by Jenna Moreci
Helungedtowardher,pointinghisbladeatherthroat.“Youdonottell me
whatIam supposedtodo.”
“You’re supposedtotellmeyour plan.”
Faironleanedincloser,pressingthebladedeeperintoherskin.“Myplan?”
“Yeah,”shecontinued.“Your ingeniousmethod.You’resupposedtotellme
all the bullshit you did to get me to this point. The bad guys do it in all the movies.” Her eyes darted down to the blade and then back up at Fairon. “So, spill.”
Fairon’seyesshrankintothin,blackslits,butEvedidn’twaver.Shecouldfeel
the air puffing from his nostrils and taste the mugginess of his skin, but she liftedherchinandfeignedcontrol.Shehadnootheroptions.
Faironloweredhisblade.“Youstallfortime.”Henoddedatthedoorway
behindthem.“Youhopeyourmalewillcomeforyou.Itisirrelevant.Ifhe
doescome,Iwillkillhim.”Heplacedthebladeatopanearbyshelf.“Timeis
unimportant.Ifstallingbringsyoucomfort,Iwillgrantyouanexplanation.I am merciful, Evelyn. You need not fear me. I know that you do, but I am merciful.”
Eve wanted to breathe a sigh of relief or possibly spit at his feet, but she resisted both urges. She kept her chin high, trying to disregard the aching of her body and the incessant ringing in her ears. Fairon was now pacing the room, his movements graceful, almost regal. He kept his eyes on the silver blade.
“Wehavebeenhere,onthisplanet,muchlongerthanyourealize.”
“Iknow,”Eveinterjected.“Isawtheashes.”
Faironturnedtoherandsmiled.“Thoseashes—theyareyoung.However
longyouarethinking,wehavebeenhere longer.”
Againheapproachedtheblade,lovinglystrokingitwithasingletalon.
“TheMeltdown—itwasnotenough.Weneededmore.Youunderstand,yes?
Yourspeciesisconsumedbyavarice.Nokindshouldunderstandmorethan
yours.
“Billingtonwasanobviouschoice.Andthelist—welocateditquickly.”He
looked back at Eve, his eyes large and filled with awe. “Thus we discovered you—you and your glory. Your power. We were destined to find you. This moment,itisbiggerthanus.Itisfate.”
“Idon’tbelieveinfate,”Evemuttered.
“YouassumeIcareaboutyourlackofconviction.Idonot.”Hetookastep
towardher.“Iwouldstudyyoumyself.Haydenwasanidealhost:shewas
alignedwiththeyellowfemale,yourroommate.Anunorthodoxdecision,to
associatewithachimera,buttheyellowonedidnotbelongonmytable.Her giftisweak—hardlyaworthwhilepursuit.Heronlyvaluetomewasherlinkto
you.”
Evepursedherlipswithrevulsion,thoughthemovementonlyamplifiedthe
ringinginherskull.Faironcontinued,hisnostrilswigglingashespoke.
“Thedaywemet—Icouldsmellyourpowerbeforeyouenteredtheroom.It
ispotent,yourgift—muchstrongerthanIhadimagined.AndsoIdelayedmy
advances.Icouldnothaveyou,notyet.Iwouldfail.Youhadtobediminished
first.”
“Diminished? ”
“Thegoalwasalienation,”heexplained.“Iworkedtoexposeyou—tomake
youatargetamongyourownpeople.ItwaseasierthanIhadanticipated.Your
humanswereveryinstrumental.”Heleanedincloser,andEverealizedthathe
wassmellingher.“ChimeraBitch—suchcrude,simplewording.Your
languageisprimitive,buteffective.”
“Youmadethoseflyers?”shespat.
“No.Ididnot.”Hepulledback.“Iwasashadow.Icoaxedyourexposureto
fruition.Itwas yourpeoplewhospreadtherevelation.Yourhumanrace—they shamedyou.”Hecroucheddownagain,untiltheywereateyelevel.“These
Earthpeople:theyhateoneanother,attackoneanother, killoneanother.They areblindedbytheirbiases.Theydonotseeourinfiltration.Itistoourbenefit,
your kind’s preoccupation with one another. It is a flaw in your culture that worksinourfavor.”
Evesmirked.“You’reprettylong-windedonceyougetgoing,aren’tyou?”
“Yourwords—theycarryrancor.”
