His mention of my sister sent an urge rushing through me to finish the job, but I couldn’t injure him further. He had to be our guide.
“All right,” I said. “Now that we have Sofia, the first thing we need to do is find the other vampires. You, Craig, are going to help us to the shore and navigate a boat for us. I’m sure Zinnia will happily volunteer to make sure you cooperate.”
“Sure, Derek.” She flashed a sideways grin at Craig and half withdrew a dagger strapped to her belt.
“Gavin, where are Yuri and Liana?” I asked.
“They’re still at my place. They’re fine, don’t worry. I even found some animal blood for them,” Gavin replied. Sofia relaxed a little beside me at his assurance.
“Go fetch them now. My room is nearest to the back exit of the building. We’ll leave together.”
Once Gavin had left, I began to think out loud. “I want all of us out of Headquarters. The Hawks may be gone, but we’re still surrounded by people like Craig who hate vampires. Not all seem to have had such a drastic change of heart as Zinnia here. And now Aiden is gone too, it’s just not safe for us any longer.”
“But where, Derek? Where can we possibly go?” Sofia asked.
“Zinnia, take Craig into the bedroom,” I said. “I don’t want him to hear this discussion.”
Craig jumped up to his feet before Zinnia could brandish her knife at him. He walked obediently into the next room.
I walked over to the sofa where I had dumped my jeans, reached into their pockets, and drew out the keys and the business card Arron had handed me before his departure.
“Remember that beach house we visited together in California? I’d mentioned it in passing to Aiden. I thought it odd he asked me for the exact address of the place, but I didn’t expect him to just go ahead and buy it.” I rattled the keys in front of her and she clasped a hand to her mouth. “Well, he did. And he’s left it in our names along with the rest of his fortune. Aiden loved you more than you could ever imagine, Sofia.”
She broke down into tears again as she took the keys from my hand and stared at them. “He sacrificed himself for me… for us… to have a future together.”
I allowed her a few minutes before I had no choice but to interrupt. “We need to get a move on, my love.” She wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded. “Let’s get dressed properly and then once Gavin has returned with Liana and Yuri, we must leave this place immediately.”
I found a fresh pair of jeans and a new shirt and pulled them on. Then I grabbed a small bag in which I placed the keys, the business card and my phone, and fastened it to my belt. Sofia looked around the room with a bewildered expression on her face. I realized we had nothing that she could wear. None of my clothes fit her, and I didn’t want to waste time having Zinnia return to her chambers for some spare clothes, so she had to make do with her dressing gown.
There was another knock at the door. On seeing our two vampire friends enter the room with Gavin, Sofia leapt into their arms, kissing their cheeks and embracing them.
“Thank heavens you got out,” she said.
Once I’d called Craig and Zinnia back, we were ready to head off. We made our way down to the kitchens, which were empty at this late hour. We exited through the back door and walked toward a collection of motor buggies near the entrance of the main building. We all bundled into two of them, Zinnia driving one and Gavin driving the other. Zinnia made sure to keep Craig sandwiched between Yuri and Liana. We drove until we reached the main electronic gates, where two guards were waiting to inspect us.
“We’re on orders from Arron to transport these vampires out to sea along with the others,” Zinnia said. “Ain’t that right, Craig?”
Craig grunted, but this seemed to pacify the guards, for they let us go.
We sped through the gates and hit the winding dirt road. After about forty minutes of driving, I began to catch the scent of salt in the air. We drove onto a sandy beach, where we parked, got out of the vehicles and made our way toward the silhouette of several boats stationed in a small private harbor.
There, we were met with another hunter whose job it clearly was to guard the vessels. When the man asked for explanation for our visit, Zinnia didn’t say a word. She pulled out a little gun from her pocket and shot a dart into his neck.
“Just a tranquilizer,” she muttered when he collapsed to the floor unconscious. “He’ll be all right by the morning.” She leaned over and grabbed a set of keys from behind his desk.
As we walked over to a speedboat, Sofia asked the question that had been nagging at the back of my mind ever since I’d reunited with Zinnia.
