The Eternity Cure

by Julie Kagawa

Chapter 20

 

  I went rigid. As the light faded, I became aware of my surroundings all at once. My attacker stood behind me, pinning my arm, a wooden point shoved into my chest. It dug painfully into my skin, making me stiffen and arch to get away from it, but I couldn't escape.

  "I'd drop the sword, if I were you," the cool, smug voice said into my ear, punctuated with a sudden jab of the stake, making me wince. "Don't make me use this, sister. Drop it. Now. "

  I cursed, and my katana hit the ground with a clang. "Dammit, Jackal," I muttered, craning my head back to look at him, smirking at me. "You two-timing bastard!"

  "Oh, come on," Jackal said mildly, pulling me a few steps away from Kanin, who stared at him with eyes that had gone cold and terrifying. "You act like this is such a stretch. Don't move, old man," he warned Kanin, maneuvering me into a corner. "One little slip, and I might just impale your favorite little spawn here. Wouldn't want that. "

  Sarren suddenly moved across my vision in a blur, striking Kanin with a vicious snarl, sending him reeling back. Kanin recovered and lashed out with a kick as Sarren came at him again, flinging him back several yards to crash into one of the cots. I tensed, but Jackal growled and twisted the stake into my flesh, making me gasp. Kanin froze.

  A chilling laugh made my stomach curl, and Sarren staggered to his feet, eyes blazing. His tongue licked out, dabbing a corner of his cut lip, and he smiled. "For every drop of blood I lose," he promised, stalking forward again, "I will make your little bird scream for an hour. Her song will seep into the very walls and will remain here forever, and everyone who hears it will know how much she wanted to die. The longer this goes on, the longer her music will last, until she is begging for it to end. But it will not end, as long as you are still alive. "

  "Then let me take her place. " Kanin lowered his blade, facing Sarren across the room, his voice resigned. "I'm the one who did this to you. I'm the one you want to hurt. You spent your days in this hellhole because of me. I deceived you, promised a better life. I betrayed you, Sarren, and I'm still here. The pain you want to inflict belongs to me alone. "

  "Kanin, no," I whispered, but it was too late.

  Sarren came at Kanin again, striking savagely with a metal pipe he'd snatched off the floor, and this time, Kanin didn't move. The weapon hit his collarbone with a sickening crack, dropping him to his knees, and Sarren instantly smashed the pipe against the side of his head. I cried out as Kanin sprawled to the floor, only to have his enemy ruthlessly kick him in the ribs, sending him crashing into the wall.

  "Ouch. " I felt Jackal wince behind me, though his grip never loosened. "You know, this is when you wish you had a working camera, just to remember these moments always. " I tensed, and he immediately tightened his grip on my arm, digging in the stake so that I felt blood well up from the tip. "Don't even think about it, sister. I have no problem shoving this thing right into your heart if you get too rowdy, and it won't be pleasant, trust me. "

  "How could you do this to him?" I whispered through clenched teeth. The stake in my flesh throbbed, making me desperate to get away from it. I kept trying to arch back, but only succeeded in pushing myself harder against Jackal, who never relented in his grip on me or the stake. "He saved you. You would've died if he wasn't there. "

  Jackal chuckled. "Look at you, actually trying to tweak my conscience. Isn't that cute. " He eased up the tiniest bit, though not enough for me to relax. Sickened, I watched Sarren stalk back to Kanin, haul him upright and backhand him with the pipe. And still, Kanin barely defended himself, raising an arm to shield the side of his head, and the blow knocked him off his feet.

  "You made this pretty easy, did you know that, sister?" Jackal remarked, watching the hopeless, one-sided fight with casual disinterest. "Didn't even think to use our blood tie to check up on me. I knew exactly where you were, and Kanin was in too much pain to do much of anything, but I'm rather disappointed in you. I keep telling you, you're just too trusting. "

  "Jackal," I pleaded, "don't do this. Kanin is-"

  "What? Family?" Jackal snorted. "We're all demons, my dear little sister. And in our world, only the strong and the smart, survive. You and Kanin were on the losing team, and I'm a sore loser. Don't take it personally-it's what any true vampire would do. "

  Sarren yanked Kanin to his feet again and slammed him into the wall, pressing a forearm to his neck. His face was viciously inhuman. Kanin stared back, unwavering, the open wounds on his face glimmering black against his pale skin. I cried out, bracing myself, certain that I was going to watch my sire be killed right in front of me.

