“What did you do as a human?”

  “I was a lawyer.”

  Cain’s brow rose. “Hmm. What type of practice?”

  “Criminal defense.”

  Cain couldn’t stop the bark of laughter. “Wait.” He held up a hand. “Let me get this straight. You”—he pointed a finger at Sam—“have a problem being a vampire, even though you represented and defended humans who had the same killer instincts as one of mine?”

  “Not all people accused of crimes are guilty, and they deserve to be represented. There is something called a presumption of innocence.” The man’s voice was full of conviction, but Cain saw the doubt in his eyes. It was clear the lawyer knew that not all of his clients were innocent.

  “Of course. Innocent until proven guilty. But for how many guilty people did you help secure a not guilty verdict? Are you per chance responsible for putting a dangerous human back into the population?” Cain found himself genuinely curious. The morals of humans were sometimes interesting. He was also beginning to plan a use for the new vampire, one that would keep the “good man” from having to kill, but also provide Cain with a beneficial tool. Having legal representation against the human government might come in handy after he created his hybrids.

  Cain had begun to envision himself as the king of more than just a supernatural race. He imagined himself as the head of a great nation of vampires, one that was sovereign and governed itself. If he could set that up, then the US government wouldn’t be able to control them. As a matter of fact, they would be beholden to him. After all, Cain would control an army no nation on earth could stand against, an army of hybrids. And Cain could earn a fortune by leasing his creation to the highest bidders. Cain’s exports would make OPEC’s profits look like child’s play. Yes, legal representation would be vital.

  Sam’s shoulders tensed. “That wasn’t my job. I didn’t determine their guilt. That’s between them and their maker.”

  “How quaint. And did that little platitude appease your conscience for the ones you were pretty damn sure were guilty?”

  His arms dropped, and the lawyer seemed deflated. “Why do you want to know this?”

  “Because I believe I can give you a job that doesn’t require the shedding of blood. And teach you to feed without killing your food.”

  “Can’t I just drink from an animal or a bag?” Sam sounded disgusted. No doubt the vampire part of him was not in agreement with his still-present human conscience.

  “Animals will make you weak. Bagged blood has a risk of being useless if it has lost its ability to transport oxygen, which is why we need fresh blood. The virus that lives in us causes our own blood to use up our own blood’s oxygen much faster than a human’s. Our hearts beat slower, if you hadn’t noticed. Therefore, we don’t carry the oxygen through our bodies very quickly. The virus is constantly working to kill us. It’s one of the reasons we begin to smell like decaying flesh. That’s why not feeding will eventually cause your death. It’s not like in the movies where a vampire just dries up until more blood is given to them and, boom, they can come back to life. We are only immortal as long as we feed, and as long as we don’t get our heads cut off or our hearts ripped out. Blood, just like it is for humans, is our life force. So, see? We’re really not that different from them.”

  “Yet you see them as less than yourself?”

  “Do you consider your food your equal? Are you not greater than a cow or a pig?” The words were barely out of Cain’s mouth when Raylion reappeared. And he wasn’t empty-handed.

  “There was a magical signature, or rather several, at the veil. And this.” Raylion held up a bowling-ball sized amalgamation of flesh and hair.

  “Let me guess,” Sam inclined his head. “That’s Alston.”

  “Well, his head, anyway.” Cain’s voice might have sounded bored, but inside he was grinning like a fool.

  “There’s a note attached.” Raylion pointed to a piece of paper hanging from a string threaded through a hole in the high fae’s earlobe.

  Cain reached down and tugged on the paper. Alston’s ear extended toward him, and Cain half expected it to come off. But the paper finally ripped free of the string, and the ear flopped back against the fae’s head. Cain’s eyes ran across the page.

  I love to play games, and I’ve been playing them for a long time. Keep them coming, vampire king. This won’t be the last head I send back to you.

  Happy hunting… to me.

  ~Cyn.

