Cliff’s Descent by Dianne Duvall

Chapter Twenty-Five

Something was wrong.

Cliff sat on his sofa, one knee bobbing up and down.

Something was very wrong.

He glanced around his apartment. On the surface, it appeared the same as it had last week. Last month. Last year. But it wasn’t. Everything looked a little too perfect. Too new. And the faint scent of fresh paint lingered in the air.

When he’d asked Melanie about it, she’d broken the news that he’d had not one but two psychotic breaks, back to back. Jared had refuted that, claiming he’d only had one break and that the second time he had merely flown into a rage. But that was just mincing words.

Cliff apparently trashed his apartment so badly that Reordon had to replace every piece of furniture in it and one of the doors. Cliff was pretty sure Reordon replaced the refrigerator and the doors on his kitchen cabinets, too. But Reordon hadn’t complained. He had even upgraded the TV and gaming systems, all while Cliff slept like the dead.

Rising, he crossed to the kitchen and opened one of the cabinets. A graham cracker box stared back at him. He took it down, opened the top, and looked inside. Two sleeves of crackers huddled within, just as they should. When he dumped them out, a cell phone slid after them. Cliff caught it with a spark of hope. But like everything else in his apartment, it looked too shiny and new. When he turned it on, Emma’s face didn’t appear on the lock screen. A generic beach scene did. And every app he opened was newly installed and bore none of the information or progress that should have been stored in them. There were no e-books, movies, or TV shows. No music. And the only photo on the device was the one he’d seen on Emma’s employee ID badge.

He must have broken the other phone. Knowing Reordon, he’d probably had his tech team try to retrieve the photos and other information off the old one. If anyone could do it, they could.

Cliff stared at the new phone in his hands. He must have decimated the old one for them to have failed.

After stuffing the crackers back in the box, he tucked the phone in his pocket and began to pace.

Even that was different. His feet felt weighted, as if his shoes bore concrete soles. His limbs felt heavy. His mind was… quiet. Too quiet. The only voices that filled it were those that carried to him from the other occupants of sublevel 5.

Was this the calm before the storm?

“Knock, knock,” Melanie called.

Cliff glanced toward his open doorway. Melanie and Bastien had thought he’d feel more comfortable resting in his apartment than he would in the infirmary, so they’d let him sleep in here and just kept the door open so they wouldn’t have to keep typing in the code every time they wanted to check on him.

Melanie entered. “How are you feeling?”

“Okay.” He shrugged. “Tired. Out of it.”

Nodding, she approached him. “That’s probably your body still working the last of the sedative out of your system.”

Sounded logical. But doubt assailed him.

“What about your ears? Are they bothering you? Back at the base you said it felt like they were full of cotton.”

He touched one ear. “Yeah. They still feel funny. Everything sounds muffled or something.”

Her look turned clinical. Drawing an otoscope from the pocket of her physician’s coat, she motioned for him to lean down. “Let me give them another look.”

Cliff ducked down so she could peer into his ears.

“I don’t see anything,” she murmured. “Is anything else bothering you?”

“Not really.”

She pressed a palm to his forehead, then touched her fingers to his neck. “No nausea? Swelling of the throat? Fever? You feel a little warm to me.”

The questions struck him as odd. “I’m okay.” Once vampires transformed, they didn’t get sick. Ever.

Tucking her hands in the pockets of her coat, she studied him. “What about the voices?”

“They’re quiet today.”

Her eyebrows flew up. “Well, that’s good. Mattheus said you were badly wounded in an explosion.” She frowned. “One of those damn fail-safes. Maybe it scared the voices away for a bit.”

“Maybe.”

Silence settled upon them, becoming awkward as she shifted her weight and just stared up at him, her brow furrowed. Hesitance crept into her expression.

“What?” he asked when she seemed disinclined to speak.

She sighed. “Something has come up.”

He frowned. “What is it?”

“Mattheus said after he tripped the first fail-safe and was hit with a couple of blades, he felt a little sluggish. It didn’t last long. But he suspected the blades had been coated with something.”

“Like what? The sedative?”

“That would explain why you slept for nearly two days. But he wasn’t sure. So he pocketed some of the daggers and darts, and the researchers up on sublevel four have been examining them.”

“What did they find?”

“The darts contained the tranquilizer. The dosage varied, so we aren’t sure exactly how much you were hit with.”

“Not enough to be lethal.”

“No, thank goodness. A few of the blades were coated with it, too. But the thing that concerns me isn’t the sedative. They also found a poisonous substance on some of the blades. That shouldn’t have affected you. The virus is tough as nails when it comes to neutralizing chemicals. But since your ears are still bothering you, I’d like to do some blood work just in case.”

“Okay.” Cliff followed her to the infirmary.

