Page 17 of Don't Bite the Botanist
The door swung open just as the doctor reached for the handle, and Tressa strolled through.
Doctor Kim barely acknowledged her, which seemed strange, but the pain in Ethan’s arm kept him from thinking too much about it.
One down, one to go,he thought, flinching as the aggressive nurse all but yanked the needle from his vein.
Tressa stared daggers at the woman and muttered something under her breath he only partially caught, then sank down into the visitor’s chair. He noted her intense focus as the nurse wiped up the small amount of blood oozing from the minor puncture wound.
“I’m fine,” he told her. “They’re just running some basic tests.”
Tressa slowly pulled her eyes away from the assortment of bloodtubes with different colored tops and met his gaze. “Of course. Standard procedure.”
They sat there awkwardly in silence as the nurse labeled the samples before leaving without a single word. As soon as the door closed behind her, Tressa dragged her chair over to Ethan’s side.
“Okay,” she began, her face a contrast in emotions, as if she was equal parts excited and nervous. “So, I talked to my cadre, and we think—”
“Cadre?” Ethan interrupted. He rarely stumbled across a word he didn’t recognize.
“Yeah,” she said, shrugging. “That’s just what we call ourselves. I’m not even sure who came up with the term, but we’ve all been using it for decades.” Her eyes flashed wide for a heartbeat, and she coughed a few times before adding, “Sorry, I mean to saythey’vebeen using it for decades. I’m only twenty-seven, so obviously I haven’t been hunting for that long. That would be insane.”
He really shouldn’t think it was so adorable when she got all flustered, but he couldn’t help but grin. “Interesting,” he said, adjusting his glasses on his nose. “A cadre of vampire hunters. I like it.”
Tressa beamed. “I’m so glad you approve. Anyway, I spoke to them, and if you can just give us a few weeks to prepare while you heal—”
“No,” Ethan snapped, then felt bad when he saw her flinch at his abrasive tone. Taking a deep breath to wash away the anger that lingered from his time with the doctor, he softened his voice before speaking again. “Sorry, that was a little harsh, but I just got finished telling Dr. Kim I’m leaving in the morning. Please don’t make me fight you too.”
Tressa pursed her lips. “You need rest.”
“No, I need revenge.”
“Getting out there before you’re ready might cost you your life.”
He stared blankly at her. “Okay. And?”
Tressa’s mouth dropped open in horror. “Ethan, I won’t let you go on a suicide mission.”
He sighed, then tossed his glasses on the nightstand so he didn’t have to see the judgment in her eyes. “I’m not planning on dying, all right? I still have work to do on a new medication that could help countless people, and I intend to finish it. But seeing as I currently have no lab to work in, I’m not just going to sit around and do nothing while that vampire keeps killing. My research might be on pause, but I can still save lives. I understand the danger involved, and I’m willing to take that risk.”
When Tressa didn’t respond right away, Ethan regretted removing his glasses. Even if there was a little judgment on her face, he really did want to see all the nuances of her expression. Ever since he called her out on the sunshine persona, he’d been noticing more of the real Tressa leaking through in their interactions, and he found himself craving those moments.
“Since you brought up your research,” she began, shifting forward in her chair, “I have to ask, what were you working on? I’m just curious since it might explain why the rogue targeted you.”
He waved a hand to cut off her train of thought. “It was just a new heart medication, and I can’t imagine vampires would care about that. You’d think they would want their dinner in better shape. Like swapping a burger for a salad.”
Tressa cringed and drew back. “I don’t think that’s how it works.”
“Either way, it wouldn’t make sense that my lab was targeted specifically. A lot of companies are working on heart medications. Maybe that thing was just prowling the streets for its next meal and saw the light in my lab was on.”
She picked at her cuticles for a minute, and something about thesmall gesture made him smile. Another reminder that no matter how perfect and polished she initially came off as, she was only human, just like everyone else.
“I suppose you might be right,” she conceded with a heavy amount of reluctance. “But if you would share your work with my organization, then…”
He shook his head. “Sorry. Can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“Take your pick,” he replied. “Ican’tshare it because I’m under the kind of strict NDA that popstars in fake marriages use. Also, Iwon’tshare it because it’s not ready yet. I was almost there when that monster attacked, and I intend to go back and finish it as soon as she’s dealt with.”
“I understand that, but—”
