Rachel Caine & Kristin Cast & Claudia Gray & Nancy Holder & Tanith Lee & Richelle Mead & Cynthia Leitich Smith & P. C. Cast (18 page)

“But I want to know what happened to
you
.”

I thought for sure he'd ignore me. Finally, he talked.

“When I was about twelve, there were these vampires who kept giving my brother Adam a hard time. He was, oh, ten, I think. They lived a few streets over—in a much nicer neighborhood—but used to come over to ours to cause trouble. They kept beating him up—never killed him or tried to feed off him. My other brother and I tried to stop them. We were pretty good fighters, but that doesn't matter when you're going up against that kind of strength. They'd just brush us aside. They weren't really interested in us. I think they just liked going after Adam because he was so small. They thought it was funny. Finally, my dad went and complained to their parents.”

“And?”

“And, just like that, my dad was blacklisted. He got fired from his job, and no one else would hire him. My mom had to work, but she didn't have it much easier than my dad did. What she was finally able to get hardly earned anything, and so as the rest of us got older, we all started working too.” The expression on his face made me think he wasn't even seeing me anymore. He was off in his memories, reliving events from years ago. “The thing is, not long after my dad complained, those guys came back for my brother—and they had a lot more of their friends. They cornered him alone one night and just pummeled him.”

“Did they—did he—”

“Die? No. But he was in really bad shape. He had to go to the hospital. Another bill we couldn't afford. They broke
his leg—shattered the bone in some weird way. The doctor technically reset it, but . . . well, it never healed right, and he has a permanent limp.”

“‘Technically reset it?'”

“Well, yeah. We're pretty sure the doctor, even though he was human, was on a vamp's payroll and told not to treat it properly.” He paused. Preparing himself for the next part? “Not long after that, my uncle was taken.”

“Taken?”

“For the lottery. He didn't meet the criteria, but . . . well, he ended up in the pool anyway. And one day, he was just gone.”

I leaned my head back. “That's horrible. You were right.”

“Right about what?”

“Earlier . . . I said I could understand why you hated us, and you said I couldn't. You were right. There's no way I could—no way I probably ever could. You mean it—
really
mean it—when you say you hate vampires. I get that now.”

“Yes, Lucy. I hate them. I really hate them. If I had the power to kill every vampire in the world and make things the way they used to be, I would.” There was venom in his voice, and even though there was no way he could kill me, I felt afraid.

“I would too,” I said.

“Would what?”

“Hate vampires.”

Long silence followed. “I never expected to hear a vampire say that.”

“Nathan . . . why are you helping me?”

“I don't know,” he said, sounding as confused as me. “Maybe it's because other vampires hate you, and by helping you, I'm getting back at them. Maybe it's because I'm trapped in this and have no choice. Maybe it's because I keep saying horrible things about you and your kind, but you're still nice to me. Maybe it's because. . . .”

My breath caught. In the midst of all this chaos tonight, some tiny part of me hoped he'd say something as sweet and simple as,
Because I like you
. “Because?”

“I don't know. I can't explain it, and it's driving me crazy.”

The rest of the drive passed uneventfully. No pursuers. Thanks to Nathan's side route, it almost seemed like we might pull this off.

Lakemont arrived much more quickly than expected. I gave Nathan the address I had, and we drove around for a while looking for it. It turned out to be a small house set at the far end of a fancy subdivision overlooking Lake Michigan. The neighborhood was still under construction, so some houses were half-finished and some were simply empty lots. We pulled into the driveway and stared at the house for several moments.

“Now what?” Nathan asked.

“Now we go in. Or, well, I do. You don't have to come with me.”

“Is it safe?”

I thought back to the terrified vampire who'd found me just as things were blowing up back home. He'd whispered
that he knew what was going on and that there were others who wanted to help me and keep me safe. He'd given me this address and then disappeared, frightened of discovery. I didn't blame him.

“These people are going to help me,” I said. “They know what's going on.”

“I'm glad somebody does.”

