A charm. That must be how he got into the Gargoyle with all its protections. I was betting he had more than one—each tailored for a specific purpose. It must have been how he got so close without either Nathan or me knowing.
"Perhaps they'll give you a refund," I said.
He stared at me for a moment, his lips twisted in wry humor. An emotion not reflected in his eyes, which were cold and unfeeling. "What did I tell you about back-talk?"
He moved to the switch, looking at me as if he expected me to protest or beg. I stared back, blank faced. He made a sound of humor and then flicked the switch. I screamed as my back bowed, my muscles seizing so hard I thought I might be in danger of breaking something. The pain stopped, leaving me panting.
When I got myself under control it was to the sight of Theo, only steps from me as he watched in fascination. "It's my own design," he said. "Tailored for spooks. A blend of magic and human ingenuity. You see, electricity, by itself, hurts but is fleeting. Pair it with a little magic, and it creates something beautiful."
I didn't answer, meeting his gaze with determined eyes as I forced down the pain. Runners will tell you it’s mind over matter—that you can do anything, endure anything. That's bullshit. Everyone has a breaking point. Everyone. The trick to dealing with pain isn't ignoring it. It's embracing it, letting yourself feel it in its entirety, while knowing all things are fleeting. It allowed me to focus on something else—something greater. Currently, that something was what I planned to do to Theo when I got loose. Hint—it wasn't going to be pretty.
"Thought you were dead," I said. "Whose body did we find with Catherine?"
He straightened, giving me a sardonic look as if it amused him that I wasn't a whimpering, gibbering mess. "Pierce. It wasn't hard to convince Catherine to bring him along. He always had a thing for her and thought he could play protector and perhaps earn some points with his patron."
"Did she know what you had planned for her?" I asked, struggling to stay present.
I hadn't liked Pierce the one time I met him. He struck me as arrogant and full of himself, but he hadn't deserved what Theo had done to him. I could only hope his death was quick, and he hadn't been conscious for long, given how much damage had been done to him.
He lifted one shoulder. "She should have—I made it clear on more than one occasion how pathetic I found her—but I doubt it. She was too easy to seduce. It was almost a joy to watch the shock and betrayal in her eyes when she realized what was happening."
"Why are you doing this?" I asked. "You must know you won't get away with it. Liam is having the DNA from Pierce's body run against yours. They're going to figure out you weren't the victim. What are you going to do then?"
DNA testing, unlike on TV, took weeks. They might eventually figure out it wasn't Theo in that alley, but it would take time. Time, I didn't have.
"Yes, but by then you'll be dead, killed by your friend. Such a tragedy that," Theo said with a fake sad face. "And Theo will pop back up telling a story of how he ran and hid after being wounded." He walked back over to the switch. "Best part about this is that it will come out that I'm his descendant, his one ticket to a yearling now that you're dead."
"That's what this is about? Becoming a vampire?" Caroline asked, her voice disgusted.
I echoed the sentiment. He had to be kidding.
He paused, looking over at her and cocking his head as if he'd forgotten she was there. His hand moved to a different switch. Caroline screamed, the sound of an animal in pain. I jerked at my restraints as I watched her writhe, biting my tongue against any protests. If he knew watching her being tortured hurt more than anything he did to me, he would make sure to use her the next time he felt the need to make a point.
So, I watched and said nothing as he made her suffer—self-loathing a ball of snakes in the pit of my stomach.
He let up on the switch and watched with a half-smile as Caroline's sobs of pain filtered through the air. "At first it was about being a vampire. That was before."
I didn't say anything and neither did Caroline, both of us watching as he waited expectantly. A long moment passed before he gave a smile of victory, as if we were dogs that had just learned a trick. He continued as if nothing had happened. "My master opened my eyes to all the wrongs Thomas has done our family through the years. How he is the reason for so much suffering and chaos." He paced toward me, his face taking on the look of a zealot, someone so convinced they had the right of it that even incontrovertible proof held right under their nose wouldn't convince them otherwise. I hated zealots.
"Thomas lost track of his descendants more than a century ago," I said, knowing it was useless.
A blow landed against my ribs, the pain negligible compared to what came when he flipped the switch. "Exactly. He should have turned us then instead of allowing our line to be hunted through the decades."
"You know it was Steven who was responsible for all that."
Fire landed on my cheek.
"Of course, I know that. Who do you think raised me and my sister after he killed our parents?" After that revelation, he paced away from me heading towards Caroline.
"Why do you care anymore if Steven is dead?" I asked, needing to distract him from her. I couldn’t imagine what horrors that vampire had visited on two young children, the descendants of his enemy. Their childhoods would have been difficult. Maybe horrible enough that Theo had a driving need to please his former captor? Enough to carry out his agenda even in death?
He looked over his shoulder. "Another thing that can be laid at your feet."
I watched Theo with wariness, not bothering to deny the accusation. I didn't kill Steven, Thomas had, but I might as well have given it was my blood that proved Thomas had a yearling. That was enough to make him master of this territory, giving him permission to challenge Steven. Everything after that could be blamed on me. I didn't feel guilty about it. Steven had been a monster, responsible for so many deaths and the one I blamed for Caroline's change. Sondra might have been the weapon, but he's the one who put everything in motion.
"This is revenge," I said in understanding. It finally made sense—not why he wanted revenge. I didn't understand that given Steven had killed his parents and probably subjected Theo to a horrible childhood, but if revenge was his motive, it explained why he had struck at Caroline. All for the purpose of making me suffer.
Theo clapped. "Very good. Tomorrow night when she changes—she won't be able to fight it—she'll rip out your throat. Added benefit, this way will no doubt cause both of you maximum pain and suffering. When the vampires find out she killed another one of theirs, they'll be forced to retaliate."