This isn't necessarily late, it's just that wouldn't accept my file. So here's my belated chapter to Dark Release.

Chapter Eighteen

"An errant soul, homeless and foul, All gone but the will to Live to tell the tale."

- Live to Tell the Tale by Nightwish

___

Izzy looked at the images on the computer screen. "What are they doing now?"

"Hmm?" Shea looked up from her paperwork and slid over to see. "Ah, those are some of your cells."

"Yes, I know. But what are they doing?"

"They seem to be reproducing. Maybe it's their regenerative traits, but they can survive outside of your body. Right now the cells are reproducing, multiplying, even while on that slide."

Izzy looked down at the microscope slide. "Is that really possible?"

"It appears so, with your blood." Shea slid back away again. "Have you checked with Serenity?"

"One of the women wanted to talk to her, and so they both went off somewhere privately. Francesca, I think her name was."

"Francesca is a powerful healer. And one of our oldest." She looked at Izzy over her shoulder. "How are you feeling, Izzy?"

"I'm feeling okay." It was a half-truth. She was unnerved by what happened yesterday, and the fact that Neve had found the lab through Parn's link to Serenity. She still didn't know what Neve wanted from her, but it appeared that she wanted the same from Serenity. And it seemed despite their words, the Carpathians were still reluctant to kill a woman who possibly had a lifemate out there. Izzy thought of the Carpathian male who was stabbed with one of Neve's ice spears trying to protect him. Was he doing all right?

"Hector's doing fine now," Shea said, flipping through some papers.

Izzy looked at her. "Hector?"

"The Carpathian who was in charge of watching you both. He sustained severe muscle tearing from the injury, but Neve missed his heart. He'll go to ground for a while to recover. But you're right, though." Shea sighed before she continued. "Some of the males are reluctant to raise a hand to Neve. Xavier was very wise to send a female mage after us, knowing that we would hesitate against her. Mostly this problem lies with unclaimed males like Hector." She suddenly laughed.

"What is it?" Izzy asked.

"My lifemate is telling me to stop referring to the other Carpathian male by name." Shea shook her head slightly. "This was a terrible security breach, but somehow Neve didn't necessarily find our lab. We'll make sure such a thing doesn't happen again, Izzy."

The Carpathians were constantly monitoring Serenity's mind to see if she was still in contact with Parn, but she didn't appear to be. Serenity had said she could hear Parn whispering to her sometimes, but she blocked out his voice as best as she could. Izzy was amazed and even relieved that Serenity was starting to respond positively now.

Even though she didn't like Serenity's reasoning behind it.

"He's working with HER. I-I just belief it…she of all people…"

Serenity sounded like she knew Neve, and not just as the woman who had beaten up Izzy. She held real disdain for her, and spoke venomously about her.

"She's evil…she so evil…I just believe that he's…"

Izzy shook her head of the memory. And winced at the slight cramping of pain in her abdomen. She gasped slightly and pressed a hand to her torso.

"Are you all right?" Shea asked, turning around to face her.

Izzy forced a smile and nodded slightly. "I think it's menstrual cramps. I'm a little late this month anyway."

She spoke the words truthfully, but she was slightly afraid by this. She did get menstrual cramps, but they hardly caused her pain. They'd never felt like this.

It's because you're late, she told herself, taking a seat at the next. They hurt a little more this time because you're late.

"Isabel?" Marach's calming influence flooding over her and she sighed softly. "I sense you are in distress. And in pain. Are you all right?"

"It's women's problems, Marach. I don't quite think you'd understand this."

"…Ah," he said after a long moment. "After you're done with Shea, can you come and see me?"

Izzy heard the erotic suggestiveness behind his innocent words and her stomach fluttered. "Sure." Izzy turned back to Shea. "Are we finished here?"

"Just one more thing." Shea pulled out a fresh pair of gloves. "Can I take another sample of your blood?"

"But this sample is fine, isn't it?"

"Yes, but if it's all right with you, I would like to have several samples to study. And hopefully, create a serum for."

"…All right." Izzy got onto the examination table and waited as Shea got her equipment ready and drew a little bit of blood. Her regenerative abilities were slowly returning to her, meaning the effects of Marach's blood were fading. While she was relieved, she couldn't deny the slight disappointment she felt.

"And…there." Shea had her sample and she smiled at Izzy. "Thank you for your help."