Stuart and the other vampires were up and running on the treadmills. Across the room, Tessa, Jordan, Liora, and the other newly inducted Immortal Guardians sat at a long table covered with file folders and papers, no doubt reviewing the results of the many medical tests Melanie had performed… and finally acknowledging the lies Gershom had told them.

Cliff tensed when everyone looked up at his entrance. Guilt suffused him again when he looked at Liora, but he found no condemnation in her gaze. Jordan eyed him with a blank expression that rankled, but at least he wasn’t shouting at Cliff to stay the hell away.

“Hey, Cliff,” Miguel called from a treadmill. “I heard you saved the day the night of the big showdown.”

“Yeah,” another vamp said. “Mattheus said you were a real badass, getting the Immortal Guardians through all the fail-safes injury-free.”

“That’s so cool,” Stuart added, his eyes glowing as he struggled to block out the voices in his head. “I wish I could’ve been there.”

Cliff forced a smile. “It’d be cooler if I could remember it.” All he knew was what they told him, and he wasn’t sure he could trust that now. Not after they tried to make him forget he’d hurt Liora. But Mattheus wasn’t invested in Cliff the way Melanie and the others were. He had no emotional attachment to him at all, so he had no reason to lie about it.

“Hi, Cliff,” Tessa called, offering him a smile and a wave.

“Hi, Tessa. How’s it going?”

Her smile acquired a wry twist as she shrugged. “It’s going.”

He chuckled because he knew it was expected of him and followed Melanie over to the exam area.

It only took her a couple of minutes to draw the blood she needed for her tests.

“Do you need an infusion?” she asked as she labeled the vials. “Your blood volume looked good when they brought you in, so I didn’t give you any.”

“No.”

“Okay. Bastien will be here as soon as the sun sets if you’re ready to resume your hunts.”

“Sure. I’m going to go rest until he gets here.”

“Okay.”

Cliff waved to the guys and left the infirmary.

At the end of the hallway, Todd nodded to him.

Cliff nodded back, pretended to check the time on his watch, then ducked into his apartment. There he halted. Glancing down at the arm he wore the watch on, the same arm from which Melanie had drawn blood, he straightened it and stared.

Blood beaded at the bend of his elbow. He touched it, wiped it away to reveal a puncture wound that slowly forced out another crimson bead.

His heart began to pummel his ribs. That wound should have healed as soon as Melanie withdrew the needle. That’s why she hadn’t pressed a cotton ball to it and topped it off with a Band-Aid the way nurses used to when he was human.

He looked at his open door.

Reaching over, he slowly closed it, feeling the full weight of it in a way he hadn’t before.

The moment it latched, silence engulfed him.

Oh shit.

He couldn’t hear anything save his own heartbeat thudding in his ears. He might as well have been standing inside his soundproof bathroom. He couldn’t hear anything that took place outside his door. All the customary sounds that usually bombarded him—the chatter of the guards, the movements and conversations that took place in the labs and infirmary, the vampires razzing each other or working out or playing video games—had vanished the moment he closed the door. And even though his mind was refreshingly clear, he couldn’t hear anything that transpired on the floors above him.

Cliff looked at the doorway to his bedroom. Clenching his hands into fists, he jumped toward it… and didn’t even make it halfway there.

Anxiety rising, he sprinted forward… and reached it in about the same time Todd would.

Shit!He wasn’t feeling tired and sluggish because his body was fighting off the lingering effects of the sedative. He felt tired and sluggish because he was used to the strength, speed, and energy being a vampire constantly infused him with.

And he was no longer a vampire.

Cliff hadn’t slept for two days because he was sedated. He had slept for two days because whatever poison those blades had been coated with had been systematically killing off the virus that infected him. And if the poison had killed off the virus…

Panic filled him.

He had no functioning immune system and would die soon.

Emma.

He had to see Emma. As quickly as possible. He wanted to spend whatever time he had left with her. Wanted to remind her who he had been before the damned voices began bellowing in his ears and ramping up his aggression. Wanted his last moments with her not to be full of despair but full of the laughter, teasing, and tenderness he hadn’t been able to give her for so long.

He needed to see her. He had no idea how long someone could live without an immune system but thought he’d once heard Melanie say it could be as little as a day.

Striding into the bathroom, he stripped and took a shower. Had he not been so desperate to get to Emma as quickly as possible, he would’ve laughed at how long it took him. Usually he zipped through his showers with preternatural speed.

As soon as he dried off, he donned the usual T-shirt, cargo pants, and boots—all black.

Grabbing the new cell phone, he slipped it into a pocket just as the door to his apartment clunked and opened.

Bastien stood in the doorway. “Hey. How’re you feeling?”

Cliff strode toward him. “Good. Are you ready to go?”

Bastien’s eyebrows flew up. “Sure.”

They headed for the elevator.

“Hey, man,” Todd said. “Good to see you up and around.”

