I nodded once more. That made sense too. Especially for Bryce.
He rubbed his palms together. "Right, then. You get the ball rolling with Mr. Clave, and I'll chat with my mate and pull strings. Now, Sloane, get the hell out of my office."
"Yes, Captain," I said, rushing toward the door; halfway there, I had to turn back around, like an overexcited high schooler, to drop the report papers back on Bryce's desk.
As I exited and walked down the main hall, there was an energy in my step. This could be huge for Dorian, his people—his entire species. All species. A deeper feeling of communion with the vampires flooded me as I visualized my uncle and the rest of the board commending us and welcoming the vampires back into cities with open arms.
I hurried toward the vampire quarters, forgetting about breakfast entirely.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Arriving at the vampires’ residence, I nodded to the Bureau security guards posted on each side of the entrance, panting slightly. They didn't respond.
"Need you to open the door, gentlemen," I said with a smile.
This time, they visibly hesitated.
"Do you really want me to get Captain Bryce and have him explain to you how rank works?" I asked, squaring my shoulders and dropping my previous manners. My usual friendliness wasn’t necessary when lower ranks were unnecessarily stubborn. Just the snap in my voice was enough to get their hands fumbling for the keys.
In the vampire block, I walked down the aisle between the unlocked cells, waving to Sike when he looked up, which got me a thumbs up. The vampires' good behavior had earned them free time every so often with their padlocks open so they could visit each other. I paused and imagined how awful it would feel to have to be uncaged to visit my own family and friends.
Reaching Dorian's cell, I drew a breath before stepping in front of the bars. I realized I was looking forward to seeing him again—a lot. And not just to share the news.
I wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
Attraction to Dorian sure as hell wasn’t appropriate. Leaving aside the little fact that we weren’t even the same freaking species, we were at a military facility. I was on a job. So was he, in a way.
What am I even thinking?
Shaking my head, I shoved the bizarre thoughts aside and mustered up my best joke about how Dorian’s redbill and I would soon be best friends and forget all about him. Zach had one thing right: jokes were the best diversion.
Dorian wasn't there. Of course I’d psyched myself up for nothing. I walked down the aisle to see if he had joined someone in their room, ignoring that I felt a little foolish.
I had reached the end of the adult vampires’ cell block without finding Dorian when Rhome appeared silently beside me. I almost jumped when I noticed him.
"I think he went to the children's quarters," he said with a smile. He pointed toward a door around a corner at the end of the aisle, toward the separate block that had been designated for the young vampires and their caretakers after the incident with Detra the first night.
"Thank you," I replied. Jeez. Am I really that obvious?
I opened the door quietly, slipping gently into the beige hallway. I hadn't been to the children's quarters yet and imagined I should treat it like a nursery. So far, it was less stark and prison-y than the main vampire quarters—the chambers had walls instead of bars—but the glaring fluorescent lights didn't do it any favors. The air was softer without the constant clattering and scraping of metal.
I stepped silently past closed doors before I noticed one cracked open. I thought I heard the low, deep lilt of Dorian's voice, so I made my way over. Then I heard crying.
My heart jumped in my chest, and before I could stop myself, I stole a glance into the room. Dorian and Laini sat together on a bed. I’d never heard her speak before; she’d always been on the outskirts of everything, even from that day in the vampires’ cavern. She crumpled under his arm, leaning into his side. Sobs shook her shoulders as her long, dark hair tumbled over them. Her delicate hands hid her face.
I stepped back to avoid being seen, deciding I should just come back another time. The way he held her seemed almost brotherly, and it dawned on me that they might be related. Then my mind was arrested by their words.
Laini's voice cracked as she wept. "I just want him back." She sucked in a breath. "I miss him so much."
"I do, too," Dorian whispered.
I'd never heard Dorian sound like this. His voice was so low, and it… trembled. "Whenever it becomes unbearable,” he told Laini, “I always think back to when we used to spend afternoons at the river. Remember?"
"Yes," she replied, her voice so soft I could barely hear it.
"There was that one spot he found. With the little waterfall."
"That's where he stole your clothes," Laini said, sniffing. She laughed gently for a moment, but it faded into another sob.
Dorian let out an uneven chuckle, too. "I never did find that shirt. It was my favorite."
"Your brother kept it. He was going to hide it for you to find," Laini said with a sigh, and then her voice went painfully blank. "It was probably lost in the fire, with everything else."
They went quiet for a moment.
"I'm sorry, Laini," Dorian said hoarsely. "I couldn’t… It's my fault he's gone."
"Stop," she croaked. "You have to stop saying that. There was nothing you could've done."
"I think about that moment every day," Dorian said. I thought I heard a raspy sigh. "I… I could've fought harder. I should've reacted faster."
"You were wounded. You couldn't save him and yourself."
Dorian exhaled, and I heard him swallow sharply. Yes… he was crying too. "I would give anything just to hear him whistling again."
Laini moaned. "Me, too. Just once. One more time."
My throat tightened, and I backed away. It didn't feel right to hear this. Laini sounded like my mother had after my grandfather passed away. It made my head spin. I breathed in carefully, trying to be soundless, and made for the exit of the children’s wing. I'd just have to come back to speak with Dorian later.