  Cain crumpled the paper in his fist and couldn’t help the smile that formed on his lips. “Well, that’s one problem out of the way.” Cain pointed to Alston’s head. “Would you be so kind as to get rid of that?”

  Raylion dropped the head and then opened his palm, sending out a ball of light. The head went up in flames. In a matter of seconds, it was nothing but ash.

  “Excellent.” Cain made a show of wiping his hands against each other as if he had somehow gotten them dirty reading the note and barking orders. “If you two gentlemen would follow me. I’ve got some work to get done, and so do each of you. Raylion, I’ll explain what’s on the agenda, and then I need you to head out and find the fae loyal to the cause.” Cain didn’t mention that once the cause was accomplished, he’d be wiping out the fae right along with the rest of the other supernaturals that weren’t necessary to his rule, which was everyone but his hybrids, of course. “Sam, I think you’ll appreciate the job I have for you. It will keep your hands clean, and most of your conscience, not to mention you’ll get to continue using that fancy degree of yours. No need to let that go to waste just because you are no longer human.” Cain didn’t hear any arguments as he walked back through the gate of the compound and headed toward the laboratory. They followed, and he began explaining to the pair what he had in store.

  The dominoes were falling into place. His major rivals were dead: Ludcarab, the elf king, Alston, the high fae, and, thanks to Peri’s cold fire, many other Order members. Hell, for all Cain knew, all the other Order members were dead. His vampires were still gathering dormants, which meant he would have plenty of test subjects. And now that he had successfully bound the vampire virus to the Canis lupus blood, these wouldn’t simply be failed experiments. They would be actual hybrids. The vamp king picked up his steps as his eagerness to get back to the matter at hand consumed his thoughts.

  “How is your plan any different from that of the Order’s?” Raylion asked as they passed through the outer doors of the compound.

  Cain pulled out a security badge and held it up to the scanner. “I have no intention of destroying or subjugating humans. I intend to work with them. In fact, I already am.” He motioned to the space around them as they passed through another set of security doors. “By the time I’m done, the humans will be singing our praises, begging for our help.”

  Once they were past the final security doors, Cain marched toward an office area where the administrative details of the base were handled. He found an empty office and gestured to the lawyer. “Sam, you can set up shop here. I’ll send another vampire to assist you. Tell him everything you require in order to do your job.”

  Sam walked into the office and flipped on the light switch. He stared at the empty desk. With a sigh, the fledgling’s shoulders seemed to drop in resignation. “Okay, I guess I’ll get settled in.” He walked to the chair behind the desk and took a seat.

  “Great things to come, Sam.” Cain tapped his knuckle on the metal door frame. “Great things.”

  He and Raylion continued on their way, leaving the dejected lawyer alone with his thoughts. After they’d gone a few paces, Cain turned to the fae. “Are you with me or not, Raylion? I need you to tell me now.”

  Raylion was quiet for half a minute before he answered. “I cannot remain on the sidelines. Seeing a former high fae’s decapitated head given as a gift from your enemies tells me that a war’s on. Apparently, I will have to choose sides.”

  “Not entirely true. You could flee to the fae realm. If you return there and swear a blood oath to never leave, I won’t bother with you.”

  Out of the corner of his eye, Cain saw the male fae stiffen. He didn’t seem to like the idea of being trapped in his own realm. No doubt he wouldn’t be welcomed with open arms after having been in league with the Order.

  “I suppose I will have to take my chances with you and… put my neck out there, so to speak.”

  Cain gave a single nod of acknowledgement. “Good choice. You will be an asset to our cause. Now, if you please, go round up any fae left loyal to the Order and bring them here. Flash into this room.” He pointed to a large open space that had once been used as a gym, judging by the exercise equipment pushed against the walls. “I don’t want attention drawn to us by having fae flash outside of the compound.”

  “As you wish.” Raylion disappeared.

  Cain blew out a breath when he reached the door that would lead him to the lab, a place he considered the most important room in the compound. He closed his eyes for a moment and tamped down his nerves. It was time to see if their discovery would actually work in reality, and not just on a glass slide under a microscope.

