"How exactly," Ryan asked slowly, "would you have me absolve myself?"

Oddly, this momentarily silenced Susan. She was careful in framing her reply. "You have self-healing abilities I've never seen before, " She felt a tinge of desperation in her voice which she tried to disguise. "I would like to continue studying you."

Ryan was silent for a long moment. Susan was hopeful that the silence meant contemplation. Her hopes were dashed by Ryan's reply.

"No."

Susan tried to reason with her. "Why not? You have things in your blood that could change the world."

Ryan took a sip of her wine. "I don't want to change the world."

The tinge of desperation was a little more obvious. "Why not? Your body chemistry could provide all sorts of insight into immunology. If I could recreate your blood chemistry, I could conquer disease. You could save the human race."

This appeared to amuse Ryan. "It's been my experience that the human race is not particularly worth saving."

The scathing indictment caused Susan to spring to her feet in anger. Edward was instantly there. Susan tried to calm herself, tried to sound reasonable.

"Then let me study you for myself. I've spent my entire life looking for something like this."

"Ah," Ryan said, sitting back, "The truth at last. I fail to see how this would benefit me in any way. I'm not motivated by altruism."

Susan controlled her anger. She knew she was about to be dismissed and grabbed at one last final straw. "Then do it for yourself."

Susan saw a flicker in Ryan's eye and pressed on. "You're curious. I saw you hesitate in front of the MRI image. You were studying yourself. I can help you."

Edward took a step back, still guarding his master. Ryan smiled a slight smile, twirling the stem of the winegla.s.s between her fingers. "Self-interest. The last appeal."

Ryan glanced down at the desk in front of her. Her reply startled Edward. "I will consider it," she said.

Susan released her breath, unaware she had been holding it. Up until that moment, she had not known how important an affirmative response was to her. Although Ryan had not said "yes," she had not ruled out the possibility.

Edward moved to Susan's side, and she realized it was time for her to leave. Ryan confirmed this realization. "Please ensure Dr. Ryerson is given safe pa.s.sage to the hospital."

Susan simply nodded because there was nothing left to say. Edward began escorting her out. She felt self-doubt and a little guilt gnaw at her as she left the study. She wasn't certain if her desire to study Ryan was entirely due to her concern for the human race.

Ryan sat gazing into the fire. She wondered if Edward would personally escort the doctor back to the hospital. Her question was answered when a few moments later Edward returned. Although normally restrained, on this occasion he would not hold back.

"You cannot possibly be serious."

Ryan glanced up at him, then returned to her contemplation of the fire. "I see little harm in it, as long as she does not publish anything."

"I see little benefit in it. And surely you realize Dr. Ryerson is exceedingly ambitious."

Ryan turned to him, and although her demeanor was calm and her features expressionless, Edward knew he had crossed a line.

"Are you doubting my judgment, Edward?"

Edward bowed his head, immediately repentant. He was truly regretful. "I apologize, my lord. Of course not."

Ryan began to turn back in her seat.

"But-"

She raised an eyebrow.

"-You often act without due self-regard."

Ryan hid a smile. Edward was stubborn, but few could deliver so clever an admonishment. It reaffirmed the reason he had been her personal servant for nearly three centuries. She allowed him to wait in silence for what seemed an interminable amount of time.

"I will keep that in mind."

Edward bowed stiffly from the waist, then left the room. Ryan glanced out the window. It would be dawn soon. She stood, stretching, then followed Edward's path. She took the sweeping marble staircase into her suite. She switched on the soft lights, only slightly disturbing the c.o.c.katoo who was sleeping on his perch. He opened one eye sleepily, then yawned. Ryan scratched his head and he fluffed himself, settling back down. It was far too early for any respectable bird to be rising.

Ryan switched off the light and then stripped off her clothes, grabbing a robe from the bathroom. She went onto the balcony, then down another sweeping set of stairs into the pool area. She reveled in the cold on her skin; there had been snow out here a few days earlier, but the groundskeepers had cleared the area. She removed the robe and dove into the water.

By the time she was done, the sun was peeking over the hills in the distance. She wrapped herself in the robe and eyed the sun without concern. She reentered the house, then returned with the newspaper, settling into one of the cushioned chairs poolside. She glanced through the paper, wincing a little as the sun cleared the distant hills. It had that cold morning glare only a winter sun can have.

She reached for her sungla.s.ses that were lying on the nearby table. She remembered the look on Dr. Ryerson's face when she had begun discussing vampires. Ryan laughed as she put the gla.s.ses on, her only concession to the daylight.

CHAPTER 15.

