Micah

  My dad was quiet for a second. “We know she knows about the scientists. Margot does, too.” My father’s mention of the scientist we'd recruited reminded me just how far down this rabbit hole went. We’d recruited her after she’d saved Brynna. Everyone knew someone. “We’ll, of course, speak with her. But that Vampire is on the ground, in the midst of this, and Margot has been with us for months.”

  My father had misjudged this situation to the point of completely misunderstanding it. I sighed. “When you’re making your plans, I wouldn’t count on Brynna as being a sure thing. She’s more like…” What was the word from school? “A variable.”

  Patrick Lyons led men. He’d always done so by any means necessary. He used people’s strengths and weaknesses to get what he wanted, even letting Rachel sacrifice herself to save us all. I shouldn’t have been surprised by what he said next, except I was. When it came to my family, I really was as dumb as my parents thought.

  “I plan for many different contingencies. If I decide to make a plan involving that Vampire, then she will help us.”

  I shook my head. “How exactly will you make her?”

  “She will either want to help us, or there’s something she wants we can use to persuade her, or…” his voice trailed off, and I wondered why he’d stopped. What did he think was going to happen that he hadn’t wanted to say?

  “Or?” I prompted him to continue. “Go on. Or. What?”

  My father sighed. “Or you’re going to use your pretty face for good for once, and you’re going to seduce the girl into doing what you want. She’s already saved your life a bunch of times. And really? Weren’t you trained better than that? Fuck her into doing it then, if fucking her is what it takes. You’re good at that, right?”

  I went cold. My father planned to order me to fuck Brynna for the sake of Genesis. “What?”

  My dad threw his hand in the air. “Maybe it won’t come to you needing to take one for the cause. Maybe she’ll be feeling altruistic.”

  “Patrick.” From the back of the room Tiffani Endover, fellow board member with my father and the wife of the late Keith Endover who had trained us all to be Warriors, spoke. “We had a meeting right?”

  Of course she had heard. Of course she had.

  I walked past her, heading out the door. “Tiffani.”

  She grabbed my arm. “Micah…”

  I pulled out of her hand. I didn’t want comfort right now or nice words. Because he couldn’t be done with me, not yet. Of course, my father called out to me, “We’ve all had to do things that make us uncomfortable. If it comes down to it, I know you’ll do the right thing.”

  I had to leave before I punched my own father in the face.

  Five minutes later, my temper still roared so loudly I could hear my heartbeat in my ears. They were about to call a Warrior meeting that I would be expected to attend since I was here. Too many people had seen me. I couldn’t hide, couldn’t take off in enough time to avoid the thing altogether. I had to cool off. Find my fake face, the one I pulled out to make me look easy going and happy. I had to be that version of myself if I was going to sit in a room with the entire Warrior population of Genesis and not lose my damned mind.

  I jumped up and down. I couldn’t get drunk. There wasn’t enough time. And there wasn’t a girl around I could fuck fast enough to lose this edge. So that meant exercise. Good old fashioned work it out with sweat. I ran hard toward the woods. Top speed.

  I was in great physical condition; probably the best of my life, and no mere jog was going to suffice this time. I tore forward like Werewolves chased me. I sprinted like the Vampires were gaining speed. I made my body so fast my high school gym teacher would have actually given me an A. I was fast. Always had been.

  “Hey,” someone shouted from behind, and I didn’t stop. I needed to get so tired I couldn’t think, couldn’t…

  “Micah.” That voice again. It was Chad. I slowed down, my breath coming in and out in spurts. Okay, maybe I’d gotten close to how much I needed to run. I wasn’t there yet but close, for sure.

  I bent over at the knees. “Chad?”

  My older brother caught up with me, also out of breath. How long had he been chasing me, and for that matter, how long had I been running? I turned around. I was way up on top of the hill east of Genesis. I’d really been moving. This was no easy trek.

  “Fuck. Micah.” My brother joined me in bending over at the knees. “What the hell?”

