“You just said there weren’t any possibilities,” I say.
“There aren’t. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t look.”
“I don’t like it.”
“No one ever does, but there’s nothing else to do. Unless you want to do nothing, wait for her transformation, and release her yourself.”
As Allegra packs the wound with cotton, Brigitte opens her eyes. Allegra gently holds her shoulders so she doesn’t try to get up.
“James?”
“Brigitte.”
“Where are we?”
“With friends. You’re all right. They’ll fix you up.”
“Bullshit. I’ve been bitten. Kill me, James. You can do it.”
“No I can’t.”
“I would do it for you. Please. Do it before I change.”
“No.”
“How many people have you killed? I’m going to be much more of a monster than you soon. Kill one more. Please.”
“Maybe. But not right now.”
Brigitte closes her eyes. I look at Vidocq.
“Do it. Freeze her.”
“Stark?”
It’s Allegra. Her voice is odd.
“What?”
“You’re bleeding.”
I look at my hands. Both are bitten and scratched. There’s a sliver of skin missing from my left palm. All the wounds are closed and scabbed.
“How ‘bout that.”
Vidocq says, “Jimmy, we must do it now. Both of you must go to the Garden.”
“Look at her and look at me. Her skin’s going blue. Her eyes are bloodshot. She’s dying. Look at me. Do I look any different from when you saw me earlier?”
“No.”
“I feel fine.”
“For now,” says Allegra. “What if you’re wrong and you change later?”
“Then you have my permission to kill me. You’ve got to kill the central nervous system. You don’t have the right tools, so the easiest thing for you would be to cut off my head and burn it and my body.”
“That’s what’s easiest? Great.”