The Scarlet Dagger (The Red Sector Chronicles, #1) (24 page)

“
Known what?”

“
About the virus,” I snapped. “The eradication of the human race.”

“
Now what makes you think that?”

“
Don’t lie to me,” I bit back. “I saw the files, read about the experiments. My brother was one of your test subjects, wasn’t he?”

Paris never flinched. “We had been experimenting with biochemical warfare for years, ever since the Eclipse. So many possibilities for the
vampirism
virus, but we never found the correct strain.” She smiled. “Until fate delivered us your brother. Or rather, what was left of him.”

I clenched the blanket tightly in my fist. Sure, my brother had his faults, but he still deserved more than to be brutally murdered and cut up like some science project.

“
Why him?”

“
Your brother’s DNA is unique,” Paris said. “Because he is descended from the first vampire ever created.”

“
That’s absurd. You’re saying I’m descended from some legendary vampire king?”

“
You’d be surprised how often legends walk hand in hand with the truth,” Paris said, smiling slightly.

“
But I’m a human.”

“
No, not anymore. You never were completely human.” She paced in front of me, never lowering the pistol. “Your blood lust manifested itself differently, in the form of your desire to fight. You were always stronger and faster than the other children, weren’t you?”

“
I…” I struggled to deny it. I always won all the prizes in Field Day, had dominated every track meet. My fighting record had been so lengthy that it had been a miracle to keep me on the team. Only my outstanding grades had made up for it.

I shook my head. “That can’t be possible.”

“
Three years ago, humans would’ve said vampires were impossible, but they’re real. We said there would never be another world war, and yet it happened. I thought I would be with my husband forever, that he would never die, but he did.” Bitter rage colored her voice, and I tensed as she again raised the pistol to my head. “You’re the missing link, Sloane, whether you’re ready to admit it or not.”

I shook my head, disgusted with her. “This is wrong. So, so wrong. Why are you helping them?”

“
I’m helping us!” she screamed back. “You have no idea what is at risk here!”

She wasn’t angry because of what I’d done – she was angry because she was terrified. I could feel it. “What are you so scared of, Paris?”

She blinked, caught off guard. “I’m not.”

“
Yes, you are. I can tell.” My eyes narrowed. “Who was that man you were with, at the lab tonight?”

Her face completely drained of color, turning her white as a ghost. She wetted her lips, locking wide, fearful eyes with me.

“
Please,” I pressed. “You can tell me.” I pushed a bit of glamour into my words, hoping she would give in.

I waited, tense and silent.

“
Nero,” she finally whispered, her voice no more than air.

The Emperor. So that’s who’s behind the experiments.
I paused. Aden thought the gunmen at the arcade looked like Imperial Guards, though he didn’t know for sure.
Could Nero really be the one trying to kill me? If so, why? Does he see me as some kind of threat?

Paris began unbuttoning her blouse. “What are you –” I started to ask, when I caught sight of a thin scar right above her heart.

“
You see this?” Paris said, tapping it with her fingernail. “When Nero asked me to aid him, I couldn’t refuse. He had a container filled with poison sewed into my chest, right above my heart. It’s wired to explode via an electronic signal, going straight to my bloodstream and killing me instantly.”

Paris walked toward me and bent down, her eyes hardening. “I am their only link to the experiments. Less than five vampires know, not even Frost.”

I glared at her. “You’re a surgeon. Why don’t you just remove the vial yourself?”

Paris smirked. “As Nero told me, the vial has to be deactivated by him for it to become harmless. Should I try to remove it, the vial will break anyway. Which brings me to my original point…”

She pressed the barrel of the pistol against my forehead.

“
If you breathe one word,” she whispered, “I’ll kill you.”

Chapter
21

Thankfully, I didn’t have to stay with Paris for long. Aden came for me before noon. I had apparently fallen into a coma, as I didn’t even hear Paris leave for the hospital.

“
Did you manage to find out anything about the shooters?” I asked Aden – perhaps a little too sharply – as we walked. Behaving normally around him was proving harder than I had originally thought. Every time I looked at him and caught him looking back at me – which he did frequently, like I might vanish any minute – I became all flustered and couldn’t think straight.

He’s lied to you
, I reminded myself.
He can’t be trusted.

Not meaning to, I glanced at him and blushed, quickly looking away.
Now I know why I never dated. I hate feeling this way, this unease. It sucks.

Aden frowned, his blue eyes turning stormy. “No. But Frost doesn’t seem to be too concerned about it.”

Ha. Of course she’s not. She could probably care less if I died.

“
We looked into it, but couldn’t find any leads,” he continued. “Frost thinks they were probably more extremists disguised as Imperial Guards, and I’m inclined to agree. Either way, it was decided you should return to the academy to continue training. You’ll be safer there than at my place, anyway, and Frost wants you to be ready if she needs you.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Another person who wants to use me as a pawn,” I muttered.

Aden glanced at me. “You sure you’re all right? You seem a little… off today.”

“
Well, let’s see. My brother was brutally murdered by a Rogue, and I was turned into the very thing that killed him. On top of that, I’ve been tortured, electrocuted, and shot at. No, I can’t possibly imagine why I might be
a little off
.”

Aden stopped, grabbing my hand. My skin tingled as he wound his fingers through mine. Part of me wanted to hold on to him as tightly as I could, while the other half wanted nothing more than to smack him. “You don’t have to go in today,” he said gently. “I can tell them you’re not feeling well if you’d rather stay home.”