"You're welcome." Izzy hopped off the table.

"And thank you for wrapping everything up expediently," Marach said smoothly.

Izzy rolled her eyes slightly as she exited the lab. "Whatever, you pervert."

Shea was ready to file Izzy's latest sample of blood, but something stopped her. She looked at the sample in the syringe very closely. It was still Izzy's blood, with its purple tint. But…there was something…

Shea withdrew the slide from the microscope and produced a clean one. She squirted a small amount of blood onto it and secured it onto the microscope. She looked at the image of the blood cells. At such close range, she definitely knew that there was something different.

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

She turned around. "Iz—"

But Izzy was already gone.

Shea immediately reached for Gregori. "I need you to come to the lab right now."

___

Izzy only walked a short distance from the lab before Marach was by her side. He swept her up into his arms, his touch very possessive against her.

"Careful, a girl with cramps will be liable to mood swings," she warned him.

Marach's mouth quirked up slightly. "When that happens, I will surely steer clear of you."

There was too much danger in going out into the open. Marach understood this fully now. He didn't want to take Izzy to the bedroom she shared with Serenity, though, even though the older sister was away from the room. Luckily, he found a room on route to Izzy and Serenity's room. It was unoccupied, in terms of people and tenant. It was perfect.

"Whose room is this?" Izzy still asked when he deposited her upon the bed.

"No one's." His response was equally casual as he leaned down to capture her lips.

Izzy wondered at times if there could be an obsession in this lovemaking. Often she could feel Marach and his thoughts, and while they focus on their trials at hand she was always there. He seemed to have a rather creative imagination, and he tried to bring such out when they came together.

Maybe she was the one obsessed. She never had any interest in sex until he stepped into her life, and yet when he looked at her in a certain way, touched her in a certain way…it brought such much out of her that she didn't know existed. And then all she wanted was to feel his body against hers.

The more he sensed her readiness for this, the less careful Marach was. He was gentle with her, and generous with her certainly. But she didn't shy from his touch, and that gave him an incentive to keep going, and quickly. He thought away her clothes effortlessly the same as he thought away his own. He rubbed his hands over her body, her breasts and her stomach, and the soft moans she gave him in response ignited a whirlwind within him. He could afford no patience. When he joined with her, it was swiftly and he started moving against her it was before she had time to catch her breath.

But, it was enough to feel her body curl against his, and to feel the pleasure she felt strongly in his mind.

Izzy gasped, and arched her body against him. Suddenly, she hissed and went limp under him at the unexpected ripple of pain that crossed over her.

"Dragă." Marach felt her pain as easily as he'd felt her pleasure, and smoothed a hand over her cheek. "Am I hurting you?"

Izzy shook her head, her embarrassment stronger than this painful discomfort. She knew such cramps were involuntary, but why did they have to surface now?

Marach withdrew from her suddenly, sensing her confusion and embarrassment. He knew nothing about women's problems, and he wondered if he should stop.

"Don't." Izzy reached for him, sliding a hand up his forearm. "I'm sorry…"

She was feeling like a failure. He didn't like that. Grasping her hips, Marach turned her over until she was lying on her stomach. "Marach, what—"

"Allow me to give you something else to think about." Marach leaned down and pressed a kiss between her shoulder blades. A shiver overtook Izzy and she sighed, relaxing once again.

Marach was careful, even though he didn't know how to take care of Izzy in this state. He was surprised to find the muscles in her back very tight, and he had a feeling it had nothing to do with their previous actions. He took his time though, carefully touching and kissing her, easing the tension from her muscles. He worked his way down the length of her spine, kneading her very tenderly. It was difficult to relay his joy at the way she responded to him, to feel her relaxing underneath him. He hoped this would take away some of the shame she felt.

He ran his tongue along the center of the small of her back. A burst of pain suddenly erupted from the tip of his tongue and he quickly drew back, holding a hand to his mouth.

"Ow!" Izzy reacted with pain as well at this contact. She tried to roll over onto her side, but suddenly she found it difficult to do so. All she could do was look at Marach over her shoulder. "Did you bite me, Marach?"

"No, iubita mea, I didn't." He touched her side. "Could you roll back over onto your stomach, please?"

