Page 97 of Dark Awakening: Hidden Currents

"We could stop at the lobby café," she suggested. "That's another experience that you can add to your collection."

Julian shook his head. "We have to get back to the clinic and try the synthetic blood while Ell-rom is still riding this wave of accomplishment."

She shifted her gaze to Ell-rom, who didn't wince and didn't grimace. "Wish me luck. Maybe I can overcome my aversion today."

Jasmine's eyes widened in surprise.

Ell-rom looked exhausted but also determined. Perhaps getting him to this state had been Julian's plan all along.

There was something to be said for riding the wave of achievement.

Sometimes, when she hit a note she couldn't hit before, she became euphoric and sang better than ever before.

"You can do it." She fell into step beside him and took his hand.

To passersby and those sitting in the cars whizzing past, they must have looked like an odd trio, with Ell-rom leaning on Julian, who had his arm wrapped around Ell-rom's middle, and Jasmine walking beside them and holding his hand.

They probably thought that Ell-rom had too much to drink and his friends were helping him get home.

69

ELL-ROM

Ell-rom's muscles protested as he settled into the chair in Julian's office, but he couldn't keep the proud smile from his face. The walk through the city streets, while exhausting, had filled him with a sense of accomplishment he hadn't felt since awakening from stasis. Every step, even those that required him to lean on Julian for support, felt like a victory over his weakened body.

The sights, sounds, and smells of the city still swirled in his mind, a bagful of new experiences that exhilarated and overwhelmed him. He had seen towering buildings, heard a cacophony of sounds, and smelled a dizzying array of scents.

Everything was more vibrant, more alive than what he had seen from the penthouse. He felt like a part of things rather than an outside observer.

If he could conquer the streets of Los Angeles, he could face his aversion to blood. The thought still made his stomach clench, but the feeling was less intense than before. Perhaps it was because his stomach was now empty, its contents consumed bythe energy expended during the walk, and he was so tired he could barely hold himself sitting in a chair.

In fact, he was slumped.

Jasmine's warm hand slipped into his, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Pretend that it is something else," she suggested. "Vegetable juice or wine."

Ell-rom smiled. "The smell will make it impossible to imagine anything other than what it is, but I appreciate your effort nonetheless."

A look of curiosity crossed Jasmine's face. "Does synthetic blood smell the same as regular blood?" she asked.

Ell-rom shrugged, a little embarrassed about his ignorance. "I don't know what it smells like. Looking at it in a sealed bag was enough to make me gag."

The memory of his earlier reaction to the bag of synthetic blood made him wince internally. He hoped he could do better this time.

The sound of the office door opening drew their attention. Julian entered, carrying a small glass rectangle. Ell-rom's enhanced vision could make out a tiny amount of red liquid smeared across its surface. The quantity was so small that the scent was barely noticeable, just a faint metallic tang in the air.

Julian settled behind his desk, placing the glass in front of Ell-rom. "That's more or less the amount of blood you can expect when biting a person either in aggression or desire," he explained. "Your fangs are built to deliver venom, not for sucking blood, so the moment they penetrate the vein, theyrelease a healing compound to slow down the bleeding. If you can tolerate licking what's on this glass, you are good."

Ell-rom stared at it. The quantity was tiny, much less than he'd expected, just a small smear of red. Yet the thought of tasting it made his throat constrict. Nevertheless, he picked up the glass with a surprisingly steady hand.

"You can do it," Jasmine said softly.

Drawing a deep breath, Ell-rom brought the glass to his nose. The scent was stronger now, unmistakably blood. He felt his stomach churn in response.

"Lick it," Julian said, his tone resolute. "Just do it."

"Close your eyes," Jasmine suggested.

Ell-rom let his eyelids fall shut. In the darkness behind his closed eyes, he could almost pretend the glass held something else—vegetable juice. It was just red vegetable juice. He extended his tongue, fighting against every instinct that screamed at him to stop, and in one quick motion, he swiped his tongue across the glass.