“It wasn’t a lie,” he interrupts. “Myths of the Corrupter have been around forever, and there’s way more fiction than fact out there. Besides that, the oldest Syndics have been alive since pre-Christian times, and they’ve never encountered the so-called Endless One.” Jude shrugs, but it’s a weak gesture. “Many of them don’t want true immortality, but if this is really happening … it’s a game-changer, August. Consensus won’t matter anymore—and once word gets out, humans will employ their protocols against us, and that will make joining the ranks of the truly immortal a survival imperative for vampires everywhere.”

“Oh.” Who knew this situation could actually get worse? “So Daphne was right. Your whole plan all along was to get me into your secret lab so you could harvest the Corrupter when the time comes.”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying.” He gives up an anguished groan, rubbing his face. “I was sent here to assess the situation and report back, period. My objective was to keep the situation from spiraling out of control, and to protect the Syndicate’s interests from hostile parties. I wasn’t … Last night was a big mistake.” He makes an emphatic gesture with his hands. “I shouldn’t be telling you any of this. It’s a complete breach of my duties, and if Hecuba finds out—when she finds out…”

“Why are you telling me?” I need to know this as much as I need to know anything else.

“I don’t want any of this,” he declares flatly. “Neither does Hecuba. I meant everything I said about the horrors of true immortality, and no one can afford a world where unstable, unkillable vampires get to make all the rules. Anyone who sees a massive, overnight paradigm shift as a road to peace is a madman or a fool, and the catastrophe this could bring down on all our heads is unimaginable. We lobbied hard for me to get this assignment because we don’t want any of this.

“The Syndicate isn’t an elected body; it’s an association of lineages represented by their progenitors, and each bloodline has its own agenda. Collectively, the Syndics want to maintain their influence over the world’s undead … and some of them think the Corrupter could be a tool to that end. Hecuba is not so gullible. She knows that the Ascension poses a dire threat to everything she’s spent her considerably long lifetime building, and her desire—our desire—is to see that the status quo is maintained.” Leaning forward, he states, “I came to Fulton Heights hoping and believing this would be just another false alarm in centuries upon centuries of false alarms.”

“But?” I prompt wearily.