I am ravenous, starving, dangerously close to losing control. My mind is a jumble of fractured, barely coherent thoughts and pure, savage Hunger. It has been too long, far too long. My body burns, my entire being consumed with wanting food. The demon overtaking my mind roars and fights the chains at my wrists, straining them, needing to break free, to hunt and kill and feed. It senses movement on the other side of the bars, and screams in frustration, in defiance, the howl echoing off the empty stones.
And still, through the constant agony and raging Hunger, part of me realizes how close to the edge I am, a mere step from falling into madness, where the Hunger finally shatters the mind and turns the host into a vicious, irredeemable beast. A madness that, once crossed, cannot be reversed. I know of only one vampire who clawed his way up from the pit of insanity, but the creature who returned from that utter darkness was not the same.
I have to hang on, just a little longer. They are close, I can feel them. They will be my salvation, if I can cling to sanity long enough for them to reach me. I just hope that, when she finally comes, there will be more than a mindless, savage beast waiting behind these iron bars.
Allison. Hurry. We're both running out of time.
I woke up terrified...and Hungry.
Shivering, I pushed myself upright, bumping my head against the ceiling of the cement culvert I'd taken shelter in. Kanin. Kanin was slipping, the Hunger pushing him closer to the edge of madness. The torment he felt, the agony consuming him from the inside, the horrible drive to feed still lingered in my mind, like an oily taint. I couldn't imagine his suffering-no relief, no end in sight. It would've driven me crazy long ago.
Dammit. I will not let that happen. I'm still coming, Kanin, just hang in there.
We were out of time. We had to get to Kanin, now. But as I shook the last vestiges of sleep from my head, a new sensation hit me like a blow to the face. Blood. A lot of it.
I scrambled out of the pipe and hit a body sprawled in the mud at the entrance. A mole man's glazed, unseeing eyes stared up at me, a bullet hole clean through his heart. Another lay nearby, also shot through the chest, one hand clutching a rusty blade. My stomach clenched. The knife smelled of blood, his blood.
Zeke!
More bodies littered the tunnel, pale and skinny, most of them shot through the chest or the head. Clean, efficient kill shots. But at least a couple bled from deep, gaping slashes caused by a blade. Most had weapons: knives or lead pipes or nails driven through wooden boards. Crude yet still deadly. Worry twisted my dead heart, and I hurried onward.
Voices rang out ahead, and I felt my lips curl back from my fangs. Rounding a bend, I saw Zeke, pressed into the space between the corner wall and another huge pipe, protecting his back. He held the machete in one hand, raised in front of him, and his gun in the other. In the shadows, his eyes were hooded, and blood spattered his face and arms, making him look dangerous. Three mole men hovered at the entrance, hissing and waving their weapons, but reluctant to step forward into that narrow space and the machete that waited for them.
"Don't do this," Zeke pleaded, his voice low and harsh, echoing off the pipes. "You don't have to die today, and no one else has to be hurt. Go home."
"You brought vampires into the tunnels!" one man hissed, striking the pipe with a rusty iron bar. The hollow clang caused a rat to flee from its hole and dust to fall from the ceiling, but Zeke didn't flinch. "If we don't kill you here, you'll go topside and let them know where we are. We can't risk that. All trespassers have to die, starting with you!"
He hurled his pipe at Zeke. Zeke raised his arm, knocking it aside with his machete, and my vision went red.
I roared, baring fangs, and the men spun around, their eyes widening in terror. They bolted, but the corridor was narrow and I blocked the only way out. I lashed out with my katana and caught one across the throat as he went by, cutting his head from his shoulders. My follow-up blow hammered into the next one's back, slicing through flesh and muscles and severing the spine. He got four steps before his legs gave out and he pitched face-first onto the concrete. The last one, terrified beyond reason, came at me screaming, his knife raised high. I grabbed the wrist that slashed wildly at my face, yanked him forward and plunged my fangs into his throat. Hot, grimy blood filled my mouth, and the Hunger flared. I didn't stop drinking until the mole man shuddered and went limp in my arms, the knife hitting the pavement with a clink.
