I approached Laini as she fastened restraints around Alan’s wrists. He looked coolly up at me and shook his head. Sweat covered him, and his cane had gone missing. On the ground, he looked like a broken man, diminished in a way I couldn’t define. There was a curious lack of emotion within me as I read his eyes, finding them still filled with rage and cunning. His composure was utterly unruffled despite his situation. How could he radiate certainty in his actions, even like this?
“Order the rest of the Bureau to surrender,” I demanded, my voice flat. “Or I’ll give you to the vampires. You’re nothing to me now. I really only need one hostage.”
Alan sighed and shook his head, but I could see a bead of sweat drip down his face. He stared stubbornly at me.
“Do it,” he challenged. “I know I’m doing the right thing.”
His reply sent a beat of frustration through me. He was still desperate to believe he could best me. “You can’t be serious,” I muttered. He would rather face vampires than surrender?
His mouth transformed into a bitter smirk. “You don’t have the guts to sacrifice someone for a cause, even your own, and you know that. Don’t you, Lyra?” he taunted.
His words stung me. If he wanted to play this game, I would obtain what I wanted from him before having to make a decision about his fate. I needed answers. “What did you do with my parents?”
He laughed. “I never had them. I sent them out on a faraway mission. You see, I love my little brother and sister-in-law. To punish them for their children’s mistakes? Unthinkable.” He paused, letting me take in his words. “You don’t love them as much as I do.”
If he thought the words of a murderous liar would sway me now, I would be happy to break through that final stubborn resolve.
“And how do you express love?” I asked with a raised brow. “Through lies? Threats? Torture? I think we have very different definitions of what it means to love. You want to use love to control, but love is the opposite of that. I almost pity you.”
An ominous rumbling came from the barricaded stair doors. Something slammed against the other side.
“They’re trying to break through,” a vampire said with alarm.
Soldiers or Zach’s team? I was unsure whether Zach’s team had been taken, but having the board members as hostages gave us the upper hand. In the end, we had all the cards.
Kane pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. “They’re just humans. Deal with it! Hold them off.”
A few vampires, accompanied by Roxy, still armed with her two rifles, followed several redbills that flew over to the door. They cried out and smashed their talons into the ground. The banging stopped. Whoever was on the other side knew the telltale cry of a pissed-off redbill. Roxy waited in front of the doors, standing guard with a gun at the ready, occasionally glancing back at the drama unfolding behind her.
I turned back to Alan with a renewed sense of urgency. We had to get him to surrender. I didn’t know Zach’s condition, and somewhere on the roof were Bravi and an injured Dorian. Alan’s actions had taken too much from us already.
“Call off the rest of the Bureau, and this can end easily for you. I don’t have time for any more of your games,” I said icily.
Alan stared back at me, still defiant. “No. You need me alive. When the rest of the board members muster some decent backup, they will cut down your little rebellion. You have the advantage now, but that will change in a matter of hours. And who will help you then?” His confidence gave me pause. “You’re the ones who should surrender while you still have the chance. The Bureau won’t recommend a death sentence for treason if you give up now. That’s my best offer.”
Whispers broke out among the vampires. I stiffened, worried Alan’s words might sway them. The banging on the door began again with increased vigor.
I shrugged, trying to appear unruffled. “The board members that were your so-called allies obviously didn’t think you were important enough to put on the first chopper out of here. What makes you think they’d ever come back for you?”
Alan scowled, and even though he said nothing, I knew I’d hit a nerve. In the end, the board had been more eager to save their own skins than ensure the safety of their director.
Arlonne stepped forward from her place between the vampires and the soldiers. “If Alan needs help to see reason, you can turn him over to me,” she said gruffly. Despite the deep anger on her face and her extended fangs, she seemed in control of her hunger.
I frowned. The way she said his name… it was almost as if she knew him, her tone too knowing to be driven by the general anger we all shared. Yet he looked at her without a stitch of recognition.
