Chapter Nineteen
I CURSED MYSELF THE ENTIRE TIME they drew blood from us.
Rook didn’t speak to me as we twitched like broken things in our chairs, the frequency still humming, keeping us completely subdued.
My fault. My own stupid, fucking fault. I’d let my temper get the better of me, and now I’d condemned her to yet more pain.
Hating myself, I plotted how to kill Roy a million times over as he yelled at the scientists to hurry up. The board members watching the spectacle resumed their silent places against the wall.
Roy kindly switched off the godawful buzz just as a scientist inserted a needle into my vein and filled a familiar-looking blood bag. Whatever dregs of life I clung to quickly siphoned into that bag with thick, ebony darkness.
Rook sucked in a quiet gasp as the scientist next to her inserted a needle into her flawless skin, copying the same process they did to me. Blinking away black spots, I tried to focus on what colour her blood was.
Had it turned silver again since I’d tasted it on Ashfall Cliff?
Had she healed thanks to sharing the dreamscape with me?
Fuck.
Still black. Still dying.
Black tar flowed from her arm into the translucent bladder, making the two scientists share a worried glance.
Roy didn’t notice as he paced and rubbed at his chest. I couldn’t hear his heartbeat anymore, my ears ringing from the frequency weapon.
A soft press on my arm as the needle was extracted and a sticky band-aid placed over the small wound.
Rook relaxed in her chair as they stopped bleeding her.
Flickers of her thoughts filled mine, full of relief that it was over and belief that we could figure this out the moment we were sent to rest.
Our eyes locked.
She smiled gently as if pleased we’d survived the first harvesting...
not knowing just how bad things were going to get if we couldn’t escape.
Now that they had us, they’d use us like a never-ending tap.
They’d drain her to the cusp of death, again and again, and I’d rather kill both of us before I let that happen.
That will be the first and only time they ever put a needle in you. I narrowed my eyes. You have my word.
She held my eyes. Just focus on staying alive, alright?
As long as we’re both breathing, we can get free.
She looked away, but not before I caught a morbid thought hidden beneath all her hope.
How much longer do we have before the ascension reaches its pinnacle?
My parents’ notes said once the animals stopped being able to eat, it was only a matter of hours. Is that what we have...hours?
We’re not going to die. I fought the urge to cough.
Her gaze snapped back to mine as the men mumbled and the scientists packed away their needles. I love you, Lucien.
Don’t say that. Don’t you dare say goodbye. I told you. If I don’t want you to die, you won’t die.
She sucked in a breath, capturing Roy’s awful attention.
“You done?” he asked.
“All done.” The scientist who’d drained me nodded. “However—”
“Give it here.” Roy snapped his fingers. A maid appeared almost on cue, carrying a tray with six empty shot glasses.
I stiffened as the two scientists carried our blood to the sideboard where the maid placed the tray. Snipping the top off one of the translucent bags, the scientist who’d harvested Rook filled each small glass with her thick black blood.
Raking his hands through his greying hair, Roy grinned at the board members. “Finally, we can regain our energy.” Clearing his throat, he grinned in my direction as if the news of his murdered daughter was nothing more than a little blip in his afternoon. “Gentlemen.”
As one, the men headed toward the sideboard and snagged a glass.
I glowered at them, memorising every wrinkle, receding hairline, and paunch, vowing to drain every droplet of blood in their bodies for ever daring to drink some of Rook’s.
“Eh, should it be this dark?” one of the men asked.
Roy frowned, sniffing his glass. “I admit it looks different, but...I’m sure it’s fine. They’re immortal, after all.”
The men hesitated but Roy just lifted the glass to his lips. “Bottoms up.” He tipped Rook’s blood down his throat.
That was all it took for the rest to follow.
I wanted to rip their motherfucking throats out as they swallowed and ingested a piece of the woman I’d failed to protect.
Fuck, I want to—
Lucien...it’s okay. Rook’s voice flowed through my mind, wrenching my gaze to hers again. We’re in this together and we’ll endure together. Just don’t look.
They’re all dead. I don’t care how. I’m going to kill them.
I believe you. She smiled, holding my stare, so much calmer than me. Even without her icy coolness, her very presence helped me breathe a little easier. Just...stay with me and we’ll be alright.
