by Laura Hysell
“Raoul, Thomas, over here,” I said, motioning for the others to join us.
The room was large, with a bank of blacked out windows along the far wall. A massive wooden desk took up one corner, and filing cabinets lined the walls. A black leather sofa was positioned in the opposite corner of the room with a coffee table. I turned back toward the desk, and the computer atop it.
“I’ll take the filing cabinets on the left, you take the ones on the right,” Raoul said to Killian as he moved toward the bank of cabinets.
“Let me see if I can access the computer,” I said, moving toward the desk.
Thomas said nothing, but he moved around the room, examining the walls. I ignored him and sat in the chair. I tried the computer first, which was password protected. After a dozen failed attempts, I was locked out of the computer. I rebooted the computer and started going through the desk. Office supplies filled the desk drawers, except the bottom one. The bottom drawer held files on various people.
I pulled out the files and set them on the desk. On the bottom of the drawer was a thumb drive, shoved into the back. Smiling, I tucked the flash drive into my boot top and turned back to the files. The files were all on vampires, and I recognized a few names. The very last file was on Petrivian himself. The file wasn’t very thick, but it could prove useful.
The computer had finished rebooting and I tried a couple more passwords before I was locked out again. I sighed in frustration and stood up. “Any luck?” I asked.
“I found a bunch of maps and blueprints,” Killian replied. “They’re for all over the place.”
“Grab them. They could be useful,” I said, picking up my stack of files.
“Henri has a safe here,” Thomas said from across the room. Behind an abstract painting done in greens and reds was a wall safe. Thomas stood before it, pressing buttons on the panel. “I do not know the combination, but I could attempt to open it by force.”
“Go for it,” I said immediately. I was getting antsy to leave. Henri wouldn’t be distracted for long, and if he caught us in his office it would not be good, particularly for the humans in the room.
Thomas grinned and turned toward the safe. He grabbed the safe handle and pulled. There was a loud groaning, and suddenly the safe pulled out of the wall. Thomas dropped it on the ground and turned toward me. He shrugged, then grabbed the safe with both hands. He heaved on the safe until the safe door suddenly popped open.
We all crowded around the safe, peering into the contents. I whispered a few choice swear words and turned away. The safe was empty, except for what looked like an alarm box with a red blinking light. If it was an alarm, Henri had just been notified someone was breaking into his safe. “Time to go,” I said immediately, leading the others quickly back to the elevators.
“We didn’t check all the rooms,” Thomas stated as the elevator doors slid to a close.
“No, and we’re not going to. We need to get out of here right away,” I replied. The elevator stopped on my floor and I hurriedly got out, rushing down the hallway to my room. Mark followed as I ran to my bedroom and grabbed my backpack, shoving the new files on top of the research ones I already had. Killian handed the blueprints and maps he had taken, and I put those in the bag too. Lastly, I grabbed my gun and strapped it on.
I snagged a black leather jacket on my way out the door, shrugging my arms into it as I hurried the others back to the elevator. Time was of the essence. My mind was racing as I punched in the first floor elevator button.
“Wait, Isabella, we need to get some things first, like weapons, food and clothes,” Raoul said, pressing buttons on the elevator. “I’ll grab a little food, Killian grab clothes, and you can go get some weapons.”
I wanted to argue with him that we needed to leave right away, but he was probably right. We wouldn’t get far without those things. Not against vampires. Not on our own. “The basement,” I said suddenly. “Meet me in the parking garage, level B1.”
The elevator stopped on the floors Raoul had punched in, and we all split up to get the needed items. Thomas led Mark and me to the armory storage, and I grabbed three more handguns, ammo, and a couple knives, shoving all I could into the backpack. I slung the shotgun across my shoulder, then hoisted the heavy backpack on top of it. Thomas raced ahead out of sight, but I didn’t have time to worry about him. I ran back to the elevator and punched in the button for the basement. Mark followed beside me and I debated on handing him the heavy backpack, but thought better of it. Unfortunately, I couldn’t trust him with it.
