Authors: Megan Morgan
Robbie’s eyes glistened. “And your brother died as a result. Not everyone in Aaron’s organization wanted a treaty. Not everyone in yours did.”
“And that’s how you got your followers, isn’t it?” Sam shook his head. “The people who didn’t agree with us flocked to you.”
“The dissenters were small and powerless at first, but I found my place among them. A place in the world, finally. I didn’t have the charisma you had, and I certainly didn’t have your political clout and money, but in small groups, people listened to me. Ideas were formed. And they spread, changing minds.”
“Like cancer,” Sam said.
Ethan had been listening silently, his expression proud, chin tilted up, eyes fixed dreamy and adoring on Robbie. He was clearly full to the brim with Robbie’s Kool Aid.
“I built my numbers behind your back,” Robbie said. “You ignorant, blind fool. You have no idea how deep I’ve burrowed in. Nearly all your operatives inside the Institute are in my pocket. I let you find out what I wanted you to find out, including about the serum.”
“What?” Sam gasped.
June found her voice. “I don’t understand that. You and Sam both want to see the Institute fall. Why would you withhold information from him when you want the same thing?” Occam’s words whispered in her head: Robbie wanted the Institute to crumble on his terms. Sam needed to hear this. He needed to hear the truth and finally see.
“Information is power,” Robbie said. “I didn’t have your money or influence, Sam. But I had information. I was willing to stand by your side at one point, you realize. Your charm and my knowledge? We could have ruled the world.”
“It was your ploy,” June said, “to get him on your side. Present him with this knowledge and he’d make you his right hand man?”
Robbie looked at her. “No, darling. He’d be my right hand man.”
“I can’t believe this.” Sam huffed. “Here I’ve thought I was blind to the actions of one man, when it was a giant conspiracy to keep me in the dark. How can you call me stupid when this was engineered to make me fail?”
“You could have noticed it,” Robbie said. “You could have noticed me, instead of chasing shadows.”
“You killed our people!” Sam lurched away from the wall. “You covered your tracks by blaming the SNC, and you sent me chasing those shadows. This wasn’t my fault. It was yours.”
“If I couldn’t keep our kind from going to the Institute, I had to keep the Institute from using them. It was a drastic measure, but it had to be done. I couldn’t let them keep stealing from us.”
“Knowing what you knew,” June said, “you could have taken that information to the FBI a long time ago.”
“We needed them to actually conduct the experiment. Eric injected himself before he injected Micha, but we certainly couldn’t carry him off to the authorities.”
“So you’re going to shut down the Institute,” June said, “and then you’re going to give your people Sam’s corpse to chew on, and then—what? You take over the city?”
“It doesn’t have to come to Sam being torn apart. I can present his head still on his shoulders. I’m giving you the chance, Sam, to join me.” His gaze on Sam might have been beseeching and benevolent, if his eyes were anything but alien. “If you join me now, this doesn’t have to end badly. I’ll spare you. I’ll spare Muse. I’ll make sure all your friends are exonerated.”
Sam leaned forward. He lowered his voice. “I somehow must not have made it clear how much I want to reach down your throat and rip your spine out.”
Robbie shook his head. “I figured as much. I don’t need you, as you can see, but it would have been nice.”
“This is one city,” Sam said. “The whole big bad world is out there, beyond the boundaries of Chicago. You can take over this city, but what are you going to do about the rest of the world?”
“Others will join us.”
“Your megalomania is truly astounding.” Sam backed off.
“My voice will be heard. People will follow me because I have alternatives for them. I can give them freedom and safety.”
“For how long?” June asked.
Robbie jerked his head to her, like a blind animal sensing vibrations.
“You’re dying,” she said. “Every day it’s getting worse. You can barely see now.” She was still terrified but caring less. They’d die fighting or they’d die chained up. The former held more appeal.
“And the vampires won’t help you,” she said. “Occam told me. They don’t want an invincible monster running loose in this city.”
Sam looked at her.
“He wants the vampire virus,” she told him. “Eric failed at injecting himself with it—all the bad side effects, none of the good ones. Turns out you have to get it right from the source.”
“I will get it,” Robbie cut in. “If I have to drain one of them myself.”
