“Hi,” she said.
The girl smiled, her gaze flitting to Briar’s hat. “Hi,” she answered and beelined it to the door. The results were the same with the next two students she tried to engage, and finally, she gave up.
At least she’d made an effort, and she could try again next week.
Hudson’s lab was in the below ground level, and it wasn’t easy to find. Briar’d been distracted the second time she was there, and unconscious the first, so she got turned around. Eventually though, she found herself in front of Hudson’s door and knocked.
No one came, and she knocked again before jiggling the handle experimentally. It turned, and she walked in. “Hudson?” No one answered as she let the door shut behind her. “Hudson?”
The stainless steel countertop was covered with things—syringes and test tubes, a simple microscope. His computer was on, a magnified image Briar recognized as her sample expanded on the screen. She sat in the rolling chair and scooted toward the computer, careful not to touch anything.
Hudson was sure she didn’t have EPP, and she could see the difference in her mutation compared to the images she’d seen of other chromosomes from people with EPP.
She wondered what other signs she may have missed. When he got back, she wanted to see if he’d show her the images he’d shared of his and his brothers’ genes. She’d never asked if there were other places on the genome that were different for vampires.
Now that they were thinking vampirism could be an inherited trait, there should be some commonalities between genes. They’d need to find other vampires and take their blood.
Briar chuckled at the irony. “I want your blood… sample.” She tried it out loud with a bad Eastern European accent. It needed work, but she was going to try it on Marcus later, nevertheless.
The door opened behind her, and she spun, ready to greet whoever it was. But when Valen walked through the door, followed closely by Marcus, she paused. Their eyes landed on her but then skidded away.
“Are you okay?” she asked, standing.
“Yes,” Valen answered, but his voice was strange, hollow sounding. It was as if someone had made a Valen puppet and moved his mouth. There was none of the rolling cadence and personality that colored even his one-word answers.
“What happened?” she asked Marcus and stopped. His shoulders heaved with each breath he took, his nostrils flaring. “Marcus.” Tempted to snap her fingers, she started toward him.
“Stop.” The words ground out of him, his muscles barely moving like he was the Tin Man before oil. “Don’t move.”
Frozen, she stared at him. His eyebrow twitched, and the muscle below his ear jumped. Next to his sides, his hands fisted and un-fisted, and every so often, he would lean forward, and then pull back.
Still, Briar didn’t move. She had the impression he was fighting something, each bob forward was countered.
“What can I do?” she asked, but he didn’t reply. His lips seemed to swell, and she saw the white tips of his fangs dig into his lower lip.
Oh no. Where was Hudson?
As if thinking of him made him appear, the door opened and he came inside, followed closely by a heaving, messy Sylvain. Leaves and twigs stuck in Sylvain’s hair, and his t-shirt was ripped along his chest and sleeves. She could imagine him running through the forest, uncaring of trees or bushes or rocks. One of his boots was even missing, and he stood off-balance, one leg lower than the other.
Sylvain’s eyes were wild, similar to Marcus’s, and she decided then and there she preferred the wildness to Hudson and Valen’s dead eyes.
Sylvain held onto the doorknob, and beneath his hand, the metal groaned and suddenly snapped.
“Sylvain, look at me.” His eyes tracked to hers, and he sucked in a breath, growling deep in his throat. The rumble seemed to encourage the others, who in a flash of motion, surrounded her.
In a heartbeat, Briar went from freaked out to terrified.
These were not the guys she knew. Sylvain had called his vampire Predator, and she could easily see it in his eyes. He followed her, his body shifting if she so much as leaned in one direction.
Valen called his vampire a monster, but he was empty. The only sign of a monster was his fangs, which were visible with each snarl.
Marcus had stopped twitching, and instead moved smoothly around the room. All of them did. They were a well-oiled machine with one purpose—corner her.
She didn’t realize that was what they were doing until her back hit the wall.
“You’re scaring me,” she whispered. “Stop.”
At her command, Hudson blinked, and for a second, she thought she saw awareness, but in a flash it was gone. Almost as one, their pupils dilated, and they stepped forward.
“Stop it,” she said again, but their only response was an angrier growl. Valen stepped in front of Marcus, fingers curled into claws. Knees bent, Briar got the impression he was about to launch himself onto her.
She had some self-preservation, and she lurched to one side.
“Don’t run,” Marcus said again, and for just a second, his eyes bled to green.
Whatever controlled them, they were fighting. At first, she thought Sylvain broke the door because he didn’t want her to escape, but now she wondered if he was holding himself in place.
“Stay still,” Hudson ground out, his eyes becoming icy blue before being swallowed whole by the black.
It went against every instinct she had to stay in one place. The guys had been replaced with beings who had only one purpose, to feed.
“Back off,” she said when Sylvain had snuck forward. His head cocked to the side, like it wasn’t attached to the rest of his body. The way he regarded her was singularly wrong. “Sylvain.” She wondered if saying his name would wake him up. “Sylvain!”
She wanted to run. She wanted to run so badly. But how would she get away from them? They’d take her down in a second, and when they came to, they’d be wrecked.
