There were a whole lot of things wrong with that sentence. “So I’ve gone through the transition, but I’m still part vampire?”
“I really don’t know.” And that was clearly worrying him. “Midway through the transition, Lena came to see you. She took a look at your DNA. She couldn’t read it because it was, in her words, ‘too fluid.’”
“Too fluid? What does that mean?”
“No idea. She tried to stop the transition but, even with Reuben’s help to amplify her gift, she wasn’t able to help you. Sam and Jared are bringing her to see you some time tonight. Probably in the next hour.” Butch threaded his fingers through mine and kissed my palm. “Think of drinking blood. Does it sound good or make you feel queasy?”
I swallowed. The movement hurt enough to make me wince. “The thought of having anything makes me feel queasy.”
“Okay, we’ll review that again later. Does your gift work?”
“I’ll try.” I reached for it, moved a psychic hand through his mind just as effortlessly as always. “It works.” But that didn’t seem to relieve him. I used my thumb to brush away the crease between his brows. “You’re really worried.”
“If you’re a little human, that could mean a lot of things.”
He was right. I could be weaker now. I could age. I might not heal as quickly. None of those things were good. “You said I’m the only one to get through the entire transition alive. Does that mean others have been injected?”
He told me about the serum, the volunteers, and how each of them died.
Somehow I managed to speak through gritted teeth. “Who did this to me?”
“You know who it’s most likely to be.”
“Marco or one of his bunnies.”
Butch nodded. “All of them are being held in the containment cells. Soon—” A knock sounded at the door, and he sighed. “That’ll be Sam, Jared, and Lena to see you.” He got out of bed and pulled on a T-shirt and jeans. Then he grabbed another of his T-shirts. “Put this on, baby. I don’t want them seeing you naked.”
Slowly, I forced myself to sit upright, wincing at the spike of pain in my head. My stomach protested moving, but I managed not to balk. Butch helped me slip on the tee. “Thanks.”
He pulled the covers over my legs and tucked them around my waist before pressing a kiss to my temple. “Missed you.” He left the room before I could respond, returning moments later with Sam, Jared, Lena, and Antonio.
“Hey,” I greeted, tucking my hair behind my ear. I couldn’t help feeling a little self-conscious, knowing I had to look like utter crap.
The picture of concern, Antonio asked, “How are you feeling?”
Honestly… “Like a bag of shit.”
Jared’s lips twitched. “At least you’re back to your old self.”
“How long was I not myself?”
“Three nights.” Butch sat beside me and took my hand in his. “Three very long nights.”
“You worried the shit out of me, Imani,” Sam snapped. Like it was my fault. “I’ve spent all that time panicking that you wouldn’t live through it.”
“The question is,” said Antonio, “are you any different for living through it?”
“She still has her gift,” Butch told them. “She’s too queasy to consume anything, so we won’t know if she still craves blood until the nausea wears off.”
Sam studied me carefully. “Even without the amber irises, you still have a preternatural look about you. But it wouldn’t be obvious to our kind that you’re a vampire, even with the Keja pull.” She turned to Lena. “Do you think you’ll be able to read her DNA now?”
“I’d like to try.” Lena gingerly sat on the edge of the bed, her smile gentle. “The first time I came to see you, it was impossible for me to tell what was happening to you. Do you know how my gift works?”
I nodded. “You see DNA strands and can alter them.”
“Not DNA strands exactly. To me, the DNA looks like numbers and equations. As such, I can see what adds up, what doesn’t add up, a person’s weak points, and a person’s strong points.”
“That’s sort of awesome.”
Her smile widened. “It is, isn’t it?” She sobered as she continued. “I was unable to read your DNA on my last visit because the numbers were moving at a rapid rate; the equations were changing so swiftly, I didn’t even have time to calculate them. This meant I had no idea if the transition was working or failing. Now that the transition is over, I’d like to take another look. Would that be fine with you?”
“Sure.”