“It won’t work,” she said. “There’s some magic in a vampire willingly making you one of their own, something Rose couldn’t uncover.”
Robbie’s eyes appeared to glow, as if his evilness powered them.
“Even if I were to die today”—his voice was low and deadly—“others would rise to take my place.”
“Would they?” she said.
Robbie grabbed her by the forearm and jerked her forward. His touch was like electricity, hot and prickling. He gripped her painfully tight.
“I’m not the only one in this room who’s actively dying,” he snarled in her face. “Don’t you think your vampire friend has a hidden agenda? They all do.”
“Let go of me!” She jerked at his grip.
“You don’t understand yourself at all. It’s shameful.”
“Let her go!” Sam said.
Robbie didn’t. “You’re powerful too.” He grabbed her stomach in a claw-like grip with his other hand. “Just because you don’t use it, doesn’t mean it’s not there, gnawing away at your guts.”
She stopped struggling and stared into his eyes, her blood running cold.
“Vampires love powerful people,” he said. “They swoon all over a paranormal person with vast abilities. Occam knows how to make bargaining chips.”
“What are you talking about?” His hands on her were hurting, his fingertips hard pinpoints digging into her skin.
Robbie laughed. His breath was stale. “She doesn’t know she’s dying, Sam? You haven’t told her?”
The air left her lungs. “What?”
“Your allergies,” Sam said. “I suspected it.”
Her throat tightened. “No…”
Robbie let go of her and flung her away. She stumbled back against the wall.
“Are you sure you don’t want to join me?” Robbie taunted her. “We can die together.” He burst into uproarious laughter, high-pitched and evil.
She clutched her stomach, the sensation of his fingers still there.
“As beautiful as this moment is”—Robbie made a sweeping motion at the door—“I’m afraid we must go. There are things to be done, people to take care of. Last chance, Sam.” He gazed at him. “Would you like to come to the good side of the fight?”
“Go to hell,” Sam ground out.
“After you. After her.”
Robbie swept out the door. Paul jerked the gun at them. Sam grabbed up her hand again, clutching it tight. She was numb.
Robbie led them out of the building, Ethan and Paul at their backs.
June was reeling from what she’d just learned and couldn’t focus on her current situation or survival. Robbie led them down the stairs, seeming to float down them.
“Where are you taking us?” Sam asked. “You can’t just finish us off in private?”
“What fun would that be?” Robbie’s voice drifted up the stairwell. “My followers want to enjoy it, too.”
He led them outside into the night. The air smelled fishy and briny like the lake, and June’s queasy stomach lurched. A small group of people stood under a security light, a short distance from the building’s entrance. Robbie approached them, arms raised.
“Stay right here,” Ethan ordered.
Sam and June stopped.
“He’ll summon you when you become pertinent.”
“My children,” Robbie crowed.
Five people stood under the light, two men and three women. One woman held up a cell phone as Robbie approached, obviously recording him.
“I have brought you a gift.” Robbie spun around dramatically toward Sam and June. “As promised.”
All attention focused on them. The woman with the phone pointed it in their direction.
“I promised you I’d bring him to us.” Robbie’s eyes glowed in the darkness. “He’ll be brought before our gathering tomorrow, and I’ll put an end to his weak reign.”
“I trusted all of you,” Sam said. “You betrayed not only me, but your own kind!”
“No, Sam,” Robbie said. “It was you who betrayed your own kind. I’m freeing them from your ignorance and oppression.”
His followers were nearly swooning. One of the women started weeping.
“Bring him his gift,” Robbie said. “I want to show him my hospitality.”
The two men broke away from the group and started across the lot, toward a black van.
“You disappoint me, Sam.” Robbie strolled toward them. “You had potential.”
“Save it,” Sam said. “I heard this already. You’re just showing off for the camera.”
The girl with the phone followed Robbie. Robbie looked at her. “I don’t need to threaten him, now do I? He’s helpless. He always has been.”
The girl giggled, holding the phone up to him.
The men slid the side door of the van open. June stood stiff, barely able to breathe.
“He won’t be so snappy when we leave here,” Robbie said. “I’ll give him a little something to weigh on his heart.”
The men dragged someone out of the van, someone small and short and dressed in white.
“Muse!” Sam lurched forward.