  The vampire king watched Willis prepare the tools he would need to infuse Lizzy Fairchild with Cain and Alice’s blood. The scientist was a bundle of energy, and he seemed to Cain both anxious and excited, like a child about to ride a bike for the first time, hungry for freedom but scared of the pain that would result if he fell. Cain could relate.

  The vampire was a hard person to surprise. Watching hundreds of years pass had a tendency to remove the novelty of everyday experiences. But now that he was on the verge of finally bringing his improbable plan to fruition, Cain realized he was actually experiencing emotions that hadn’t reared their heads in years. There was nervousness, stress, and—unbelievably—fear. He was surprised to find he missed the feeling. The roller coaster of emotions was something that humans took for granted.

  “What if it kills her?”

  Cain almost growled at the scientist. This was the thing Cain feared the most, but he hadn’t wanted to give voice to his concerns. Call him superstitious. “Then we will figure out what went wrong and try again,” Cain snapped. He stared out at the dozens upon dozens of sleeping dormants in the warehouse. “We have plenty of test subjects, and my vampires are finding more daily.” While this was true, the vampire king was growing weary of failure. It made him cranky. And when he got cranky, he got bitey.

  Willis looked up from his work, and his brow rose. “I’ve been meaning to ask you about that. How are your vampires able to tell which human is a dormant? Do they have to just go around biting random people to see how they taste?”

  Cain rolled his eyes. “Thankfully no. Something tells me that would cause quite a stir with the humans.” He got a mental image of his soldiers biting human after human and then tossing them aside like rotten food, one after the other, as they discarded those that weren’t dormants. “Vampires have a keen sense of smell, even better than wolves when it comes to blood. And all supernaturals possess a unique scent. We can smell the otherness in the dormants. Some of them smell stronger than others. But occasionally, we do have to taste them to confirm it, especially if their bloodline is very watered down.”

  Willis seemed to consider this before speaking again. “So instead of biting, they wander around sniffing?”

  Cain chuckled. “Pretty much. And I’ve been pleasantly surprised to discover just how many dormants there actually are. The wolves like to brag that they don’t go around copulating with those that aren’t their true mates. Well, it seems the Canis lupus aren’t quite as chaste as they make out. Somebody, somewhere, has been evidencing a clear lack of self-control.” The king glanced down at his watch and wondered what was taking Alice so long to retrieve the girl when the door opened behind him.

  He turned to find Alice and four of his vampires. Two of them held Lizzy by the arms. The woman stood between them, looking bored with her hands tied behind her back. Cain smirked. “Did she give you problems?”

  “Nothing we couldn’t handle.” Lochlan, one of the males holding Lizzy, released her arm, as did Nathan, who was holding the other side.

  “That will be all.” Cain motioned for the males to leave.

  “What if she doesn’t cooperate?” Lochlan’s eyes dropped to Lizzy. Cain noted the hungry look in the vampire’s eyes and let out a low growl.

  “If you’re hungry, Lochlan, then I suggest you go hunting outside of this building.” Cain stepped closer to the male. “If I find out you’ve fed on any of the humans or dormants in this facility, I will end you myself. Am I clear?” Cain didn’t have time for vampires that couldn’t control their urges. He needed people working in the facility to feel safe so they could do their jobs, or at least as safe as a human could feel when around a superior species that could kill them in the blink of an eye.

  “Yes,” the male bit out through clenched teeth.

  “If you are in control of your hunger, then you can wait in the hall with the others,” Cain instructed. “If not, then go feed and come back when you’re sated. And make yourself useful and bring some dormants back with you while you’re at it.”

  The four vampires left without another word, closing the door behind them.

  Cain relaxed his shoulders and looked Lizzy over. “Speaking of hunger, I hear you’ve not been eating.”

