by Kelly Meding
I saw red at that, and Phineas, bless him, grabbed me by the waist before I could inflict any permanent physical damage on Thackery’s person. I let Phin spin me around and hold me tight against his chest. His heart jackhammered against mine, faster than its usual accelerated rate. My own pulse was threatening to put me into cardiac arrest.
No consequence. No fucking consequence, motherfucker!
“The Lupa have their instructions,” Thackery said. “If I don’t meet them at a predetermined location at seven o’clock this evening, they will kill mother and child.”
Chapter Nineteen
2:10 P.M.
After this morning’s round of Question the Werewolves, my tolerance for torture was completely topped out. Marcus took Phin’s place on the interrogation squad, and we left before they settled in to pry more answers out of Thackery. He’d hold out, I had no doubt, and it would likely get messy. And as much as I despised Thackery, I just didn’t want to see anyone else suffering today.
Or ever, really, if I had my druthers, but my line of work pretty much ruled that out. Violence was part of my job, part of my life, and not something I could escape. Not until I was dead.
We crossed paths with Dr. Vansis just outside the store. He had a laptop balanced on one arm and a sour look on his face. As soon as he spotted me, he shook his head. “Nothing new for you on Truman, I’m sorry,” he said. “Is Astrid inside?”
“Interrogating the prisoner,” Phin replied. “What’s that?”
“Some of the research they found on the ferry. It’s all coded, and without the key it’s going to take hours to crack. By someone else, mind you. I’m no computer expert.”
“Rufus is good with computers,” I said. “So’s Oliver Powell.”
“Thank you. I’ll look for them.”
“Rufus was in the War Room last I saw him.”
Dr. Vansis nodded, then moved along toward Operations. Long, clipped strides. I probably should have told him there was no cure for Wyatt, but he already knew that. He had to know that by now.
The infirmary was across the hall and down several dozen yards. I gazed at the doors, aching to walk there and sit with Wyatt for a while. I also ached to just find a bed somewhere and sleep until this was over. All over, and I didn’t have to fight anymore. Didn’t have to do any of this shit anymore.
My feet moved of their own volition, carrying me in the opposite direction of the infirmary. Phin shadowed me as I walked. I wasn’t even sure of my destination or intentions, until I was standing in front of the entrance to the vampires’ quarters. The doors were closed, sealed, and guarded by a pair of lionesses.
I had friends in there. Sort of. Isleen had assisted me several times, even saved my life once by pulling me out of a garbage Dumpster. She was sick. We still didn’t know why, and I hadn’t spoken to her in hours.
“Are we able to communicate with them?” I asked.
“Yes,” Phin replied. He leaned around one of the lounging cats and plucked a walkie off the floor. “The channel is set.”
I turned the volume up a few notches, then pressed the Talk button. “Isleen? It’s Stone, are you there?” A few seconds of static passed. I repeated my message.
More static, and then, “I am here.”
Her voice was … wrong. Shaky, broken, nothing like the calm lilt of a stolid, self-assured vampire princess. She was daughter to one of the ruling Fathers, and she was an amazing warrior. I’d seen her in battle, cutting through her enemies like fire through straw. Beautiful.
Now sick. Weak.
I no longer knew what to say. “We captured Thackery.”
“We were told.”
“He was using Therian blood to stabilize his Halfies. Injecting it, instead of feeding it to them.”
A brief pause. “Intriguing. Our illness?”
It shamed me that I hadn’t even considered that as one of my two questions. “He isn’t saying much. Astrid’s leading the interrogation. As soon as they learn anything, I’m sure they’ll tell you.”
“Of course.”
“How are you?” Stupid question to ask, really, but it slipped out.
“Our symptoms have progressed. My skin is dry, cracking. Bleeding.”
A shiver tore down my spine, and I squeezed the walkie a little too tight. “How long have you been like that?”
“Perhaps thirty minutes. It does lend itself to a theory.”