The Hunger faded to a low, barely noticeable throb, sated for now. Dropping the corpse, I wiped blood from my mouth and looked up at Zeke, watching me from the corner. His face was grim, but not horrified or fearful, making me slump with relief. Even though Zeke knew what I was, I'd never fed in front of him before. Except, of course, that one time where he had been the victim, and I'd barely stopped myself from draining him completely. He hadn't turned away from me then, and I didn't want to see fear, horror and disgust in his eyes now, because I was still a monster.
Wait, I thought that's exactly what you wanted, vampire girl. Zeke should fear you-it's the only thing that will keep him safe, remember?
I sheathed my sword, stepping farther into the narrow corridor. "You okay?"
"Yes." He eased out of the corner, wincing a bit. "They came out of nowhere," he muttered, his eyes dark as they scanned the bodies, scattered over the pavement. "I think someone followed us from the nest, then went back to alert the others. They wanted me to tell them where you and Jackal were sleeping so they could kill you, too. I tried explaining that it wasn't necessary, that we wouldn't reveal to anyone where they were, but they wouldn't listen. They just...kept coming. I didn't want to kill them." His face grew pained, eyes haunted, and he shook his head. "I didn't want this."
"Are you hurt?"
"Nothing serious." He slowly holstered his gun, the movement stiff and painful. "I'll have a couple nice bruises, and one of them snuck up from behind and stabbed me in the back. The vest took most of the damage, but he still got me." The machete followed the gun, with Zeke clenching his jaw as it slid into place. "They didn't really have a chance," he muttered darkly. "I had a gun, and they were coming at me with clubs and knives. They should've known. Why didn't they stop?"
The smell of his blood drifted to me again, and I frowned. "We'll need to clean that," I said, and he eyed me warily. "I can smell the blood on you, Zeke. You're wounded, and the other vampires will be able to smell it, too. We need to cover it. Unless, of course, you want to walk through a vampire city bleeding."
The color drained from his face. "Right," he muttered. "Point taken. Here." He bent to one of the many compartments on his vest and pulled out a roll of tape and a couple small white squares. He hesitated, clearly uncomfortable, then held the bandages out to me. "I don't think I can reach it myself," he said, not meeting my eyes. "Would you be able to..."
I nodded, taking the tape and the odd white squares. One was clearly a bandage of some kind, but the other was wrapped in paper and smelled of chemicals, making my eyes water. Zeke turned and silently shrugged off the vest, dropping it to the pavement. Then slowly, painfully, he reached up and pulled the shirt over his head, revealing his lean, muscular back and the vivid map of scars slashed across his skin.
Even though I'd been expecting it, I bit the inside of my cheek. I had witnessed his adopted father's punishment when Zeke didn't live up to his standards. It still made my throat burn with fury. Zeke had been raised with such a strict concept of obedience, it was a wonder he had defied or questioned Jeb at all.
I stepped up behind him, barely stopping myself from touching his back, tracing the scars on his skin. The knife wound, a small but deep-looking puncture, oozed crimson just below his shoulder blade. I stifled the urge to plunge my fangs into the side of his neck and bent to the task at hand.
"You're not asking the obvious question," Zeke murmured as I tore one of the white packets open, releasing a damp square cloth and the smell of disinfectant. At least, that's what I thought the strange packet was. Having never seen one before, I was just guessing here. "It doesn't bother me if you want to know how I got them. Everyone does."
"I know how you got them," I said quietly, pressing the damp square to Zeke's wound, dabbing gently. He stiffened, a short breath escaping him; whatever was on the strange cloth probably stung. "I was there, outside the church the night before Jackal's men attacked you. When Jeb..."
"You saw that?"
I nodded. Memories flickered; Jeb ordering Zeke to take off his shirt, the flash of metal as the old man whipped him repeatedly with a car antenna, Zeke braced against a gravestone, head bowed, saying nothing. Myself in the bushes several yards away, fighting the urge to leap out and tear Jebbadiah's head from his shoulders.
"I'd caught up from the Archer compound that night," I told him, folding the cloth in half to wipe away the last of the blood. Hunger and something else, that strange twisty feeling whenever Zeke was around, warred through my insides. Touching him like this, feeling his warm skin under my fingers, only made it worse. "I'd been following you for a couple days, after we had our...falling out. I was in the cemetery when you and Jeb came through, and saw the whole thing." My hand hovered over a scar, slashed from his shoulder to nearly the center of his back, and I shivered. "I can't imagine what it was like for you."
