Blood-Kissed Sky (Darkness Before Dawn) Read online

  “Be careful,” I say.

  “Be careful!” the vampire mocks.

  Another scream has us jerking our heads around. A patrol guard is struggling with another Day Walker. This one is a girl, my age, the one I bought cotton candy from just a moment ago. Now I realize where I’ve seen her before. I didn’t recognize her from school; I recognized her from the Missing Persons posters after Hell Night.

  Sin got to her, and now she’s gotten to us.

  “Let’s go!” Michael yells.

  Jumping off the carousel, we land awkwardly, but quickly regain our footing. Michael dashes over to help the guard fighting off the girl.

  “Run!” I order Tegan, taking up a defensive position, facing the carousel.

  “No way,” she says.

  I feel her back against mine; she’s watching for another surprise while I want to get this vamp on solid ground. We could run, but that would leave this guy searching for a new victim.

  “Do you know who I am?” I shout.

  Grinning broadly, he leaps off the carousel. “Dawn Montgomery. Sin sends his regards.”

  “Walk away now or you won’t be returning with a message.”

  A high-pitched shriek cuts across my words. I dare a quick glance over. The guard is prone, a stake is protruding from the girl, and another vampire is squaring off against Michael.

  Turning my attention back to the waiting vampire, I wonder why he hasn’t attacked yet. Maybe killing me isn’t on his agenda. I don’t want to consider what is. “Look at your friend!” I shout. “Do you want to end up like that? A stake can kill a Day Walker just as easily as any other vamp.”

  “You can’t take me down,” he taunts, opening his mouth wide, his fangs glistening in the sunlight.

  He charges—

  I dart around him and leap back onto the carousel. Tegan runs to where two more Day Walkers are engaging Michael. They disappear from view as the ride rotates, and I see the Day Walker who charged me jump onto the moving platform.

  “You can’t escape, Dawn.”

  “I don’t want to.” I have a stake. All he has are fangs. When humans are turned, they gain a vampire’s arrogance, and it becomes their greatest weakness.

  He catches up to me, facing me, with the horse moving up and down between us.

  “I need you to come with me,” he says. “Don’t make me kill you.”

  He reaches across to grab me. The horse goes up. I duck beneath it and force the stake through the soft flesh below his ribs, angling it up and pushing twelve inches of finely honed metal into his heart. He stumbles back, falls into the sun, and is now at its mercy. He is dead before he hits the ground.

  I rush over to help Michael and Tegan, but ash begins swirling around them as the slain vampires become glowing embers in the sun. Michael reaches out and grabs my wrist with one hand and Tegan’s with the other.

  “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

  Chapter 8

  It would be better for half the city to be on fire than to have gone through what happened earlier this afternoon. Rumors are running rampant that hundreds of Day Walkers are out there, wandering the streets at will.

  Michael escorted me straight to the Agency, then took Tegan home. I can’t stop thinking about the people we saw along the way who were in shock. One woman stood in the street screaming as though she thought a vampire would sink his fangs into her at any moment. Others were angry, throwing things against store windows, looting, pillaging. Most people, though, were rushing home, striving to find security behind locked doors and barricaded windows.

  All the police and Night Watchmen had to be called out to restore order. Clive made a brief appearance on television to state that only a handful of Day Walkers exist, and that they will be hunted down by the Night Watchmen. The same Night Watchmen that no one trusts anymore.

  “What’s this bastard trying to accomplish?” Clive asks.

  Rachel and I are in his office, at the top of the Agency building in the heart of the city. We can look out and see the walls. I’m surprised I don’t see a mass exodus, a line of people stretching from here to the horizon, everyone leaving at once, taking their chances in the wild, desolate countryside. Maybe that’ll come tomorrow once calm is restored and they’ve finished packing.

  Clive looks at me. “Guess Sin is still around.”

  “Probably.” I scowl. “One of the Day Walkers told me he sends his regards.”