I wanted to apologise to her. Needed to tell her I wouldn’t let her down again, but the pain in my fractured bones tried to knock me out just as Roy set his glass back on the silver tray and clapped his hands. “Right...I guess we’re about to find out if the girl’s blood is stronger than Lucien’s.”
The other men grimaced as they swallowed. Their hands shook a little as they returned their glasses.
I watched them closely for signs that our blood no longer held the power they sought.
It didn’t take long.
Three out of the six fought their gag reflexes. Two burped as if it repeated on them. And one wedged a fist in his stomach.
Rook shifted in her chair as Roy staggered against the wall, clamping a hand over his mouth. And I had great fucking pleasure as karma finally decided to be on our side.
Two men barely made it thirty seconds before they jackknifed in half, grunting in pain.
The other four turned queasy.
One of them said, “It doesn’t feel the same as Lucien’s. It’s—” A groan cut him off.
All six men suddenly dropped to their knees, eyes watering, hands clawing at their throats. The scientists just stood there, gobsmacked.
Oh my God, what’s happening? Rook asked silently.
I’m guessing whatever’s going on with us means our blood is no longer palatable. I watched with savage satisfaction as the board members clung to each other, swaying like drunkards.
“Someone get help...” Roy wiped the back of his hand over his lips, turning green. “Guards—”
One of the men screeched as the audible snap of a bone bounced off the walls. He grabbed his left elbow with a wail. “M-My arm. It broke! What’s going on! Help!”
Another man broke out in a glowing scarlet rash all over his face and neck. He hissed in pain as his fingers found open sores, scratching like crazy. “What the hell is happening?!”
Roy staggered to his feet, scrambling for the door. “Bring us something to make us vomit. Immediately!”
I smiled as the board members writhed on the carpet.
One screamed, “Make it stop! It feels like it’s corroding my insides.”
Another convulsed and flopped onto his side, white foam bubbling from his mouth. His legs jerked as his eyes rolled into the back of his head.
“Fuck,” Roy roared. “Someone give us an antidote. Now!”
Rook locked eyes with me. What does this mean? Is our blood that toxic it’s killing them?
Be rather convenient. I shrugged, cursing the leather biting into my wrists and the fractures autographing my bones. Would save me a job.
I kept my thoughts blasé, all while deeper worries lurked.
Could they no longer stomach our blood because our blood was no longer human?
“Sir?” A servant girl dashed into the room. “I don’t know what can make you vomit. Would raw egg whites work? Saltwater? Tell me and I’ll—”
“Here.” One of the scientists ripped a brown glass bottle from his trolley.
“Ipecac. It’s not commonly used these days, but it’ll do the trick.
” Pouring healthy amounts into the shot glasses still stained with Rook’s blood, he gave it to the men still conscious and dripped it into the mouth of the man foaming on the floor.
Once each one had been dosed, he screwed the lid back on. “I doubt such a small amount will cause lasting damage. Just get it out of your systems and my colleague and I will continue another day when—”
“No.” Roy cringed as he rubbed his stomach, looking nauseous as the ipecac started to work. “Draw four bags from each. Send it to the lab to start testing. I refuse to accept their blood is ruined. It has to be a glitch. It has to be.”
“Hang on. Four?” The scientist closest to Rook blanched. “That’s too many. They might not survive—”
“They will.” Pointing at me, Roy spat, “He did. Three bags never drained him like they would a normal man. Four. Do four. And not one less, do you hear me? We need as much as we can to figure out what the hell is going on.”
“Yes, sir.” The scientists shared a concerned look.
Staggering from the room, Roy Swift and the board members didn’t look back as four black-suited guards replaced them, taking up the spots against the wall and doing their best to ignore a puddle of vomit on the floor.
One made eye contact with me, tapping his watch as if waiting to drag us to our prison cell.
The scientists plugged in wireless headphones, then got to work inserting yet more needles into us.
I ordered non-existent fire to answer.
I tried to focus on their hearts.
And I couldn’t do a damn thing as they took one, two, three, four bags of disgustingly tarry blood from both of us.
Rook’s eyelashes fluttered as her head lolled.
Her thoughts went quiet as they took too much.
The same weakness that came for her, came for me, bringing its friends, nausea and dizziness.
Rook passed out.
I happily followed her, promising that when I woke up, I would kill them.