I’ve never seen my dad’s face lose sense of control. It was like hearing my direct question made him glitch. Everyone he knows speaks to him like he’s the most important person in the world. And I suppose to them, he is. But not me, not anymore.
“It’s widely known Dante created the Dogs.”
“That wasn’t the question,” Gabe spat. “Answer him.”
His eyes, cold and sharp as ice, threw daggers at the man before him. “Remember who you’re speaking to, Gabriel.” He squinted, peering at each of us intently before pushing his glasses up his nose and planting one hand firmly on his hip. “Dante and I created the Dogs as well as the automation fortheir repair in the event of damage. That was the directive of the United States government at the time.”
“And what of after?”
“Dante and I had a falling out. I wanted to use the Dogs for the vampire’s advantage, and he wanted to disable them completely.”
“And what did you do to him?” He must know I now have knowledge of all the despicable things he’s done. “Did you kill him? Turn him into a vampire?”
He shrugged. “I haven’t heard from him in years. I assume he was at the laboratory in the mountains. We continue to send him supplies and food because our order forms keep being completed.”
Why was he continuing to lie to me? “Do you take responsibility, even partially, for the apocalypse we’re in?”
He paused, a finger tapping thoughtfully against his chin, before answering. “Partially, I suppose, but it was all to preserve the people I loved.”
“Let’s be real—it was for power and wealth.” This was the first time Jude spoke, and though his voice trembled slightly, he wasn’t wrong. His face blazed with fury and anger. “Stop lying to your son. He knows the truth.”
A sly smirk stretched across my father’s face, his eyes twinkling mischievously. “Well, yes, I made a lot of money and became the most powerful individual in the world. With all my wealth, I created Elysiums across the globe, safe vampire compounds away from humans. My initial thought was to live separately but harmoniously.”
“Until you used the Dogs to kill the humans,” Gabe said under his breath.
“Look at what I created!” The sound of buzzing filled the room as Salvatore clicked a button, turning on the old television screen hanging on the wall. Four quadrants displayed horrificvisions of The Wastes—a bloodbath of chaos and destruction happening outside, each quadrant a different angle of the carnage. “I created the strongest army in the world, and we’re winning! I cannot be stopped. It’s my responsibility to ensure the vampire race continues.”
I gazed at the television and saw Exiles launching themselves at the humans, taking them down one by one. A horrifying expanse of white snow was stained crimson where the soldiers lay, their bodies scattered across the field. The only color was their white coats, now red.
“Speaking of responsibility.” My dad swept across the room. “I understand the Extraction was unsuccessful today. We found our poor doctors completely dead. I didn’t raise you to be a killer, Vincent.”
“I-I’m not giving my blood to anyone anymore. Without me, you’ll turn into an Exile, and this war will be over. We can finally start to rebuild what you’ve broken.”
“Oh, you’ll give it to me, whether you give it willingly or I force you to.” With a roar, my father launched himself across the room, knocking me onto the floor. I screamed, my legs thrashing wildly as his fangs tore into my neck, and a chilling cold ran under my skin as he began to drain me.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Sounds of my father feasting on me blared through my eardrums. A snarl and moan rumbled from deep in his throat as he drank deeply from the artery in my neck. My body and mind were completely in shock and paralyzed. It all happened so fast. I couldn’t even hear Jude and Gabe screaming until they removed my dad from on top of me.
Gabe’s powerful hands gripped my dad’s shoulders, sending him sprawling backward against the wall with a heavy thud. With a swift, decisive movement, Jude unsheathed his gun and pressed it to my father’s temple. “I’m only keeping you alive because Vinny would never forgive me if I made a move. Don’t try anything, or I’ll be forced to put a bullet through your head.”
His eyes wide with worry, Gabe fell to his knees, his warm hand cradling my neck. “Vin! Are you okay?”
I swallowed the saliva pooling in my throat. “I-I’m fine.”
His fangs pierced his skin, a bead of blood welling up before he offered his wrist to my mouth. “Drink me to help you regain your strength.”
I wrapped my lips around his wrist and drew in a deep breath. Blood cascaded into my mouth like water from a lakeonce the dam had been removed. His blood was sweet, and I couldn’t get enough. Is this how I tasted to him? No wonder he loved sex so much. As my body grew stronger, I gradually released his wrist from my mouth. I wiped my lips with the back of my hand. “Thanks.”
A bloodcurdling scream, sharp and piercing, echoed from the wall. My father started making gurgling noises, his face turning pale, and his body heaved as if he were about to vomit. His face drained of color, and his cheeks swelled as his skin took on a sickly gray hue. He doubled over, clutching his stomach in agony, and collapsed onto the floor in a fetal position.
“What’s happening? What’s wrong with him?” Jude asked, locked onto the man with his gun extended.
Is it bad of me to say I didn’t care what happened to him? On one hand, I wished Jude would pull the trigger, but my conscience wouldn’t allow it. I didn’t know why he was sick, but I also didn’t care. He deserved it.
A hearty laugh boomed from the doorway. “Evil is a disease that infects the body and mind.”
Every eye in the vault snapped to the door, a tense silence between us as we waited to see who entered. With a slow, deliberate movement, a man in a white robe reached up, his fingers finding the surface of his unicorn mask before he let it fall to the ground. From the shadows emerged Arthur, a triumphant smirk playing on his gray beard as he brandished a gleaming pistol.
