Taste of Torment

CHAPTER SIX

(Jared)

My gut twisted at the sight of Evan’s hollowed cheeks and sickly complexion. Lying on one of the mattresses in the cell, he looked exhausted and full of utter despair. Max was gagging in the far corner of the room while Stuart watched with eyes that were disturbingly vacant. It was always the same – within an hour of drinking an NST, they would be vomiting, totally unable to digest it, totally unable to quench what had to now be an overriding thirst.

They had been tainted for almost two weeks now, and I had come here each and every evening to visit. I knew that I was just torturing myself by witnessing as my brother increasingly deteriorated like this. I knew this wasn’t helping me. But how could I stay away from my own twin, especially at a time like this? How could I not visit him, despite that neither of us derived any comfort from me being there?

I didn’t want him to feel alone. Being away from him at a time like this made me feel guilty, like I was abandoning him, even if that didn’t make an awful lot of sense. Right now, though, he wouldn’t even look at me. I wasn’t sure if he was pretending that I wasn’t here or if he was simply hoping that if he ignored me, I’d leave. Maybe he didn’t like that I was seeing him like this. While I understood that, it couldn’t keep me away. Not from my twin brother.

I wished I was there to give them some good news, but the truth was that neither Sam nor I had found anything that could help. I’d forced myself not to even think of giving up, and to remain hopeful. For a while it had worked. But I could feel my original optimism beginning to fizzle away, leaving me with only pain, fear, and anger – all of which I had buried so deep that Sam couldn’t pick up on them through our bond.

Hiding my pain and fear was a childhood habit that had stayed with me. My narcissistic mother had practically fed on those things, so I’d done my best to deprive her of them. I hadn’t wanted the twisted bitch to see just how much she could hurt me. As a kid, it had been my way of fighting back. And it was the ultimate form of revenge if your foe got kicks out of any pain that they could cause you. Really, it was no wonder I was pretty fucked up.

For Sam, I had been doing my best to snap out of that habit of burying everything deep. She wasn’t my mother; she wouldn’t use my emotions against me. She wasn’t someone who I needed to protect myself from. For once in my fucked up life, I’d allowed myself to need someone. And I did need Sam. Hell, without her, my optimism might have disappeared altogether. But I couldn’t share my deeper emotions on this subject with her, couldn’t lean on her this time. We were too at odds on what we believed was best to do in this situation, and I didn’t want to give more weight to her solution of involving Paige West by revealing that my optimism was beginning to dwindle.

Still, although I hadn’t felt able to totally confide in her, Sam had been the anchor that had enabled me to stay focused and keep from losing my shit. She probably didn’t know it, but she was the only thing that was keeping me relatively sane throughout all this chaos – or as sane as I could ever hope to be.

Hearing soft footsteps, I knew it was Antonio. I didn’t look away from Evan though. I stood there willing him to meet my eyes, willing him to see my determination to help him – as if that determination alone could encourage Evan to fight, to not give up. But no, my brother was refusing to acknowledge me. And it fucking hurt.

Reaching my side, Antonio sighed sadly at the sight behind the glass wall. “It is difficult to remain positive when confronted with the effects of The Call.”

Translation: ‘Stop coming here before you lose all hope’.

“It’s hard to stay away. I feel like I should be here for him. I want to be. I want to help him.”

“Maybe you can.”

At those words, my head whipped around to face Antonio. “What do you mean?”

“Quentin Foy – he has been found. Harvey’s idea to put a bounty on Quentin’s head offering a reward for his whereabouts was a good one; it made finding him much faster. I truly have no idea if anything he tells you could help with this but”

“In all honesty, I’m not hopeful that he can help.” That wasn’t something I’d told Sam, though. “But I can’t leave any corner unexplored.”

Antonio gave a nod of understanding. “Then get Sam and the squad together.” He held out a small sheet of paper on which an address was scribbled. “This is where you will find Quentin Foy.” Antonio squeezed my shoulder. “Best of luck.”

I immediately teleported to the arena. Understanding that I’d needed to see Evan, Sam had agreed to begin the training session without me. She and the squad paused when I arrived, clearly intrigued by the urgency in my manner. I held up the sheet of paper. “Time to speak with Foy. He’s still in New Zealand and”

“You’re going on an assignment?” Collins called out from the spectator seats.