“I'm sorry,” I said, meaning it. I got out of the car, and several moments later, Nathan followed. He didn't look very happy.

We rang the bell and waited. An old human woman, a servant presumably, looked out at us in confusion.

“I'm Lucy,” I said.

She studied me longer, then laughed shakily. “I didn't recognize you, Miss Wade. The eyes are very clever. Come in. You and your . . . friend. You're safe now.”

We stepped inside a very ordinary-looking house. There was no furniture in it yet; it must have just been constructed. There were no lights on either, but vampires wouldn't need them. We followed our guide into the living room, our footsteps echoing on the wood floors.

Ten other people were in the living room, all in suits, and even with my eyes, I couldn't make out their faces very well. Uneasiness started to crawl down my spine. I'd focused so hard on getting here, convincing myself I'd be safe . . . now I wondered if I was as naïve as Nathan kept saying. These vampires could be here to kill me—though it seemed terribly elaborate. The guy who'd given me the address could have just killed me back in Chicago.

“We aren't going to hurt you,” said a short woman. “We want to keep you safe, Lucy. My name's Laurel.”

“What are you going to do?” I asked.

“Get you out of here. When daylight comes, we'll bundle you up and smuggle you out in a van so that no one can find you.”

“Why are you doing this for her?” asked Nathan. “Why do you care?”

“Because we know Lucy's being pursued unfairly,” said Laurel. “And you are . . . ?”

“None of your business. And she's not going anywhere with you until we know what's going on.” His manner was protective and fierce.

I wanted to tell him there was no need for bravery, except I honestly wasn't sure. Laurel laughed and shifted slightly. A patch of light from outside fell over her face. Her eyes still looked dark.
Dark
. Not silver.

Realizing what I'd discovered, Laurel moved at the same time I did. I locked into a defensive posture, expecting attack, but it was Nathan she grabbed. She put a gun to his head and jerked him toward her. The men with her all pulled out guns of their own and encircled her. I looked from shadowy face to shadowy face, trying to figure out how to get us out of here. This was a strange twist. My father and Bryan had sent humans after me.

“Nathan's not involved with this,” I said. “He doesn't know anything.”

“Cooperate, and we'll let him go,” Laurel said. “You have no real choice.”

“I'm not letting you take me back to my parents!”

“Your parents? My dear, we have no intention of taking you back to your people so that they can kill you. We want you alive—we want you very alive.”

I understood then. How could I have been so stupid? So naïve? When I'd originally believed these were vampires who wanted to help me, I'd assumed it was because they didn't believe in the prophecy and pitied me. Upon discovering they were humans, I'd believed they'd been sent by my father. Plenty of vampires had humans working for them. The whole time, I'd been blind to one simple fact: The reason all these vampires wanted me to die was the very same reason humans would want me to live. “Yes,” she said, no doubt seeing the understanding on my face. “We know. We know about the disc and the blue moon. Come with us, and we'll make sure you stay alive. We want to help you.”

“You want to use me.” They were some kind of human anti-vampire resistance group, people who were trying to “change the world” and eradicate vampires—just like Nathan wanted to do.

“The way I understand it, you benefit too. Wouldn't that be nice? Being able to go in the sun? Not needing blood?”

“I'm not going to kill my own people!”

“They're trying to kill you,” said one of the men.

He was right, and it was something I'd been thinking about all day. I'd said—
swore
—I'd never fulfill the prophecy. But the more this went on, the more I started to wonder. Why was I trying to save people who wanted me dead? And
yet, as angry as that made me, I knew falling in with Laurel's group wasn't the right course of action. They didn't care what I wanted either. I was only a weapon to them.

“What are you talking about?” said Nathan. “Why would she kill her own people?”

Laurel pressed the barrel closer to his head. “Tell him, Lucy. Tell him the story.”

“Let him go,” I repeated.

“I told you I would if you cooperated. I want to hear this from your lips. I want you to tell us everything you know.”

“Lucy. . . .”

Nathan's eyes were wide with fear and confusion. He was worried about me, I realized, worried about me even with a gun against his own head.

