Chapter Three

The Basement was the lowest level of the penitentiary. It was where the Unholy were locked away from the other inmates. Isabelle wasn’t allowed in the Basement, so Dante was on hand to assist in interrogating the Unholy Deacon and Slade had brought in. Normally, Gregor or Deacon would take the lead in whatever was going on in the building since they were both wardens, but the male they had in custody was unlike any Unholy they’d ever encountered, so Frey was there in official Clan capacity. Deacon and Slade stood off to one side, while Dante stood next to the door.

“What’s your name? ” Frey asked the less-than-monstrous-looking Unholy who was secured to a chair in the middle of a large room that was otherwise empty.

“I want my lawyer. ”

All the Goyles looked at one another. They’d never heard one of the creatures speak much less with reason.

“You aren’t under arrest, so there will be no lawyer. My name is Geoffrey Hartley. We only want to ask you some questions about the Unholy you live with. ”

“I know what you are, Mr. Hartley. Or should I call you Frey? Isn’t that what your family and friends call you? ”

“Are you saying you’re my friend? Because if so, this will go a lot smoother. ”

“No, I don’t reckon we are. But I do know you and all your buddies here aren’t any more human than I am. I’ve seen all of you when you’re out hunting us. ”

“Then you should know what we’re capable of. ”

“True, but you don’t scare me. If I tell you what you want to hear, you’ll either kill me or send me back, and they’ll kill me. Either way, I’m dead. And I’m okay with that. I didn’t ask to be turned into a monster. ”

“We aren’t going to kill you, and if you help us, we won’t send you back either. What’s your name? ”

The male blew out a breath and looked up at the ceiling. Frey waited patiently for the man to decide whether or not he was going to cooperate. After a couple minutes, he looked at Frey. “Evan Powell. ”

“Thank you, Evan. Can you tell us how you came to be an Unholy? ”

Evan shifted in his seat and returned his stare to the far wall. “I got out of the military and couldn’t find a job. I made a deal with the devil, and I lost a part of myself I didn’t think was left. Turns out I was wrong. ”

“What part was that? ”

“My humanity. I did things for my country. Saw things. It changed me. Then I agreed to work for Gordon Flanagan, but I didn’t understand the consequences of what he was offering. ”

“But you’re not the same as you were before, right? What happened to set you back to normal? ”

“I guarantee I’m not normal. As for how I’m able to think for myself again, that’s a blur. The past several years are nothing more than static, like when a radio is set between stations. One minute I’m a soldier without a platoon. I’m looking for a job that no one will give me. The government taught me how to hunt and kill, but they didn’t teach me how to reacclimate to being back in society. You can’t live without money, and you can’t get money without a job. So, when I was approached with an offer that sounded too good to be true, I took it. A few days later, things went from bad to worse. I was nothing more than an animal in a cage following orders. The next thing I know, I’m being led out of a building, walking behind others like me. Until those two grabbed me. ” The male gestured to where Deacon and Slade were leaning against the wall.

“After you were turned, did you have the ability to think for yourself? ”

“Yes? Maybe. I don’t know. I think at some point, whatever was done began wearing off, but it was all I knew by that time. I had no one waiting for me. Nowhere to go, and no money to get there with. ”

“I thought Flanagan paid you. ”

“It was a lie. He promised the world, but that world was only a different kind of hell than the one I’d been living in. I guess I should have read the fine print. ”

“You signed a contract? ”

He nodded. “For all the good it did. ”

“How many humans have you harmed since agreeing to join Flanagan? ” In the thirty years since Flanagan raised the first Unholy, hundreds of humans had been injured, but less than twenty had died at their hands, as far as the Clan knew.

