Darklight

by Forrest, Bella

  "All positions hold steady until targets are completely out of sight," Bryce ordered briskly, a hint of smugness in his voice.

  The birds flapped into a V-shaped formation as they shrank away into the blue. Then they disappeared. I checked the time. It was startling how quickly peaceful missions passed, especially considering how insane it had been just a moment before. My heart rate didn’t catch the memo immediately.

  "All positions return to drop site," Clemmins said in my earpiece.

  "Soldiers, retrieve our friends and get them safely back to the drop site," I added. I slammed my foot on the gas pedal, launching Zach back into his seat.

  We cruised over the grass. The vampires watched the circle of carts close in around them, as they had done with the redbills. Their faces looked dispassionate. Even Dorian’s. I wanted to shake him for being so casual about almost becoming a redbill’s lunch, but not quite as much as I wanted to grin and cheer that they’d done it. As the leader of my team, I couldn’t do either.

  "That was impressive," Zach said, and I nodded my agreement.

  “Great work out there, team,” I told the vampires.

  Dorian looked up at me, and his calm regard sent tingles through my chest. “Thanks for giving us space to work, soldiers,” he said, but his gaze never left my face.

  With a smooth motion, he jumped onto our cart, and the other vampires found rides as other carts pulled up.

  The pack whizzed back up the slope. I hated having to keep my eyes on our path, because I could feel Dorian looking at me. But I knew if I looked, I would find something that I would obsess over later.

  In short order, we returned the vehicles to the first hole and rejoined security, who had been mere onlookers on this mission. I wondered if the other soldiers felt the guilt I did, from having physically done so little on the course. Dorian’s thanks for not interfering meant we'd made the right choice, but being backup for vampires might take some getting used to.

  Bryce held a finger to his earpiece. "Pilots due back in three minutes," he announced to the group as we convened in yet another circle.

  "Mr. Clave, that was bold," Clemmins said evenly to Dorian, his face a mixture of surprise and concern. It must have been pretty rattling to witness that, as one of the mission’s captains. "Excellent execution, everyone." He clapped Dorian on the back.

  Dorian looked startled, but a smile flashed across his face.

  "Pretty good for a bro wearing khakis," Zach said, his voice revealing honest admiration, and held up a hand for Dorian to high five. Dorian stared at him blankly, so Zach used his other hand to bring Dorian’s palm against his. Dorian blinked, nodding, and repeated the gesture without aid.

  "What was up that bird's butt?" Roxy asked the vampires.

  "They smelled humans—you were upwind, and apparently rather odorous—and they were confused by our appearance. They also didn't like the golf carts," Bravi said, tugging at her T-shirt again. “Well, and that giant one was a cranky old bastard.”

  The group’s chatter soon drowned in the sound of the approaching aircraft. When we’d gotten underway, I made my way over to sit beside Dorian. Bravi sat on his left, and when she saw me sit down, she put more space between herself and Dorian. What’s that all about?

  I gestured for Gina to toss me a water bottle from the supply case under her feet. The burning ache in my chest had suddenly returned and felt like it was crawling up my throat.

  I chugged the bottle in seconds. Dorian raised his brows.

  "Thirsty?" he asked, as I wiped my mouth and set the empty bottle between my feet.

  "Y-Yeah," I said, interrupted by a hiccup. My stomach hurt so badly my eyes watered, but I laughed through it.

  He flashed a fanged grin in response. There was that spark of white in his irises again. The heat in my chest hurt, sure, but another warmth growing inside me felt a lot better.

  Dorian’s shoulder brushed mine. "Thank you for your help," he murmured.

  I almost said, “You're welcome,” but my words caught in my throat as our eyes locked for a few beats. I saw Bravi shake her head and lean away in my peripheral vision, but my own thoughts buzzed too busily in my head for me to pay much attention.