"That's it?" Zeke challenged softly, though his voice lacked the bite I had been expecting. "Nothing to say about Jeb?"
"I have plenty to say about Jeb," I replied. "Though none of it is very nice and I figure it would be rude to talk about him right now. Besides, you know what Jeb thought of me." He trained you to think the same.
"I still miss him sometimes," Zeke said in a voice barely above a whisper. "I know you probably think it's crazy, but I respected him. Even though his principles were different than mine, and I never became the leader he wanted me to be, he still did everything he could to protect us."
I dropped the bloody square and unfolded the second one, pressing the dry cloth to the wound. Unwinding the tape he'd given me, I tore a strip off and smoothed it across the bandage, holding it in place. "You don't have to defend him to me, Zeke," I said, and my thoughts went to Kanin. "I know what it's like to miss someone. To feel like you're just...wandering around, lost. And how you wish they were there, if only for a moment, just to point you in the right direction."
Zeke was quiet while I finished bandaging the wound, taping the edges down tightly. "This vampire," he said when I was nearly done. "Kanin. He's...important to you, isn't he? I mean...it sounds like he's more than just the vampire that Turned you."
"Kanin is..." I paused, thinking. It was hard to explain my relationship with the Master vampire. Yeah, he was my sire, but he was also my mentor, my teacher and...my friend. "It's complicated," I said at last, smoothing down the last piece of tape. "I wouldn't go so far as to say he's my adoptive father or anything like that but...I guess he is family."
"I can understand that," Zeke said, and turned so we were face-to-face.
His blue eyes met mine, softer now, conflicted. Like he was trying to see me, really see me, to find that person he knew. To look past the vampire and the monster, and the thing that had just ripped out a man's throat, to the girl beneath.
"Allie." His voice was still very soft, his brow furrowed as if he was in pain. "I will never forgive Jackal for what he did to my family," he said firmly, holding my gaze. "I know I should, that's what I've been taught, but...I can't. I keep seeing Jeb and Darren and Ruth and everyone who didn't make it, and all I want to do is put a stake through his heart and send him to hell where he belongs. Maybe that's messed up, and maybe it makes me just as bad as him, but that's the only way I'm going have any kind of peace with him around.
"But, you and me..." He paused, searching my face. "Maybe we can...start over. Put everything that's happened behind us, and try again. I don't want to fight you-I know you have your reasons for bringing Jackal here, and I will try to respect that. Even if I can't forgive him."
"I don't want to fight you, either," I muttered, looking down so I didn't have to see his shirtless, muscular upper body standing so close. I caught a glimpse of a few pale scars on his chest, not nearly the mess his back was, and it made my stomach squirm. "I'm still a vampire, Zeke. I'm still going to have to feed and drink blood and I might kill more people, you know that."
"I know." Zeke stepped closer, not touching, but I could feel the warmth coming from his skin, sense him trying to catch my gaze. "And I'm still going to hate everything the vampires have done to us. I'm going to do everything I can to help the people here, but...that doesn't mean that I hate you, Allie."
I raised my eyes, meeting his gaze. He gave a faint, rueful smile. "Everything used to be so black-and-white," he admitted with a tiny shrug. "Jeb's teachings didn't allow for much gray area, if any. But I understand vampires a lot more now. And I know that you, at least, still try to be different. To not be one of them. I believe that."
"How do you know?" I challenged. Part of me didn't know what I was doing. Zeke was finally saying the words I'd longed to hear him say-that I wasn't like the other vampires, that I was different. But my rational side knew this was dangerous ground, that Zeke should fear and hate me, that I was still a vampire that could lose control of herself at any moment, and then he would be dead. Jackal's words came back to taunt me: You and me, sister, we're exactly the same. Fight it as long as you want-in the end, the monster always wins.
"Maybe I am just using you," I continued, while my head continued its war with itself. I was torn between irrationally wanting to hug Zeke and wanting to scare him away for good. Away from the monster that still urged me to rip him apart. "Maybe Jeb was right the whole time. How do you know I'm not just like them?"