“Well,you didfollowmeformonths,”shemuttered,hervoiceexhaustedand bitter.“Youstrappedmedowntothistable.Prettysureyoubrokemywrist
—”
“It is none of those things. You have a high tolerance for physical pain. I causedyouemotionaltorment.Imadeyousuffer.”
Eveclenchedherjaw.“Whatthe hellwasthepointofallthat?”
“Topreyonyourresolve.Toensureyouwouldbealone—thatyouwould
be vulnerable to our attack.” He stepped away from her, pacing the room yet again.“Andstill,youfoundamale.ItwasadisturbanceIdidnotpredict.Your
kindissoquicktofeedofftheweak.Itwasnottobeexpected.”
“Maybeyou’rejustnotassmartasyouthinkyouare.”
Faironbackhandedheracrosstheface,sendingherheadsmackingagainst
thetable.Shegroaned,hereyesclenchedshut,herheadconsumedbya
combinationofthrobbing,aching,andringing.Faironresumedhispacing,
unconcernedwithhersuffering.
“Itriedtokillyourmale.Isentmypeople—severaltimes.Theynever
returned.”Helookedbackather,thoughshewasstillreelingfromthepain.
“Youalignedwithmorethanone,yes?Alogicalchoice.Yourkindisasocial
race.”
Eveopenedhereyes.ShecouldvaguelyseeFairon,thoughhervisionwas pepperedwithdarkness.Shefeltsomethingtricklingdownherforehead,past
hernose,andthenitsettledinthecornerofhermouth.Thetastewas
unfamiliar—wasitsaltwater?Thensherealizedwhatitwas.
Shewassweating.
OhGod,shethoughttoherself.
Faironcontinued.“Yourmindhadtobeweakened,ifnotthroughisolation,
thenthroughpollution.AndsoIimplementedadistraction: DIECHIME.”
“Thedeaththreat…itwasyou,”Evereplied,hervoicebarelyawhisper.
“And yet you believed it was Madison for some time. I told you she was missing.Youfoundtheashes.Itwasenough.”
Shegrimaced.“Whyeven bother?”
“Didshecontaminateyourthoughts?Weretheredayswhenyousawnothing
buther—buthersupposedlongingforyourdeath?Didshedistractyouwhen
youcouldhavebeenthinkingofme?Whenyoushouldhavebeen seeing me?”
He came in close to her, his eyes fiery with passion. “Your episode in the washroom—itwasmagnificent,thevalidation.Theknowledgethatyourmind
waspolluted.”
Againhepulledawayfromher,lookingbackattheentranceoftheroom.
“Youinfiltratedoneofournests.Itwascourageous.Itwas stupid.”Helowered hishead,hisbackrigid.“The beacon—thatiswhatyourpeoplecallit.
You stole it . Sothatveryday,Iwenttoyourroom.”
“Jesus, that’s why you were there?” Eve hissed. “You piece of shit, you stole Madison’skey.”
Hespuntowardher.“INEEDEDMYEQUIPMENT!”heroared,hisvoice
echoingoffofthewalls.
Eve’sheartraced.Shestraightenedherback,pressingherselfdeeperintothe
table,awayfromFairon.Again,hepacedthefloor.
“Yourattackbythemusicbuildingconfirmedmysuspicions.Yo
uwere
listeningtous.AndsoIcameformyequipment—andforyou.”Helooked
backatEve,hisstarealivewithpleasure.“Thatnightinyourdormitory,whenI
threwyourmaleintothesky…Itbrokeyourspirit.Itwasbeautifultosee.”
EvethoughtofJasonfallingfromthebalconyandfeltapangdeepinherchest.
Againhervisiongrewhazy,asifcoveredinablanketofsmoke.
“WhenMadisonrelocated,shewasnolongerusefultome,”Fairon
continued.“Ialignedwiththeorangefemale.Anappropriatechoice—shewas
watchingyouascloselyasIwas.Thekeywasconstantvisibility.Tokeepyou
inmysight.Always.
“Ithenrealizedtheflawinmymethod:Iwasworkingtodestroytheveryfacet
thatdrewmetoyou.Toexhaustyourunparalleledpower.Itwasa
mistake.”Finallyhestoppedhispacingandstoodinfrontofher.“Allattempts
againstyouwerefutile.Theonlywayyouwouldenduponmytablewas
throughyourownfreewill.Iwouldmakeyourpowermyweapon.”
“YouknewIhadCooper’storq,”Evemumbled.“You wantedmetofollow
himhere.”