I crept out the door into the adult vampires’ cell block and silently closed it behind me.
I turned to leave and nearly collided with Kane. A wave of nerves shot down my legs, and I leapt back, automatically tensing into a fighting stance.
Kane’s hair was wet, and a few strands dripped water down his cheek. He held a towel over his arm. He didn’t speak, just shot me a glare before swerving around me in an exaggerated manner. He must’ve just come from the shower.
I realized this was the first time that Kane and I had been alone together. And I was definitely overreacting. I swallowed, deciding to make the best of it, and willed my body to shift into a relaxed, conversational pose. "Sorry, you startled me. How is Halla's leg?"
He glared at me. "Fine."
"Good. That's great." I searched my brain for a way to continue the conversation, my face hot in a way that was totally different from the way it heated around Dorian. "I know the cells aren't exactly comfortable. Sorry about that. Do you or your mom need anything to feel more at home?"
At this his eyes turned, if possible, even colder. "This will never be home," he scoffed, not-so-subtly putting even more distance between us.
I didn't give up. "I suppose not. For any of us. Please don't hesitate to let me know if there's anything you need. Really."
Kane paused and analyzed my face for a moment, and I attempted an I'm-not-scared-and-this-is-totally-normal smile. I didn't need to see my face to know that it wasn't convincing.
"I… I heard that you recently lost your father," I said, trying to mind my tone as I broached the subject.
Kane shifted his weight. I couldn’t read his face, so I forged ahead on hope.
"I'm sorry for your loss.” I swallowed. Talking about things like this never got any easier. “That must've been awful. For both you and your mother. I wish you hadn't experienced that."
&nbs
p; There was a second when his face softened, but, even as I watched, it quickly turned to confusion and then back to bitterness.
"Just another example of humans showing their lack of humanity," he muttered. I knew he'd wanted to sound meaner, but his surprise dampened the heat.
"I'll be the first to admit that my species has wronged others," I said, nodding solemnly. “So I can’t say that’s not true.”
He curled his lip as though preparing to retort, but nothing came.
A second later, the door behind me opened and Dorian slipped out, coming up in my peripheral vision. Kane seized the opportunity to escape our conversation and stalked past me into his cell.
Dorian watched him, then turned to me, his brow bent in concern. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah, everything's fine," I said, swallowing my nerves.
His eyes were red, but his face retained its stoicism. I was shocked by how well he could curb his emotions, after what I'd just heard.
"I actually came here to find you," I said. Saying that felt strangely intimate, even though it was just the truth. "Do you have a moment to talk?"
Dorian tilted his head, and his eyes sharpened with interest. "Yes. What is it?"
"It's a confidential matter," I replied. "Do you mind if we speak privately?" I was impressed with how professional my word choice was. At least I had that going for me… if I could keep it up.
"Not at all."
"Let's step outside." I led him out of the vampire quarters. The guards shifted when they saw Dorian exit beside me, but I shot them a look, and they let us pass without a word.
We left through one of the facility's side exits to a backyard area, this one slightly less boring and sandy than most of the outdoor spaces the facility had to offer. Scruffy clumps of grass bumped the bottoms of my boots. The sun beat down on us, directly overhead. I wondered if I’d ever adjust to this heat.
Dorian surveyed the yard and then pointed to a pair of small boulders in the sand. We sat down facing each other, a few inches between our knees.
Once we were at eye level again, all of my prepared professional words and highly organized sentences evaporated from my mind. I cleared my throat and cracked my knuckles in an attempt to snap myself back on task, but for a moment, the only thing I could think was that this was the first time Dorian and I had been alone since he'd come to my balcony. That rushing in my chest returned, pleasantly infuriating.
I exhaled. "I just had a talk with Captain Bryce, and we have a proposition for you," I began. "It was discovered that the wounded security guard from the other night—the one Detra attacked—had a criminal record. An investigation was done, and he has been released from Bureau employment. Facing some unpleasant charges."
I expected Dorian to say something to that, an agreement or even just an acknowledgement, but he simply gazed at me, an expression on his face that I couldn't read.
"Based on that… Bryce and I want to run our own investigation between redbill missions.” I looked into his eyes, offering the proposal with as much confidence as I could muster. “We want to build a case to show the Bureau that vampires can help us weed out evil people before they harm anyone."
Still, Dorian said nothing. I replayed my words in my mind. Was I not making sense? He hadn't blinked in a long time. His eyes were as piercing as ever, but they held a new softness that made me feel calm and anxious in equal measures. In the silence, I kept going, fumbling through my speech.
"I hoped you and maybe a few others would be willing to run tests with groups of humans—some known criminals, and some innocent," I continued. "That way we can document and prove to the Bureau that vampires really do have an internal sense for bad intentions. Darkness, as you've called it. Would…” I hesitated at his continued silence. “Would you be willing to do that?"
Dorian leaned forward, setting his elbows on his knees. The hair on the back of my neck stood as his face neared mine. His eyes suddenly had a spark of white in them again—I’d almost forgotten they did that. I’d never noticed how perfectly symmetrical his face was, either, sharply halved by his chiseled nose.