Zeke's voice didn't change. "Because," he said calmly, "if you were, I'd have been dead on top of Jackal's tower that night."
"Oh, please," came a new, unwelcome voice, breaking into our conversation. "I think I'm going to hurl."
We broke apart as Jackal sauntered into the tunnel, smirking and gazing around at the carnage. "Well, you two certainly left a nice trail," he commented, stepping over one of the men I'd killed earlier. "Made you easy to find, at least, though I feel a bit left out. Next time you two decide to go on a bloody killing spree, at least send me an invitation so I know that you care."
He grinned as Zeke retrieved his shirt and vest from the ground, shrugging into them quickly. "So, now that we're done making out in entrails-strewn sewer tunnels, are we ready to go see the Prince?"
I went up the ladder, shoving the grate aside and easing out of the sewers. As I straightened, a breeze whistled through the long grass, tossing my hair and sliding over my skin, unpleasantly cold, had I been alive to feel it. Flurries drifted on the air, swirling around us, and the ground was dusted in white.
I gazed around warily. Squat, ancient buildings surrounded us on three sides, crumbling to large rubble piles in the weeds. The area where we stood had been a parking lot once, but vegetation had completely taken over and now only a few spots of pavement showed through the grass and the light dusting of snow on the ground.
I turned and saw the gleaming lights of the vampire towers, looming impressively over the tops of other buildings, closer than I'd ever seen before. I half closed my eyes, and the pull was there, drawing me right toward them.
Kanin, I'm coming. Hang on.
"I scouted the area a bit," Zeke announced, coming up behind me. His gun and machete were in place, but he had ditched the stakes in the tunnels before going topside. Probably a smart move-the vamps, pets and guards would not look kindly on such an obvious vampire killer. "After you two went to sleep, before the mole men attacked. There's a patrol that comes by every thirty minutes or so, but not much traffic otherwise. It's different near the center, though. Lots of people, and I think there are several vampires, too. They've set up a security fence around those three buildings-" he pointed to the vampire towers "-where it looks like they're checking everyone who goes through the gates. I couldn't get too close-they have sentries with dogs surrounding the perimeter and I couldn't risk them scenting me."
"So," I mused to no one in particular, gazing at the vampire towers again. Here we were, past the wall and at the edge of the Prince's territory. "How are we going to get through?"
"We could check the perimeter," Zeke suggested. "See if there are any holes or lulls in the patrols. Maybe we can sneak past them."
Jackal snorted, kicking the grate into place again. "You won't be sneaking past anything," he mocked, turning to us. "Even if you get past the checkpoint, the guards and the pets, you're going into the lair of the Prince of the city. You think they just have weakling humans in any of those towers?" He shook his head. "Salazar's coven will be all over the place, the vampire Elite, his handpicked personal guard."
"Then how are we going to find Kanin?" I snapped, feeling his time was slipping further away. "We have to get in there somehow. What do you suggest, walk up and knock on the front door?"
"Actually," Jackal said, "that's exactly what we're going to do."
Zeke and I stared at him, equal parts speechless and horrified. "You're kidding," Zeke said at last. "There's no way they'll let us in. I'm not Registered here, and you both snuck in from outside the Wall. They'll know we're intruders."
"Not to mention, Salazar hates Kanin's entire line," I added. "He tried to kill me and Kanin both the last time I was here, in case you've forgotten. Guards, trucks, people shooting at us every fifty feet?"
Jackal chuckled. "Oh ye of little faith." He sighed, and started across the lot, motioning us to follow. "Thinking just like the humans. It's kind of sad. You forget, I've been at this vampire thing a long time. Just leave this to me, and try to keep your mouths shut."
Apprehensively, we trailed Jackal out of the lot and onto the cracked, broken sidewalks, moving steadily toward the center of the city. Streetlamps flickered, lighting the way, though more than a few were smashed and broken or sputtered erratically. The streets here were cleaner than those of the Fringe-fewer rubble piles, less vegetation growing everywhere, no dead cars clogging the roads. The buildings to either side of us were barren, decayed and empty, but the closer we got to the very center, the more lights we saw. I looked behind us once and, through a gap in the buildings, I caught a glimpse of the Inner Wall, dark and deserted. Beyond that wall was the Fringe. I wondered what madness was happening on the streets of my old home.