“Why are you doing this, Zinnia? I thought you hated us.”
Zinnia paused. “It’s a good question. It’s one I’ve asked of myself many, many times recently. Maybe it’s got something to do with hanging around with this guy.” She flicked a finger in the direction of Gavin, who was walking alongside her. “He seems to like and respect you two. So maybe it rubbed off on me a bit. Or maybe, just maybe, it runs a little deeper than that.”
Gavin looked mortally offended. “And there I was thinking that you were just blinded by my shocking good looks.”
Zinnia jabbed him in the ribs. “Despite what you might think, Sofia, I’ve always been one to follow rather than lead. I like to have a strong leader I can place my faith in. Aiden was that for me, until his visit to The Shade… and then he changed. It unsettled me at first, but after a while I realized that he was right. You know what he told me? He said, ‘Revenge is not a cause, it’s a controlling obsession’. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I wanted to distance myself from the hunters’ cause, which of course we now know was only ever the Guardians’ cause.” She opened up the door to the speedboat and let us all in. “And, as I said, I like having a leader. I have a feeling in my bones for what makes a good one. I’ve come to like and respect you both, Derek and Sofia. I saw what you managed to accomplish at The Shade and I believe in what you’re fighting for. My bones approve of you.”
With that, she inserted the key into the ignition and started up the engine.
“Craig!” Zinnia sounded like a nagging housewife as she called him over. “Come here and navigate this thing.” Craig shuffled over and took hold of the controls. “And if you want to return to shore with your balls still attached, don’t even think about getting us lost.”
I took a seat next to Sofia on the long bench as the boat lurched forward. I worried that Craig would get lost unintentionally, since it was so dark, and the strong gusts of wind that had just started up didn’t make our path through the waves any easier.
“Did you leave any hunters on the ship with them?” I asked Craig nervously.
“Yep, at least half a dozen. And they’ll be armed, of course,” he said. “I’d like to see how you manage to talk yourself out of that one, missy,” he added to Zinnia.
The others seated on the bench looked as concerned as I felt. Damn. How could I not have considered that possibility before we set off? It seemed blindingly obvious to me now that Arron wouldn’t have left the ship unguarded.
“Zinnia and I did consider that possibility, actually.” Gavin whisked out four handguns from beneath his overcoat.
“And if I’m not mistaken,” Zinnia said, “they normally keep at least a few backup weapons on these boats.” She opened a small wooden cupboard beneath one of the benches. “Aha. There are two more guns here. And plenty of bullets too.”
“Good,” I said. “Sofia should stay on the boat with Craig. Remember, Craig, she’s got claws too now, along with a nice sharp set of fangs, and she’s more than ready to use them, believe me.” I pointed to the bite marks on my arms and neck. “So don’t even think about trying anything with her. Make sure we bring all arms with us onto the boat so there’s nothing here Craig could possibly find and use against her.”
“Wait, hold on, guys,” Sofia said. “Zinnia, why can’t you just get Craig to tell them that Arron
sent orders to have them brought back to shore? It’s not like they can call Arron up and check.”
“These hunters are part of Arron’s inner circle,” Zinnia explained. “And I learned from Craig that any drastic change of course during a mission requires direct approval from Arron. So even our darling Craig’s word may not be enough. And if they find that they can’t contact Arron, that could arouse suspicion.”
“We’ll try to avoid a fight at all costs. I assure you that much,” I said to Sofia, brushing a hand over her knee. Then we set to work gathering up weapons and hiding them beneath our clothing.
“As soon as we board the ship, we locate the vampires,” I said. “Yuri and Liana, you’re in charge of detecting their scent and leading the way toward them. Gavin, Zinnia and myself will watch everyone’s backs.”
“I’m really hoping most of them will be asleep at this hour,” Gavin muttered. “Getting into a fight with hunters is going to be way too messy. I’m sure they have those UV guns on board…”
I gulped as I remembered the effect those guns had on vampires. Indeed, my own brother had died from one of their bullets.
After several more tense minutes had passed, Craig called out, “All right, people. Look to your right. That’s the ship.”
