Finn stood back and motioned to the room. “Are they all dormants?”
The vampire king considered how much he should share with the wolf. Considering Finn would never leave the facility alive, what harm could it cause?
“I shared with you my plans to merge the vampire race with theCanis lupus.” Cain slipped his hands into his pockets. “And I gave you some of my reasons.”
“World domination,” Finn said dryly. “Typical, fanatical dictator. Sounds an awful lot like what the Order was trying to accomplish, but I’m attempting to keep an open mind.”
“Excellent.” Cain smiled, letting his sharp canines show. “But it’s not only about developing a superior race. Here is a little fact about your race, Finn, that you might not even be aware. Dormants are a superior food for my kind than mere humans. Their blood sustains us better. Not only do they handle our need to feed better because they heal faster, but they quench it longer. I believe a hybrid will not need nearly as much blood as a full-blown vampire requires. And, if I’m right, their urges will also be more controllable.”
“That’s all well and good but I know there’s still something you are not telling me.” Finn motioned around the room. “Look at all the people. You wouldn’t be risking the alpha’s wrath simply for urge control and a more nutritious food source.”
Cain hissed. “Yes, the alpha of alphas.” He practically spat out the words. “He might be powerful, but he will not stand against an army of wolf/vampire hybrids. My army will have the combined power of our two species. And an army of them would wipe the damn floor with the wolves.”
Finn’s eyes widened. “So that’s what this is really about. You think you can build an army to oppose Fane Lupei?”
Cain lifted his chin. “Not only Fane, but every supernatural race that poses a threat to my new creation.”
“Well, that would be all of them,” Finn pointed out.
“You are very astute.”
The werewolf growled at him. “Why would you want to kill them all? Aren’t there still some races that would work with you?”
Cain shrugged. “Why would I have need of them? They’re weak. Even the damn elf king couldn’t keep himself alive.”
Finn coughed. “What?”
Cain chuckled. “Oh, you didn’t know? Ludcarab is dead. The elves are without a powerful leader, considering his heir has proven that he will stay in his realm twiddling his thumbs unless his fae mate tells him to jump.” Cain knew all about it. At least his predecessor had been smart enough to set up a half-decent spy network to keep tabs on the other races. The wolves believed the vampires remained clueless to the goings on of the supernatural world just because they had bided their time underground for so long.Fools.
“Okay.” Finn folded his arms across his chest. “What about the fae? Do you think you can defeat them, too?”
Cain sighed. “Have you been listening? Ahybridarmy—”
“Will not have the power of the fae,” Finn snapped.
“What they lack in magical ability, they will make up for with sheer numbers,” Cain pressed. “Do you have any idea how many dormants there are in the world? Centuries upon centuries of wolves breeding with humans. Almost all of them walking around clueless as to their true natures.”
Finn shook his head. “Canis lupusrarely allow themselves to be with someone other than their true mate.”
“I don’t know what fairy tale you’ve been living in.” The vampire king taunted. “What about the ones on the verge of going feral? The ones so close to losing their minds that any female becomes a better option than no female at all?”
The male wolf appeared ready to vomit, but Cain could see he knew the ugly truth about his race. Finn looked disgusted at the prospect of some of his race lowering themselves to be with humans, not that Cain could blame him. Humans were disgusting. The wolf growled low in his throat.
“Not to worry, Finn. If everything goes according to my plan, neither of us will have to trouble ourselves with thehomosapienrace much longer.”
Cain would not go into details with the wolf, but part of his plan included a breeding plan that would eventually replace all the pesky humans. Those left alive would be busy spitting out more dormants, which would lead to more hybrids. And with each hybrid created, his power would grow. Of course, Cain would have to keep some full-bloodedCanis lupusaround. After all, what could be better than feeding from the Great Luna’s beloved wolves? There was even a part of him that considered keeping Fane alive, just to have the male chained up and available to feed from whenever Cain wished. He chuckled as he thought about Fane’s face as he watched him feed from the alpha’s mate. It was definitely an idea worth entertaining. Had he mentioned it was good to be king?
“This is insane.” Finn stepped away from the gurney. “There’s no way.”
“There is always a way,” Cain bit out through clenched teeth.
“What of the djinn? The warlocks? The draheim? You truly believe you can—”
Cain swiped out his hand, slashing it through the air. “I can and I will.” Cain decided to appeal to the part of the wolf that he had seen in the forest— the wolf thirsting to be free of all masters. The dominant in him couldn’t stand the idea of being beholden to another. “And once you realize the freedom you will have—once you are no longer under the thumb of Fane and the damn goddess who thinks she should be able to tell you what to do and who to bow to—then you will appreciate all I am doing.”
Finn cursed under his breath.
“Are you reneging on our deal?” Cain asked. “Are you really that weak?” He continued walking. He needed to get Finn to Willis so the scientist could retrieve the wolf’s blood before the damn beast decided to back out. Cain could feel the fear and uncertainty rolling off the wolf.