Jackal never stopped or slowed down. He walked the center of the road like he owned it, his duster billowing behind him, and didn't hesitate when a patrol of a half-dozen armed guards rounded a corner and came toward us.
I tensed, and Zeke's hand twitched for his gun, but the patrol, when they saw us, veered away and averted their eyes. Stunned, I watched them cross the road to avoid us, and realized how we must look; two vamps and an armed human, walking the streets of the Inner City like we were meant to be here. And I understood Jackal's mind-set, now. Of course the guards wouldn't question us-we were vampires. Skulking or sneaking around the Inner City was highly suspicious and would've drawn immediate attention, but when a fanged bloodsucker walked down the street in plain sight, every human-pet, guard or normal worker-gave them a wide berth.
I expected Jackal to let the humans pass while we continued our trek to the gate. But the vampire abruptly shifted directions and strode right toward them, his walk and everything about him aggressively confident. The patrol stopped, the guards immediately snapping to attention even as they avoided his eyes.
Jackal marched right up, grabbed the lead human by the collar and slammed him back into a wall, baring fangs in his face.
"Your Prince isn't being very friendly," Jackal growled, as the rest of the patrol cringed back, not knowing whether to draw weapons or flee. Zeke and I looked on, as shocked as the rest of them but trying not to show it. "Here we are, trying to be nice and polite and present ourselves to Salazar, but he's locked all the gates and shut down the Wall. We had to crawl up through the sewers to get here- Do you know how disgusting that is, human?" His lips curled back into a fearsome snarl, and the human turned white, looking like he might faint. "And what the hell is going on in the Fringe? The bloodbags have gone insane-they even tried to attack us! Has Salazar lost control of this place completely?"
"S-sir!" The human gave a feeble salute-difficult, as his arms were shaking so hard he could barely lift them. "I'm sorry, sir, we're experiencing a bit of a problem with the Fringe-"
"I can see that, human." Jackal bared his fangs again, making the guard jerk his head away, cracking the back of his skull against the wall. "I want to know why Salazar hasn't gotten it under control yet."
"Sir, I assure you-"
"Your assurances mean nothing to me." Jackal abruptly released the guard and stepped back, letting him slump to the wall. "I want to see Salazar. I demand an audience with your Prince. Take me to him, right now."
"Sir..." The guard looked absolutely miserable and terrified at the same time. "I don't have that kind of authority-"
"Incredible. How does this city even run?" Jackal growled, casting a disdainful look at me and Zeke. Turning back to the guards, he took a breath and made a great show of being patient. "Then, tell me, bloodbag, who has that authority?"
"The...the Prince's aide, sir. His pet. He's the one who admits visitors to the Prince's chamber."
"Well, then," Jackal said, taking a step forward, "I'd say you'd better get a hold of him soon, don't you think?"
"Yes, sir!" The guard leaped off the wall, looking relieved to pass this little problem on to someone else. "I'll contact him right now. Please, follow me."
Jackal grinned over his shoulder as we started down the road again, following the patrol toward the vampire towers. "See?" he said in a quiet voice, looking at me now. "When you act like a vampire, humans will treat you like one. None of this sneaking or skulking-around crap. They're the sheep, and we're the wolves, and they know it."
"So, this is what it's like in a vampire city," Zeke said in a cold voice.
Jackal snorted. "Did that upset you, bloodbag? Did I treat the human too rough for you?" He sneered. "Get used to it. This is our city, and we do what we want here. Every single human existing behind these walls belongs to us."
"Not all of them," Zeke said firmly.
Another time, I would've taken Zeke's side and argued with Jackal that there were humans in a vampire city who defied the bloodsuckers and lived free-I had been one of them- but I didn't want to start a fight in the middle of enemy territory. Not when we were rapidly approaching the fence that surrounded the Prince's towers. As we drew closer, my apprehension grew. If I'd still had a heartbeat, it would've been pounding against my ribs. This territory was the Prince's, the Master vampire that ruled the city with an iron fist. Not only that, the strongest vampires in the city, the Prince's coven, prowled the halls and corridors of those towers. So many bloodsuckers. If Jackal didn't know what he was doing, we were walking into a deathtrap.