Lena gave me a winning smile. “Wonderful. Just be still for me.” She didn’t move or touch me; just looked at me, her gaze focused and intent, yet not meeting my eyes. Finally, she blinked and straightened. Jared handed her an NST, which she took gratefully.
My stomach churned at the smell, and I tasted bile in my throat. Butch gently rubbed my back until the nausea subsided. Thankfully, Lena drank the NST quickly and Jared took away the bottle.
“Tell us,” said Butch.
Lena cocked her head. “I must say, I’m still a little befuddled by your DNA, Imani.”
That wasn’t good news. “You can’t read it?”
“I can read some of it, but it is difficult. What I can tell you, Imani, is that your DNA is no longer in flux. Your body’s state is now frozen, just like that of a vampire.”
“So I won’t age?”
“No. You are once again immortal.”
Well, that was both good and bad. Aging would be a problem, since I intended to spend eternity with Butch. But if I was weaker than before and couldn’t regain that strength, that would be a major problem. I was a member of the legion. I couldn’t afford to be weak. “And the transition won’t reverse?”
She shook her head. “You will neither go back to what you were before nor alter any further.”
Rubbing my back again, Butch asked Lena, “What else can you tell us?”
She crossed one leg over the other. “The serum failed. Imani isn’t even half-human. Her DNA is more vampire than human, but…some of the equations are now incredibly long and complex. They also contain unfamiliar symbols.” And that very clearly concerned her.
His brow furrowed. “What does that mean for Imani?”
“I do not know as I am unable to read the equations. Her DNA is not something I have seen before.”
“Do you have any idea why my DNA suddenly has these complicated equations?”
“It could indicate that the serum caused side effects,” she suggested. “It could indicate that your vampiric system adapted in an attempt to fight the serum. Or it could even be that the serum and your system ‘clashed’ in a way that caused your DNA to change in certain areas. In fact, it could be all three. I can only speculate as I have never come across anything like this before.”
Sighing, Sam gave me a weak smile. “I’m just glad you’re alive.”
Jared nodded before turning to Lena. “Any suspicions on what might come next for Imani?”
There was a brief, pensive silence before she replied, “Honestly, Jared, I have no idea.”
He sighed, his gaze moving back to me. “We’ll just have to take this one night at a time. Luther’s blaming himself for not foreseeing the danger to you. We’ve told him to stop beating himself up about it, but it’s not placating him.”
“Please tell him that I don’t blame him at all,” I said, feeling bad for the Advisor. The person to blame for this was in one of the containment cells. “Butch told me you have Tait, Juliet, and Marco in custody. Are they talking?”
Sam raked a hand through her hair. “Only a little. I’m sorry to say this, Imani, but we have no bloody clue who did this to you. Each of them denied it, so we brought in Ryder.” He had the ability to sift through a person’s mind, accessing their memories. “He went to Juliet first, and she slammed him with a psychic blast that’s put him in a temporary coma.”
I gaped. “What?”
“Turns out that i
t’s not actually an offensive gift. It’s defensive. If her mind senses an intrusion, it reflexively strikes out.”
Damn, that had to have hurt him pretty bad.
“That left us with the option of torturing them until someone confessed,” said Jared. “But Butch made us promise not to start that without him. Sam and I thought that leaving the three of them to stew for a few nights, thirsty and tired and agitated, might make them more likely to talk. We’ll soon see.”
“I can get Marco to talk,” rumbled Butch.
“Torture won’t work on Marco,” I said. “His gift is to block pain.”
Butch didn’t seem deterred by that. “There are different kinds of pain, baby. Facing the person who has you—someone he very mistakenly thinks belongs to him—will provoke him.”
Sam pushed back her shoulders. “All right, let’s go interview our suspects.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
(Butch)
I’d expected the bunny to be pacing with nerves, thirst, and anger. But Tait was settled in a chair in her cell, admiring her long nails, as if she didn’t have a care in the world. I was glad Imani wasn’t with us, because this scene would have pissed her off something fierce. Sam, Jared, and I remained silent, waiting Tait out. It didn’t take long for her to break.
