The Scarlet Dagger (The Red Sector Chronicles, #1)

Chapter 20

I heard the gun cock right before I opened my eyes.

"I could smell the lab on your clothes as soon as I walked through the door," Paris said, anger burning on her face. She stood over me, aiming a pistol at my head.

I stared back at her, keeping my lips pressed together.

"You followed me," she said.

I swallowed and slowly rose. "Yes. How long have you known?"

"Known what?"

"About the virus," I snapped. "The eradication of the human race."

"Now what makes you think that?"

"Don't lie to me," I bit back. "I saw the files, read about the experiments. My brother was one of your test subjects, wasn't he?"

Paris never flinched. "We had been experimenting with biochemical warfare for years, ever since the Eclipse. So many possibilities for the vampirism virus, but we never found the correct strain." She smiled. "Until fate delivered us your brother. Or rather, what was left of him."

I clenched the blanket tightly in my fist. Sure, my brother had his faults, but he still deserved more than to be brutally murdered and cut up like some science project.

"Why him?"

"Your brother's DNA is unique," Paris said. "Because he is descended from the first vampire ever created."

"That's absurd. You're saying I'm descended from some legendary vampire king?"

"You'd be surprised how often legends walk hand in hand with the truth," Paris said, smiling slightly.

"But I'm a human."

"No, not anymore. You never were completely human." She paced in front of me, never lowering the pistol. "Your blood lust manifested itself differently, in the form of your desire to fight. You were always stronger and faster than the other children, weren't you?"

"I..." I struggled to deny it. I always won all the prizes in Field Day and had dominated every track meet. My fighting record had been so lengthy that it had been a miracle to keep me on the team. Only my outstanding grades had made up for it.

I shook my head. "That can't be possible."

"Three years ago, humans would've said vampires were impossible, but they're real. We said there would never be another world war, and yet it happened. I thought I would be with my husband forever, that he would never die, but he did." Bitter rage colored her voice, and I tensed as she again raised the pistol to my head. "You're the missing link, Sloane, whether you're ready to admit it or not."

I shook my head, disgusted with her. "This is wrong. So, so wrong. Why are you helping them?"

"I'm helping us!" she screamed back. "You have no idea what is at risk here!"

She wasn't angry because of what I'd done – she was angry because she was terrified. I could feel it. "What are you so scared of, Paris?"

She blinked, caught off guard. "I'm not."

"Yes, you are. I can tell." My eyes narrowed. "Who was that man you were with at the lab tonight?"

Her face completely drained of color, turning her white as a ghost. She wetted her lips and locked wide, fearful eyes with me.

"Please," I pressed. "You can tell me." I pushed a bit of glamour into my words, hoping she would give in.

I waited, tense and silent.

"Nero," she finally whispered, her voice no more than air.

The Emperor. So that's who's behind the experiments. I paused. Aden thought the gunmen at the arcade looked like Imperial Guards, though he didn't know for sure. Could Nero really be the one trying to kill me? If so, why? Does he see me as some kind of threat?

Paris began unbuttoning her blouse. "What are you –" I started to ask, when I caught sight of a thin scar right above her heart.

"You see this?" Paris said, tapping it with her fingernail. "When Nero asked me to aid him, I couldn't refuse. He had a container filled with poison sewed into my chest, right above my heart. It's wired to explode via an electronic signal, going straight to my bloodstream and killing me instantly."

Paris walked toward me and bent down, her eyes hardening. "I am their only link to the experiments. Less than five vampires know, not even Frost."

I glared at her. "You're a surgeon. Why don't you just remove the vial yourself?"

Paris smirked. "As Nero told me, the vial has to be deactivated by him for it to become harmless. Should I try to remove it, the vial will break anyway. Which brings me to my original point..."

She pressed the barrel of the pistol against my forehead.

"If you breathe one word," she whispered, "I'll kill you."