Izzy was puzzled, but she did so. Marach looked very closely at the flesh of her back. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but something had hurt him. Not sure of what he should do, he pressed a finger to the spot where he licked her. For a human, it would feel like they stuck a finger into a light socket. Pain reverberated from the finger's tip straight up his arm. He quickly withdrew from her again.

Izzy once again responded in pain. "What are you doing? That hurts!"

"Please bear with me, Isabel." He ran a hand over the back of her hip. "I do not mean to hurt you, but there is something here that is causing you pain."

Izzy stiffened, and looked at him with fright. "Something on me?"

"Here, let me look. I will try not to touch it again." Marach leaned back down to look at the small of her back. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, and her skin looked normal. If he weren't so perceptive he probably wouldn't even be able to tell where it was that was hurting them both.

Wait…he frowned slightly and looked closer, focusing his energy on his eyesight. Yes, now he could definitely see something, even though it was very faint. A thin white line, almost like a scar. But Izzy didn't scar; it was impossible for her to do so.

No…it wasn't a line. It was primarily a circle the size of a fist. The lines knotted together in a strange design towards the center of the circle. It was too intricate for it to be there by accident.

It was a mark.

"Gregori." Marach sounded the alarm immediately. "Something's wrong. I need to see you immediately."

"Yes, something is wrong." Gregori's response sent a chill of fear through Marach. "Come to the lab immediately."

"Marach?" Izzy could feel his fear. This time she was able to roll back over onto her back and look at him. "Is something wrong with me?"

Marach forced himself to calm down and he smiled slightly. "I found a marking on your back, dragă. I've told Gregori about it, but I have to go and meet with him about it."

"A marking?" now she was the one who was scared. "What kind of marking?"

"Don't worry." He brushed a hand over her cheek. "We have many allies skilled with magic. They will surely tell us what this marking is, and how to get rid of it."

Izzy relaxed a little, but she was still anxious. "Is this mark the cause of my cramps?"

"I can't really say, iubita mea. But don't worry about it. We can take care of it." Even as he said this, Marach continued to shield his fear from her. He had minimal skills in magic, but this mark was unnerving. It didn't look like a regular magical marking. It looked like a scar branded onto her.

He didn't know what sort of magic left such a mark, but he definitely didn't like it. He wanted the thing off his lifemate quickly.

___

"I want to show you all this," Shea announced. She clicked on a file and enlarged the image of blood cells. "This is Izzy's blood."

Marach looked at the blood cells closely. He immediately noticed a difference in them. The cells were laboring at a very erratic pace, and struggling against…something…

Then he saw it. "Are those crystals?" He indicated clear but finely shaped crystallized forms attached to every blood cell on the screen.

"It's a magical pathogen," Shea said. "When I first drew Izzy's blood, only a few of the cells had these crystals on them. Now they all do."

"What makes you think it's magic?"

"Because it's an artificial life form. I tried to test it and it destroyed some of my equipment. But before it did I was able to determine that it has no heartbeat, no nucleus, and no real form. It's as we see it, with apparently an unbridled need for destruction."

"Destruction?!" Marach definitely didn't like the sound of that.

"They're killing these blood cells," Shea said sadly, motioning to the monitor. "If they came from an average person these cells would already be dead. But because this is Izzy we're talking about…"

"You said she had a mark on her back," Ivory cut in, looking at Marach levelly. "And it hurt you both when it was touched."

Marach nodded. "The mark must be linked to these crystals. And the only mage Isabel's been in contact with is…"

"Neve," Gregori finished neutrally. "Where is Isabel? We don't want to alarm her any further until we can figure out what sort of magic this is, and why it's affecting her blood."

Marach reached out with his mind. Izzy was no longer in that bedroom, but she was walking down a hallway towards the room Francesca and Serenity were currently occupying. "Iubita mea?" he called out softly.

"Did you find anything?" Izzy asked him. "These cramps are growing. It feels like somebody keeps punching me in the stomach."

"We're hard at work on that, Isabel. Just remain calm, we will get to the bottom of this."

"I believe you. And thanks."

Marach withdrew from her. "She's going to see Serenity and Francesca," he told the others. "She'll be under watch by a healer until we figure this out."

"Then we'd better figure this out fast," Shea said grimly, looking at an updated image of the cells. "One of her blood cells just died."

___

Izzy raised a hand to knock on the door, but it swung open before she could. "Hello, Isabel."

It didn't really surprise her that Francesca knew her name, and knew she was even out there. "Hello. Is Serenity is in there?"

