“You haven’t considered that you didn’t have to remain a vampire?” Cain slipped his hands into the pockets of his slacks, and his shoulders relaxed as he watched Sam. “What if I told you I will help you control those urges? I could make you walk in the day again. I can make you more than a vampire. I can even make the putrid smell that happens to our kind in-between feedings go away.”
The other male’s head slanted to the side, and he crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I don’t want to kill people. I wasn’t a bad person as a human, and I won’t be a murderer as a vampire… or more than a vampire, whatever that means.”
“What did you do as a human?”
“I was a lawyer.”
Cain’s brow rose. “Hmm. What type of practice?”
“Criminal defense.”
Cain couldn’t stop the bark of laughter. “Wait.” He held up a hand. “Let me get this straight. You”—he pointed a finger at Sam—“have a problem being a vampire, even though you represented and defended humans who had the same killer instincts as one of mine?”
“Not all people accused of crimes are guilty, and they deserve to be represented. There is something called a presumption of innocence.” The man’s voice was full of conviction, but Cain saw the doubt in his eyes. It was clear the lawyer knew that not all of his clients were innocent.
“Of course. Innocent until proven guilty. But for how many guilty people did you help secure a not guilty verdict? Are you per chance responsible for putting a dangerous human back into the population?” Cain found himself genuinely curious. The morals of humans were sometimes interesting. He was also beginning to plan a use for the new vampire, one that would keep the “good man” from having to kill, but also provide Cain with a beneficial tool. Having legal representation against the human government might come in handy after he created his hybrids.
Cain had begun to envision himself as the king of more than just a supernatural race. He imagined himself as the head of a great nation of vampires, one that was sovereign and governed itself. If he could set that up, then the US government wouldn’t be able to control them. As a matter of fact, they would be beholden to him. After all, Cain would control an army no nation on earth could stand against, an army of hybrids. And Cain could earn a fortune by leasing his creation to the highest bidders. Cain’s exports would make OPEC’s profits look like child’s play. Yes, legal representation would be vital.
Sam’s shoulders tensed. “That wasn’t my job. I didn’t determine their guilt. That’s between them and their maker.”
“How quaint. And did that little platitude appease your conscience for the ones you were pretty damn sure were guilty?”
His arms dropped, and the lawyer seemed deflated. “Why do you want to know this?”
“Because I believe I can give you a job that doesn’t require the shedding of blood. And teach you to feed without killing your food.”
“Can’t I just drink from an animal or a bag?” Sam sounded disgusted. No doubt the vampire part of him was not in agreement with his still-present human conscience.
“Animals will make you weak. Bagged blood has a risk of being useless if it has lost its ability to transport oxygen, which is why we need fresh blood. The virus that lives in us causes our own blood to use up our own blood’s oxygen much faster than a human’s. Our hearts beat slower, if you hadn’t noticed. Therefore, we don’t carry the oxygen through our bodies very quickly. The virus is constantly working to kill us. It’s one of the reasons we begin to smell like decaying flesh. That’s why not feeding will eventually cause your death. It’s not like in the movies where a vampire just dries up until more blood is given to them and, boom, they can come back to life. We are only immortal as long as we feed, and as long as we don’t get our heads cut off or our hearts ripped out. Blood, just like it is for humans, is our life force. So, see? We’re really not that different from them.”
“Yet you see them as less than yourself?”
“Do you consider your food your equal? Are you not greater than a cow or a pig?” The words were barely out of Cain’s mouth when Raylion reappeared. And he wasn’t empty-handed.
“There was a magical signature, or rather several, at the veil. And this.” Raylion held up a bowling-ball sized amalgamation of flesh and hair.
“Let me guess,” Sam inclined his head. “That’s Alston.”
“Well, his head, anyway.” Cain’s voice might have sounded bored, but inside he was grinning like a fool.
“There’s a note attached.” Raylion pointed to a piece of paper hanging from a string threaded through a hole in the high fae’s earlobe.
Cain reached down and tugged on the paper. Alston’s ear extended toward him, and Cain half expected it to come off. But the paper finally ripped free of the string, and the ear flopped back against the fae’s head. Cain’s eyes ran across the page.
I love to play games, and I’ve been playing them for a long time. Keep them coming, vampire king. This won’t be the last head I send back to you.
Happy hunting… to me.
~Cyn.
Cain crumpled the paper in his fist and couldn’t help the smile that formed on his lips. “Well, that’s one problem out of the way.” Cain pointed to Alston’s head. “Would you be so kind as to get rid of that?”
Raylion dropped the head and then opened his palm, sending out a ball of light. The head went up in flames. In a matter of seconds, it was nothing but ash.
“Excellent.” Cain made a show of wiping his hands against each other as if he had somehow gotten them dirty reading the note and barking orders. “If you two gentlemen would follow me. I’ve got some work to get done, and so do each of you. Raylion, I’ll explain what’s on the agenda, and then I need you to head out and find the fae loyal to the cause.” Cain didn’t mention that once the cause was accomplished, he’d be wiping out the fae right along with the rest of the other supernaturals that weren’t necessary to his rule, which was everyone but his hybrids, of course. “Sam, I think you’ll appreciate the job I have for you. It will keep your hands clean, and most of your conscience, not to mention you’ll get to continue using that fancy degree of yours. No need to let that go to waste just because you are no longer human.” Cain didn’t hear any arguments as he walked back through the gate of the compound and headed toward the laboratory. They followed, and he began explaining to the pair what he had in store.
The dominoes were falling into place. His major rivals were dead: Ludcarab, the elf king, Alston, the high fae, and, thanks to Peri’s cold fire, many other Order members. Hell, for all Cain knew, all the other Order members were dead. His vampires were still gathering dormants, which meant he would have plenty of test subjects. And now that he had successfully bound the vampire virus to the Canis lupus blood, these wouldn’t simply be failed experiments. They would be actual hybrids. The vamp king picked up his steps as his eagerness to get back to the matter at hand consumed his thoughts.