My heart fluttered against my will as I stared back at him. The concern in his too blue eyes seemed so genuine.

Stay strong.

“
No,” I finally said, clearing my throat and looking at my feet. “I want to go. Training will be a much needed distraction.”

He studied my face. “Anything else wrong?”

I shook my head, weary on all levels – emotionally, mentally, and physically. “I’m fine.” Geez, I even sounded tired. “I didn’t get much rest last night.”

Aden grinned. “I thought I saw a storm cloud hovering over your head this morning.”

“
Looking at everything that’s happened to me recently, I’d say it’s more like a hurricane.”

He laughed, and then his face grew serious. “I swear to you, no harm will come to you on my watch.” His voice had lowered, becoming breathier, as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, causing my heart to skip a beat.

I mentally stuck out my tongue at my heart.
Traitor
.

I nodded, having no reply to that. What could I say?
Thanks, but no thanks, you lying douche. I know what you’ve done, and who you’re working for.

Or so I thought. I didn’t actually know if Aden was working for Nero. Maybe he didn’t know about the experiments; Paris had said less than five people knew. Perhaps Aden really was innocent. But if he was completely naïve, then why did he smell like spices on and off?

It couldn’t be pure coincidence; the smells are too close for it to be that. Then again, maybe they wear the same cologne… I’m so confused.

Aden placed a finger under my chin, raising my gaze to his. “Trust me, okay?”

I swallowed and nodded, my stomach doing a flip as my heart and mind duked it out. He gave my hand a squeeze before dropping it.

Aden quickly changed the topic, asking me mundane questions like what my favorite movie was, if I had ever been outside the United States, and so on. I only half heard what he said, too distracted by figuring out how I was going to escape.

***

The rest of the day went on as usual. No shooters, no drama. It was blissfully mundane.

All day, my thoughts had been preoccupied with forming my escape plan. There was a track inside the base. Since I hadn’t had a chance to probe Angel’s mind about the tunnels – as we were never truly alone – I invited her to go for a run with me after classes let out. It was a shot in the dark, as she didn’t exactly look like an athletic type, but to my surprise she readily agreed. Even more surprising was that she was able to keep up with me; she didn’t even appear winded.

“
I ran short distance sprints in high school,” Angel informed me.

I glanced at her. She was thin and petite, but slightly toned. The more I studied her frame, the more she looked like a runner.

We talked a little about our track accomplishments, but for the most part we ran in silence, each of us focused on our breathing. It felt great to run, to feel the energy pumping through my veins, and to have sweat soak my skin and clothes. Five miles had passed before we stopped. We were both a little winded, though I felt I could’ve kept going, like the Energizer bunny.

“
It’s your vampire stamina,” Angel explained as we walked to the showers. “And it’ll only get stronger the longer you’re a vampire.”

I checked the bathroom as soon as we walked in. Good. We were alone. This was the one place where there weren’t any security cameras, either. We had complete and total privacy. If I was going to pick Angel’s brain, now would be the opportune time to do it.

Earlier, I had told Aden where we were going for a run, and he said it’d be fine if we went without him, though he had sent two extra guards to come watch us in case anything happened. They were waiting for us outside the bathroom, as they were both male.

I heard a shower spring to life as Angel popped open a shampoo bottle and the smell of lavender and jasmine permeated the steam wafting from under her curtain. Stripping down, I grabbed my things and went to the stall next to hers. I cranked up the water as hot as it would go, relishing the heat as it relaxed my muscles.

Angel started singing a tune I didn’t know, and I giggled as she struggled to hit the high notes. After gathering my thoughts, I said, “Hey, Angel?”

She paused. “Yeah?”

“
I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

“
Okay! What is it?”

“
Uh… do we get the Internet down here? I figured you would know since you’re a computer genius.” I didn’t know if any kind of signal could be picked up this deep underground. I hadn’t seen a single cell phone or computer since I’d arrived.

“
Um, not really…”

“
But?”

I could tell she was hesitating. “I’ve got a laptop at my place that’s rigged to the Internet.”

My interest piqued. I thought I already knew the answer to my next question, but I decided to chance asking anyway. “Do you think I could possibly use it?”

A shampoo bottle clattered to the floor as Angel dropped it. Her voice was softer when she replied, “Contacting the outside world is forbidden.”

“
And yet you have the Internet.”

“
For work purposes,” she argued.

“
Is that all?” I asked doubtfully.

When she didn’t respond right away, I sighed and reached out with my glamour to grasp her feelings. Reading Angel’s emotions was like snacking on candy; they were always sugary sweet and good. Since the first time I had learned how to read people’s thoughts (in a sense) with glamour, I’d noticed Angel’s were truly pure, rooted in kindness all the way down to her core. I decided to trust her with my plan. Or at least, with the rough outline of it.

“
I want to contact my family, Angel,” I said, “to say goodbye.” She didn’t need to know I was planning on warning them about a super virus.

“
If you breathe one word
,
I’ll kill you.”

No, I definitely wasn’t going to tell her about that part.

I heard Angel laugh softly. “I figured it was only a matter of time before you came to me for help.” After a few more seconds, she added, “Sure. I’ll help you.”

I blinked. “You will?”

“
Yep.”

“
Just like that?”

“
That’s what I said.”

I stood there, flabbergasted. Not that I was complaining, but I had expected this to be harder. I didn’t even have to use any glamour, which at this point I was desperate enough to do, even if I did somewhat consider Angel a friend.