The Lair

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

Carter

I couldn’t even look at Lily when I made the call. I even blocked out the sound of her protests until she’d hopped around the car to pound on my chest with her fists.

“I will not let you do this!” she yelled.

“It’s not your choice,” I said simply. I made it sound simple anyway, to hide how complicated this really was. I’d lied of course, because it should have been her choice. This should never have been my decision at all. But I couldn’t kill Lily. I couldn’t let Joe kill Lily. There was nothing I wouldn’t do to save her.

I pretended not to hear her yelling. Instead, I climbed into the car and shut the door behind me then reached across and pulled the passenger-side door closed as well. A quick jab of the door-lock key and I was locked away from all the things I didn’t want to hear. I couldn’t bear to hear.

Sebastian was slow to pick up. Really slow.

Of course, it was the middle of the night. He’d be out hunting. With Mel.

“Ah, if it isn’t my young padawan,” he drawled when he answered the phone.

“I need your help.”

“Of course you do,” he said with the typical sneer in his voice.

“Lily—” My anger closed around my throat and I had to swallow before continuing. Shit. I had to get through this. “She got hurt. She’s been exposed.”

“Exposed to what?” he asked politely. Like he was inquiring about the friggin’ whether. “Is she coming down with a cold?”

“Stop being so damn coy. You know what I mean. She was exposed to the Tick virus. You have to come help us.”

“Help you how, exactly?”

I gritted my teeth, unable to believe I was about to say this aloud. “You have to come bite her. Turn her before she can turn into a Tick.”

“No,” he said calmly.

“What? You can’t just—”

“No!” This time there was real anger in his voice, hidden beneath the crisp overpronunciation he fell back on when his emotions ran high. “No. It is you who ‘can’t just.’ You can’t just order me around. Do not forget which of us is the more powerful one in this particular venture.”

I blew out a breath, trying to calm myself down. “Please, Sebastian.” Even as I said it, I knew the word please wouldn’t cut it. “She had direct, blood-to-blood contact. She’s definitely infected.”

“Well, then, I suggest you act quickly.”

“Come on, you know I can’t—” I couldn’t even bring myself to say it. How the hell was I going to do it? “Please, just come down to Texas. Just do it.” I was begging now. Not ordering. Not even hoping. Just outright begging. “Hell, you don’t even have to train her. Just turn her and walk away. By now, Mel could . . .”

But I didn’t even have an end to that sentence. I had no idea how Mel was doing. She hadn’t had any contact with any of us. For all I knew, she was miserable. She may hate us all for what we did to her. Was that the fate I wanted for Lily? Was I just being selfish?

Yes. And yes.

No doubt I was being selfish, but if I had to choose between killing her and letting her live, as a vampire, it was a choice I would make again and again.

“Just get your ass down here and do something. Please.”

“No,” he repeated calmly. “That particular ticket could only be redeemed once. No matter how you curse and beg and plead, I will not come solve your problem for you.” He paused. For a moment I thought he was done. End of conversation. End of hope. Then he added, “I might, however, have a suggestion that will help you.”

“Okay. Anything.”

“You mentioned you were in Texas?”

“Yeah. A little town called Sweetwater. Not far from Abilene.”

“Excellent. Then you’re practically in the den of the lion, as it were.”

“The den of the . . . What the hell are you talking about?”

“About Roberto, of course. You don’t really think he created the Tick virus without also creating an antidote, do you?”

“I . . . I hadn’t thought about it.” Was that even possible? A cure for the virus? “There’s a cure?”

“Yes. I do believe there is.”

“A cure?” I said again stupidly.

“Is our connection bad?” Sebastian asked smoothly.

“If there’s a cure, why the hell haven’t you mentioned it before now?”

“Well, for starters, I don’t know if it’ll work. And I’m almost certain it won’t work on Ticks who are fully developed. Yet. And besides, I did mention that it’s in the hands of Roberto, did I not?”

“Oh, jeez, you make it sound so easy.”

“I’m sorry. If saving your girlfriend’s life is too difficult for you, then by all means, skip it and play some video games instead.”

“Screw you.” I was so pissed off at Sebastian, it was all I could do not to just hang up on him right then. “So you’re saying, what? That I should break into Roberto’s secret lair and steal the cure?”

“Oh, I don’t think that will be necessary. You shouldn’t have to break in.”

“I just walk up with Lily and ask for it?”

“You’d be surprised how much a polite request will get you. That’s something your generation never—”

“Focus!” I barked.

“Very well. Yes, just walk up to the front gates. I’ve been working on a little theory about the Price sisters and—”

“What, now you think Lily is an abductura after all?” I asked.

“Sarcasm will get you nowhere.”

“Fine. Tell me about this theory.”

“Never mind.” Sebastian’s voice oozed with disdain. “I’ll let you find out for yourselves. If you still have that tranquilizer gun of yours, you should use a dart on Lily. An artificially repressed heart rate should slow the progression of the virus. Go to Roberto. He will help you.”

Chances were much better that Roberto would kill us where we stood. But I guess I could live with that. Being murdered by Roberto was better than having to murder Lily myself. I’d said I would do anything to protect her. And I guess this was it. My deal with the devil. My unthinkable bargain. I would go to Roberto and ask for help from the man who had destroyed humanity.

“Fine. Tell me where to go.”

“Roberto owns the largest contiguous ranch in Texas. In the entire United States, for that matter.”

My mind flashed back to my Texas history class. “King Ranch?” I asked.

Sebastian laughed. “No. Vampires haven’t maintained their anonymity for three thousand years by cutting endorsement deals with Ford.”

“King Ranch is the largest ranch in Texas,” I said through gritted teeth.

Lily was dying. Every second we wasted she was a second closer to turning into a monster I would have to kill. And this asshole was here making jokes.

“No. King Ranch is reputed to be the largest ranch in Texas. Roberto’s ranch, El Corazon, is the one Richard King tried to build when he started buying up property back in the eighteen fifties. Roberto’s ranch isn’t nearly as publicized. In fact, I doubt there’s anyone other than Roberto himself who knows exactly how big his property is. It is not marked on any map. It’s not listed on any county records.”

“Well, great then. I’ll just drive south until I reach Area 51.”

Sebastian chuckled again. “Good plan. Head for Calhoun County, take Ranch Road 3214 until someone either kills you or invites you in.”