Free Darker Shade of Pale - HER FREEDOM by Mandi Rei Serra

because porn is a multi-billion industry. He'd either go broke buying all the different sites we could use, because they won't go cheap, try hacking and get busted, because again, this is a multi-billion industry and they don't want people cashing in for free. Either way, that squeaky-clean image of his would be tarnished from the proximity of porn. Hey, Mara, what's the word about the explosion?"
    Mara drew a deep breath. "They found a faulty containment block. Triggered a domino effect and the whole building fell. The isotopes used in his experiment weren't stable, and they unleashed what amounts to fallout from the vaporized building. Word has it that Haytham left the building exactly fifteen minutes before hell was unleashed. He's been laying low, although CIA believes he's holed up with some Russian mafia doofs up north. They aren't really subtle, but with the firepower they're packing, they don't have to be."
    "And Aisha?" The hope Tyb had at news of his little sister shone through his voice like the sun breaking though a cloudy day.
    "You won't like it. Either of you."
    Don't know what Christos could do any more shocking than what's been mentioned already. "I feel dead where he's concerned, so don't hold back for my sake."
    "Tell me, Mara."
    She drew a calming breath and said low, "Aisha is with him. She's his assistant. They were caught on camera going over the Bay Bridge in the same car. Same at the airport, getting onto his private plane."
    "WHAT?" Tyb bellowed, angered. "She's with him? What, was he cheating on Ana?"
    "He always cheated, Tyb. Doesn't matter the game, he'll pay what needs to be paid so he'll be on top." My calm voice brought Tyb out of his anger.
    "No bastard should do that, though. And I'm pissed that Aisha is with him. Glad she's alive, but still…"
    "She won't come willingly. She loves him. That's not the worst part."
    "What's the worst part?"
    "He gave her a disease."
    At Zamara's words, my mind flew as to whether I had that disease too, a by-product of Christos's unhealthy appetites. She looked to me and shook her head. "You're in the clear and I'll tell you why." To Tyb, she said, "I need to tell you about something science can do. It's called Virteria Serum and it's a fucked up nightmare our sister is infected with."

Chapter Eleven
     
    "I'm not sure I get it, Mara. Zombies? Vampires? People bombs?"
    "If you can grasp that much, then you got it all, Tyb."
    "And Aisha… she's one of them?"
    "She's kind of between worlds. From what I found out, she has a first generation implant—as long as she has the implant, the urge to feed is quelled. Take out the implant, she gets a hankering for blood. She already is at the secondary stage of infection and that implant is the only thing holding her back."
    "What's that about infection?" Tyb asked with no emotion in his voice. His eyes dulled with all that Mara told him.
    "Her skin begins to crystalize and refract light. She looks like a raver covered in glitter. If she bites someone infected with the Virteria Serum, they'll both explode in the third stage."
    "So he made Aisha into a weapon? He's going to kill her!" Tyb sat upright, rigid like a post, with tension binding him like a glue.
    Mara 's tone softened. "She asked for it, Tyb. She wanted to and signed a contract saying as much. His idea of assisted suicide."
    He ran an impatient hand through his dark curls. "So….What? We don't get her away from him? Let that fucker just blow her up?"
    Mara shrugged. "If we get her out of there, she'll raise hell just to get back to him. You know how she is. Giving up the ghost is something she can't do."
    "So we do nothing, then?" Bitterness and anger directed at the situation echoed from Tyb's voice. "Sit on our asses and think happy thoughts?"
    "I didn't say   that . But we need to proceed carefully. If you want to provoke him, fine. But be aware, you could be provoking Aisha as well."
    "Well, that puts a damper on things, doesn't it?" Sarcasm: Tyb's