Page 26 of Before We Burn

“You’re going to let me go?”

“You saved my life, I saved yours. Run back to the humans and tell them about the vicious vampire named Marzana who nearly stole your life and turned you into a monster.” I flash him a sarcastic smile then allow it to slowly fall.

If it wasn’t obvious, I’m insulted. I sure hope that made it clear. I continue to shove everything into my backpack, making sure I carry essentials rather than luxuries. Once this human leaves, he’ll likely bring his military here and force a fight I want no part of…yet.

“I—I don’t understand.” His anger has seemingly disintegrated, my patience with it.

“You don’t understand because you don’t listen. I don’t want you here. I don’t need you here. You’re so wrapped up in your sob story you think it’s the only thing of importance. So get the fuck out unless you have something to tell me about Bunny or why they’re taking freshly turned vampires.” I whip my sweater onto the bed.

He looks from me to the bag, but I’m already so irritated I can’t stop the words before they leave my lips.

“Oh, and by the way, if your family was killed inside your house, that means someone had to invite them in. Vampires can’t enter a home occupied by humans without an invitation. We can’t coerce you or use our abilities to have you let us in. It has to be of free will. So either your memory has been tampered with, or you’ve been lied to.”

I see the wheels turning in his mind. Realization dawns on him that things may not be what they seem.

I swing the backpack over my shoulder and give him a dirty look as I move past him. “Wait,” he says before I make it up the stairs.

That last bit of information has his mind turning. He knows something doesn’t make sense—he’s been grappling with that thought his entire life it seems. A silent battle goes on longer than I want to wait, but I know I’m close to getting the information I need.

I know I can enter his mind to drag the truth out of him, but I don’t want to do that just yet. I don’t want to have to pry into his mind and prove just how terrible vampires can be. I fight a frown, upset that I have to accommodate a person who would’ve shot me in any other circumstance. I hate that I am, yet again, being the bigger person. Even if he is a bigot, I still must maintain a level of composure.

“I can tell you one thing I know for certain and a rumor. That’s all I got.” He takes a moment before continuing. “I know for certain the fang venom is something they’ve been after. Our researchers were able to use the venom to create a booster shot soldiers could administer during battle. It gives us all the abilities of the vampire it was taken from without turning us. It’s short lived, but efficient.”

He pauses to look at me, gauging my reaction to see if that’s enough to send me over the edge. It almost does. Imagine wanting to eradicate a species while wanting to temporarily become them. It’s disgusting and evil. Vampires have evolved just like humans. We used to do things in a primitive way, like hunting and killing whatever we saw fit, destroying ecosystems and life wherever we went.

Not anymore.

“And the rumor?” I question, waiting for what I know will be the worst of it.

He lets out a breath, his shoulders thick with tension and his dark eyes settling on me like freezing cold water.

“There have been rumors the researchers have been working on something else—something that will guarantee that no more human lives will be sacrificed in this war for humanity.”

I roll my eyes. “War for humanity is kind of steep when humans just did something inhumane to a group of freshly made vampires who were just trying to become members of society. Don't you think?”

He scratches the back of his neck and shrugs. “Besides the point vam—Marzana.” His self correction stuns me. “The rumor is they’ve been working on a witch-vampire hybrid. Somehow taking the DNA from a vampire and fusing it with a witch to create something they can control while using it to maintain order and power.”

I shake my head in disbelief. My stomach coils, and bile threatens to come up. “No,” I say, diverting my eyes from the human who stands too casually in front of me. A human who, until today, saw nothing wrong with the monstrosities his friends would introduce to people who never sought control or war in the first place.

“What do you want in exchange for this information?”

“I want to come with you. I hate your kind—and you, honestly—but if you were able to give me that bit of information, someone else along the way might be able to get me more. Plus, we’ve heard rumors around the barracks about brain games. It was part of the initiation—a witch goes into your mind and hides the things that make you weak. I think the witch who did mine may have messed up. With your gift, maybe you can finally let me see what makes me weak.”

So typical. Other people are suffering—being tested on like they’re tools instead of living, breathing beings—and here he is, finding the most selfish reason ever to join me.

“I will not hold your hand or care for your wounds. I am not your mother nor your friend. Keep up or get left behind. Understood?” The words slip out, and I’m pissed at myself for being this naive.

“Understood.”

We stand there for too long, looking at each other. I try to figure out what he wants from this. The idea that Alexander purposely planted him in my life to deter me from my actual path was also a thought, but Alexander isn’t that smart.

I climb the stairs, the human right behind me, as I consider where his loyalty truly stands.

12

NO REST FOR THE WICKED

MARZANA