  But then, Sarren smiled his blank, terrible smile, dragged Kanin off the wall and hurled him through one of the open cell doors. Kanin hit the ground, rolling against the wall, and Sarren shut the metal door with a ringing clang that echoed through the room.

  "No, old friend," he mused, throwing down the heavy bar as Kanin staggered to his feet. "Your pain is still coming. I want you to see this. I want you to see what they did to us, every night, in these rooms. And your little bird will be the perfect demonstration. "

  "No. " Kanin's voice was a rasp. He limped to the bars and grasped them tightly as I stiffened against Jackal. "This is our war. You have the opportunity to end it, right now. She has nothing to do with it. Sarren!"

  Sarren turned and walked to the center of the room, picking up the cot he'd overturned. His face was calm as he spoke, not looking back. "Our war is over, old friend. You are but a rotted soul trapped in a decaying body. There is nothing I can do to your flesh that will surpass the coming agony. You will simply rot away in that cell, and my only regret is that I will not be here to see it. By the time you succumb to your decaying prison and depart this world for hell, I will be long gone. " He turned, beckoning to Jackal with a pale, bony hand.

  I snarled and tried to fight him, but he jammed the stake farther into my body so that I arched in pain, and he started dragging me to where Sarren waited beside the cot.

  "Never. . . took you for a mindless crony," I gritted out, trying desperately to stop this procession while fighting the pain stabbing through me. "When did you become. . . Sarren's lapdog?"

  "Hey, I'm a team player," Jackal replied as Sarren loomed terrifyingly near. "Provided I'm on the winning team. Just give it up, sister. You lose. Try to have some dignity when he's peeling your skin off. "

  Despair and fear threatened to drown me as Jackal dragged me over to where Sarren waited, his hollow eyes and soulless grin reminding me of a skull. I shook violently, but swallowed my terror, raised my chin and met his demonic smile head-on.

  "Hello again, love. " Sarren reached out to caress my face, making me cringe in revulsion. "We just keep running into each other, don't we?"

  Abruptly, his hand slid to my neck, grabbed my throat and lifted me off my feet. Before I even had a chance to gasp, he turned and slammed me to the cot, pinning me down. I realized what was happening and snarled, fighting wildly to get up, to resist. But I was no match for both Sarren and Jackal; they held me down and fastened the leather cuffs around my wrists, tying me to the bed. More straps were drawn across my chest, legs and neck and buckled down, holding me immobile. I bared my fangs at them and howled, struggling with all my might, straining at the cuffs and straps, but I couldn't move.

  I caught a glimpse of Kanin through the bars of the cell. His face was calm, but his eyes were anguished as they met my gaze. Then Sarren leaned over me, smiling, and I forgot everything else as his horrible, scarred face hovered inches from mine.

  "Do you know how many times I woke up like this?" he whispered as my terrified reflection stared back at me from his one good eye. "How many nights I awoke, tied to this bed, starving and insensible, while the humans milled around and stuck me with their needles and their poison? Cut me and bled me, sometimes to the point where I had but a few drops of blood left in my body? I screamed at them to stop, pleaded for them to stop. But they never did. Al
l because of your sire. " He straightened, casting a glance back at Kanin. "So you can thank him for whatever I do to you, tonight. "

  "Sarren. " I barely recognized Kanin's voice, so full of despair and desperation was the low rasp that came from the cell. "This isn't what you want. Take your vengeance on me. The girl has no part in this. "

  Sarren shook his head. "It is no longer about vengeance," he said, turning away. I watched as he went to a corner and returned with a metal cart. It had been draped with a towel, and several needles, scalpels and other sharp instruments glinted on top. Fear lanced through me, and I struggled hard against my restraints, to no avail. "It has become far more than that. This is about redemption. Salvation. " He gave me a creepily affectionate smile as he returned, eyes gleaming hungrily. "And you, little bird, you will be the first to taste it. "

  I bared my fangs defiantly, though my voice trembled when I spoke. "What are you talking about, you psychopath?"

  "Do you want to know a secret, little bird?" Without waiting for a reply, Sarren leaned down, his cold lips brushing my ear. "There is no cure," he whispered, making my stomach drop. "There was never a cure. The sickness has spread too far, and is too deep, to be cured now, but it is not what you or Kanin or that fool Salazar thinks. The virus is the cure, and it will heal the entire world. "

  I felt cold. "What. . . what do you mean?"

