"The vampire curse," I read aloud. "Originated three hundred years ago when the vampire queen tried to steal Phoenix power through a blood ritual. The ritual backfired, creating a wasting sickness that kills vampires slowly, painfully. Only Phoenix blood can cure it temporarily, but the cure requires regular doses. The vampires have been hunting Phoenixes to extinction, trying to find a permanent solution."
"And breeding them," Avalon said grimly, reading over my shoulder. "Creating a captive population."
"That's why they need me," I said, nausea rising. "Not just for my blood, but to create more Phoenixes they can harvest."
"Over my dead body," Zane growled.
I kept reading, flipping through pages of formulas and diagrams. Then I stopped, my blood running cold.
"What?" Avalon asked. "