“Theory?” I glanced at Phin, who looked both puzzled and hopeful. Therians and vampires were not natural allies. However, they had developed a mutual respect in recent months, and for some it extended to friendship.
“I have been asking questions.” She grunted, a pained sound that raised my hackles. “I may have found a commonality among we who are ill.”
“What is it?”
“Sunscreen.”
“Sunscreen?”
“Yes, the UV sunscreen.”
Right—the sunscreen developed for the vampires several years ago that allowed them to walk freely in the sunshine. The initial application was quite painful, and few vampires outside the Family warriors volunteered to use it. It made a horrible kind of sense.
“Isleen, are all of the warriors sick?”
“Yes. As well as a courier. She used the sunscreen.”
“Have you told your father?”
“Not yet.”
“Did Thackery give it to the Families?”
“I do not believe so. The Family Fathers did not recognize his photograph. A human mage sold it to us.”
“Do you know his name?” Please, please remember his name. It would give us a small lead, something to look into. Anything except sitting around, watching people I care about die.
“Matthew Goodson.”
“Anything else? Description? Cell phone number.”
She made an odd sound. If I hadn’t known better, I’d have sworn it was laughter. “The woman who made the purchase died in battle at Olsmill. The mystery of Matthew Goodson’s appearance died with her.”
Terrific.
“Thank you, Isleen.”
“We will, in all likelihood, die of this affliction. I feel my body shutting down. Growing weak. Changing.”
My eyes stung, and I blinked hard. “I hope you’re wrong.”
“As do I. If I am not, so be it. I have lived a full life. And I am honored to have called you an ally, Evangeline Stone.”
“Me, too.” I cleared my throat. “I’m, uh, sorry I punched you that time.”
“Forgiven.”
Static filled the airwaves. I tapped the antenna of my walkie against my forehead, upset and unsure what else to say. We’d said it all, really. I’d failed her by bringing Felix into our sanctuary, and now my vampire friends and allies were paying the price with their lives.
“Stone?” It wasn’t Isleen’s voice, and it took me a moment to recognize—
“Quince?” I said. “Are you sick?”
“No, I never used the sunscreen. I remain unafflicted. One of only twenty now.”
Shitfuckdamnhell.
“I wish to assist, as do the others,” Quince continued, “but the Fathers will not lift the quarantine.”
“I’m sorry.” I eyed the pair of lionesses, who tracked me with watchful copper stares. “I wish there was something more I could do.”
“Find Matthew Goodson. It will be a start.”
“Yeah. Is Isleen—?”
“Resting.”
“Right. Keep an eye on them all.”
“Of course.”
“Thank you, Quince.”
He didn’t reply immediately. “Avenge us.”
I glanced at Phin, who nodded sagely. “Working on it.”
We stowed the walkie where it came from. My strength was returning in small increments, leaving an unusual and raging hunger in its place. Maybe a quick stop at the cafeteria for something starchy before we fell headfirst into researching Matthew Goo—
“Evy!”
Good grief, what
now?
Milo ran down the corridor toward us like his ass was on fire, eyes wide and mouth open. My heart plummeted to the floor. I started backing up, instinctively seeking refuge from what I knew would be horrible news. News I didn’t want to hear, an announcement I couldn’t know. I backed up right into Phin’s chest. His hands gently grasped my elbows and held me steady—trapped me there, too, the bastard.
As Milo closed in, I realized the expression I’d originally taken for panic was actually surprise. Seasoned with just a little bit of … excitement?
“What?” I asked when he was close enough so I didn’t have to scream it.
He skidded to an awkward stop a few yards away and flapped his hand at me, beckoning. “Come on,” he said. “Wyatt’s awake, Evy. Come—”
I tore out of Phin’s arms and past Milo before he punctuated his own sentence with “—on.”
I think he was still shouting at me, this time to “wait a minute!” as I burst into the infirmary. No one was in the outer office. I took one stride toward the recovery rooms and stopped dead at the furious snarl that echoed from that direction. Only an angry, cornered animal could have made that sound. Something in my chest tightened unbearably.