It took extreme effort to stop grinding my teeth. Since arriving, Collins and Eloise had insisted on sitting in on every training session, whether it was in the arena or in the rainforest. Collins always took notes the entire time, but he was never silent. No. He always had lists of queries, he repeatedly questioned Sam’s decisions, and he even criticised her techniques.

I felt as fury whizzed through Sam each and every time – it was the same fury that filled me. But her responses were always brisk, formal, and business-like. It was true that she didn’t have much patience when it came to assholes and could happily whip the living shit out of them, but Sam was also very controlled when she needed to be. Feeders had to be controlled or the energy would overwhelm them. I was literally in awe of how she had managed to hold back from hurting the interfering bastards, because I personally was so very close to snapping.

Whenever she sensed that my own control was slipping, Sam would immediately calm me; reminding me telepathically how important it was not to give the assholes anything to report that could be used against her.

As Collins began descending the steps, I finally replied to his question. “Yes, we are.”

“Is that such a good idea, Jared?” An indecently dressed Eloise trailed after Collins. She said my name like it was an endearment, said it with enough familiarity to have Sam’s blood boiling as it was a constant reminder that she and I knew each other intimately – even though I could hardly remember that night. “You and Commander Parker have been seen in public. We do not want more photographs of you going around. It would be best if you both laid low for a while.”

“I’m not letting the squad do this alone,” I stated firmly. My tone left no room for negotiation.

Eloise came closer – too close. “Then perhaps, Jared, you should go without Commander Parker. The appeal was for information about her.” I was always ‘Jared’, and it was spoken in such a warm tone. By contrast, Sam was always ‘Commander Parker’, and the words were pure frost. It was designed to annoy Sam, and it did.

But it also annoyed the shit out of me. I stepped away from Eloise. “Not a fucking chance.”

Unfortunately, she wasn’t deterred by my irritability. “But Jared, you”

Sam, cool and business-like, interrupted, “Let’s remember that you and Mr Collins are here to observe, not to give advice.” Eloise clenched her fists but said nothing.

“Ava and Cristiano will want to talk to Quentin,” David pointed out, dismissing the presence of Eloise and Collins. He was right; the siblings would want to find out what had happened to the vampires from their nest.

“We’ll take them with us,” I said.

“You cannot.” At Collins’ words, everyone slowly spun on their heel as one to look at him with their brows arched. The sight might have been funny under other circumstances. Clearly nervous – most likely because the entire squad was sneering at him – he stammered, “I-it is against p-protocol as they are not part o-of the squad.”

Sam made a contemplative sound. “You are right, Mr Collins. I suppose this means that you have changed your mind and that both you and Miss Montana will be staying behind? After all, neither of you are part of the squad, are you?”

Collins and Eloise exchanged a frustrated look. They understood the message – if Ava and Cristiano didn’t go, neither did they. He lifted a shoulder. “I suppose there are circumstances in which allowances can be made.” How freaking kind of him.

“Yes,” Eloise begrudgingly agreed through her teeth.

Sam joined her hands, faking a smile of pure delight. “Excellent. Glad that’s all cleared up.”

As she intended, her enthusiasm nettled Eloise, who then turned to me so fast that her hair swished around her face. Tossing it over her shoulder, she snapped, “Jared, I have to once again object to Commander Parker accompanying you. There has been a public appeal for information about her”

“In London,” Sam inserted pleasantly, holding up her index finger. “We’ll be in New Zealand.”

“which means it is important that she maintains a low profile for a while. I have to stress the importance of her remaining concealed.”

“And I have to stress that I don’t give a fuck.”

Sam shot me a smile that told me I was so getting lucky later.

Quentin Foy was a tall, thin vampire with wise eyes. He was also damn fast. The second we burst into his hotel room and he spotted me, he sped through the suite so quickly that he actually managed to dodge Sam’s whip as it attempted to trap him. But there was no avoiding Harvey’s gift. He telekinetically dragged Quentin to an armchair, and – a trick that Sam had recently taught him – then used his gift to actually pin Quentin in place.

As Quentin’s eyes swallowed the sight of me, Sam, David, Denny, Butch, Harvey, Salem, Ava, Dickhead, and – unfortunately – Collins and Eloise surrounding him in a semi-circle, he looked ready to hyperventilate. Who could blame him?

“We’re not here to kill you.” I took a non-threatening step forward. Sam mirrored my move so that we presented a united front.