  I lifted my head, forcing my breathing to slow. Chad so rarely cursed it was usually amusing when he did. I guessed I wasn’t in the mood to laugh. “Need something?”

  “You looked like death was chasing you, so I decided to help with whatever it was you were hauling ass to get away from.”

  Chad’s words were enunciated by the panting he did in between each of them. Maybe the boy needed to up his cardio.

  My big brother died in a Vampire lair deep beneath the earth two days walk from here. I hadn’t made it that far yet in my exploration. He’d been made a bloodsucker. Brynna hadn’t lied when she’d said Warriors could be turned. They’d managed to do so with my brother. He stood before me now because his wife had all but sacrificed her soul to Isaac Icahn to bring him back as a clone.

  That time had been the definition of hell. There had never been an existence for me that didn’t include Chad in some way. I should hate him. Living in his shadow hadn’t been any fun. He was a straight A student, the perfect, responsible son, had gotten scholarships out the wazoo to go to college, fell in love with exactly the right girl and married her. He was the perfect Warrior and the heir to the unofficial Lyons throne.

  The golden child from birth to death and then even in his second version of life.

  He was moral. Upstanding. Funny. Kind. Smart. He knew his north, and he pointed himself toward it.

  But I didn’t hate him. Not even a little bit. I loved Chad. Fiercely. I’d follow him into hell and wouldn’t even ask why.

  “Dad wants me to fuck the Vampire girl, Brynna, to get her to do what we want.” I paused. “If it comes to that. Guess he feels my own value in this situation is to drop my pants and fuck for the family.”

  Chad winced. He stood straight, and then he laughed. What the hell was funny? Finally, I asked him. “What are you finding laugh worthy?”

  “Our father has hit a new low. Once upon a time, they were talking to us about abstinence. No sex before marriage. Respecting our future wives. Now it’s go fuck a Vampire, Micah? Screw that. No one makes you sleep with anyone you don’t want to. He can find another way, or I’ll get Rachel and, together, we’ll find another way. You’re not some kind of prostitute he can send out on his behalf. You’re his son.”

  I never questioned why I loved Chad so fiercely. But if I ever did, I’d just have to remember this moment. I didn’t cry. I’d been pretty much trained since birth that only the death of a loved one warranted tears. I wanted to cry. My big brother still gave a damn.

  “I… I think everyone might be overestimating how much sex I have.”

  Chad put out his hand in front of him. “Don’t. I mean, if you have to, then do. I guess. I’ve got no real interest, whatsoever, in knowing about your sex life.”

  I smirked. This was comfortable ground. “So is that why you waited? For Rachel? Because you wanted to respect your future wife.”

  “Yep.” Chad was unapologetically unashamed of his life choices. He was proud of the idea he’d only know the love of one woman.

  My path had gone quite differently, and my own history didn’t bother me either. Love and I were not on the road to being best buds. I didn’t think there was one girl out there for me. Not only one, anyway. Why would anyone want to settle for me? In small doses, I was all right to be around. On the long haul, I was bound to disappoint. I was not husband material.

  “So what you’re saying, fearless Warrior leader,” I patted Chad on the back before continuing, “is I am allowed to say no to this assignment?”

&n
bsp; He elbowed me in the side. “Yes. No one makes you sleep with anyone. Especially not some awful Vampire.” He mock shuddered.

  I opened and closed my mouth. Brynna wasn’t awful. Not even a little bit. She was tiny and beautiful. She was brave, self-sacrificing, and sharp witted. I wasn’t ready to tell Chad about her yet. She’d saved my life, many times it would seem. I didn’t even know if I’d ever see her again. I hoped I would, but I wasn’t going to analyze why.

  It was possible we were about to miss our meeting because Chad and I sat on the top of the hill and watched the sun begin to dip on the horizon. I didn’t know what Chad dwelled on, but as for me, I kept picturing the dark-haired former Vampire who brought with her long dead memories. What was she doing right now?

