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  Smithson strides up to us. He grabs Paul, and in a single smooth move throws him to the floor.

  The fledgling hits the ground awkwardly. He is obviously unused to the grace now afforded to his body. He cannot use it yet as we do.

  Smithson stomps his foot on Paul’s throat. “You lie through your teeth,” he growls. “Nobody who’s in charge of an organization so powerful gets there by not thinking ahead. You know exactly what you plan to do. And I suspect,” he shoots me a cautionary look, “—that it ends with your betrayal of us.”

  Smithson kneels down, putting his face inches away from Paul’s. “But what you underestimated,” he continues, “is the extent by which vampires are bound to the hierarchy.” He eases his foot off. “Which means, as long as we will it, you answer to us, you respect us, and you do not pollute this arrangement with your lies!”

  “All right, all right,” Paul chokes. “You’re right. I’ll give you that.”

  Smithson hooks him up by the shoulders and shoves him to the bed. A vampire cannot feel another exerting influence on a third party, but I am sure Smithson is using his.

  “Start talking,” Smithson growls.

  Paul looks around at the three of us. He takes a deep breath. “There is…” he says slowly, “…there is a level of the facility deeper than this. Only those with the highest clearance are allowed inside.”

  “You and how many others?” Smithson asks.

  “Me and Beast, who you’ve met,” he says. “Two more of his men and one adviser of mine. Five of us in total.”

  “And what do you have down there?” Victoria asks.

  Paul turns his eyes to her.

  “Prisoners,” he admits, “who have been… chemically subdued.”

  Victoria’s expression turns dark. “You will take us there,” she says, “and you will show us what you mean.”

  Paul’s face remains stony for a very long moment.

  Finally, he mutters, “Very well.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Victoria

  The Crusaders’ facility

  I follow James and Smithson, who walk on either side of Paul, as he leads us down a secret tunnel even deeper underground.

  When the Crusaders’ leader said he had prisoners, I immediately assumed the worst.

  Who would a group like this hold hidden away but the very creatures they are dedicated to eradicating?

  My time in The Crypts, while I wormed my way into Logan’s confidence, taught me just how close power and corruption are.

  We reach a thick glass door. It’s opaque, so impossible to see through. Lights dot the ceiling, and a tiny computer screen is embedded into the wall.

  Paul walks up to it, taps the screen, and initiates some sort of command line program.

  “When these doors open,” he tells us, nodding at the thick glass, “the whole facility will know when we go in. Everybody knows what the alarm means.”

  “Alarm?” James asks.

  Paul makes an irritated sound. “It’s very dangerous if the things inside escape.”

  “Vampires, you mean,” I say softly.

  He looks back at me. “Not… quite.”

  He turns back to the little screen and returns his attention to the program.

  “So what are you doing now?” James demands, sounding impatient.

  “I’m trying to disable the alarm. Usually, it takes all five of us, all five with the clearance, to be present to do it. Lucky for you, though, certain appropriations were made as a contingency upon my death. Melvin was never meant to have clearance, and so… Aha!” He steps back and nods in satisfaction. “The alarm is disabled.”

  “Hurry up and open the doors,” James says. “Let us see these prisoners.”

  Paul hesitates. “I would, but there’s one slight problem.”

  “What?” James growls.

  “The security system only allows two to enter at a time. The doors will not open, even with the pass, if the four of us stand here.”

  “You disabled the alarm,” James says in a low, warning tone. “Surely you can override the system.”

  “I cannot,” Paul answers. “The safety measure is locked into the hardware. Nothing can be done.”

  “So what, you led us all this way for no purpose?”

  “No,” he says. “I can bring one of you inside.”

  I step forward. “I’ll go.”

  James and Smithson both spin on me. Before they can voice their protests, I explain.

  “James, you must to be kept safe. We cannot risk anything happening to you in there.”

  “Nothing will happen to me,” he stresses.

  “Do you know what’s inside?” I ask. “How do we know this one isn’t setting us up for a trap?” I flick a hand over at Paul.

  “I’m disappointed how little you think of me,” he says.

  I show him my teeth. “I’m sorry if I don’t have the most sympathy for your cause.”

  “If you’re afraid of James being harmed, I should go!” Smithson says. “I am stronger than you, after all.”

  “Ha. Nice try. Despite all your promises, I’m still not sure how far to trust you.”

  “I’ve proven true to my word time and time again,” he says, puffing out his chest.

  “Ultimately, it’s up to James,” I admit. “But think on what I said. James, we cannot risk you. We’ve got the coven, and… other things.” Magic, I think. “Smithson, you need more time to prove yourself. Which is why I am the only choice.”

  “Unless Paul disarms the whole system, and we all go through,” James says.

  “I told you, that would be impossible,” Paul answers.

  “No system has ever been made without a backdoor,” Smithson tells us.

  “This one was,” Paul hisses. “And even if it could be altered, that would take days. None of us have that much time to waste.”

  “Victoria,” James looks at me. “Are you certain that you want to go?”

  I nod. “Yes.”