Unconvinced, Quentin snorted. “Right. That’s why Antonio put a bounty on my head. Where are my vampires?”

“If you mean the ones in the neighbouring suite, they’re perfectly fine. Other than having been shot with poisonous thorns to make them sleep for a while, that is. Three of my squad members are watching over them.” Chico, Reuben, and Damien were under strict orders not to hurt them unless it was totally necessary.

“Is it typical for your commanders to request for some of you to disable a suspect’s companions like that?” Collins asked Salem. His response was a growl that made Collins edge away from him and involuntarily bump into Butch, who snarled at him.

Admirably ignoring the prick’s presence, Sam spoke to Quentin. “Antonio put a price on your head so that you would be found – and found fast. That’s all.” Her tone was reassuring but grave. “We have questions that only you can answer.”

Quentin’s expression went from panicked to wary. “Questions?”

“About the nest of tainted vampires you left behind in your tunnels,” I explained.

He sighed heavily, suddenly looking defeated. “You killed them,” he surmised. He didn’t sound judgemental, just sad.

I might have felt bad if Evan, Max, and Stuart weren’t now dying after being attacked by them. “We had no choice. If you agree to answer our questions and don’t try to run again, we can free you from the telekinetic hold. Your choice.” When Quentin nodded his agreement, I signalled at Harvey to release him.

Once he did so, Quentin rolled his shoulders and shifted in the seat. “Thank you.”

Hearing the sound of paper flicking, I turned my head to see that Collins was scribbling his observations down in a notepad. “Was the telekinetic hold uncomfortable?” Collins then asked Quentin. Un-fucking-real. The guy just stared at Collins blankly. I had yet to meet anyone who hadn’t taken an instant dislike to the asshole. Coming up behind Collins, Eloise gave Quentin an encouraging smile, urging him to answer the question. He didn’t.

“Why didn’t you kill your tainted vampires yourself?” Sam asked Quentin, still ignoring her ‘observers’. I honestly didn’t know how she did it. “Don’t get me wrong, I can understand why you would find that hard – it would be the very last thing I’d want to do in your shoes. But if you were going to give up on them, why not save them weeks of suffering?”

“I didn’t trap them there to die,” snapped Quentin, offended. “I didn’t give up on them. I left them there hoping I could find some sort of cure that I could take back to save them.”

I arched a brow when he didn’t elaborate. “And?”

His shoulders fell; he was the image of hopelessness. “And nothing. What everybody says is true – you can’t stop The Call.”

That was not what I’d hoped to hear. More of the little optimism I had left began to fizzle away.

“When did your vampires become tainted?” At least Sam was staying focused. Right then, my spirits were plummeting so fast I could hardly think straight. Most likely sensing that, she reached out and briefly clasped my hand. The energy clinging to her skin buzzed against mine. It was strangely comforting. Using that to centre myself, I swiftly pushed down the dark feelings of anger, pain, and fear that were trying to surface. The last thing I wanted was for Sam to sense them.

“One of my vampires came home with a huge bite,” said Quentin. “He said that he was attacked by another vampire in a town that was miles away from our own. His opinion was that his attacker had been a newborn vampire who was a little undernourished; he’d felt guilty for killing him. We didn’t think it was anything odd as many newborns are kept isolated and weak by their Sires while they get their bloodlust and gift under control.”

He was right about that. It had happened to Sam. “So you just figured that it had been a newborn who escaped his nest?”

“Yes,” replied Quentin. “But my friend’s bite wouldn’t heal. It just kept getting worse. I didn’t know enough about The Call to realise that it was a symptom. It wasn’t until he and some of the others started vomiting that I realised what was happening. By then, it was too late. He’d fed from many vampires within the nest, and they’d fed from others, who’d fed from others, and so and so on – the taint had already spread amongst the nest.” His eyes took on a faraway quality. I knew his mind was back in those tunnels.

“That was when you left?” Sam gently prodded when he failed to continue.

Quentin’s gaze met hers, once again focused. “Yes, the few of us who hadn’t fed from any of the tainted vampires then left and sealed them inside, hoping to find a cure to bring back to them.”

Ava stepped forward. “Did three Sventés escape the tunnels with you?” Salem reached out and tugged her back to his side in a protective move.

Quentin shook his head. “No, I’m sorry.”

