Page 94 of How to Entice a Fiend

It’d be better if we could stop the transfer completely, but so far, the VRC has been unable to have any say in it. It’s not surprising, honestly. Even being told that there could be an ambush only resulted in them assuring us that they’ll have adequate security while transporting him.

The officer rocks back before nodding. “Quickly.”

“Mads,” Finn calls out.

Mads looks up and hurries over to catch up as we’re taken through a door into the main part of the building. We’re led down a long hallway to the far end where the man swipes a card and pushes us in. Once inside the white walls, we’re taken into a room with a desk and four chairs.

“Give me a couple of minutes and I’ll have him out,” he says.

It doesn’t take long for the door to open and Grady to be let in. He immediately sees Mads and looks at him in surprise.

“So we meet again,” Mads says.

Grady’s look of surprise rapidly shifts to one of irritation. “You’re a fucking vampire? Seriously?”

“Because of you. But that’s not what the issue is here. Have you told anyone about the drug?”

“Pretty much everyone who knows has been arrested. But I was the only one capable of making it. What’s it matter to you?”

“There’s a surplus of it being distributed—how?”

“You think we began the revolution without the tools to kill vampires? Since I’m only one man, I could only do so much, but we made enough ammunition to defend ourselves. We just didn’t get to finalize it before the VRC stepped in. I heard what happened at the council. I heard about Chief Bowman and his plan to sell humans, to treat them like livestock. Do you believe me now? Do you understand that the vampires are planning on enslaving the humans and gaining control? Once that starts, how the fuck do you really think we’re going to be able to stop them?”

Mads doesn’t bite. “There’s a vampire who is planning to intercept your transfer. He wants to know how to make the drug.”

“You can’t stop him from nabbing me, so you think you’re going to stop me from telling him how to make it? Is that it? Why the fuck would I stop anyone from creating it? It doesn’t harm humans. Even if he kills ten vampires with it, it’s ten less monsters for the humans to deal with.”

“Not all vampires deserve to die,” Mads says.

“That’s rich coming from the man whose entire family was slaughtered by them.”

“Did you do it?” Mads asks, a shake to his voice.

“Did I do what?” Grady asks.

Mads closes his eyes for a moment before asking with conviction, “Did you send the vampires to kill my family?”

“Why would I kill them?”

“Because I refused to make it. You needed it, and you knew I had the capability, but I refused to make it. You knew that ifmy family was dead… I would go to extremes to stop those who killed them.”

Grady shakes his head, but it’s not convincing at all.

“You fucking asshole… you…” Mads hesitates before taking a deep breath. “This cannot get out.”

“Do you not understand how many monsters are out there?”

“I’m sorry you were hurt by vampires, but humans are monsters as well. We’re all fucking monsters. How many people have died because of you? How many human lives were lost because of what you’ve done?”

Grady obviously isn’t broken up over this. “You really don’t think that war results in death? Just because people die, should we give up seeking a better life? Would you rather humans become slaves, fed on by the monsters, given no purpose beyond what they want from us?”

“Not everyone is like that, though,” Claude says. “I’ve been alive many years and I’ve seen such a variety of people, both humans and vampires. I’ve seen humans slaughter for a purpose and for no reason at all. I’ve seen vampires kill to feed, to protect, and for fun. But I’ve also seen so much goodness in both humans and vampires. All of us here in front of you are doing everything we can to keep the peace between vampires and humans. The man who wants to know how to make the drug hopes to kill off the vampires who will not join his cause. If you give him the information he needs, you will essentially be killing the good vampires—the ones who refuse to manipulate humans and destroy lives. Do you understand?”

He gives Claude a smirk. “All I’m hearing is that when the humans band together, there will be fewer vampires alive. To me it sounds like we’d still have the ‘bad’ vampires whether or not I give him the information. So really… how could it not be better for me to hand it over and let him narrow the numbers?”

The guard’s radio makes a noise before he turns his attention to us. “We need to move. I’ve already allowed too much time. My colleague will show you to the exit,” he says as he guides Grady to the door. Before he passes through it, Grady looks over at Mads.

“Just think… it’s all thanks to you that the vampiric race will end. It’s just too bad you’re not going to be around to see it. You really did fuck up becoming a vampire, Mads,” he says before exiting.

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