Finally, he broke his gaze from mine and cleared his throat. "I can do that," he said, his voice changing from raspy to lilting as he spoke. "This is… better than I'd hoped for. This way, our role can be clearly illustrated, and it's best that humans learn of it as soon as possible."
"It'll be huge for the alliance," I added, thrilled that he was on board. "Not only would the redbill issue get worked out, the Bureau would have a way to deal with crime and protect our people. And the balance could recover, right? Vampires could do what they're naturally inclined to do." Well, maybe without the actual killing.
"It'd be a start," he said, a smile darting across his face. I liked the way his eyebrows naturally arched when he was happy, no matter the size of his smile.
"For now, though, we have to keep the project quiet,” I told him. “I’m not sure which other vampires you might want to ask, but only those participating should know."
"Of course,” he replied. “I'll have to think about who to involve."
"Thank you," I said.
He laughed—a deep, lush laugh, like he’d just heard his new favorite joke for the first time. "I have no idea why you're thanking me. I should be the one thanking you."
His laughter sent a ripple through me, and a grin cracked my lips. Another speck of white flashed in Dorian’s irises, as if in response to my smile, and the rushing in my chest made my fingers shake slightly. I felt myself leaning in his direction without knowing why, almost like my forehead wanted to bump his again.
I swore I saw him lean, too.
I tried to find words, but the search was useless. All my brain registered was his face. We exhaled in tandem.
"Dorian." A small voice echoed across the yard, and we both jumped.
I spun to search for the source of the high-pitched sound and spotted Detra standing beside the side door, coyly chewing one of her fingernails.
"Detra!" Dorian choked. "What are you doing?"
"Found you," she said, and giggled.
"We're not playing a game," Dorian growled. He rushed over to her, but she scurried out of his grasp and across the sand. As she giggled and scuttled away, a reluctant smile twisted his mouth.
"Detra, come here." He gave chase, but not as quickly as I knew he could, his bumbling lurches comically staged. "Your parents are going to be irate." I couldn’t help laughing.
I rose from the boulder to help him, but as I took the first step, I nearly tripped as an invisible vise tightened around my ribcage. For just a moment, breathing hurt—a dull ache, like a pulled muscle.
I held still and waited for it to pass, whatever it was.
When the pain dissipated, like a receding wave, I blinked and looked back up. It seemed Dorian hadn’t noticed my embarrassing misstep. He was still zigzagging around the yard behind the little girl. When he caught her, he swept her up into his arms. Detra’s laughter bounced off the metal facility walls like birdsong.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Dorian quietly carried Detra through the doorway into the vampire quarters. The guards looked confused but held their tongues, probably because they realized they’d messed up. I made a point of standing there with my arms crossed for an uncomfortable amount of time. Detra shouldn’t have been able to slip by them. Vampires were cunning and quick, but they weren’t invincible, and these guys needed to do a better job of keeping their eyes on the doors. The look of worry in Dorian’s eye when Detra had appeared in the doorway bothered me more than I liked to admit. For him, the little girl escaping wasn’t really a joke.
Maybe that was why my stomach still churned. After the moment of chest pain in the courtyard, something still wasn’t settling right. I’d never had nauseous anxiety before, though maybe skipping breakfast had caught up with me. I was considering the fastest way to grab a snack when Gina appeared. She caught my arm and told me that Captain Bryce was looking for me.
“He wants you and the vampire,” she added with a grin, playfully emphasizing that she was not surprised, before continuing on. Yeah, I bet Bryce was looking forward to another close encounter of the vampiric kind. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who’d noticed his interest.
I raised my eyebrows to the guards, and they jumped to reopen the door for me, clearly not wanting to give me further reason to resent them after slacking on their duties.
Dorian sat on his bed in his cell, holding and studying his carved wooden redbill statue. He must’ve brought it with him from Canyonlands. I quickly stepped back before he saw me and watched him rub his fingers over its soft, worn wood. I wondered if he had carved it or if someone close to him had—it was one of the very few possessions he seemed to own, and his affection for it showed. It reminded me of a doll my uncle Alan gave me when I was five, which I still kept on a shelf in my closet. Every time I saw it, I would hold and study it, just as Dorian did with his little bird.
I cleared my throat to attempt subtly getting his attention, and his eyes snapped up. His lips quirked into a questioning smile. “Back so soon?”
“Bryce called for us,” I replied.
He arched a brow. “Then we’d better not keep him waiting.”
We walked to Bryce's office in silence. But I noticed that Dorian's left foot fell exactly when mine did, even when I slowed or increased my pace. The sound of our footsteps echoed softly through the hallway. I peeked at his face, wondering whether he was doing it on purpose, and met his cool gaze looking back at me. When he caught my eyes, I looked away, but not quick enough to miss the warm look in his eyes. As though he’d been looking at me the whole time, waiting for my response.
My heart thumped in my chest. Fortunately, we reached Bryce’s office before I decided what to do.
I knocked on the door and received an indiscernible grunt in response. That seemed… not entirely discouraging, considering it was Bryce. I opened the door and motioned for Dorian to enter first.
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