  Sarren drew back, looking almost sorrowful. "You will see," he said, and took a needle from the metal cart, regarding it impassively. "New Covington was only a test, little bird. A place to work out the kinks, to perfect the virus. Now that I know what it can do, the next time I release it, it will be unstoppable. "

  "The next time?" I asked, appalled. "This wasn't enough for you? Killing a whole city of vampires and humans wasn't enough? If you release that virus again, you could wipe out the entire population-"

  I stopped. Stared at him. Redemption. Salvation. Heal the entire world. No, he couldn't be that crazy. . .

  Sarren peered down at me, his eyes and face completely blank, and my stomach went cold. He was.

  "Oh, God," I whispered as a horror unlike anything I'd ever felt crept over me. "That's what you want. You want to kill everyone. Not just humans. Vampires, too. You want to wipe out everything. "

  Sarren jammed the needle into my arm, and I clenched my jaw, tensing until he pulled it out again, full of blood. "The corruption has spread too far, little bird," he said, holding the syringe up to the light. "It is time to start over. Wipe the slate clean, and let the world finally heal itself. A new beginning, with no humans, or vampires, or rabids. There was just one unknown variable to the equation, and that was you. "

  I couldn't answer, still staggered by his revelation. It was absurd, unthinkable. A real end of everything? There was no way he could pull it off. Or could he? I had to keep him talking, keep his attention on me, though I didn't know what I could do now. I just knew I needed answers. "Why me?" I forced out, and he looked at me in surprise.

  "Because, little bird. " Sarren lowered his arm and smiled down at me. "I have heard the most interesting story about you and a place called Eden. Rumors are, the scientists in Eden possess the same research that I took from the other lab. You can imagine how that would make me a bit nervous. "

  My insides trembled. I thought of Zeke, and deliberately did not look at Jackal, leaning casually against a wall with his arms crossed. "I don't know what you're talking about," I lied. Sarren shook his head.

  "Oh, little bird. Your song is far too honest to deceive me with untruths. " He reached down and stroked my cheek, his nails scraping across my skin, making my flesh crawl. "No matter. You will sing, soon enough. Oh yes, you will sing for us all. "

  He turned, then, holding the syringe of blood, and walked to the machines on the counter. I didn't know what he was doing, but he squeezed a drop of blood onto a tiny glass square, covered it with another and slid it beneath the strange tubelike machine next to the computer. Bending down, he peered into the top of the tube.

  As soon as his back was turned, I wrenched at the cuffs one more time, knowing this would be my last chance. Before Sarren came back and. . . I didn't want to think about what he would do. The metal instruments on the cart glinted at me from the corner of my eye, and I yanked harder, desperate to get loose, to free myself before Sarren began carving the skin from my body, or whatever horrible thing he had in mind.

  Jackal suddenly pushed himself off the wall, and I froze. He could see me struggling with the restraints, and would either make some snide comment to draw Sarren's attention, or stop me himself. I curled my lips back, hating him for his betrayal, for turning us over to this madman who literally wanted to destroy everything. I opened my mouth to tell him so, when he suddenly put a finger to his lips, silencing me.

  Stepping casually to my side, he lowered his arm, and I saw the glint of a scalpel in his hand. With a quick jerk of his wrist, he sliced halfway through one of the cuffs tying my wrist to the bed. Not enough to free it completely, but making a visible tear in the leather strap. I stared at him in astonishment, and he winked.

  "Well, little bird. " Sarren straightened, and Jackal stepped away, the scalpel vanishing as quickly as it appeared. "I must say, I'm a tad disappointed. Your blood is not tainted or altered in any way. It appears you are quite unremarkable. " He stalked back, smiling as he loomed over me, his gaze searching. I tensed as, for a split second, his eyes seemed to pause at my cuff, and the half-torn strap attaching it to the bed. But the hollow stare slid past it to rest on my face. "So, what does Kanin see in you?" he asked, more to himself than me. "What lies beneath this envelope of flesh and bone and blood, hmm? Is it something special? Perhaps, when I peel it open, I will be able to see. Perhaps your screams will tell me everything I need to know. "

  His face was hungry now, eager, as if the thought of inflicting pain brought him joy. I shuddered and tried to control my terror as he turned and plucked a knife from the cart beside him, letting it flash in the light. I wouldn't beg. And I would not tell him what he wanted to hear. I might scream and cry and wish I was dead before this was over, but I would not tell him about Eden, or Zeke, or anything about the cure.