Fairon’seyesnarrowed.“Youoperatedthebeacon.Youwouldoperatethe
torq.”Herestedhishandsbehindhisback.“Theprisoners—anaddedincentive.
Achancetouseyourmoralityagainstyou.”
“YouknewI’dsavethem.AndyouknewI’dsaveHayden.”
Fairontiltedhishead.“Youareso…ethical.”
Evewasoverwhelmedwithfeeling:withpain,withself-loathing,andthat
god-awful ringing. ShelookedbackatFairon,hereyesfilledwithhate.
“ButIdestroyedyourmainframe.Idestroyedthe list.”
“Anunfortunatefact,yetyouareonmytable.Themainframe,thelist:
replaceable.Worthysacrificesforyourblood.”
TheringingintensifieduntilitwasallEvecouldhear,andsoonher
blackenedvisionbegantopulsewiththenoise.
“I killed your men,” shehissed.“You’retheirleader,andyouletme slaughter them.Doyouevencare?”Hervoicewaslacedwithabhorrence.
“You’retheir leader.”
Faironlookedbackather,hisfaceblank,almostconfused.Thenhislips
parted,andarich,sonorouschuckleescapedhismouth.
Evegrimaced.“You’re laughing?”
“YouthinkIamtheirleader?”hecackled.Hethrusthisfaceinfrontofhers.
“I am their OWNER,” he snarled. “They are slaves. Your strongest men struggletodefeatourmost inferior species.” He pointed at the gashes across
herstomach.“Thosemarksonyourbody?Themarksof worthlesscreatures.”
Eve’s mouth gaped. Slaves. The word repeated in her mind, while Fairon laughedatherignorance.Afterabriefdisorientation,shefinallymusteredthe
strengthtospeak.
“Ifthey’rejustslaves,thenwhothehellare you?”
Fairon brought his lips closer to hers and bared his teeth. “I am Fae,” he growled. “A soldier. One of many. And if you had defeated me, you would havewonbutonesmallbattleinalongandtreacherouswar.”Hebackedaway
slowly.“Butyoudidnotdefeatme.”
Eve’sbodyslumped,hanginglooselyfromthemetalcuffs.Shehadbeen
wrong.EverythingshehadlearnedfromtheShelter,everythingshehad
believedtobetrue,hadbeenreducedtofiction.ShethoughtofFairon’swords:
youknownothing. Hewasright.
“Whyareyoudoingthis?”
FaironlookedbackatEve.Shewasstaringatthefloor,herheaddippedasif
indefeat.
“Youstillstallfortime?”
Eveshrugged.“MaybeI’menjoyingourtalk.You’reagreat
conversationalist.”
“Yourquestions—theyarefutile.ButIwillansweryou—”
“Becauseyou’reso goddamnmerciful,” shesneered.
“Perhapsitisgoodifyourmalecomes.Iwilltakepleasureinkillinghimin
frontofyou.Youwillhavenothinglefttolivefor.Youwillsubmityourselfto
mewithease.”
“Answer.My. Question.”
Faironstoppedinfrontofher,lookingintohereyes.“Itiswhatwedo.”
“It’swhatyou do?That’s youranswer?”
“Wevisitworlds.Weprocureresources.Itisintheblood.Weabsorbwhat
weneedfromthebloodofalivingspecimen.Alwaysliving.Life—itiskey.”
Hiseyespannedfromherfacetothegashesbelowherribs.“Thebloodofthe
Earthpeople—itisthemostbeautifulwehaveeverseen.Thecolorisdifferent.
Vibrant.” He dragged his talons along her stomach, creating three long, thin lacerations.“Andyou—yourbloodwilltastedelicious.Likesweetambrosia.”
Evewincedfromthepain,bitingherliptopreventherselffromcryingout.
ShewatchedFairon,whowasstaringattheblooddrippingfromhistalons.
“So,whatareyoutryingtoprocurehere?Thegift?”
“Everything,”heanswered,stillgazingathisclaws.“Thegift—itisuseful.
Butwe’vecomeforthestrength.Thehealth.The immunity.”
“Butyou havestrength.You havehealth.JesusChrist,Isawyouregenerating.I sawit.”
Evestoppedherself.Hereyeswentwide.
“OhGod.”
Fairongazedbackathercuriously.“Youarecomingtoarealization.”
