Thanks to FrenchGirl for the kind words and the support.
Laurens head was bent over the microscope. Her eyeballs moving fast from side to side, spotting every little detail of the scenery on the petri dishes. She never had seen something like that before. It had woken her curiosity. Stimulated her thirst of knowledge. The mechanism of the virus was so plain but also very effective. If she just could...
Lauren chewed her lower lip when she lifted her eyes her glance was mirrored by two warm dark orbs.
"Hello!"
She blinked. "How long have you been there."
"A while." Deja-vu. The doctor frowned. This wasn't funny at all. "I never noticed how passionate you are..." he paused and added ".. at your work." after he noticed what else this could mean.
Lauren just gave him a polite smirk. The hooded man was so...murky. He could make her feel safe and protected in one second and threatened in the next. Her life, her fate was in his hands. She needed to be on guard. But on the other hand, that's what she was used to be anyway since she lived with the Fae.
"So, have you picked a place?" the tone was lightened, chatty. Unusual for him. "A place?"
"Where to start your new life..."
"Oh, that place." she grabbed a clipboard to hide the shaking hands and turned her back at him. "Or have you changed your mind?"
"Well actually... i did." The thing she really hated on him was, that he could sneak behind her and she never recognizes it. "Privilege of a woman..." he smirked and scared the hell out of her, when his voice caresses her ear. "Please don't do that!"
"You are quite jumpy..."
"What do you expect? I am surrounded by …."
"What? What are you surrounded by?" That was it. The moment when he turned his attitude. When his facial expression changed in a cold unreadable mask and his voice was filled with an icy note. His dark eyes scared her now. Nevertheless, Lauren made a decision. She will affront him. "I know you are dangerous." She began slowly. "I know you hurt people."
His body stiffened. "Do you? And who told you that?" his voice low.
"I am human, not stupid." Her response made him smile. "I have seen what kind of abilities you have. And I am sure, you do not waste them on a children's birthday party." Lauren did not know where she took the strength for her words, but once for sure, she had to. For her own sake. For Bo's.
"So you want to return to the Ash?"
This time Lauren decided not to answer. "But you also know, that I can't let you go with your knowledge." he stated casually. Something she expected.
"That's why I offer you a deal." she said quickly, forcing herself to sound calm and it didn't fail the effect. Now she had his full attention.
"Is there something you can offer me?" she hold his eyes. "I offer you my services as a doctor." The hooded man waited, eyes narrowed. "And in return?"
"Protection. For Bo." Something he didn't expect from a human. That's what his eyes said. She saw him step closer to her, felt the presence as she did the night before. The beast waiting behind these eyes, controlled by pure willpower, tended muscles, clenched teeth. She gulped.
"Do you know, what a succubus can do?" Oh yes, she knew exactly what Bo could do, but it wasn't her fae side Lauren cared about but the human part, the lovely smiling absolutely adorable human side of Bo. Lauren didn't trust her voice.
"Well that must be love..." he finally said, turned and looked in the microscope.
"Any progress here?" he asked as if the conversation before never took place. "Last time we talked, you said it is a weapon." The sudden change of the subject irritated her for a short moment. "Yes. A biochemical weapon to destroy you. It was made for exactly that purpose."
"How?" his voice now calm and soft again.
"How it was made or how it destroys you."
He smiled.
"Simple but very intriguing, I have to say. The virus itself is simply just very destructive. But the trigger is the quite interesting part of it."
"A trigger?"
"It analysis if it is in a wolf's system or not."
"It will be activated by the wolf-genes..."
Lauren nodded and went on, now being in her element. "...and then it attacks the blood system."
"That's clever. The work of a coward. But clever."
"It is. I just don't know who should do that..."
"For the moment I am more interested in who would or could do that?"
"Everyone with an interest in chemistry and biology on a certain level. Any idea?" The hooded man made a pensive face. "We are working on that. The serum, any success?"
"For now, I try the deactivate the trigger. After that I will find a solution to neutralise the parts of the virus." he glared at her.
"You know how we've been infected, don't you?"
"It's not in the air and I haven't found any traces in the water. So I would say someone poisoned your food." Oh how she wished to have her lab coat.
"And so we all infected." he concluded.
"Hmhm. Just the scouts do not react on it."
He huffed bitterly. "Of course not."
