Dorian’s eyes never left mine, and his grin turned knowing. Jim then drew his attention. Jim had finally closed his hanging jaw, regaining his calculating demeanor as he pulled his cell from his pocket and dialed. While he waited for a response on the other end, his eyes locked on Dorian, who leaned against the doorframe, composed and professional. He must have remembered that he needed to impress this man.
Bryce sank into a folding chair in the corner to wait for Jim to finish his call, still looking a little dumbfoundedly in Dorian’s direction. The screens continued to buzz, the cops silently milling about in the background.
"Yeah," Jim said into his phone. Clearly whoever was on the line had no need for introduction. "I need a confirmation on the type of bullets. Now."
Bryce blew air loudly out between his lips and stared at me, his eyes like saucers. It might have been the first time I ever saw that much shock on the Scotsman’s face. My gaze drifted over to Dorian, who leaned casually in the doorway, watching Jim expectantly. Specks of blood spattered his cheek, smearing his makeup into a gory mess. My eyes traced the lines of his shoulders, the evidence of toned muscles hidden beneath his black, long-sleeved shirt, accentuated by the way he leaned on his extended arm. The worry and pride I’d felt before swirled into a different kind of tingling. I couldn’t remember a time I’d felt so many overwhelming emotions at once. It didn’t hurt, but my chest was so full it felt like I would burst.
A voice on the other end of Jim's call rattled something into his ear, and he hung up without responding. He lowered back into his seat and rubbed his lower lip with his thumb as though calculating something, his eyes far away. He sat still for a moment, his brows furrowing thoughtfully. Then he turned to Dorian and cleared his throat.
"The bullets in the alley matched the type in the hotel room," Jim said softly, his eyebrows rising in consideration.
Every eye drifted back to Dorian.
Jim nodded once, decisively, that little smile spreading into a grin, his eyes flickering. "Yes… I think we can arrange something."
Chapter Twenty-Five
We stood by a river. Water gurgled over green, mossy stones. Flowers bloomed nearby. The air smelled sweet. Dorian waded through the water, tossing a splash at me. "Lyra," he called. "Did you see where my brother went?"
A field replaced the river. The grass swayed. He walked toward me, the sleeves of his white linen shirt rolled up past his elbows. He called out, smiling. I waved. Something weighed down his right arm.
The wind cut through the grass, exposing a man whom Dorian held by the shirt collar. The man thrust a switchblade at him. Dorian wrapped his fingers around the man's throat and hoisted him up. He held the man to the sky, rapid heartbeats pulsing in both their necks. Darkness billowed beneath Dorian’s skin like storm clouds. His lips curled back, revealing fangs dripping with thick, black blood. They slanted down, curved to points at the ends, a second away from piercing the man’s flesh.
My scream never left my throat.
I bolted upright in my bunk, gasping for air. My eyes focused, and I hurriedly shivered off the tremor traveling my spine, chilling my insides. Dreaming. You were dreaming. I blinked, trying to shake the last vivid image of the knife, Dorian’s teeth…
I took a moment to steady my breathing. The barracks were mostly dark, but shades of purple seeped through the windows. It must have been just before dawn.
Lily’s heart-shaped face watched me sleepily as she lay sideways on her bunk across the aisle.
I waved a hand through my labored breathing. "Sorry," I whispered. "Weird dreams."
She offered a little smile and rolled back over, disappearing underneath her blankets.
I tried to go through my dream, digest what about it had left me so shaken, but the images faded and blurred together even as I thought back through them. Dorian… something bad was happening with Dorian. But was he in danger, or was he the danger that had terrified me in my dream?
I thumped a fist softly into the bedding. I’d been arranging so much in the rest of my life around the vampire that he was sneaking into my dreams now. Great.
Giving up the effort to remember, I wrapped my arms around my pillow and reattempted sleep through my disrupted, jarring thoughts, trying to find comfort in Roxy's snores.
