Free Broken Heart 02 Don't Talk Back to Your Vampire by Michele Bardsley Page A

a bank vault—underneath the stairs. "Here's the deal. We decked out almost the entire basement in science stuff. Stan about had an orgasm when we finished construction. If Linda didn't bring him meals, he'd forget to eat. Anyway, the lycan is there. He has developed a bad attitude. I don't need to hear him say,
    'I want to kill you' to get his meaning."
    "The other two must have a hiding spot around here." Patrick rubbed a hand across his forehead as if warding off a headache, which was a human habit. Vampires didn't get headaches. "From the tests Stan has managed to do so far, we've confirmed he has the taint."
    The Consortium had told everyone that the Wraith leader, Ron aka Ragnvaldr, had infused the blood from murdered lycanthropes into vampires suffering from the taint. Ron had discovered not the cure for the taint but a way to combine vampires with lycans. The effects had been unexpected and terrifying. The problem was that the creatures weren't always controllable.
    In June, several of the mutants had attacked townspeople. Only one had survived, and only because Lorcan had Turned her. My undead heart squeezed at the thought that more of these hybrids were on the loose.
    I looked at Lorcan and wondered how he'd been cured. He had been a big, hairy beast when he'd killed me. What had the Consortium done to rid Lor of the taint? Infused him with lycan blood, that's what .
    "Why did it work for you?"
    Lorcan didn't pretend that he didn't know what I was talking about. "I'm one of the oldest vampires in existence, so I had the ability and strength to withstand the process. I was drained of blood and I fasted for as long as I could. Then I was infused with special blood donated from live lycans."
    "Special?" I asked, wondering which lycans had donated their blood for the experiment.
    "Ever hear royalty and nobility called 'bluebloods'? Well, royal lycans literally have different blood from common lycanthropes," said Jessica.
    "Who donated the blood?" I asked, unable to quell the question.

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    Jessica looked at Patrick, who nodded consent.
    "Damian, Darrius, and Drake are royals. They donated the blood to cure Lorcan and they're still donating blood for our attempts to create a cure for everyone.
    "The Wraiths haven't figured out how Lor was cured—they just think they have. Stan's been experimenting with a formula using royal lycan blood to cure the taint, but it's a long way from working.
    Meanwhile, Ron the Dickhead gets a sick thrill outta turning tainted vampires into rampaging lycans."
    "He does more than that," said Patrick, grimacing. "He's creating minions to do his dirty work."
    "How can you tell a regular lycan from a hybrid?"
    "A true lycanthrope is a shape-shifter. He turns into a four-legged wolf. He has the ability to shift whenever he chooses. A hybrid is two-legged and hairy, like Bigfoot. He doesn't shift because he wants to—the lycanthrope blood changes him. He can't change back."
    God, it sounded awful. Ron was truly evil to take a vampire already dying from the taint and make him spend his last moments on earth as a monster.
    "You can help us prevent more suffering," said Patrick. "If we can find the other lycans, we can track Ron. We need to shut down his experiments, not only for the sake of Broken Heart but for all parakind."
    "You want me to psychically connect to homicidal werewolves?" Terror rippled up my spine. "I poked at their minds last night, but I didn't try to talk to them. Whoever mutated them didn't care about how much they suffered. It was a very painful process."
    "That's unfortunate," said Patrick gently, "but not helpful. We need to know where they're hiding, how many more there are, and if the Wraiths are nearby."
    "Tell her the rest." Lorcan moved around the couch until he stood next to his brother. "Tell her what's going to happen to the lycans."
    "We can't reverse the process." Patrick grimaced. Jessica