Finally, Henry decided she’d served out her sentence. She thanked him calmly—like she knew he wanted—then broke into a sprint as soon as he let her out the door. She knew she shouldn’t go to the computer lab, but she had to try.
All of the computers were secured. She could access her lessons and the Hand of God’s news site, but nothing else. On the Right Way, she typed Vampire Conclave.
The Vampire Conclave is a group of twelve elder vampires who work tirelessly to enslave humankind. God granted us the victory of ending the existence of one of the Conclave’s senior members in 2013, Nicola Angliatti.
Dipping her hand into her pocket, she rubbed her thumb over Nicola’s coin. Since her father didn’t seem inclined to spend any time with her while she’d been confined to quarters, she’d taken to carrying it with her. When she did, she felt closer to him. Or…his memory, at least. She’d even started sleeping with the coin under her pillow. Strange dreams had haunted her the past few nights, screams, fear, desperation. And silver all around her.
Evangeline’s communicator beeped, and she looked down at the tiny wrist unit. Come see me in the infirmary - Cassie.
Her only real friend in the catacombs, despite their twelve-year age difference, Cassie Duffield never failed to cheer Evangeline up. She skipped down the hall to the infirmary and poked her head in the door.
Thin cots and metal cabinets lined the walls of the large room, and the scent of antiseptic clung to every surface. “Cass?”
“Hey, sweetie. Give me a minute to finish filling these syringes. I’ve got to concentrate.” A dozen vials rested on a tray in front of the nurse, and she carefully added a mix of Vitamins C, D, and E to the clear liquid. Today, the vials were cloudy…with a red sheen to them. Evangeline hopped up on one of the cots to wait.
Once Cassie had locked the vials in a refrigerator, she turned and grinned at Evangeline. “So, it’s your birthday next week.”
Finally. At fourteen, she’d be allowed to hunt on her own. Her father had promised. “Leonard said he’d take me to the surface and let me fish by myself for a couple of hours.” Evangeline swung her legs as she tried not to bounce in her excitement.
“Ew. I don’t know how you touch those slimy things.” Cassie stuck out her tongue, and Evangeline laughed. “I…might have something better than fishing, though. Wanna know what it is?”
“Yes!” Cassie always brought her something cool. Last year, the nurse had shown up at Evangeline’s door with a package of pretty pink scrunchies for her hair and a brand new purple sweatshirt. Evangeline couldn’t remember when she’d had any brand new clothes, and she wore that sweatshirt at least three times a week.
Cassie’s kohl-lined eyes sparkled. One of the few women who bothered with make-up in the catacombs, she always looked so beautiful. “Do you want to move in with me instead of living with your dad?”
“Really?” Evangeline screamed and launched herself at the woman she considered a big sister.
Cassie laughed as she toppled over with Evangeline in her arms. “Okay, okay. Your dad said I could take one of the two-bedroom units. I’ll move my stuff in next Saturday when I’m off. You can move in on Sunday.”
Evangeline wiped away a tear in the corner of her eye. She hated living with her father—now more than ever. Maybe living with Cassie, she’d finally be happy.
A week later, Evangeline had her own room, a pretty new blanket that Cassie had knitted for her, done up in purple and green, and a door she could close whenever she wanted privacy. Every day after her chores and lessons, she’d dig in her trunk for Nicola’s coin. She’d threaded her grandmother’s gold chain through the hole in the center so she could wear the coin under her t-shirt. So far, her father hadn’t noticed. Though, he hadn’t said a single word to her outside of her “treatments,” either.
Her first night with Cassie, they’d stayed up all night watching old movies. The second, they’d talked about boys. By the third, Cassie had been so tired, she’d fallen asleep right after dinner. Evangeline stared up at the ceiling. She’d tacked a photo of the ocean to the air duct and smiled up at the crystal blue water somewhere that looked warm. Maybe one day she’d go there—or anywhere other than here.
The old Italian coin warmed under her touch. She should find a picture of Italy to put up there too. She liked the idea of seeing Nicola’s homeland, if only to spite her father. No one would know why. With a smile, she closed her eyes and vowed to find a picture in the morning.
