Aleks frowned, "How could any of this be her fault?" He pulled Lydia up into his arms, cradling her.
Lorri sighed and put the glass down. She put her pretty face into her hands, "Annabelle controls the guards. She's powerful, more than Lydia. It never was Lydia's guards. How could this happen?"
"I think I know."
Aleks looked up to see Hanna standing in the hall. She looked ill. It hurt him to see her upset.
"Who the hell are you?"
Hanna flinched at Lorri's biting words, "I'm Hanna."
"She's Dr. Jekyll's daughter."
Lorri laughed, "Oh Christ, no. Oh my god. You're like him aren’t you? You smell like your mom though."
Hanna nodded slowly, "I gave my blood to Marcus Dragomir, he was using it to make a cure for what I am. I found out he was also using it to help the Dark Ones."
Aleks closed his eyes devastated. He knew Hanna would be upset.
Lorri shot up from the chair, "Where is he?"
Hanna shrugged whispering, "I don’t know." Her eyes filled with fear and sadness.
Lorri was gone, with a flash.
Hanna slumped onto the floor on her knees sobbing, "It's all my fault."
Aleks picked Lydia up and placed her on the couch. He walked to Hanna and picked her up. He cradled her in his arms, holding her tight to his chest.
She sobbed in heaves, "I-I-I didn't know he made humans like me. I-I-I swear."
He hugged her, "I know. I know you didn’t."
She wrapped her arms around him. He forgot about everything in the world, as the warmth of her body pressed into his.
"Aleks?"
He looked up to see Aimee's horrified look.
"Help Lydia." He spoke softly.
"What happened?"
He shook his head, he didn’t know where to start. He knew Aimee would lose control and kill Hanna, even if it wasn’t her fault.
Aimee rushed to the couch feeling Lydia's weak pulse.
"Giselle. Come quick."
"No Aimee, you know her wishes."
She started to cry, "Aleks, we have to save her. Giselle's blood can save her."
"You can't save her like that. She wouldn’t like it."
Ari ran into the room covered in sweat with a huge brown wolf beside her.
"What the eff?"
Aleks put Hanna on the couch and sat beside her. He could feel her fighting her shift.
"Everyone stay calm. If she changes she could kill you all." He continued softly still holding Hanna's small hand, "Her blood has things in it that can make a weapon." His eyes instantly darted to Aimee, "She wasn’t aware of this. Marcus Dragomir tricked her and took her blood and gave it to the Dark Ones. They used it on humans and came for the kids. Aimee discovered it the other day. We've been trying to find out more. We thought the formula was in the works not being used already. "
Aimee frowned, "The guards should have kept everyone here safe."
Aleks shook his head, "They don’t keep humans out. We never thought he would be using it on humans."
Ari looked savage, "I can push her and send her back. It'll undo all of this."
Aleks thought for the smallest of seconds, "No. No she could die or change and kill people."
Lucas crept along to the couch and sniffed her. He walked away after a moment, leaving the room.
"What are we going to do?"
Aleks looked at Aimee, "Come up with a plan."
Hanna sat up looking as if she had control, "We need to kill the chemist. He's in Boston. Some new young chemist. Marcus said he was smarter than anyone. He is almost done making the cure for me."
Aleks wrapped an arm around her, "No, we have to wait for him to finish your cure. You will die if you fight without immortality."
Hanna smiled looking broken, "You aren’t thinking for yourself Aleks." She lifted the small purple bag she clutched. With trembling hands she reached in, puling out a small vial filled with bright pink liquid.
She placed it in his hand.
"You need to drink this."
Aleks looked confused, "What?"
She nodded as more tears fell from her eyes.
"She's a Siren." Lucas walked into the room fully dressed.
Gasps filled the room.
Aleks felt ill, he looked at her shaking his head, "No."
Hanna touched his face softly, "Drink it. Trust me."
He shook his head, "I don’t need to."
"You have to if she's a Siren Aleks. Don’t be foolish."
Hanna nodded, "It will take away the effects."
Aleks took the vial and opened it. He drank the liquid feeling it burn its way down his throat. As it burned he noticed Hanna grew less appealing to him. His heart didn’t ache when he looked into her eyes. Her lips were the last things he thought about as the fog lifted from his brain.
"Hanna." He spoke as if seeing her for the first time.
