Page 77 of The Doctor and the Devil
“You know,” I said, stepping forward to haul the man up by his throat. “I would have been happy as a simple vampire. I would have turned to be with the man I love. We would have lived together happily, working toward finding a cure. Hoping that in that time, hearts and minds would change. But it was you who changed everything. Your hatred and fear took on a life of its own, and because of that, Derais ended my human life. I died with a Judas silver bullet lodged in my heart and came back as what you see before you. Maybe you think I am an abomination—perhaps I am. But this…”
I summoned the Judas silver from my blood, and we watched as it pooled into the palm of my hand, rising through my skin.
“This was by your hand,” I murmured. I squeezed my hand closed, pressing the silver into a small lump.
“Anything,” the man whispered, tears running down his cheeks. “I will give you anything to let me live. Money. Power. Influence!”
I sighed, letting my mouth full of fangs lengthen.
“All I ever wanted was peace,” I said forlornly. “But instead, you brought me war.”
I sank my teeth into his throat, drinking until I felt his pulse still and his soul depart. Letting his body fall to the floor, I stepped back to survey the damage. The gory carnage turned my stomach, and I retched almost immediately. Numbly, I climbed back up the stairs, scanning the dark corridor for the faint glow of moonlight.
As I stepped onto the grassy earth outside of the mausoleum entrance, I fell to the ground. Heaving sobs wracked my body, and I screamed—agonized by the destruction I’d wrought. I was dimly aware of a pair of strong arms grabbing me, holding me steady, encircling me with faint waves of comfort, hope, love, gratitude.
Time ticked by, and I felt the individual presences of my friends—my family—standing close to me. Charlotte draped a soft woolen cloak over my shoulders and eventually, I peeled my face away from Rafael’s damp shirt.
No one spoke.
“It is done,” I muttered. “The Order is no more.”
Daphne nodded, rubbing a hand down my back.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I’m sorry for what you’ve endured.”
“I will spend my eternity wondering if it was the right thing to do,” I replied, my voice oddly calm.
“Oh, it was, darling, it was!” Charlotte insisted, throwing her arms around me. “You’ve done more for the people of France than all of us. And you’ve protected us all—you’ve done what none of us could have accomplished.”
I looked up into her warm brown eyes, finally noticing the blood caked to her face. I whirled around, taking in the blood oneveryone.Faces, hands, and clothes were shredded, bloody messes.
“I take it that was the Order’s mercenary gang?” I asked.
Awkward silence descended, along with a tension I recognized as reluctance for them to tell me the truth. To avoid worrying me.
Antoine shuffled at the back.
“Not really much of a gang now,” he rumbled. “Just a collection of spare parts.”
Charlotte threw an exasperated look at him, but he simply shrugged.
“They came out of nowhere, really,” she defended. “Caught us by surprise. And you know what they say about surprising a predator.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there,” I replied. “I should have sensed them coming.”
“You had more important things to do,” Rafael said. “And we had it covered. You’re not the only one with special gifts.”
Étienne spat in the dirt behind Daphne.
“You weren’t kidding, Rafael,” he coughed. “Vampires tasteterrible.”
“I told you not to swallow,” Laszlo said.
Suddenly, Charlotte erupted with laughter. For the briefest moment, everyone looked at her in horror.
“I’m so sorry—do forgive me. I know it’s inappropriate, but that’s simply the filthiest thing I’ve heard Laszlo say.”
“I didn’t mean it likethat,” he insisted.