Briar knew, she absolutely, one hundred percent knew, the creatures in front of her were not the guys. Even in those moments when Hudson had attacked her, she’d seen a glimmer of himself. As if the vampire he caged inside him was merely a stripped down version of himself.
These creatures were not like that. They were closer to the creature in the woods, the one who had climbed her body, than anything she’d seen from the guys before.
Which meant one thing: Asher.
Yeah. They’d said that Asher couldn’t control them, but there was no other explanation for what was happening.
The guys were fighting for control. In those few seconds when Marcus and Hudson had spoken to her, it was clear that whatever was happening wasn’t something they wanted.
So what did she do? How did she get them back?
“Hudson.” She made her voice as firm as possible and swallowed down her fear and terror. “Hudson. Help me.”
He blinked, ice blue, then black again. But it was there.
“Sylvain.” She turned her attention to the man who seemed more predator than human and raised her voice. “Sylvain. I’m scared. Help me.”
He growled, but stepped back. Next to him, Valen’s fingers uncurled, and he shook his head, wincing.
“Valen.” He opened his eyes, but she couldn’t see him there. “Valen. You don’t want to hurt me. You protect me. Help.” He growled and snarled, but whirled away, and to her horror, threw himself at the wall, head first, over and over. “Valen,” she choked.
Marcus’s entire body twitched, almost like he’d stuck his finger in an electrical socket. Of all of them, his struggle was the clearest. He fought for control of his body. “Don’t hurt me,” she whispered. “Marcus. Please, don’t hurt me.”
Marcus yelled out, gripping his head, and fell to his knees. “Stay there!” he yelled, clawing at his temples.
“Don’t move.” Hudson’s voice was hoarse, like he had to push it out of his throat. “Briar. Please. Don’t move.”
She
didn’t, though her knees shook, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could stand.
Then, like puppets who had their strings cut, the guys collapsed. First Valen, then Sylvain, and Marcus, and Hudson. They hit the ground, eyes closed, crumpled in a heap.
That was it for Briar. Her legs gave out, and she fell to her butt, hard enough to bruise her tailbone. Hot tears spilled down her face, and she let them fall. It was all she could do at that moment to keep breathing.
“It’s okay,” she whispered to herself and crossed her arms over her chest. A shiver began at the base of her spine, and zinged her all the way to her shoulders. “It’s okay,” she said again and pressed her hands against her cheeks. “I’m okay.”
Chapter 28
Valen
Valen awoke slowly. His eyes didn’t want to open, but he fought them. For a moment, he wondered if Hudson’s medicine had stopped working, and the sun dictated his sleep.
From a distance, he heard a hiccuping sob, and suddenly, horribly, everything crashed into place.
“Briar!” Desperately, he scanned the room and found her sitting, her back against the wall, staring back. He crawled to her, and when he got close enough, reached for her face.
His heart broke when she flinched.
“Are you okay?” he asked, pulling back his hand.
“I’m okay,” she whispered. She pressed her lips together when a small sob escaped.
“Briar!” Sylvain woke up next and leapt to his feet. The scent of fear pervaded the room, but Valen’s monster was not tempted by it. If anything, he was hunkered down, arms over his head, hiding in shame.
"Briar?" Sylvain whispered and knelt next to her. She peered at him nervously, gaze jumping from Sylvain to Valen, and then to Marcus and Hudson who still lay unconscious in a heap.
Marcus and Hudson had kept Briar alive. Valen, completely disconnected from his body, had had no control. Even his vampire was stripped down, until all they’d smelled was Briar and all they’d wanted was her blood. If Marcus and Hudson hadn’t begged her to stay still, he'd have devoured her.
And if the terror emanating from Briar was any indication, she knew it.
All he wanted was to comfort her, but the last thing he wanted was to frighten her. Like a signal coming in and out of range, her words had filtered through to him. “You don’t want to hurt me. Help.”
He'd been powerless.
“Briar,” he choked and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I never…”
“I know.” She rested her cheek on her knees, turning her head to face him. “It wasn’t you.”
Behind them, Hudson roared awake, and Briar screamed. The sound of it pierced his already bleeding heart.
Together, he and Sylvain whirled to face Hudson, but whatever it was Hudson was ready to fight, it wasn’t them, and it certainly wasn’t Briar.
If he lived another thousand years, he never wanted to hear her scream again.
Hudson stayed utterly still. “Are you okay? Did we hurt you?”
“You didn’t hurt me,” she answered. “I’m okay.” The words seemed to reassure her as much as them.
Hudson held out his arms and then dropped them. “I need to touch you.”
A fresh scent of fear spiked, but then drained away as she nodded. “Okay.” She stumbled when she pushed herself to her feet, but Hudson was there to catch her.
Why hadn’t he thought to ask? Jealously, Valen watched Hudson enfold her in his arms, face buried against her neck. “I’m so sorry, Briar. I’m sorry.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” she said. “I know it. I know whatever that was, it was out of your control.”
“It was.” Marcus had awoken, but Valen’s total focus was on Briar, and he hadn’t heard him rouse. Stupid.
You protect me. Valen had done a horrible job protecting her. Would she ever trust him again?