Arlonne stared down at Alan, slowly crouching in front of him. “I don’t have to kill you to drink your blood. And I can drink an awful lot of it before you die. You can feel the awful pain of your darkness being cleansed from your spirit. It’ll make you a much easier bargaining chip to deal with.” Her mouth quirked upward in a vicious smile. “In fact, it might be more fun that way.”
I’d never seen Arlonne like this before. Hell, I’d never heard her speak this much before.
Alan paled but squinted stubbornly at her. “You’re bluffing.” Then, as we all watched, his face went slack with some kind of understanding, and terror filled his eyes.
Arlonne lifted what was left of her right arm. “If you don’t remember my face… maybe you remember taking my arm?”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
“You,” he breathed. His own speech seemed to startle him. He glanced at me, the cold veneer snapping back into place. It was the act of a villain who’d forgotten people were watching.
I stared at the exchange, information clicking together in my head. What exactly had he done to Arlonne?
“How do you know Arlonne?” I demanded. “I want the truth.”
Alan tapped his wounded leg. “She’s the vampire who did this to me.” His mouth twitched angrily. “Losing her arm was only what she deserved in return. She made me think I could trust her, then she led my group into an ambush, like I told you before. I lost good men and women that day.”
“Funny,” I said. “You didn’t mention taking the vampire’s arm the last time you told me about it.” There had to be more to the story.
Arlonne snarled fiercely. “That’s not what happened, and you know it.” Her hand tightened into an angry fist, the knuckles bleach white. “I didn’t lose this arm after giving him that leg wound. They took it when he dragged me into a laboratory for experimentation. The soldiers held me captive in a stark white room for months even though I was still in my teens. They starved and tortured me. There was darkness in him even then.”
“They cut off your arm for an experiment?” I asked, bile rising in my throat. What reason did the Bureau have for amputating a limb?
A shadow of grief passed over Arlonne’s face. She shook her head as if trying to dislodge the memory from her brain. “They wanted to experiment on vampire flesh. I was awake the entire time. I remember the scientists discussing how they wouldn’t need to bother with anesthetic because Alan told them it probably wouldn’t work on vampires. It wasn’t worth trying human drugs to give a vampire some comfort.”
Laini pressed her fingers against her mouth, eyes widening in shock.
My stomach roiled with disgust. Even back then, before there was even the excuse of being driven by personal revenge, Alan clearly hated vampires in the way only a true bigot could.
“I remember your uncle well,” Arlonne murmured. “He pretended to be my friend at the beginning. Everyone’s friend. There were reluctant scientists sometimes. Fresh recruits, I think. Alan charmed every single one of them, rationalizing and explaining how I was no different than a lab rat with fangs. He thought I couldn’t hear him in the other room, but I could. I remember him assuring anyone who appeared hesitant that vampires were a threat to the human race, and he would know because of how involved he was with the project. The coldness in his eyes still h
aunts my sleep, more than twenty years later.”
Twenty years was long before the tear. Back then, Dorian was presumably living happily with his family in the Immortal Plane. It was back when vampires hid in the shadows when they were on Earth. It meant the truth never matched up to Alan’s slick stories.
Arlonne sucked in a sharp breath and continued.
“Once I knew Alan was heading the experiment, I tried to get into his good graces.” She shuddered, repulsed by the memory. “I had to. I sold him doctored information on the off chance he might let me go free. I almost believed he’d help me, despite his words to his underlings. He was great at convincing people. He promised fair treatment but never followed through. He lied to me, over and over.” She paused, locking eyes with Alan as if needing to see his reaction to her story. “One night, the scientists didn’t restrain me well enough. I waited until nightfall and released the few others. Some looked much worse than I did.” Her eyes glimmered. “Your uncle tried to stop us. I managed to injure his leg before I left, repaying the favor for my arm. It was the least I could do after he taught me the cruelty of humans so well.”
I swallowed hard. Was this why Arlonne had been so quiet? She had expected us humans to be traitorous monsters. I couldn’t blame her after what happened with my uncle. A deep wave of shame came over me. If Arlonne had ever thought—if she’d seen Zach and me, knowing we might be Alan’s relatives with the Sloane connection… I couldn’t imagine the level of her distrust. My hands shook with anger.
