lit up. “Go on.”
“I need her mother’s blood.”
Pamphrock studied me a moment, his jaw tightening. “That’s not possible.”
“I know,” I said sadly. “Rebecca told me her mother passed away.”
Pamphrock’s expression turned serious. “She’s not dead. It’s just better for my daughter if I tell her that. It means she won’t live her life waiting for the return of a parent who’s never coming back.”
Now I frowned. “If she’s not dead, then where is she?”
Pamphrock exhaled heavily, then pulled a packet of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one up. I briefly wondered if smoking had adverse health effects for dhampirs.
“She’s cared for in a remote psychiatric facility, far away from any vampire populations,” he finally answered. “Felicity, Rebecca’s mother, was just like you, Tegan. She had the same unique blood, but she wasn’t as strong as you are. She was delicate, sensitive. Over the years, she became increasingly paranoid that she was going to be killed by vampires, or that I was going to kill her for the good of my organization. The paranoia soon turned to insanity.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, but …” I trailed off, unsure about what I wanted to suggest.
“But what?” Pamphrock prompted.
“Is there a possibility that we could go to Felicity and take a sample of her blood for the spell?”
Pamphrock took a drag of his cigarette as he stared out at the city below. “For safety reasons, I’m the only one who knows the location of the facility where she’s being cared for. That means I would have to be the one to go to her, and at the moment, I cannot leave the city. My position is precarious enough as it is.”
“Well, if that’s the case, then I don’t know how else to help you. I need Felicity’s blood if I’m going to cast the spell.”
Pamphrock remained silent for a long moment. His shoulders hunched like he was wrestling with his conscience. Finally, he said, “Leave it to me. I’ll figure something out. In the meantime, you can continue your research on the components of the rest of the spell.”
I nodded and stepped back. “Alright then. I’ll, um, let you two finish your conversation.”
Returning to Rebecca and Ira, I almost burst out laughing at the scene that greeted me. Rebecca was kneeling on the sofa next to a stoic Ira and using a bright pink comb to brush his hair. I didn’t blame her for wanting to get her hands on it either. Ira had glossy, shoulder-length, dark brown hair that just begged to be touched. Obviously, I’d managed to restrain myself so far.
His eyes met mine, and I struggled to contain my giggles at the perplexed look on his face even as my heart melted that he was letting her treat him like one of her dolls. I sat down on the other side of him and gave him a warm smile.
“Isn’t it just lovely,” Rebecca exclaimed, running her comb through Ira’s dark locks. “I’m going to ask Daddy to get me a new doll with hair just like this. Tegan,” she stopped brushing and held out the comb to me, “you have a go.”
“I’m not sure if Ira likes having his hair combed,” I said, glancing at his stoic expression.
“Don’t be silly! He loves it. Don’t you, Ira?” Rebecca asked sweetly.
He let out a quiet grunt, but I couldn’t tell whether or not it was an affirmative.
“You see, he wants you to. Go on,” Rebecca urged, handing me the comb again.
“Okay then,” I said, shooting Ira an apologetic look as I turned to face him. He tilted his head down at me, watching my hand as I brought the comb to his hair, and his dark eyes never left my face. I swallowed and his attention went to my throat.
Had it suddenly gotten hotter in here?
My knuckles accidentally brushed the skin at the back of his neck, and it felt like he leaned into the touch. His skin felt nice, all warm and smooth. Perhaps he subconsciously missed how I used to pet him when he was a dog. I dropped the comb as soon as I heard the sliding doors open and Finn and Pamphrock step inside.
I thanked my lucky stars that Finn didn’t see me brushing Ira’s hair. That would have been an awkward conversation trying to explain what I was doing.
“Time to go,” Finn announced.
Rebecca gave me a quick farewell hug before moving to Ira and squeezing his hand as she grinned at him. “You’re cute.” She glanced