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"She canancy," Chris went on "Her boyfriend’s parents insisted on a paternity test to prove John’s father really was his father before the two married DNA samples were taken from both Jenna and Bobby"

"And hers was different," Richart murmured "More advanced"

"Much -e control, altertabs on her ever since"

"But she doesn’t have any special abilities"

"She doesn’t get sick," John said

Chris nodded "Exactly You’re a gifted one, too, you know"

John’s eyebrows flew up "I a with your mother before Richart did, didn’t you?"

"Yes"

"There’s a gifted one in Virginia who is uniquely accurate at diagnosing patients without running any tests Considering hoell you’re doing in school, I’ you’ll be the same You and your mother are probably descended fro well in school?"

"As I said, we keep tabs on all gifted ones who cos to keep them close in case another incident should arise" He looked at Richart "Don’t tell the other iuided to this area, they’d try to turn the network into a dating service And I can’t doan to pound Elation flooded hireat it practically lifted his feet off the floor Spinning around, he burst through the door to the infirmary

Still seated on the exaratulations"

"Congratulations on what?" Jenna asked, fear and despair battling for donosis, and Jenna was clearly doing her daifted one" Richart closed the distance between them and swept her into his arms

She wrapped her arms around him and held him close "No, I’m not I can’t be I don’t have any special abilities"

"John said you never get sick"

"I got food poisoning last inning to go to work on you"

"But--"

"Sweetheart"--Richart leaned back and grinned down at her--"you’re a gifted one This is good news"

"I just don’t see not-getting-sick as an ability It isn’t so I do Not willfully"

"You’re likely descended froenerative capabilities Remember hoiftly my wounds healed after Sheldon transfused me?"

"Yes"

"Healers can do that even before their transformation It’s what enables them to heal others But the more their DNA has been diluted with ordinary human DNA over the millennia, the weaker their abilities Were you born a hundred or even fifty years ago, you ht have been able to heal with your hands Instead, your body can fight off any illness to which you’re exposed, save the vampiric virus, and probably recovers from injuries abnormally fast"

She was quiet for a moment "I did recover from childbirth quickly Butyou’re sure about this? How do you know I’m not just really healthy? Dr Lipton hasn’t done any blood tests yet"

He told her about the revelations that had arisen froan to tilt up "So I’o insane?"

"No"

She threw her arht, then leaned back "But I alanced at Dr Lipton

"You’re transfor," Dr Lipton confir the way it is tells me that if we try to halt the transformation, you’ll end up with no viable iive you a rapid infusion of infected blood to speed and complete the transformation"

Richart willed her to choose the latter The only alternative was death

John, who Richart hadn’t even realized had followed him back into the room, drew in a breath and held it

"I’ll transfored Jenna before Richart could eaze "Call Roland"

Raising one eyebrow, she left the infir went on and on and on