"What do you expect to do in there?" I growled at Jackal, suddenly wanting to know the plan, if we had a plan, or if we were just flying in blind. "You know that if Salazar finds out who we are, he'll try to put our heads on his wall."
"Relax, sister." Jackal quirked an eyebrow. "Unless he's seen you personally, Salazar doesn't know you from Eve- you're just another wandering mongrel vampire to him. And he doesn't know me at all. Don't worry, I know how Princes think. We'll go in, feed him some story about passing through, make a little scene because we can't leave the city now, and he'll get annoyed but probably not enough to throw us out. There are rules for visiting vampires, after all, and these Princes are all such proud stick-up-the-asses. More likely, he'll apologize for the state of the city, offer to let us stay in the tower until the crisis is over, and we'll be free to look for Kanin as we please. Easy."
"Way too easy," Zeke muttered, and I agreed. Jackal rolled his eyes.
"Well, if you two have a better plan, I'd love to hear it."
We were very close to the fence now, passing more guards and humans waiting in line to get through the checkpoint. At the front of the line, a guard would ask the human to show his tattoo, usually located on the inner arm. A scanner was passed over the mark and scrutinized before the guard waved him through. I bit my lip to avoid curling it in disgust. Before I was Turned, this was what I had fought against my entire life-becoming a slave to the bloodsuckers. Taking the brand that would mark me as a bloodcow, an owned thing, the property of the Prince. Back then, I hadn't regretted it, even though it would've been easier to take the mark, to accept the promise of food and protection and an easier life. Now, looking back, I couldn't help but wonder. I was never truly "free" in New Covington. Sure, I hadn't given blood, but I'd still been trapped, at the mercy of the vampires, constantly living in fear. If I'd been Registered, the vampires would've won, but I wouldn't have been scavenging in the ruins the night the rabids attacked me. The night I died.
So, what was worse? Submitting to the bloodsuckers, letting them treat you as a slave and a bloodcow, or becoming that very same monster yourself?
Stop thinking about that, Allison. It doesn't matter now; you already made your choice.
"So, what are we supposed to do?" Zeke asked Jackal as a pair of big dogs growled at us from the ends of their leashes. Now only a few yards separated us from the gate, and the entrance to the vampire's lair. "They're going to know I'm human, Unregistered and armed. Isn't the punishment for that kind of thing death around here? Or is that what you're hoping for?"
"Kid, I got this. Trust me." Jackal gave us one last selfsatisfied glance. "Just look dangerous."
Trust Jackal. That didn't sound like a good plan, but there was nothing we could do about it now. The patrol had stopped us at another checkpoint, and the lead soldier was speaking to another guard. The man in uniform looked up from the gatehouse, peering through a small window, and narrowed his eyes. I shifted uneasily, feeling a restless flicker of the Hunger stir to life. So many humans...
The man inside the gatehouse emerged and walked toward us, his pinched mouth drawn into a frown. Jackal glared, waiting imperiously as the human, flanked by two more soldiers with large guns, strode up.
"Sir," he greeted, with the obvious air of someone who thought they were important. "Welcome to New Covington. Please excuse the current state of the city. I understand you wish an audience with the Prince's aide?"
"No," Jackal said, giving the man a clear look of disdain. "I don't want an audience with the Prince's pet. I want to see Salazar himself. But since the sniveling little human is the only way to get to him, I'm being polite and following the rules. What I don't understand is why I'm standing here, talking to you."
This last must've been punctuated with a flash of fangs, for the man deflated a bit, looking paler then before.
"Well, you see, s-sir," he stammered, and gave Zeke a pointed look, "Unregistered humans are not allowed into the Inner City. If he came from the Fringe, I'm afraid we must quarantine him immediately. He could be infected, and we cannot risk the spread of disease within the city, certainly not inside the towers themselves. We must ask you to turn him over."
I tensed, a growl rising to my throat, barely stopping myself from stepping up and drawing my sword. Beside me, Zeke was frozen, his expression grim but not surprised. As if he'd been expecting this. The man gestured to his two guards, and they stepped around him toward Zeke. I did growl then, baring fangs, ready to jump between them, but Jackal's next words stopped everyone in their tracks.
