Page 79 of Love Lives
"You've got a house full of vampires," Aldrich said. "Don't worry about things being ethical."
I wanted to argue with him, but knew this wasn't the time for it. Besides, Puck's next words took the wind out of my sails anyway.
"Life itself," he said. "How do you talk to the God of Death? You sacrifice a life."
Chapter Thirty
Remy wentpale at Puck's words, but that didn't surprise Aldrich. As much as Remy claimed to be 'okay' with all the crimes Aldrich had committed in his past, Aldrich knew he would lose the mortal's respect if he went out and killed somebody now. Ifthatwas the only way to activate the stone, this family would never get it done.
Unless Talon and he did something to keep them from finding out, then maybe...
Aldrich dismissed the idea. They didn't have time to fuck around with secret operations like that. "I can think of a couple people alive today who shouldn't be," he said instead.
Predictably, this made Remy glare at him. That was fine, though. He wasn't above attracting Remy's ire if it meant keeping him alive.
Besides, Remy was still hot when he was mad.
"What do you propose?" Puck asked. "That we kidnap a mortal and sacrifice him?"
"Absolutely not." Remy spoke before anyone else could. "This is our mess, and we're not dragging any more people into it."
"What if it's someone on death row?" Aldrich suggested. He already knew that he was going to get shot down, of course, but that flicker of doubt on Remy's features was interesting to see, nonetheless. He'd considered the idea, if only for a second.
"We can't do that," Remy insisted in the end. "We can't judge who gets to live and whose life it's okay to sacrifice."
"Not even if it means allourlives are over?"
That shut him up, if only for a second. "We'll find another way."
"Yeah, I'm sure there's a million other ways," Aldrich said sardonically. Why had he gone through all that trouble to secure that damn artifact if they weren't going to use it?
"The marble," Remy said, clearly reaching now. He turned to Puck. "Isn't that also something that technically belonged to Atlus? Maybe it's better than the journal. We can try another séance."
"Seriously?" Aldrich said, but nobody paid him any attention. "Do you remember how that worked out for you last time?" he tried once more. Remy didn't turn back around to him. Fine, then. Let him have it his way. If he wanted to be stupid, Aldrich clearly couldn't stop him.
There was something else he could do, however.
He only needed for it to get dark.
* * *
"He's never going to forgive you if you do this," Talon advised after Aldrich had shared his plan with him. They were sitting on the roof of the old house, underneath the moonlight. It was a nice and clear night. Dark, but not so dark you couldn't see your victim's blood as it spilled out of them.
Not that Aldrich had any problems seeing in the dark, anyway. A moonless night might have suited him better, for what he was about to do.
"That doesn't matter if he survives."
Talon gave him a long look. "Never thought I'd hear those words out of you."
"You're one to talk," Aldrich gave back. "You were the first to toss me aside for a mortal."
"I did not toss you aside."
Aldrich waved him off. "You know what I mean."
Talon stayed silent for several moments, then, "You truly care about him, don't you?"
How to respond to that? Aldrich could lie and say that he didn't, or he could admit that he was in way deeper than he wanted to be. Or he could just shrug and refuse to think about it any further, which was what he chose to do in the end.