The elevator stopped on level B1 and I slowly stepped out, looking around. It appeared I was the first one to arrive. I grabbed Mark’s hand and pulled him behind me as I moved around the first set of parked cars and hunkered down to watch and wait. It wasn’t long before the elevator door opened. I held my breath and peered cautiously through the car windows. Raoul stepped out nervously, looking from side to side. I stood up and waved to him, watching the relief on his face. He turned around and motioned behind him. Killian followed him out of the elevator.
Both men had backpacks on, and Killian had a second carrier pack as well. “I grabbed some warm clothes, blankets, and what cash I could find,” Killian said.
“And I managed a decent supply of food. We should be able to manage a good head start,” Raoul added, looking around. “Where’s the vampire?”
“I don’t know,” I replied, shrugging. “He took off after I grabbed some guns.” I pulled the backpack off and opened the top, letting the men each grab a gun and some ammo.
“We need a car,” Raoul said, looking around at the garage. “There are plenty to choose from, but we also need keys.
“Let me handle that,” Killian said suddenly, as he walked through the garage. A few minutes later, we heard the distinct sound of a car starting and a large, black SUV backed up in front of us.
I jumped into the passenger seat, and watched as Mark and Raoul climbed in as well. “How?” I asked Killian as he led us through the parking garage.
“Easy. The keys were inside,” he responded, pointing at the keys hanging from the ignition.
“That’s a little too easy,” I muttered in response.
“We can dump the car later,” Raoul replied. “Let’s just get out of here first.”
I nodded, but still didn’t like it. Things were going too easily. Mark, Raoul and I all had Henri’s blood running through us. Who’s to say he hadn’t caught on and was manipulating one or all of us. “Did you run into anyone when you were getting supplies?” I asked.
“No,” Raoul said, shaking his head. “In fact, I didn’t see a soul.”
“Same here,” Killian added. He slowed the truck down as we neared the exit. “Do you think it’s a setup?”
“Maybe,” I replied as Killian stopped the truck next to the button to open the doors. Thomas was standing beside the exit, arms crossed, waiting for us. I took a deep breath and eased my gun from the holster as Thomas walked up beside my door. I rolled down the window and waited.
“I see you found the truck I set up for you,” the vampire began. “Henri has Sylvia. He came back and immediately headed to the computer floor. He’ll be coming for you soon. When you exit the building, go right to the end of the road. After that, take a left and follow the road out of town. It’s the fastest way out of here. Then you can follow signs south. It’ll take you a few days to get into Washington from here, but I’m not sure how you’ll cross the border.”
“What?” I asked, frowning.
“You need a passport,” Thomas replied bluntly.
“Oh, yeah,” I responded, pursing my lips. That could be a problem. “Well, we’ll worry about that later. Thanks.”
“Good luck. I have a feeling we will meet again soon,” he added.
I nodded in response, thinking much the same thing. Killian pushed the button for the garage door and we crept out of the building into the night. I held my breath as we exited to the right, following Thomas’s directions t
o the end of the road. No one immediately followed us as we turned left and hurried out of the deserted town.
After ten minutes of driving, I finally voiced my concerns. “I don’t think we should keep this truck,” I said to start. “And we definitely shouldn’t take a direct route south. Maybe we should go off road.”
“I was thinking along the same lines, although I am sure that is what they’ll expect us to do. We are very far north right now. Perhaps we should travel west instead,” Raoul added.
“West? Why?”
“Alaska. From there we could get on a plane or boat.”
“But we still have the problem of not having any identification.”
“I’m sure we could find a way to obtain some,” Killian said.
I nodded and looked back at Mark, studying his face. It was definitely a worthy idea. Henri wouldn’t be expecting it, but the idea of getting on a plane with an unstable werewolf made me nervous. Maybe a boat would be better. “No planes with the werewolf,” I said. “A boat might work, but how long would that take? I have no idea where we are.”
