An Alliance-connected ambulance had arrived, and we had carefully transported Alex’s dying brother to the Warren.
Delagio was taking what had happened to Mikey hard. He was beside himself with grief and guilt. I’d told him the same thing repeatedly. You couldn’t have known this would happen. It wasn’t your fault. It was the truth. The blame didn’t lie at his door.
It lay at mine.
I closed my eyes as a trickle of tears spilled down my cheeks. How am I going to tell Alex? He’ll never want to speak to me again. The thought made me want to be physically sick. And what are we going to tell Mikey’s mum…his dad? There were only two possible conversations that could take place, both of them unbearable to think about:
I’m so sorry, but I didn’t do my job properly, and now your son is dead.
Or
I’m so sorry, but I didn’t do my job properly and now your son is an immortal, undead hybrid who needs human blood to survive. He will watch you grow old and die, and the same for pretty much everyone else he has ever cared about, including his brother. But apart from all that...do you mind if I still have a relationship with your other son? It sounded like the punch line to some awful joke.
More tears slipped down my cheek.
“I didn’t want this for him,” whispered Scarlett, breaking the silence. She was talking to no one in particular.
I placed a comforting hand her shoulder. “I know… Listen, Scarlett, I’m so sorry, I—”
“Gabriella, don’t you dare blame yourself.”
“How did…”
She continued to stare straight ahead at some invisible spot on the wall. “We have been close friends since the day you joined the Warren. You’re like a sister to me. I know you, so I know you think it was your responsibility. Well, it wasn’t. Mikey is my boyfriend. It was my job to protect him, not yours. This is my fault.”
“Scarlett, no…”
My friend wrapped her fingers around my hand. Her touch was cool, but not cold. A shimmering tear slipped down her cheek. “It wasn’t your fault,” she repeated. “If I’d kept my Biomote linked, then I would have known about the attack. I could have set the alarms off myself and gotten everyone out before you even arrived. But I didn’t. I was being selfish.” She paused and gestured a chalky hand towards Mikey. “I did this to him.”
I knew it was pointless to argue. Just as I knew it was still my fault and Delagio felt it was his, Scarlett was trying to shoulder the blame. I figured everyone had their own guilt to deal with.
She leaned her head against my arm and let out a sigh. “The ironic thing is that I was going to end things with him tonight.”
I was stunned. It took me several moments to form a reply. “Why? Don’t you love him anymore?”
Scarlett knocked my hand away and stood up. “Of course I do!” she snapped. She glared at me, her silver eyes flashing with anger. Then her face crumbled. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I do love him, Ella. I never thought I would ever care for anybody the way I care for Mikey. It started out as just a bit of fun to have alongside an assignment. But something about him. It reminds me of how I used to be. Cocky, full of energy, carefree, and just god damn happy to be alive. Before it all went to shit.”
She pressed a hand to the side of Mikey’s face, and he jerked his head away, as if her hand were made from fire. “It’s because I care so much. That’s why I was going to do it,” she sighed, walking away from the bed. “Look at this world we live in, Gabriella. What we have to face on a daily basis. The more I started to develop feelings for him, the more I realised I didn’t want him to be mixed up in all this. How is a human falling in love with a frigging Vampire ever going to work out well? This isn’t bloody Twilight. It was always destined to have a bad ending.” She gestured a trembling hand behind her. “And the proof is right here. No matter what happens, after these seventy two hours are up, his life as it was is over.”
Grey pushed himself away from the wall. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but Scarlett, if he survives this, his life isn’t over. He’ll still be here, right? And once he’s learned to control his urges, he can be with his family too. He’s a Bloodling, so he can still go out in the day. He’ll be able to do pretty much everything except eat food. He’ll still be your boyfriend. He’ll still be Mikey.”
Scarlett glared over at Grey, eyes narrowing. “What could you possibly know about what it’s like to be a Bloodling? Especially to be one who didn’t choose it?” She pulled her face into a sneer. “When I was turned, my maker tried to have me believe that he had done me a favour. That he had given me the means to save myself.”
“Save yourself from what?” I asked.
Scarlett ignored my question. “What that foul creature did that day was steal my life. It killed my womb. I will never have children of my own. Mikey will never have children of his own.” Scarlett raised her voice. “I was forced to abandon my family after I was turned. I had to turn my back on my mother, my father, and my little brother. The people who loved me unquestionably. I never saw them again.”
“Why?” Grey asked.