"Hey, Izzy." Serenity waved at her from a seat in the room. "Were you looking for me?"

"Yeah. Can I sit in with you guys for…" she winced inwardly at another twinge of pain but recovered quickly. "For a couple of minutes."

None of this escaped Francesca, but for the moment she remained oblivious. "Of course. Come on in."

Izzy followed her into the room and took a seat in the chair next to Serenity. Her stomach gave a sudden lurch and she bit her lower lip. What was happening to her? She was in constant pain, and now she felt like she wanted to throw up.

"Keep an eye on her, Francesca," Gabriel told his lifemate. "Someone put a spell on Isabel, and we're working hard to find out what sort of spell it is."

"I understand." Francesca kept her face serene and calm. "Let's pick up where we left off, okay Serenity?"

There was something about Francesca's voice that was very majestic. Her words were directed at Serenity, but Izzy couldn't help but be taken up by them. Serenity seemed so uncooperative with the Carpathians in general, but she was responding to Francesca. That was uplifting to Izzy, even as she tried to focus on Francesca's voice to block out her pain.

"You said the reason you resist Parn now is because of Neve," Francesca said. "And you still haven't given me a clear answer as to why this is the case."

"I-It's so difficult to explain," Serenity said. Her fingernails were digging into her arms. "I can feel it, even now…his pain is so terrible. But she…what she's done is so…" Serenity shook her head. "Why is he working for her? I just don't understand! After everything she's done Parn's still taking orders from her!"

"What has she done?"

"I-I just…I can't." Serenity shook her head again. "I'm sorry, but I can't say."

"I understand. We shouldn't force answers from you anyways. But has the fact that Neve has targeted your sister affected your decision in any way?"

"Yes, of course. I can't forgive that either. I wouldn't be here without Izzy, and…"

Serenity had glanced at Izzy when she started speaking about her sister. Now she wasn't speaking, ands she looked at Izzy very…strangely.

"Uh…" Izzy turned to look at Francesca, only to see the female Carpathian staring at her as well. Her expression wasn't quite as strange, but it unnerved Izzy. "What is it?"

"Isabel…" Francesca raised a hand to her own nose. "You're bleeding."

"What?" Izzy wiped at her nose. There was a streak of blood across her fingers. "Is the air in here dry?" But her stomach turned even more. She rarely had nosebleeds, and that was always from something hitting her nose. They didn't bleed for any reason like this.

"…No," Francesca said carefully, noting the alarm in Serenity. "But nosebleeds are common—"

Several droplets of blood suddenly shot out of Izzy's nose and onto her hand, as though someone had turned a faucet on. Frightened, Izzy cupped a hand over her nose, even as she felt more fluid come out.

"Izzy." Serenity grabbed her wrist. "Izzy, what's wrong?!"

"H-Hold on—" Francesca said, holding a hand out to Izzy as she rose from her chair.

Izzy shook her head, not knowing what was going on. The motion caused a harsh ringing in both of her ears. She whimpered, cupping her free hand to one of her ears, trying to will the ringing away.

It finally faded, but she felt moisture. A hiss of panic ripped from her as she looked at her other hand, seeing blood all over her palm.

"W-What?!" she gasped out. She held out both of her hands, both of them covered in blood. "W-What the hell…?"

Her vision turned red, and liquid spilled from her eyes. She pressed her hands to her cheeks, but she couldn't differentiate from the blood that spilled from her nose, and from her ears, from the blood that now spilled out of her eyes.

"IZZY!" Serenity screamed loudly. She grabbed her sister as she collapsed against her, not caring of all the blood. "Izzy, HOLD ON!"

"Carpathians! Come forth, I need help!" Francesca shouted the call as she rushed to Izzy's side. Blood covered her face, and from the blood pressing through her shirt and her pants, she knew it was coming out of her pores now.

The shock of seeing so much of her blood was fading in the face of horrible, agonizing pain! Izzy screamed loudly, even as she gurgled on her blood.

Marach flew with lightning speed into the room and swept Izzy up into his arms. She was bleeding profusely. He only knew of conversion to do this to a human body. But this magic…and Izzy was feeling agony. She would scream if she wasn't choking on her own blood.

"Follow me! HURRY!" Gregori was suddenly at his side and screaming in his face. Then they all began a blur.