I awoke to the bugle and that creeping ache in my chest again. My dad had fought heartburn for the past few years, so it was likely my turn now. I grabbed the water bottle sitting beside my bunk and chugged. The aches felt worse this time. There was no point in my daily performance suffering due to stomach issues, so I promised myself I'd grab something from the medic if it felt the same tomorrow.
The other women left their bunks, chatting about their expectations for our next redbill mission. As we entered the bathroom, Roxy called dibs on her favorite shower stall.
“But you promised I could have the big shower today,” Lily contested groggily.
“I’ll write you an IOU,” Roxy replied flatly. It was clearly not up for debate. Lily rubbed her eyes, yawned, and muttered incoherently to herself. Gina and Louise placed bets on how many redbills we would send off next.
I blocked them out, instead focusing on recapping the previous night in my head while stretching my toes against the bathroom’s cold concrete. Jim had finished the evening by telling Dorian that he'd have another task as soon as he checked his files—a task that would continue to bulk up our case. I couldn’t wait to hear back from him.
I took such a long shower that morning that the women in line yelled at me for being a hog. I leaned into the stream of water, treading through my thoughts. Despite the stomachache and strange dreams, I was sure the captains had a full day for us, and I wanted to be as clearheaded as I could. And I wanted to check in and see how the vampires felt after the last successful redbill op. And, of course, to see Dorian.
I eased myself against the tile wall, breathing in the steam, thinking maybe just a few more minutes would clear my head or dissolve the lingering pain in my chest.
Captain Bryce still had sleep in his eyes when he greeted us at our morning meeting, which was highly unusual for him, but I probably looked about the same. Dorian, on the other hand, looked unusually cheerful. Perhaps it was because of our mission, which had certainly put a spring in my step.
"New mission this morning," Bryce said energetically, cracking his knuckles. "My mid-level team—for the most part—knows how to be light on their feet, but today, some of our newer soldiers may get the chance to show me their dance moves."
Roxy rolled her eyes. Hank, on the other hand, swiveled his bulky shoulders excitedly, as though pumping himself up for the challenge. I remembered him putting his stuffed crocodile in one of the vampire cells and smiled to myself. He’d been getting along with the vampires pretty well, and I was glad to see him adjusting. I appreciated that no matter how tired he was, he was always in a good mood.
"When I say 'light on your feet,' I mean aware. We're entering a heavily populated area today," Bryce said, directing the end of his sentence toward the vampires. "The number of redbills reported isn't terribly high, but we will be surrounded by humans. Circumstances are delicate—people don't know the bills are there yet, but it's only a matter of time. We're trying to remove this issue before it becomes a reality to anyone besides the Bureau. Quick and clean."
"What Captain Bryce is telling you in a roundabout way," Captain Finley said dryly as she walked in the door, "is that your mission today is in a suburb. Specifically, a golf course. The Bureau asked the establishment to close to the public, which they did, but some of the managerial staff are still on site."
I immediately thought back to our recent encounters with civilians, especially at Navy Pier, the night before everything changed. With the vampires' help, I hoped this afternoon would go more smoothly. But this also meant that the vampires would be around people who weren't carrying handguns, and they’d potentially have to fight their urge to feed. I shuddered, remembering Dorian's face on the CCTV
feed the night before.
Beside me, Grayson rubbed the back of his neck after Finley spoke. I couldn’t read the side of his face, but he scribbled some notes in his memo pad. He always took notes, mentally preparing himself on paper before a mission.
I shot a glance at the vampires to see if their faces gave away any feeling regarding civilians. Harlowe looked pensive and picked at a nail as she sat beside Rayne—per usual—who looked even more bored than normal.
"I'd like the vampires to brainstorm the most efficient way to approach this mission under these circumstances," Captain Bryce said.
I loved to see Bryce progressively put more and more trust in the vampires. To me, that was the biggest sign of victory for the trial period yet, alongside our growing friendships and the increasing number of relocated bills. Maybe watching Dorian last night had left Bryce convinced that the vampires would create a good plan for our approach. Or maybe it had been the near-disaster with the first joint redbill mission, where we’d tried it the Bureau way and messed things up immediately.
