Page 40 of Marked Resistance

“Command told us to see how far you were,” Ilanis said. “Told us to offer you this deal. Put your honor to the test. If you surrender yourself, then Duradel no longer has to run. He can put down roots in one spot and begin to lead Shaye’s counterattack. Restore the clan to its rightful glory. He said he’ll even let the younglings live. They can return to that gawd awful farm they lived on and wait out the rest of their days eating nothing but vegetables.”

“But if you don’t accept the deal,” Grim added. “If you don’t surrender yourself, then we’re to put you down. And in case we can’t, and you do manage to save both of these ladies, then he’ll make it his life’s goal to see the slaughtered like humans.”

“Or,” I interjected. “How about you and Duradel and Command go fuck yourselves.”

“Heh,” Grim chuckled. “I knew I liked you, Sweetheart. Here’s the deal. There’s no way you or your boyfriend over there can reach us before I twist little Sarah with the sweet cunt’s head clean off. So, here’s the question you’ve got to ask yourself. Someoneis goingto die today, but who will it be? Sarah with the sweet cunt? Or your boyfriend who’s been lying to you this entire time.”

I turned to Xavier. “What are theytalkingabout? What lies?”

Xavier sighed. It was long and slow and he kept his eyes facing forward, not meeting mine. “Remember when I told you how before the Crimson Mourning, vampires had more than one ability?”

“Yes. You said Damon told you that.”

Xavier rotated to his left and faced me straight on. A gentle breeze blew through the air and the moon hung behind him, bathing him in its pure white light and causing him to glow.

“Damon didn’t tell me that.”

I scrunched my forehead. “Why would you lie about that? I don’t care who told you about how the world was more than five hundred years ago. That’s meaningless to what’s happening right now, or how I feel about you, right now.”

Silence.

Something stirred within me, and I blew out a breath. “Okay,” I sighed. “Okay. Who told you about vampires before the Crimson Mourning happened?”

“Davon.”

I shook my head. “Is that name supposed to mean something to me?”

“Jeebus,” Ilanis groaned and threw up her hands. “What are they teaching in schools these days? No wonder we’re not putting out quality warriors. Grim, after we kill them, I’m burning Dobgar to the ground. It’s useless.”

I screamed and covered my ears with my fists. “Shut the fuck up!”

“Fuck you, bitch!” Ilanis retorted.

I groaned so hard, my throat ached. “Xavier? Who is Davon?”

His stance didn’t change. “My father.”

I opened my palms and lifted them skyward. “So, what? Your father taught you vampire history. So?”

“Jeebus, she’s slow,” Grim said.

“Told you,” Ilanis stated.

“Sweetheart, the Crimson Mourning is the night Damon, Lawrence, Michelle, and Cassie all went to war with each other. It’s the night the four clans of Shaye, Letos, Disaris, and Corrus were birthed through that bloodshed. Prior to that rebellion and subsequent upheaval, the world was controlled by one man.”

“There’s only one vampire who existed before the Crimson Mourning,” Ilanis added, “who would know about the other abilities the virus gives, and could teach it to his son. Only one vampire named Davon, and he controlled the world.”

“You’re wrong!” I hollered. “There was a council of vampires who controlled the world. Damon went to war with the council, because of Lawrence’s rebellion.”

“The council was set upbyDavon, you dumb bitch,” Ilanis fired back. “Davon was Damon’s father!”

My stomach tensed. “Wait.”

“He’s Damon,” Ilanis yelled. “Don’t you get it? XavierisDamon!”

I shook my head and took another step back. My eyes trembled as I looked at Xavier. His face began to bubble and twist in a grotesque manner, as his muscle fibers, skin cells, tendons, and even bone changed before my eyes. “No.”

In place of the man I’d spent days with, stood another. Tall, with dark hair, dark eyes, and chiseled, he was breathtaking. He was also a liar.

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