"Lay one finger on him, and I'll tear your heads off."
Now everyone froze. Jackal's voice was calm, he hadn't even moved or turned around, but when a vampire made threats like that, you believed it. The two guards backed hastily away. The other human sputtered a protest, but Jackal stepped forward, looming over the man, and his objections fell silent.
"Tell me, human," the vampire said in a soft, dangerous voice. "What does the law say about seizing a vampire's pet?"
Zeke stiffened, though it went unnoticed by the other humans, who were still focused on Jackal. I saw anger flash across his face, but he remained silent as Jackal pressed closer, crowding the man.
"Well?"
The human swallowed hard. "Under pain of death, no one is allowed to lay a hand on a specifically branded aide without direct permission from his owner. Sir."
"And do you see Salazar's brand on him?"
"No, sir."
"Then get out of our way," Jackal continued, still in that soft, deadly voice. "Before I rip your heart out for your insolence and eat it in front of you. I've wasted enough time here already."
The human was in no mood to argue. His face was white, and his pompous attitude seemed to have fled with his courage. "T-take our guests to Mr. Stephen's office," he ordered, motioning to his guards. "Inform him of what is going on. He might be with the Prince now, so let him know it's important."
"Yes, sir!" The guards stepped forward, bowing slightly to Jackal. "Please, follow us, sir." And without any hesitation, they turned and marched through the checkpoint as the other human waved us through.
Incredible. We were past the gate without having to fight our way in. Without having to kill anyone for trying to take Zeke away. Jackal had pulled it off. I wouldn't have done it that way; I wasn't sure that I could. And I was still shocked that he had stood up for Zeke. He hadn't let the human be taken, though his insistence might've lessened our chances of getting in.
By Zeke's quiet, thoughtful expression, I knew he was stunned, as well.
The guards led us across the road, past several smaller buildings on the corner, and then up a sprawling flight of concrete steps to the wide double doors at the base of the first tower. Another guard opened the door for us, and we entered a massive lobby, green-and-black pillars lining the walls, and a huge wooden desk up front. Yet another security checkpoint waited for us beyond the door, where a couple humans arriving before us had to scan their tattoos to be allowed through.
How much security does the Prince need? I thought, as the guards on the other side of the desk eyed us warily. Is he really that paranoid, to surround himself with so many guards, or is this because of the situation in the Fringe? You'd think the Master vampire of the city wouldn't be afraid of a few rogue humans wandering his tower, or even rogue vampires.
A blonde woman in a business suit waited for us on the other side of the checkpoint, waving at the guards to let us through. She bowed as we came up, giving Jackal a bright smile as she straightened. I could hear her heart pounding in her chest and smelled the fear surrounding her, though she hid it well. In fact, all the humans in this place reeked of fear.
"Welcome to the Prince's tower, sir," the woman announced, as Jackal raked his gaze over her body and leered with appreciation. "I am Mr. Stephen's secretary, and if you will follow me, I will show you to his office. Mr. Stephen is in a meeting now, but he will be with you as soon as he is able."
"He'd better be," Jackal growled. The secretary didn't give any outward sign of emotion, though her heartbeat picked up and her shoes made anxious tapping sounds as she led us farther into the tower.
I shifted my focus, letting my consciousness flow outward, searching for something else.
There. I could feel it. I could feel him, very close, but... below us. Somewhere beneath the tower, just barely clinging to sanity.
Hang on, Kanin. We're almost there.
The woman led us from the brightly lit lobby into a maze of long, shadowy corridors, her heels clicking rhythmically over the tile. The halls were mostly empty. No light shone from beneath the doors or adjoining wings, and no humans walked the hallways except a single woman with a mop, scrubbing the floor. It was nearly as cold in the tower as it was outside. Zeke's breath hung in the air as we continued deeper into the maze, the shadows closing around us. The tower had a cold, stark, unfriendly feel to it, though it was far cleaner and well taken care of than any building I'd seen before.