Either way, I was glad to see him treating the vampires less like criminals and more like partners. Around me, though, some soldiers muttered to each other, suggesting that not everyone felt the same. Not yet, anyway.
When Dorian heard Bryce’s request, he immediately swiveled around and whispered to Rhome and Bravi. Bravi’s eyes watched him intently, and she nodded a few times. It irritated me that I was too far to hear what they said.
The meeting adjourned. We had an hour before we departed for the outskirts of Salt Lake City, Utah. The vampires returned to their quarters to formulate a plan. Dorian lingered at the back of his group as they exited. When he caught my eye, my heart rate picked up. Another reminder about reining in “unprofessional” feelings sounded loudly through my mind.
As I walked back to my quarters, I saw Dorian, Rhome, and Bravi in conversation with the captains. The vampires appeared to be asking questions, the captains nodding in serious consideration. Even Finley seemed to be in agreement, although she remained her usual stoic self. The way Clemmins gestured excitedly in response to Rhome made me smile. Watching them all work together—for all the world like normal coworkers in the Bureau—warmed me, even as I itched to know what they were talking about.
When I got back to my bed, a brand-new breastplate, backplate, and set of knives sat on my blanket.
"Yes!" I said out loud.
Excitement surged through me as I tested the knife points on the tips of my fingers. They’d taken extra time to come because I preferred a specific type of curved blade that wasn’t always available. I felt a wave of relief knowing that I’d have my armor strapped around me again for the next redbill mission, since my last plates had flown off just before I landed on top of Dorian in the desert.
I'd only been back at my bunk for about ten minutes when one of the girls called to me from the door.
"Lyra, the vampire wants you," Roxy said, sounding irritated. I wasn’t sure if that was in response to Dorian’s request or just her usual mood. I set down my gear and thanked Roxy while heading to the door, which she completely disregarded.
"We need your costuming skills again today for the vampires the captains have picked for the mission," Dorian said. That must’ve been what the vampires and captains had been discussing—each mission required a certain number of vampires to match the number of redbills, and apparently the captains had strategically picked who they wanted. Knowing how well Dorian and his close friends and family worked together, I had a hunch who we’d be putting makeup on. He stood at the door, smirking. "Apparently our trial disguise for Jim impressed the captains. They even want to recruit some other volunteers. If you could gather up some of your friends and their makeup and come to the vampire quarters, we'd appreciate it.”
I felt my mouth quirk in amused disbelief. “Are you kidding? They were impressed by that makeup job?”
“Apparently they want us all to look like… what was it? Clowns in a bar fight?”
“It’ll be like a mission to the circus,” I joked.
He met my eyes as we laughed, and I noticed for the first time the crinkles that appeared around the edges of his blue eyes when he was amused. I still wasn’t sure I liked this whole tingling limbs, nervous breathing thing that happened to me when he was near… but the warmth that suffused my body when Dorian smiled made the rest worth it.
“Well, I’m sure there’s somebody here who can do better makeup on a vampire than me,” I told him, then smirked at a sudden realization. “I bet Rhome and Kane are really stoked about getting human makeovers. Since they all liked yours so well.”
Dorian’s eyes glittered, and I could tell he would savor his miniature revenge. “They’re going to be thrilled,” he said dryly. “Come by our quarters in the next half hour or so. We also need two everyday outfits for women around Gina and Lily's size, if you could—"
“Of course,” I said, and our smiles matched. This was definitely a step up from our previous costuming experience, and I clasped my hands in anticipation.
“Thank you,” Dorian said, with a trace of irony. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.” Not “I’ll see your group;” he’d said, “I’ll see you.” My heart swelled. I must have entered the stage of attraction where I read too much into offhanded remarks.
I beamed. My nerves about the first makeup session had mostly dissipated. This time, preparing human disguises might actually be fun. With that in mind, I set about getting help from my colleagues. Most were hesitant, but my excitement—not to mention my promise that it would be highly amusing—eventually persuaded Roxy, Louise, Lily, and Gina to gather up some makeup and clothes and follow me to the vampire quarters.
