“So,” I said, desperately wanting to talk about anything else, “are there more vampires living underground in other places, or is this pretty much it?”
Aden wiped his mouth, not looking me in the eyes. “There’s a city,” he said reluctantly.
I sat up straighter. “What kind of city?”
He looked up, eyes secretive and pensive. “The City of the Dead, named so because we might as well be dead to the rest of the world. It’s basically a cluster-thing of every civilization known to man, with different epochs stacked upon each other like junk piles.”
I tried to imagine this, reminders of Ancient Rome sitting alongside modern day Brooklyn. “Are there roads and cars? What about businesses?”
“No cars,” Aden said. “It’s a bit of a chaotic, dangerous mess, though the Emperor is trying to clean things up somewhat.”
“You have an Emperor?”
He squeezed the napkin in his hand, his eyes turning hard. “And a uniform currency called Krillion. It’s monetary worth is somewhere between the British pound and the American dollar.”
Though I found this fascinating, I wasn’t about to let him change the subject. “What’s the Emperor’s name?”
Aden pressed his lips together in a thin line. “Nero,” he said at last.
“You mean like the Roman Emperor? The one who was supposedly possessed?”
He nodded. “Not bad, McAllister. I wouldn’t have picked you one for Greek and Roman history.”
“Actually, I kind of dig horror movies. I used to watch the History Channel a lot,” I said, somewhat sheepishly. “Around Halloween, they’d broadcast programs on spookier things, like demonic possession.”
“And do you believe in it?”
I chewed on my lip, thinking. “If vampires exist, then why can’t demons?”
I wondered how Nero had risen to power, and what kind of a leader he was. Judging from Aden’s stony expression, he didn’t seem to be very popular, at least not with him.
We left the restaurant, and after repeated refusals to let me pay him back I dropped the subject.
“Quit being so stubborn and just let me treat you out,” Aden said, lightly elbowing me as we walked down the street. “You having a good time is payment enough for me.”
I pursed my lips, fighting the urge to smile. “Thanks,” I said softly. I started to walk in the direction of his apartment.
“Where are you going?” Aden asked.
“Um, home?”
He grinned. “Not yet. I have one more surprise for you.”
***
The arcade glittered with flashing lights and the air danced with the bubbling laughter of children. My face lit up as we walked in. Rows upon rows of old school games – from pinball machines, to 80’s role-playing adventures – were laid out on either side of us. The air smelled of candy and hot dogs, of careless pleasures and a near forgotten era.
My face mirrored that of a kid facing a Christmas tree surrounded by presents. “This is amazing.”
Aden laughed. “I had a feeling you’d appreciate it.”
“I worship it.”
A familiar piece of cover art caught my eye. I scanned the game’s title and nearly squealed with delight. “Gauntlet? Are you serious?”
“You’ve played it before?” Aden asked with surprise.
“Are you kidding me?” I laughed, running up to the machine and gliding my fingers over the controls. “I used to play this all the time. When we were little, my dad would take my brother and me to the arcade at the mall. I must have blown a hundred dollars in quarters on this thing.”
Aden looked impressed. “Awesome. Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go get our quest on.”
I snorted as he pulled out a small change bag filled with coins. “No Krillions?” I asked as he deposited them.
“Nope. Just the good ol’ American quarter.” He settled in beside me and started to explain the controllers’ functions. “The symbols on the keypad all mean different things –”
“It’s all right,” I said. “I’ve played before, remember?”
He gave me an appraising look. “All right then, McAllister, let’s see what you’re made of.”
The machine was so old that it took a few minutes for the game to load, but once we got rolling, we didn’t stop. I laughed, feeling like a little kid again, and we made up jokes and goofy storylines for our characters as the game went on. A whole hour flew by before we stopped.
“Man, that was awesome!” I stepped back and stretched my arms above my head. “It’s been a while since I’ve played any video games.”