  “Fine,” he says. “Then let it be. Smithson and I will wait here. But if anything happens to her—” he gives Paul a dark and dangerous look, “—you will be held responsible. And you will learn exactly what a curse immortality can be.”

  Smithson scoffs a laugh. “Threatening torture is a great way to get others to do what you want.”

  James raises an eyebrow at the other vampire, but otherwise, does not respond.

  I come up to Paul. “Let’s do it.”

  “You two, stand back,” he directs James and Smithson. “You need to be at the far end of the corridor, out of sight, before the doors will open for us.”

  James looks to Smithson. “Do you believe him?”

  “No,” the one-time Captain Commander grunts. “But these are his terms.” He touches my arm. “Stay safe, Victoria.”

  The gesture surprises me.

  I never imagined he’d care.

  I watch as James and Smithson retreat into the depths of the hall.

  For good measure, I direct a tiny stream of influence at Paul. “Remember who the stronger of us is,” I say.

  “Of course I will,” he answers softly. “Now,” he steps directly in front of the thick glass doors. “Stand back, and don’t move.”

  He holds his hands out to the glass. He slowly moves them over the surface, as if feeling for some hidden feature. After a moment, he starts to rotate them in a precise pattern, over the unmarked facade.

  I watch as a sliver of a crack appears under his finger. It spiders across the surface, extending out in five different directions. It grows more visible; stronger, until the solid door is split into five congruent parts.

  Paul turns his head to me and smiles. “The way is revealed,” he says.

  He pushes into one of the segments, and it suddenly shifts, and then shoots back at tremendous speed.

  Paul ducks down to slip through. “Come on.”

  I follow him, all my senses on high alert.

  As soon as I
’m through, a feeling of disassociation takes me. My mind feels like it’s separating from my body. I waver a little and have to catch myself on the side wall.

  “Damn,” Paul grumbles. “I did not think it would be this bad.”

  I look to him and see him suffering the same afflictions.

  He grits his teeth and presses forward. “Walk,” he commands. “It’ll get better when we reach the end of the chamber.”

  I follow him, struggling to properly place my feet. The disorienting feeling is a little like the way silver addles the senses, but somehow more precise, more… thorough.

  We get to the end of the circular hall. Paul steps out first and quickly straightens. I follow him.

  The moment I’m out, that disassociation ends. My mind snaps back to me.

  “What was that?” I demand. “Why didn’t you warn me of it before?”

  “A warning would not have changed it,” he says. “You may have hesitated.”

  “Why does it do that?”

  “It’s meant as a deterrent for our prisoners. So they don’t try to escape. The glass barrier back there is the only way out. If someone very strong were determined enough, they could theoretically break it down. Nothing is invincible.

  “The chamber, however, ensures that does not happen. It will destroy the mind of any vampire who lingers inside for more than a few minutes.”

  “You knew it was there, and yet you still led me through it,” I begin.

  “I exposed myself to it, too,” he tells me. “Don’t fret. We’re safe now.”

  “Yes,” I say, looking around, “but where are we?”

  Again, I find myself in a ringed room. The Crusaders must be fond of such architecture. There are more of those opaque glass doors situated around the walls.

  The rest of the interior is white, pure white, with bright overhead lights shining down on the room.

  “Those are the holding cells,” Paul explains. “The majority are empty. Only those two—” he points them out, “—are properly occupied.”

  “And by ‘properly occupied’, you mean…”

  “Take a look, see for yourself.”

  He walks over to the nearer of the two. Again he manipulates his hands over the glass in a very precise pattern.

  A transparent window appears in the glass.

  He steps aside and gestures for me to look inside. “Go ahead.”

  I feel a great sense of trepidation as I approach. The window is higher than my eye level, so I have to go on my tip-toes and press my face against the window to look inside.

  What I see makes me gasp in absolute repulsion.

  There is a vampire there.

  At least, something that had been a vampire, once.

  It’s lying like a starving child. The skin is paper-thin and almost translucent. The eyes are shuttered closed, but I can see the dark pupils through the eyelids.

  There is not a single ounce of muscle left on the thing. It is just skin and tendons and ligaments and protruding bones. Its cheeks are so sunken as to belong to a ghoul, and the fangs in its mouth have shrunk down to the size of thumbtacks.

  A small loincloth is hitched to the thing’s waist, but in its current state, I cannot tell if it is male or female.

  I realize with a start that I actually can feel the vampire’s presence. I’d assumed the glass blocks that, but it is not the case.

  The only reason I had not felt it earlier is that it’s so weak.

  “How long has it been there?” I ask, turning to face Paul.

  “He,” he tells me. “He has been imprisoned by the Crusaders since the time of my forefathers.”

  I screw my face up in horror. “How many generations?”

  “Six, maybe seven…? It’s hard to know for sure. Certainly he has never told us how long it’s been.”

  Even though I am a creature of the night my heart goes out to the poor vampire. Maybe the short span of time I’d lost my vampire abilities reignited the humanity I have locked inside.

  “What do you mean to do with him?”

  “Now? I am not certain. That determination has not been made. Only a few hours ago, I was convinced I would have to leech the vampiric essence out of him and transfuse it into me.”