Evehesitated.“Youmelted,”shefinallysaid.“Inmyroom,thedayyoutook
Madison’skey—you melted.”ShelookedbackatFairon,shocked.“The
melting,theregenerating…you’ve alreadyfigureditout,haven’tyou?”
Fairongrinned,pleasedbyherdiscovery.Hebroughthishandtohislips,anda
long,forkedtongueslidbetweenhisteethandlickedatthebloodalong
his talons. He turned toward the distant shelf, his eyes locking onto the sharp blade,anditlevitatedintotheair,glidingthroughtheroomuntilitstoppedin frontofhim.HelookedatEveandlaughed.
“Themelting—itwasnoaccident.Youwouldthinkmeofyourkind.You
wouldpityme.Then,whenIdeemeditso,youwouldsaveme.”Theblade
hoveredabovetheground,andFaironstaredintoEve’shorrifiedeyes.“Never
underestimate your enemy—you said that once. Did you underestimate me, Evelyn?”
Faironabruptlygrabbedthebladeandsliceditacrosshisownarm,severing
his hand at the wrist. Immediately, his yellowed stump began to bubble and expand,quicklyreshapinguntilanewhandappearedinitsplace.
“Pairingthechimerastrengthandimmunitieswithourownrendersusall-
powerful. Indestructible.” He stared down at his new, perfectly formed hand, andreleasedhisgripontheblade,lettingitfloatintheairforawhilelonger untilitabruptlyfelltotheground.Withaglower,hepluckedthebladeoffof
thefloor.
“Alas,itistemporary,”heexplained.“Thegift,therestoration.Thatiswhy
you are here: permanence.” He looked back at Eve. “You are the strongest of yourkind.Thereissomethinginsideofyou—somethinginyourblood—that
willgrantuspermanence.Thatwillmakeusimmortal—makeusgifted,like
you.Forever.”
“Andwhatifthereisn’t?”Evesnapped.“Whatifmybloodisjustasuseless and impermanent astherestofthem?”
“YOUWILLGIVEUSWHATWEWANT!”Faironpushedhisbladeagainst
<
br /> herneck.“Iwill open you, I will study you, and I will drain you until I have what I want. It will take time. It will take research. But I will find it in your blood.Onlythenwillyoudie.Andalltheothers—theywilldietoo.”He
dragged his lips toward her ear. “Your annihilation will be our salvation. We willbe GODS.”
Hepulledawayfromher,admiringhisweapononcemore.Evetookina
shallowbreath;hereyeswerepointedattheground,hergazedistantand
foggy.Shecouldstillheartheringinginherears,thesoundsoacutenowthat
she felt its resonance down the nape of her neck, and as it intensified, her visiongrewhazy,spottedwithpatchesofblack.
FaironlookeddownathisbladeandagainatEve.“Ihavetoldyouwhatyou
wanttoknow.Itistimetobegin.”
StillEvegazedattheground,toowearytolookhimintheeye.Fairontook
asteptowardherandcockedhischin.
“Youarenotgoingtobeg?Youarenotgoingtopleadformetospare
you?”
“Woulditwork?”shemuttered.
“No.Itwouldnot.”
“Thenwhybother?”
Hechuckled.“Youremindmeofyourmale.Iwastoldhedidnotbeg.But
whenwecarvedintohischest,hisscreamcouldhavewokenthedead.”Heran thesideofhisbladealongherstomach,sendingachillthroughherbody.
“Theyallscreameventually.Youwilltoo,Evelyn . Ipromiseyouthis.”
Eveignoredhim,stillconcentratingonthetorturousringing,onherblurred
visionthatfadedfromlighttodarkness.Fairongesturedtowardtheentranceof
theroom.
“Yourmaledidnotcome.Youwaitedfornothing.”
He took a step back and raised his blade, pointing its tip at the center of her stomach.Hepaused,savoringthemoment,soakinginthesightofhisvictim—
shewasdrained,herbodytornandbroken,hereyeshardlyopen.Then,witha
triumphantsmile,hethrusthisbladeforward.
Thebladestopped,haltinginchesfromherstomach,asifblockedbyan
invisiblewall.FaironlookeddownatthetoolandthenatEve,whowas
suddenlystaringbackathim,hereyesfierceandnolongerweary.
“Iwasn’twaitingformymale, dumbass,” shehissed.“Iwastryingto melt.”
Fairon’seyesdartedacrossEve’sbody.Hecouldseethatshewasshaking,