Marach was aware of Serenity grabbing hold of his sleeve. "Save my sister! Please save my sister!"

He said nothing, but swept both of the sisters up with him. Izzy writhed against him, her blood continuing to leak out of her. He tried very hard not to panic, not to see how easily her spirit was quickly fading.

"Stay with me, iubita mea." He bit out the words as an obvious order. "You will stay with me!"

It was a while before he heard her response. And it tore at his heart.

"Marach…please help me…"

___

The room looked a hospital operating room, and it was full of Carpathians. Marach laid Izzy on the table, not liking the wheezing noises she made while she gasped for breath. "Can you help her?!" he demanded sharply, not bothering to censure himself. "Please, I can't lose her!"

"We're going to try to save her," Shea said reassuringly. "We've dissected the root of the spell."

"The base is Xavier's blood," Ivory said. She looked at Izzy convulsing on the table, and a hint of sympathy lit her dark eyes. "And her blood. The mage combined both bloods, her blood to confuse her body and to not reject it, and Xavier's blood to hold these pathogens."

"Look back at her memory," Razvan said suddenly. "We need to know what was said by the mage so we know how to reverse it."

Marach said nothing. He hated to look into her mind when she was in so much, but he knew he had no other choice. Chaos reigned within there. She was nearly mad from the pain, and those crystals were trying to reach her brain. They'd attacked and killed her blood cells, and now they'd moved onto her organs. Tears flooded his eyes and grief nearly consumed him, but he forced himself to maintain focus and found the memory. He pulled it out of her and showed it to everyone.

"Meus parum lepor lepos/

Vicis vobis ut satus/

Nunquam haero quod commodo noceo/

Habitum is somes quod rip is seorsum."

"Is that Latin?" Jacques asked carefully.

"Yes," Lucian said. "I'll translate it." He took a deep breath and let it out as he reexamined the words in the chant. "My little charm…time for you to start…seek out and do harm, never stop…take this body and rip it apart."

"Is any of this important?!" Serenity hollered. "She's dying!"

Ivory exchanged a look with Razvan and he slowly nodded. Ivory stepped forward again. "It's a death-curse. She used Xavier's blood as the base, her blood as bait, and the crystals are the mechanism. They're ripping her apart from the inside."

"Her spirit is slipping away!" Marach shouted suddenly, grabbing her body and hanging on her dear life. "Please, help me! She won't sustain for much longer!"

"Oh, God!" Serenity wailed, her fingernails digging into her cheeks.

Most of the other Carpathians, however, were still calm. "Turn her onto her back," Gregori said. "Expose the curse mark."

Marach turned her over and pulled her shirt up. The white scar was ragged, like an open wound, but no blood seeped from it. Gregori stepped forward, his arm stretched out. Ivory and Razvan followed suit. "I won't be bested by a human mage, dog to our greatest enemy. I might be able to counter this, but I will need the strength of everyone in this room. Understood?"

Nobody said anything, but they were all in agreement. Marach clung to Izzy, rocking her in his arms. "I'm so sorry, Isabel. I should've sensed this before now, but I didn't. I have truly failed you."

"…No."

His eyes snapped open and he looked down at her. "Isabel?!"

"Izzy!" Serenity grabbed her arm. "Can you hear me?!"

"…No………no." Izzy tried to shake her head, but she couldn't. She wanted to relay to Marach that she didn't blame him, but she could barely speak.

"It's time," Gregori announced. He looked at Ivory and Razvan. "Read me and speak with me in kind, all right?"

The couple agreed. All three of them reached out and hovered their hands over the mark. "Everyone, focus on us!" Gregori shouted. "Focus your energy on this spell!"

"Please…please…" Serenity felt so helpless. She let Izzy go and wrung her hands.

Pure energy began to emulate from the three Carpathians. Then, they all started speaking in unison.

"Little charm, tasked to death/

Know you will not take her last breath/

Turn unto yourself the violence you have wrought/

Dispel from the host you have fought/

Little charm, tasked to death/

Know you will not take her last breath/

We proclaim judgment upon you foul beast/

Upon your being our spell shall feast."

The room suddenly filled with a bright white light. Marach shut his eyes, but sent his mind into Izzy's. He had confidence that they would kill this death-curse, but Izzy…she was trying to hold on, but it was so hard…he clung to her spirit, forcing her to stay at bay. "You will not leave me. You will NOT leave me!"