  Clive summoned Roland Hursch, since he’s the new delegate, but he has yet to show. I wonder if he’s cowering somewhere.

  “This is my fault,” I continue. “I had to go to that stupid fair.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous!” Clive shouts, standing up quickly. “This isn’t anyone’s fault. We have to figure out how to identify these Day Walkers and destroy them. And this Sin fellow. We need to find him, too. I’m putting a bounty on his head. If he’s still in the city, we will track him down and—”

  Before he can finish, his phone rings. He lets out an angry sigh and picks it up. “What? Wait. Who? Impossible. No, let them in. Let them in immediately. I don’t care! Just do it!”

  He slams down the phone. “We’ve had an interesting development. Seems Sin wants to speak to us as well. He’s sent us a messenger.”

  We go to the window and watch a white carriage, pulled by six powerful white horses, come down the main street. Even from this distance I can tell the citizens are turning their heads, concerned by what they see, even if they don’t understand it. Vampires embrace past eras; the Victorian period was their golden age and most are more comfortable with the trappings from that time. The carriage stops outside the building, and when the door opens, it seems like the sun itself steps out. From my place on the top floor all I see is flowing white. Then it’s gone, heading through the entrance.

  “Okay,” Clive says, taking us back to his desk. “I’ll do the talking, but you ladies give me a signal if you’re catching something I’m missing.”

  When the door opens, a woman—with tan skin, hair so blond it nearly outshines the sun, and a low-cut dress in a shade of white that seems impossible in this dirt-filled world—enters. She’s beautiful, complete perfection. Her soft smile reveals her pointed fangs.

  “Director Anderson, a pleasure to meet you,” she says, her voice angelic.

  “The pleasure is mine, I’m sure,” he says. “And who graces us this fine afternoon?”

  “My name is Eris. I’ve been sent as an emissary from Sin to discuss certain matters.”

  “We welcome you. Please be seated.”

  “That won’t be necessary. I won’t be staying very long.”

  “I see that you’re a Day Walker,” Clive says.

  “Indeed. Sin has blessed me. He chooses so few, and those he does are eternally grateful for the gift.”

  “And what of those he doesn’t choose? Is he kind to them as well? Do they gain his pity?”

  “No. Those unworthy quickly find themselves … unnecessary.”

  “Even Day Walkers need human blood,” Clive retorts.

  “For now …”

  Clive’s brow furrows and I can tell that he isn’t sure how to respond. He’s not catching what she might be alluding to. I’m not sure I am, either, but something about what she said tickles the back of my mind.

  “What about you, Eris?” I ask. “Can you give the same blessing? Can you create a Day Walker?”

  She looks right at me. Her eyes are a piercing green, nearly transparent.

  “Dawn Montgomery,” she says. “How wonderful to finally meet you. I’ve heard so many fascinating things.”

  “Odd. Sin never mentioned you.”

  “And you didn’t answer her question, Eris,” Clive points out.

  She gives me a patient smile, as though the prodding came from me. “Only Sin can create a Day Walker.”

  I wonder if Sin meant for her to reveal a weakness in the system.

  “But obviously he’s not strong enough to control them,
” Rachel says. “Several just attacked the citizens.”

  “He is more powerful than you can comprehend,” Eris answers, a biting edge slipping into her calm.

  “If he’s so powerful, why isn’t he facing us now?” I ask.

  “You do not disappoint, Dawn,” Eris says, her eyes glittering with leashed anger. “Sin warned me about you. He said that I had to tread lightly, that you were too smart for your age, too clever. Too willing to sacrifice.”

  “I’m not flattered by anything he says.”

  “Not yet, you aren’t. But you will be. When you serve him, you will accept his generous compliments.”

  “Yeah, like that’s ever going to happen. I’d stake myself first.”

  Eris’s stare turns cold. She seems to be speaking from another world entirely, and I realize that she isn’t young. She has to be one of the first Sin ever turned. Behind her voice is infinite knowledge and experience. I imagine many have defied her, but few have ever won.

