“I’ll bet that’s a real happy place,” Stark said sarcastically.
Jack’s head snapped up. “It makes me sick.”
“Oh, really? Sick like when you tried to bite Damien when he hugged you?” Stark stared him down.
Other Jack’s cheeks flushed red. “I fight it. I try. But the hunger—it’s like a wave that keeps breaking over me. That and the terrible anger that goes with it—it’s awful. And I know I’m going to drown. It’s inevitable that someday I’m going to be a fully Changed red vampyre and the Jack that is me will be gone—or mostly gone. I hate it.” Red-tinged tears leaked down his flushed cheeks. “I hate every second of it.” His bleeding eyes found Damien. “I don’t want to hurt you, but if I’m hungry enough I will. I know you’re not my Damien and I’m not your Jack, but I’m so, so sorry.”
Damien’s head bowed and his tears fell onto his pad of paper, making damp splotches run the ink. “I know. I just don’t know what to do.”
“Well, the first thing we’re going to do is to send Warriors to the Philtower and the Atlas Building,” I said, handing Jack and Damien crumpled tissues I dug out of the bottom of my pocket. “We’re going to take care of this red vampyre zombie plague, and then we’re going to figure out how to fix Other Jack.”
Jack held the crumpled tissue against his chest, looking at me with big, familiar eyes. “Really? You’re really going to try to fix me?”
“Really.” I said it with complete conviction, even though I had no clue how I was going to manage it. “Stark, let’s see what’s going on with Darius and Marx, and how bad it is at the Depot. I’ll send Shaunee down here with more of her blood smoothies.”
“I can—” Damien began, but I cut him off.
“No, Damien. You can’t be alone with Other Jack. Not until we figure out how to help him control himself. I’m sorry, but it’s the way it has to be.”
“I understand,” Damien said faintly. He stood and went to where Jack was sitting on the end of the bed. “I’ll be back. When I can.”
Hesitantly, he reached out and rested a hand on Jack’s shoulder. I felt more than saw Stark tense at the same time Jack sat up straighter and gripped his hands together, as if to keep himself from touching (Touching? Or biting? Tearing? Ripping?) Damien.
“I can’t tell you how good it is to see you, Jack. Even under these peculiar circumstances.”
Other Jack looked up at him, and my heart squeezed as he smiled a totally Jack smile at Damien. “You sound just like Damien.”
“I am Damien.” Other Jack’s gaze lowered back to his clutching hands. “No, I meant my Damien.”
“I understand exactly what you meant.” Damien spoke so softly I could barely hear him. Then he handed me his notebook and left the room without looking back.
I sighed, feeling heartbroken for both of them. “Other Jack, can you think of anything else we need to know?”
“Yes. Kill them. Kill all of the red vampyres. They’re contagious and they’re full vampyres. They won’t change. I think I remember seeing two officers come through with me, and some fledglings, but mostly it was just soldiers. Red soldiers are vicious—I mean, real mean. The only thing you can predict about them is that they live to feed, and they prefer human flesh.”
“But they’ll eat vampyres, correct?” Stark asked.
“Yes. They’d rather not, though. Like, when they fight the rebels. They just kill them. Drink their blood, and mostly leave their flesh. They don’t like the taste.”
“Okay, that helps.” I smiled at Other Jack. “You did good. At least we know what we’re up against. Shaunee will be down soon with your blood. I’ll have her put some in your minifridge, too. And you do have cable down here, plus Netflix.”
He smiled back at me, looking just like our Jack. “Thanks. I’ll be out of it real soon anyway. I can feel sunrise. But I’ll need to feed as soon as I wake up, so blood in the fridge is a good idea.”
“Is there anything else I can get you?”
“A cure.”
“I’m going to try my best,” I said.
“Will you let me stay here, in this House of Night world, if you can cure me?” His voice sounded fragile, as if my answer might break it.
“Other Jack, I have no real clue how I opened the passage between our worlds, so doing it again is gonna be difficult.”
His gaze never left mine. “But there’s a difference between me staying here because you can’t send me back, and me staying here because you’re letting me.”
“You’re right. There is. So, let me be clear once and for all. You’re welcome here, Other Jack. Very welcome here.”
His shoulders slumped in relief as red tears filled his eyes. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“We’ll make this work,” Stark said.
“It’s going to be okay,” I said.
“Promise?”
“Yep. Pinky swear.” Automatically, I held my hand out, little finger extended—just as I would’ve done had it been our Jack.
Other Jack dimpled and hooked his little finger around mine before Stark could step between us. “Totally pinky sworn,” he said.
Stark and I left then. We had to, and not just because of the stupid zombie apocalypse we had to prevent. We had to leave because that Jack had touched a raw place in my heart that still belonged to our Jack. It was either leave or dissolve into snot and tears and bittersweet memories …
16
Zoey
Stark and I hurried into the administrative offices. Shaylin, Nicole, and Grandma Redbird were looking grim.
“Please tell me Kramisha’s okay,” was all I could make my mouth say.
“She is safe,” Grandma said.
I plopped into a chair and tried to prepare myself. “What’s the rest of it?”
Shaylin and Nicole stared mutely at Grandma. She came to me and took my hand. “All of the fledglings who were working tonight at the Depot Restaurant were killed.”
My hand started to tremble, and Grandma squeezed it tightly.
“One of them managed to get to the trapdoor in the kitchen and close it, bolting it behind her and warning the others before she died of her wounds,” Grandma continued.
“Did they get into the tunnels?” I asked.
“No. Thanks to the heroism of that young fledgling,” Grandma said.