“Thanks.”

Bastien said nothing as they sequestered themselves in the elevator and rode it up to the ground floor. But Cliff could feel his steady gaze.

“You want to run or drive?” Bastien asked once they were outside.

“Drive.” He couldn’t run to Emma’s without the enhanced speed he’d lost.

“Okay.”

Cliff fidgeted in the seat as they drove away from network headquarters, waiting impatiently to reach the point at which the vampires could no longer hear them.

As per his usual habit, Bastien pulled over a few miles away.

“Could I skip hunting tonight and just go straight to Emma’s?” Cliff blurted.

Bastien studied him a moment. “How are the voices?”

“Quiet.”

“And the aggression?”

“Not a problem.”

After a moment, he nodded slowly. “Okay.”

“Would you give me a ride?”

Bastien stared at him. “You want me to drive you all the way there?”

Cliff usually ran it. “Yeah.”

Another pause. “Okay. You want me to pick you up, too?”

“Yeah.”

“What time?”

“Just before dawn.”

Bastien’s face lost all expression as he turned his gaze forward. “Sure. I’ll be there.”

They rode the rest of the way in silence.

When they were a couple of miles from Emma’s home, Cliff said, “Pull over for a minute, would you?”

Bastien swung off the road and brought the car to a halt.

“This will just take a sec.” Cliff thrust his door open and got out. Tall grasses swished against his calves as he strode into a field. Fortunately, a full moon hung above him, providing enough light for him to see without the enhanced vision he’d lost.

Halting several yards away, he drew the new cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Emma’s number.

“Hello?” she answered.

“It’s me.”

She sucked in a breath. “Cliff! Honey, are you okay?”

“I’m okay,” he told her, and it wasn’t totally a lie. His head hadn’t been this clear in years.

“Kate said you were injured…”

“I was. But my injuries have healed. I’m on my way over there now. Is that all right?”

“Yes! Of course it is! I can’t wait to see you.”

He strolled a few steps farther into the meadow. “Listen, the voices are quieter tonight. So I was wondering…”

“Yes?”

“Remember the night Aidan gave you the watch?”

“Yes,” she said, a hint of caution entering her voice.

He surveyed the pretty meadow. “Could we do that again? Could we have a date night? A nice romantic dinner and maybe some dancing after?”

She sniffed a little. And when she spoke again, it sounded as though she was fighting tears. “I’d love to have a date night, honey.”

“Great. I’ll see you in a few.”

“Okay. I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Pocketing the phone, he bent and began to gather a bouquet of wildflowers for her. Once he was satisfied with the size of it and the variety of colors it afforded, he returned to the car and sank into the passenger seat.

Bastien didn’t move when Cliff closed his door. He just kept staring through the front windshield.

A muscle flexed in his jaw.

“Bastien?”

“Are you sure this is what you want to do?” he asked, voice grim.

Go to Emma’s without hunting first? “Yes.”

Without another word, he turned the key and completed the drive to Emma’s house. He kept the engine running once he pulled into her driveway.

Cliff exited the car and closed the door. “Thanks. I’ll see you before dawn.”

Nodding, Bastien backed out and drove away.

Cliff strode up the walk, his heart light. For tonight at least, he would achieve his greatest dream: he would come to Emma as a mortal man bereft of insanity.

The door opened before he reached it.

Emma stepped out onto the porch, wearing the colorful dress from their second night together and no shoes, just sparkling toenails he always thought adorable. “I heard a car.”

“Bastien dropped me off.” Shaking his head, he smiled as he walked toward her. “Damn, you’re beautiful.”

Skipping down the steps, she jogged forward and threw herself into his arms.

Laughing, he caught her and swung her around as she hugged him tight. “This is exactly the greeting I was hoping for.” He pressed his lips to the soft skin of her neck where it met the gentle curve of her shoulder, loving her scent and the feel of her in his arms. Peace suffused him as he sighed in contentment. “I missed you.”

A chuckle escaped her, but it sounded forced. “It’s only been two days.”

Lowering her feet to the stone pathway, he drew back just enough to look down at her. “I always miss you when we’re apart.”

A tear spilled over her lashes as she stared up at him. “You’re really okay?”

Cupping her face in his free hand, he smoothed his thumb over her cheek and wiped away the moisture. “I haven’t felt this good in years.”

A tentative smile touched her lips. Then she rose onto her toes and touched her lips to his. “I thought I’d lost you,” she whispered.

“I know,” he said softly. “But I’m still here. And for once the voices are quiet. So…” He stepped back and proffered the flowers, happy to see he hadn’t inadvertently crushed them while swinging her around. “These are for you.”

Her face lit with a smile as she took them. “Thank you. They’re beautiful.”

He stole another kiss. “So are you.” Looping an arm around her shoulders, he guided her up the path. “Let’s go start our date night.”