And Alan—the rat. I turned my burning gaze on him. I would make sure he couldn’t hurt anyone again.
“She’s lying,” Alan said suddenly. He wriggled against his restraints. “She’s a filthy liar! She led me into a trap. She and her friends killed several soldiers!”
Looking at Arlonne’s scowl dripping with grief and disgust, I knew I would never believe Alan again. Bryce’s eyes burned with fury. Laini watched, shaking her head at Alan’s words. I looked over the faces in the crowd. Nobody believed him. He was swimming in darkness.
“Thank you, Arlonne,” I said. “For sharing the truth with us.”
Arlonne said nothing but gave a small nod. She seemed relieved. Perhaps telling the story had helped ease her suffering. I cleared my throat roughly. A steely resolve replaced my anger.
“She’s—”
“You’ve lost any right to talk.” I leaned close to his face, and for the first time I saw, for half a moment, that he was afraid of me. “Your cruelty stops today. I’ll make sure of it. You can either surrender or die here, but I will never let you hurt anyone again.”
From the back of the vampire ring, Vonn emerged, clapping slowly. His hands and the lower half of his face were covered in blood. He strolled up to Arlonne, enjoying my scornful look.
“What a devastating revelation for everyone to hear,” he announced as he faced Arlonne. He threw out a hand to the crowded vampires in a motion of camaraderie. “What pain you must’ve gone through, Arlonne. The humans can’t be trusted. They are all like this. Don’t you think we should kill these pathetic saps?”
Playing to the crowd, he gestured to Alan and the two other board members. The wiry man, Jones, began to squirm wildly.
Vonn chuckled. Arlonne stood utterly still, but she appeared to be reflecting on the proposition.
She might agree with him. After all, Arlonne had gone with Vonn as part of Team War in the beginning. I wanted to shout that she couldn’t, but… how would I convince her not to take revenge against the man who arranged her torture? Team War had one mission: take out the board members for revenge. Arlonne was within easy reach of her goal.
“Go on,” Vonn urged with apparent concern. “Take your revenge. We’re all behind you. We understand your plight. Get justice. Purify all this evil.”
I saw Arlonne’s hand twitch, her gaze boring into Alan’s face. He tried to smirk, but it was a hollow expression. Jones whimpered softly in Gavril’s grip. I understood better now how Vonn had been able to convince everyone in the heat of the moment to join his team.
“There’s no point in trying to prevent a war between vampires and humans. Vampires are the natural enemies of humans. And humans?” Vonn looked at me and shook his head in pity. “Humans are the most naturally violent creatures on Earth. They kill for sport. For revenge. For power. They will kill us all if we don’t perform the duty the universe bestowed upon us. I, for one, plan on cleansing souls as nature intended.”
He turned toward the crowd, gesturing to the gathered vampires.
“We all feel the urge to remove the darkness when we sense it. We want to purge it. Destroying darkness is our instinct. And it is beneath us to take orders from humans when they are among the richest sources of the darkness we are sworn to cast out.”
A string of murmurs rippled through the circle. My hands grew clammy. This wasn’t good. Vonn had been able to whip the vampires into a frenzy before. He might turn everyone back toward bloodshed with his raving.
I looked around at the vampire faces closing in on all sides. We were so close to finding a peaceful solution. If Vonn and the others attacked, it was all over.
Vonn exploded into movement toward me. I gasped, bringing my fists up to counter him. He avoided me easily and lunged toward the board members by Laini and Gavril.
A Bureau guard leapt in front of the board members, attempting to block Vonn despite her lack of a weapon. I hurtled forward, but Vonn was too fast. He grabbed the soldier by her throat and kicked her kneecaps—one and then the other—the joints snapping with sickening cracks. She screamed in agony, and Vonn smiled, delighted.
My skin erupted with repulsed goosebumps, and my hand went for my pistol on the floor.