“There’s navigation in this truck, but I don’t think we should use it, just in case we’re being tracked. Let’s just try and get to the next town, switch vehicles, and go from there,” Killian said.
“Just hurry,” I responded.
We drove for hours with no signs of pursuit, and reached the first small town, if it could be called that since it only consisted of a gas station and a restaurant. It was still dark out and nothing was open. We continued to the next town, which was slightly larger, and stopped at the only gas station.
“I don’t think it’s open yet,” I said, looking at the vacant gas station. The clock on the dash said it was only 4:34 am, and the town was still sleeping.
“I’ll be right back. Stay here,” Killian said as he hurried toward the gas station store. He moved around the building and disappeared.
I held my breath, watching and waiting for his return. I didn’t have to wait long. He came running back a few minutes later, with a bag on his arm. He jumped into the truck and tossed the bag at me as he pulled out of the station. I opened the bag and peered inside. The first thing that caught my eye was a map, which I immediately pulled out.
“We are almost out of gas, and I don’t want to wait around for this place to open. Time for a new truck,” Killian said as he veered the truck off the road and down a narrow gravel driveway. He parked the truck behind a copse of fir trees and turned to us. “I’m going to get us a new truck. Wait here. If I’m not back in an hour, just go on without me.”
“We’ll still need gas,” I responded sardonically.
Killian sighed loudly and shook his head. “Okay, if I’m not back by the time the gas station opens, get gas and go on without me.”
I grinned and said, “Just hurry back.”
Killian nodded and turned away, silently disappearing behind the trees. I opened the map and spread it out on the center console so Raoul could see as well. We traced out the routes on the map, debating the best course. I knew the route that was the fastest and most obvious, but we couldn’t risk it. We could turn East or West to try and throw off pursuit. I still didn’t like the idea of getting on a plane with Mark, and the more I thought about it, the less sure I was about getting on a boat either.
“I think if we take this road West to the coast, we could get on a boat and then veer out and down into Washington. I’m not sure how far out to sea we’d have to go in order to avoid patrols,” Raoul said.
I shook my head. “First, that would be a long trip on a boat. Second, it would have to be a big boat. Third, we have a werewolf with us who may or may not be stable.”
Raoul glanced at Mark, who was sitting silently in the back seat. “Okay, so no boats and no planes. That means driving.”
“We could head east and follow this road south at Prince George,” I said, tracing the path on the map with my finger. “It’s not a direct path south, but it still looks pretty fast.”
“That plan is as good as any,” Raoul replied.
“You sound skeptical.”
He shrugged and glanced over at the werewolf once more. “What about his kind?”
“What about them?”
“Is it safe to go find them?”
“Is it safe anywhere? If I can get Mark to come back to himself, we could get a message to Jed. I really wish I’d memorized his phone number now,” I added ruefully. Or had that damn cell phone still.
“Someone’s coming,” Raoul said in a whisper.
We all fell silent as the sound of tires on the gravel drive drew closer. The vehicle stopped behind us and shut off the lights. I grasped the handle of my gun, holding my breath and trying to peer into the darkness behind me. Killian stepped up to my door and tapped on it softly. I opened the door and he grinned at me.
“Let’s go! I got a full tank of gas and a few supplies,” Killian said.
We climbed out of the truck and moved toward the vehicle Killian had commandeered. It was an older Jeep, painted flat black. The tires were large and beefy, made for going where no normal truck could go. I didn’t know a lot about vehicles, but I recognized an off-road truck when I saw one. This definitely changed our plans.
I climbed up into the passenger seat and spread the map out to show Killian. He nodded as I outlined our idea. There were several other roads crisscrossing the main route we wanted to take that looked unpaved. Those showed promise. We wouldn’t be able to travel as fast, but we could travel more inconspicuously.
