A Shade of Vampire 30: A Game of Risk Read Free Page B

present. My, Mona’s and Brock’s nerves were palpable enough.
    Mona slowly, cautiously removed the stopper from the sleek glass neck. A strange sulfurous smell immediately filled the room, and smoke billowed up from the liquid, even though it was supposedly cool.
    Mona raised the vial and tilted it ever so slightly over the spoon, until a tiny drop had pooled in its center.
    “All right,” Mona murmured, “Tilt your head back, Victoria. I’m just going to pour a tiny, tiny drop into your mouth. You should barely be able to taste it.”
    I tilted my head back, noting Brock watching the proceedings with a kind of morbid fascination.
    “Now stick out your tongue,” Mona ordered.
    I did as Mona instructed me.
    Closing my eyes, I felt the liquid fall on my tongue, light as a raindrop. Although to my surprise, it instantly began to burn.
    “Pull your tongue back in your mouth and swallow,” Mona said tensely.
    I did so, even as it caused the burning to spread down my throat. As tiny as the drop must have been, I could practically feel its prickling trail down my esophagus, my chest and into my gut.
    “Now, you might feel the urge to vomit, but try to hold it in,” the witch said, closing the bottle and placing it gently on a shelf along with the spoon. “Otherwise you might have to take another drop if it doesn’t have a chance to get absorbed by your system.”
    That was a tough request, but somehow I managed it. After a couple of minutes, my stomach stopped churning so much, and the burning in my mouth and throat subsided.
    “Can I have some water?” I croaked.
    Brock magicked a glass of water and handed it to me.
    “Thanks.” I took it from him and downed the whole lot in one go.
    Then Mona took my hand and sat me down on the edge of the tub. She lowered herself to my level and stared me deep in the eyes. “How are you feeling?” she asked timidly.
    “Uh… Okay. I think,” I said. “Why? Do I look funny?”
    “You look all right,” she replied. “Your eyes are just a little unfocused.”
    “Yeah… they feel it. Is that not normal?”
    Mona didn’t reply. Instead, she pulled me up and walked me to her and Kiev’s bedroom.
    “Lie down on the bed for a while,” she said. “Let it sink in.”
    I lay back on the mattress while she and Brock loomed over me. They eyed me as though half fearing I might start sprouting fur or a tail.
    Oh, God. Please don’t let that happen. I’m not psychologically prepared.
    I waited and waited. Nothing happened, except my eyes feeling normal again. I sat up in bed. “So… what’s supposed to happen now?” I asked. This was all feeling rather anticlimactic. But maybe this was how it was supposed to feel. Maybe it was a good sign.
    “It hasn’t even been an hour yet,” Mona said, “but you can try closing your eyes and picturing Bastien in your head. Or his mother. Focus on either one of them.”
    “All right,” I said uncertainly. I closed my eyes, and first thought of Bastien. I felt pretty stupid as several minutes passed and all I could see was the backs of my eyelids.
    “Nothing’s happening,” I murmured. “I still don’t even understand what I’m supposed to—”
    “Just keep your eyes closed,” Mona said. “Wait a little bit longer. You’ll only be able to psychically connect with them if you’re actively thinking about them. You should just feel a kind of… instinct… A pull.”
    Mona’s words seemed so vague. I still didn’t understand it. And I still wasn’t feeling anything. But, holding faith in her words, I continued focusing on Bastien.
    An hour passed. Still nothing.
    I blew out. “This really isn’t working, Mona. Maybe the connection simply isn’t strong enough after only one drop. Maybe I need to drink more.”
    Mona shook her head immediately. “I wouldn’t be comfortable giving you more. We can’t risk an overdose.”
    “Then what?” I asked, my shoulders sagging in disappointment. “All this buildup for