by E. S. Moore
But unlike the vampire dungeons where there could be dozens, if not hundreds of caged Purebloods, only one of the cells was occupied here. From where I stood, it was hard to make out the hunched form lying on the stone floor. Growls and whines came from the thing, and it shuddered uncontrollably as if it had a permanent case of the shivers.
I stopped at the bottom of the stairs, refusing to go any farther. Whatever the place was, it wasn’t somewhere I wanted to be. I had been trapped in a cell like these before. It wasn’t an experience I ever wanted to repeat.
“Don’t worry,” Jonathan said, striding across the room. “We aren’t going to harm you. Like I said before, we need you.”
Nathan and Gregory took up positions on either side of the occupied cell. They stood well back from the cage, as if they didn’t quite trust what was inside. Gregory’s smile wilted as he stood there, eyes flickering back and forth from Jonathan to the thing within the metal bars.
“I want you to see this,” Jonathan said, turning to me. “You of all people will understand what we are going through. You will know the pain we are suffering.”
“What’s going on here?” I asked, gesturing toward the creature trapped within the cage. I didn’t like this at all.
“I know how it looks,” Jonathan said. “But no one has ever been kept here against their will. Come. Look in the cage. You will understand once you see.”
I hesitated before finally crossing the room. I kept telling myself I was being stupid for ever trusting the wolves. Werewolves were the enemy. I killed them just as readily as I killed vampires. Not to mention the fact that one had once belonged to a House that killed everyone I knew. These three should have been dead long ago.
But somehow, someway, they trusted me. Okay, maybe that wasn’t entirely true. Nathan looked as though he trusted me about as much as I trusted him, which was not at all. Jonathan was the one who seemed to trust me for some reason, and it appeared that was all that mattered in the end. I owed it to them to at least take a look at what they had.
I stopped two feet from the cage. Nathan and Gregory both took a step back to give me more room. Jonathan flipped a switch and an overhead light dimly lit the creature within the cell. It was just barely bright enough for me to get a good look at it without having to use my vampire-enhanced vision.
The creature lay on its stomach, its neck bent so that I could see only the nape of its hairy neck. It was nude, clearly humanoid, and covered in a light coating of fur. The snarls and whimpers shook the creature, as if making any sort of sound caused it pain.
“What is it?” I asked, my uneasiness going through the roof. I was sure I had seen something similar to this before but refused to believe it.
“Look closer,” Jonathan said. “I think you know.”
My throat went dry as I took a step forward, putting myself far too close to the cage. Seeing this once had been bad enough, but I felt compelled to take a closer look just to be sure.
The creature’s head snapped up at my approach. Its ears were human, and the long dirty blond hair on its head looked normal. It rose to all fours and turned to face me. I took an involuntary step back.
Its face was partially shifted to wolf. The nose was elongated, but it still looked like a human nose. The eyes were yellow, yet still held the shape of the human eye. The beast’s lower jaw was partially extended, showing vampiric fangs thrust out from ruptured gums that dripped blood in a constant plink. Its chest was coated with dried blood, and the floor in which it had lain was sticky with it.
The creature roared and leaped at the bars. Its human hands ended in claws that raked at the metal. Its belly was void of hair, as if the transformation had started taking place at its back but hadn’t worked all the way around to its front. It was quite clearly male.
“Thomas.” The name slipped through my lips before I could stop it. I knew that what I was looking at wasn’t my brother. It just reminded me of him, what had happened to him.
“No,” Jonathan said, coming to stand next to me. I didn’t even react to his nearness, though my instincts told me I should have. If he had wanted to, he could have driven a blade straight through my heart and I wouldn’t have been able to stop him. “It’s not your brother.”
I swallowed a few times before I could speak. “I know. But ... who would do this? Valentino is dead. Was it an accident?”
“No, House Tremaine did this.” Jonathan spat the name. “They are a Minor House looking to increase their power base by bringing the Luna Cult into their ranks.”
I turned a shocked expression toward him. A vampire House wanted to assimilate the Luna Cult?
“They found out there were werewolves in the Cult, and they somehow managed to capture our Denmaster.” Jonathan lowered his head. Fear was evident in his voice. “This was Simon’s second. They sent him to us as a warning, as a reminder of what they can and will do if we do not cooperate.”
I turned back to the creature in the cage. I knew what had caused the mutations within the beast. I just couldn’t believe anyone—vampire or werewolf or Pureblood—could ever do that to another person. A few drops of blood didn’t do this. This definitely didn’t happen by accident.
Vampire and werewolf blood have similar qualities. It’s like the difference between what makes a house cat different from a tiger. They are similar beasts, but different in obvious ways. The vampire gets to keep much of its human form, whereas the werewolf undergoes radical changes.
But they both still have the same hunger. They both need the blood to survive. They hunger for it. The wolf often craves the meat of their victims as well, whereas the vampire tends to only want the blood; but in essence, it’s only a minor difference to the same monster.
Despite the similarities, however, the blood doesn’t mix. I could never feed on a werewolf, and a werewolf could never feed on me. To do so would create a monster like what lay behind the heavy iron bars.