“None. Most of the time, we were told to fight each other. ”

“And the other times? ”

“Until Flanagan disappeared, that was it. Now the new boss is building an army. One that can fight against you. ”

“How do you know this? ”

“They think the Unholy are all mindless zombies. Most might be, but I could hear them talking. ”

“You said ‘they’. Do you know the names of the men in charge now? ”

“No last names, but the big boss is Drago. He had two helping for a while – Kavin and Burk – but I haven’t seen them around lately. Two more showed up not too long ago. Their names are weird too, like Ren and Trax. I’m not sure, though. Drago hasn’t been around for a couple weeks or more that I know of. ”

Dante pushed off the wall. “Evan, do you know if any of the other Unholy are experiencing the effects wearing off? ”

“We don’t really talk to one another. ”

“What about those of you who have undergone treatment to counter the effects? How many are there? ”

“There were twenty of us in my group. I’ve noticed a handful of others who were taken a couple at a time, but that’s it. ”

“Can you tell us who administered the test? ”

“I’m pretty sure it was a Dr. Craven. ”

Dante’s demeanor went from stoic to contemplative. That name meant something to him. “Thank you, Evan. Frey, can I talk to you outside? ”

Frey inclined his head and followed his cousin out the door. Deacon and Slade remained silent while waiting. Deacon almost felt bad for Evan. He’d heard of men and women returning from war without the means necessary to return to civilian life. He never understood why the government didn’t take more care of their soldiers once their tours were up, after they’d given so much of themselves. He’d seen countless wars over the years, and although he hadn’t fought in any of them, he knew Frey had. If the male wasn’t Gargoyle and part of a huge Clan who had his back, he might have turned out like Evan.

Deacon didn’t have to reach out with his shifter senses to know how Evan was feeling. The sadness and fatigue were like a small cyclone, circling the man and emanating outward.

When Frey and Dante returned, Evan said, “Please, just kill me now. I can’t return to the others, and I don’t want to be locked up in here for the rest of my life. ”

Frey walked over to stand in front of Evan. “We’re not going to kill you. With your permission, we’d like to take a blood sample. ”

“What for? ”

Dante stepped up beside Frey. “We’d like to see if we can determine what you were given to counteract what made you an Unholy. We are going to put you in a cell for the time being. If you cooperate, you will be treated well. ”

“And if I don’t? ”

“You’ll be treated like any other Unholy, with no privileges. ”

“I’d rather just die. ”

“Evan, do you not have family out there looking for you? Parents? A girlfriend or wife? ” Slade asked. The male was naturally laid-back, but the concern for their captive was palpable.

Evan hesitated before answering. “No. They… I reached out to them when I got out of the service, but they’re pacifists. They told me if I enlisted not to come back when I got out. ”

Dante placed his hand on the male’s shoulder, and his tension eased somewhat. More than once, Dante had done the same to Deacon when the pain was too much to bear. “Will you let me draw your blood? ”

“Yeah. ” Evan dropped his chin to his chest.

“Thank you, Evan. If you’ll come with me to the infirmary, we’ll get that taken care of, then we’ll find you a room to rest in and some food if you’re hungry. ” When the man nodded, Dante gripped Evan by his bicep and helped him stand him from the chair.

Frey motioned for Slade to go with Dante. Once the door was closed, Frey said, “For now, put him next to Gabriel where Kallisto is. Make sure he’s comfortable. We’ll have to talk to Rafe about our next steps, but I want to figure out if he’s telling the truth about not hurting humans. I can’t willfully keep him behind bars just for the choice he made to trust Flanagan. ”

“I agree. I wonder how many more were in Evan’s same position when they agreed to the experiment. If we can figure out what the anti-serum is…” Deacon didn’t finish his thought. His heart was leading him in a direction he didn’t know if the others would agree with. “I’ll go make sure the cell is set up. ” Frey clapped Deacon on the shoulder as he walked by but didn’t argue. In all his years, Deacon had never killed another being, even an Unholy. He’d fought them plenty, but in the end, he’d used his fists to take them down and send them to the Pen. If he had his way, they would find the anti-serum and return every last Unholy to their former selves. Then they could weed through which ones were good and which were not. If that happened? Maybe their lives could see some peace for a while.