  Lizzy gave a bark of laughter that made her sound unhinged. Her eyes bounced all over the room, and Cain noticed a distinct wildness in them, like an animal with its leg caught in a trap. “Well, let’s see. I’ve recently discovered vampires are real, been imprisoned by those vampires, been placed into a coma, and been woken by a voice in my head. You think I should eat the food offered to me by these vampires? I may be a little thick at times, but I’m not that stupid.”

  “You weren’t scared when I told you what I was, Lizzy.” Cain leaned his hip against one of the lab tables and attempted to appear harmless. “In fact, your words to me were something along the lines of ‘anything is better than living like this, sleeping with one eye open and constantly waiting for a knife in the back.’”

  “Guess what, vampy? I’ve since learned that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Better a knife in the back than fangs in the neck.” Lizzy’s gaze moved from Cain to Willis. Her eyes widened when she saw the syringes arrayed out in front of him.

  “You’re too young to be so jaded,” Cain flicked his hand at her.

  She seemed to have her panic under control, though her eyes still looked a bit too big for her face, or at least she was hiding it better. “If you’d lived the life I have, then you wouldn’t think that.”

  Cain noticed Alice wince from the corner of his eye. His little scientist was a bleeding heart. He hoped that wouldn’t become an issue once they started running their experiment. “Well, as I told you before, this is an opportunity to improve your life. You won’t be vulnerable anymore. You’ll be able to fight back against anyone who would want to take advantage of you. Isn’t that why you agreed to come with me when I found you?”

  Lizzy pursed her lips. “Are we doing this or what?”

  “You’re not even going to fight a little?” Alice frowned.

  “And how would you have me fight back, scientist lady?” Lizzy’s head swiveled around to take in Alice. “Should I scream like a girl? Is that somehow going to sway this guy?” She motioned her head toward Cain. “He doesn’t mind kidnapping innocent people to accomplish whatever twisted plan he has. I’m betting very few of those sleeping beauties out there came of their own free will like I did. Is he going to suddenly find it in his undead heart to let me go?”

  “I would like it noted that ‘undead’ doesn’t make any sense if you are trying to imply that I am not alive,” Cain said dryly. “And as I still have a heartbeat, I am still alive.”

  Lizzy rolled her eyes at him. “Nobody cares.” Then she looked back at Alice. “So, after all that I just pointed out, should I fight?”

  Alice shrugged. “I just expected you to because you seem like a fighter. And you survived living on the streets.”

  Cain’s eyes snapped to Alice. “Why are you trying to talk her out of this?”

  “If a person volunteers for this procedure of their own free will, then I’m completely fine with it.” Alice raised her chin at him. “But if this is being forced on anyone, then I don’t agree with it, and I think they should fight back.”

  Cain walked over to Alice and gripped her chin in his hand. “Are you going to fight me?”

  Lizzy made a gagging sound in her throat. “It looks like Mom and Dad need some adult time.”

  Willis laughed and tried to cover it with a cough when Cain glared in his direction. The vampire dropped his hand from Alice and then motioned to the chair where Finn had been strapped down a few days prior. “If you please. This will be relatively painless. Just a couple of sticks.” Alice picked up a pair of scissors and cut the cable ties to free the girl’s hands.

  “Oh?” Lizzy sidled over to the chair and dropped into it, rubbing her wrists as she did. “I’m sure this is a completely routine procedure. I suppose you get the blood of a supernatural being shoved into your veins all the time. No? Of course not. So how the hell would you know if this is relatively painless?”

  “I think I liked you better when you were desperate to get off the street,” he muttered and looked at Willis. “Do it.”

  Alice walked over and slipped on a pair of latex gloves. “Let me.” She took the tourniquet and bags of blood hooked to the IV tubing. Cain and Alice had already given their blood earlier that day, so it would be ready to go once Lizzy was prepped.

  “Is this women’s solidarity?” Lizzy watched Alice bring the items over to her chair. Alice hung both bags of blood on a pole above the chair and then set the rest of her supplies on a tray table.