Page 27 of The Mech Who Loved Me
If one were looking at a list of faults and strengths, then she had to admit she found him attractive in a visceral, somewhat barbaric way. He was no gentleman, and sometimes it looked like his shoulders threatened to tear through his shirtandcoat.
Ava belatedly realized he was staring at her, and he'd said something, and— "Pardon?"
"We don't even know they're working together," he clearly repeated, looking younger with such smooth cheeks. "Ulbricht was Zero's puppet. There may be no connection between him and the remainingdhampir, nowshe'sdead."
She forced herself to focus. "But their cause is the same. Civil unrest, chaos, the queen off the throne, and in Ulbricht's case, the Echelon back incontrol."
"I'll concede that point, but what makes you think our little mystery is even connected to them? It sounds like there's something wrong with the vaccination, a side effect or a... vulnerability. Something causing this Black Vein, since you're not convinced this is adisease."
"Perhaps there's a bad batch of vaccine? The science behind it is accurate—I remember reading about it in the medical monthlies when Sir Artemus Todd published it posthumously, but I confess I simply haven't had the time to research the science in more depth." The black veins in Mr. Thomas's pale dead face sprang to mind again. Ava frowned. "The vaccine works because the craving virus cells they inject have been made inert. So if it were a bad batch, then you could perhaps say Francis Jenkins, Marcus Long, and David Thomas might then become blue bloods—which is what happened. But... there's no reason to suspect it would do anything other than afflict them with the craving. No black veins. No side effects, barring perhaps a fever. I've been speaking to Dr. Gibson, and the entire time the craving virus has been known in England, there's never been a single case of something like this happening to a blue blood. This Black Vein looks like... like something ravaged Mr. Thomas's body, rupturing all his veins and capillaries and making a mess of his inner organs. The craving virus simply couldn't heal all that damage in time. But I would like to attend some of the clinics today, just to see what their procedures are like, and whether Jenkins, Long, and Thomas are isolatedinstances."
"Sounds more like connected instances to me," he said. "We just happen to have three dead bodies, who were all recently vaccinated, and all just happened to come down with thisBlackVein?"
Ava released a slow breath. "I've been taught not to believe in coincidence and not to make judgment until we have solid evidence. If you lock your mind into a position, then it's very easy to convince yourself with the merest fragment ofproof."
"Still, it's a damned good thing I haven't received a vaccination," Kincaid muttered, rubbinghisarm.
"You were thinking of getting the vaccination?" Of course he was. He despised blue bloods, and the worst thing any humanist could imagine would be to become infected. "Whatstoppedyou?"
After all, it had become common practice among those who were rabidly humanist as soon as the vaccine was made widelyavailable.
Kincaid shrugged. "I don't likeneedles."
Ava felt a smile curveherlips.
"What?" hedemanded.
"Nothing."
His eyes narrowed. "You're trying not to laughatme."
She couldn't help herself. It erupted from her in a loud snort. "It's just the thought of you, Liam I'm-too-brash-for-my-own-good Kincaid, shuddering at the thought of a needle." The mere image of it set her off again. "Mr. I don't need laudanum for my broken nose because I'm far too braveforthat."
Kincaid very carefully crossed his arms over his chest, scowling down at her with menacing form. "MissMcLaren, I'm a man. Iambrave."
"You're a fool," she said, rolling her eyes. "It's not as though I thought any better of you for denying yourself pain relief for your nose. That's not courage. That'sobstinacy."
"Well, I was flirting with you. I hardly wanted to look like I had the pain tolerance of achild."
"While you had a broken nose?" she demanded. "Youwerenot!"
"I assure you,Iwas."
Kincaid would flirt with her dead grandmother. Ava turned away with a scowl of her own. She didn't know why that thought bothered her so much. "I shouldn't believe a word that comes out of yourmouth."
But a little part of her was stillwondering....
Disadvantages: he is arrogant, he hates blue bloods, and he drives meinsane.
Advantages: he thinks I'm not like other women. In agoodway.And he called mebeautiful.
There wassilence.
"What?" shedemanded.
"Nothing."
But she could tell it was something all right. He had that thoughtful expression that made her feel a little wary attimes.
