Chapter 23

Leandro

I hurried down the hallway, using all of my abilities as a true-blood to walk entirely silently and get closer to Butch without him realizing I was there. Guilt gnawed at me that I had run out on Anais and left her with a room full of vampires, but if this went well, I could get what I needed out of Butch and then go back for her.

Ludis shouldn't have any firm idea that Anais was a hunter beyond his initial suspicions and those should wane with her being around and no one dying. It was all I could do for her, for now.

It would help that Ludis had gone off to join the others before I had left. She would be able to sit by herself and only intervene if Ludis noticed anything. Given how single minded he could be about getting to screw some enthralled on a regular basis, I would be surprised if he noticed for hours.

That left me some time to focus on Butch and getting him to talk. I had no doubt that the vampire would try to keep his secrets at first. Butch didn't like me, and he wasn't going to like what was about to happen.

Although I didn't know exactly where Butch was planning on heading, I followed him as he made his way back toward the suites. He was going to have to go past mine on the way to wherever, which was exactly what I needed him to do. I kept just behind him and slipped my card out of my pocket.

As soon as Butch was far enough away from my door and beyond it, I used the card to open my door at the same time as flicking off my shoe.

I barely waited for it to get stuck and hold the door open for me before I threw caution to the wind and sprinted after Butch.

Calling his name, I ran right up to him. He turned just as I punched him in the face. While he reeled, I grabbed his arm and shoulder and used his own momentum in trying to attack me to spin me around behind him and shove him toward my suite.

He swung at me for a second time and I just about managed to get my head out of the way while rushing him as swiftly as I could down the corridor. I needed to get him into my room before anyone in the other suites noticed that something was happening.

Butch began to resist as soon as he understood what was happening, but I was a true-blood and no matter how strong a turned vampire he was, I had the upper hand. I also had a lot more years of experience.

For a few seconds he stuck in my doorway, both of us struggling against each other as he tried to bulk himself up even more to fill the door frame and get wedged against it.

Eventually I headbutted him in the face, stunning him long enough I could barge him down onto the ground. I went down with him and he grabbed hold of me, hitting me hard in one side and the stomach.

Partially winded, I was glad that I didn't actually need to breathe much to survive. I got a lucky knee up into his groin and he slackened, feeling the pain, even if he was undead.

As he rolled and tried to get away I scrambled to my feet and glanced to the door. My shoe had come through into the suite behind us and the door had shut, putting the two of us in the suite alone together.

Knowing I had the upper hand now, I plowed back into him and kept him off balance. He flailed as I got one of his arms into a lock and began to pin him in place. I used my weight and strength to gain even more of an advantage and do what was needed to dislocate an arm.

He let out a cry of pain, only muffled by the carpet I had him pressed into. I got up off him to grab a tie and bind him with it. Of course, he tried to get away and push himself to his feet with his good arm, but I was too swift and soon had him by the one good arm.

With his best arm useless, I could pretty much drag him where I wanted him and I hauled him through to the bedroom and sat him up against the end of the bed. I quickly tied the good arm to the bed post on one end, knowing it would be bolted to the floor and the sturdiest piece of furniture.

The tie wasn't going to hold, but I wrapped it around a few times and looked for something stronger. I hadn't got a lot in my kit that would stop him for long, but I remembered that Anais had a fairly short length of good rope in her bag and went to fetch that next.

"What do you think you're doing?" Butch demanded, almost growling the words.

I didn't reply, but tied his arm with the rope as well. He tried to shift himself around to kick me, but I stomped on the leg he was leaning on as hard as I could and shattered some bones there as well.

No matter what Butch wanted, or how hard he tried to fight, he wouldn't get away from me now. The vampire seemed to finally get that into his head, because he stopped struggling as much and studied me.

"There's no way you're turned," Butch said after a few seconds.

I chuckled at that. It sealed his fate and he didn't even know it, but I was surprised it had taken him this long to work it out.

"The Brethren don't like what you and Ludis are up to. Did you really think they had no idea?"

"It doesn't matter if they know or not or how much they like it. Times are changing. No one wants to stay in the dark anymore and pretend we don't exist." Butch spat as he spoke the last words and I wrinkled my face up in disgust. That would need to be cleaned up.