Weeks passed, and Cassie started to relax. Evangeline never suspected the true reason Cassie had asked her to move in. Henry wanted his daughter watched at all times. He was too busy working in his lab, so he’d asked Cassie to take over parenting his daughter.
Cassie loved Evangeline like a sister, but for years, Dr. Longo had warned her about the girl’s rebellious nature. Of all of the women here, Cassie probably had more reason to hate vampires than anyone, and she couldn’t let Evangeline get in the way of Dr. Longo’s research.
Evangeline was the key to everything. At least according to her father.
“Eva, sweetie?” Cassie mopped a sheen of sweat from Evangeline’s brow. This week’s dose had been worse than ever before, and Evangeline had cried for hours. Finally, Cassie had given her a shot of a powerful painkiller, sending the girl into a drugged, fitful sleep. Only the occasional whimper escaped her chapped lips, and her skin flushed bright red, then paled to the color of her bleached white sheets.
After a quick check of Evangeline’s pulse, Cassie shook her patient’s shoulder. Nope, definitely out for the count. She had her orders, but she hated what she had to do.
“Sorry, sweetie.”
The metal hinges on Evangeline’s trunk protested as Cassie lifted the lid, but a quick glance confirmed Evangeline hadn’t stirred. Rummaging through the tangled pile of jeans, flannel shirts, sweaters, and socks, Cassie took a moment to be grateful Evangeline didn’t know the meaning of folding laundry. The mess would hide her snooping.
Beneath the girl’s underwear, Cassie found an old, ratty notebook covered in doodles. “Shit,” she muttered when she scanned the first page. Information on vampires filled the tiny book—all lies—along with diary entries talking about the thing Evangeline had met in the forest all those years ago. With the notebook under her arm, Cassie headed for Dr. Longo’s lab.
Her fingers trembled as she punched in the code Henry had given her. Down the hall, light spilled from the second door. Henry leaned against a metal lab bench. A heavy, coppery scent hung in the air.
“Well?”
Cassie handed him the notebook. “I’m sorry, Dr. Longo. You were right.”
Henry flipped through the pages. After a few minutes, he sighed and passed the notebook back to her. “Miss Duffield, Eva is the key to saving all of us from those soulless bloodsuckers. I don’t know how they’ve convinced the world that they’re…harmless. But it won’t matter if my research is successful.”
“What can I do?” Cassie chewed on her lower lip. She was a nurse. She didn’t have the deep, scientific knowledge that Dr. Longo and his men did. She could stitch up a wound or set a broken bone, but that was it.
“I lost Eva the day I shot the vampire topside. You’re going to get her back for me.”
“I don’t know how, sir.”
“Be her friend. Casually tell her about your experiences with vampires. Help her see how evil they are. I’m depending on you.” Henry gestured to the door, letting Cassie precede him into the hall. “And I’d like to offer you some extra…motivation.”
Her stomach clenched with the weight of Henry’s words, but she let him lead her into another room across the hall. Whiteboards covered the walls, full of chemical formulas. Beakers simmered over Bunsen burners, and two of Henry’s men—Jake and Gary—sat with their heads bent together in front of a computer.
“Tell me about your father, Miss Duffield,” Henry said.
Swallowing around the lump in her throat, Cassie met Henry’s
cold gaze. “He called me from the grocery store to ask me what flavor of ice cream I wanted. Then…there was screaming. ‘Get away, you fucking bloodsucker.’” She wiped away a tear. “The police said he’d been stabbed in the neck. But I don’t believe that for a second. A vampire killed him.”
“I recruited your mother for that very reason.” Understanding softened his expression. “Her work with hydroponics is some of the best in the world, but the tragic death of your father led me to choose her over another botanist.”
Cassie’s lower lip quivered. “I don’t understand.”
“Contributing to the fight helped your mother through her grief, and I think it helped you too. We're going to kill them all, Miss Duffield. Every vampire in the world will die. Starting with this one.”