  Chapter 3

  As it turned out, we didn’t miss the meeting. They’d had to wait for several Warriors to return from investigating the woods regarding the increased Vampire activity. Chad and I hadn’t slacked off long enough. I sat in the chairs facing the panel of leaders in front of us. Currently, the council consisted of my father, Tiffani—who now knew my father intended to pimp me out—and Deacon, who had taken over a spot after Keith died.

  He was our newest fearless leader, and from the way he squirmed in the chair, it was clear he wasn’t yet comfortable with the attention. If the whispers around the room were any indication, not everyone was all that comfortable with him having assumed the role. That was okay. This wasn’t a democracy. Not yet, anyway. In Genesis, the strongest ruled, and the title of strongest always fell to my father.

  Patrick Lyons wanted Deacon, so Deacon was in. Truth be told, Deacon was perfect for the role. The kids loved him, and they were learning a lot.

  My brother had attached himself to my side. I liked the alliance, for now. I was too old to need my big brother to protect me. That didn’t mean I didn’t want his company.

  His wife, Rachel, sat on his other side. They linked hands, silent in their togetherness, but a constant unit nonetheless. Repeatedly, Rachel had proven she’d put Chad first. Even to her own detriment.

  Of course, I had been her first crush. Long before she’d loved my brother, and even before, in this time, she’d dated the now deceased Werewolf, Jason, she’d had a thing for me. I’d thought she was cute, but she had been Tia’s friend—which made her un-dateable—and then she’d seemed more like a sister than anything else.

  The way things worked out was the best possible scenario. I was glad I’d never had the chance to fuck up our relationship. She was, officially, my sister now. It would be weird if we’d ever slept together.

  Besides, the way she loved Chad… she’d never had those feelings for me.

  Smart girl.

  On my other side, Deacon’s wife plopped down. She wasn’t technically a Warrior. But our husbands and wives got to come to meetings if they wanted to. I was surrounded by friends—Glen, Peter, Johnny, my sister Tia, who almost never came to these things. Why hadn’t I stopped to consider I had so many people here? Most of the time, I felt alone.

  A little bit to our left was the civilian representative. My father had conceded that a non-Warrior could be present for our discussions to represent the needs of the non-Warrior when it was warranted. I guessed Isaac Icahn counted in that regard. He had destroyed all of our lives.

  My father rose, and the room fell silent. Now, there was a display of power. All he had to do to quiet hundreds of people was stand. Anger and disgust warred with the silent hero worship I had always possessed for the man who fathered me. I was 22. At what point would I stop looking at him as a larger than life figure and see him only as the flawed human I knew he was?

  Chad leaned closer then whispered. “Do you suppose he’ll be ordering anyone else in this room to take one for the team?”

  A grin spread over my face. Chad never used to be like this. Talking out of turn? It would have been unheard of. I might have been rubbing off on him. “Nope. That’s just reserved for his flesh and blood.”

  “Sshh,” Glen, my brother-in-law, hissed. “He’ll never call out the two of you. Somehow this will be all my fault.”

  He wasn’t wrong. Ever since Glen knocked up and married my sister when she was sixteen—which had to have been Tia’s idea, not his—Glen took the hot end of my father’s temper regularly. I was just the disappointing son. Glen had taken his baby girl and made her a mother before her 18th birthday.

  That was, of course, perfectly legal under Genesis rules. The law recognized us as adults at 16. It made sense, considering most of us wouldn’t see 30, much less 40.

  “We eliminated Isaac Icahn and his cronies four years ago,” my father finally spoke. Had it been that long? Endless days leading into endless nights, I’d somehow lost track of time. Four years. Wow. I didn’t get to muse much longer. My father kept speaking. “We knew there was a possibility this day would come. The day he could be cloned again. We knew there was a possibility there were more cloning machines out there and, since we understand so little of how they work, it would be possible they’d have the capability to bring the man back.”

  Someone called from the back of the room. “Shit, Patrick. Has that happened?”

  “They mean to bring him back. My son, Micah”—he indicated me with his hand as though anyone in the room might not know who I was—“overheard their plans in the Vampire lair this afternoon.”