We all gazed in the direction his finger was pointing in. A large black ship bobbed on the waves. No lights shone through any of the windows. A hopeful first sign.
I lowered my voice and said, “Craig, switch off the boat’s lights immediately and navigate us as near to the vessel as possible without bumping into it. And stay close to it until we return. Now, everyone except Sofia follow me up to the roof.”
We took it in turns to lean out of the window and pull ourselves onto the metal rack above, now fully exposed to the powerful wind and cold spray.
“Hold on tight, guys. We can’t afford to have anyone falling overboard,” Zinnia warned.
Craig did as I had instructed and a few moments later, we were close enough to the ship to risk the leap. I fixed my eyes on the rail lining the deck and jumped. My hands hit the iron and I managed to grab hold of it. I pulled myself over the barrier and my feet landed on the wooden floor. My comrades were waiting on the roof of the speedboat.
“Be careful,” I hissed. “It’s slippery. One at a time.”
Zinnia jumped next. I grabbed hold of her wrists the minute she hit the side of the ship and lifted her over. Next came Liana. Then Yuri. And finally, Gavin.
Once our feet were all planted firmly onboard, Zinnia led the way to a trapdoor and we descended a set of steps. “Good,” she whispered. “I know this ship. I’ve been on it before.”
Liana waved at us for attention.
“Vampires,” she mouthed, sniffing the air. Yuri looked at her and nodded in agreement. She pointed to the ground.
“Okay, the lowest floor,” Zinnia said. We descended another narrow flight of stairs and found ourselves in a long unlit room whose walls were lined with small cells.
“Claudia!” Yuri darted to the first cell on our right. A few seconds later, Liana had rushed to the third cell along, spotting Cameron. And then it was my turn; I saw my beloved sister. She’d been huddled in the corner but on seeing me, she rushed to the bars and her face lit up.
“Derek!” she choked. “I thought you might never find us.”
“We’re going to get you out of here.” I reached for her hands through the bars and squeezed them tight. “Zinnia!” I called. “Have you found the keys?”
“Not yet,” she said from across the room. She’d been foraging through the drawers of a desk in the far end of the room.
“The keys are up there!” Vivienne said, pointing to a hook in the ceiling from which hung a dozen keys. “One of the hunters hung them right in front of us, just out of reach. A nice form of torture.”
I jumped and unhooked the keys. I started fumbling with each one until the lock to Vivienne’s cell finally clicked and the door swung open.
She flung herself into my arms. We hugged briefly, but then I pulled away to move on to the next cell. Eli had been put next door to Vivienne. He looked up at me with weary eyes, but his face broke out into a smile.
“Good job, Derek. We were really starting to worry,” Eli said.
Once I’d freed Eli, he rushed out to greet his brother Yuri. I quickly moved on to the others: Cameron, Landis and Claudia.
Just as we’d gathered everyone together, a snarl emerged from the far corner of the prison. The snarl grew into a bark. Oh, no. No. I’d forgotten about the dog in my frenzy and we were about to leave without him. He continued to bark and jump against the bars.
“Shut that dog up!” Zinnia seethed. “He’s going to get us all caught!”
I bolted over to his cell and unlocked it. He immediately jumped up at me and began licking my face. I grabbed his collar and led him to Eli, who bent down and tried to calm the huge animal.
But it was too late. Footsteps sounded over our heads. Gavin, who had been keeping watch on the floor above, came rushing down the staircase.
“Listen to me! All vampires, get back into your cells! Yuri and Liana, find cells of your own and shut the doors behind you! Just do as I say!”
Although they all looked bewildered, they obeyed. I took Shadow from Eli and shoved him back into his cell too, pushing the door until the lock clicked. Quickly catching on to Gavin’s train of thought, I swung the keys back over the hook on the ceiling.
Everyone returned to their places just in time before two burly young hunters came staggering down the steps.