SUSAN WATCHED AS JASON'S PUPPY chased him through the park. He ran through the dewy gra.s.s, squealing as the tiny beast caught up with him and nipped at his heels. Jason had a bandage on his forehead, the only reminder of their recent ordeal.

And the puppy, Susan thought to herself with irony. She had capitulated on that almost immediately. She knew it was mostly from guilt. In the last few days she had begun to feel a heavy responsibility for recent events. Although initially she blamed Ryan, she finally admitted to herself that it was her own breach of ethics that had endangered her son.

Susan became aware of the concern in Jason's voice.

"Randy! Here boy! Randy!"

Susan glanced over. Jason had moved some distance from her and she could barely make him out in the lengthening shadows. She called to him. "Jason, don't go any further." She stood up and started towards him.

"Randy," Jason called out, "where'd you go boy?"

Susan picked up her pace. Jason was still moving away from her, and now she could only see his white tennis shoes. "Jason," she called out, trying not to sound alarmed, "I'll be right there, stop where you are."

Jason stopped, but then heard a yelp from the shadows. The plight of his puppy was probably the only thing that would make him disobey his mother. He disappeared into the shadows.

Susan began running, truly afraid now. "Jason!" she cried out, "Jason, come back here!"

Jason reappeared from the shadows, he himself shaken at the darkness. He tried to muster his courage to re-enter the blackness to search for the puppy. He took a deep breath to do so, but Susan caught his arm just in time. She yanked him backward to her. She crouched down, clutching him tightly. She could feel her heart beat against his chest and tried to calm her irrational fear.

A shadow fell over her.

Susan felt nausea leap up into her throat, so quickly did her fright return. She slowly turned her head to look upward, uncertain of what she would find.

Ryan stood gazing down at them. She was gazing at the boy. She held the puppy out toward Jason. "Is this your dog?" she asked in her silvery voice.

Susan was so relieved she couldn't be angry. Jason seemed enthralled as he stepped away from his mother. He reached up to take the puppy from her. "Thank you," he said, then continued uncertainly, "you're the lady from the hospital."

Ryan nodded. "And who might you be?"

Jason put on a mock-serious face. "I'm Batman," he stated sternly. He glanced up at the golden-haired woman. "And you," he stated with some authority, "will be Robin, the Boy Wonder."

Susan's tired relief immediately transitioned to mirth as she m.u.f.fled laughter in her hand. Out of all the things her son could say to this creature in front of him, that had to be the most inappropriate. Ryan simply stared down at him with her unblinking gaze.

"I don't think so," she said.

Susan controlled her laughter. It was hard to judge this woman at times. Susan revised her last thought. It was hard to judge her all the time.

"How long have you been here?" she asked.

Ryan turned her attention to Susan. "Not long," she said. She glanced over her shoulder in the shadows. "I don't think you should be out here, though."

Susan felt a cold chill of fear once more. She wondered what Ryan saw in the shadows that she could not. Ryan did not elaborate. "I will walk you home," was all she said.

It did not take them long to reach Susan's house. Jason, against his protestations, was put to bed. His puppy slept in a box next to his bunk, and when Susan glanced in on him five minutes later, both he and the puppy were asleep in the bed.

"I once slept like that," Ryan said, gazing over her shoulder at the sleeping child.

Susan jumped. She wished Ryan would make a little more noise when she moved about. She closed the door behind her. "Would you like some tea or something?"

To her surprise, Ryan accepted her offer. While Susan made the preparations, Ryan leaned in the doorway. Susan rattled some pots and pans for a minute, then began boiling the water. She was actually glad Ryan had showed up this evening. The story she had told in her study had haunted Susan, to the point where she even dreamed about it. She still wasn't certain if she believed the woman, but she wanted to hear the rest of it, anyway.

"What happened after you drank that man's blood?"

"Victor?" Ryan asked, slightly surprised Susan had asked. At her affirmation, Ryan said, "After that, I slept for a very long time."

Susan wondered if that was what she had been talking about earlier. "How long is a *long' time?"

Ryan's eyes became distant. "I slept for nearly 14 years, which was about half the expected life-span of a peasant like myself at that time."

Susan pulled the boiling teakettle from the stove. "Well, other than the fact that what you're saying is impossible, sleep is needed for physical regeneration." She poured the water into two cups. "Sleep deprivation causes all sorts of physical and psychological problems." She was suddenly struck by the memory of the continual REM Ryan demonstrated while unconscious. "Do you dream?"

Ryan glanced at her sideways, a charming smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. She appeared to possess a sudden and remarkable innocence. "You'd better be careful, Dr. Ryerson. Despite your qualifying statements, you sound as if you're in danger of believing me."