“Since none of you are looking at me with murder in your eyes, I am assuming that Imani is alive. Shame,” she sighed. Her attention snapped to me as I snarled. A hint of wariness appeared in her eyes, but it didn’t mollify me.
“I have to say,” began Sam, “trying to kill her with a serum instead of challenging her to a duel—now that was cowardly.”
Tait sniffed. “I did not inject her with the serum, though I would like to shake the hand of the person who did. Still, I suppose it is good news that she made it through the transition alive; it means I will not be executed for a murder I didn’t commit.”
“She might be alive, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be punished for the attempt on her life.”
“I had nothing to do with that.”
“Why do you despise Imani so much?” asked Jared.
“She deserted Marco, our Sire. That is unforgiveable.”
“But you like doing the first-born duties,” said Sam. “You like directly serving Marco in all things.”
Jared looked at Sam. “Yeah, but it has to chafe that he still acknowledges someone else as his first-born, right? I mean, Tait does all the work. Imani doesn’t even send him birthday cards.”
Sam slowly nodded. “Ah, I never thought of it like that.” She turned back to Tait. “You know what surprises me? That he hasn’t renounced Imani. Why do you think that is? Personally, I think the psycho loves her, in his way.”
Tait’s fists clenched. She obviously didn’t like that idea any more than I did.
“At the very least, he’s obsessed with her, right?” Sam went on.
Lifting her chin, Tait scoffed, “He feels guilty for Turning her against her will; that is all.”
Jared spoke then. “Just how pissed off were you that she went to the castle after all this time? Some would say she didn’t belong there. Some would say you made a good point that she was a bad little first-born. Some might even say it was only natural that, feeling defensive on behalf of your Sire, you would feel the need to challenge her.”
“I think so,” said Tait.
Well I fucking didn’t. “But that’s not why you attacked her, is it? You wanted her to hurt you. You knew she could. Maybe you weren’t expecting her to put you on your ass so easily, but you knew she’d hurt you. You thought it would make Marco pissed at her; you thought it would make him so angry with her that he’d finally renounce her.”
Jared grinned. “Didn’t work so well, did it?”
“In fact,” added Sam, “it was you he was pissed at, wasn’t it, Tait? That had to sting. And it must have been pretty embarrassing as well.”
“Maybe you decided that if he wasn’t going to get rid of her, you’d do it yourself,” I mused.
Tait scraped her nails on the table. “It wasn’t me.”
Jared lifted a brow. “Who else could it have been? Marco? Juliet?”
She leaned forward. “I don’t know. I don’t care. But I sure hope that whoever it was tries it again.”
I growled, and she jerked back so fast she almost unbalanced her chair.
Sam smiled. “Such a black-hearted honey pie, aren’t you?”
Jared snorted. “I think we’re done here. For now.” He turned and led us down the long hallway of cells. “I’m not sure what to think about her,” he said when we were too far away for her to overhear.
“I think she’d definitely like to see Imani dead,” began Sam, “but that’s not to say that she’s responsible for the attempt on her life.”
“I’d like to see Tait dead just for attacking Imani in the castle,” I shared.
“Yeah, it does sound like a fun idea,” agreed Sam.
We fell silent then as we continued through the passages. The three suspects were being kept far apart to prevent them from communicating and to make them feel further isolated.
When we halted outside another cell, Sam said, “Someone likes yoga.”
“You should try it,” Juliet told Sam, doing some weird stretch. “It might help with your aggressive nature.”
“So might punching you square in the face.” Sam tilted her head. “Tell me, Juliet…Just how much do you hate Imani?”
“I do not know her well enough to hate her,” replied Juliet. It sounded like a perfectly honest response.
Sam regarded her carefully. “You work in Lazarus’ lab, don’t you?”
“If you are asking if I have access to the serum, no I do not.”