  “You are so unenlightened. You will bow to Sin one day, Dawn. Whether you stand up afterward will be your choice.”

  I grind my teeth, knowing that even if I wanted to stake her I wouldn’t be fast enough. No, I’ll have to let her slide. For now …

  “What does Sin want from us?” Rachel asks, maybe trying to keep my temper in check by changing the subject.

  “It’s a simple request, really: Dawn Montgomery.”

  I expect her to continue, but she doesn’t. That’s what Sin wants? That’s why he sent her?

  “Me?” I ask.

  “Yes,” Eris responds. “You are to come with me.”

  “And if we refuse?” Clive asks.

  “Then Sin will take the entire city of Denver, and you will lose Dawn anyway.”

  Clive laughs. “Impossible. Sin already tried that little stunt, remember?”

  “Yes, the, oh, what did you call it? Teen Initiative party? Very cute.”

  I hate her even more. There was nothing cute about kids I roped into volunteering their blood being slaughtered.

  “Yeah,” I say defiantly, “that is what we called it. And Sin failed. Miserably.”

  “That depends on his objective,” Eris answered curtly. “To spread fear? To incite panic throughout the city? I’d say it was a rousing success.”

  “The point remains,” Clive says, his voice louder than someone negotiating with a vampire should ever use, “Sin tried and still we stand strong.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Eris says. “The true potential of our Day Walkers has only begun to unfold. Look what they’ve done already to your poor city. Half a dozen of them cause a tiny amount of mayhem at a carnival, and the city nearly buckles. Imagine what a hundred of them would do.”

  “There aren’t a hundred Day Walkers,” Clive boasts without any way of knowing.

  Eris simply smiles and lets out a petite, closemouthed laugh. Then turns back to me. “Come with me, Dawn, and all the Day Walkers in the city will leave right now. You can save this city, and everyone within its walls. Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?”

  “I’m supposed to take your word as guarantee?” I ask.

  “All I can offer is my word.”

  I want to say it isn’t enough, but I can’t think of anything that would be enough—except for Sin’s surrender.

  “What does he want with me?”

  “Why, your conversion, of course.”

  To turn me into what he is. The thought of him sinking his fangs into me makes me ill.

  “You have seventy-two hours, Dawn,” Eris says.

  “And after seventy-two hours?” Clive asks.

  “I can assure you that you won’t want to find out. The walls of Denver aren’t nearly as thick as you may believe.”

  “You’re forgetting something, Eris,” I say. “We’re not fighting Sin alone. We have a new vampire overlord, and he won’t appreciate another vampire taking over his city. He’ll stand by us. He and his army of followers.”

  “Ah, yes, Victor Valentine. We’re well aware that the citizens aren’t being as generous as they once were with their blood donations. That will create problems for your overlord.”

  I’m left to wonder if Sin’s plan all along had been to frighten the citizens and turn them against Victor. Is he that cunning?

  “Without blood,” Eris continues, “Victor’s minions will have no choice except to turn on one another, and he’ll be too busy fighting the Thirst to care about what is happening within Denver’s walls.”

  “You’re wrong. Victor can take care of the vampires and the humans.”

  “Hmmm … perhaps Sin overestimated your intelligence.” Eris turns back to Clive, all her haughty arrogance shimmering off her. “Sin only asked that Dawn be delivered, but not how. If you have to bind and gag her, I’m sure he’ll understand. You’ve always measured your actions by the greater good, Director. What is one life for thousands?”

  As she strides majestically from the room, I walk to the window and look out over the city. I hate to admit it, but her final point was a good one. One life. Mine.

  Can I live with myself if I’m too selfish to give it up?

  Chapter 9

  “You should have seen her, Victor. She was an ice queen. Beautiful and cold. It’s hard to believe the sun touches her.”