“It didn’t show,” he said, also stretching. “You totally kicked ass.”
I gazed at him, smiling shyly. “I like you like this.”
He turned toward me, gazing down on me with a small smile of his own. “Like what?”
I shrugged, staring back at him. “As Aden and not Captain Knight.”
He took a step forward, so close now I had to tilt my chin slightly to look him in the eyes. “I don’t know what it is about you. I can just be myself around you, and not worry about what other people will think.”
My heart beat faster as he searched my eyes, his jaw clenching with indecision. “Sloane, there’s something…”
I felt it as his voice trailed off, the inkling of dark thoughts, almost like Spiderman’s “spider-sense.”
Aden looked past my shoulder, and his face twisted in fear. Slowly, I turned around in enough time to see a man wearing all black raise a gun directly at us.
Aden shoved me hard to the ground as the shot rang out, and I heard the whiz of the bullet as it flew by, right where my heart had been only seconds earlier. We both fell to the ground as people began screaming and scrambling to get out of the way of the shooter, who was aiming to take another shot.
Aden was on his feet in an instant. “Let’s go!” he yelled, pulling me up. I was running before my shock could take hold, hearing another shot and then another as we ran.
More shots boomed, shattering machines in a shower of sparks and broken glass as we ran behind them.
“What’s going on?” I yelled.
“They’ve come for you!” Aden shouted. “We have to get the hell out of here!”
What? Who’s “they?” What is he talking about?
We pushed against the wild crowd, finally slipping into a hallway labeled as an exit. We raced down the hall, heavy footsteps close behind. I screamed as another shot was fired, echoing off the walls. A red laser beam chased our frenzied path, trying to lock on us. The next time the gun fired, it sounded much closer. A burning sensation ripped through my left shoulder – a familiar, excruciating white hot fire – and I slammed into a wall, right on the wound. Pain blossomed through my shoulder blade and down my arm, and I had to bite down on my lip to keep from crying out.
Aden swore, pulling up short and sniffing the air. “Scarlet Steel bullets,” he hissed. “Can you walk?”
I nodded, clutching at my throbbing shoulder. When I pulled my hand back, it was slick with bloody flecks of burnt skin. I paled and staggered, suddenly lightheaded.
Aden stared at my hand, running his tongue over his lips. His eyes began turning red, but he shook his head and they cleared back to blue. He put my good arm across his shoulder, holding me up. “We have to keep moving. Just stay awake.”
“‘Just stay awake.’ Got it.” I squeezed my eyes shut as we started to move again, forcing down my panic and dizziness. Voices gathered behind us and my adrenaline kicked in, numbing the pain somewhat and sharpening my focus on staying alive.
Aden kicked the exit door open and hauled me outside. We stumbled into a deserted alleyway. The man in black was gone, presumably still inside the arcade, but I could hear other voices and footsteps on the other side of the structure as more gunmen thundered after us. Sirens wailed in the distance. “By the time security gets here, they could’ve caught up to us,” Aden said. “We need to hide.”
We
had just hobbled to the main street when Aden looked over his shoulder to see if we were being followed. He swore loudly and doubled our pace.
“What is it?” I asked.
“They found us.”
My heart nearly leaped out of my throat. “What do you think they’ll do if they catch us?”
“They won’t,” he said fiercely. “Not while I’m your guardian.”
We cleared the alley and he shoved me against a wall, cupping my face in his hands. “I want you to run,” he said, breathing hard. He pointed to my right. “If you keep following this road, you’ll find the mausoleum. Go inside and wait for me.”
Questions burned on my tongue. Who were these people? Why were they trying to kill me? Maybe Frost was bitter about the decision to set me free and wanted to punish me, vigilante style.
“What about you?”
His eyes turned dangerous and his voice dropped to a growl. “I’m going to fend them off while you run.”
I tried to shake my head, but clenched my teeth when my neck and shoulder burned with renewed pain. “I can stay. I can fight.”
