17. Bringing Justice
brINGING JUSTICE
Alex
An eerie silence descended in the alley. The only sound was the gurgling noise of Bethlen drinking from the man.
“Bethlen.” I approached him.
He raised his head and let go of the man who dropped dead onto the cobbles. The elegant bottle-green suit my sire wore was a stark contrast to the wild look on his face and the crimson blood on his lips. He licked the blood slowly, savouring it, and I would lie if I said I didn’t want some.
He wiped away the blood on his hands with a pristine handkerchief. “Have you come to join me or to fight me?”
That depended on how he was going to answer.
“How do you know Rothbart killed Odette?”
He straightened his jacket. “One of his minions told me before I killed him, and I think he was telling the truth. Rothbart had killed her because she had defied him for reasons I intend to discover.” The last words were spoken in a sweet voice.
I’d thought I couldn’t hate Rothbart more. I’d been wrong.
Bethlen walked towards me in his fine suit and top hat, looking like a lord just come out of White’s. I tensed on instinct. My chest throbbed.
He stopped walking. “I’m not your enemy, Alexander.”
“You’re a rogue.” It took all my strength not to step further back. But I’d rather be beaten again by him than show my fear.
“And? What reason do I have to be a good vampire? The love of my life is dead. I’ve searched for her, but every time I’m close, she dies. Why can’t I embrace the monster I am?”
That was actually a good question I’d asked myself a few times. If Irene and Darius weren’t with me, taking care of me and reminding me of my humanity, I would consider that path myself.
I ignored the smell of fresh blood, but bloody hell if it wasn’t difficult. “You didn’t know Odette.”
He let out a groan of pain. “I knew her better than anyone. She was my wife. I married her in 1497. Every time she dies, she’s reborn in a new life.
I’ve been relentlessly searching for her for hundreds of years, hoping, waiting.
But I’m weary now. I’m starting to lose hope.
After I kill Rothbart, I might not have any reason to go on. ”
His story sounded impossible, but if he deluded himself, I wasn’t going to change his mind as long as he wanted Rothbart dead.
I glanced at the corpse. “You’re killing innocents.”
“Hardly. I’m killing criminals.” He pointed at the dead man behind him. “Including that piece of work. After I finish, who knows? I might start killing innocents.”
Irene and Darius moved behind me, and I glanced at them. They were holding vials of blessed water, and I hoped they wouldn’t need to use them.
I returned my attention to Bethlen. “And Miss Lucy Graves? Why did you attack her?”
“I needed to feed, but she didn’t deserve to die, and her blood didn’t taste sweet. She is alive, is she not?” He shifted his gaze to Irene. “What would you do if you lost the love of your life? I’m sure you can understand me.”
I blocked his view of her. “You must stop killing at will.”
His muscles swelled to the point they tore the jacket at the seams. “Don’t give me orders. I’m your master.”
“Alex,” Darius said in a serene tone, “be calm.”
I drew a deep breath. “Your presence is going to be noticed.”
Bethlen nodded. “Good.”
“We’ll find Rothbart and kill him together, but we can’t leave a pile of bodies behind.”
The words didn’t ring true to my own ears. I sounded as if reciting a piece. Why shouldn’t we wipe the city of those thugs, the minions of the man who had killed my sister and almost killed Irene?
Bethlen must have sensed the rage inside me because he smiled. “Revenge is the only thing I have. After I finish, you may kill me.”
I opened and closed my hands, not sure what to say. Perhaps I should let the fellow do his work.
He continued. “But if you kill me, you’ll lose your gift.”
When the meaning of his words sank in, I remained still. The world had shifted on its axis. “What?”
“You’ll return human.”
I glanced over my shoulder at Darius. “Is that true?”
He shrugged. “I think so. He definitely knows more about vampires than I do.”
When Darius admitted not knowing something, the matter was serious.
Damn. To be rid of my curse. Forever. No more thirst. My fear of touching might endure, but I wouldn’t deal with the need to drink blood. I would be a normal man, someone Irene would love without regret.
I was about to ask Bethlen if he was tired of this half-life, made of pain and darkness, when a drunk man staggered down the alley. The count moved with the speed of lightning, so fast that even my sharp, enhanced sight couldn’t follow him. He attacked and drained the unlucky man in a split second.
Behind me, Irene gasped and Darius cursed.
Now I understood how the count had killed three men without them realising what was happening. The man fell to the ground with a thud in a heap of limbs.