  Clive sent Rachel off to start working on a PR campaign to lessen the tension in the city after the Day Walker attack. Somehow Victor heard about it. Like his father before him, he no doubt has spies in the city. I couldn’t get angry about that because this time it worked to our benefit. He arrived at the Agency two hours after sunset. Clive called me back in to serve as an advisor. Roland Hursch isn’t here, but I’m not surprised. It seems he’s not trusted yet with delicate matters.

  Hursch did finally make an appearance earlier, though. He said we should give in to Eris’s demands quickly, that I should surrender myself before anyone else is hurt. Clive packed him off to help Rachel with the PR campaign.

  Now Clive, Victor, and I are sitting in Clive’s office. Victor requested that the lighting be low so we don’t make ourselves into a target. Only the lights from the street and the distant Works are filtering in through the windows, giving a secretive air to our meeting.

  “Have you ever heard of her?” Clive asks, looking over at Victor.

  “No. But I didn’t know Day Walkers even existed until Sin showed up. My father always referred to his other son as a freak of nature, but he never clarified in what way. He kept him hidden, was appalled by the very thought of him. I didn’t know what he looked like. Or his name, for that matter.”

  Clive fills three glasses with scotch from a decanter, setting one before Victor, who is sitting perched on the edge of the desk, and one before me, where I’m sitting in my usual chair in front of his desk. I’m not sure if he’s forgotten that I’m not old enough or just thinks the solemnity of the occasion warrants it. Victor reaches for his, and I watch him take a long, slow swallow. He’s drinking for the sensual experience of the taste. His body doesn’t absorb alcohol. He’ll never get drunk. I can’t claim the same, so I let mine sit. Besides, I’m giddy enough because of his nearness. As much as I hate everything that happened today, I can’t deny that I’m glad to see Victor again.

  He dressed up for the meeting. He’s wearing a navy blue suit. The point of a red handkerchief with two interlocking Vs stitched perfectly into it peers out of the breast pocket. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him looking quite so Old Family, quite so … lordish. I miss the Victor I knew before he took his father’s place. The Victor who made his home in an abandoned movie theater in a run-down part of the city. The Victor who enjoyed watching musicals.

  He was more approachable then. Now he’s all business. He’s barely looked at me.

  Clive walks to the window and stares out. Before us, the midnight sky is calm, as is the city. The police and Night Watchmen restored order. They’re still patrolling, but very few people are out. Normally, well-
lit parts of the city would still have some kind of life in them, but not tonight.

  “Eris admitted that only Sin can create Day Walkers,” Clive explains.

  “I’m surprised she would give that information freely,” Victor says.

  “I don’t think he wanted us to know, but she was angry … not thinking things through,” I say.

  “So if we kill Sin,” Clive muses, “the problem of the increasing Day Walker population is solved. Then all we have to do is destroy those he created.”

  “Realistically, how many Day Walkers can there be?” I ask. “If only Sin can create them, could there be very many?”

  “Probably not,” Victor admits. “It’s actually more fatiguing for an Old Family to turn a human into a vampire than it is for a Lesser to create a vampire. I think it comes back to nature trying to restrict how much impact we could have on growing the vampire population.”

  “He’s right,” Clive says. “As much as we like to demonize the Old Family, during the war, it was mainly Lessers turning people, not Old Family. That, and the V-Process.”

  “The what?” I ask.

  Victor appears uncomfortable and when it’s clear that he’s not going to explain it, Clive continues.

  “It was the code word the vampires used for their rebirth centers. Once vampires took over a city, the humans had two choices: be turned or killed. Most chose to be turned. But it was too cumbersome for a vampire to feed from all the humans, then kill them, then give them their blood in order to resurrect them. So, they mechanized the whole process. Imagine a factory where humans were turned. They were strapped to chairs, their blood drained, then a massive shock stopped the heart—”

  “The shock was designed to be merciful,” Victor interrupts to clarify. “Saving them the agony of a prolonged death.”

  His words are brittle. He obviously doesn’t like talking about this. I can’t blame him. It’s barbaric.

  Clive continues, “Vampire blood was then introduced into their system through a vein. They were reborn. Day in and day out, it never stopped.”