Flames of Mars (Celestial Shifters Book 2)

by Tjalara Draper

  “Awesome,” Autumn’s voice crackled in his ear. “Take a left. Then, as per the ultrasonic sensor, there should be some kind of opening through the concrete wall somewhere.”

  “I think we found it.” Nathan swept his flashlight beam over a pile of rubble obstructing their path. “Judging by the damage, it looks like this is where the mutant worm broke out.”

  “Do you want us to go through the rubble?” Violet asked.

  “Yes,” said Tio.

  Violet crossed her arms. “And how do you suggest we do that? It’s not like we brought an excavator.”

  With a grunt, En’gorr pushed his way forward and got to work. Within about a minute, he’d cleared away enough chunks of cement to create an opening wide enough to squeeze through.

  “Oh.” Violet’s eyes bugged as En’gorr disappeared through the gap. “So, no need for an excavator when you have a Jiovis prince with you.”

  Nathan and Thane chuckled, and Tio’s laughter joined them through the earpiece.

  “The room on the other side doesn’t seem to have any kind of security footage—at least, not any I can find,” Autumn informed them. “I can only assume it’s an abandoned section of the facility. But abandoned for what reason, I can’t say. Be careful, guys.”

  23

  Can’t Hide It, Flaunt It

  Violet’s boots landed on hard tile after she finally squeezed through the rubble. They’d emerged into what may have once been a staff bathroom, based on the broken sinks, smashed stalls, and shards of mirror scattered among the chunks of concrete littering the floor. The path of destruction led into the next room via a Godzilla-worm-sized hole in the wall. It looked as if this corner of the underground facility had been abandoned for several weeks, if not months. Perhaps the colossal damage caused by the worm’s jailbreak had been beyond what the facility was willing to repair.

  “We’re in,” said Nathan into his mic.

  “Sweet. Now for the wardrobe change,” said Autumn.

  All four stripped off their disposable hazmat suits and dumped them into a pile. It wasn’t part of the plan, but Violet went ahead and set the trashed suits on fire. In the blink of an eye, the crumpled clothing was reduced to ash, replacing the fetid tunnel odor with the far less unpleasant smell of smoke.

  Once that was done, Violet pulled out a lab coat from her backpack, along with a fake ID tag Tio had made. She bundled her brown hair into a tight bun on top of her head, then put on a pair of royal-blue-framed glasses to complete the disguise. The other three donned makeshift security suits. Tio had managed to fabricate the Xabat logo and other embellishments based on the staff photos in the lab’s database.

  “Okay, now’s the part where you guys need to be super careful,” said Autumn. “The last thing we need is for one of you to get caught.”

  Following Autumn’s directions, the four entered a hallway and swiftly made their way to the next junction.

  “Wait,” Autumn warned. “Some people have entered the corridor you were about to turn into.”

  Violet’s pulse thudded in her ears as she waited with the others for Autumn’s next instructions.

  “Just wait a little longer . . . oh no. It looks like they’re not turning off. They’re headed straight for you.”

  Nathan hissed through his teeth.

  “Can’t hide it,” Violet whispered, adrenaline buzzing from her chest to her fingertips. “Better flaunt it.” Nathan shared a raised eyebrow with Thane as she added, “Follow my lead.”

  She raised her nose and brandished an ice-queen expression before sauntering into the corridor. The others hustled to catch up, falling into step on either side. About halfway down the hall in front of them, the group of Xabat employees was still headed their way.

  “That’s it,” encouraged Tio, “just act like you belong there.”

  Violet desperately tried to control her trembling nerves. She needed to keep it together. Solace was relying on her. I can do this. I can do this.

  She tried to imagine herself as the embodiment of confidence and intelligence—a woman on a scientific mission. A force to contend with. She may as well have been the CEO of Xabat herself.

  After a few more steps, Violet began to believe her own facade.

  When the group of Xabat staff came closer, she had to force herself not to ogle them; instead she simply tilted her chin up and set her sights on the direction she was heading. Keeping her expression nonchalant, she inclined her head to the group the moment they were about to pass by.

