Page 84 of The Wickedness of Man

“You were lulling her into a false sense of security,” I whispered, narrowing my eyes at him. “But then Caleb?—”

“Carmilla has been running amok for years, playing her little matchmaker games. It has been beneficial for us, so I allowed it. This time, however, she just ‘happened’ to discover a succubus cambion on the verge of starvation while also having what appeared to be an awakened incubus cambion agent dangled in her face. Thanks to your attempts to destroy your brother out of jealousy, you put Caleb directly into her path so that she could match him to a lilin in desperate need of feeding—thanks to years of her guardians ensuring she was deprived of almost any and all sustenance.”

“No,” I repeated, uncertain what I was disagreeing with.

“Carmilla watched them both. She was looking for an incubus strong enough to give the lilin enough energy to awaken her, because it takes anenormousamount of power to awaken such an exquisite beast… All the while she did this, you were right there within her area of awareness alongside your brother, but she didn’t chooseyou, did she? She chosehim. Once he inevitably deflowered the girl, he set them both on the path I have been trying to set this organization onfor centuries. You don’t even realize the irony—you were both cambions made for the task, but she still chose him over you!” His laugh rang in my ears like a striking hammer. “If you’d been strong enough, she’d have selected you instead!”

“You tricked me,” I snapped. “This was never about capturing Carmilla, was it?”

“Of course I want the bitch!” Father laughed. “Shebelongsto me, Harrold. She is my wife, after all. We were joined in the eyesof God—and the vows we made were ’til death. However, the lilin’s health was beginning to fail, and given the girl’s imminent blossoming, I only have a short while now to wait before I’ll collect them myself.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” I yelled. “Why would you try to set me up like this?—”

“Because I knew you would fail!” Father screamed. “Caleb was the only one powerful enough to awaken a Daughter of Lilith. Carmilla could have picked you, but she didn’t because you lack the strength; you always have. Once Caleb awakens, he will become the new head of my special investigators’ unit.”

I shook with rage. “That’smytitle.”

“It won’t be for much longer, Harrold.” Father touched his chest and offered a small bow. “I’m sure I’ll find something suitable for you; perhaps low-level field work?—”

“Do you think, after everything the organization has done to him, that he’ll just come running back? Hefled,Father—or do you not recall?—”

“You saw that video, did you not? He’s already stronger than you could ever be. Even now, the surveillance team is tracking them, and once we’re ready… it will be an easy matter to bend both Caleb and the lilin to my will.”

“Easy?” I said, barking laughter at him. “You can’t even bendmeto your will, and you claim I’m weaker than he is.”

Father shook his head, sighing. “I gave up trying to deal with you ages ago.”

“Well, have fun trying to convince yourbastardto do what you want.” I balled up the paper in my hand and threw it at him. I’d almost completely forgotten about it in my anger. “Because I won’t accept this. I know where the asshole is, and if he’s there with the succubi, I’ll bring you back your little pet and I’ll claim the lilin formyself.”

Father looked amused at that, and picked the wadded-up ball of paper and unfolded it. “Will you, now? Unlikely, given that they have probably?—”

He scanned the info on the page: Caleb’s chip ID and some of the data—but not his location. I’d carefully elected to leave that part of it off and then erased it from the system.

“What is the meaning of this?” Father asked, looking at me with true concern in his angry eyes. He turned to Jax. “Why does Caleb have a standard chip ID? I specifically told you to?—”

I stepped forward, intent on answering him myself. “Itold the bishops he had to get the branding when the organization adopted him.” I rolled up my sleeve, showing the star-marked scar on my forearm. “I wasn’t about to abide your preferential treatment bullshit. You were going to have themskipburning his flesh, but not me?Never. If I have to bear this mark like all the other agents, then so does he!”

Father was so still, he appeared to be a gargoyle.

“Harry!” Jax demanded. “Heaven above, child, why didn’t you mention this sooner?”

“I’m the only one who knows his whereabouts now,” I continued, unphased. “I got the snapshots of his biometric data and location off his tracker. Caleb’s awakening has begun—and that means the lilin’s has, too. I’m going to?—”

“You imbecile,” whispered Father, a black look coming over his face. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

“I’ve found a way to track the most elusive demon we’ve ever hunted,” I sneered. “I found a way to bring in Carmilla de Mornay and win my rightful title as the next archbishop of this organization. I?—”

“You tell him Jax!” shouted Father, throwing the paper down once more. “I can’t bear to, or I might have to rip the idiot head from his idiot shoulders!”

I was sweating; shaking with confusion and the torment of impending doom. I should have succeeded, but… from the very start, I’d never been meant to.

It had all been for Caleb. Again.

“Harry,” Jax spat, “you were given a different chip than the general agents are! Caleb wasn’t going to be skipped—we were waiting for the brother to finish the damn thing! When he told me the brand was done already, I had no idea he meant Caleb had already been given a standard one!”

“What—” I tried, but Jax shook his finger at me.

“The standard ID chips detect demonic DNA and release an antivenin that can slow the transformation in human beings until we can attempt to draw whatever venom has been detected, be it vampiric, lycanthropic, or any other type, but these are temporarily turned off the night each class goes out to the graduation party. When one of you becomes an incubus, we permanently deactivate the part of the chip—but as you Caleb are cambions, we had special chips made to only have biometric and tracking capabilities!”

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