Page 102 of Twice Bitten

Myeyebrows rose in realization. “He can control everyone here.”

Dozens of vampires lay in hospital beds, hooked to IVs filled with red liquid, presumably blood. They all looked dead, which might have been laughable, had I not been confronted with the evidence of the damage Beckett had wrought on Alric’s Hive. If a single vampire woke up hungry, I was the only available meal around. Things might not end well for either of us.

Alric’s lips thinned, but he nodded.

“How many?” I asked quietly.

“Current count is sixty-five.” His face was somber as he looked upon his people.

“How are you keeping them asleep?”

“A cocktail of drugs and spells our illustrious doctor came up with. Waking them up might be difficult, but we can’t begin to think of that until we figure out how to cure Beckett.”

Vesper walked in and shut the doors behind us. “And we can’t do that until we figure out how you, dear Alex, are walking around uninfected.”

Her smile held an edge of violence.

I glanced at Alric. He seemed unconcerned about Vesper’s odd behavior. Or maybe it wasn’t odd at all, and I’d just willingly walked into a trap.

She slunk toward me, her eyes taking on a hint of a glow.

I took a step back.

Vesper’s creepy smile widened. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “You smell delicious. Tell me. What blood type are you?”

“You won’t bite me.” To my relief, the words came out without a tremor in my voice. “If you do, you’ll be infected.”

“But you show no signs. Maybe I’ll risk it.” Claws extended from her fingers, wicked and sharp, glinting like blades in the flickering lights overhead.

Alric said nothing. I lookedbetween them.

“You sonofabitch,” I hissed. “You planned this.”

“She’s right. I can smell Beckett’s blood inside you. Why do you remain unaffected?”

I threw up my hands. “I don’t know! Why do I turn furry at the full moon? Why is the sky blue?” I took another step back as Vesper kept coming right at me. “If you do this, the witches will hunt you down.”

At that, Alric snorted. “The witches don’t like you. They’re afraid of you. To hear them tell it, your mother was quite the rebel. She had many secrets; secrets I will delight in digging out of you.”

His eyes took on that strange glow.

He was right. I was alone, trapped in the Prime’s Hive, unarmed and outmanned. My heartbeat kicked into a gallop. Panic began to set in. My mouth went dry, and my palms grew sweaty.

“She’s afraid, Alric. Can you feel it?”

“Fuck you,” I snarled.

Vesper chuckled, the sound wicked and gleeful. “Sorry, you aren’t my type.”

No one ever got used to betrayal. That old familiar pain in my heart opened like an old scab, and tears pricked the backs of my eyes. I thought Alric and I had come to a truce, that we’d both agreed to share information. Instead, he’d brought me here to do what? Torture me? Open me up and pry my secrets from my DNA now that he realized I might be more than I seemed? Both?

A horrifying thought occurred. If I was already susceptible to a vampire’s blood, he could gain my secrets and use me to lure Beckett out, then turn me into his willing slave if he let me live that long. This was a win/win situation for Alric. I stood to gain nothing, only the loss of my freedom, my secrets, and potentially my life.

That strange rumble of magic I’d felt when Beckett attackedme a few days ago rose to the forefront, itching to burst forth. I held it back until Vesper got too close, then allowed it to rise.

Vesper’s confident stride faltered. Alric’s expression went from smug to…something. Fear? Curiosity?

I held up my hands, black and violet magic sparkling in my palms. “Come one step closer and I’ll fry you both.”