Delinquents Turned Fugitives - Ann Denton Page 0,129

as I looked over at my brother, the ravenous magical mistake eating away at his mind.

Callum squeezed my hand and gave me a nod, indicating that he would take things from here. He and two of the others grabbed Matthew’s arms and held him still. Callum even put a hand on Matthew’s cheek, restraining him so that I could step forward.

I dug into my pocket, disbelief coating my mind, making it hazy. It was hard to believe that I’d gotten to this moment.

“Matthew,” I called softly, as my brother fought futilely against the vampires who pinned him to the wall. “It’s me. I’m here to help you. You’re going to be okay.” A tear tracked down my cheek, warm and wet. I pulled out the tiny vial and unscrewed the lid, looking at Callum once for confirmation that he had a tight hold. Then I stepped forward. I pressed my hand against my chest wound, gathering up a bit of blood, tempting Matthew into opening his mouth.

He snarled and tried to get to me.

I dumped the green magical liquid into his mouth.

“What the hell was that?” Callum released Matthew and shoved me across the room at vampire speed. My back slammed into the wall and I saw stars. To our right, from the visitor’s viewing area, my guys started to yell and Callum’s vamps unsheathed their claws.

“What?” I asked, trying to blink away the pain. “The vampire serum?”

“That wasn’t serum,” Callum growled. “Serum is red.”

My eyes widened and I shook my head. “No. This is what we got from the vault.” I held up the tiny vial, half a drop of green still stuck at the bottom. “This is what we got from the Pinnacle—”

Callum snatched the vial out of my hand and lifted it to his nose. “This smells like goddamned Calm!” He turned to look at Matthew, who wasn’t fighting against the others, just crouching in their hold, a glazed look in his eyes.

Dread deeper than any I’d ever felt before filled me. I snatched the vial back from Callum and poured the single droplet onto my finger. I licked it.

Horror rocked me from my head to my toes. It was Calm in that vial.

All this time, I’d thought I’d had a cure for Matthew. All this time, everything I’d done … my jaw went slack and I turned to stare at my guys.

Everything they’d done … Everything they’d sacrificed … it was for nothing.

I didn’t have the cure for my brother.

I’d failed.

I felt hollow. Like some great bronze statue that had nothing but air inside. Nothing but stale air.

For a moment, I regretted that Claude and Muller hadn’t killed me.

Malcolm took a step forward, his blue eyes calculating in the dim room. “Your stepfather was there. He was in the vault. He must have switched the vial out.”

Yes. Yes. That made sense. My brain latched onto that theory and tried to pry my body out of its numb state of shock. Claude would have had plenty of Calm on him at any given time, to supply my addicted mother. It would have been an easy swap to make.

That meant the serum still existed.

Wait, I know it exists. Idiot! I scolded myself as I turned a pleading look to Callum. “I know you have serum. I’ll find the one Claude took. I’ll replace it. I swear to you, I won’t make you give up your share of the serum. I’ll replicate it. Please. Please. Just anything. I’ll do anything.” My eyes flickered desperately back to Matthew, who looked more and more human as the Calm took effect. His claws were half as long as they’d been. His fangs just barely overlapped his lips. What would he look like if he was fully in control of himself again?

Hope and desperation urged me to throw myself at Callum’s feet.

The blond vampire shook his head as he stared at me. “I don’t have any serum.”

Blood red rage made me blind for a second. “But—” He just fucking changed that Asian woman! Liar! Betrayer!

“I don’t have serum,” Callum held up a hand. “I can change your brother another way. But I don’t know if you’ll like it.”

“Anything. Please.” My eyes clutched at his and my gaze begged.

Callum nodded. “Fine. But you go stand with them. And watch my back. The Pinheads are getting closer.”

As if Callum’s words had summoned him, Gray’s voice sounded in my earpiece. “The vampire woman’s scared them off so far, but the police are trying to set up