Vonn shoved her out of his way, the soldier no more than a plaything to him, and she crumpled to the ground. Still screaming, she reached down to her mangled legs. My blood boiled with disgust, and I flicked the safety off my gun as I took a step forward. Even if it meant I was torn to pieces, I couldn’t let Vonn continue. He was everything the Bureau feared vampires were, and I could see the twisted triumph in Alan’s eyes as he watched the display.
“This is what we were made for,” Vonn snarled as he headed for the board members.
Arlonne’s fangs extended. She looked between Vonn and the board members.
My breath caught. She was torn about her decision.
Laini, Gavril, and Bryce moved forward when I did. Clearly, Vonn’s actions had sent a ripple of revulsion through the crowd. As I poised myself to begin this fight, Arlonne flashed by me. I shouldn’t have waited. She was going to attack the hostages!
Vonn howled in alarm as Arlonne sank her teeth into his shoulder. His face contorted in rage while she drank from him. He tried to beat her off, but Kane’s group suddenly closed in on him, spurred on by Arlonne’s action, leaping into the frenzy one by one. All at once, he was surrounded. I could barely see between the gathered cloaks as more vampires joined in feeding on him.
His sickening scream rose above us. They were… killing him. Bryce and I exchanged shocked looks. Perhaps Dorian’s warning about Vonn becoming the darkness he fed on wasn’t just metaphorical. Oleah stood off the to side, visibly shaken as she watched what could have too easily been her fate as well if her pettiness had evolved into true cruelty.
I stared, transfixed, as Vonn’s writhing limbs occasionally broke above the mass of vampires. Bravi stepped beside me. Shadows concentrated on her face, suggesting she had just finished feeding off Dorian. If she was over here, then he was likely stable, but I wanted to know about his condition.
As if sensing my question, Bravi spoke.
“He’ll be better soon.” She stared at the scene in front of us, and I could see her distress beneath the shadows. Even though it was Vonn, I imagined it must be upsetting to watch a fellow vampire being consumed. I hoped it might give them a better perspective on how humans felt when they watched vampires feed on dark humans.
“I’d heard vampires c
ould turn dark, but it happens so rarely, and dark vampires are killed so quickly. I’ve never seen it before myself. He must’ve started to enjoy causing more and more chaos and suffering,” Bravi explained softly. “So, this is what happens when vampires enjoy their work too much.” She shook her head and glowered.
“I didn’t realize a vampire could turn dark,” I confessed. Alan stared straight ahead, not bothering to look at Vonn. Was he afraid of his own darkness?
“I should’ve guessed he was becoming a problem,” Bravi muttered angrily. She stalked off toward Laini, and I made no move to stop her. She needed a moment after taking care of Dorian.
I shook myself to attention and concentrated on the board members. I wanted to get back to Dorian soon and make sure he was okay, but there was other business to take care of. Jones’s bottom lip trembled as he stared at the scene. Alan, though coldly looking ahead, seemed paler in the face. He was getting a look at his future if he didn’t surrender. I hoped he realized it. The woman was still unconscious.
I stepped around the mass, trying to ignore the dying cries from Vonn’s hoarse throat. The soldier he’d maimed had fallen into quiet whimpers. A vampire hovered awkwardly over her, trying to help. We needed to get off this roof and have some semblance of demands ready for when Fenton or any of our possible backup arrived. We needed to call emergency responders to help the injured soldiers. And I needed to find Zach.
“We’ve got Louise on the line!” Bryce yelled, hobbling over to me with his comm in his outstretched hand. “She got our comms hooked into the building’s internal speaker system and the Bureau comms. We can get the director to shut all this down.” He placed the comm into my hand and nodded. “This is your surrender to claim.”
My resolve firm, I closed my hand around the comm and approached the board members. Alan looked up at me as I held the speaker in front of his face. It was now or never.
“Tell the Bureau troops down below to surrender,” I said firmly. I left the alternative unspoken. I doubted he’d try to call my bluff now.
Darklight 2: Darkthirst Page 49