Tears poured from her face, "I didn’t know. I found out today." Her lips trembled. He felt angry but he knew she was a victim of it all as much as he was. She should have had a charm bracelet from birth.
Hanna looked at Lucas, "You knew? How can you stand it? How is it not getting to you?"
He shrugged, "My wolf has a mate. There isn’t anything as strong as that."
Ari looked at Lucas and smirked, "Nice. Brownie points for later."
He chuckled, "I've smelled one before. In Italy. She was like dessert, a rich chocolaty dessert I wanted to bite into. You smell the same."
Ari frowned.
Hanna nodded, "I have a few people I need to give the cure to." She looked at Lydia, "I need her to make me a charm. She has to live."
Aimee stroked the old woman's face, "She will. It's Lydia. Nothing can kill her."
Suddenly and with a small amount of flame Lorri reappeared in the room, "Well they're all in Boston. They have a witch too. The building is completely fortified. We need our own human army."
She sat down next to Lydia and Aimee.
"Her heartbeat is getting stronger, she will live."
Aimee smiled.
Aleks noticed her smile instantly, it made his own heartbeat quicken. As Hanna's fog left his brain Aimee had invaded. He sighed.
Aimee's smile stopped after a moment. She looked at Aleks horrified, "It's Blake."
He stopped for a moment, thinking, "Yes, you're probably right. New chemist who is smarter than anyone. He took Giselle to a vamp bar. It's him."
Aimee looked sickened, "He took my sister there. Oh my god what if he's using her to test the different experiments he's doing. I bet you he is. It's probably more than just the blood drugging. I've been trying to find them but I haven’t been able to."
Ari looked confused, "That nerd who worships your sister, that guy who didn’t believe any of what was happening to you was real? He's the chemist?"
Aimee nodded, "He obviously believes now."
Lucas shook his head, "You're guessing, we need answers. We need to know how to get into the building."
Hanna sighed, "I can get in. I'm human and once I change nothing hurts me. Its like I don’t notice it till after. This is all my fault, I should be the one to fix it."
Aimee nodded, "She's right."
Lorri shook her head, "We aren’t going to send you in there to get killed." She glared at Aimee.
Ari pointed to Lydia, "She's going to be fine. We need to move before they kill the kids."
"Or worse, leave. If Daniel and the chemist get away I will be pissed."
Lucas looked around, "Where is Annabelle?"
Aleks pointed to the ceiling, "Upstairs. She's upset."
Aimee frowned, "Annabelle?" She called out.
Howling filled the room along with a cold wind.
Aleks spoke soothingly, "Annabelle it wasn’t your fault. Lydia needs you."
The young maid appeared, sobbing at Lydia side, "I be sorry. I never made the guards for humans. The smoke took my magic from me."
Lorri looked at her with the most caring expression Aleks had ever seen her wear, "Annabelle her heartbeat is getting stronger. That means she will live. She just needs someone to protect her and care for her until she wakes up. Can you stay calm enough?"
Annabelle nodded sniffling, "I can do it. I can change the guards."
"I can help her too."
Aleks looked to see Danny standing in the hallway. His tear stained cheeks looked flush.
Lorri nodded, "Thanks kid."
"Its all my fault. I had the dream but I didn’t think it would come so soon. Usually they happen a few days before."
Aleks shook his head, "There is no way this is anyone's fault. Each of us is a victim of the circumstances. What we need is to stand together and get back those kids before Daniel kills them."
He looked back at Hanna, "You ready?"
She nodded, "Yeah." Defeat and the recognition that she would die, filled her eyes. It didn’t kill him to see it but it hurt him on some level.
Chapter Thirty-Four: The Cure
Hanna
She tried to stay close to Aleks as they walked, the smell of him was over whelming. She could feel his indifference to her. She wished she too was apathetic but her feelings and attraction for him were as potent as they had ever been. She noticed everything about him. She needed it to calm herself. She didn’t want to prematurely become the monster. She needed to save Sam. She felt an anger and fear that frightened her, not knowing where he was.
Aimee had winked them to a parking lot several blocks from the building in Boston. Hanna had never been to Boston before. She never considered the history or heritage of the place, only the pain she would soon be in and the death that would follow her shift and saving Sam.
They walked to the large building. It was several stories high, looking more like an apartment building than anything.