“That Victoria’s waiting for him. See, she’s been in the city the entire time. They’re leaving for the European Coven. By tomorrow everyone would believe Stuart was dead, and they were free to go.”
So if everything he was telling her was true, and his affectus seemed to prove it, plus the fact that Victoria, a vampire, could never have been subdued by a human against her will, then it was all a prank—a silly prank made by vampires who were in love with the wrong people and wanted to leave the Coven, and a human boy who wanted in on a big secret. Maybe the biggest secret of all.
“Listen, I know what you’re thinking: you want to wipe my memory or something, right? Stuart and Victoria wanted to as well, but I managed to talk them out of it. Please don’t.”
Deming fiddled with the chopsticks in her hair. “No, a memory wipe won’t take care of it. You know too much. If I did it, you could have . . . brain damage.”
Paul glanced at the locked car door. “Then you’re going to do the other thing. But maybe there’s another way. I don’t want that. Maybe I can be one of those human . . . what do you call it . . . Conduits or something.”
“Conduits are born, not made. It’s not an open position. The Coven would never allow it. I’m sorry. There’s only one way.” She knew what she had to do. Something that should have been done by someone a long time ago. Maybe that’s why she had been so attracted to him, because she knew in the end, she would have to do this.
“Don’t,” Paul said, holding her hand. “Don’t make me lesser than you. Treat me as an equal, as you have been. I’m just human, but it’s our blood that keeps you alive. Without us, you are nothing.”
He put a soft hand to her cheek. “Meet me on my own terms. Share yourself with me as a person. I know about the Sacred Kiss. I know what it does. What it will do to me.”
His affectus pulsated with the blue of the open sea and of the endless sky. Blue was the color of truth. He loved her. That was why she’d felt her stomach churn when she’d seen Victoria Taylor in his car. She had trusted him and he had lied to her. But he had only lied to protect his friends. He was so heartbreakingly lovely, she could weep. Deming touched his neck and whispered, “I love you too.”
THIRTYNINE
Puppetmaster
Just as Paul had said, it was all a big fake. That evening the Venator team swarmed his small bedroom. Sam was searching the glom memory while Ted and a tech aide worked on the computer.
“Take a look,” Ted called, pointing to the screen.
Deming leaned over and read the e-mail. It was from Victoria Taylor.
Paul, Thank you for everything. The European Coven has agreed to take us. I cannot wait until Stuart and I are together again. You are a true friend. —Victoria
Everything had been staged as meticulously as a small theatrical production. Victoria had procured a corpse from the morgue. That was the body of the girl who had burned in Newport. There were dozens and dozens of e-mails from Stuart and Victoria. They had planned to leave the country the day of Stuart’s alleged burning. The whole thing was a hoax, an escape plan hidden within a conspiracy threat.
Luckily, it had all worked out for the best. No vampires had been harmed. Everyone thought Suck was a movie. The Red Bloods were still in the dark.
“You guys picking up Victoria and Stuart?” Deming asked.
“According to this they’re meeting at JFK in an hour. We’ll be there,” replied Ted.
“The attic?”
“Checked out. His fingerprints were all over the computer, and fibers from the trunk of the car matched Stuart’s DNA.”
Deming realized Stuart had likely been in the trunk the night they had left Rufus King’s party. So that was why Paul had looked so nervous when she’d asked him for a ride.
Sam Lennox returned from the glom. “Nothing here but boredom and loneliness,” he said. “No sign of any violence or agitation. Looks like the kid was telling the truth.”
It was just as she’d thought. Deming nibbled on her cuticles. Unlike the pretty story Paul had told her about Piper, in this one, everything had been as he’d described.
Deming felt relieved. She had gotten to the truth this time. Or had she? A nagging doubt remained. Everything fit too well, too simply . . . whether it was because it was the truth or because Paul had prepared another elaborate lie, she just wasn’t sure. She had to cover all her bases.
“It’s too easy,” she muttered.
“What are you thinking?” Sam asked.
“Look, you guys kept those ashes from that burning, right? Have the bloodline checked. Just confirm that it wasn’t Victoria.”
“Done.” Ted nodded and called into the Venator team back at the Repository to order the test.
“Keep a team on Rayburn,” Deming ordered. “He’ll be waking up soon enough. Then when you guys are done here, meet me back at Bleecker. I want to take another look at those masking spells. Make sure everything checks out.”
FORTY
DeathWalk