  But when the man in the front caught her gaze, her heart nearly stopped.

  She’d just locked eyes with none other than Renard Branstone himself.

  “Guys! It’s Renard,” squeaked Tio.

  A cold rush flooded Violet’s veins, but she managed to tear her gaze away, keep moving, remain in character.

  The next few seconds felt like an eternity. Violet waited and waited for someone to shout at them, raise an alarm, start shooting.

  But . . . nothing.

  She released a sigh of relief when they finally rounded the corner.

  “You’re clear,” said Autumn on a sigh.

  “That was way too intense,” said Tio.

  “Understatement,” added Gus’s voice.

  The team resumed following Autumn’s directions until she ordered a halt several junctions down. “There’s a door around the next corner, and it’s guarded by four guards.”

  Violet dared a peek and spied the four guards standing firm. Behind them was a pair of metal doors barricaded with a crossbar and secured with a handprint scanner and a keypad.

  Damnit. They’d run out of luck. They couldn’t just fake their way past these guys.

  “What’s the plan?” Nathan whispered into the mic.

  Before anyone could answer, En’gorr stepped out into the hallway.

  All four security guards’ heads—and weapons—whipped toward the Jiovis prince. When En’gorr was about four feet away from them, they fired. A bolt of blue electricity shot out of each gun-like device. Luckily for En’gorr, being a Jiovis meant the four crackling beams of energy didn’t affect him in the way the guards were likely expecting.

  The guards all paused their streams of blue electricity and looked at one another uncertainly, which gave En’gorr enough time to blast two guards with his own burst of crackling orange lightning, throw a third into the concrete wall, and headbutt the fourth with a skull-breaking crack.

  “Never mind,” said Nathan when the fourth guard collapsed beside his unconscious buddies. “Uh, Autumn . . . ?”

  “It’s all good. En’gorr hasn’t raised any alarms,” said Autumn.

  “Yet,” added Tio.

  “Based on the schematics, this is the door we want. I need one of you to get closer to the keypad with your cameras so I can get a better look at it.”

  Violet and the other three huddled around the mechanism.

  “Hmm,” Autumn buzzed in their ears after a few seconds.

  “What’s wrong?” Thane asked.

  “This lock might take me a few minutes to crack.”

  “Can’t you just work your magic like you did with the security cameras?” Violet asked.

  “It’s not that simple. Firstly, the security cameras are on a completely different network. Secondly, this door and its lock aren’t even on the electrical schematics. I’m going to have to—”

  Violet nearly screamed as a thunderclap of orange lightning struck the door only inches from her arm, leaving a black scorch mark fanned out over the metallic surface. The glass screen of the handprint scanner was shattered, and the keypad’s lights had gone dead.

  “Sheesh, En’gorr! A little warning next time,” Tio rebuked. “You’re lucky you short-circuited the backup alarm as well. Otherwise, you’d all be hightailing it out of there.”

  “Agreed.” Nathan laid a hand on En’gorr’s shoulder. “How about you keep the rest of us updated when you’re about to do something that could get us all killed?” />
  En’gorr simply glared at him, then yanked the doors’ metal bar out of its brackets and dropped it to the floor with a reverberating clang.

  Violet whirled around, expecting more guards to close in on them, but no one appeared from around the corner. Maybe luck was still on their side.

  Nathan pinched the bridge of his nose. “Tio, what’s the chance you can speak some sense into your brother?”

  Tio responded in Jiovis, but En’gorr’s only reply was to shove the double doors wide open.

  Violet’s jaw almost hit the ground when she saw what was inside. Her heart felt as if it had stopped—as if it would never beat again. “Autumn, please tell me you don’t think Solace is in here.”

  “I have a hunch that she is” came Autumn’s solemn reply. “Schematically speaking, this is where Xabat keeps all their captives and their, um . . . live experiments.”

  The room beyond contained rows upon rows of cages, most of them occupied by a huge number of different animal species. Many looked deadly, including several marine animals in large water tanks along the length of one wall. Upon closer inspection, every caged creature was tagged or cuffed with the Xabat logo and a serial number.

