming down at my snoozing librarian. Even her sweet human scent is returning. I inhale deeply, filling my lungs with it. I love the way she smells, but more than anything, I love her. Her happiness is my happiness.
“Brother,” says Freddy, “I hate to rain on your god complex, but what’s wrong with Nice?”
I turn and look. “Where’d he go? And who left a baby on the floor?”
I glance back at Freddy, who has one eyebrow raised.
Stella points. “He changed, Daddy. I watched him do it.”
Huh? My head whiplashes to the sleeping infant on the floor, with pale skin, fat pink cheeks, and a shock of fine black hair on his head.
“Where’d the baby come from?” I ask.
“From Nice’s mother,” Freddy says.
“You mean—no. No, it can’t be.” The serum took away all of the vampire parts of him and left behind only baby human cells? What in the world? My cold heart starts thumping in my chest, and I turn my worry to Miriam. “This is bad. So very bad.”
“Daddy, is Mommy going to turn into a baby?” Stella asks excitedly, like she’s thinking she’s about to get a new doll.
I drop down next to Miriam and hold her head in my lap. The fine lines around her face begin to fade, and the skin tightens. “No. No. Mommy can’t do that. Because Daddy can’t marry a baby! Don’t you dare turn into a baby, woman! I forbid it.”
My mind starts throwing out solutions. All right. Stay calm. All is not lost. I can find a nice—I mean, good family to raise her, and in twenty years, I’ll sweep her off her feet?
Gods, no! I hate that plan. I can’t lose more time with her. Twenty years is a lot. “I’m going to turn her back. That’s what I’ll do.” I’m about to bite down on my wrist.
“Michael, stop,” Freddy says. “You don’t know what effect that will have. As is, you’re already playing mad scientist.”
“Well, now I’m mad. My beautiful mate is turning into a child!”
“Only she’s not. Look. She seems to have stopped,” says Freddy.
I study her face, and he’s right. She’s only lost a few years. In fact, she looks to be my age now. Twenty.
I glance over at Baby Nice. Why would Miriam get a face-lift and he got a lifetime-lift? “The dose. It’s the dose! He took too much!” I raise my eyes to the ceiling. I don’t know if there is a God, but I have to thank her anyway. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I really didn’t want to raise my wife.
There’s a loud knock on the steel door.
“Go see who it is,” I