A door opened ahead of us, and two men in business suits stepped out. Both were tall and pale, vampires, not a hair out of place or a speck of dirt on their clothes. I tensed as they spotted us. The secretary bowed her head to them as we went by, but they ignored her, watching us with glittering eyes, smiling faintly. I tensed, ready to draw my blade if they lunged, but they let us pass without incident and continued down the hall. I wondered if these were the Type-2 vampires Kanin had told me about, the nobles of vampire society. I also wondered what they did all night in this monstrous tower. Kanin had explained a little of vampire politics to me before we were separated, the constant backstabbing and maneuvering and climbing up the chain of command, trying to get closer to the Prince. I hadn't been very interested in hearing it at the time, having no desire to fit in with the city vamps. Now I wished I'd listened closer.
"In here, please." The woman opened a door that led to a large, well-tended office. "Mr. Stephen will be right with you."
Stepping through the frame, I gazed around, pushing back my distaste. The pets might be sellouts and traitors to their own race, but they were certainly well taken care of. The carpet beneath my feet was plush and soft, and heavy curtains draped the windows, keeping out the chill. A huge wooden desk, polished to a mahogany sheen, dominated one corner of the room, surrounded by shelves and files. It was warmer in this room, much warmer than it was in the halls, probably because of the fire flickering cheerfully in the marble fireplace on the far wall. I was shocked that the vamps allowed live flames within their buildings, even well caged as the fire was, but I supposed they couldn't have their prized humans freezing to death.
A leather sofa sat against the far wall, pillows and blankets folded neatly on the cushions, as if the pet slept here, and often. An object on the worn leather caught my attention. A book, open and upside down, straddling the armrest. Unable to help myself, I edged closer, leaning forward to read the title. Of Mice and Men. John Steinbeck. I glanced up, looking past the sofa, and saw another shelf standing in the corner by the window. This one was full of books, more then I'd ever seen in my life. And for just a moment, I felt a tiny prick of envy.
When I was Allie the Fringer, I used to collect books like this, from anywhere I could find them. Of course, in the Fringe, owning them was highly illegal. The vampire lords didn't want their cattle to be able to read-it might put ideas in our heads if we knew what life was like before. But one of my greatest secrets was that I could read. My mom had taught me when she was still alive, and I'd clung to that accomplishment fiercely. It was the one thing the vampires couldn't take from me.
When Kanin made me a vampire, however, I'd had to leave my collection behind, and it had been burned by the humans who'd moved into my old home. Years of effort, gone in a heartbeat.
But the pets could read without fear. They could have a book collection if they wanted, without having to hide it away from all prying eyes. They didn't have to scrounge and scrape just to get by, or huddle with a friend beneath a filthy blanket to avoid freezing to death. No, they had everything they could possibly want or need, for the low price of selling out their own kind.
Must be nice.
"I still don't think this is a good idea," Zeke was saying behind me. "Those were vampires in the hallway. If the Prince figures out who we are, we won't be able to fight our way out of the building, much less back to the Fringe."
"Stop being so twitchy," Jackal replied, and I heard him sit in one of the chairs near the desk, swinging his boots up. "I told you before, Salazar doesn't know us from Adam. No one here does. And it's better to act like you belong here than be caught sneaking around. So relax, pet." I heard the grin in his voice and could almost feel Zeke bristle. "We're vampires. What could happen?"
Something on the bookshelf caught my eye. A sliver of color among the darker, more subdued books. For some reason, I felt drawn to it. There was a nagging sensation in the back of my mind as I stepped around the sofa and approached the shelf. As I reached for the thin cover, the nagging turned into a sense of foreboding.
"Allie?" Zeke said, though I barely heard him as my fingers closed on the spine. "What are you doing?"
Pulling the book from the shelf, my mind went blank and a cold fist gripped my stomach. Bright animals danced across the cover of a children's picture book as familiar to me as the back of my hand. Unlike the other books on the shelf, it was dirty and torn, a mold stain eating one corner. I knew it instantly. This had been my mom's book, the one she'd read to me hundreds of times when I was a kid, the one I regretted losing the most. The cold spread from my stomach to my entire body. If it was here, that could only mean one thing....
The door creaked open, and several footsteps entered the room, followed by an instantly familiar voice.
"Thank you for waiting. I'm Mr. Stephen, Prince Salazar's aide. I understand you want an audience with the Prince?"
I turned slowly and met Stick's pale gaze across the room.