“There are a couple full gas cans strapped to the back of the Jeep too. I don’t want to get stuck in the middle of nowhere with no gas and vampires chasing us,” Killian added. “We’d better get going.”
After everyone and everything was in place, we drove out of town. I felt better already, having ditched the other vehicle. The others seemed more relaxed as well, except for Mark, who sat rigidly upright. I frowned back at him, wondering what had him on edge, when I felt the touch against my mind.
“Shit!” I said, clamping my eyes closed and trying desperately to keep my mind blank as Henri tried to probe into my mind. “Close your eyes and cover Mark’s eyes too. Don’t let him see where we’re going. Don’t think about anything. Henri is trying to find us.”
I kept my eyes tightly shut, trusting Raoul to do as I asked. There was no way to know if Henri had broken through to Mark or Raoul, but he was still trying to break through my defenses. I felt his touch on my mind, gentle at first, but steadily growing stronger until it felt like a needle pressing into my temple. The knife warmed on my side, and I reached for it, grasping the handle. Immediately, Henri was pushed back out of my mind. He roared in anger as I thrust him from my mind. I breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived. Henri attacked again, pushing the full force of his will on me. Pain erupted in my head, feeling like a thousand knives gouging into my brain. The knife pulsed in my hand, and I concentrated on it solely.
Warmth from the knife spread across my hand, down my arm, and began encompassing me. I delighted in the feeling of warmth and power pouring from the knife into my body. The knife was pure magic, I realized in that moment. I drew on the power of the knife, filling my body with warmth until it felt like I would burst. In those few moments I could feel the entire life of the knife, back before I had come into possession of it. Years the knife had sat, quietly waiting for the next wielder. More magic filled me, and I could feel Aidan’s joining with the knife. I breathed in, and could feel the power of the knife at its creation. Ten men had poured magic into the knife, and I could feel a portion of each of them inside the knife. I drew on that power, sucked it all into me, and unleashed it back at Henri like a missile.
The pain was immediately gone, and I slumped in my seat in exhaustion, wiping a band of sweat off my forehead. Aidan was there in my mind, quietly humming a battle tune. It was a victory song, I realized, smiling. Thank you, I said.
That was all you, Izzy the Defiant.
Izzy the Defiant?
All great warriors need a special name. And you prefer Izzy to Isabella.
I do, but why the Defiant? I asked.
Why shouldn’t it be? He asked, chuckling. Do you have a better idea?
“Isabella, are you alright?” Raoul asked, touching my shoulder.
“It’s Izzy the Defiant,” Mark said softly, and I jerked up in my seat to look back at him.
“You heard that?” I asked, but Mark didn’t respond. Raoul had covered his eyes with a sweatshirt and he sat back in his seat, still as stone.
“Izzy?” Raoul asked again.
My mind was racing, but I turned my attention back to the problem at hand, and the people with me. “I’m okay guys, really. Henri was trying to track us down. I’m not sure if he succeeded, but he shouldn’t bother us for a while. In any event, we should probably change course sooner rather than later,” I added, pulling out the map and trying to find our location. “I think he knows our plan.”
“Well, shit!” Killian said vehemently.
“Are you good to drive for a while?” I asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Good. Just drive then. Don’t say anything out loud about where you’re going,” I said as I unstrapped my seatbelt and climbed into the back seat beside Mark. “Raoul, can you sit up front with Killian for a while?”
“Sure thing,” he said, looking at me worriedly. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m just really exhausted,” I replied as we switched spots. I turned to Mark and gently untied the sweatshirt from around his head. He looked at me blankly, until I pulled the knife out, and his eyes latched on to the gleaming blade.
Izzy, it’s too dangerous, Aidan whispered in my mind.
I knew it was dangerous, but I had to try. My palms were sweaty as I grasped Mark’s hand and closed his fingers around the hilt. “Mark, I need you to concentrate. You need to reach Jed. Please!” I implored, holding his much larger hands over the knife.