The count wiped his mouth with a fresh handkerchief and the fastidious care of a cat grooming itself. “I guess I’m ready to kill innocents.”
He whipped his head to the side, like a hound who had heard a noise.
“You must stop.” The thirst burnt my throat, and talking worsened it, but it was wasted breath.
He disappeared. Vanished. Poof.
I searched around, but the alley was empty. Apart from the bodies.
“What were you thinking?” Darius and I chorused, but he was talking to me, and I was talking to Irene because she’d followed me.
“I’m not going to leave you alone.” She shivered at the sight of the dead men.
“I told you no reckless things until my magic was back. Instead, you darted away without waiting for us.” Darius glowered at me. “Shall we go home? I think we’ve had enough for one evening.”
A soft swoosh came, and Bethlen swept into view as quickly as he’d left. Both Darius and Irene leapt back in shock. I shielded them although I was aware there wasn’t much I could do if Bethlen attacked. Even though he was faster and stronger than I was, I would do my best to protect them.
The count held a squirming man tightly. His face was scrunched up in disgust. “Do you know who this is?”
I swallowed hard. “I do.”
The man was Tanner, one of Rothbart’s minions. He’d escaped from Raven Hall twice, right under my nose, thanks to the fact he could turn into a sparrow.
“My goodness.” Irene pressed a trembling hand to her chest. “It’s him.”
“I see Mr. Tanner needs no introduction.” Bethlen pulled Tanner’s hair back with a hard yank, exposing the thug’s neck. “You know what he did.”
I nodded, my fangs coming out of their own accord.
“Do it, Alexander.” Bethlen offered Tanner’s exposed neck to me. “You’ll understand me. There’s nothing sweeter than justice.”
Rage rushed through me. My senses heightened. Tanner had been with Rothbart when he’d attacked Irene, beaten her, killed her father, and set fire to her house. But aside from that, I wanted to drain him, feel his miserable life leave his body, and make sure he wouldn’t hurt anyone.
“Alex, don’t.” Irene’s voice was a light whisper. “You don’t kill. You don’t drain people.”
But this one deserved it.
Darius said something, but his words formed a jumble of noises. The fast drumming of Tanner’s heart was the only thing I heard. The air became thick with the acrid smell of his fear.
Why shouldn’t I kill him? Why shouldn’t I satisfy my thirst and desire for vengeance at the same time? I was a vampire. That was what vampires did, and Tanner was a murderer.
The jugular vein in his neck beat a fast tempo that allured me. He muttered something that sounded like a plea, but he hadn’t listened to Irene’s and her father’s pleas when he’d killed them. Why should I grant him compassion?
“If you don’t do it, I will.” Bethlen took a sniff at Tanner. “I’ve been searching for him for nights, tracing his revolting smell. Drain him, Alexander.”
An ache pounded in my temples and filled my ears with a buzzing noise. I didn’t need to think. I sank my teeth into Tanner’s neck and sucked. His warm blood flooded my mouth.
He sagged against Bethlen and groaned as the bite affected him. But the pleasure wasn’t going to last. He lost consciousness quickly, and I kept drinking.
I was barely aware of Irene tugging at my arm, but I didn’t care.
“Good.” Bethlen’s voice was the only neat and clear one I heard.
The dark part of me rejoiced. The sensation of draining a body was intoxicating, even though Tanner’s blood wasn’t particularly tasty. It was stale and thick with a bitter aftertaste that stung my tongue. When the flow stopped, I reluctantly lifted my head and met Bethlen’s obsidian eyes.
“How does it feel?” His voice sounded like an echo in a dark cavern.
“Grand.” I grinned and licked the last drops of blood from my lips.
Bethlen dropped Tanner’s body. It ended up piling over the other two, and I felt nothing but pride.
“What have you done?” Irene sobbed next to me.
“Did you care about him?” I angled towards her, savouring her delicate scent.
“No, I didn’t. I hated him. But I care about you, and you’ve just destroyed yourself.” She clenched her gold cross, and the sight disturbed me.
“Alexander has embraced his true nature.” The count observed the corpses with an air of triumph. “Why can’t we use our powers to deliver justice?”
“Alex isn’t a monster.” Her voice cracked.
Bethlen stepped closer to her. “He isn’t a hero either.”
I put a hand on his chest to stop him. “Leave her alone.”
Holding up his hands, he stepped back. “I will. You know how you feel right now. How powerful you truly are. Think about it.”
And he was gone again. The air didn’t stir with his disappearance.