  The humans spent the first few minutes of the flight back commending the vampires on their performance on the course, asking questions about redbills, and even cracking some jokes. After the chorus of chatter died down, though, most soldiers and vampires closed their eyes and dozed in the aircraft’s lulling drone. I slipped into the quiet mood too, but I couldn’t have slept even if I wanted to. Dorian leaned against me throughout the ride, the soft muscle of his shoulder gently pressing against mine whenever the plane rumbled a little, and the sensation kept me awake the entire ride back.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Over the next few weeks, the days bled together as our redbill missions became increasingly frequent. The facility’s human-vampire team developed a flawless track record. Soon we were being sent to a different city every day. After the vampires had risen to the occasion in Salt Lake City and handled being in a lightly populated civilian environment without a hint of fangs, the board didn’t shy away from sending us into progressively closer quarters with civilians. I took this as another great sign, and it fueled my burning anticipation of hearing from Jim again.

  Dorian and I moved into unspoken leadership roles in our respective groups, but because we were constantly in transit, reining in redbills, or trying to eat and catch up on sleep, we mostly just spoke strategy and logistics before each mission. It was difficult to focus on business when he was near, his eyes pulling all of my thoughts right out of my head… but I really didn’t have time for much else.

  Whatever sleep I did get was usually deep and dreamless. There was still a hint of my heartburn from time to time, usually when preparing for a mission, but I did experience some relief. Hopefully, the daily supplement the medic had given me would resolve the problem.

  "You're most likely experiencing digestive issues from the change in your diet; try to eat primarily raw fruits and vegetables," she’d said, looking unconcerned. "I can't say the food here is good for your insides. Not to mention the stress."

  "Well, I can't do anything about the latter," I'd replied. Though lately, with the vampires handling the redbills so swimmingly, the stress had been less intense.

  * * *

  About four weeks in, we returned to the facility after an early-morning mission in Villanueva State Park, New Mexico. Everyone trudged down the main hallway, barely lifting their feet, which was to be expected after a 4:30 a.m. bugle call.

  I ran numbers in my head as we walked—I’d been keeping a tally of the redbills we'd cleared out—when I noticed Kreya stop and lean against the wall. Rhome immediately materialized at her side, whispering to her. I slowed to see if I had cause for concern.

  She shook her head. "Just tired," she mumbled. She’d never shown weakness before, but the weariness in her voice pointed to more than just a lack of sleep.

  Shaking my own exhaustion off, I looked at the vampires with new eyes. They looked worn, the ripples under their skin sluggish and faded.

  "You're hungry," Rhome said quietly, the concern in his voice taking the edge off his rebuke. "You let Detra feed too long last night."

  "I'm fine," Kreya said irritably, pushing past him. "I'll ask Halla to feed her tonight instead." The couple made their way into their quarters.

  I stood still for a second, considering what it would be like to not eat for days, weeks. And to have two children who needed to take sustenance directly from your body on a regular basis. Suddenly, the facility gruel didn't seem so bad. The vampires hadn’t let their hunger show or affect their performance, and I mentally commended them for their poise. But if their behavior continued to impress the higher-ups, maybe they could earn a chance to feed somehow, under appropriate circumstances. Maybe I could figure out some way to get that for them. It wasn’t like we could ask people to donate blood, though—we
’d need to fund a blood drive at a prison or something.

  I removed my armor plates and plopped onto my bunk, still musing about vampire feedings. We had another mission later, so Bryce had instructed us to get our shut-eye between shifts. Most of the women had already taken his advice.

  I’d barely gotten horizontal and closed my eyes when footsteps came down the aisle toward my bunk, raising me from my torpor.

  "Lieutenant Sloane," Captain Finley said. Her voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard to my tired brain. I wanted to like her, but sometimes it was so difficult.

  I sat up. "Yes, Captain," I responded.

  "Captain Bryce would like to see you in his office," she said, and turned on her heel to leave before finishing her sentence. Bryce must have asked her to summon me, since he couldn’t come into the women’s quarters himself.

  I rubbed my eyes and grabbed the bar above my head to hoist myself up, trying to muster some energy for our project.

  "Duty calls, princess," Roxy muttered into her pillow sarcastically.