The creature roared and threw itself against the far wall. Blood sprayed from its mouth. It dug at the stone wall with its claws as if it could claw its way out. The look in its eye was one of pure madness, of pure hunger.
“I know what happened to your brother,” Jonathan said, his tone low and sympathetic. “I was there, but I did not take part. I never condoned turning another human being, cursing them to this sort of fate.”
Hearing Jonathan talk about Thomas brought a sharp pain to my chest. I didn’t want to listen anymore, didn’t want to have anything to do with the Cult or the pathetic creature trapped within the cage. It hurt far too much.
“I also know that while your brother’s blood has become mixed, he at least escaped with his life. He helped you escape before the Madness took him. He might still be out there.”
“Stop,” I said. Anger surged through my body, and it took all my self-control not to draw my weapons and kill him where he stood. The urge was so strong I was shaking with it.
I backed away from the cell, fighting myself with every step. The creature in the cage howled and thrashed, clawing at the wall, at the bars, at anything it could get its hands on. I doubted there was anything left of the person the werewolf once was. It was a mindless beast now, its only urge was to kill.
“Help us,” Jonathan said, moving between me and the beast. “They have Simon, our Denmaster. I can only stand in his place for so long before some will begin to question me.” He glanced toward his two associates. “If we don’t bow down to House Tremaine by the midnight before the first night of the full moon, they will infect Simon with vampire blood. He will be driven crazy, turned into a mindless monster. You cannot let them do that to him.”
“Why not?” I said, turning a steely gaze on him. I didn’t like being reminded of my past failures. “Why would you come to me? You know I care nothing about werewolves and the Luna Cult. Why would I help you?”
“Because you are the only one I know who knows what it is like to live with this kind of weight on your shoulders.” Jonathan met my stare
without flinching. “And you are the type of person who would do something about it.”
I glanced past him to the two men by the cage. Nathan was glaring at me, eyes full of all the hatred he could muster. Gregory stared back at me, his face void of any expression.
“Please,” Jonathan said. “I have kept your secret for years now. I could have turned your name over any number of times to any number of people, but I didn’t. I believe in what you do ...” He paused and frowned. “To a point, anyway. Do you realize what would happen if House Tremaine took over the Luna Cult?”
I thought about it. If this Minor House were to assimilate the Luna Cult, taking on their Purebloods, as well as their werewolves, they could easily jump quite a few rungs in the power struggle that defined vampire society. Sure, as far as I knew there were only a few wolves in the Cult, but there were so many Purebloods they could turn, they might even leap to the top of the ladder. If they did that and someone who knew my name joined them ...
Jonathan must have seen the understanding dawn in my face. He nodded and spoke slowly, keeping his tone light, unthreatening. “And since we know who you are, where you live, things would become quite difficult for you. House Tremaine would eventually get this information from someone in the Cult that is privy to what I know. They would come after you.”
“Is that a threat?”
“No.” Jonathan shook his head. “I am just stating a fact. Only I know for sure where you live. Nathan and Gregory are the only other two who even know who and what you really are. With Joshua dead, no one else knows.”
He was showing a lot of trust in telling me that. Still, just the thought of anyone knowing who I was didn’t sit well with me.
“Then what is to stop me from killing you three now and taking care of all my problems at once.”
Nathan took a step forward, his hands balled into fists, but Jonathan motioned him back with a wave of his hand.
“Nothing,” Jonathan said. “I hope you would consider what it would mean to allow someone like Count Tremaine to gain so much power. If he could do this”—he waved his hand toward the beast in the cell—“then what’s to stop him from doing it to someone else? There could be an epidemic.”
I frowned. I hated to admit it, but he had a point. The Luna Cult was far-reaching. There were hundreds of members in Columbus alone, and if they were to fall under the power of a single vampire entity, there was no telling what kind of havoc they would cause. How long before Tremaine’s influence spread throughout Cult Dens across the globe?
“Think of it as a chance to take down a Minor House. We want to work with you. We don’t have to hate one another. We have the same goals.”
I glanced back at the cell, at the beast it contained. I looked from the good-humored Gregory to the surly Nathan. The cold stone walls seemed to close in on me, forced me to realize how fragile this situation really was. All it would take is blood, just enough to contaminate any one of us, and we would end up like that creature bashing its brains out in the cell. Tremaine would do it. What was stopping him from doing it to everyone who stood in his way?
“Okay,” I said, taking a deep, cleansing breath. I knew I was crazy for even considering it, but honestly, could I really let Tremaine do this to anyone else?
The answer was no. I would rather go down fighting than to let this happen to others, even if they were werewolves. No one deserved that fate.
I let out the pent-up breath and looked Jonathan straight in the eye. “What do you have in mind?”
12
We went back upstairs, Jonathan in the lead, Nathan and Gregory at my back. I wasn’t too thrilled about having the two wolves behind me, but what could I do? If I would have objected, I was sure Nathan would have made something of it. The big guy was just itching for a reason to start a fight.
Besides, I wasn’t in the mood for a confrontation right then. My mind was whirling with what I had seen, what I had learned. I couldn’t let what happened to that creature in the basement happen to anyone else, even if it was a werewolf.
