Revelation

by Tanith Frost

  Daniel and I exchange a quick glance. The vampire hasn’t come any closer. If he’s just doing a quick security check, we might still be okay.

  The lights dim. I’m just about ready to whisper a prayer of thanks to anyone who will listen when a hollow knock rings through the air.

  Flesh and bone against a plexiglass door. I peer around the boxes—the human who was watching me before knocks again, harder. The vampire’s shoes whisper over the floor as he approaches.

  Thin, dark hair, white lab coat thrown on over his party clothes. I duck back behind the boxes, but not before I see that the human is glaring straight at us, his eyes wide and agitated.

  Son of a bitch.

  “Who’s there?” the vampire asks, his voice echoing through the room. I can track him by it, though. He’s moving toward the door. “I’m alerting security. They’ll be here any moment. Don’t think of trying to leave before they get here. I’ll be right outside.”

  The door opens and closes.

  “Fuck,” Daniel whispers.

  I barely hear him. “If we go now, we might get past him. It’s two against one, and he doesn’t sound confident. Maybe—”

  “No. He’ll have reinforcements before we get past him. We’ll never get both of us out of here, and even if we do, we’ll have been spotted. They’ll catch us before we find a way out.” He closes his eyes. “Stay quiet, okay? Whatever you do, don’t let them find you here. Get out, whatever it takes. Find a way back to Miranda.”

  My stomach lurches like the ground beneath me has fallen away.

  He stands and takes a step toward the door, and I grab on to his arm. “We had an agreement. No stupid risks to save each other.”

  I don’t understand how anyone’s eyes can be so hard and so compassionate at the same time. “It’s not a risk, Aviva. It’s a sacrifice. I’ll do whatever I can to get them away from the door so you can escape and go back to the party. Even if I don’t make it far, I should be able to keep them busy hauling me off. No one has to know you were here. That should give you time to find a way out.”

  I’m screaming inside. The noise is going to drown out everything else for the rest of my time in this world, I’m sure of it.

  “Maelstrom needs you, Daniel.”

  “Not as much as they need you, even if they don’t see it yet.” He pulls me into a kiss that’s deep and hard but not nearly enough. His eyes shine in the dim light. “I think I’ve told you that I always knew you’d be the end of me. I only wish I could explain how grateful I am to you for bringing me back to life, first.” He looks me over. “I’m sorry we didn’t have more time. I wish I’d had a chance to ask you to dance, at least once.”

  My eyes fill with tears. “I love you, Daniel.”

  He releases his hold on his power. Dark void energy fills the room, and for a moment, I feel all of what he keeps hidden—his incredible presence, his strength, and everything else the world will lose if his plan works. He’s exposing himself, drawing their attention to himself and away from me.

  He backs away slowly. “I’ve loved you for longer than I care to admit. Don’t worry about me. I’ll gladly face whatever comes if I know it means I leave the world with you still in it.”

  I’m trembling as I lower myself to the floor again, wedging myself carefully into a space I create in the middle of the boxes.

  The door opens. Someone shouts—multiple voices already. Daniel was right. If we’d both gone, it would have been the end for us, our mission, and Maelstrom.

  A gunshot. Fists slamming into flesh. Grunts. Snarls.

  We fight like animals when we’re cornered.

  The door swings slowly shut, blocking out the noise of a fight Daniel can’t possibly win. I want with every fibre of my being to rush out the door and attack anyone who would dare hurt him. My muscles are tensed, ready to go. Void and fire stir within me.

  I silence them and curl up with my arms wrapped around my legs, tears soaking my dress as I try to hold back sobs that want to come even though I’m not breathing.

  If I try to save him, his sacrifice will have been for nothing. This is what he wanted. This is how we save the world—one of us by fighting, the other by becoming invisible.

  Fire sinks below void, void recedes.

  I think nothing.

  I feel nothing.

  I am nothing.

  27

  No one can stay invisible forever, no matter how badly we might wish to.

