“No? Then what is it about?”
“I had you brought here because I want to discuss a deal with you, the kind that is mutually beneficial and that will leave us both satisfied at the end of the day. And, god willing, will mean that we never have to see or hear from each other ever again.”
“Oh, wonderful, never seeing or hearing any of you does sound like a good enough deal already, but why don’t you tell me what else you have to offer? You know, for conversation sake?” I really wanted to do nothing more than get my arms free and blast him back into that fire, but his people were smart. They hadn’t just bound my wrists together, they’d made sure that every finger was immobilized and utterly incapable of even the smallest amount of movement. I guess I wasn’t the first witch that he’d ever met with personally.
“I know that you don’t appreciate being brought to me like this, truth be told I think it’s distasteful as well, especially on account of the broken nose. But I really do need to make sure that you appreciate the seriousness of what I am trying to achieve here, how important it is that these shifters are not allowed to move on any further than they’ve been allowed to.”
“From what I’ve seen they’re not doing anything wrong, you’re just chasing them across the country because of an old grudge. That is what you’re doing, isn’t it?”
“Of course it is, these shifters killed people who were important to people who are important to me. They had a hand in almost killing me and tossing me out into the forest like I was a piece of trash to be discarded, they more or less spat on everything that I stood for in my old life and threw me head long into this one. Whatever it is that happens to them has been a long time coming, and is a direct result of their actions.”
“So you’re just going to deny personal accountability here? You’re going to ignore that you’re choosing to go through with this?”
“Of course I’m not, I’m not stupid enough to deny vengeance when I see it. I was a bad man when I was still trying to protect people, I’m a bad man now that I’m trying to avenge them, I made my peace with the kind of person that I am a very long time ago. And with that acceptance comes the knowledge that whatever it is that I think of doing to those that are my enemies, I can do without a lapse in conscience or morality, I can commit one hundred percent to what needs to be done.” He smiled, an expression with no real feeling behind it. “You think me absolutely insane, don’t you?”
“What gave you that impression?” I asked, “You can hear yourself right?”
“Everyone always thinks that I’m crazy, even the people who you see here around you thought so at one point as well. But do you know what happened? They saw me work, they saw the necessity of what I do and knew that if they wanted to protect the few of them that had been left they would have to make a similar vow to do what was needed. It’s a very messy, ugly thing that I do, but over time people accept it for what it is.”
“Wow,” I said, “You really are insane. Good to have complete confirmation on that.”
He didn’t say anything in return, just stared at me with those beady little eyes that looked like they wanted to burn my soul out of my body. It was much worse than anything that he could yell and scream at me, that’s for sure. I honestly would have preferred the yelling and screaming, otherwise it was like he’d… accepted that he was insane and wasn’t going to deny it. Not a good place for me to be in, definitely not.
“If you’re worried for your safety then don’t be,” He said, noticing the way I’d been squirming, “Like I said before, I want to make a deal with you. I have no need for corpses when I’m trying to make a deal.”
“And how do I know that you would actually honor the deal?”
“You don’t. All you have to go on is my word, and though I understand that is a big ask, you can believe me when I say that I take my word very seriously. If I say that you get to walk free with no repercussions and then you stabbed me in the eye, I would still demand that you walk free without anyone else attacking you, so you can believe me when I say that however this deal goes, whether we reach an understanding or not, one of my people will take you back to yours tonight. In one piece.”
I took a deep breath, then another, then one more for good measure. It wasn’t like I had any other plays to make here, as good of a nose as Damon and Vincent had, I was still potentially miles out in the middle of nowhere in a direction that I had no idea of, surrounded by shifters that had only last night crippled a great deal of the shifters under my care. There weren’t really many other options aside from listen to what he had to say and go from there, he had no real reason to lie about letting me go back, the thought that he just wanted someone to monologue to and then bury in a shallow group didn’t really make any sense, even if he was irreparably insane.
“Fine,” I sighed, already settling in for a slew of unreasonable demands, “Let’s hear what you have to offer.”
“You might not believe me, but I am telling the truth when I say that those shifters are nothing but trouble, if my people hadn’t started chasing them out of town then someone else would have, and very soon. I don’t think I need to tell you that those brothers that lead them aren’t suited to do so, and in that they are just like their father.”
That wasn’t exactly a secret, even Nathan thought so, but it didn’t seem like much of a reason to hunt and kill someone. I suppose maybe I just have different standards.
“They’ll destroy your city, just as they destroyed the town that I chased them from, just as they destroyed countless lands before they settled there. They are nothing but trouble, they are a cancer, and the only cure is to cut them out. Me taking them off of your hands would be as much a favor to you as it would be to me.”
“So that’s what you want, you want me to just hand them over to you. Men, women and children all to the slaughter?”
“Yes,” He said, once more shocking me with his honesty. “It’s not pretty, I know, but it is what must be done. With no sentimentality, no remorse, no courtesies that should be extended to enemies. But I don’t expect you to do this for no benefit.”
“Really? And what benefits would you give me?”