“No, not like this you can’t.”
“Aden, I’m not letting you –”
His mouth was on mine before I could finish the sentence. I had never been kissed. Sure, you read about in stories, see it in the movies. But actually feeling, experiencing it, was a totally different thing altogether.
I closed my eyes, giving in for a brief moment as his lips crushed against mine, smoldering, burning passion pouring through the connection that had formed between us. When he pulled back, we were both breathless. We stared at each other, not entirely sure what had just happened, or what it meant.
“Go,” Aden said, stepping away. His gaze lingered on me before he turned and disappeared back into the alley. A moment later, I heard more shots and cries of pain as a battle ensued. I looked around the corner as Aden’s fist connected with a man’s face. Blood spurted from his nose as he sailed backward into the wall, dropping his gun. Aden was nothing more than a deadly shadow as he took the gun and shot two men as they came out of the exit. He spun around, kicking a man in the chest as he came at him. The man fell back, banging his head against the wall and slumping to the ground. Aden caught sight of me.
“Go!” he yelled.
I hesitated, warring with the fighter inside who wanted to help, and the part of me that said I should run. Logic won out, and taking one last look at Aden, I began running as fast I could manage down the path he had shown me, the feel of his kiss still lingering on my lips.
Chapter 16
I was breathless and hurting more than ever by the time I reached the mausoleum. I almost missed it, a somewhat small white marble structure sitting off by itself, surrounded by a sentinel of plastic rosebushes and a handful of cross markers sticking out of the synthetic grass, the only “greenery” I had seen here. I looked around. As far as I could tell, no one had followed me. My thoughts drifted to Aden, who was fighting for our lives back in the alley.
Please don’t be dead, please don’t be dead, I thought over and over as I gingerly walked up the steps. Though my arm throbbed relentlessly, my earlier dizziness was beginning to pass.
I flung open the door and closed it behind me once I was inside. A ceiling light flickered to life, casting an eerie yellow light on the tombs around me. I’d guess the building was about 500 square feet, with about twenty or so tombs stacked all the way to the ceiling. Cobwebs hung in the corners, but other than that the place looked well maintained.
I plopped down on a tomb that jutted out from the others, knowing I should feel ashamed to sit on someone’s grave, but I was in too much pain to really care. My fingers brushed the epitaph as I leaned back, throwing a shadow over the grave. Squinting, I peered at the message. “We walk in darkness so we may dance in the light,” I read aloud. It didn’t list any dates or names. In the center was a carving of an angel. He/she – I couldn’t tell – was rising out of the ground, reaching for Heaven.
I stared at it, wondering why they had chosen this symbol, when a hand covered my mouth and I choked on a scream.
“Ssh,” Aden whispered into my ear. “It’s just me. Did anyone see you?”
Heart racing a mile a minute, I took a steadying breath. “No, I don’t think so.”
“Good.” Blood splattered his face, but he appeared unharmed. There wasn’t so much as a bruise or scrape to show for his battle. “Here, stand up a minute. We need to open this and get inside.”
He gently helped me to my feet and began pulling back the heavy marble lid. It slid to the side. Dust and the smell of the earth floated up from the gaping black hole.
My brows furrowed. Strange… it’s not just a hollow stone box. Does this tomb connect all the way to the ground?
Aden motioned me over. “We need to hurry. I held them off, but there are more on the way, and I know one of them spotted me as I was leaving.”
I stared at the hole, images of being buried alive running through my head. “I’m not going in there.”
“If you want to live, you are.”
Gritting my teeth, I walked to the open tomb and sat on the edge of the hole. “There’s a ladder right in front of you,” he said. “Just go down and I’ll be right behind you, soon as I close the lid.”
Uneasy, I did as he instructed, lowering myself onto the ladder and into the ground. It was somewhat of a struggle descending with one hand. I kept my injured arm as close to my body as possible, trying not to rattle it.