  I’m as safe as I’m going to get in this place. The journey back to my room left my muscles knotted from the tension but was entirely uneventful. It may have felt as if I left the party eons ago, but when I climbed the grand staircase, everyone was still occupied. It’s only past midnight now—still early for vampires.

  How can so much have happened in a night that’s still so young?

  Paige wasn’t around when I came back, and I was thankful for that. I drew my own bath, wiped off my makeup, and shampooed twice to get rid of the faint sulphur smell that clung to my hair even though I didn’t particularly notice it in the lab. I scrubbed my skin as though I were punishing myself, as though making myself raw and sore could somehow lessen the pain Daniel now faces.

  I can’t let myself think about him. I have to be prepared to lie. To tell the truth in its most obstructed and least honest form if I’m forced to.

  But I can’t not think about him. I think I’ve figured out my escape plan, but…

  The door to my bedroom bursts open with a slam that I hear easily even through the closed bathroom door. There’s no time to think, certainly none to get dressed. I leap to my feet in the slippery tub and let Ava take control as the bathroom door flies open.

  Bethany rushes in, panicked and wide-eyed, still wearing her grey evening gown. She looks as if she’s going to cry when she sees me.

  “Thank the stars,” she whispers. “You’re here. Where the hell did you go?”

  Guess she’s not here to murder me. Not yet, anyway.

  I slip back down into the water and cover myself with my arms. “There was a commotion in the garden. Someone knocked a table over. I got some kind of strawberry sauce all over my dress…”

  The dress. Shit. I stuffed it in the coffin when I took it off, but I need to figure out how to get rid of it. Not only because it isn’t stained enough to lend truth to my story but because it smells as my hair did.

  I shape whatever fear might enter my voice into irritation. “It’s ruined. I figured I’d be better off coming up here to change and clean up. I put in my appearance, anyway.” I narrow my eyes at her, looking as concerned as I can as I reach for a towel. “What’s wrong? You seem upset.”

  Bethany leans back against the wall and rests her face in her hands. “It’s fine.”

  I stand again and wrap the towel around myself before I step closer and place a hand on her shoulder. “Something happened. Something bad, I’m guessing.”

  She takes a long breath. “What would you think if I told you that Daniel revealed himself as a spy tonight? That he stole my keys and broke into a restricted laboratory, then tried to run when one of my assistants caught him?”

  “I… I guess I’d have no idea what to say. I’m sorry, Bethany. You were so kind to him.”

  “And this is how he repaid that kindness.” Her voice is sharp. Biting. “I hate being wrong. It’ll be a century before Lachlan lets me forget it.”

  Careful, Ava. “Daniel’s actions weren’t your fault, though.”

  “No. But I trusted him too much, though I didn’t realize I was doing it.” She turns to me and takes my face in her hands as if she’s reassuring herself that I’m real. “They subdued him, took him for questioning. We lost nothing. But then I couldn’t find you, and I had the most horrible thoughts. It’s bad enough that one of my Maelstrom vampires should betray us, but if you’d been working together on it…” Bethany shakes her head. “Fool me once, shame on Daniel. Fool me twice, and I’m a security threat, myself.”

  �
��Hey, it’s okay.” I take her hands in mine and lower them to her sides. “For whatever it’s worth, I’m right here. Do you want me to find Paige and see about getting a cup of tea?”

  “No, thank you.” Bethany clears her throat and walks back into the bedroom. I follow, clasping my towel tight around me. “We’ve both got a long night ahead. Given my role in this, Lachlan will insist I be present when they get into it with Daniel.”

  “What will happen to him?”

  I can guess, and I don’t want to know. But it’s what she’ll be expecting me to ask.

  She opens the door, then turns back. “As I’ve heard it, he’s already taken quite a beating. They’ll be questioning him now. Whether they get the answers they want or not, he’ll be tortured.” Her voice is flat and expressionless. “You’re invited to witness it. You remember where the interrogation chambers are?”