“Stop a sec,” Milo said, panting as he drew up next to me.
“He was in a coma,” Phin said. “Did Dr. Vansis bring him out?”
“No, the machines just started going crazy. He woke up on his own and began yanking out the tubes.”
Christ.
“Evy, he’s different,” Milo said.
No, no, no, no …
My feet carried me forward. Kismet blocked the door to Wyatt’s room, hands braced on either side of the frame. Her profile was pale, jaw set. I touched her shoulder. She turned her head and her horrified expression crushed any lingering hope I’d had.
I don’t want to see this. Can’t know this. Oh God, please.
She moved out of the doorway, and I stepped into it, greeted by another growl. Low, warning. The bed was empty, blood-dotted sheets rumpled and tangled with abandoned wires and tubes. Wyatt was huddled in the corner, the linen gown he’d been dressed in twisted around his waist. The bandages on his neck and arm were torn, exposing the injured flesh below. Face covered by his hands, he rocked gently back and forth.
He was growling.
“Wyatt?” I said.
The growling stopped, and his entire body tensed. Ceased rocking.
I swallowed, mouth too damned dry. “Wyatt, it’s Evy.”
He raised his head, hands slipping down his face to cover his mouth. His eyes, once as black as coal, now twinkled a deep silver. No recognition there, just fear. And pain.
And something else I’d seen directed at me from him only one other time in my life—betrayal.
My heart fell to pieces.
BEFORE
Chapter Twenty
Friday, July 11
Watchtower
“What do you mean he got away?”
This is the fourth time someone’s asked me that question since we returned to the Watchtower, and this time it’s Isleen’s turn. She towers over me like a skyscraper, all white hair and tall, thin frame. I don’t even bother straining my neck to look up from my spot on the floor outside the infirmary, where I parked myself half an hour ago to wait for news on Milo.
So far everyone’s gotten the bulk of the story from Marcus, but they inevitably come to me when they find out Felix is now infected. Astrid came first, then Phineas, then Baylor. They want to know how. They also want to know why he got off the bus alive and is at large in the city. The former question I can answer; the latter question I can’t. Not really.
“He surprised me and he got away.” It’s my canned response, and it’s really the only one I have.
My healing palms itch like hell. I rub their bandaged surfaces over my jeans-clad knees, at once furious and desolate. One more name to add to the list of people I’ve failed.
The noise level in the corridor is pretty high. Humans, Therians, and vampires alike are trolling the hall, gossiping about the bus accident, the human Hunter who was turned, and hoping for more details than I’m laying out. I want to find a quiet corner somewhere and hide for a while, but I won’t leave until I know Milo will be okay. It seems the very least I owe him now, and my heart aches for what he’s lost.
Isleen seems to accept my explanation more readily than anyone else. “Then I am sorry for your loss, Evangeline.”
“Thanks.”
The conversation quiets just enough to catch my attention. Bystanders part, creating a kind of path for two sprinting figures. Gina Kismet doesn’t pause to look at me. She slams through the door and disappears inside the infirmary. As the door swings shut, her companion stops. I don’t have to look up to know it’s Wyatt.
He crouches in front of me and covers my hands with his, squeezing tight. I hazard a glance at his face; his expression nearly undoes my composure. Sympathy and regret are all I see. Not a trace of blame or anger. I’d almost rather he be mad at me for fucking up. He doesn’t say anything. Just holds my hands.
My throat tightens. God help me, I will not cry in front of all these people.
“Come with me,” he whispers.
I let him pull me to my feet. Let him hold my hand as he leads me away from the crowd. I stare at the back of his neck and struggle to retain my tenuous grip on the last threads of my restraint. He stops at a door, enters a code, and a lock springs free. Inside.
He shuts the door, and I blink at the glare of light. The weapons locker. I was given a tour of it last week—a chance to geek out over the vast array of guns, knives, swords, and explosive devices assembled by our combined forces. It’s arranged not unlike a store, separated by types of weapons, stacked on shelves and some displayed openly. The biting scents of gun oil and leather tickle my nose.