She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and bowed her head. Salem began rubbing her back at the same time that Cristiano curled an arm around her shoulders. The two males then took to scowling at each other. It was something they did a lot since, according to Sam, Cristiano was very protective of his sister and had never liked other guys being around her.

Returning my attention to Quentin, I said, “It would have been helpful if you had alerted people that The Call had surfaced.”

“I couldn’t risk it. I was worried that people would come and destroy my nest before I’d had a chance to search for some way to save them. Yes, I know history says that there’s no way to fight The Call, but I didn’t want to accept that. I couldn’t.”

That was something I understood all too well. I was still pissed that he hadn’t told anyone, but I could admit to myself that I might have done the same in his position. “This vampire who was the first to become tainted…Did he tell you the exact place that the supposed ‘newborn’ attacked him?”

“If you’re wondering if there are more tainted vampires out there, the answer is yes. I’ve had some people hunting for them in that area, but they haven’t been easy to find.”

Sam frowned. “How can they be difficult to find? I mean, they’re not exactly inconspicuous. Surely the taint should be widespread in that area by now if some are loose in society.”

“Not if the bitten vampires realise they’re tainted in the early stages and then isolate or kill themselves. It is what many tainted vampires have done throughout history to prevent The Call from doing too much damage to the population – and, of course, because they feared attacking those they cared for. My people have found the occasional lone one roaming in that area, but there haven’t been many. Each one they found has been destroyed.”

Well that was good news…Just not the good news that I’d wanted.

His astute gaze landed on me. “Some from The Hollow are tainted,” he guessed. “Antonio?”

I shook my head. “No, he’s fine. But I can’t say the same for my twin brother or some of my squad.”

Quentin’s face softened. “I’m sorry. I understand your pain. My sister was tainted. Trust me when I say that if there was a cure out there, I would have found it. If I were you, I’d end their suffering now.”

“I can’t,” I choked out.

“You’re not prepared to give up. It does you credit. But there really isn’t anything you can do to save them.”

“You cannot fight The Call.” Collins’ voice had me gritting my teeth again.

Butch’s lopsided grin slowly surfaced as he again glared at the prick. “You’d be surprised what we can do.” Such simple words, and yet they carried a dark threat that made Collins audibly gulp and Eloise back away slightly. Yeah, Butch unnerved everyone.

“Give us the exact location where the tainted vampires are loose,” Sam said to Quentin. “We can have a squad from the legion help your people hunt them down.”

He nodded. “I would appreciate the extra help.”

“If you need a place to stay for a”

Quentin shook his head. “Thank you. Really. But I won’t rest until The Call is dormant once more.”

Because that was the only form of revenge for him, I understood. It was the same reason that Ava and Dickhead had stuck around. I knew that if Evan was ever to be killed by anyone or anything, no revenge would ever be good enough for me.

“Do you have the authority to make such a decision, Commander Parker?” Eloise perched a hand on her hip. “You’re a commander” – for now, she didn’t say but it was clear in her voice – “but you do not command the entire legion. Surely such a decision should be for Antonio, and Antonio alone, to make.” I knew that Eloise truly wasn’t concerned about that; she simply wanted to slap down Sam in front of everyone, undermine her authority and embarrass her.

Sam cocked her head. “This makes you happy? Really?” She shook her head, like she pitied Eloise. Her posture almost regal, Sam gave the bitch her back. “Thanks for being so forthcoming, Quentin.” After all, he could have given us the silent treatment for destroying his nest and his home. “Help will be with you soon.” The dismissal of Eloise’s ‘concern’ had the woman turning an amusing shade of purple.

When we returned to The Hollow, Sam and I found Antonio and Luther in one of the parlour rooms, where we recounted the night’s events. They didn’t seem surprised that we hadn’t obtained a lot of helpful information, but they were saddened by it. At Sam’s suggestion, Antonio agreed to arrange for one of the squads to aid Quentin in locating any loose tainted vampires – rolling his eyes at our tale of Eloise’s behaviour.

“No doubt she and Collins will come to see me soon enough to complain about it.” Then he revealed something that neither Sam nor I wanted to hear. “According to the vampires I spoke to from the Prelature, the complaint made about you, Sam, is in fact authentic. I still do not believe that it was made by anyone from your squad. But someone made it. No doubt Collins is enjoying the idea of hurting you, Jared, by upsetting your mate. But he truly believes that the complaint was made by someone from the squad.”