The light faded from the room abruptly, and the three Carpathians swayed ever-so slightly where they stood, but Marach leaned forward to look at her back. The gaping would/death-curse mark was gone. They broke it.

But…she was still covered in her own blood. As he turned Izzy back onto her back, he realized none of her injuries seemed to be healing.

"I'll check her," Gregori said, and he became a being of light and quickly sailed into her body.

Marach held Izzy's body tightly to him, trying to find his strength. He could feel her spirit fading; fading…he fought to keep it at bay. "Stay with me, dragă. Stay with me…"

Izzy was still conscious, but barely. Her lids were partially closed, and her eyes were glazed over. "Marach… Sere…"

"Isabel." Serenity gripped Izzy's limp hand in hers. "You'll be all right. You'll be all right…" her voice trembled though as she said this, and her free hand pressed over Izzy's heart. Her voice hitched on a sob. "Her heart's laboring too hard…can't you do something?!"

Marach couldn't speak. He couldn't find the right words to reassure her. All he could do was wait for Gregori's final say…and keep Izzy's spirit with her body.

Gregori was suddenly back in his body. His mind was completely shut off to Marach, which was his first sign. Then he saw his face and he knew the truth.

"The death-curse has been lifted," Gregori announced stiffly. "But her blood loss is fatal. Her cells are trying to regenerate, but there's too little of them. And her organs aren't repairing themselves quickly enough—"

"NO!" Serenity shrieked. She jumped up and grabbed Gregori by his coat. "Don't you tell me my sister's going to die! She can't die! She…oh, my God!" Serenity spun around to look at Izzy. In seconds she was hysterical and she clung to Izzy's body. "No! No, no NO!"

"Serenity…" Izzy's voice was so weak. She seemed only vaguely aware of what was going on around her. Serenity's loud sobbing echoed in the tiny room, and the healers all looked at each other. Shea's mouth formed a thin line and she clenched her fists at her side.

But, there was no choice.

"Marach." Gregori's voice somehow shadowed over Serenity's hysteria. "The time is now. We will be at a great loss by this, but you must convert her or she's going to die in the next few minutes."

"Convert?!" Serenity suddenly looked up and looked at eyes. "Convert?! Y-You're going to change her into a vampire?!"

"Carpathian," Marach mumbled softly. "She will be a Carpathian, and her entire way of life will be altered."

"If you do not do this, she will have no life," Gregori pointed out.

Serenity looked down at Izzy. "But…but she doesn't want to convert, does she?"

"No, she doesn't," Marach said. "And I made the choice to give her the proper time to ponder this decision. Unfortunately, this may have helped to lead to this."

"So the death-curse wouldn't have affected her if she were Carpathian?"

"Not exactly," Ivory said solemnly. "It would have still implanted on her body, but as a Carpathian she might've picked up on the curse before it completely implemented."

"But…" Serenity took Izzy's hand in hers again. "Is there any other way we can save her? Any way at all?"

"Her blood loss is mortal," Shea said quietly. "Even if we repair her organs, we cannot repair her blood. It needs a powerful blood to replenish it. Your blood will not be enough for her, Serenity."

"Mmm…" Izzy shifted very slightly in Marach's arms, only because she had the strength to do nothing else. "I…"

"…I will ask her," Marach said. "And…I will see."

If Izzy refused, she would die and that in turn would damn Marach. But he kept these thoughts to the farthest corner of his mind. "Iubita mea?"

"…Marach." Her response was belated. She was growing weaker much quicker than they anticipated. They didn't have very much time.

"I want you to listen to me carefully, Isabel. I will not put you under a compulsion, but allow you to make your own decisions. Your injuries are fatal, dragă, and I have no way of helping you other than conversion. I know you do not want this, and you still haven't made up your mind. I'm very sorry, but you have to decide right now or you are going to die."

He paused for a long moment before he continued. "I haven't spoken this to you in a way that you understand, but I love you Isabel Lindsay Crane. I love you more than life itself. Whatever you decide, I will follow no matter what. You only need one more blood exchange to convert. Do you want me to give you my blood?"

Izzy blinked very slowly, and even then her eyes didn't open all the way. She no longer had the strength to move her body, and Serenity could feel her hand grow colder in between hers.

Then…she gave Marach her response.

"…Do it."