The Lair (44 page)

I sent her a questioning look. We hadn’t had much time in the clinic before her father had shown up, but if she still had her powers, wouldn’t she have found a way to tell me?

Would she even know if she was still an
abductura
? Maybe she still had her powers and just hadn’t used them.

But when I caught her eye, she shook her head like she didn’t know what he was talking about, either.

I tried another tactic. “Just let us go. We’ll get Lily, take the cure, and leave you alone.”

“You’ve already said you wanted to kill me. Why would I let you go? It’s completely impractical, of course. I can’t have humans running around messing up my plans. It’s bad enough that he’s out there.” Roberto whirled in a circle again. “Do you see what you’ve done, Sebastian? This was the last outpost of civilization, and you’ve destroyed it! All because of your stupid little revenge plot. You’ve sworn to kill me or die trying? Fine! But why kill all of humanity along with me?”

“Don’t pin your crimes on Sebastian. Don’t blame him for the mess you created. He’s the one who’s out there trying to protect people.”

“You don’t honestly think he ever cared about your stupid human rebellion, do you? He’s never cared about that. All he’s ever cared about was revenge. Two thousand years and that’s all he’s ever thought about. Seriously.” Roberto yelled out to the courtyard, “Sebastian, you need a hobby.”

Part of me knew that Roberto was right—about this, at least. Sebastian’s primary motive had always been stopping Roberto. But, still, I had to argue with Roberto. “He may want revenge, but that doesn’t mean he’s okay with what you’ve done to the world.”

“With what
I’ve
done to the world?” he asked, sounding strangely baffled. “I’ve protected as much of my kine as I can. I implemented the plan for the Farms. Jonathan convinced people to send their kids there to keep them safe. We’ve protected people.”

“Obviously.”

“And what has he done? He’s dillydallied around, plotting out this elaborate scheme to kill me while he waited for your powers to develop. What did he really think was going to happen? That you’d just waltz in here and talk me to death?”

“The way this is going, I think talking people to death is more your style.”

Roberto smiled at my joke, “You amuse me. Maybe I’ll even keep you around after I’ve killed Sebastian. I can never have too many
abducturae
.”

“The joke’s on you then, because Sebastian doesn’t have an
abductura
.”

Roberto’s smile froze. He tipped his head to the side and asked, “Do you really not know what you are?”

Icy fear hit me in the chest. Even though I didn’t believe him, I felt it. “I’m not the
abductura
. Mel was.”

Yet, somehow, even as I said the words, things were clicking in my mind. Pieces of a puzzle were starting to merge into a complex picture, something I hadn’t seen, hadn’t even dreamed until this moment.

“Of course Melanie here was an
abductura
. I figured one of Jonathan’s girls would be. Why else would I have worked so hard to get them back? But no, she lost that ability when Sebastian turned her. Think about it; he wouldn’t have turned his only
abductura
. He wouldn’t have turned anyone, would he, unless he didn’t have a choice?” Roberto pinned me with an unshakably intense stare. “It was your idea, wasn’t it? To turn poor Mel here. You were the one who convinced him.”

Even though I wanted to deny it, I couldn’t. When Mel was dying, Lily had had the idea that Sebastian could turn her into a vampire to save her life. But I was the one who convinced him to do it. Despite the fact that he’d sworn over and over that he’d never make another vampire, he’d done it.

At the time I’d thought . . . what? That I’d just made a good argument?

Now, standing here listening to Roberto, it seemed ridiculous that I hadn’t seen it before. I was the one who convinced Sebastian to turn Mel. Just like I was the one who’d convinced all the guys at Elite to start the rebellion. Just like I convinced them to search for Lily and Mel. To rescue Greens from Farms. Hell, back in the clinic I’d even convinced Jonathan to go talk with me instead of turning me over to the guards, which is what I was sure he really wanted to do. When was the last time I’d asked something of someone and hadn’t gotten it?

Now, looking back on my life, it was obvious what I was. Not just what I was, but what my father before me had been. What we both were.
Abducturae
. Liars. Controllers. Manipulators.

I’d been willfully ignoring my true nature for years.