“What about Eloise?” Sam asked from her seat on the sofa facing theirs. “I mean, I know all she and Jared did was bonk on one occasion” – Luther stifled a chuckle – “but it wouldn’t be the first time that someone got a little jealous about my relationship with him.”

Sprawled beside her, I ran a hand through her hair. “If I wasn’t the Heir, they wouldn’t give a shit, baby.”

How many times do I have to tell you that you underestimate your own worth?

I didn’t respond. She’d said this to me over and over, and had also told me that I was wrong in thinking that women had always thought I had no more than a high position and a pretty face to offer. It didn’t matter anyway, because the only person I cared about having anything to offer was Sam. If she was under the illusion that I was all those things, that could only be good.

“But it’s obvious that Eloise would like to put me on a drip of bleach,” continued Sam. “And she’s clearly enjoying all of this. Could she be behind it somehow? Surely she could have made it look like an authentic complaint.”

Antonio pursed his lips. “It’s possible. But I have the feeling that there is more to this.” He paused and exhaled a heavy breath. “On another note, Alora has been in touch.”

Sam and I both looked at each other and groaned. We didn’t need more complications.

“She wishes to come here. She heard from Bran what has happened to Evan, and she wants to see him.”

“You can’t let her.” I shook my head. “Evan made us promise not to let her see him the way he is now.”

“I thought as much, but I was not sure.” After a pause, Antonio added, “She was a mess when I spoke to her by teleconference.”

Luther nodded. “Distraught.”

I wasn’t feeling particularly sympathetic toward her right then. “Yeah, well, she had her chance to be with him and she fucked it up. Maybe if she hadn’t, he wouldn’t have insisted on going on the assignment and he wouldn’t be dying.”

Sam gave me a pointed look. “Jared, no one’s to blame for what happened to him. Not Alora, not Evan, not you – no one.”

Antonio sighed. “What occurred between Alora and Evan…As she told me in confidence, I cannot repeat the details. But I will say that she had good reason to hold back from him. I would not have entertained her request to see him if that was not true. I care for Evan, and I do not want people around him who would wish to hurt him emotionally or physically. You know that.”

“She simply wants the chance to help find a way to save him,” Luther said carefully, obviously very much aware I wasn’t in the best mood.

Oh hell, no. “Don’t even suggest bringing her in on this. Evan made us promise.”

“He made you promise not to let her see him.” Antonio held up his index finger. “But he did not make you promise not to let her help you.”

Sam tilted her head slightly. “That’s true.”

I twisted to face her, demanding, “Tell me you’re not considering this.”

“I know if it was the other way around and I was her”

“You would never have let me down the way she let Evan down.” For a second, Sam looked surprised by my confidence in her. She even looked touched by it. But that didn’t stop her from continuing to put forward her case, just as I’d known it wouldn’t. Sam never gave up on anything. I admired it even as it annoyed the shit out of me.

“People make mistakes.” Her voice was soft, low. “We’ve both made our fair share. We’ve hurt each other. But we’ve always fixed those mistakes. She wants to fix hers; she wants to help.”

I snorted. “Her gift is to communicate with animals – that’s not going to help us fight The Call.”

“No,” agreed Luther. “But you understand the need to feel as though you are helping, even though it is possible that you cannot.”

“Alora can do that without coming here.”

Sam shook her head at me. “You are so bloody stubborn.”

Was she kidding? “Baby, three words: pot, kettle, black.”

“I’m not stubborn, I’m tenacious – it’s a gift and a curse.”

“It’s a pain in my ass, that’swhat it is. Like earlier when I said”

“Why are you bringing up old shit? You’re always doing it. Like a plunger.”

I scrubbed a hand over my face. “I can’t have this conversation.”

“Thinking has never been your strong point, has it?” She looked at Antonio then. “The pressure gets to him every time.”

You’ll pay for this. I had to battle a smile. She didn’t bother to hide hers.

If you mean you’re going to tie me to the bed again and make me come over and over until I can’t think straight…come and give it to me.

I did. You swallowed it, remember?

Ooh, good one.

Antonio rose from his seat. “I must go now to arrange for a squad to join Quentin Foy’s hunting party. Think on the Alora matter a little more.”

Not interested in having that conversation again, I simply took Sam’s hand in mine and teleported us…to the bottom of the pool – for maybe the third time this week. The subsequent bitch slap wasn’t a surprise.