When Deacon arrived at the room next to Gabriel's, Isabelle was talking to her brother through the glass. The Gargoyle had been through hell when Gordon Flanagan’s men caught him as he was going through his initial transition. Gabriel didn’t remember much of what happened after that, and if it wasn’t for the fact that he was Isabelle’s brother, the male would have been taken out after he kidnapped Kaya. Over the months he’d been in the Pen, Gabriel had come a long way in recovering, but every once in a while, he had moments where Vincent Alexander, the cold-blooded killer Flanagan trained him to be, would try to push his way forth. It was those times Isabelle left her office and went straight to her brother. She was the only one who could calm him down. Isabelle wasn’t allowed around her brother out of his cell unless there were two Gargoyles with her, but she would stand outside his door for hours on end talking to him, reminding him of the brother he’d been when she was a toddler.

It was also against the rules for Isabelle to give Gabriel cigarettes, but she did it when she thought she could get away with it. Like now. Deacon didn’t have to smell the smoke to know what was going on. The guilty expression on Dante’s mate’s face said it all.

“Isabelle. ”

“Deacon, I was just…” She thumbed over her shoulder toward the door and backed away.

“It’s okay. I won’t tell this time. ” He grinned at the doctor, shaking his head. He would never admit it, but he had snuck a few cigarettes to the male on more than one occasion, but it was always when Gabriel was allowed outside for his sunlight breaks. Isabelle had tried the stop-smoking patches, but with Gabriel having a Gargoyle’s metabolism, they didn’t work. Deacon didn’t see anything wrong with giving the male the only thing he requested.

“Did Dante tell you why he’s here? ” Deacon asked.

“Just the basics. I thought I’d spend time with my brother while I waited on him. ”

“Dante has taken Evan, the male we’re interrogating, to your clinic to draw blood. I’m getting this room ready for him until we figure out what to do with him. ”

“If you got a name out of him, that means he isn’t Unholy, right? ”

“He, along with several others, have been given something to counteract the effects. It’s why Dante is taking blood samples. To see if you can figure out what it is that changes them back to being able to function somewhat normally. ”

“Yes! ” Isabelle pumped her fist into the air. When Deacon stepped back at her outburst, Isabelle blushed. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but not enough inmates get sick. You rarely call me, and I’m bored. ”

Deacon had a feeling there was more to it than her being bored. “What about Connor? ” If Deacon had a child, he would be hard-pressed to spend any time away from him or her. He would want to make sure they were always safe and happy, but he knew that was an impossibility. It was one of the reasons he didn’t want offspring.

“He is spending a lot of time with Amelia now that school’s out. They play while Abbi’s teaching her dance classes. As much as I miss him, it gives him time to just be a little boy. When he’s around her, he focuses on her and not having a tutor for a while. Against his wishes, Dante and I decided to give him a summer break like other kids get. ”

Deacon knew Connor’s special gifts had made it hard for the boy to thrive in school. On top of being able to see things in his mind, he was years ahead of his peers when it came to knowledge. The boy was a genius, and his parents were trying to give him a normal childhood instead of allowing him to skip grades just because he knew more than some of his teachers.

“Izzy, ” Gabriel called from inside his cell.

Isabelle turned her attention to her brother. “What is it, Gabriel? ” She insisted everyone call him by his real name and not the one he’d gone by when he worked for Flanagan.

Gabriel didn’t say anything else, and Deacon couldn’t see inside his room, because the window in the door was small. Isabelle pushed open the slot where they passed his food tray to him and held out her hand. Deacon could smell the stench of extinguished cigarettes. When Isabelle pulled her hand back, she glanced up at Deacon. “I would apologize, but it’s his one enjoyment in life. ”

“Like I said, I won’t tell. Now, I need to get this room ready for Evan. You need to go throw those away and wash your hands. ”

Isabelle told her brother she’d see him later, and as Isabelle past by Deacon, she patted him on the arm. “You’re a good male, Deacon Wright. ”

Deacon shook his head, grinning. He wondered what Dante thought of his mate breaking the rules for her brother. He had a feeling the medical examiner would chastise her then pull her in for a long kiss. Thinking of kissing had Deacon thinking of his own mate. Would he get on to her if she broke the rules? Probably not. He’d rather get to kissing her. When his jeans started getting a little too tight, he did his best to push those kinds of thoughts from his mind and got back to the task at hand.

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