  "I know what you're thinking, love," Sarren whispered, before running the knife blade along his tongue, making me cringe. "You're thinking, I won't sing. I won't tell him anything. But pain has a way of loosening the strongest lips. There's only so much a body can take, with all those lovely nerve endings, millions of them, sending screaming messages of agony up to the brain. It's amazing how trivial the world becomes when you begin to long for death. "

  "I won't tell you anything," I choked out. "So you might as well kill me now. "

  "Everyone has a limit, little bird. " He placed the flat of the blade against my cheek, the edges biting into my skin. I wanted to close my eyes, but I kept them open, glaring at Sarren defiantly, though my jaw hurt from clenching it so hard. "Let's see if we can find yours. "

  I braced myself, trying to disconnect my mind from the pain I knew was coming. And for a frozen second, it was as if I could see the whole room and everything that was happening around me. Kanin turning from the bars, hunching his shoulders as if he, too, was steeling himself. Sarren's muscles tightening as he prepared to slice the blade across my flesh. And Jackal, looming behind Sarren, his eyes hard and cold. A stake gripped in one hand, raising it over his head.

  A stinging pain sliced across my cheek, making me gasp, as the world blinked into motion again. As Sarren ripped the knife from my face, spun and plunged the blade into Jackal's stomach.

  Jackal gaped, baring his fangs in a snarl, though only a choked sound escaped him. The arm that held the stake was now gripped in Sarren's other hand, bony fingers locked around Jackal's wrist.

  "You almost fooled me," Sarren said, smiling at Jackal's stunned expression. "I believed you would betray your companions without a second thought-that was all true. But you don't want redemption, do y
ou? No, you are far too attached to life. "

  He yanked the knife up, slicing him open, and Jackal howled. Sarren thrust him away, sending him crashing into the counter, the sound of breaking glass and clattering metal nearly deafening.

  Amazingly, Jackal staggered to his feet, holding his stomach with one hand, the stake still clenched in the other. "You're a fucking insane bastard, you know that?" he snarled at Sarren, who calmly picked up a pipe and advanced on him. "So the whole time you were sitting on that research, you decided, 'Hey, instead of curing Rabidism, I'm just going to make a superplague and wipe everything out! That'll show them!'" He sneered, curling his lips back in a painful grimace. "But you'll have to pardon me for not jumping on your little Destroy the World train. I happen to like this world, thanks. "

  Sarren lunged. Jackal dodged his first swing, lashing out with the stake, but Sarren blocked his arm, stepped in and brought the pipe smashing across his jaw. Reeling away, Jackal snarled defiantly and punched Sarren in the face as he stepped in, rocking him back a step. Dammit, don't just stare at them, Allison! Get out of there! Tearing my gaze from the fight, I yanked on the weakened leather cuff, trying to tear it away completely. It held stubbornly, and I yanked again. It took three tries, but on the third, the cuff finally snapped, ripping in two and freeing my wrist from the bed. Frantically, I clawed at the straps across my neck and chest, tearing them away, then reached over to free my other wrist.

  Scrambling off the cot, I turned to see Sarren slam Jackal against one of the cell doors, one where the window had been smashed, a couple of the iron bars rusted and snapped in two. As I paused, torn between helping Jackal and going for my katana, Sarren yanked Jackal from the door, lifted him up and slammed him onto one of the broken iron bars. The rusty pole punched straight through his stomach, impaling him on the spike, and Jackal screamed.

  Fear shot through me. Katana, it is. I bolted for my weapon, lying on the floor, but just as my hand closed on the hilt, something grabbed my hair from behind. I was swung off my feet and hurled back into the room, striking a cot on the way down. I scrambled upright, clutching my weapon with shaking fingers. Sarren prowled toward me, pipe in hand, Jackal's blood streaked over his arms and face, almost like war paint. Behind me, my brother cried out in agony, and Kanin watched from his prison, helpless. It was just me and Sarren now, and he looked like he was enjoying himself.

  "Oh, don't leave now, little bird," Sarren crooned, licking blood from one long bony finger. "It was just getting interesting. You can't fly away just yet. "

  "I wasn't leaving," I snarled. "I'm not about to let you spread your superplague or virus or whatever you want to call it. You might have given up on this world, but I am not ready to die yet. I don't need your brand of salvation. " The katana shook as I raised it in front of me, but I gripped the hilt and forced my arms to be steady. "So, come on, you psychopath. Let's do this. I'm not tied to a table anymore. "

  Sarren's grin widened, making him even more frightening. "I still owe you for this, love," he said, gesturing to his left eye, cloudy and blind. "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Perhaps, I will pluck out both your eyes, then remove all your teeth, and make a necklace from them. Or maybe a wind chime. I do love wind chimes, don't you, little bird?"