“You don't have to tell them anything, Lucy,” he said. But I had to. His life was on the line—and it was all my fault. I swallowed. “I can kill them. All of them.”

“All of who?”

“The vampires.”

“Vampires can already kill vampires.”

“I can make it so humans can kill vampires.” Saying it out loud hurt. It made it more real, and I'd been trying so hard tonight to keep it out of my mind, to deny what I was. What I could do. “There's this prophecy we've always had. No one really believed it. It said one vampire would be born during the blue moon—you know, when a month is long and has an extra full moon in it? That vampire's eighteenth birthday will also occur during a blue moon. That's me. Both birthdays falling on a blue moon.”

Nathan was riveted. The other humans were too, no doubt having longed to hear this for some time.

“That could apply to a lot of people,” Nathan said hesitantly.

“There's more. We have this thing in a museum—it's thousands of years old. A disc with a bunch of writing on it—but no one can read it. It's gibberish. Except
I
can. I looked at it, and it made perfect sense. It told me how humans can destroy vampires.”

“No one's been able to do that. . . .” I could hear the wonder in his voice, and I remembered his words from earlier, talking about how he'd do anything to kill vampires. “But why would anyone think you'd help do it?”

“The prophecy says I have the power to transform humans into vampire killers—people who'd have the same strength and powers as us, maybe more. And that after I create thirteen . . . something will happen to me. I'll still have all my strength and long life but none of the side effects. I'll be able to go out in the daylight. I won't need blood.”

“So they think you'd sell them out because of that. They're afraid and want to get you out of the picture, so you don't ruin their rule. And
this
group wants you so that you can bring humans back into power.”

“You're one of us, Nathan,” said Laurel. “You should see the opportunity here.”

“She doesn't want to conquer either race,” he retorted. “You should leave her alone.”

I'd been sizing the group up the whole time we spoke, looking for any weakness I could use. I'd come up with a
few options when the windows behind them suddenly shattered.

And vampires swooped in.

I couldn't believe I'd ever mistaken these humans for vampires. My people were fast and graceful, instantly spreading out. There were as many of them as the humans, but I knew who would win this fight.

“Hello, Lucy,” said a familiar voice. I looked up at Bryan's face. He'd been my family's bodyguard for years, and now he'd been sent to be my assassin. “Nice eyes.”

Chaos broke out.

Laurel and her humans turned on the vampires. Guns went off—guns that could hurt vampires but not kill them. Teeth ripped into flesh. It was bloody and terrible. Nathan and I were forgotten as each group tried to establish dominance and claim me as the prize. Free of Laurel, Nathan scurried through the fray and jerked me away toward the front door.

“Come on,” he said. “We have to go while they're fighting.”

We looked out the front window. Our car was still parked on the street, but it wasn't alone: Four vampires stood watch near it. Bryan wasn't stupid enough to leave us an easy escape.

“What do you think?” Nathan cast an uneasy glance outside.

“I think the two of us might be able to distract one of them.”

“You took out two at the border.”

“That was luck. I totally caught the one by surprise, and I just barely got in the car before I—”

I screamed as something sharp and biting tore into my leg. My knees buckled, and I sank to the floor before Nathan's arm could catch me. Glancing down, I saw blood on the thigh of my jeans. We both looked over and saw the old housekeeper standing with a gun.

“Mr. Arcangeli told me to make sure you didn't leave.”

Mr. Arcangeli
. Bryan. Laurel's housekeeper was on Bryan's payroll. That's how he'd been tipped off I was coming. She still had the gun pointed at us, but her hands were shaking. Nathan leapt at her, and she wasn't nearly fast enough to stop him. It was both sad and comical watching him wrestle the old woman, but the pain in my leg made it hard to feel too sorry for her. In the end, he was fairly gentle. Once he had the gun, he shoved her far away from us. Not surprisingly, she didn't make a play to get the gun back. Instead, she turned and ran shrieking into the other room, calling for Bryan.