“Who does have access to it?”
Juliet’s expression blanked. “A handful of my nest.”
The evasive answer pissed me off. “You’re very loyal to your nest. It’s admirable. But loyalty can be a fault if it’s taken too far. You’re showing loyalty to someone who betrayed you all by attacking a member of the legion and bringing you all under the scrutiny of the Grand High Pair. Now your precious Sire is facing an execution because, let’s face it, he’s the most likely suspect.”
Performing another weird stretch, Juliet sighed. “Three vampires have easy access to the serum. But I do not believe any of them targeted Imani. Somebody else got to it.”
“Who are those three people, Juliet?” asked Jared.
“Lazarus, Eleanor, and Eleanor’s partner, Davis.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “Who do you think attacked Imani?”
Juliet shrugged. “I have no idea. But I know you have the wrong people incarcerated. I may not have warm feelings for Imani, but I have no reason or wish to end her existence. Tait despises her, but such a sly manoeuvre is not her style.”
Jared pursed his lips. “What about Marco?”
Juliet’s gaze briefly cut my way. “If the target had been Imani’s consort, I would have believed the culprit was Marco. He is very cunning and indeed vindictive enough to commit such an act. But he would not cause Imani any pain.”
“He already did that by Turning her,” I snapped. “Does no one get that?”
“But he did not do that out of a wish to harm her,” said Juliet. “He did it to keep her.”
“I don’t agree,” I told her. “I think he wanted to hurt Imani for being with me. I think that to him she’s nothing but a toy that he didn’t like losing. He wanted to punish her.”
“You are wrong. He would never end her life.”
“You act like he’s protective of her but the truth is he wasn’t with her when she needed his support,” Jared pointed out.
She paused in her stretch. “What are you talking about?”
“He abandoned her after he Turned her,” said Jared. “Why would he do that if she was important to him?”
Juliet blinked, looking sincerely surprised by the question. “Because Lazarus sent him away, of cour
se. Lazarus only allows his vampires to Turn those who come to this life willingly. Marco broke that rule. The penalty is usually death, but Lazarus is fond of Marco. He ordered him to stay away from the castle and away from Imani.”
Jared snickered. “Maybe that’s the story that Marco fed you—”
“Ask anyone in the castle,” said Juliet. “They will tell you that he did not willingly leave her. After she left, Lazarus allowed Marco to return to the castle, but he forbade him from contacting her. You see, Lazarus let Marco live, but he had to punish him. He needed to be seen to punish him so that others would not consider repeating the crime. Marco’s punishment was to be kept away from Imani.”
If that’s true, why would Lazarus lie about it to Imani? Jared asked me.
No fucking clue.
“That didn’t stop Marco from watching over her,” continued Juliet, confirming what we had already suspected. “He hired vampires to erase her trail and keep her safe from hunters.”
Sam snorted. “He was keeping tabs on her. Be honest.”
Juliet sat on the floor, lotus style. “Yes, he was also keeping himself updated on her whereabouts. But it was her safety that concerned him most. I do not think he has ever given up hope that she would return.” She closed her eyes, her features settling into a calm mask. “Now, if you will excuse me, it is time for my meditation.” We’d been dismissed.
I don’t think there’s anything more she can tell us anyway, said Jared as he gestured for Sam and I to follow him.
“Unlike Tait, she’s very ambivalent toward Imani’s existence,” said Sam. “I get the feeling she wouldn’t care if Imani lived or died. She’s just not on Juliet’s radar.”
I nodded. “If she’s lying, she’s good at it.”
Jared led us past more cells, turning this way and that. Eventually he stopped in front of another cell.
Marco was standing near the glass. He studied us all carefully. Then he smiled. “She’s alive, isn’t she? Good.”
Sam lifted a single brow. “Is it?”
Jaw hard, Marco said, “You can’t think I did this.”
Fractured (The Deep in Your Veins Series Book 5) Page 14