I doubted it would be all I had to clean by the time we were done.

Butch still thought he could achieve his goal. Or Ludis could. And until I broke him of that belief, he wasn't going to tell me anything.

Sitting on a chair near the bed I considered the best way to get this vampire to talk. He was glaring at me as if he dared me to try.

"I know that you're looking for a relic. One that will make a big difference to what Ludis can do. I know that you're going to be the gopher for him and fetch and carry. Do you think that's enough for you."

Butch laughed. "That's not going to get me to turn on Ludis. He is crazy and clever enough to see this through. I know what I am. This is my role. He will make sure I am rewarded. The world he helps create will be better for all our kind."

"No. You think it will, but the Brethren have been there before. The human race won't take kindly to our kind existing and preying on them. They will fight back."

"Like their ridiculous academy?" Butch laughed. "And your pathetic under cover enthralled. It's so obvious that she's a hunter."

"She's everything she needs to be and more. You and Ludis are trash and you will be stopped."

This time as Butch laughed I stomped on the other leg and broke that too.

He grunted but he stifled the noise and glared at me. This wasn't going to break him quickly. I had to keep trying, however. I could only leave Anais for so long and I knew that the longer he held out on me the more she might have to endure.

It gave me the motivation I needed to get on with the more unsavory aspect of this task.

"Who are you meeting in Greece?" I asked. Butch didn't answer.

I shifted over to his good arm and grabbed his hand. There was nothing he could do as I broke a finger.

After repeating the question and getting no answer, I did the same to every single digit on his hand. Butch clearly grew more agitated, but he didn't answer at all.

"All right, that question is clearly too much for you," I added as I shifted over to get hold of his hand on the good arm. This time I considered a different approach. He tried to fight me a little harder, screwing up his hand into a fist, but I was still stronger and in much better shape. There wasn't a lot I could do with one hand, but I knew I had to ramp up the pain.

I didn't like doing this sort of thing. I'd rather have bribed Butch, but I knew that even beginning down that route would seem like weakness and undo the option I'd already started with. I couldn't offer him a bribe and I didn't think he'd take it, even if I did.

As I sat with his hand restrained I worked one finger out of his fist and grabbed some pliers from a small pouch. Very carefully I got hold of one of his nails.

"If you won't tell me who you're meeting for the relic, why don't you tell me what relic you're going after?" I smiled as I spoke, but Butch wasn't even looking at me. He'd turned his head away and I understood what the resolve was for.

He knew what I was about to do and still he didn't plan to talk.

"Ludis must have promised you a lot to inspire this level of loyalty, but it's not going to save you and it isn't going to save him." As I finished speaking I pulled his nail off in one yank.

I didn't let go of his hand, but it took all my strength to hold onto it for a moment. Butch finally did make a louder noise, but he eventually gritted his teeth and continued to look at the floor off to one side.

Pausing, I took my time. A removed fingernail was actually more painful and difficult to endure after it had time to register the shock and for the throbbing to begin. This would be most effective if I took my time.

With everything else I had already done to him, I was surprised he was holding up so well, but he was proving to be tough to convince. After a while I knew that this plan wasn't working either. He was practically crying as I finished off the hand I was holding and he still didn't say anything.

"This would be really easy and could all stop if you just tell me what I want to know. I am going to keep going otherwise. We've barely begun on the level of damage I can cause you and the pain I can make you feel."

Butch closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. I wasn't getting through to him. On some level I was disgusted with what I had already done to him, knowing this was no way for one vampire to treat another, but I also knew that Ludis would do worse to the Brethren if he had a chance.

This was distasteful, but it was better than the alternative.

With it not appearing to work I knew I needed to rethink my plans. This couldn't last much longer if I was going to get back to Anais and make sure she was okay.

Needing to get away from Butch for a moment and to also see if he caved with the anticipation of more to come, I made my way out of the room and back to the living room area. There I poured myself a whiskey and leaned against the sideboard to consider my options. I needed to figure this out.

I was missing important information and so far only Butch or Ludis could give it to me.