Page 120 of Into the Void
“No, but... I’m a void. Magic can’t hurt me.” His eyes flicked down to her hand, still on his arm. “I’ll be fine.”
Henry set the note on the table. “She’s right. You should be impervious to all magic, but you’re not immune to poison.”
Nick thumped his fist against the arm of the couch and got to his feet, letting Cara’s hand fall from his arm. “What are we going to do?”
“We need to be smart about this,” Henry said. “Don’t go running into danger just because you’re angry.”
“What, then?” Nick demanded.
Henry didn’t reply for a moment. “Do you mind if I sit, Cara?”
Cara blinked. “Of course. Sorry, I should have offered. Sit wherever you want. Do you want anything to drink? Tea, coffee, water?”
“Something stronger,” Nick muttered.
“I’m fine, but thank you,” Henry said, glancing at Nick. He took a seat and pulled the dagger closer to him using the edge of the package it rested on. “This is Samuel’s work. Even without the note, I’d be sure of that. He’s always had a flair for the dramatic. This dagger is centuries old.”
She leaned forward. “Really? I knew it looked expensive, but I didn’t imagine it had history.”
Henry nodded. “A very bloody, violent history. And if it became the cause of a void’s death, it would only increase in value.”
Nick stopped pacing. “It would?”
“Oh, yes. Voids are the ultimate killers, according to all the legends. Anyone who can kill a void sets themself apart from the rest of us. The dagger would become incredibly desirable by collectors of the supernatural.”
“So he’s using me to add to his collection,” Nick said with obvious disgust. “I should probably be angry, but it’s just... insulting.”
“Can we get back to what’s important?” Cara asked. “Quinn and Julia were kidnapped. If we’re lucky, the vampires have messed with their minds so they don’t know what’s happening. Otherwise, they’re terrified, traumatised and surrounded by bloodthirsty monsters.”
Another thought occurred to her, and she paled. “They wouldn’t turn them, would they?”
“No,” Nick said quickly. “The girls will be fine.”
“But they turned Brett. He was supposed to be a hostage, too, and he...”
“They won’t turn your friends,” Henry said. He was carefully wrapping the dagger again, and he pushed it into the middle of the coffee table. “They won’t risk breaking the peace treaty with the witches until they know which side Nick is on. A void could turn the war in their favour, or turn it against them.”
“Or they’ll wait until I’m dead, to take me out of the situation completely,” Nick added.
Henry nodded. “We won’t let that happen, but yes, you’re right.”
“But they took Brett and they turned him,” Cara said.
“They might have lost control,” Henry said. “The vampires rarely take human prisoners, unless they intend to use them for blood or pleasure. Usually, those people are tricked or influenced by the vampires’ power over the human mind. Taking humans by force doesn’t happen as much as you might expect.”
Nick frowned. “So why did they take Brett?”
“You’re a void,” Henry said. “Your existence breaks all the normal rules.”
“So Brett was fair game because of me, and now he’s a vampire.”
“A daywalker,” Henry corrected. “It’s not your fault, Nick.”
“You just said-”
“They took him because of you,” Henry said bluntly. “But they shouldn’t have turned him. It doesn’t make sense. I assume they lost control, risked killing him, and their only choice was to turn him. Still, it’s surprising. They risked making themselves a very powerful enemy.”
“Everyone keeps saying I’m powerful, but I’m not,” Nick said. “I can drain magic. That’s it.”