“The hospital?”

“Yes,” Zeke answered as we piled out of the car. “The mayor was badly injured in the flight from Eden and has been recuperating here ever since.”

The hospital was filled to capacity, rooms bulging with wounded humans, and the scent of blood and chemicals nearly knocked me down when I stepped through the doors.

People in stained white coats shuffled through the aisles of cots, checking patients, administering aid, trying to make them comfortable because that was all they could do anymore. Groans and soft cries of pain followed us as we walked through the rooms, and, surrounded by the wounded and vulnerable, my demon stirred restlessly. Injured people were everywhere. They had even spilled into the halls, huddled in blankets or curled up in corners, looking miserable. The monster, of course, watched them intently, urging me to take advantage of the sick and weak, easy prey. I pushed it down, but the scent of blood and fear made it hard to think of anything else. Halfway through the walk, Zeke reached down and took my hand, squeezing tightly as we ventured deeper into the hospital. He did not look at the beds or the rows of moaning, thrashing humans, keeping his gaze rigidly in front of us. But his eyes were glazed, and his jaw was clenched to keep his fangs from sliding out. I kept a firm grip on his hand as we continued down the halls.

Finally, the soldiers led us to a door at the end of the hall.

The two men guarding it eyed us warily as we approached but didn’t say anything as the lead soldier pushed open the door and motioned us in. Beyond the frame was a room that had probably been an office once. But the desk was gone, replaced with a single bed, and a man in a white coat hovered over it with his back to us. A pair of soldiers in combat fatigues stood by the door, giving us the evil eye as we came in. Glancing around the room, I spotted Kanin in a corner, nearly blending into the wall, and Jackal slouched against the back window with his arms crossed. He met my gaze across the room and grinned.

“Oh, hey, there’s the little stool pigeon herself. Make any new friends while in the slammer, sister?”

“Shut up, James. ”

The doctor turned at that, eyes widening behind his glasses when he saw me. He was a small, thin man with a balding head and long, elegant fingers. “You,” he blurted, blinking rapidly in the florescent lights. “It is you. The vampire girl.

I recognize you.”

I recognized him, as well. He was the doctor who’d taken care of Zeke’s injuries when we’d arrived several months ago.

He was also the person who had discovered I was a vampire, when he’d tried to listen for a heartbeat I didn’t have.

“Dr. Thomas,” rasped the person in the bed, and a man struggled to sit up. The doctor turned as if to help him but was waved away by a thick, bandaged arm. “Doctor, please.

I’m fine. Let me see the bloodsucker for myself.”

The doctor stepped aside, and I stared in astonishment.

The man in the bed was huge. Not tall or muscular, just…big. His stomach bulged against his hospital gown, his cheeks were pale but round, and his neck was thicker than anyone’s I’d ever seen. I’d heard the term fat before, but had never encountered such a thing before this. Hunger and starvation were so common in my world; I couldn’t imagine having so much food that your body would store it away for later.

His large torso was wrapped in bandages, his skin white and pasty beneath the cloth. His dark hair was short and damp with sweat, and the hand lying on his ample stomach was bandaged tightly, thick fingers twice the size of a normal person’s.

But his eyes, tiny and black, regarded me with a sharp, piercing gaze, one pencil-thin brow raised in surprise. “This is the vampire?” he asked no one in particular. His voice was surprising, too. High and clear. “A girl? I wasn’t expecting her to be so…small.”

We can’t all be walrus men, was the retort that sprang to mind, though I didn’t voice it out loud. Dealing with volatile vampire Princes had taught me the value of diplomacy, especially when talking to the people in charge. Jackal, of course, snorted a laugh, and I glared at him.

“She’s stronger than she looks,” Zeke said in a quiet voice, making the mayor blink at him. “Trust me on that.”

“Yes, but…” The mayor peered at me intently. “When they told me a vampire was being kept in the barracks, I was picturing something…older. Not a girl. She looks young enough to be my niece.”

I held my tongue again. You wouldn’t know a vampire if it walked up and bit you, I thought ungraciously. You have four vamps standing in this room right now, one of whom is a Master, and you’re making comments about my age? How did you get to be mayor of Eden, anyway?

“It doesn’t matter.” Kanin’s deep, calm voice echoed from the corner. “She is still a vampire, and you cannot afford to be choosy at this time, Mayor Hendricks. You need her.”

I frowned, glancing from my sire to the mayor, feeling confused and left out. “What’s going on?” I asked.

“Ah, of course.” Mayor Hendricks sighed and sat up straighter in the bed. “My apologies. Let me explain.” He winced, shifting his large bulk under the covers, trying to get comfortable. “As you’ve probably guessed by now…I’m sorry, what was your name again, vampire?”

“Allison,” I supplied.

“Allison. That seems so normal.” The mayor shook himself. “Well, as you’ve probably guessed, Allison, Eden is experiencing a bit of a…situation. With everyone driven from their homes, trapped between the lake and the rabids, tension is running a bit high. We didn’t mean to be rude, but I’m sure you understand we had to protect ourselves. Especially now.”

“I got that,” I said cautiously, and he grimaced, more in pain then from anything else. “What exactly is going on?”

This was crazy. How had Sarren managed to drive everyone out of Eden? Even if he was insane, unhinged and unpredictable, he was still just one vampire. He couldn’t drive off an entire city by himself. “What happened on the island?”

“Well.” Mayor Hendricks, pressed his lips together. “Turns out, that person you’ve been chasing is a sick, sick bastard.

Early one evening…”

He grunted, clenching his jaw in pain, and the doctor stepped forward anxiously. Hendricks waved him off. “Doctor, please. I’m fine. I need to talk to the vampire before you knock me out again. Give me two minutes, and then you can stick me with whatever you want.”

The doctor backed off, his face pinched with worry. Hendricks sighed and turned to me. “One evening,” he continued, “a barge floated up to the island. On the western side, near the town square. People thought it was abandoned. There was no one aboard that we could see, nor did it answer any of our communications. A crowd of people watched it crash into the docks, and gathered on the shore to see if they could help.”

Hendricks shook his head. “Poor bastards,” he murmured, running a chubby hand down his face, before looking up at me. “Take a wild guess as to what was on that barge, Allison.”

My insides felt cold, and I briefly closed my eyes. I didn’t have to guess. “Rabids,” I whispered.

“Hundreds of them,” the mayor confirmed. “They came pouring out like ants, screaming and killing, attacking everything they saw. Instant pandemonium.” He snapped his fingers. “Eden was lost in minutes. Hundreds of people died fleeing the rabids or trying to get off the island. The military units were overwhelmed—there were just too many, and they caught everyone by surprise. Most of the army died that night, trying to protect the civilians and get them to safety. There just weren’t enough boats for everyone to leave at once.” Hendricks’s mouth thinned. “My own guards sacrificed themselves so that I could get out of there, and even then, I almost didn’t make it. But I know I’m luckier than a lot of people.”