Zinnia moved forward and greeted them. “Oh, hey, Joshua. Hey, Tyler,” she said smoothly. “How are you two? We just came to add a couple more vampires to the lot. Arron’s orders, ya know. Sorry we disturbed you. I didn’t realize you had a noisy dog down here too. He got a bit over-excited.”
She walked over and wrapped an arm around both men’s shoulders, kissing them each on the cheek.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you two. I’ve missed you.”
The clenching of Gavin’s jaw didn’t escape my notice. But otherwise, he was doing a good job at keeping his face expressionless.
“I missed you too, Zinnia,” Joshua said, returning the kiss. From the slur of his voice and the redness of both men’s eyes, the two had poured themselves a glass of wine too many.
Tyler looked a little more suspicious as he glanced around the room. “Who are those two? And what are they doing here?” He narrowed his eyes on Gavin and me, who were the only others outside of the cells.
“Oh, don’t mind them,” Zinnia purred. “They’re new recruits at Headquarters and helped me bring the vamps here.” She snaked her arm around Tyler’s waist and stood on her tiptoes so her face was barely an inch away from his. “Mmm. I’m pretty thirsty actually. I fancy some of what you two have been having. Smells good. And, God knows, it’s been ages since I’ve spent a night in good company.”
Tyler glanced around the room once more but seemed too wound up in Zinnia’s charms to give the situation much further thought. The three of them made their way back up toward the exit.
Just as Zinnia was about to close the door behind them, she threw a quick glance back at Gavin and mouthed, “I’m sorry.”
Once their footsteps had faded away, Gavin scowled, but he shrugged it off quickly. “Well, she did what she had to do,” he said. “Now, before anything else happens, let’s get these vampires out of here.”
I reopened all the locks, which was thankfully easier the second time around. Eli grabbed hold of Shadow once again and we all climbed up the steps and hurried across the top deck, back to the metal railing.
The speedboat was still where we had left it. Gavin leaped onto the roof first, and then I assisted each vampire one by one in jumping over, where Gavin waited to help them keep their balance and lower them down through the window.
Finally, only Shadow and myself were left on the ship. I helped the massive animal perch on the edge of t
he railing and hurled him off. He landed with a thud on the roof and very nearly sent Gavin skidding into the rough waters. Eli reached out from below and helped Shadow climb clumsily down into the boat’s control room, almost falling into the waves himself.
I looked back across the dark wet deck toward the direction in which Zinnia had vanished. I wondered what the men would do to her in the morning once they’d realized all the vampires had vanished during the night.
Something told me though that the small hunter would find a way to wrangle herself out of it. I chuckled softly before thrusting myself off the railing.
Chapter 28: Sofia
Craig had been surprisingly easy to deal with. He’d made no attempt to give me trouble as we waited for Derek and the others to return. He barely spoke a word. Admittedly, I’d had my claws extended the entire time we were sitting together, and had placed my hands on my knees so they were clearly visible to him.
As soon as they had arrived back and slid safely down into the boat’s cockpit, Derek barked at Craig to start the engine and speed us away.
Despite the cabin now being cramped—with a soggy Shadow hogging an unholy amount of space—Derek squeezed over to me. I reached for his wet face and examined him, relieved that he appeared to be unscathed. He slid his hands down my body and wrapped them around my hips, pulling me closer to him in a tight embrace. He caught my lips between his and kissed me intensely. He didn’t say anything, but I knew from the look in his eyes what was going through his mind. He’d been afraid something could have gone wrong while I was alone with Craig.
Our kiss was interrupted rather unceremoniously by a third party. Something coarse and wet slapped against my cheek. Shadow was attacking me with his smelly snake-like tongue.
“Urgh, thanks.” I grimaced, wiping my face against my sleeve. “It’s good to see you again too, Shadow.” The dog placed his front paws on my knees, flattening them against the hard wooden bench.
Derek grabbed the mutt’s collar and yanked him back down to the ground on all fours, where Shadow continued to brandish his tongue, attempting to lavish me with more uninvited affection. Despite the surprise, I really had no right to feel irritated with Shadow. He’d saved my life and that of my two babies in carrying me out of the Keep, and endured great personal suffering in doing so.
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