Page 65 of High Noon

“You’ve fed?” Kael asked.

“I have. Thank you.” Abram was thrumming with barely-contained energy. He rocked back and forth, tapping his fingers on his thighs.

“Tell me about your journey. What did you think of thirteen forty-eight?”

“Dismal,” Abram said disgustedly. “Asa was exactly as we’d been told he would be. Angry. Evil. A devil in the flesh. The black plague had scourged the populous. Of course, Asa, Enoch, and Terah took advantage, just as they are now. They gathered humans into their castles under the guise of providing protection from the disease, while in reality, they were ensuring a plentiful supply of food for themselves.”

“Do you believe that’s what is happening now?” Kael asked, keeping his face impassive.

“I watched the footage you sent of the Haven they’re making. They did the same thing in thirteen forty-eight. They took people in. Fed them. Clothed them. Gave them a roof over their heads. Sure, they’re not in a castle now, but they are garnering the humans’ trust so that when it comes time for them to feed, they have plenty.”

“Did they feed from those to whom they offered shelter?” Kael asked, sitting up and giving Abram his undivided attention.

“They did, but by that point, they’d brainwashed the people into thinking it was a pleasure to do so. Probably used their minds to control them. It was nothing short of disgusting. And Eve and Titus bought right into it. They probably would’ve fed them if they asked.”

Shifting his line of questioning back to the vampires, Kael inquired, “How many vampires did you see in that time?”

Abram shook his head. “None. They hadn’t sired any, as far as I could tell. Though I wonder if they actually had, and the plague was affecting the vamps as well.”

“But you have no evidence of that?”

“No, but it seems strange. Surely, we weren’t the first to introduce them to the idea that they could make vampires. They’d survived for thousands of years prior to when we landed, and had fed for equally as long. Logic would say that they had to have sired some along the way, even if they did it accidentally.”

Kael nodded his head, affecting a sympathetic tone. “You wanted to talk to me about Eve.”

Abram became even more agitated. “She’s a traitor, and so is Titus. He followed her right into the flames and never looked back. She…”

The Asset laughed, and I realized with a start that his fangs were gone. I stood up straighter and watched as he continued his rant.

“She actually fell in love with Enoch!” he scoffed. “Can you believe that? Her target, the one she was trained to kill, and yet, the first time she saw him, she fell head over heels for the demon. She is weak and pathetic,” he sneered. “Worse than that, she helped them. Eve told them things about this time, things they never should’ve been told.”

Kael stilled, his eyes flicking to Abram’s face with a suddenly interested air. “What kinds of things?”

Abram leaped to his feet and banged on the glass. “Let me out of here!”

Without flinching, Kael instructed, “Abram, calm down. What did Eve tell the Triad?”

“All about us! About travel, about Victor and you, the Compound, all of it.”

Kael scrubbed a hand over his stubbled jaw. “This could prove to be problematic.”

Curling his lip in disgust, Abram scorned, “You should have listened to me when I warned you about her before we left. Now… I’ve done everything you’ve asked and more. I’ve served my country, its leader, and you. Let. Me. Out. Of this cell. Now.”

Kael stood abruptly, his chair scooting back with a clatter. “Don’t ever take that tone with me again, Abram. Consider this your first and only warning.” With that, Kael pressed a translucent button on the glass and white smoke filled the chamber. Abram crouched to the floor, but soon the billows overtook him and he collapsed to the floor.

I ground my teeth together.

The tech wizard smiled at the image of Abram huddled in the fetal position as the smoke was filtered out of his cell. “Don’t worry, Enoch. He’d never be able to do that to Eve.”

“What do you mean?”

Yarrow looked up at me. “He’d never have the chance to take her blood or tear out her fangs. He’d never even be able to contain her. Eve would never be complacent enough to stay locked in one of his little cells like a good little animal. She would shatter the damn thing and cut his neck with a shard of it just to spite him,” she added with a giggle.

She was right. Eve would do just that. She’d threatened me plenty of times for trying to keep her shut away – even when it was safest for her. Still, he had weapons, chemicals that could alter her mind. How would she fight that? She couldn’t before traveling.

“What do you think about extracting them early, Yarrow?”

She pursed her lips together. “I think it’s wise to do it before Victor can intercept them or Kael draws them to him. You’ve seen what she’ll face if either of them gets his hands on her.”

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