  Before I could answer, he lunged, coming in fast. I just managed to dodge his first swing, feeling the pipe miss my head by centimeters, and slashed upward with my katana. I felt the very tip bite something, saw Sarren jerk back and stumble to a halt, one hand going to his face.

  I retreated, raising my weapon, waiting for his next move. Sarren pulled his hand down, looking at the blood on his fingers in amused surprise. More blood welled from a deep gash across his cheek and ran down his chin, and I blinked in shock.

  I. . . I hit him.

  "Well done, little bird. " Sarren nodded at me, almost proud. "I see you have gotten stronger since our last meeting. I think I am beginning to realize what Kanin sees in you. Very well, then. " He stalked toward me again, the smile fading, the true madness rising to the surface. My gut clenched as even his voice changed, becoming low and demonic. "I shall not toy with you a moment longer. "

  I didn't even see it this time. I had a vague, split-second impression of him coming at me, but that was all I saw before something hit the side of my head, and it felt like my skull imploded. I found myself on the ground, dazed, my only coherent thought to keep hold of my weapon. Something struck me again, in the back this time. I felt my body leave the floor, the world spinning wildly, before striking the wall and crumpling to the ground in a heap. And still, my fingers remained clenched around my sword. I would not let it go. Though everything blazed with pain, and it was difficult to tell which way was up at the moment, I had to keep hold of it.

  Footsteps, and then something grabbed the back of my neck, hauling me to my feet. Sarren's arms wrapped around me from behind, bony fingers clamped around my wrist, the one that still clutched the katana. His cold, dry lips brushed against my cheek as his other hand gripped my throat.

  "Now, little bird," he whispered, scraping his fangs over my skin, "how would like to die?"

  "Sarren. "

  A clear, impossible voice echoed behind us. Sarren froze for just an instant before he whirled, dragging me with him, to face the door.

  Zeke stood in the frame, his gun out, angled at us both. His blue eyes flashed, hard and angry.

  "Not this time," he growled, and pulled the trigger.

  The boom of the heavy pistol rocked the room, echoing off walls and flaring orange and white in the darkness. I felt the wind of something small whip at my hair as it passed inches from my face, and slammed into the vampire behind me. Sarren roared, reeling back, blood exploding from his shoulder and neck.

  I spun, bringing up my katana, slashing with all my might. Sarren saw the deadly blade coming and threw up his hand, trying to block my swing. This time, he wasn't fast enough. The katana edge sliced into his arm, right above the elbow, cutting through flesh, tendons and bone. The pale, bony forearm flew through the air in a spray of blood, hitting the ground several yards away, and Sarren's scream shook the walls.

  Cradling his arm, he fled, rushing toward the door and Zeke, who stood in front of it. I tensed, but Zeke wasn't about to take on a pain-maddened vampire and quickly jumped aside. Sarren hit the frame and paused for just a moment to stare at the human, his lips curled back in a grimace of pain and hate. A puzzled look crossed his face, and then he was gone, vanishing into the hall, leaving a blood-drenched war zone behind him.

  "Zeke. "

  I crossed the room in a blur, not stopping to think about anything-how Zeke was still alive, how he could be here, how I was still alive. I shoved all of that to the back of my mind, promising to deal with it later, as I hurried across the floor, dropping my weapon as I did, and lunged into Zeke's arms.

  He crushed me to him, his breath warm on my skin. I felt his heart racing in his chest, felt the hard muscles shifting below his vest, and, for a moment, I let myself relax against him. He was alive. How, I didn't know, but he was alive.

  "Allie. " Pulling back, Zeke peered at me, blue eyes intense. "Are you all right? Where's Kanin?"

  Kanin. Jackal! "In there," I said, nodding to the cell that held Kanin. I couldn't see him anymore, and hoped he was all right. "And Jackal," I added, feeling Zeke tense. "Jackal is here, too. "

  "What?"

  "It's all right. He wasn't really working with Sarren. He's. . . back on our side again. I think. " I pulled away. So many questions, but they would have to wait. "Go check on Kanin," I told Zeke, reaching down to grab my katana. "Make sure he's okay. I'll deal with Jackal. "

  He nodded, though his eyes were still hard at the mention of the hated vampire. As he walked toward the cell, I turned and picked my way across the room, to where Jackal had fallen.

  Even now, it was hard not to cringe when I saw him, impaled on the rusty metal spike, dangling off the edg
e of the sill, his face tight with agony. His hands clutched the pole in his middle, and blood bubbled up from his lips as he looked back at me.

