Chapter 12 - It's Only Science

  ***Sivren's POV***

  The dungeon beneath the vampire kingdom was carved deep into the earth, the walls damp with condensation and laced with the scent of ancient stone. Sivren stood just outside the iron-barred cell, his piercing gaze locked onto the woman sitting inside. She was hunched over on the cot, arms wrapped tightly around herself, her lab coat torn and stained from the struggle of her capture.

  Raze paced like a caged animal just outside the bars, his every movement sharp with agitation. “She’s useless,” he snapped, fangs glinting in the dim torchlight. “Let me drain her dry and be done with it.”

  The scientist flinched but quickly masked her fear as she spoke up. “I know things you don’t,” she said, her voice hoarse but steady. “Kill me, and you lose your only chance at understanding what’s coming.

  Sivren tilted his head, intrigued. He stepped closer, slipping his hands into the pockets of his tailored black coat. “Enlighten us.”

  The woman exhaled shakily. “The virus... you think it was designed to wipe out supernaturals, but that was only part of the plan.” She lifted her head, eyes flicking between her captors. “Its true purpose was to transform you.”

  Raze stilled. “What?”

  Sivren narrowed his eyes. “Explain.”

  The scientist hesitated, her gaze darting around as if weighing her options. “What will happen to me after I tell you everything I know?” She swallowed hard. “How do I know you will let me live?”

  Sivren and Raze exchanged a brief, almost imperceptible glance. Raze scoffed, clearly frustrated, and began pacing again, but Sivren remained composed as he stepped forward and unlocked the cage.

  "I give you my word I won’t harm you, nor will my companion here," Sivren said, his voice steady and authoritative. "I’m the only one you need to fear. He wouldn't dare disobey me."

  The scientist eyed Raze warily, his simmering rage palpable, but she nodded reluctantly.

  “Fine. Just keep him away from me,” she muttered, pointing at Raze. Before she could continue, he let out a low, warning growl.

  "Humans knew we couldn’t kill your kind easily, not on a large scale," she began, her voice growing stronger as she spoke. "Randolf gathered what he thought was the best team of scientists to develop a solution. They tried everything—poisons, weapons, traps. But nothing worked fast enough. So instead, we secretly set out to make you something else. Something we could control." Her eyes gleamed with twisted satisfaction. "The virus was engineered to alter supernatural physiology, to weaken your strength and change your nature. More like us."

  Sivren’s expression remained unreadable, though his mind was already processing the revelation. If this was true, then the outbreak had been more than just a tactical move—it had been an attempt at forced evolution.

  Raze let out a dark chuckle, but there was no humor in it. “And yet, here I am. Unchanged. I ran into one of your little infected parasites and killed her in less than a minute. Either you failed, or you’re lying.”

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  The scientist shook her head. “The mutations didn’t work as expected. It was the first attempt... but look at what we’ve created! This is Darwin’s way of killing us all off now! The new creatures will be the ones to rule.”

  Sivren’s jaw tightened. “What’s the fail-safe?”

  The scientist pressed her lips together in a faint smirk, though there was a flicker of surprise in her eyes at his intensity.

  Raze growled, his patience wearing thin. “Don’t play games with me.”

  She swallowed hard, trembling. “There... there’s a cure. A real one. A formula created as a contingency. But it’s not in the hands of the military anymore.”

  Sivren’s eyes narrowed. “Where is it? How do we administer it to the infected in mass?”

  The scientist giggled nervously, clapping her hands together in a mock celebration. This drove Raze’s temper over the edge. With a blur of movement, he was inside the cell, his fingers wrapped around her throat as he lifted her off the cot.

  “Where. Is. It?” His voice was a low growl.

  She gasped, clawing at his hand. “Hidden... somewhere safe—safe from the military, from the werewolves, from all of you. MAGIC!” She flailed her hands in front of his face as though to emphasize her point.

  Raze’s grip tightened, and Sivren allowed it to hold her, giving her a taste of what true mercy could feel like. Then, after a long moment, he spoke, his voice cold. “Let her go.”

  Raze’s lip curled, but he obeyed, dropping her back onto the cot. She coughed violently, clutching at her bruised throat.

  “She’s valuable,” Sivren said coolly, his gaze locked on the scientist. “For now.”

  Raze turned sharply, running a hand through his fiery red hair, clearly restraining himself from finishing what he had started.

  Sivren stepped forward, his voice smooth but heavy with threat. “You will tell us everything. Because if you don’t, I promise you, whatever fate you fear at the hands of these mutant monsters will seem merciful compared to what awaits you here.”

  The scientist shuddered but nodded.

  Sivren turned to Raze. “Gather the council. We have much to discuss.”

  ___________

  The grand hall of the vampire palace was heavy with tension. Sivren sat at the head of the long, dark table, his fingers steepled before him, his expression unreadable. To his left, Raze sat, still bristling from their earlier encounter with the scientist. To his right, Leo was calm but vigilant, with Kiera by his side. Her presence, though a new addition to their meetings, was welcome.

  James had remained behind, guarding the werewolf borders in Leo’s absence. Across from them, the Fae King, Cassian, sat, his sharp gaze assessing every movement in the room.

  Sivren let the silence linger for a moment before breaking it with deliberate calm. “We found a survivor—a scientist. She revealed that the virus was never meant to simply wipe out vampires. It was designed to mutate supernaturals. To turn us into something… else. Clearly, things did not go as planned, but it still works to their advantage. The infected creatures are capable of killing werewolves with ease, and it’s safe to say they’ll pose a threat to vampires and fae as well. The remaining humans seem to have retreated to a secret base. I’ve retrieved documents detailing the layout, though I’m still working on locating it.”

  Cassian’s expression darkened as his fingers tightened against the armrest of his chair. “And is there a cure?”

  Sivren leaned forward slightly. “It exists. But Randolf doesn’t know about it. The scientists who created it acted without his knowledge. It was hidden away, sealed with magic.”

  A heavy pause filled the air. Then, Cassian spoke, his voice calm but resolute. “Then I will retrieve it.”

  Kiera glanced at Leo, who had gone completely still. She could see the battle raging behind his golden eyes. After a long moment, he exhaled and nodded. “I think that might be our only option. Right now, the werewolf territory is preparing for the borders to be overrun by these infected. The faster you can retrieve that cure, the better for my people.”

  Sivren nodded. “We move carefully. I’ll send a few of my trusted soldiers to help protect your borders as well.”

  Cassian stood, his expression unreadable, but the intensity in his gaze told of the task at hand. “Then let’s not waste time.”