Red Dawn Read Online Free PDF Page B

making progress.”
    “You still keep in touch with him?” I ask, surprised. I introduced them last New Year’s, but I thought it ended there. Philips is a busy guy. Who’d have figured he would keep in touch long term?
    “I know. Can you believe it? He emails me an update every Monday. Hasn’t missed a week yet.” She looks a little surprised herself.
    “Really? Isn’t that some kind of confidentiality breach?” Surely the research conducted at The Dwyer Group has to be top secret. Between the money invested in R&D and the sales potential, there’s an awful lot at stake.
    “I guess not,” she shrugs. “I mean, it’s not like he says anything specific. His emails are pretty general, but he told me a few weeks ago they were moving into the final test stages for a possible cure. It sounded promising.”
    “Shaye! That’s great news!” I say, jumping up to hug her. “Why didn’t you mention it sooner?”
    “I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. Who knows if it will even work, right?” She stares out the window and I know she’s wondering if her faith is misplaced. It can’t be easy living with the knowledge that each day could be your last. A sense of mortality isn’t exactly ingrained in the vamp community. “Besides, it could take months to go into production, even if it is effective at treating the blood disease.”
    “Shaye, you have to keep fighting. Whatever it takes, you will be at the top of the list for treatment. I promise.”
    **********
    “Let’s try it again.” Anya pushes another crystal goblet toward me. It’s filled to the brim with human blood. My stomach heaves at the thought of drinking it. I don’t even try to suppress my gag reflex.
    “Let’s not and say we did,” I reply, giving Anya my most tortured look. It doesn’t work. She’s immune to my pleas at this point. Who’d have figured Anya for such a hard ass? I thought for sure she’d have caved by now, but she’s relentless in her quest to turn me into a full-fledged, blood vision wielding vamp. As if it’s something to be proud of.
    “This isn’t optional, Katia. You must master this skill.”
    “Skill?” I ask skeptically. “Delving into the memories of those I’m feeding on hardly seems like a skill. More like a curse.”
    Turns out being a vamp isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. In fact, some days, like today, are just plain old sucktastic. Okay, yeah, there are some perks: superhuman strength, lightning fast speed, and hyperextended mortality. But this? This is hardly what I’d call a perk.
    “Drink,” Anya commands.
    “You know, if you’re going to act like a drill sergeant, you might want to invest in a pair of combat boots,” I tell her, picking the goblet up by its stem. “The zebra print stilettos are a little misleading.”
    “Trade in my Jimmy Choos?” she asks, looking horrified. “Never!” She quickly pulls the coveted shoes back under the desk as if I’m going to snatch them right off her feet like Dorothy and the ruby red slippers. I can’t help but laugh, despite my current predicament.
    Anya’s attachment to her shoes is absurd, especially for a professional counselor, but I have bigger concerns. Like this monstrous glass of FTFO. I raise the glass to my lips, determined to get it right this time, so I can put an end to today’s session.
    The blood slides past my lips easily. It’s a little cool for my tastes, but this exercise isn’t about pleasure. It’s about control. The vision starts immediately. This blood is fresh. Very, very fresh. I don’t have time to wonder where Anya got it as I’m sucked into a violent and painful memory.
    “Remember what we talked about, Katia.” Anya’s voice cuts into my subconscious. “You can control the flow of the memories coming in.”
    I lose my grip on the wheel and the car slides off the road, leaving a spray of dirt and gravel in my wake. There’s no guardrail to prevent me from barreling down the bumpy hillside. My