  “Whoa, that place has more animals than a rainforest,” said Tio.

  As the group of four moved deeper into the room, the types of captives became more unusual—or rather, more unnatural. The number of aberrations and cross-species features grew with every passing occupant, each one more gruesome than the last. At the far end of the room, the row of cages turned a corner, and a wave of nausea nearly made Violet retch.

  This new row of cages contained humanoid creatures. Each wore a simple camo-green gown with a Xabat logo on the sleeve.

  “Those gowns they’re wearing—it’s like what that man in the worm tunnel had on,” Nathan pointed out.

  Almost all of the humanoid captives were in varying stages of experimentation, much like their animal counterparts, but every one met Violet’s stare with the same deadened expression. Their silence was even more eerie.

  “Oh, wow,” said Autumn. “I’m cross-referencing all of these inmates, and the ones whose human features are still recognizable are a match to a lot of missing persons files.”

  Violet felt as if she could hardly breathe. There was no way they could rescue all these people. They didn’t have enough getaway vehicles, to begin with.

  “Autumn, where in this damned hellhole would a baby be locked up?” Nathan asked.

  “Try farther on. Based on the security camera footage, there seem to be a few specialized cells in the back corner.”

  Nathan led the way through the silent once-humans until they reached an alcove with about ten rooms. Each had three concrete walls, with the front face made entirely of glass. The immediate cells were empty, but a soft female voice drew the team deeper into the alcove. It was singing an uncanny song—something about a boy making friends with his echo in a well.

  “What’s that?” Sagan demanded. “Who . . . is singing that song?”

  “It’s just one of the captives,” said Thane.

  Violet didn’t catch Sagan’s response. Her pulse was pounding in her ears, and her heart had leaped into her throat, cutting off her voice, her breath. “There!” she managed to choke out, pointing to the cells at the far end of the alcove. She hurtled forward, eyes stinging with tears, and flung herself against the glass.

  On the other side was a baby cradle with the most beautiful sight Violet had seen in an eternity. Solace! Finally—finally—she’d found her daughter.

  The delicate child was fast asleep, her tiny fingers curled over the top of her blanket. Her little chest rose and fell with each breath.

  “Is that her?” Thane’s low voice held a note of uncertainty. “Is that Solace?”

  Violet nodded, an overwhelming mixture of joy, love, anxiety, and eagerness coursing through every nerve and making it impossible to think straight. Her hands were splayed over the glass, and she began to bounce on the balls of her feet in barely restrained hysteria. “Yes! That’s her!”

  Gus’s whoop came through loud and clear, and Autumn began to coo over how much Solace had grown in the short time she’d been gone.

  Violet pressed against the glass, half expecting it to swing open. When it held fast, she scanned up and around the edges. Her elation began to fade as she studied her daughter’s prison more closely—there were three concrete walls, one glass wall, but no door. “Autumn, how do we get in?”

  A heavy silence passed.

  “Autumn, how do we get her out?” demanded Thane.

  “Just give me a second,” said Autumn.

  With every passing moment, Violet began to give in to her rising panic. To come so far and not be able break Solace out of her cell . . . No! Violet couldn’t, wouldn’t let herself think about that.

  Without warning, Thane began pounding Veniri-formed fists against the glass. Unable to resist, Violet followed suit. She pummeled the barrier as hard as she possibly could, her breath coming in sharp, shallow pants, misting up the glass in front of her face.

  “Come on!” Thane barked, changing from punches to powerful kicks.

  “Guys, stop!” Nathan called out.

  “There’s no point,” said Tio. “You’re never going to break it.”

  Suddenly, a section of one of the concrete walls broke away, revealing a hidden door.

  Violet almost cried in relief. “Wow! I knew you could do it, Autumn!”

  “Um . . . that wasn’t me,” Autumn said.

  The world could have imploded beneath Violet’s feet, but that wouldn’t have been anywhere near as terrifying as Renard Branstone stepping triumphantly into Solace’s cell.