He stepped aside so she could see the corner of the room.
“Oh my God,” she whispered.
“I need you, Miss Duffield. Take this notebook back to my daughter’s room. She doubts our purpose here. I need you to teach her God’s truth: that vampires are an abomination and want nothing more than to see our deaths. Tell her about your father. Help her with her Bible study. Be a friend to her. Do that, and I’ll make a place for you on my team. We’ll kill that thing together.”
She stared at the vampire lying on a cot behind the silver bars. His amethyst eyes met hers. The muscles of his neck corded and strained as if he were trying to rise, but he seemed to lack the strength. But there was still power in those eyes. Cold. Angry. Murderous.
Cassie nodded. “I understand, Dr. Longo. I’ll make sure Eva knows how evil vampires are. She won’t turn away from our cause.”
The vampire stirred at the mention of Eva’s name. His eyes softened, and he tried to lift his arm towards Cassie but failed. A single word escaped his lips. “Evangeline.”
3
Snoqualmie Catacombs - May 2021
Pain. Always pain. Nicola kept his eyes closed, knowing he’d only see the bastard doctor or one of the others who regularly tortured him. The silver chains burned the skin around his waist, and thick, silver cuffs bound his wrists to his sides. Today, they’d chained his ankles to the corners of his cot, ensuring he couldn’t even roll over.
Not that he wanted to. His torturers had used a blowtorch to burn his fingers, broken his femur, and shattered all of the bones in his right foot. All to see how quickly he could heal. A digital camera on a tripod recorded his every movement, and one of the men would come and take notes every few hours until he was whole.
Before they’d beaten and burned him today, they’d injected him with the drug they were manufacturing. With how weak he felt, this batch had promise, but he’d done everything he could to hide how truly awful he felt.
Only once had he come close to dying. Very close, but still too far. Every day, he prayed for death, and he’d tried to starve himself multiple times. But each attempt ended with him chained with a feeding tube forced down his throat.
His fangs lengthened around the silver rod they’d used to gag him. Strapped tightly around his head with a thick piece of leather, he choked on the taste, and the sensation of silver against his teeth sent sparks of pain shooting directly into his skull.
As soon as the men had their data, they’d tranq him again, and he’d wake up without the chains or the gag, but still trapped inside the silver cell. For years, he’d suffered—ever since he’d helped the girl.
The air scrubbers kicked on, and cold air hit his naked skin. At least that soothed the burns on his fingers. The rest of him…shivering brought waves of agony that threatened to drown him.
They’d taken his clothes again. Once he’d healed, he’d be given scrubs, and he’d be able to huddle under the thin, scratchy blanket for warmth. If only his mind wasn’t withering away.
He used to think a vampire’s perfect memory was one of the best side effects of the mutation that made him. Now, he cursed it every day. A doctor in his youth—both as a human and a vampire—he believed the stasis his cells achieved that kept his body strong and young aided his mind as well.
Meditation was his only refuge here. When he could lose himself in the memories of reading—the works of Shakespeare, Dante’s Inferno, Il nome della rosa, and some of the American classics like Huckleberry Fin and Moby Dick—he could imagine he was still free. Still sane.
Most days, he could move. Nicola tried to keep himself active. Pushups, crunches, pacing. But after so many years inside his own head, he lost himself in the despair, the hopelessness of a life with no possibility of escape.
He refused to speak to Longo or his associates—except when they mentioned Evangeline. Then, he’d ask about her, but no one ever answered. His every query was met with torture so intense, he’d pray for death.
As his femur knitted together, Nicola sighed. Now, his only pain came from the silver chains. They’d return soon. Unchain him. Feed him. Perhaps allow him clothing.
As the doctor pushed through the door, Nicola closed his eyes and held his breath.
“Eva’s DNA is changing,” Longo muttered.
Gary’s voice held hope. “So, it’s working.”
“We won’t know unless we can get a vampire to bite her.”
“This one won’t. No matter how much we torture him.”
Longo chuckled. “We’ll bait another one. I’ll send word to the bishop. Seattle has a large vampire population. We should be able to capture a young one before long. See how vulnerable my daughter is.”