“For one, I can tell you how many of my spies are in the city, as well as the ones that they have watching over you. And I can assure you, Anthony was definitely not the only one watching you.”
I figured as much, but I didn’t want to betray any sort of emotion to what he was telling me. Of course there were going to be spies other than Anthony hanging around in the city, it wasn’t something that you left up to one man alone, that was to be expected. What I hadn’t thought of, much to my embarrassment, was the possibility of Clark having his own people watching us. How many were there, what were they doing? Had they already done something to begin with?
“You’re intrigued,” He said, “I can tell just by looking at you. If you give me the shifters, every last one of them, I will give you the names of every spy, mine and theirs, that you have in your city. After that… whatever happens to them is in your hands.”
“You’d sell out your own people? Even though they’re making a huge sacrifice for you?” I flicked my head towards the shifters on the other side of the makeshift camp, all busying themselves with other things to avoid listening in. “What would they think of that? Surely they wouldn’t like their friends and family being held back and… what? Executed?”
“Everyone who went in, everyone who goes in is aware of the sacrifices that need to be made. You cannot join us if you are not able to give up everything, and we have all become stronger as a result. What did they tell you about me?”
“They told me that you used to be a hunter, you used to hunt everything without any sort of remorse, until everyone got sick of your methods and decided to try and kill you. The way that I understand it not even your fellow hunters really cared that much.”
“Well, they got that much right at least, I wasn’t expecting that to tell the truth. The rest of the stories usually g
o somewhere between vengeance and love, hate and forgiveness, I’ve heard so many of the stories that I’m not certain of the truth sometimes.”
“And that truth is?”
Strangely enough he paused, as though that was a question that he genuinely hadn’t been expecting, or maybe that he just hadn’t wanted to be asked. Very interesting, to say the least.
“I was fished out of the river after the shifters and the wolves had almost torn my insides out, and I was brought back to life by a woman who I miss every moment I’m away from her. She took me in and gave me something that I had been denied for years, and everything… everything that I do is in her name, from the small acts of good to the sweeping acts of cruelty. We both have things that we have lost, and I have made it my mission to make sure that we are both paid back in full for them.”
“And you’re going to do that how? By killing every paranormal that you see that isn’t one of yours? Why would I even think of helping you if there’s every reason that you’ll just turn around and kill us for sport when it suits you?”
“Believe it or not, I’m not one for indiscriminate slaughter. Every person that I kill has a purpose, even if that purpose is to terrify others into surrendering. I have no real qualm with you, even if you refuse to strike a deal here, tonight, though if we can’t come to an agreement then I’ll be forced to come into the city and take what you won’t give me by force.” He lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “Otherwise this can be the end of our meetings, or you could even decide to allow your people to join us. We’re not so closed off that we would refuse a new friendship to blossom.”
“A new friendship? I thought that you were on a killing spree stretching down the country? The morgues are filled with bodies that you’ve left behind trying to get to these shifters!”
“They were people who were in the way, I’m not going to pretend that I’ll be merciful to those that refuse to give me what I want. But if you look around, you’ll see that it’s not just shifters who are among us, and that is something that not even those shifters that you are protecting realize.”
I couldn’t really help but look, if just so I could be certain that he wasn’t telling the truth. But when I narrowed my eyes and looked out into the darkness, I sure enough saw something that I hadn’t been expecting at all.
“Ah, you’re looking at her,” Clark said, following my eyes to the tall figure standing far from the others, “She has been with us for years now, I picked her out of nothing and brought her up when others had cast her aside completely. Who turns a werewolf and then decides to just… abandon it like that? Even when I was a hunter I would have found that barbaric.”
“From what I’ve heard you’re not so shy about killing werewolves.”
“That’s true, I’m also not shy about killing shifters, or hunters. Whoever an enemy is, is just that, an enemy and nothing more. Same as how a friend can become a friend regardless of where they come from.” Taking a sip of water from a canteen before offering it forward, he sighed to himself, “As much as the others would like to convince you, I do not hate paranormals just for being paranormals, not anymore. I hate my enemy, and I will hate my enemy with my entire body and soul, but I will not hate an entire species of beings just for the acts of a few.”
“How noble,” I groaned, though truth be told my head was spinning. Assuming that he was telling the truth, and that was a very big if, then he was absolutely nothing like Anthony had said. Well that wasn’t quite true, but at the very least he wasn’t so… outwardly homicidal, he seemed to be in control of whatever violence was lurking under his skin, just as much as someone like Joseph or Christine were. I wasn’t thrilled that I could so easily make that connection.
“I know that you don’t like me, you very well may hate me and for that I understand. You’re obviously someone that values life, who wants to protect everyone that you possibly can. As much as you might think otherwise, I am just the same as you in that, but I know the reality of what needs to be done in the name of protection. In time you might understand, but if not… I hope that you are never placed in the position of needing to.”