“Are we going out?” I ask, confused.
“Not for a while,” he replies, circling to stand in front of me. He reaches out, then freezes. “You looked like you needed some privacy.”
Amusement quirks my mouth. “So you thought immediately of the weapons locker?”
“Well, you and weapons are fairly synonymous in my mind.”
If anyone but Wyatt said that to my face, I might be offended, but I can hear the affection in his words. “Thank you.”
He reaches for me again, and I tilt my head to show him it’s okay. His palm cups my cheek, thumb brushing the corner of my lips. Heat blooms in my chest. I’ve missed his touch, missed this intimacy I’ve had only with Wyatt. We’ve seen each other only in passing these last ten days. Given each other the space we both needed.
I miss him.
“Don’t blame yourself for what happened to Felix,” he says, shattering the magical quiet.
I snort rather rudely and step back, out of arm’s reach. “Yeah, right.”
“It isn’t like what happened to Alex.”
My hand rises, reaching for the cross necklace. Too late, I remember I’m not wearing it. Haven’t very often since coming to the Watchtower. The silver is poisonous to Therians, and wearing it around them is rude, even if it’s a personal keepsake. It’s wrapped in a scrap of silk and tucked safely inside my trunk.
“It’s exactly like what happened to Alex,” I say. Those warm feelings disappear, trampled by equal parts guilt and anger.
Wyatt shakes his head, jaw set, determined. “No. Felix was a Hunter.”
“Was, Wyatt. Was. He hasn’t been on patrol since he was hurt. He hasn’t been training. You saw what that hound did to him.” My chest hurts at the memory of those few hours in the cabin, as he lay suffering on an old mattress while Thackery’s hounds kept us trapped inside.
“He survived, Evy.”
“To become what? He couldn’t walk from the car to the waiting room without sweating through his shirt. He was in pain all the fucking time. He was no more capable of fighting that Halfie than Alex would have been, but he did it anyway because it’s what he was fu
cking trained to do!”
I’m screaming, and I hate it. I’m not angry at Wyatt. I’m furious at myself for failing another person. You’d think with all my recent experience at it, I’d be immune. Far from it—every new failure compounds the hurt, increases my shame. Makes me wonder why the hell Fate keeps seeing fit to let me live while better people die.
“If you’d been Felix,” Wyatt asks, “would you have done anything different?”
The question works as well as a slap across the face. Goddamn him for knowing me so well. I shake my head no and turn away, examining a tray of immaculately shined blades without really seeing them. My eyes burn. The tray blurs.
Hands slide over my shoulders and gently squeeze. “When I heard you were involved in the crash and that one of ours had been infected, I panicked.” His voice is strained, the fear impossible to mistake. “I know you’ve been training with Phin, but you’re also still recovering, and for a few minutes …”
I blink, and a hot tear slides down my cheek. “You thought you’d lost me again. Once and for all.”
“Yeah.” The single word is broken, full of regret and sorrow.
“Guess it’s a good thing we broke up, huh?”
“No, Evy.” He tugs until I turn around, and I’m crushed beneath the emotion in his eyes. And confused. “No, I was furious with myself. I thought I’d wasted the last two weeks we could have had together, and I knew I’d always regret that.”
My head is too light, and I grab his forearms to stay firmly upright. He grips my elbows, holding tight. “What are you saying, Wyatt?”
“That no matter how much I’ve changed, one thing hasn’t and it’s that I still love you.”
I thought hearing those words would make me giddy with joy. Make me say them back, reassure Wyatt that I still love him. And I do. But all I feel is sad. Sad for him. Sad for Milo. Sad for the two huge secrets I’m still keeping from Wyatt and can’t bring myself to tell. Not just the secret of his past that I’m keeping for Rufus, but the secret of my time with Walter Thackery. The thing I asked him to do.