At last, my boot hit soft earth and I let go, stumbling into an earthen wall. The air was cooler here, fresher. Light spilled from the opening for a few seconds before Aden closed the lid and we were submerged in total darkness.
I felt along the wall, my energy leaving me as I slid to the floor, collapsing on my good side. A moment later, I heard a match strike, and Aden lifted a gas lamp to my face. My eyes fluttered closed as fabric tore and I was rolled on my back.
“Hang on, Sloane,” Aden said, sounding far away. “I’m going to get the bullet out.”
Normally, I would have blanched at the thought, but my entire body felt numb and very cold. I vaguely registered someone was digging around in my shoulder right before there was a sharp pain and then nothing. Pressure was applied to my arm, followed by a jerk as Aden tied off the tourniquet. Propping my head up on his knees, he dribbled something warm and sweet into my mouth.
“Drink.” He sounded scared. “Please drink, Sloane.”
As the blood drained into my throat, I found a sliver of strength and latched on to his wrist. A feeling of déjà vu washed over me as I once again drank from the vampire that had created me.
He let me drink for a minute or two before pulling away his arm. I lay there panting as my strength returned. Aden sighed as I opened my eyes, relief washing over his face. He brushed back a strand of my hair, which was plastered to my forehead. “Did I almost die?” I rasped.
“If I’d left the bullet in, you could have, though it would’ve been a much slower death.”
I shivered. “You saved my life again.”
A strange shadow passed over Aden’s eyes before the mausoleum door opened above us and both our eyes snapped to the ceiling.
We froze, listening intently as footsteps stalked over our heads. “How far below are we?” I whispered.
“About six feet under.”
I smacked his arm. “Smartass.”
“Sorry, couldn’t resist. We’re actually only about twenty feet or so.” He wrapped his arm around me and I blushed, unable to control the rapid fluttering in my chest. “I’m going to move you to the wall, okay? Just in case they find us, and I need to protect the entrance.”
My legs didn’t shake quite as much as he walked me over to the wall and I sat down, though I was still a bit weakened from the bullet. “What are the chances of that happening?” I asked as he went to stand by the ladder.
He ran a hand over the rungs. “Slim to none. No one knows o
f this hideout save for myself and a handful of others.”
“Like Paris. Or Angel and Rook. Your mom.” I ran names off of my tongue, feeling surer of my guesses when he gave me a look that said, “I’m not saying, but you’re right anyway.”
“Perhaps,” he said wistfully.
I looked behind me and frowned. Were my eyes playing tricks on me, or did the darkness branch out into more tunnels?
“Where do these tunnels lead?”
Aden tensed. “They run below the base and the city,” he said carefully, though I could tell there was more.
I let the thought sink in for a minute before my eyes widened in stark realization. “These tunnels lead to the surface, don’t they?”
“Ssh!” He clamped a hand over my mouth as the ground shifted under the weight of several walking bodies, their voices muffled through the dirt. I listened closer, locking on to two voices in particular, one obviously younger than the other.
“He won’t be happy,” the younger voice said. “Should we keep looking?”
“Nah, it doesn’t matter. We have what we came for. Let’s go.”
We both froze, not even daring to breathe, as we listened intently for any sign that they’d found us. It seemed like an eternity passed before all was silent again.
We both let out long breaths. “Who were they?”
Aden’s eyes narrowed. “Imperial guards… I think…”
I blinked. “The Emperor sent those guys to kill me?”
“So it would appear,” he murmured, rubbing his chin.
“Why? Is it because I’m a hunter?”
“I don’t know.” He turned away, dismissing me.
I narrowed my eyes, my frustration and exhaustion boiling to the surface. “Judging from the look on your face, you obviously do. Someone just tried to kill me. I think I have every right to know what the hell’s really going on.”
“It’s not safe to stay here.”
The Scarlet Dagger (The Red Sector Chronicles, #1) Page 15