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Now Iris knew about his worst crime. Only it was far worse than he could have ever imagined, because her sister, Violet, had been among the slain witches. Guilt over the massacre swamped him all over again.
He’d been foolish as hell to think his life could be different. But at least Iris now saw him for the monster he was. He felt the waves of her shock and her hatred for his kind boiling in the space between them.
Seraphina addressed Iris. “Don’t take it too hard. Connor is after all a vampire first, then a man. He couldn’t resist taking out his true nature on something as lovely as your sister. You must forgive him, you know.” Then she laughed, a loud trill that set his nerves on fire.
Evan caressed the hand still holding his arm. “I think our work here is done, my love.”
“I believe it is. And we should definitely give these two some time to talk things out.”
With that, a black cloud filled the room and like something from a cheap movie, the pair disappeared, the cloud with them.
Iris’s gaze was still fixed on the sight of her sister in the top photo. Violet’s eyes were blank and empty, her skin a pure white, her body covered in blood. Connor forced himself to move forward, then gathered up the photos and shoved them back into the folder, closing it.
“Iris—” he began, but nothing followed. The horror of his existence in Five Bridges fell on him like a heavy weight, pressing him down, closing his throat.
“You did this to Violet? To my own sister?”
“I don’t know.” He shook his head. “I was there. I know I was there, but my memories of the event aren’t complete. I’ve hated myself for this, for my part in hurting these women.”
“Why did you do it?”
“I didn’t choose to do this. I was abducted by one of the Rotten Row death squads and shot up with a high dose of blood flame. I don’t remember anything after that, just random images of chaos and violence.” He could recall the screams of the women, the hard laughter of the men. At some point he’d passed out, and when he’d woken up at home, he had no idea how he’d gotten there. He’d been beaten almost to the point of death.
She gestured to the now closed folder. “There was blood on your fangs and my sister was dead. I think it’s clear what happened.”
“I know.” He sat down in the nearest chair, his mind fixed on that night, trying to remember. But it was blurred like hearing and seeing the whole thing underwater between empty stretches of nothing.
He felt himself falling into a familiar pit, only this time, he wouldn’t be able to crawl back out. He’d fallen in love with Iris, but it looked like he’d raped and killed her sister. There was nothing for him here, not now, not ever. He’d been a fool to begin to hope. This was Five Bridges where everyone’s soul came to die.
“Get out,” Iris said quietly. He felt her killing power rising, but he wasn’t going to let her suffer later remorse for taking his life. Because of what they’d shared, she’d have guilt if she killed him.
He rose, numb to his feet, and slowly levitated into the garden. If Evan and his witch were waiting for him, so much the better. They could have him. He was dead now, a hollowed out vampire waiting for the mortal blow.
He levitated swiftly toward the sissoo. Behind him, he heard Iris scream her rage and as he began to rise in the air, a terrible wind of power beat at him. Her killing drive had risen to its highest point. If she’d been close to him, she would have taken his life.
He rose swiftly, then hovered well above her garden. Grief slammed into him over and over at what he’d done, at his life, at all that he’d lost.
“Just as I’d hoped. Iris kic
ked you out for good.” Connor glanced around. He could hear Evan, but he couldn’t see him. He realized then that Seraphina’s dark cloud hung heavy in the air once more.
He moved in a slow circle midair. “What do you want now? You’ve already killed me.”
The cloud parted enough for Evan to show himself. He was ten feet away, his green eyes glittering. “Not quite, my friend, but we’re getting close. I just want you to know that I think you’re involvement with Iris, that you’d become lovers, is incredibly poetic and perfect. When I hired the death squad to arrange the massacre and to include Violet, I had them take you along as well for the fun of it. By then, I knew you were the one who shot my wife. I also knew you thought of yourself as a moral Border Patrol cop, and I decided you needed a reality check. I think the massacre had just the right effect.
“But it never once crossed my mind you might actually fall for Iris. In a way, I think it’s beautiful.”
So, Evan had arranged the massacre to take Violet’s life and to mess with Connor’s mind. “You were punishing Iris even back then?”
“And you as well, of course.”
“You are fucking out of your mind.”
Evan lifted both hands and several rough looking vampires suddenly filled the space between him and Evan.
“Don’t worry, they’re not here for you.” Evan signaled to them and they began their descent. “They’ll give Iris a few minutes to cool down, then we’ll take her as well.”
Glancing into the garden, Connor saw that Seraphina was below, working her magic to keep Iris’s spell disabled.