  “No!” screamed Violet. “No! No! No!” With each word, she bashed her fists against the glass. “Stay away from my baby!”

  With a cruel grin, Renard reached into the crib, raised the sleeping Solace into his arms, and gently rocked her from side to side.

  Violet’s screams were unintelligible. Thane stood as still as a statue, staring dumbfounded at the man who held his daughter.

  Flames and crystal shards erupted over Violet’s entire body. Clouds of sparks exploded around her fists every time she beat them against the glass with all the force she could muster. But the pounding wasn’t working. She needed to change tactics.

  Allowing her shifter instinct to take over, she held her hands out in front of her, palms up. The melody of her Veniri and Magneii energy screamed through her veins, and within a heartbeat—the fastest she’d ever achieved—a light-forged two-handed mace appeared in her grip. The instant the weapon was complete, she hammered it against the glass again and again.

  “GIVE! ME! MY! BABY!” Each word coincided with a reverberating boom as the glowing teal-and-magenta weapon collided with the barrier.

  An almighty wail pierced Violet’s eardrums, drowning out her own desperate cries. Someone must have set off the alarm. But her focus remained fixed on her child.

  “We’ve got to go,” Nathan yelled over the screeching siren. He shoved Thane out of the alcove, but Violet completely ignored his shouts. Her fiery form continued to thrash against the glass between her and Renard, whose intense, calculating eyes watched her with a cold kind of wonder.

  “Come on!” roared Nathan.

  “NO! I’m not leaving!” shrieked Violet. “My daughter is right there! I’m not leaving without her!”

  Nathan bared his teeth. Braving her teal flames, he snatched her arm and dragged her away. Her wrathful screams rivaled the deafening sirens.

  With Thane’s help, Nathan hauled the kicking and screaming Violet back through the menagerie of animals and human experiments. The Xabat captives hollered, yelped, and squealed. Some hammered against the metal bars, while others huddled in a corner of their cage.

  Violet didn’t give any of them a second glance. She was fighting her own hysterics, as well as the strong hands gripping her arms. Angry tears flooded her eyes, but each one in
stantly sizzled away, evaporating in her teal flames.

  The double doors to the captives’ area came into view, and both Nathan and Thane picked up the pace, still dragging Violet between them.

  “Violet, please. Stop.”

  At first she assumed Thane wanted her to stop struggling and run—run away from her daughter, escape without rescuing her. The request just made Violet want to rage harder. But then she realized her flames were burning both Thane and Nathan. Veniri hide was tough, but it didn’t stop the sensation of pain—or the eventual wounds they’d receive if she didn’t extinguish her Magneii fire soon.

  Her hysteria died down just enough to withdraw her flames and her fury. She didn’t want to hurt Nathan—or even Thane, for that matter.

  But she really, really wanted to hurt Renard.

  “Wait a second,” said Nathan, “where’s En’gorr?”

  “Never mind him,” said Autumn. “Keep running.”

  They’d almost reached the double doors when the view beyond forced them to slide to a halt.

  About half a dozen security guards rounded the hallway corner. Ignoring the still unconscious guards, they set their sights on Violet, Nathan, and Thane and ran straight for them.

  Nathan lunged, in full Veniri form. Thane followed close behind, only his elbow blades unsheathed. In a flurry of crystal shards, they hacked down the first two guards. Blood spattered across the nearest cages and pooled over the tile.

  Violet froze. The sudden carnage was unlike anything she’d ever witnessed. All her training—the mental, physical, and shifter preparation—hadn’t come close to preparing her for the real thing. Every trauma she’d experienced as a kid, being kidnapped, and even getting beaten up by Nika were nothing compared to what she was facing now: the need to physically fight for her life—to the death.

  The fear was overpowering. Violet had spent her whole life running away from her fears, but she’d promised herself she wouldn’t run anymore. In this moment, she couldn’t.

  For the first time in a long time, or perhaps the first time ever, she felt as if she was seeing things with perfect clarity. Not only was Solace relying on her, but all of her friends were as well.