  “I do, but—”

  “We’ll be behind the door marked B. Get dressed. I’ll tell Lachlan you’re coming.” She steps into the hall.

  I catch the door before it closes. “I don’t want to be there to see it.”

  She turns back. “Why? What’s he to you?”

  At least I can lie to her. “Nothing. But I don’t take pleasure in the suffering of others.”

  Bethany nods. “I know, but give it time. It seems like most vampires around here get there eventually.”

  The moment the door is closed, I dig through the meagre stash of clean clothes I have available in the wardrobe.

  I might have ten minutes before they figure out that I’m not coming or send someone to fetch me.

  No time to search for alternatives. I know of one way to get out of here… maybe. It will be dangerous, but it’s all I’ve got. Either I’ll make it out in one piece, having left Daniel alone to face his fate, or I’ll perish in the attempt.

  I’m honestly not sure which I’d prefer.

  Jump. Just jump.

  I brace myself against the icy air and the water droplets that splash up from the base of the thundering waterfall. It’s far larger than I expected, an unthinkable volume of water rushing from an opening in the rough stone high overhead, crashing into a deep pool below the concrete ledge I’m standing on. The water churns and swirls, and I see why no human could survive the jump. Their bodies would be sucked under, tossed, and beaten against the bottom. They probably don’t even last long enough to drown.

  But I’m not human. I’m stronger than them, and I can’t drown. I might freeze or be trapped in the undertow, but that’s a risk I have to take if I want to finish this mission.

  All I have to do is take one step.

  I’ll gladly face whatever comes if I know it means I leave the world with you still in it.

  Daniel’s voice and words echo through my mind. We’re past the place in our relationship where he could give me orders, but his wishes are clear. He couldn’t save his team when they were captured and brought here, but he believes he can save me and the rest of Maelstrom. He’ll face whatever tortures come with either defiance or the infuriating stoicism that used to piss me off during training, though only because I never managed to copy it.

  He’s lost to me. I have to accept that, pull myself together, then deal with the emotional fallout once I’ve made it back to Maelstrom and placed this in the hands of those who can handle it.

  This is why I came here.

  I lean forward but can’t jump. I lift one foot to step off the edge, instead.

  But this is only half of why I came here.

  It’s my voice speaking to me now, clear and certain, as if I’m talking to myself from somewhere outside. I pause with my bare foot hovering over water that covers the old concrete receiving dock they’d have used when they built this place. The spray tickles my skin.

  I came here for Maelstrom. But part of that was bringing Daniel back.

  One of Miranda’s most loyal clan members. Not a part of her inner circle, but he would have been in time. He’d have become an elder eventually—he said so himself. He’s a vampire who thinks ahead, who tries to see all of the possibilities, but who’s willing to leap into action when thinking would hold him back.

  A vampire who knows Tempest better than I do.

  An imperfect vampire, to be sure. But one that Maelstrom needs as much as it does me, no matter what he says. He can be cold, hard, ruthless. He’s guilty of looking down on the Agonites, of not fighting against his instinctive hatred of werewolves. But he can change. He’s willing to be wrong. If he proves himself, if we help save Maelstrom together, there’s no telling what kind of a world he could help create as he rises to power.

  It’s not that Maelstrom doesn’t need me. It’s that it needs both of us.

  I set my foot down.

  It’s a nice argument, but I know I’m only making excuses for what my gut is telling me to do. I promised Genevieve I’d finish this with or without Daniel, and I swore to him I wouldn’t take any more stupid risks to save him. Going back would mean risking capture, and capture would mean leaving Maelstrom unprepared for what’s coming. Maelstrom needs to survive more than it needs any one member.

  Fine. Fuck it. I’ll be honest, then. My instincts are telling me to do this in spite of reason. They’re saying that if there’s a chance we could both still make it out of here, I have to take it. My head understands that Daniel is right, but my heart is saying that taking a sure win in this battle would cost me the war.

