Page 98 of How to Entice a Fiend

After I verify anyone caught up in the explosion is fine, I join Mads who is standing near the back door.

“Was this wrong of me?” Mads asks as he eyes the carnage. “Clearly you two could have handled a fight.”

“Not if they all moved in to attack us,” I say. “Most fled when it was obvious Grady was dead. There’s absolutely no way the group of us would have come out unscathed against—hell, thirty vampires? There might have been more. Grady didn’t deserve his life. He was too fixated on removing it. But do you realize the risk this now puts you in? I’m glad Abel isn’t here to direct them to take you instead.” I watch him for a moment as I realize that Abel is going to do whatever it takes to capture him, and I’m not quite sure I can stop him.

“I want to head out now,” I announce to the others. “Mads isn’t safe here. As soon as this group realizes that Mads is their only option for this, we’re fucked… unless…” I turn to Mads, “you have more Soup.”

“I don’t have more Soup. I only had enough to make one,butI can make more.”

“I’m beginning to think that you might be as dangerous as the rest of the vampires but for a whole different reason,” Finn observes.

“Thank you… I think?” Mads says as I push him toward the SUV.

We don’t have to wait long for more members of the VRC to show up and take over in removing the vampires we’ve apprehended. As soon as they do, the others retreat to the vehicle and we start driving.

“We’ve been directed to a safe house for the time being. Orin said that there are plenty of safety measures, and there’s norecord of it… so does he own it? How have I never heard about this?” Finn asks thoughtfully.

“Maybe it’s his swinger’s pad?” Marcus asks.

“Ew, no… although… hmm… No! Marcus, why did you do this to me? I don’t want to think about any of that.”

Marcus is pleased with himself as he drives.

Finn slowly turns around in his seat. “So, Mads.”

“…Yeah?” Mads asks, sounding a bit uncertain.

“When were you going to tell us you planted a bomb on a government vehicle with officials inside of it? At least for now, they weirdly think the vampires that ambushed them did it.”

“Well… if the car hadn’t braked hard, you never would have known.”

“What if they’d braked hard for like a cat?” I ask.

“Well… uh… I hope the cat would have survived?” Mads says with a grimace. “It’s fine. Grady got what he deserved… I hope.”

“He did,” Marcus assures him. “He was the reason many innocent people died. Before the attack at the concert, there’d been fantastic progress in vampire and human relations. But after the attack, we’ve seen a rise in fear and prejudices. It’s hard to dismiss their fear when the vampires were forced to attack people. Can you imagine the pain of being forced to attack someone you cared about? He made me attack Finn, and I…” He grips the steering wheel so tight that I’m surprised it survives.

Finn reaches out and squeezes his arm, making Marcus relax. “At that time you really didn’t even like me! You probably munched on me because it looked like fun! It worked out well in the end because I used it as blackmail to get him to date me. Isn’t that a cute story?”

“So… are you still dating because of blackmail? And will you teach me your ways?” Mads asks as he eyes me.

“You are not blackmailing me into shit,” I growl.

“Surely there are better men out there,” Alexei says. “Literally any man is better.”

Claude, who is seated next to Alexei, bumps him with his shoulder. “I forgive Ender… because I was involved in shit that resulted in horrible things. I had no idea I was involved, but how would he have known?”

“He could have fucking asked,” Alexei says.

“Someone could ask if you were a vampire hunter, my dear, and would you tell them the truth?”

Alexei looks away. “I don’t forgive him.”

“I don’t need you to forgive me. You can hate me until the day I die,” I say. “But I am sorry that I hurt you so badly, Claude. Being with Abel for so long has made it hard for me to control myself at times.”

“What did Abel make you do?” Finn asks.

“Kill. He created me to kill vampires. I was torn from my life with my family so I could create this ideal world for him that held only the vampires he created in it. I was forced to do many horrible things and deserve your hatred and deserve death, but first, I have to kill Abel. Then you can do whatever the fuck you want with me.”

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