“Pretend it’s possible. What happens if we cut the head off the snake, or I guess the dragon, in this case.”
He groans with frustration.
“Just play along.” I nudge him.
“Then Harald sails from France and starts a bloody civil war among the three houses again with humans caught in the middle. Mass casualties all around. Chaos reigns until a victor emerges, and then we’re in the same precarious position of an ongoing conflict between humans and vampires.”
“Not ideal. Um, okay, so we kill Gregor and then the Saints make it known that we have the ability to killallthe vampires if they continue their war on humans.”
“That won’t stop the Tantuns. They’ll test their limits while grasping for power,” he says emphatically. “You should eradicate them.”
“What? No.”
“Why not?” He sounds genuinely puzzled.
I gawk at him. “We can’t indiscriminately destroy an entire blood line. Like an entire subset of a species.”
“Why?” Again, he’s puzzled.
“Because then we’re no better than they are!”
“That’s a terrible reason.”
“What?” I scoff.
“What’s the point of being better than them?” He runs his tongue along one of his fangs. “If someone wants you dead, best to kill them before they can kill you. This is simple math, basic survival, and you’re talking nonsense. No wonder the humans are losing this war.”
“Don’t be a dick.” I try another tack. “Could there be a Tantun who is like Melody?”
“No one will ever be like Melody.”
“Yes, but are all Tantuns like Carlotta?”
“No.” He makes a disgusted noise. “The other houses would’ve stamped them out eons ago if they were all like her.”
“Then there’s my point. There are bad Tantuns. There are bad humans. There are bad Corvidions. But there are alsogoodones.”
“Fuck.” He sits up suddenly.
“What?”
“Gregor is summoning me.” He stands and snatches up his clothes, dressing quickly.
A chill settles through me. “Why?”
“I don’t know. Nothing good, I can assure you.”
“Wait, Valen. Gage told the people here about me, about what I did to Theo,” I blurt. “He didn’t realize it was?—”
“Ofcoursehe realized, my Blood,” Valen snarls, his eyes flashing. “The captain knewexactlywhat would happen to me if Gregor were to get his hands on a soldier from this base. He was simply waiting for Gregor to destroy me so he could charge in and ‘rescue’ you.”
I sit up, disbelief and betrayal mixing like a molotov cocktail in my gut. “Gage did it on purpose?”
“He’s far more devious than you give him credit for. I, on the other hand, recognize a snake when I see one. I assigned a special Corvidion contingent specifically to this base. No one who leaves after nightfall survives long enough to reveal anything.Ever. The good captain signed a death warrant for his own people when he shared your secrets. He was fine with that cost if it meant a chance at my death and getting his hands on you.”
I clutch the blanket to me. “Do you think someone slipped through? Is that why you’re being summoned? Does Gregor know?”
“No. Something like that, I’d feel it. Gregor can’t control his emotions anymore, especially not his rages.”
