"I imagine the Accord was meant to control you because you're a danger to humans."
He glowers at me. "You can't really control us. We're a force of God's will. Vampires were created to prey on you in punishment for your transgressions against God."
"Let's get this over with."
"Look," he says and leans forward. "Eve. I can see you're clearly over your head. It's not your fault. You should have been spared this. I blame men like Ed who want to exploit you. They think they've outsmarted God himself, figuring out some way to destroy us with their genetic technology. But I'll let you in on a little secret," he says and nods for me to move closer. I do without thinking. "It's you they'll destroy." He leans back, as if satisfied. "Now go ahead and read me. Get this over with." He smiles.
I check the box on the form that reads 'Subject Fails to Disclose Details Voluntarily' and put the clipboard down on the table. I take in a deep breath and lay my hand on the exposed skin on the inside of his wrist. His skin is soft there, velvety, and cool.
Then, that familiar sensation of falling into a chasm overtakes me and I'm inside his mind. I see him with the dead priest, meeting him in a dark wooded area somewhere outside the city, the monastery, the priest kneeling down before him. Then the pleasure when he sinks his teeth into the man's neck, drinking deeply of his blood, the sensation of the man's heart as it speeds up while the blood drains out of his body.
I'm drawn into his bloodlust briefly, the sensations of drinking the blood now familiar. I watch the next part – the part where he carries the body to the waterfront. Then, I pull out of the vision, using every bit of energy I can.
"I got it all," I say, waiting for the vertigo to pass.
Ed comes to my side and puts his arm around my shoulder in an avuncular fashion. "Just record what you saw. Give us details that we can use. Did you get the location of the kill site?"
I nod. "The monastery where he used to live."
Ed snaps his fingers and points to someone in the observation room. "Get a team and check it out."
"Poor sweet Eve," Julien says as the guard starts to unshackle his chains, preparing to move him. "Trying so hard to please your parents, playing the piano like an angel to get their approval. Your father's approval. Your mother really did love you." He shakes his head. "Isn't that the story of all our lives? Doing whatever it takes to get the father's approval when all he really cares about is his own aggrandizement?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," I say in anger. "My father loved me."
"That's what I thought as well. Common mistake."
He smiles and stretches in an exaggerated fashion in spite of his restraints. "Now enough about our bastard fathers. There are plans afoot. I have to keep on top of things. Why don't you just ask me something more interesting, like – can I predict the future? Can I tell you what's going to happen next?"
"What do you mean? After I read you or after the Council sentences you?"
"Not that long. . . " He cranes his head to see the clock. "Not nearly that long."
I frown. "What are you talking about?"
"You'll see." He smiles.
Then a huge explosion shakes the building and the lights flicker out so that we sit in complete darkness. I hear a scuffle, and when my eyes adjust, I see that Julien has taken down both guards who were in to move him.
"What happened?" I say, breathless.
"Don't worry," he says, his voice steely. "You're safe."
After about ten seconds, the emergency generator starts and the lights switch on.
Julien leans forward. His face is dark, his expression stern. "Listen to me," he says. "Just don't fight."
"What are you doing?"
He closes his eyes tightly.
It all happens too fast for me to take in. A bright flash of light blinds me and a loud bang dulls my hearing. Someone pulls a fabric hood over my face before my vision returns and wrenches my arms behind my back, binding them with some hard plastic ties.
I blink as I'm pulled along, and soon, the sparkles that impeded my sight are replaced by the darkness of the hood.
"Where are we going?"
"Shush," he says, his face next to mine, his voice a little lighter. He pulls me along, my heels falling off so that I'm barefoot.