Page 113 of How to Entice a Fiend

“I really fucked up,” Mads mutters, seeming anxious.

Brooks lets out a laugh, not because what Mads said was funny but sounding more defeated than anything. “Mads, three people were shot with the drug, but did you see how many were wounded or dead? Far more than three. It doesn’t matter whether you created the drug or not. Abel has the manpower and the ability to tear us down even without the ammunition. We need to stop him… but the problem is… can we?”

“I… have an idea, but so much of it depends on who in the council we can trust. We don’t want unnecessary deaths,” Mads explains.

Brooks nods. “Let’s move you out while we’re still safe. Once we’re done clearing out the whole VRC, I’ll meet you at the lab and we’ll discuss everything in a location where we’re positive no one is listening in.”

Briar zips Mads up, and we carry him out the door, stepping in line with the other medical personnel. When we reach the exit, there’s a transport vehicle waiting. Carefully, we carry him inside before getting into it ourselves. A man I don’t know gets into the driver’s seat, but it’s evident the others trust him as we’re closed into the back and the vehicle starts moving.

We’re quiet for a bit before I notice Marcus looking at me.

“Thanks for making it back to Finn in time,” he says.

“I’m… not quite sure I accomplished much.”

“Yes, but you’re a better fighter than me. I’ve known that for years. Since the very first time you tried to kill me.”

I think back. “When was that?”

Marcus looks at me in shock. “What do you mean ‘when was that?’ You literally… and just… askwhen?”

I watch him for a while, wondering if I killed someone he cared about that I don’t quite recall.

Marcus gives me a look of disbelief. “The village I was staying in, you slaughtered them all.”

Ah. Right. “Yes, and you were the only one I couldn’t kill,” I say.

“They were good people.”

“They were?” I ask, unsure if we’re thinking about the same thing. “What made you think they were good?”

Marcus hesitates. “Are you just going to make me guess or explain yourself? I’m not a lover of games.”

“Were you really not working with them?”

“Working with them to do what, exactly?”

I cock my head, confused how this man could have been involved without even realizing it. Was henotprotecting them? Joining in on it? Abel had said the village had a vampire assisting them, and when I’d gotten free of him and gone to destroy their lives like they’d destroyed mine, it was easy to see that the only vampire there was Marcus.

Did he really not know?

“They struck a pact with Abel. He would protect them in exchange for humans for Abel to feed on or torture or do whatever the fuck he wanted. It was like they were an ancient civilization sending sacrifices to a god they worshiped.

“My brother and I were only two years apart and he loved jewelry, but he didn’t have the money to get a business started.So even though I was too young, I posed as him and became a soldier to get some money for us to thrive. For years, I sent money home in the hope that when his business took off, I could withdraw from the army and be given a chance to live for myself.

“Because of my skills as a fighter, I was treated quite well and quickly moved up the ranks, but at the time the land was at peace, so I was given luxuries many didn’t get. When I was allowed home, I would help my brother with his business, mostly by transporting his products for him. I would often take his products to local markets and sell them. Because they were small, I was able to take handfuls with me while I traveled as a soldier and any money they made, I’d send back to him. His business began to flourish. He found a wife and had a beautiful daughter, but I was still stuck in the army. By making a name for myself, I’d made it hard to get away. There was always a reason they thought it best for me to stay.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

ENDER

Past

I bring the stallion I’m riding to a stop in front of my brother’s shop. He lives on the upper floor but works down below, something he’s been quite happy to be able to do.

“Moving up in the world, little brother,” Tomás says.

“How so? I have nothing to my name. No home, nothing.” I don’t mean it to sound so sharp, but sometimes seeing the family he’s built makes me jealous that I’ve become stuck where I am. I send everything I acquire to him so at least he can live his dream, and someday, I hope that means I can get away from the life of a soldier and live peacefully near them.

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