  "If you're. . . wondering. . . this is. . . so much more. . . uncomfortable than. . . it looks. "

  I shook my head. Mortally wounded, and still running his mouth. "How do you want to do this?" I asked.

  Jackal grimaced. "Back. . . right corner," he gritted out. "Cooler. Blood bags. "

  I found the cooler, which was half-full of bags like Jackal said. Obviously Sarren had been stocking up for a while. Grabbing three, I returned to the impaled vampire, who was barely holding himself up by clinging to the pole through his stomach. He eyed me as I approached, his gaze falling hungrily to the plastic bags I carried.

  I stopped just out of reach, still holding my katana in the other hand. "Why did you do it?" I asked, as he gave me a look of disbelief. "How much of that was a lie, or were you really planning to double-cross Sarren all along?"

  "Sorry, sis. Hard to think. . . right now. Slight. . . stomachache. "

  "Yeah, well-" I narrowed my eyes, my voice ruthless "-you're not going anywhere without my help, so I'd say you'd better start talking. "

  He bared his fangs. "Fine. . . damn you. " He panted, clenching his teeth through the pain. "I had to. . . make it seem. . . real. Sarren would've known. . . otherwise. Had to. . . make you think. . . I switched sides. Wouldn't have worked. . . without that hate. "

  I slumped. "So you really didn't double-cross us. "

  He barked a strangled laugh. "Don't. . . be so sure. I would've done anything. . . for that cure. If Sarren. . . really had one. . . you'd still be. . . tied to that table. "

  "Why should I help you?" I raised my katana, letting the edge hover very close to his bared throat. "How do I know you won't turn on us in the future?"

  Jackal tried to shrug. "Guess. . . you'll have to. . . take your chances," he gasped, and squeezed his eyes shut, desperately trying to keep himself upright. "Damn you, sister! Either. . . help me. . . or kill me now! But make. . . some sort of decision. "

  I set my jaw. Pulling back my sword, I slashed it across the cage bar, my vampire strength and the impossibly keen edge of the katana slicing through the rotted iron, cutting it in half, so only a few inches poked through Jackal's stomach. I held out a hand. He grabbed it, and I pulled him from the spike. Jackal let out a howl of pain as the bar slid from his stomach, and he slumped to his hands and knees in front of the cell, shuddering, but he was free.

  I dropped the bags in front of him and stepped back, knowing he had to be starving now, very close to losing control. "I have to check on Kanin," I said, not sure if he heard me or not. "Stay put. I'll be back in a few minutes. "

  "Hey. "

  I looked back. Jackal was still kneeling in front of the cell, one arm curled around his mangled stomach. He held one of the bags, but hadn't started in on it yet; his golden eyes were fixed on me. "I won't. . . forget this," he said, making me stare in astonishment, wondering if the blood loss had affected his brain. "Thanks. "

  "Uh. Sure. "

  "Allison. "

  I turned. Zeke stood a few paces from Kanin's now open cell, his blue eyes solemn as he beckoned me forward. "I think you need to be here, now. "

  Dread twisted my stomach. I hurried forward, past Zeke, and into the small room. Kanin sat in the corner beneath the window, slumped against the wall, his head bowed to his chest. The fist clutching my insides squeezed painfully, and I slipped into the cell, dropping down in front of him.

  "Kanin?"

  He raised his head, and it seemed like that tiny motion was excruciatingly difficult. I bit my lip. The black wounds on his face had spread; I could see new ones on his neck, creeping down his chest, and spread across his arms. His dark eyes were glazed with pain, though he still tried to speak calmly.

  "Where. . . is Sarren?"

  "Gone," I told him. "I don't think he's coming back. " He nodded and closed his eyes, tilting his head back to the wall. "Kanin. . . ?"