Susan frowned, but without anger. "Well," she said, attempting to be as noncommittal as possible, "I'm a scientist. I try to be open to new experiences."

Ryan took the cup from her hand and followed her into the living room. "Yes," she said, "I dream. And I dream with the eyes of anyone I've ever Shared with as well."

Ryan used that word in such a strange context. Although Susan thought she had a pretty good idea what Ryan meant by "Share," she still wasn't certain. She wasn't ready to address that just yet.

"What happened when you awoke?"

Ryan settled into the rocking chair. Her eyes were distant and it was evident she was reliving the moment. "It was very strange," she said, "and difficult to describe because there are no words for it in the human language. It was as if I was suddenly bombarded by sensations I had never experienced before." Ryan shook her head. "No, that's not quite right."

Susan tried to help her. "Your senses were enhanced?"

Ryan again shook her head. "No, not just enhanced. It goes far beyond that." Ryan glanced over at the silk shirt that Susan was wearing. "When you first put that shirt on today, you could feel the silk against your skin, could you not?"

Susan nodded, thinking back to the experience as Ryan continued. "And yet, within minutes of wearing the shirt, you became deadened to the experience, and now you can no longer feel it."

Susan moved the shirtsleeve against her arm, trying to recreate the initial feeling. Ryan was correct, even now it was difficult to consciously feel the softness of the shirt.

Ryan continued thoughtfully. "I read in 20th century literature that this *deadening' was a product of human development, that without it, human senses would be overwhelmed, and you would be so distracted with the feel of the silk against your skin you could not protect yourself from danger."

Ryan's gaze was distant. "When I awoke, it was almost as if that protective mechanism had been removed. Not only were my senses enhanced, but I was no longer capable of filtering out unwanted stimuli, or any stimuli for that matter."

Susan shook her head, but more in disbelief than disagreement. "How could that be? How could you keep from going immediately insane? How could you even walk across a room if you were so flooded with sensation?"

"It was not easy," Ryan said, "at the time, of course, I did not know any of this. I simply woke up seeing and feeling things I never knew existed. And I dealt with them, with a great deal of help from Victor." She then added as an afterthought, "My Change was not an easy one."

Susan was retracing their conversation, trying to organize the questions that were flying about in her head. Ryan was still thinking aloud. "Perhaps that's why I slept for so long. At the time I had no idea what had happened to me. With 14th century eyes, I thought perhaps my soul had been stolen or I had become one of the walking d.a.m.ned. But looking at it now with eyes that have seen the 20th century, I think perhaps I slept so long because my brain was reworking itself to deal with what I had become."

"Is it unusual for you to sleep that long?"

Ryan nodded. "I have not slept nearly that long since. It's not unusual for me to sleep for weeks, or even months. But years, years is extremely rare, and I have never approached 14 since."

"So what do you see? What's so different about your perception?"

Ryan looked around the dimly lit living room. Her gaze settled on the cinnamon candles burning on the mantle. "I would have as much luck describing what I see as you would have describing colors to a blind man. You could say that red is *hot' or blue is *cool,' but that simply reinterprets what you see. It never allows the blind man to actually see it."

Ryan glanced back at Susan. "Did you know that heat is a color, and it's not red?"

It was Susan's turn to look over at the candles. That certainly made sense, but it was difficult to imagine. All of the different wavelengths of light probably had corresponding colors; humans were only capable of seeing the "visible" spectrum.

"I suppose your hearing is the same?"

Ryan nodded. "I can hear your heartbeat from across the room." Ryan smiled her shark's smile. "And it just skipped a beat." Susan blushed as Ryan continued. "You would feel ultrasound; I can hear it. I can feel things you can only hear, and I can see things that you can only feel."

"As I grew older, my senses became more powerful, more refined. I began to feel forces swirling around me. It was not until science described the earth's magnetic field that I had a name for these forces." Ryan shrugged in her impa.s.sive way. "Of course, placing a label on what I was feeling did not alter the experience."

"Having had the luxury of many, many years of study, I would have to say that eastern mystics are probably the closest to having a perception like mine."

"How is that?" Susan asked.

Ryan contemplated the room around her. "I see everything as a whole. It's the only way to process the information my senses draw in. There is no separation, no division until I consciously draw it. Human development chose a different path, chose to divide things, to alter reality to increase your chances for survival." Ryan looked at her for the first time with something close to disapproval. "And then your race forgot they did so."

This approach was interesting to Susan, but she thought she saw a weakness in Ryan's reasoning. "So you believe you have the one true perception of reality?"

Ryan laughed, easily antic.i.p.ating the coming argument. "Absolutely not, I just think my version is a good deal closer to the mark than yours."