  I ignored her lackluster jab. I didn't have energy to spar with her.

  I knocked on Bryce's office door and received the usual grunt to enter. Dorian sat in one of the chairs opposite Bryce. A smile spread across my face, and I felt excitement return, even through my exhaustion.

  "Heard back from Jim," the captain said. "He's ready for another sit-down with us. This evening."

  "And tonight's mission?" I asked, thinking that there weren’t enough hours in the day. But one glance at Dorian, his face drawn, his eyes focused intently, and I could go without sleep for as long as I needed to. The vampires were suffering for this too—and it meant even more to their species than it did to mine.

  "There are two other captains and plenty of soldiers and vampires to handle the situation," Bryce replied. “The team can do without you two for an evening. We’ll give them some excuse.” He set his boots on the corner of his desk. "Sounds like Jim sorted through his files and found a nice little gold star for Mr. Clave to put on his resume, should he handle the task effectively."

  "I will," Dorian said confidently. And, after his previous performance in Las Vegas, I didn't question his confidence. In fact, I enjoyed it.

  Jim met us on the roof again. As we followed him to the stairwell door, Dorian's redbill grumbled in displeasure, possibly remembering how long he'd waited last time. Dorian shot the bird a sympathetic glance over his shoulder. Maybe Dorian felt bad for him because there were no shrubs to nibble at or desert rodents to catch on the roof. I was sure they got hungry, but did redbills get bored?

  In Jim's office, on his desk, a thick brown file folder rested on his closed laptop, contained by multiple rubber bands.

  "Dorian, thank you for your patience, and please excuse my silence since your last visit," Jim said, his usual charm a bit diluted. He sounded as exhausted as the rest of us. He snapped one rubber band off the file, then another. My eyes were glued to the file. I didn’t even have an inkling of what Jim had for us, and it drove me nuts.

  "I understand, sir," Dorian replied, cool as always when working with the brass.

  "I have to be very careful with the task I offer," Jim continued. "These cases need to exhibit your value to the Bureau, and all humans, in the most convincing way possible. I settled on this one."

  "We're listening," Captain Bryce said calmly, leaning back in the chair that he dwarfed.

  "Let me preface this," Jim said, making a triangle with his hands, his eyes appraising despite the bags hanging under them. "What I'm proposing is far more complex than the test I gave you last time. This situation lacks thorough intel, so there is no way for me to properly gauge the true level of danger."

  Dorian nodded for him to continue, and Jim gave the tiniest of smiles, as though he’d expected no less. Well, neither had I.

  Jim removed the last two bands from the folder with a snap and pulled out several papers. He slid them across his desk toward Dorian, and all of us leaned forward to inspect them. They contained a long list of names accompanied by birthdates and addresses.

  "What do all of these people have in common?" Jim asked. He paused for us to analyze the list but didn’t wait for a response. "They're all Amish, and they’re all missing."

  Jim cleared his throat. "I told you last time, in general our missing persons cases have significantly decreased. However, that statistic is not reflected in several Amish communities. The primary communities affected are in Ohio."

  Bryce, Dorian, and I sat in perplexed silence. I scrunched my nose. I wasn’t educated on the Amish, but I knew they weren’t common targets for crimes like this, and my stomach tightened angrily. They deserved to be left in peace, like everyone else. Bryce grumbled to himself, audibly putting together his thoughts. Dorian gazed steadily at the papers, studying the text. He was already at work.

  "Somehow, their number of missing persons has quadrupled this year alone. We've been investigating and supplying extra police enforcement to the area, but we don't have a single lead." Jim sighed. He shook his head, frustrated, before continuing. "These vanishings haven't shown any sign of slowing. I do have one hunch, though. Based on the kidnappers' past patterns, I’m reasonably certain that their next target is probably this community in Elmore County."

  Jim dug into the file folder and pulled out a map. He set it on top of the papers and placed his finger on it. "Right here."

  Dorian studied the map, his chin resting on his fist. He remained so stoic, I had no idea what he might be thinking.