Because, hell, who would want this god-awful skill? This curse that allowed you to twist the will of others? I don’t know if my father had wanted it, but he’d certainly used it to his own advantage. Jonathan had obviously wanted it. As for me, why would I want this? Why would I want to be in the company of these two losers?

Except I looked around behind and saw that Jonathan was gone. At some point in the last few minutes, he’d skittered away like the cockroach he was. The bastard.

So it was just me and Roberto. And Sebastian, if he was out there. I felt a burning wave of hatred wash over that icy disbelief. Sebastian had known what I was all along. He’d found me and nurtured my powers and used me, all without revealing what I was.

All my life, I had hated the kind of man my father was. The kind of man who used other people, who manipulated them to get what he wanted. I had despised him for as long as I could remember. And here I was, just like him.

Because in the end, I would use this supposed power of mine to get what I wanted. I would free Mel, I would get the cure for Lily, and I would get us the hell out of here.

Sebastian had always said that it took training for an
abductura
to be able to channel his powers and use them. It took focus and determination. I didn’t have training. All I could draw on was the memory of the few times I knew for sure that I’d used my powers.

I remembered the fear for Mel. The sheer determination not to let her die. The need to prove myself to Lily.

I drew on all of that now and said to Roberto, “Forget Sebastian. Forget all of this crap. Let Mel go, give us the cure for Lily, and we’ll just walk away. You’ll never hear from us again. Or, hell, we’ll stay and help you fight, for that matter. If you’re pissed off that Sebastian has risked your compound, we’ll stay and fight off the Ticks. I’ll lead your men against them myself. But first you have to get the cure for Lily and let Mel go.”

Roberto tipped his head to the side. “The cure?”

“Yes, the cure for the Tick virus. I know you have it.”

Roberto gave another one of his slow, creepy smiles before dissolving into laughter. Not the crazed, maniacal laugh, but a cynical chuckle. “No, I don’t. I’m not behind Genexome Corporation. I’ve never had anything to do with it.”

“No—” I protested automatically.

“For hundreds of years, I’ve invested in energy, cattle, and kine,” Roberto said. “Biotechnology has never interested me. I’m not the vampire with the vendetta against all our kind. I’m not the one who wants to destroy all of the vampires and wipe the slate clean. Think about it. I don’t own Genexome Corporation. Sebastian does.”

Shock slammed into me and I staggered back a step.

But Roberto’s verbal assault kept on coming.

“When you think about it, you’ll see I’m right. I’m not the villain here. He is.” Then Roberto chuckled. “Well, I am a villain, just not the one you’re after. And that does sting, doesn’t it? Knowing that he’s had the cure all this time. All this time, he could have saved humanity and he waited. He has the cure that will save your girlfriend, but instead of giving it to you, he sent you here to distract me.”

“Why?” I gasped out, not meaning to, but shock had robbed me of caution.

Roberto whirled around and gazed at a point in the shadows between the buildings. “Isn’t that right, Sebastian?”

A Tick howled, and the sound seemed to reverberate in the air. The Ticks were nearer now. But before I could pinpoint a location, Sebastian stepped out of the shadows. He had his dagger in one hand and a longer, curved sword in the other.

“Sorry it took me so long.” He winked at Mel. “Hiking in from the drop site and avoiding all those Ticks was a pain in the ass. Nasty business.”

“Did you really think that would work? Sending in your little baby vampire as a decoy? Did you really think that I would be so distracted by her stench that I wouldn’t notice you trying to sneak up on me?” Roberto flipped the stake and caught it neatly in his palm so he could use the sharper end in a stabbing motion. “Did you honestly think that would work?”

“No. I never believed that at all.” Sebastian stopped a few feet away from Roberto, a mad grin stretching his mouth taut. “She was never a decoy. All these distractions, they were never for you. They were to get your people out of the way. All your guards and acolytes. I wanted them distracted. I wanted them gone. I don’t need to sneak up on you to kill you. I just need to face you one on one.”

Roberto nodded toward the weapons Sebastian clutched in his hands. “If you’re so eager to face me on equal terms, then why do you have two swords and I have none?”

“Which do you want? I’ll gladly hand one over.”

“The katana, of course.”

