by Rye Brewer
“This should be Plan Z. Last plan. Not the second option,” the one he’d called Steward said.
“I don’t understand,” I murmured. “I’m sorry if I sound ungrateful, but where are we, exactly?”
Jonah cleared his throat. “Anissa, this is Steward. He’s a friend of mine. The head of the Custodians.”
I bit my tongue against the gasp that threatened to escape. I felt very cold, all of a sudden. A Custodian? They were the sort of creature children heard stories about. Rumors. Heard of. Never seen. Like trolls, only they lurked underground. Or so I’d thought.
Were we underground? I didn’t know what to say. He had taken me to the one group considered completely off-limits to vampires—and vice versa, as Custodians were to never, ever show themselves in the vampire world. It could mean death.
“Come,” Steward said. His voice was gravely, deep, and I didn’t dare drag my feet. A Custodian. I’d never seen one in person, naturally. I didn’t know what to expect. The size didn’t surprise me. I knew they were supposed to be tall. Of course, when you’re as short as I am, almost anyone is considered tall.
It was the robe that worried me—or, rather, the thought of what was underneath the robe. I couldn’t see an inch of skin—even the sleeves fell way below his hands. There were all sorts of rumors as to what Custodians really were. Mutants, crossbreeds, anything and everything the imagination could dream up. Part-human… maybe. There was no way of knowing, and I wasn’t about to ask.
Jonah’s hand was strong and sure in mine, so I chose to go along with him. I didn’t have a choice, really—it was either follow the Custodian into a series of underground tunnels or be left to an uncertain and probably very short life in the outside world.
Torches mounted along the walls lit our way as Steward led us deeper and deeper into the maze of passageways. I sensed the slight downward grade of the floor, telling me we were moving further underground all the time. Even though I was still half-terrified of the Custodian—and the thought that there were more like him where we were headed—it was reassuring to know we’d be out of the clutches of our enemies.
“It was Steward who first clued me in to the secret tunnel on the grounds of the Carver mansion,” Jonah explained.
“Thank you for that,” I said, speaking to the figure ahead of me.
“It’s our job,” he explained. “We’re the keepers of knowledge and lore. The entire history of the vampire race can be found in our records. We’ve been keeping the archives for centuries.”
I looked around, noticing the further we got into the underground lair, the more openings I saw in the walls. They led to rooms, of course. I caught glimpses of scrolls in those rooms, and books. I could only imagine the wealth of knowledge the Custodians oversaw.
I shivered a little, which was strange since my kind rarely felt cold.
Jonah noticed. “Are you all right?”
“Are you cold?” Steward asked, not turning around.
“Yes, a little.”
“It’s normal,” he said. “Most humans would freeze down here in not much time at all. It’s well below freezing. To you, it’s just a little cold.”
“Do you think you have any clothing she could wear?” Jonah asked.
“We have chambers. There are articles of clothing inside.”
Great. I hoped it wasn’t one of his robes. There’s no way I’d fit in it. As long as they were warm, I guessed it didn’t really matter.
I couldn’t imagine living down there in the dank darkness. No matter how much torchlight, there was never enough. It was still dark, gloomy, and cold. I hoped there would be a fire in my chambers.
Steward stopped, and I guessed we’d reached our rooms.
Jonah stepped in front of him. “You don’t know how grateful I am that you’ve welcomed us here,” he said.
“I told you I’d always be here for you,” Steward replied.
“Still, it means a lot.”
“We’re safe here—nobody knows how to find us.”
I could believe that, since I never would have found the bridge or the entrance on my own. Besides, I thought, it would take more than a little courage to venture in there alone. We didn’t have to worry about our enemies there, or my predators.
I stepped into a room I could tell wasn’t meant for a girl, but the Custodians had done their best to make it cheerful for me. Somebody had even gone to the trouble of setting out a wardrobe full of jeans, sweaters, boots and scarves. I would be warm, thankfully. I wasted no time washing up, using the basin on the bedside table, then changing into decent clothes.
Then, I knocked at the door next to mine. Jonah stepped out in clean clothes of his own. We looked at each other for a long time before I spoke.
“Custodians, huh?”
“It was the only logical choice.”
“I’m not questioning your choice,” I said with a grin. “I’m only wondering what other surprises you have up your sleeve.”
He grinned back, and for the first time since rescuing him from Marcus, I felt him relax.
Safe, for now. Maybe.
Book Two
Retribution
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Afterword
I hope you enjoyed Redemption! I can’t wait to bring you the next book in this series!
Book Two
Retribution
— Coming Soon —
Sign up for the newsletter to be notified when it’s released.
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