Ethan threw an arm across his chest.
“I told you,” Robbie said, “she’s unharmed. For now.”
The men carried Muse between them. She didn’t struggle, hanging limply from their arms.
June looked around, desperate, searching wildly for an escape, or for something—anything—to fight Robbie with. She looked around and caught Paul’s gaze. He stared at her, his eyes glittering. She froze, her breath catching.
Those eyes. Gray, pale.
Paul tilted his chin down, arching an eyebrow. The gesture struck her. She’d seen it several times in the past week: that cocky know-it-all look.
“Don’t hurt her!” Sam lurched forward again.
“Watch it,” Ethan barked at him, pushing him back.
“Now, Sam,” Robbie said. “I need to spill someone’s blood for the camera. I can’t—”
Robbie stopped short and snapped his head around. June caught her breath. She couldn’t chase what she’d just realized out of her head. It was too late. Robbie had heard her thoughts.
“Robbie, Robbie, Robbie,” Paul drawled behind her. “Oh, I’m sorry. It’s Robert now, isn’t it?”
Ethan looked around at Paul, confusion in his eyes. Paul swiftly stepped forward and socked Ethan in the gut. Ethan doubled over and collapsed to the ground with an agonizing groan. Sam and June stumbled back.
Paul disappeared in a blink, replaced by Occam.
“You’ve been a very bad little monster, Robbie.” Occam waggled a finger at him.
“Jesus Christ,” June breathed out.
Robbie stood stock-still, staring at Occam with his wide white eyes.
“You pissed off the one legion of people your powers are useless against,” Occam said. “Shame on you.” He then called out, “Oh, kids! Say hi to Robbie.”
Two figures streaked from the darkness at the edge of the lot, so fast June thought she was seeing things at first. Zack and Belle leaped on the two men holding Muse. The men let go of her and she stumbled, almost falling. Zack and Belle dropped the men to the ground without much struggle. What the vampires did to them was unclear, since June was too far away, but only one of the men had time to cry out before they were both still and slumped on the pavement.
The woman with the phone shrieked and backed away, still recording.
Occam pushed past Sam and June and strode toward her. “Honey, vampires don’t like their picture taken.”
She screamed as Occam grabbed the phone from her. She took off running across the lot, into that terrifying darkness where more vampires surely waited.
Before the other two women could run as well, Zack and Belle jumped on them too. Belle fell into the bushes with one woman, and Zack threw the other one to the ground and attacked her neck. More screams shattered the night, before they were quickly and brutally cut off.
June’s heart was pounding out of her chest.
Sam rushed over to Muse. He grabbed her around the shoulders and pulled her against his side.
Zack and Belle leaped away from their victims, and the three vampires circled Robbie in a wide, slow, ominous loop.
“I’m not alone,” Robbie said. “More of my people are here.”
“Not anymore,” Occam said. “More of my people are here. We got rid of your people, just like we got rid of Paul.” He held up the cell phone. “Tell the viewers how that makes you feel.”
The phone flew from Occam’s hand and smashed on the pavement. Occam laughed.
“I will kill you all,” Robbie snarled.
“What, by throwing stuff around?” Occam chuckled. “None of us have anything you can hurt us with. My gun wasn’t real.”
June un-rooted herself from her stunned position and hurried over to Sam and Muse. “Is she okay?”
Muse peeked out from beneath Sam’s arm, her face twitching. She didn’t have any visible injuries, at least. “I’m okay,” she whispered.
“I can still rip their guts out.” Robbie pointed at the three of them. “Quite literally.”
“Go ahead,” Occam said. “But I should warn you, if anything happens to them, my followers are out there in the darkness, ready to jump on you like rats on a corpse. And Robbie, around vampires, you’re just a man.”
Zack clicked his teeth at Robbie. “And we’re hungry.”
“Why are you doing this?” Robbie demanded. “You’re neutral! Now suddenly you jump in the fight? This war doesn’t concern you.”
“You’re right,” Occam said. “Kill each other. Slaughter each other down to the last and let the blood flow through the streets. We don’t care. We’ll pick over your bones when you’re done.”
“Then why? Do you want me dead, so our groups will clash and kill each other in some glorious battle, so you can have the city?”