I did.
He sighed. Then when can I examine our patient?
You dont.
Claire, this will not work if I cant take baseline readings on the patient and determine what the measurable improvements are as we change the formula!
She did see that, actually, but the thought of putting nice Dr. Mills in grabbing distance of Myrnin made her shiver. Ill check, she promised, and got to her feet. Im sorry, its getting late. I need to
Dr. Mills glanced at his office window. Outside the blinds, the sky was darkening from faded denim to indigo. Of course. I understand. Heres a sample of the new batch of crystals. But before you give it to him, see if you can get baseline informationmost importantly, a blood sample.
A blood sample, she repeated. He opened a drawer and handed her a small, sealed kit. It had a syringe, gauze pads, alcohol wipes, and a couple of vacuum tubes. Youre not serious.
Im not saying it might not be difficult, but if you wont let me go with you to do it . . .
She could do a lot of things, but she was pretty sure she couldnt hold Myrnin down and stick a needle in his vein. Not while he was . . . Altered.
She took the kit and put it in her backpack. Anything else?
Dr. Mills passed her a guna dart gun. He opened the back to show her the fluffy end of the tube. Its preloaded with one dose, he said. I only made up a fewit takes some time to distill. Here are two extra, if you need them. As she stowed the gun in her backpack, he said, Its untested. So be careful. I think it will be stronger and longer lasting, but Im not sure about the side effects.
And the crystals?
He passed them over, too. They looked a little finer than the ones shed developedmore like raw sugar. Those went into the backpack, as well.
Claire, he said, as she hoisted the burden, have you heard any rumors about a new vampire in town?
She froze. Her gold bracelet, the one with Amelies symbol etched on it, caught the light and glittered not that she needed the reminder.