  Gregory Smith, one of the older Warriors jumped to his feet. “Why didn’t you kill them, Micah? Right then?”

  I usually would make a flippant remark or ignore a question addressed to me like that. Who had time for bullshit? But I was soul weary, and since I’d been asked a direct question, I’d give a direct answer.

  “Killing humans isn’t really part of my job description. Monsters, sure. I mean if I went and killed every human who bothered me, at least half this room would be dead.”

  My father didn’t care for my answer. “Micah.”

  In front, Deacon snorted. “Half the room? Try three quarters. I’d be dead.”

  “Deacon.” I guessed my father didn’t like his remark either.

  “Here’s the thing. My killing those scientists was complicated by a few factors. The first being I wasn’t going to do it. The second, I doubt very much if killing two would really accomplish anything. We have to find their central lair, and the only way we’re going to do so is quietly and with a purpose.”

  Tiffani spoke, her voice calm amidst the wave of temper. “Why quietly?”

  “It’s a maze down there. Doors open and then vanish. It was set up to remain undiscovered. I can go down the same hallway three times and see different things each time. I asked Margot about it when she first gave me the preliminary map.” The doctor who had once been forced to work with the scientists below ground was now on our own side. She wasn’t here, which wasn’t surprising. She was mostly kept at arm’s length, given her less than stellar beginning. We weren’t one hundred percent sure if we could trust her. And by we, I meant Dad. He wasn’t sure.

  I trusted her.

  “And what did Margot say?” Tiffani still had the floor. I didn’t know if it was because the whole room liked Tiffani so much or out of respect for Keith, but when his widow spoke, she was given the floor quietly.

  Grateful for the opportunity, I finished my thought. “That’s how it is down there. She didn’t even really know all the ins and outs. She’d basically been dragged around. There is someone down there who will know. And it’s recently been pointed out to me I might be equipped to cut her some kind of deal.” I wasn’t going to sleep with her, no matter what my father suggested. I’d get her to help some other way. “But if we all go traipsing down there ready to storm the proverbial castle, we’re going to be seriously fucked.” I shrugged and sat back down. “Up to you all, of course.”

  Chad groaned. “Killing half the room?”

  Yeah, I was a real charmer.

  I descended the ladder into the Vampire holding once again. The Warriors had decided
I should take four to five others with me. Somehow, they deemed a small group as handling things quietly. They were out of their minds. I left ahead of their chosen few. I refused to play along as if they knew what they were talking about. Not down here.

  Also, I had the strongest urge to see Brynna again. I had questions in need of answering. She had to stop running. Plus, I couldn’t remember the exact shade of brown her eyes were.

  I nearly fell on top of Deacon, Chad, and Glen. I blinked, my mind catching up with the scene in front of me. What were they doing down here?

  “What the ever-loving fuck?”

  Deacon shrugged. “Well, we figured you’d never take your father’s order and bring five people with you. Instead, you’d take off on your own.”

  Damn, I hated to be predictable.

  “So we grabbed our shit and came along,” Chad finished for him.

  Glen grinned. “It was my idea.”

  “Well, he was the one who said it first.” Deacon sighed. “I would have come on my own. I don’t really think of the two of them as rule breakers.”

  “You sit on the council now, dipshit.” Chad rolled his eyes. “If any one of us can’t disobey orders, it’s you.”

  I digested their words. They’d anticipated what I was going to do, which was weird enough, and left their homes—wives—to come help me. Why? “You know I can do this alone.”

  Chad patted me on the back. “Yes.”

  Was he humoring me?

  A noise sounded, and suddenly, my father dropped down into the room. I practically swallowed my tongue. It was Chad who spoke. “Dad?”

  “Well, I can see I wasn’t wrong. I said my family is going to go do this on their own. And here you are.”

  I didn’t know what he thought he was going to get out of this. We weren’t teenagers he could order home. He could threaten to take away the rights and privileges we received from the safety of Genesis, I supposed, but doing so would really look bad for him.