  My eyes go wide. “That’s not possible. You cannot steal the Dark Gift! It must be granted by one already in the blood.”

  “Traditions, traditions,” he murmurs. “I am not sure you appreciate how much technology has advanced in the past decade. My, when I was still a boy, the things available to us today would have seemed impossible!”

  “Even so,” I begin.

  “What do you think we’ve been doing here?” he asks me. “For the length of my reign, what do you think our ultimate purpose has been?”

  “I know your organization’s purpose. It’s to wipe out all vampires on earth.”

  He shakes his head. “No. You are mistaken. That is the reason we were founded, yes, but like everybody, we adapt to the times. How much do you know about the Crusaders, as they are today, Victoria?”

  “I know you fulfill government contracts, I know you send mercenaries into war zones. Your people go into the places the armies will not.”

  He gives a small smile. “I’m impressed. Maybe you aren’t just James’s plaything.”

  I take a menacing step forward. “You watch yourself,” I warn him. “You are bound by the hierarchy now.”

  “Oh, that pesky thing.” He waves a hand dismissively. “Doesn’t mean much here, does it?”

  “Only because I haven’t exerted my influence. I’d prefer not to have to resort to that yet.”

  “Very well.”

  “So what is the Crusaders’ modern day purpose?” I indulge him.

  His smile widens. “I’m surprised it isn’t obvious to you yet.”

  “Tell me.”

  “We are paving the way to make a new breed of soldiers,” he gloats, chest puffing up. “To infuse them with the vampire essence and give them strength, give them vigor, give them everything they need to become invincible. But more than that, it’s to give them all the gifts of your kind, without crippling them by any of the parasitic aspects of who you are.”

  “You’re part of us, too,” I remind him.

  He smiles. “Of course.” He glances around the room. “We are always making progress, Victoria. How do you think I survived my sickness for so long?” He gestures at the closed door. “My doctors gave me the most cutting-edge, experimental treatments, all thanks to him.”

  “But you were still dying,” I stress. “They could not preserve you forever.”

  “No, my dear. Like I said, we are only at the beginning.”

  “So you’ve kept two vampires here, starved them, experimented on them, all to fulfill your sick purpose?”

  “Would you rather we’d have been making a single weapon that could eliminate all vampires worldwide the moment it was switched on?” He sneers. “That was my father’s project. I shut it down as soon as I inherited the rule. Such an antique perspective, to look at vampires as the enemy. There is no profit in that!”

  “So you shifted your attention to money and greed,” I say slowly.

  “The Crusaders are one of the strongest groups in the world!” he proclaims. “I grew us to our current might. Killing vampires… it is child’s play compared to what I envision.”

  “Why are you telling me?”

  “I figure you’ll pass all of this on to James. In due time.”

  I press my lips together. “Hmm.”

  “What I see in our future, Victoria, is a single private entity in possession of the world’s strongest army. We would not start wars, but we would profit from them. My men will be at the disposal of the highest bidder.”

  “That’s sick,” I say. “You want to ruin the world!”

  He sneers at me. “Is it such a horrible ambition, to provide accountability to the world’s highest powers? We get to decide who and what prospers. We will have the might to to
pple entire governments!”

  “You would not do that,” I say darkly. “Why bite the hand that feeds?”

  He chuckles. “You’re sharp. The real reason I’m telling you this, Victoria, is to help you see the necessity of the experimentation that goes on down here. It must continue, for the sake of our purpose.”

  “You say our as if it has anything to do with me.”

  “But, of course, it does. You and James and Smithson are my masters. As the Prince said. I am just a puppet.”

  “Funny,” I sniff. “You weren’t so eager to lie down and accept that just a few minutes before.”

  “Perspectives change,” he says. “Will you vilify me for arriving at the truth?”

  I point to the other door. “Show me the vampire in there.”

  He bows his head. “As you wish.”

  We walk over, he manipulates the smooth glass panel, and a little window appears again.

  This time, I focus on seeing if I can sense the vampire in there before I look through the glass.

  I think I get a faint sense of something, but I cannot be sure.

  I go up on my toes, again, and look inside.

  Revulsion pulses through me at what I see.

  The vampire inside is but a little girl! She has a tattered orange dress on. She’s curled up in a little ball, rocking back and forth ever so slightly. The majority of her hair has either fallen out or been torn out.

  And the essence that sustains her is so weak. So incredibly, so pathetically weak.

  I hiss and pull back. “What did you do to her?” I demand. “How long has she been there? How long has she been like this?”

  Paul very calmly walks over and does something to the glass that makes the little transparent window fade.

  Then he looks at me, with the eyes of one insane, and whispers, “She is special in ways you cannot fathom.”

  I can’t help it. My claws come out. “You tell me,” I growl, menacing over him, “or I’ll rip your heart out right now.”

  A very real expression of fear passes over his face.

  Then it’s gone, hidden, controlled, and he says, “James would not be happy with you if you did.”

  “I can handle James,” I spit. “The only vampire you need to worry about is me. Now tell me, who is that little girl!”