We settled back in our original places in the office. I was going to stand, but after Jonathan took his seat behind the desk and Nathan and Gregory resumed their places on the couch, I decided it might be prudent to go ahead and have a seat. I sat down on the edge of one of the leather chairs, back straight, shifting to try to make room for my sword. It’s pretty hard to sit comfortably when carrying so many weapons.
“The full moon begins in four night’s time,” Jonathan said once everyone was settled. “We are to meet with Count Tremaine three nights from now. I am allowed to bring up to ten Cultists with me, werewolves included, but no other weapons.”
I listened, though I could hardly believe I was doing it. Jonathan was a werewolf, after all. And since he had been part of a vampire House, I was sure he was guilty of hundreds of atrocities, even if he claimed he hadn’t taken part in destroying my life.
What was wrong with me? I should have killed him as soon as he revealed himself to me.
Maybe I was just getting soft. I never used to take it easy on anyone. Pablo would have been missing his head the moment he stood up to me. Nathan’s hateful glares might have earned him a gun in the face.
Then again, I knew what Jonathan’s reasons for taking me down into the basement had been. He was manipulating me. I knew it. He used my past, my love for my brother, to force my hand, to make me side with him. He knew I couldn’t let that sort of thing happen again.
Still, I might not be as broken as he might think. I knew what he was doing. Because of that, I knew I couldn’t trust him as much as he would like me to. Just knowing what I did gave me the advantage over him, even if he didn’t realize it.
“Tremaine is demanding our unconditional loyalty to their cause,” Jonathan went on. “They want us to turn over all the wolves and have them take the Oath. They want us to be the day watchers for the vampires of the House, to be their enforcers. In return, we get to keep our Den and work independently whenever we aren’t needed.”
“It doesn’t sound like that bad of a deal,” I said. “You get to keep your Den while gaining the protection of a Minor House. Some wolves would kill for that. Many have.”
I spoke without really thinking about what I was saying. I sure as hell didn’t want the Cult joining with House Tremaine. It just seemed odd that they wouldn’t take the deal, especially since it would give them a sort of protection. As it was, the Cult was in danger. Being taken in by a Minor House really wasn’t all that bad when the alternative was a slow, painful death.
Minor Houses were usually outside my reach. If Tremaine were to take in the Luna Cult, there was no way I could deal with them. If I had the Cult at my side, then perhaps something could be done about House Tremaine. It might just give me the edge I needed to combat their numbers.
What was I thinking? The Luna Cult at my side? Maybe I wasn’t just getting soft, maybe I was losing my mind.
“They have our Denmaster,” Jonathan said, shaking his head. “They tainted Byron. Why would we want to submit to slavery when we have a chance to wipe out the vampires who threaten us? We would be saving werewolf lives, possibly even bringing them to our side. We could free our people.”
“So you plan on recruiting from House Tremaine?” That made a lot more sense than just wanting to remain free. Freedom these days often meant a shorter life span.
“Of course.” Jonathan folded his hands on top of his desk. His half-face looked me up and down as if weighing my reaction. I did my best to keep my face blank. “What else would we do? The wolves of House Tremaine are only there because they know of no other life. If we can show them they can have their freedom, that they don’t have to be subservient to the vampires, perhaps even more will follow in our footsteps. We can end the rule of the vampire Houses. Without the werewolves doing their dirty work, they will have no powerbase left to stand on.”
“A rebellion.”
Jonathan smiled and sat back in his chair. “I
wouldn’t go that far. Rebellion is such a harsh word. Perhaps we should call it an emancipation. We are just trying to free those of us who are being held as slaves, nothing more.”
A flurry of activity outside the door caught my attention. I could see shadows moving from beneath the door, but no one knocked or called out for help. Other than the scuffling of feet, there was little to the excitement. At least there wasn’t screaming. Whatever was going on out there was obviously being handled.
“It’s nothing,” Jonathan said. “Someone stumbled into our territory. They are being dealt with.”
I looked away from the door to study Jonathan’s face. He kept it carefully blank. “How do you know? Are you a telepath, as well as a sorcerer?”
He laughed. “Hardly.” He motioned for me to join him at his desk.
I rose and moved to stand opposite him. He pointed to the top of his desk. A small screen was embedded in the wood. I hadn’t noticed it before because of all the stuff on the desk. The screen was protected by a layer of glass that was scratched from all the work that had been done on top of it.
I leaned forward so I could get a better look at what was on the screen. I could see the campus green from what looked to be the perspective of the Den. A shaggy-looking man was being hauled away by Pablo and one of the other Cultists I had seen inside. The man was screaming soundlessly, shaking his head back and forth as if he knew what was going to happen to him.
It wasn’t hard to figure out. Even I knew werewolves had to eat sometime.
The thought made my stomach clench. It wasn’t in hunger, but in disgust. All the man had done was walk onto the green, probably just wandered there accidently, and now was likely to become wolf food.
“You didn’t think we didn’t have security precautions in place, now did you?” Jonathan said, almost solemnly.
I shrugged and returned to my chair. “Not so hi-tech, no. What will happen to him?”
