Page 81 of Heathens

“Inoculations. Well, that and better sex,” I reply.

“Exactly, and we needbloodto survive, but it doesn’t need to be human. We only go for them because it’s dangerous to go after each other. This drug, whatever it is, It’s a double-whammy!”

He paces around the room, waving his hands wildly.

“Look, if Rene gets them all hooked on it, says it’s a substitute to start, or just distributes it as the real thing, they’re done. He can keep whoever he wants completely hooked on this stuff and he can just kill the rest of them. He can produce however much of this shit he wants andwenever go hungry. Think about it, he wants to remove them from the equation!”

“Slow down Theo, you–”

“It’s even more important than we thought. Whoever controls that shit hasallthe power. If we have it, if we can actually synthesize it before he gets to us, you can force him out, completely take control of the city. You think his vamps won’t flock to our side if you tell them they’ll never go hungry?

I lean against the counter, crossing my arms over my chest. The inoculations are crucial to keeping humans alive. It’s the key to our little balancing act, along with the blood bank.

Our system works, but it’s taken years to perfect. Rene’s looking for absolute control, squeezing the last ounce of power the humans still have. He’s obsessed with it.

“So what you’re saying is if he gets his hands on it again, it’s an open buffet, right?”

Theo nods.

“You think helikesmaking deals with humans? He wants them to know their place. They already can’t do anything without a meeting with him or his goons, but he wants to take even more.

“What’s his endgame?”

“If he can disrupt the balance thatwe’vecreated, he can round them all up and treat them like fucking pets. Remember, he talked about that shit back when everything first went down? You know how many rich vampires would jump at the chance for their own personal juice box right in their homes? Keep a few of ’em like fine fucking wine in a cellar and kill the rest.”

“He’s insane.”

“Sure, he’s nuts, but with that formula it won’t matter. He’ll be able to do it.” Theo’s bright eyes dig into mine. “It might as well be a fucking nuke, Dom, and if you hadn’t burned down the entire goddamn lab, we might have had a chance in hell of figuring it out fast enough. Honestly, I can’t believe we haven’t been hit yet.”

“What if it’s all bullshit?” I ask. “You said it yourself, you can’t really read it–”

“I said I couldn’tmakeit, asshole, but that little redhead you kidnapped? She can. I found all this medical shit at her place. She even used to work at the bank. Give her a fuckin’ mansion or something to keep her quiet, promise her endless blood for her bar, whatever you have to do to get what you want.“ He leans over the counter, his big sky-blue eyes glistening with hope. “It’ll be you and me, all the way to the top.”

It’s what we always dreamed of, and now we have a way to do it.

It also means I am out of time when it comes to Sofie.

“I didn’t kidnap her,” I say softly. “I invited her for dinner and just didn’t let her leave.”

“Thatiskidnapping!”

“Tomato, tomahto.” I wave him off with one hand. “And I’ll get there with her, I just need a bit more time.”

“It’s not–” He takes a breath. “Look, just get her on board. Rene is hunting you, man. And the rest of us, too. I had to waste one of his men on the way here.Make herdo what you want.”

“It takes time.”

“Time that you don’t have, Dom. Shit’s ramping up. You’ve crossed a line, like it or not.”

I glare at him but he stares right back, not giving an inch. He’s the only person I trust enough to call me on my shit, but what the fuck is he talking about me crossing a line? Rene wants to enslave what’s left of humanity andI’vecrossed a line?

“Whose side are you on?” I ask.

“Yours,” Theo snorts. “Fucking obviously. I just think that you’ve been…”

“Rash,” I mutter.

“Stupid is what I was going to say,” he counters. “You’re obsessed with that girl, and now you’ve brought her into this.”

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