She lifted her head from Hudson’s chest, almost as if she’d heard his thoughts, and held out her hand. “Come here.”
Valen went without pause, taking her from Hudson and wrapping her up. He held her like she was made of porcelain and one too-brisk movement would crush her.
“My turn,” Sylvain growled, and reluctantly, Valen passed her to him. A moment later, Marcus intruded, and Sylvain was forced to do the same. Eventually, though, he had to relinquish his hold and they all had to face what had happened.
“Asher,” Hudson said.
One word—it explained everything and made it all so much more complicated.
Their master had effectively fired a shot across their bow. It was up to them, now, to respond, and the only thing to do was go to war.
And Valen was very good at war.
Chapter 29
Hudson
Two thousand years ago, a vampire had turned him from a man into a general. His only purpose was to fight and destroy.
Over millennia, Hudson had honed his skills until he was the most ruthless leader of vampires the world had ever seen. It was a role he thought he’d left behind him.
He should have known better.
The four hundred years they’d existed without Asher had all been a ruse, and they’d fallen for it.
Hudson and his brothers had become complacent. He was a scientist for God’s sake.
Not anymore. If Asher wanted a war, he would have it, because he’d threatened the one person who, in two thousand years, had not only brought him to life, but brought him and his brothers together. Briar had healed their broken family, and there was no way, no way, he’d allow Asher to destroy it.
He’d destroy him first.
Chapter 30
Sylvain
If Sylvain’s brothers were the brains of battle, he was the battle-axe. He would hew and rend without discrimination.
Deep inside him, the predator roared for vengeance. If Briar had moved, if she’d blinked, he would have ended her and would have awoken with blood on his hands.
He was the one who decided who lived and died. For years, he’d been the good son, the loyal son. All it had gotten him was pain. Until Briar, that was what he’d come to expect from his existence.
His human life had been torture, and his early vampire life one of bloodlust and selfishness. But perhaps, it had all been leading to Briar.
So he was going to hold onto her, tightly, and no one would take her away from him. Especially not Asher, who for some reason thought he could wield and control him.
If Asher wanted blood, Sylvain would drown him in it. And then he would rip Asher’s head from his shoulders and stick it on a pike as a warning to any creature who tried to come between him and Briar.
Chapter 31
Marcus
Marcus had never fought so hard in all his existence. The battle he’d just fought against his own thirst and Asher’s control had nearly annihilated everything he wanted. From the looks on his brothers’ faces, they knew it as well.
Long ago, Marcus had made a choice. He’d chosen to live as a vampire and wreak havoc. He’d taken human lives and hadn’t given them a second thought.
Since Annie had died, he’d tried to make up for what he’d done. His research now was his attempt at finding a way for vampires not to need humans to feed at all. Ever.
Animal blood eliminated the hunger, but it didn’t sate the vampire. Only human blood did that.
He was a scientist and logical, but unlike Hudson who was ruled by reason, Marcus believed in karma. He’d put bad out into the world, and he had bad coming to him.
His scale was unbalanced. He’d taken and taken and taken. Losing Briar seemed like the universe’s way of evening things out.
It was the most horrifying thing he’d ever considered. A huge sword hung over his head, and he didn’t know when it would fall.
Marcus needed Briar in his arms again, to assure himself she was there and he hadn’t destroyed the bright spot in his life. The one person whose presence had given him everything he wanted.
Briar came willingly and wrapped he
r arms around his waist. He breathed in her scent, the wildflowers masked by the pungent aroma of fear.
“Don’t be afraid,” he whispered against her hair. “Please.”
“You’ve got me,” she said, and then, because he was completely undeserving, “I’m safe with you.”
Chapter 32
Briar
The guys brought Briar home, and they sat together in the living room. The curtains were drawn, but she held her hat, turning it in her hands.
She leaned against Valen, seeking strength in his nearness, and he seemed to need it as well. Every so often he kissed her head or touched her knee. All of them sat close by, at times watching her or staring off at nothing.
Something had changed. The guys exchanged glances, and she got the sense as soon as she went to bed tonight, they’d open a door to a secret room and a giant map would descend from the ceiling.
Then they'd begin to lay the plans for their counteroffensive.
“So, Asher can use mind control. If it was Asher who did this,” Briar said, proud of the way her voice didn’t shake.
“Yes. It would appear so,” Marcus replied.
Sylvain and Valen shut their mouths, and Sylvain gnashed his teeth. “Though it is a newly developed skill.”
Briar nodded, and then narrowed her eyes. Was it? These guys were honorable men—vampires—and from what they described, when they’d been with Asher, they’d murdered and fought. What if Asher had controlled them and they didn't realize it?
What if everything they’d done, and had described to her shamefully, hadn’t really been them?
“Are there levels of mind control do you think?” she asked. “Marcus, I could see you fighting him, whereas Valen, you were absent. I couldn’t find you when I looked at you.”
“Little one,” Valen whispered and shook his head. “I’m so sorry.”
“I’m not trying to guilt you,” she said. “I promise. I just want to understand. Maybe Marcus could fight because he could barely control all of you. Or maybe there’s another reason. I don’t know. But I wonder…” She took a deep breath. “Do you think he was controlling you all along?”
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