“Vaffanculo!” Nicola spat around the gag. He fought against the chains, and when the two men only laughed at him, he snarled, his fangs extending to their full length.
“Take out the gag.” Longo crossed his arms as Gary unlocked the cell. As soon as the clasp on the leather band opened, Nicola lunged for Gary, but he was too slow.
“You are un ponpinaio, Longo.”
“A cocksucker?” Longo laughed. “Please. Is that the best you can do?”
“Using your own daughter as a guinea pig for your twisted games? Experimenting on her? You are not worth the piss you recycle into fertilizer.”
Henry stared at him, open-mouthed.
“My hearing is better than yours, human. You think I do nothing all day and night in this cell? I listen. I know all about your operations. Water treatment, recycling, even some of your security. One day you will make a mistake, Longo. And on that day, I will escape.”
“And you will kill me?” Longo said with a chuckle.
“Si.”
“Good luck with that, vampire.” The bastard fired a dart into Nicola’s chest and turned away.
“One…day,” Nicola whispered as the darkness took him.
Evangeline toyed with the coin around her neck. Cassie had been gone all day, and Evangeline expected her back soon. Her roommate and friend had started working for her father this past year. Now, Cassie spouted the same bullshit Henry did.
Every conversation eventually turned to the Hand of God teachings, even though Cassie did her best to hide the lessons in stories from her life before the catacombs.
For Evangeline’s sixteenth birthday, Cassie had brought a computer into their small sitting room. She’d shown Evangeline how to bypass the catacombs’ security. The first website Evangeline had visited? Wikipedia.
But nothing had looked the same. Instead of the articles she’d seen before, the site now contained so much propaganda that it read like a vampire recruitment poster. The two women had poured over the site together, Cassie pointing out the obvious bits of misinformation she said had been added by the vampires. Evangeline had cried that night, her hand clutched around Nicola’s coin.
Now, on her bed with her eReader in hand, Evangeline let her mind wander. Something pushed at the edge of her thoughts. Almost as if someone had called out to her. She wrapped her fingers around the coin and closed her eyes.
This odd sensation wasn’t unfamiliar. Sometimes, as she tried to fall asleep, she heard her name whispered in a lightly accented voice. But s
he chalked that up to wishful thinking. If Nicola had lived, maybe she’d be free now.
As it was, she was still a prisoner. She rolled over and sighed. No one cared. Not God. Not Cassie. And definitely not her father.
4
Snoqualmie Catacombs - February 2028
“Eva, you’re going to be late. You know Henry hates waiting.” Cassie shifted from foot-to-foot while Evangeline braided her long brown hair.
“Let him wait. I lose half a day whenever he runs one of his ‘experiments’ on me. I’m not looking forward to feeling like shit for the next twelve hours.”
“Eva! Language!”
Giving Cassie a sideways glance, Evangeline fastened the elastic band around the end of her braid. “I’m twenty-five, Cass. I can swear if I want to.”
Jamming her bare feet into a pair of Keds, Evangeline stood, smoothing her hands down her blue tunic. Long, lean muscles forged from hunting and fishing lent graceful lines to her five-foot-eight-inch frame.
Cassie shook her head. Her curly blond hair settled around a face rounded by pregnancy. She shifted and rested her hand on the growing swell of her belly. “I’ll stay with you tonight. We can gossip like we used to. I’ve missed that. Maybe I can help take your mind off the pain.”
“You’re the one who had to go get married.” Evangeline adopted an exaggerated pout. She didn’t begrudge Cassie her happiness. Blaine, her young husband, idolized her, and now that there was a baby on the way—the first pregnancy in the catacombs in ten years—he doted on her even more.
“Eva Marie Longo, I do believe you’re jealous.”
Evangeline grimaced. “Hell no. Jeremy, Daren, and Leo are the only three even close to my age. Leo’s breath is so bad I can’t stand to have a conversation with him, and Jeremy’s just a kid.”
Secrets in Blood Page 4