  Not the war between clans but the one I’m fighting. The one where victory means a better world for everyone. Lachlan said that we soulless beings have to create our own heaven. So be it.

  My heaven is dark power. Blood. It’s the taste of fear. But it’s also the limits that make those things so valuable. It’s freedom, and choice, and the responsibility to use power to benefit all, not just those who possess it. It’s protecting the opposing powers that shape and strengthen my own. It’s having more questions than answers. It’s uncertainty and possibility.

  It’s love if that’s what I choose to experience.

  I step back from the ledge, shivering.

  I know I made a promise, but Daniel’s going to have to forgive me for going back on it. If he loves me, it’s certainly not because I’m obedient or perpetually rational.

  Every step of the journey that’s brought me here has honed my instincts and taught me to trust them. If I’m going to do what my heart and my gut are telling me is right, my leap of faith isn’t going to be into the water.

  It’s going to be into the lions’ den.

  28

  Bethany told me where to find Daniel. She didn’t seem suspicious, but I’m not stupid enough to risk wandering into a trap. Whatever happens, I’m going into it with my eyes open.

  I pause at the end of the hallway lined with interrogation rooms. No servants’ passages leading into them. That would have been too much to ask for. There is a ventilation system, though. I saw several vent covers in the corridors the humans use—a necessity for keeping humans alive and healthy down here, I suppose. I can’t be certain whether there are any in the interrogation rooms, but there was definitely one in the ceiling of the room where they’re keeping the lightless humans. If the system goes all the way through there…

  Lachlan appears at the other end of the hallway. I pull back around the corner and press my shoulder to the wall, listening for his approach before I decide whether I need to flee.

  A door creaks open, then closed.

  “Willard,” Lachlan says. “You don’t waste time, do you?”

  Willard lets out a grunt. “Just getting him warmed up for those who have already arrived. I know how to make ’em bleed without spoiling the fun later.”

  My fists clench.

  “Has he revealed anything yet?” Lachlan asks.

  “He’s sticking to his story about Ava not being involved.”

  There’s a pause before Lachlan speaks again. “We’ve given her everything she could possibly want, played to every way
Maelstrom failed her. She has no reason to turn on us.”

  I flinch. I don’t want to believe I made it that easy for them.

  “You believe him, then?” Willard asks.

  Lachlan chuckles. “Hardly. I’ll question him myself once she arrives.”

  “Very good, sir. With you there, we’ll at least know whether he’s lying.”

  “Hmm. That still leaves us with the challenge of drawing out the truth.” Lachlan sounds pleased. “Is the secret weapon ready?”

  “Should be by now.” Willard’s voice offers no sign of excitement. This is a job for him. One he’s obviously good at, but I guess he’d rather be at the party.

  The door opens again, and I hurry back to the last entry to a servants’ passage—the only route I can be absolutely certain Lachlan won’t take. I hide myself and watch carefully through the glass window until he passes, then open the door just enough to peer out. He’s walking with determination.

  Secret weapon. I want to follow him to see whether this has something to do with their plans for Maelstrom, maybe to stop him, but that’s not going to get Daniel out of that room.

  I look up and find an entrance to the ventilation system on the wall overhead.

  If the passages are wide enough, if I’m right about them going into the room where they’re keeping Daniel, this could be my route in and out. But Willard is in there, and he said others were already present. We won’t get far if they’re watching our escape.

  I need another distraction to draw them out, and I think I know just where to find it.

  It takes longer than I wanted to get to the room where they’re keeping the lightless humans. Walking would have been faster but would have led to a locked door. Instead, I’ve crawled quietly through the vents, killing two birds with one stone—progress and reconnaissance. I didn’t dare risk slithering down a side passage to try to find the room where they’re holding Daniel, but I’ve established that there are branches off this path. I counted them, and their number matches that of the doors down the left side of the hallway below.