  "I think," Kanin said very slowly, "that I am in the final stages of the sickness. " His face tightened. "I have not had a migraine in centuries. I'd forgotten how unpleasant they are. "

  "Wait here," I continued, starting to get up. "I'll look around. Maybe Sarren left information on a cure somewhere-"

  "Allison. " Kanin's voice was weary as he looked back. "There is no cure," he said simply. "There never was a cure. Sarren doesn't want this to end. You heard what he said. "

  "There has to be something," I argued, refusing to accept what I knew was true. Sarren was gone. There was no cure. No hope for New Covington, for the sick humans and vampires, for Kanin. My eyes started to burn, and I blinked them angrily. "I'm not giving up," I told him. "Dammit, Kanin! You're not going to die. "

  "Death. " Kanin closed his eyes again. "I've lived so long," he whispered. "Maybe it has been long enough. Maybe. . . I've atoned for my sins by now. Surely by now I can be forgiven. "

  "No. " My voice came out choked, because hot, angry tears were starting to run down my cheeks. "There has to be a way. We've come so far, beaten Sarren and everything. You can't die now. "

  Vaguely, I was aware of Zeke, hovering just inside the door, looking grim. Kanin's tortured eyes strayed past me, to the human, and a puzzled look filtered through the agony. "Ezekiel. You're here. " He sounded surprised. "You. . . did not succumb to the illness. "

  That's right! Zeke is still here.

  I gasped and spun around, clutching at a tiny, wild hope, a ray of light in this darkness. "Zeke, you survived," I whispered, making him blink at me. Striding forward, I grabbed his arms and pulled him forward, into the cell. "You survived," I said again, peering intently at his face. It was pale, a little gaunt, but his skin was dry; the sickly heat pouring from him had vanished. "You fought it off. How?"

  "I don't know. " His brow furrowed. "After you and Kanin left, I think I passed out for a while. When I woke up, I felt fine, so I came looking for you again. I don't know how. . . " He frowned suddenly then shook his head. "It. . . it might be connected to what they did to me in Eden. "

  I stared at him in alarm. "What did they do to you?"

  He raked a hand through his hair. "I spent a lot of time with the scientists on Eden, talking about Jeb's research. They needed a test subject, so. . . I agreed to be their lab rat for a little while. "

  "Why?"

  He sighed. "I figured, better me than anyone else. And it was all to find a cure, so. . . yeah. " He shrugged. "Don't look so horrified, Allie. They explained everything they were doing, and always gave me the option to refuse. They weren't going to turn me into a rabid. "

  "You didn't know that!"

  "Someone had to take the chance. " His voice was firm. "I won't say it didn't terrify me at times, but someone had to volunteer. Right before I left to find you, they inoculated me with a couple 'experimental vaccines' based on their research up until then. They weren't certain it would help with the rabids, but it was better than sending me out with no protection at all. It might've not helped with anything but. . . " He made a helpless gesture. "I'm still here. "

  Yes, he was. And the inkling of an idea was beginning to creep through my brain, taunting me with possibilities, with hope. "Zeke," I said, talking his hand, "if you survived, then. . . then maybe the cure. . . is in you. In your blood. "

  He frowned slightly, but I took his arm again and pulled him out of the cell, back into the main room. He didn't protest and let me drag him to the cot where Sarren had tied me down, and the cart of metal instruments still beside it. Ignoring the blades and scalpels and the other awful tools, I picked up a syringe and turned back to Zeke, who was still watching me with a bemused look on his face.

  I paused, excitement warring with a desperate hope, my last gamble. If this didn't work. . .

  I pushed the thought away. "Zeke," I began, holding up the syringe. "You. . . might be the only one who can help Kani
n now. If you survived Sarren's plague, then whatever is in your blood might be the key to a cure, to saving everyone. If. . . if you're willing. . . to help a vampire, to give your blood. . . "

  "You don't have to ask me, Allie. " Zeke stepped closer and held out his arm, wrist up. "Kanin is important to you, and he's saved my life, as well. If this will help, if this might cure him, I'm willing to give it a shot. "

  I wanted to hug him in gratitude, but there was no time for that. Instead, I gingerly took his offered wrist, staring down at the smooth, warm skin. I'd seen Sarren draw blood, when he'd done it to me, but. . . how did you do it, exactly? Was there a specific place to put the needle, or did you just poke and draw?

  "Allie? You okay?"

  "I. . . um. . . don't really know how to do this," I finally admitted, embarrassed.

  Zeke didn't laugh. Reaching out, he gently took the syringe from my hand, flipped the needle around and, clenching his fist so that the veins suddenly rose to the surface, sank it beneath his skin. "Had to do this a lot back at the lab," he muttered, lips tight in concentration. I watched, fascinated, as he used his thumb to push back the top of the syringe, and the vial slowly filled with dark red blood. Annoyingly, the Hunger perked at this, and I shoved it back. "It takes a few times to get the hang of it. "

  Pulling the needle from his skin, he solemnly handed the syringe to me. "I hope this works," he whispered, and the honest concern in his voice made my throat close up. Clutching the syringe, I hurried back to Kanin's cell.