“Maybe I will be, maybe I won’t be, but I’m not going to do what you do. I have standards, and I’m not looking to become a mass murderer because of some… fucked up idea of love or whatever it is that you’ve convinced yourself you have.” I tried to squirm away from him as much as I could, more than disgusted at having to share space with such a revolting human being. What is it with monsters always believing that they’re protecting everyone, when the only person that they’re protecting in the end is themselves? First Tristian, then this man, I’m not looking forward to meeting the next, whenever that is.
“I’m sorry that you think that way, but with time to think about my offer you might reconsider. These are very strange times that we live in and the truth is not always cut and dry, we always need to look out to make sure we aren’t betraying ourselves.” Reaching forward for what I finally recognized was my phone, he picked it up and started thumbing through the menus, ignoring my indignant protests.
“Hey! What are you doing, that’s not yours!” I kicked my foot out, not having a hope of reaching him but knowing I had to try anyway. “Give me back my goddamn phone you creep!”
“Please relax, you’ve no doubt got quite the substantial headache and your nose is throbbing, I’m not doing anything sinister.” Dialing a number and holding it to his ear, he smiled at me with that creepy empty eyed smile again. “I’m just informing whoever it is that you’re close to that you’re going to be returned safely, and if the person who delivers you doesn’t return in one piece then I’m going to cut all of you apart extremely slowly.”
“Right,” I scoffed, “Nothing sinister at all...”
“Hello?” He spoke into the receiver, “Is this… Vincent? Good, my name is Clark, I’m the leader of the shifters who are trying to kill your shifters, I’m glad to be speaking to you.”
You know, after this time speaking with him I genuinely can’t tell if he has more of a sense of humor than everyone was saying, or if maybe he really is just this naturally strange. Knowing my luck, probably the latter.
“I want to inform you that we are, in fact, the ones who took Amy. And we are, in fact, the ones who currently have her in our possession. I’m- please stop yelling- calling to tell you that she is going to be returned safely to you with no other marks on her than the ones that she already had in…” He checked his watch, raising an eyebrow as he ran through the timeline in his head. “About an hour. Stay where you are, with your shifters at that makeshift hospital, and we will deliver her personally towards her in time for you to get a late night dessert. If a single hair is touched on my deliverer’s head then you can be assured that I will kill all life in the city that you call home, so I suggest that you get control over your anger right now.”
He was definitely a leader alright, that tone really didn’t welcome any argument. If his people were really dedicated enough to die for him then it was obviously working, he had an army at his disposal and he had the sheer will to take advantage of it in every way. Lucky us.
“I’m glad that we’re at an understanding, I am a man of my word after all. Would you like to speak to her to confirm that she is in fact alright?” Listening for a moment, he nodded to himself and extended the phone to me. “Vincent and Damon would like to hear your voice, feel free to tell them whatever you wish.”
No threats over what I could and couldn’t say, that was nice at least. Couldn’t really help how this whole situation was making me feel anyway, but kudos for effort.
“Hello?” I said, preparing to have my eardrums blown out by the wall of noise and concern that they were no doubt trying to contain. Thankfully for me and my pounding headache they kept their voice down when they answered me, Vincent’s tone so soft and concerned that I didn’t realize it was him at first, speaking around a lump in his throat that I could hear clearly even across the phone.
; “Amy?” He replied, “I’m sorry that we weren’t there for you, if we’d just been closer, or if we’d insisted more… you might not have been taken like this.”
“It’s no one’s fault Vincent, especially not yours. I should have kept my eyes open more, for all I know they were banking on me making a decision like this.” Clark’s subtle nod was a lot more insulting than he’d been intending no doubt, but I didn’t have time to bring up any issues with it. “I’ll be back with you soon, and after that we have a lot to speak about. Tonight has been… very strange.”
“I’ll say,” Damon replied, “I wasn’t expecting to get a call from the guy that we’re fighting against anytime soon, that’s not covered by my plan.”
Humor, he was laying it on thick to try and distract himself from feeling any guilt that he no doubt was foisting onto himself unwarranted. Why? Because he’d suggested what was to be fair a pretty useless guard in the first place? If he was there I don’t have any doubt that the shifters would have managed to grab me anyway, they’d gotten themselves deep into the city with none of us even realizing until one of them broke my nose, sometimes things are just meant to be no matter what you do to prevent them.
“If he’s hurt you I’m going to tear his arm off and beat him to death with it, you know that right?”
“Oh I have no doubts about that Damon,” I laughed, “You can actually do that now too, those new gifts of yours are really good for something huh?”
“Well, just so we’re on the same page… I love you, be safe, ok?”
“I will be, don’t worry…” I looked up at Clark, staring right into his eyes as I said, “He might be evil, but he’s not stupid. He’ll keep his word.”
Clark nodded, not reacting at all if he was even slightly insulted, merely asking with a simple tilt of his head if I was finished. I was, but there was one last thing that I had to make clear.
“Damon, Vincent?” I asked, giving them a second to listen closely before I finished, “I love you, I’ll see you soon.”
The Vampire’s Revelations: Book 12 of the Fatal Allure Series Page 12