Page 41 of Marked Resistance
“How is this possible?” I asked, gasping for air as I spoke.
“I am Damon. I am both a Wildfire and a Variant. I can change my appearance as I please.”
“If you’re Damon, that makes you the oldest vampire alive.”
“And the direct threat to Duradel’s leadership,” Grim added. “Which is why he wants you dead.”
“Damon turned his attention to Grim and Ilanis. “How did he know I was alive?”
“He marked resistance a long time ago. The man’s not stupid, Damon,” Ilanis answered. “He’s paranoid, but he’s not stupid. It’s his paranoia that keeps him alive and keeps him moving around.”
“He does it so I can never get an accurate fix on his location,” Damon concluded.
“You know this,” Grim said. “He heard the rumors, weallheard the rumors. Damon had actually been alive for the past five hundred years, hiding on some mountain like a bitch. Then some Letos fucker killed him. Everyone heard that.”
Ilanis stepped forward. “But, since Duradel is so paranoid, he figured the only way you could be alive for five hundred years, even hidden on a mountain, is if you could change your face. You must’ve had the variant ability all that time, and no one knew about it. So, he figured the most powerful vampire in the world couldn’t possibly get killed by some peon.”
“I wouldn’t call him a peon,” Damon deadpanned. “Ian is actually a pretty good fighter.”
“Whatever,” Ilanis said with a dismissal wave of her hand. “Duradel figured you must’ve had a way to make people think they were seeing you, when in actuality, they were seeing someone else, but your variant ability allowed you to project your appearance. No one knows, because none of us are that old, and only Cassie, Kiara, and Julia lived through the Crimson Mourning, but even they aren’t as old as you. No one knows how powerful you actually are, or what the extent of your abilities is.”
Damon rubbed his chin. “Well, if no one knows how powerful I actually am, and no one knows the full extent of my power, then what makes you think you’re safe? What makes you think I’d go for this exchange?”
“We don’t,” Grim answered.
“It’s a gamble,” Ilanis said. “But knowing history as we do,” she looked at me, “we’re taking a risk here. You asked for her specifically. Why? You have feelings for her, and what history showed us is there is nothing you wouldn’t do for your love. You loved Cassie and murdered the entire council of vampires for her. If this little twat has found her way into your heart, then you’d— “
“I would murder the world for her,” Damon finished and glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. “How do we do this?”
Chapter eighteen
“Simple,” Grim answered and pointed at me. “She takes her sword and takes your head. When weknowyou’re dead, we let them walk.”
“You must think I’m stupid,” I shot back.
“Fine,” Damon said.
“What?!” I exclaimed.
“What?” Grim asked incredulously.
“Ridiculous,” Ilanis spat. “What a man will do for love.”
Damon lowered himself to his knees and faced away from me. He interlocked his fingers and placed them on top of his head.
“No,” I blustered and shook my head. “No, I won’t do it. Damon is here, don’t you see? He’s the rightful leader of Shaye, he’s the oldest and strongest vampirealive. He can win this war for us.”
“Not by myself,” Damon said from his knees. “And not without people I can trust. People who want to live, not for themselves, but for others.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“He’s also the coward who let his wife turn into a murderous bitch who wants to burn the world to the north while he cowered on a giant hill,” Grim taunted. “We don’t needhimto leadus. Fuck him.”
“Do it!” Ilanis screamed. “Kill that bastard before we kill your little sister.”
“I trust you, Zee,” Damon said. “But the only way to truly live is to trust yourself.”
I sucked in a breath and steadied myself. This is what Oriel meant when she told me to “Keep your eyes open and your mouth shut. Maybe you’ll live.” Inward, was my flame. It had burned all this time in yellow and orange, but I never trusted it. The only color I could trust now was blue.