A second later, Sebastian tossed the longer of the two swords through the air. It turned end over end before plunging into the ground at Roberto’s feet, swaying there for a second. Then, Roberto thrust Mel away from him and grabbed the sword. An instant later, Sebastian lunged for Roberto. The fight that followed was a flurry of movements too fast to even see. The clang of their swords was one constant clatter of metal on metal so loud I couldn’t even hear the baying of the Ticks over it.

So this was what it had come to. Everything that had happened in the past year of my life had been about this one battle to the death between Sebastian and Roberto. This was never about me at all. This trip here wasn’t about getting Lily the cure. It was just about revenge for Sebastian. I always knew that morality was a wavy and mysterious line for him. I always knew he couldn’t be wholly trusted. Still, I didn’t see this coming. I could never have imagined that he would betray us like this.

I could imagine him failing us. Out of laziness or lack of compassion or even simple hunger. But I hadn’t imagined he had it in him to plan and execute a betrayal this elaborate. This well thought out.

I could accept Jonathon’s role in this mess because he seemed to genuinely believe the world needed a fresh start, one guided by his twisted vision for humanity. And I could accept Roberto’s role in this, because he was yet another crazed megalomaniac. No wonder the two of them got along so well. But I couldn’t understand Sebastian’s motivations. I couldn’t imagine any thirst for revenge that would justify the murder of millions.

I watched the furious fight for a moment, but knew I couldn’t stay to see the ending. That was okay. No matter how this ended, I was going to hunt down Sebastian someday. If Roberto didn’t kill him, then I would.

I lunged forward and grabbed Mel, pulling her away from the fight. I found my pocketknife in my boot and sawed through the zip ties. She gave her hands a shake, cringing. Roberto had put the zip tie on tight enough that her hands were bitterly cold and already turning blue.

I grabbed her by the arm. I had to shout to be heard over the clang of the swords. “We’ve got to go!” I yelled. “The Ticks will be here any minute. We’ve got to get Lily and get out of here.”

But she shook her head. “You get Lily and find some wheels. I’m not leaving Sebastian.”

“Are you kidding me?” I glanced back at the fight. She was crazy if she thought she could break into that and end up anything other than dead. Besides, I couldn’t believe she wasn’t as pissed off as I was. “That’s his shit to handle.”

“No,” she yelled back. Her fingers were at the buttons of her shirt, refastening the few that were left. “We can’t leave without him because we still need the cure. If Roberto is right and Sebastian has the cure, then we need that for Lily. We can’t leave him here.”

She was right; I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it, too.

I nodded. “I’ll be back in five minutes. Get him ready to extract by then.”

I jogged off in the direction of the clinic. I was nearly there when a low thrum filled the air. I looked up to see a helicopter swoop in. It stopped above the clinic, hovering in the air above the squat building. My pulse kicked up.

Of course Roberto would have a helicopter. There were only two men on El Corazon who would have the authority to call it in. One of them was out in the square, trying to slice Sebastian into shreds. The other was about to kidnap my girlfriend.

I raced to the front door. I wasn’t sure how well staffed this place was or what I would encounter on the other side. As long as they were human, I could talk my way past them. It was the Ticks howling in the distance that I was most worried about. I didn’t give myself much time to think it through. Right about now, I was really missing my weapons.

With the electricity off, the pair of glass sliding doors didn’t open automatically, but one of them swung open when I pushed it. The entrance was empty, but I could hear sounds coming from the left. The building must have had a backup generator—I guess most hospitals do—because dim yellow emergency lights lit the hall about every ten feet. This was the opposite wing of the building from where we’d been held when we first arrived. The clinic was obviously bigger than this tiny community needed. Apparently when Roberto had built it, he’d been planning ahead. I ran down one corridor and then the next, glancing into every room, but I saw nothing. No patients. No staff.

Then I turned a corner and heard it. The faint, lulling beeps of a life support machine. I slowed to a jog. As I got closer, I realized it wasn’t just one machine but several, and the noises were coming from a room beyond a pair of doors just ahead.

I slipped to the side of the doors, pressing my back against the wall so I could listen. Someone was in the room. I heard the carts rolling around. Things banging. It didn’t sound like a Tick rampaging through the room, more like a human in a hurry. I peered through the window in the door and saw Price along with a woman in scrubs. Shit. And here I was. No weapon.