Page 54 of Bound

“Athena, whose real name is Fallon, is a former Tracer and a powerful neuro-manipulator and shield. She got sent out on a covert mission several years back and was captured by the Vampire Nation. When we recovered her and the others in the raid, she wiped the memories of the other survivors before I could access them and has been blocking me ever since.”

There was a long silence.

“You think she’s working with them?” I asked at last.

“No. We knew that coven was running some kind of medical experiments using Eclipse, but didn’t know any specifics. There was nothing recovered on site. All the data was erased as soon as we breached the building. Fallon scrubbed the memories of everyone we recovered, made them believe Eclipse was being given to blood slaves in the hopes it would prevent ALDD from setting in.”

“The vampire wasting disease.”

“Right.”

“Her son,” I said, the pieces clicking into place. “The one who was born in captivity—”

Just as August said, “There was a break in at the onsite medical clinic. You told us they took pain meds, syringes and blood.”

Brody cursed.

“And if all the other stuff was just a cover—”

“I’m gonna stop you all right there,” River said. “We’ve had less than forty-eight hours on this, but as it stands at this point, all Fallon cares about is protecting her kid, who we’re pretty damn sure is a varewolf.”

“You can’t tell?”

“Tell how? Vamp blood is odorless. He doesn’t have fangs, if that’s what you’re asking. Smells like a shifter. She originally claimed the father was one of the other prisoners who died in captivity. Cal’s up at the compound now working on her. He’s about the only one she trusts at the moment, and trust might be too generous a word, but at least she didn’t try to wipe his memory the second he knocked on her door and asked to talk to her, so that’s something.”

Hayden cursed under her breath.

“Were there others?” I asked. “Was her son the only child recovered?”

“No evidence of other pregnancies. My guess is they’re still struggling to get the dosage right, but we won’t know anything for sure until Fallon talks.”

Brody paced across the room. “We know they’re breeding varewolves. We don’t know why. Theories?”

“Blood slaves.” Ethan leaned back in his chair. “We’re making this too complicated. Vampires can survive months without food. The need for blood and aversion to light are their only true weaknesses.”

“Fighters,” August called out.

“Suppress the lower caste revolt,” I said. All eyes turned to me. “It’s no longer pureblood vampires being sent out to die. If the varewolves can tolerate sunlight, no one has to get ALDD. No more feeding from shapeshifters. It could unite the Vampire Nation at the expense of creating a new class of slaves.”

“Maybe all of the above,” Topher said quietly. “Why does the answer have to be simple? They’ve been one step ahead of us this entire time.”

“I want to stop hearing that answer,” Brody growled.

Naomi folded her arms. “If Ethan’s theory is right and something about the varewolves’ genetics affords them natural protection from the effects of ALDD, the Vampire Nation will stop at nothing to obtain their blood.”

“This would be their solution to end the lower caste revolt,” Topher said grimly. “Provide a blood source that would not only be superior to feeding from humans but controlled entirely by the covens.”

“They’d be farmed like animals,” Lacey said, voice hard.

My gaze flitted to the constellation of track marks winding up the inside of Topher’s arm. How many people were currently being held by the vampires? Tortured. Fed upon. Locked in windowless rooms unable to gauge the passage of time while they slowly lost all sense of self, the will to survive draining away.

“They have to be stopped,” I said. “No matter the cost.”

“We’re going to get them,” Brody said. “If it’s the last thing I do as Alpha of this pack, we’re going to bring every one of them home. August, where are we on the varewolf girl who tried to hack into our security systems?”

“And did you ask her out yet?” River peeled the wrapper off of a raspberry buttercream cupcake.

“Bite me.”