  "I propose that you go, look for people with darkness, and report back to me," Jim said, watching the vampire with a steady gaze. "I understand that this is a rather involved operation, so if you need to sleep on it, that's fine. I do have some ideas to aid the process, should you accept. I think it might be best to take two vampires."

  Bryce gave a very audible groan of irritation. Jim made a face at him. They could’ve been siblings.

  "In fact, I’d suggest sending two skilled vampires and two soldiers to accompany them," he added tauntingly. "Depending on the situation, this could very well take several days. Pack a bag."

  "Hold on," Captain Bryce said sternly, not letting Jim’s game get to him. "We need to talk logistics, here. This is, yet again, explicitly against the trial period statutes."

  “Come on.” Jim grinned, wheedling. "Put that executive decision-making to good use, Bryce."

  Bryce rubbed his temple, his breathing agitated. "The previous task didn't involve slumber parties," he grumbled. "And I certainly can't leave the facility for an extended period of time with the number of redbill missions we're drowning in. We’d have to bring more people into this experiment."

  "Two able-bodied soldiers should be more than enough," Jim said enthusiastically. "Or you could just send Lieutenant Sloane, here. She's probably worth two." He nodded at me, and I smirked, just a little bit pleased with myself.

  "All right," Bryce said. "If Clave accepts the assignment, I'll assign two soldiers. We've used tracking devices on the vampires before—we'll just tag them again. They take ‘em off, trial period’s over."

  Dorian rolled his shoulders back and set his jaw. He opened his mouth to speak, but Bryce held up a hand, clearly spotting the vampire’s displeasure. The vampire tracking devices had always been a bit demeaning, and I’d thought we'd gotten past that stage.

  "It's not that I don't trust you," Bryce told Dorian. "It's about what the board will see as acceptable when we present them with the evidence. Our caution needs to be displayed so there’s less blowback about doing a side mission without their approval. They don't know you. And I have to justify sending two vampires into a blood-filled candy store somehow."

  Jim stifled a laugh. "Better you than me." Bryce rolled his eyes at his old friend.

  "I understand, Captain," Dorian responded evenly. His confident air quelled some of my concerns, but I knew he was hungry, and this environment would challenge him. The vampires had proven their mettle�
�but that didn’t erase their biology.

  "Well, then," Jim said. "How does a vacation to the heartland sound to you?"

  Bryce and I turned to the vampire.

  "Thrilling," Dorian said, deadpan.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  I fought off guilt as I slunk out of the women's quarters amongst my snoring friends at dawn the next morning. They hadn't returned from their mission the previous night until nearly three a.m. While most of the facility slept, Captain Bryce, Dorian, and I reconvened in Bryce's office to discuss Jim's proposal.

  Bryce yawned and lazily indicated two cups of coffee sitting on the edge of his desk. He sipped from a third.

  "Can't drink coffee anymore," I muttered.

  "Why the hell not?" Bryce demanded, appalled.

  "Stomach problems."

  Dorian gave me a questioning look, but Bryce seemed to accept it. "Clave, the men drink alone," he said, chuckling.

  "You're on your own, Captain. Vampires don't drink coffee," Dorian responded, though he gave a tiny halfhearted shrug as if to acknowledge that Bryce had tried his best. I tried to imagine the vampires acting this polite when we’d first brought them to the facility, and couldn’t. Or, for that matter, Bryce making any of them coffee. Things had changed for the better, even if they were just little changes.

  "Whatever." Our captain scoffed. "Last time I'm nice to you weirdos. Clave, any revelations reach you in your dreams about the Ohio gig?"

  "I'm on board,” Dorian said confidently, with an inclination of his head.

  "Good. Picked a partner from your side of the hallway yet?" Bryce questioned.

  "Not yet,” Dorian said. “I haven't informed the others of the situation. I have a feeling I know who is most likely to volunteer and do the job properly, but it can’t hurt to offer the spot to everyone at once and see who's interested. Although, that would mean revealing the experiment…" He gazed at Bryce with a furrowed brow.