  He still sat in the corner, legs crossed, head bowed, arms resting on his knees. I walked up to him and dropped down, peering into his face. His eyes were closed, and he did not open them when I whispered his name. My alarm grew, and I put a hand on his knee.

  "Kanin. "

  "I hear you, Allison. " He did not move or open his eyes as he said this, his voice low and strained. I swallowed hard and held up the syringe, even though he wouldn't see it.

  "I'm. . . going to inject you with something," I told him. "Zeke's blood. " I hoped he wouldn't refuse, because I wasn't going to take no for an answer. "It might help, Kanin. It might be enough. . . to save you. "

  Kanin didn't reply. Without a word, he raised an arm to me and turned it palm up, a silent acceptance. I wondered if he really believed it would help, or if he figured nothing I did could hurt, now. Regardless, I inched closer and took his wrist, his skin cold beneath my fingers. His arm looked ravaged, blackened and peeling, and by the tight press of his lips, I knew moving it even this much was painful. Remembering what Zeke had done, I found a pale blue vein and, before I thought too much about it, sank the needle into his flesh, sliding it beneath the skin.

  I slowly injected the blood into Kanin, rose and backed away, staring down at him. Zeke entered the cell and stood beside me, watching the vampire, as well.

  "That's it," I whispered, feeling Zeke gently take my hand. "That's all we can do. I hope it works. "

  Zeke pulled me to him, wrapping his arms around me. "He's strong," he murmured into my hair. "If anyone can pull through this, it will be him. "

  "You two do realize I can hear you, right?"

  I felt like laughing and crying at the same time. Pulling myself together, I let Zeke lead us out of the cell, keeping his fingers laced with mine. "Where's Jackal?" he asked as we left the room.

  "Right here, bloodbag. "

  Jackal leaned against the wall beside the frame, arms crossed, watching us as we came out. His shirt was a mess of blood, especially around his stomach, but the vampire seemed fine now. Zeke went rigid, his hand clenching around my fingers, but he did not pull his weapons.

  "He gonna make it?" Jackal nodded through the door to the hunched form in the corner.

  "I hope so. "

  "Huh. " Jackal pushed himself off the wall, stretching long limbs. "Well, dawn's almost here," he announced, as if nothing had happened between us. "And it's been sort of a rough night. If we don't have anything else to do, I'm going to get some sleep. Unless either of you objects, of course. "

  His tone was mocking, and Zeke glared at him. "You expect a whole lot of trust from us, after you just stabbed us in the back. "

  "Tactical maneuver, kid. " Jackal looked at him and smirked. "We wouldn't have beaten Sarren if someone hadn't taken that hit. Not with you and Kanin shambling around like drunk sleepwalkers. Sarren had to think he was winning. Ask your girlfriend. "

  "We didn't exactly beat Sarren," I reminded him. "He's still out there. "

  "And probably very pissed at you," Jackal added unhelpfully. "But I don't think he'll be back tonight. With that wound, he'll have to feed soon, and he's made it slightly difficult for himself with all the crazies outside. And even Sarren can't move around in broad daylight. So don't worry-he's not going to return for his missing arm tonight. "

  I glanced over to where the pale, dismembered limb lay in a spatter of blood on the floor, and shuddered. And, just as I had the image of it creeping across the floor on long bony fingers, Jackal bent down and whispered, "Try not to imagine it crawling up to strangle you in your sleep. "

  "I'll take watch," Zeke said before I could kick Jackal in the shin. "If anything comes through that door, they'll have to get past me. I'm fine, Allie," he added as I glanced at him, worried. "Go ahead and sleep. I'll be close. I'll keep an eye on Kanin, too. "

  I could feel the sun's approach, creeping closer, and knew I wouldn't be able to resist forever. But I hated the thought of going to sleep, not knowing what I'd wake up to. "I'll stay with Kanin," I muttered, turning back into the room. Pausing in the frame, I glanced back at Zeke and Jackal, narrowing my eyes. "I also don't want to wake up to find either of you dead. Just remember that. "

  "Perish the thought, sister. " Jackal smirked. Zeke didn't say anything, just nodded. I continued into Kanin's cell and sank down into the corner opposite him, pulling my sword to my side and leaning against the wall.

  You're not going to die, I thought at him. This will work. It has to work.

  The seconds ticked away, turning into minutes, as outside, the sun began its ascent into the sky. I kept my eyes open as long as I could, struggling against the heaviness pulling at my lids. Inevitably, though, I lost my battle and sank into darkness.