When we arrived at their cells, we found some of the male soldiers already there. Zach and Colin were laughing at the sight of Rhome, Dorian, and Kane dressed in their clothing: polo shirts and khaki slacks. Holy crap. It looked like a suburban vampire reality TV show unfolding before my eyes. I pushed down a laugh before it erupted from my throat. It was a little painful.
"Ready for a day on the links?" Roxy asked sarcastically, and I lost it.
Rhome halfheartedly played with the buttons on his polo, and Dorian struggled with a belt, undoing it, tightening it, and undoing it again, trying to cinch pants that were at least a size too big. Kane, meanwhile, simply attempted to murder the entire room with his eyes. His just-too-tight shirt emphasized the muscles that rippled across his torso, making him look like a cover model.
Dorian looked up at the female soldiers who’d just entered. "Thank you for coming," he said. Even with his pants half-hanging off him, he managed to look casually collected. I tried not to let my gaze linger too long at the thin exposed line of skin at his hips. "As far as you know, there will only be humans on this mission today." He winked at us.
Gina covered her mouth to hide her amusement. I hoped she was having an aha moment regarding what I’d been doing with makeup the other day. Sike clung to the bars of his cell, laughing even harder than he had the night before, presumably at Kane. I eyed him sideways. He probably wouldn’t be laughing so hard if his injured arm hadn’t excused him from today's mission.
"All right, ladies. Let's get this show on the road," I said, trying hard to sound professional. No reason to make this part of the mission more absurd than it already was. We had a schedule to keep, even if it felt like we were in a bizarre species mashup.
At Dorian’s instruction, I grabbed the jeans and T-shirts the girls had brought and handed them to Kreya and Bravi, who stood in a cell doorway, looking dubious. They cautiously accepted the clothing and went into their cells to change.
We each picked a vampire to make over. Roxy and Bravi paired up as usual, and Gina sat beside Rhome on his bed. Lily asked Kreya to be her partner. Quiet Louise squared her shoulders and approached Kane, who refused to speak to her but finally caved and sat still as she dabbed his face with concealer. The more Kane scowled, the more serious her face became.
<
br /> Dorian walked up to me as if there was no other choice.
After practicing the night before, I thought my skills had improved. I’d always been a quick learner, a trait I was proud of. This time, though my stomach still did a weird somersault when he locked eyes with me, and my heartburn seemed to be acting up, I’d gotten control of my hands back. They didn’t shake at all as I sat next to Dorian, quietly sponging his face. When I was done, Dorian still looked ridiculous, but less cakey this time.
We reconvened in the aisle, where the giggles continued. Harlowe stepped beside me and nodded in mild approval of Dorian’s face, brushing her platinum hair out of her eyes. “That’s actually not so bad,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Practice makes perfect,” I replied with a shrug. My mom said that constantly.
Thoth walked up to Rhome and pulled at the fabric of his polo. “That doesn’t look comfortable,” he said from under his silver beard in his aged, growly tone.
“It isn’t that bad,” Rhome replied quietly. His manners attempted to mask his displeasure with the costume requirements of the day.
Roxy had even given Bravi eye makeup, thick eyeliner in a startling shade of teal that complemented her bright green eyes. With her small, muscular frame, and her short dark hair styled a little bit, she looked like the kind of girl who was effortlessly intimidating. Her borrowed T-shirt read, "I'm not shy, I just don't like you." The shirt clearly belonged to Roxy, yet I had to admit that it worked for Bravi, too. They were quite similar, now that I thought about it.
Rayne studied Bravi’s eye makeup, fascinated, leaning in close to Bravi’s face. They were about the same petite height, so Rayne could examine the colors easily.
"Bravi, you look great!" I said, my excitement heightening my voice. She rolled her eyes but examined her face in the hand mirror with quiet satisfaction. I knew she wouldn’t readily take any praise from me, but seeing her appreciate Roxy’s work was refreshing. She didn’t ignore all human kindness, apparently.
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