"Why?" she asked puzzled.
"They are crows." Now that explained a lot. Then he turned to her. Good work, Lauren." The hooded man smiled warmly at her. It sent an unpleasant shiver down her spine.
"One more thing. You should know, that I can deactivate the virus, but not heal the side effects. Those parts of your body that are harmed won't be healed by the serum."
"Understood." he responded as if she just told him the weather forecast. "And I really hope your succubus knows to appreciate your...sacrifice."
Kenzi awoke by the sound of a heartbreaking sniff. It took her a minute to realize, that her friend Bo was returned and sat now on the couch of the club house, crying her eyes out.
"Bo-Bo, since when are you back? Where have you been all the time? And where is Lauren?" But Bo could just sniff and shook her head. "She is not with me..."
"Oh I see that. What happened?" The succubus swallowed, wiped the nose and sniffed again. "Have you seen her?" Kenzi asked. Bo nodded. "I did."
"Is she okay?" Another nod. "Com'on, cupcake, tell me." Bo agreed. Took several breaths before she could start. "I was on that place. Waited a few minutes and then Lauren showed up. We...talked..."
"What kind of talk?" Kenzi asked carefully. Bo didn't lifted her head. "Ah... that kind of talk!" Bo gave her a sad smile. " … and when I woke up...she was gone."
"Gone...like dead? Or gone like disappeared?"
"Disappeared. I ran after her but all she did was...breaking up with me and vanishing in the dark..."
"She broke up with you?"
The succubus nodded again and couldn't resist the wave of sadness swelling in her chest. "Oh my poor baby!" the young woman pulled the fae in her embrace and rocked her soothingly.
"I tell you when I find her... I will make her …regret..."
"Kenz...I am not sure … she will return. She is gone. Forever."
"Don't say that!" Kenzi said but the facial expression of Bo told her, this was the truth.
The hooded man sat on the throne absorbed in his thoughts, remembering Laurens words. He will deal with the fact of betrayal as soon as the virus will be deactivated. Nevertheless, there was a threat coming from the inside of the pack. But who could that be? And why?
He was missing something. An important detail. He could feel it. So close but well hidden.
And the scouts. What's their part in this play?
They've been useful. They furnished them with information. Both parties fusioned a long time ago on their glory days. The thieves and the assassins.
Once they've been a force in the whole world. Fae feared them. For a good reason.
Before they had to change tactics.
And Lauren? The human who tried to deal with the devil to protect a demon, now that was cute. But she is dangerous as well. Especially that one, unaligned and related to the blood king. This Bo loved humans. She choose their side. That's what he read about her. She was stubborn. Straight on her way. Risky. So little as she was as a succubus, she was powerful. Defeated the Garuda, nearly effortlessly. Now would be the best time to eliminate her. Now she is vulnerable. He could try to talk with the blood king. But this wouldn't change anything. She would come for the doctor. Sooner or later.
The hooded man folded his hands in front of his face and closed his eyes. He had to repeat all the details step by step.
An incredible noise disturbed his thoughts. "What was that?" He turned to the bearded man. "That sounded nasty."
"We are offline!" Another man of the circle said.
The hooded man frowned. Who dared to attack him in his own territory? He became aware of the screams. The voices, calling for help. The coughing. The smell of burned flesh hung in the air. "Fire!" he said and jumped to the passageways of the cave, following the smoke. "An explosion, in the sickbay." A Runner told him breathlessly on his way. "Was someone there?"
"The human, I guess." A growl broke away from his throat. His dark nature awoke. "Bring them out of here... all!" he commanded and jumped in the sickbay's direction. Finally there he saw the flames flickered from the lab's entrance. 'The serum!' he thought.
When Lauren came back to her consciousness smoke burned in her lungs. She felt the sticking pain of a wound on her right arm, saw the bare flesh, felt the hot tickling of blood running down her face. Her breathing was low and came in small thrusts. She needed to cough. Blood on her hand, the iron taste in her mouth. The visibility got lost. Something was wrong with her eyes. Instinctively Lauren pressed her arm over her nose and mouth. Again coughing. Again blood in her mouth. She was in a bad state. The try to stand up failed. Terrible pain in her legs. She screamed, took the smoke in, coughed. She shook her head. Closed her eyes. It was over. Her last memory was a smiling face of the beloved succubus.