“Because this sick world we’re part of follows us around like a god damn shadow,” she spat. “We can’t escape it. It puts everyone who is involved in danger whether they know it or not. Look at what happened to Midnight’s family. Alex’s dad,” she turned to me, “Gabriella’s parents.”
I felt myself wince at the sudden mention of Mama and Papa.
“That creature gave me the power to remove one monster from my life, and in return, it filled my world with them.”
What is she talking about? I’d never heard her talk about her past before. She kept it a closely-guarded secret. Only Sage Faru knew. What happened to her?
Her fury had dissolved into more tears. “We make those we care about a target just by being alive,” she sniffed. “So the only choice we have is to take ourselves as far away from them as we can. And to fight to make sure there are as few of those bastards around in the world to hurt them as possible. Or we live so long, we forget who we were and become one of the monsters ourselves.” She moved over to Mikey’s bed and looked down at his frail body.
“I didn’t want this for him. Not this life. We are walking corpses. We don’t get the luxury of a natural death. All we get is the heartache of watching all those we care about grow old and turn to dust. Watch them slip away from us while we remain as a morbid reminder of their mortality. Some of us try to run away from one source of pain, but we always run straight into another. And the cycle repeats. And the constant loss eats away at you until there is nothing left.
“So to answer to your misguided statement, Grey, that’s what it’s actually like being a Bloodling. Mikey will never be Mikey again, not really. His life as that person is over.”
The boy in the bed shuddered, and Scarlett brushed the side of his face with a hand. This time he didn’t move his head.
“I am so sorry.”
Then she sank back into her seat and resumed staring at the invisible spot on the wall.
*
It was difficult to leave Mikey, but the hard truth was that there wasn’t anything I could do for him. I’d given my word to Faru that I’d continue to train Danny while he was gone, and I always kept my word. I also hoped it would take my mind off of things – if only for half a day. So after a few hours of melancholic silence, I quietly left my dejected teammates and made my way back through to the main area of the Warren to collect Danny. He was staying in Delagio’s apartment while workers organised him a room. He wouldn’t get his own apartment like Alex and the rest of us – the influx of new Chosen meant that space, even in the vast mansion, was beginning to get tight. So he’d be slotted into one of the newly-converted apartments, which were divided into four bedrooms and shared by the new recruits.
In the entrance hall, I passed by dozens of wide-eyed recruits being ushered like lost puppies towards training arenas by their relevant Huntmasters. I exchanged salutes with some of t
he leaders, not managing to return the smiles that accompanied them. I reached Delagio’s room and knocked on the door.
“Danny, it’s Gabriella. I’m here to carry on with your training if you’re feeling up to it.”
There was silence for a few moments, and then the door clicked open. Danny was wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. He wiped sleep from his eyes and gave a tired smile.
“Hi, Gabriella, come in.”
I followed Danny as he padded into the open-plan lounge area. I was surprised to see that it was quite messy. A sleeping bag and pillow were screwed up on the couch, and clothes were strewn around it. Cans of Coke and plates of half-eaten toast littered the coffee table. Half-empty milk and juice cartons stood among a layer of crumbs and jam stains on the marble work surfaces. There was also an underlining scent of sweat and feet. It certainly wasn’t Delagio’s doing. He kept his apartment like a show home. Bet he’s counting down the days until Danny gets his own place, I thought with a wry smile.
As if reading my thoughts, Danny bustled about, collecting up wrappers and packets and dumping them into the bin.
“Sorry,” he said as he tidied. “I’m normally a bit more organised than this. I was a bank clerk after all. It’s just everything…it all takes a bit of adjustment, if you know what I mean.”
I leaned against the counter and gave a slow nod. “Of course. So, how are you feeling…after what happened with Alex?”
Danny scooped a load of crumbs onto the floor with a cloth. “Well, I’m feeling that he’s a bit of a dick.”
I stiffened, but let the comment pass with a bite of the lip. He was almost killed by Alex, after all. So I was surprised when Danny’s face broke into a grin.
“I’m kidding, Gabriella. Look, I’ve only been part of this world for five minutes, and I’m still reeling from it all, but even I could tell that Alex wasn’t acting himself yesterday.” He paused. “It’s got something to do with that tattoo, hasn’t it?”
I raised my eyebrows.
“The recruits here talk…a lot,” he explained. “I also heard about his brother. It’s terrible. I hope he’s okay.”
I stared past Danny out of the window. Rays of sunlight were pouring onto the damp draining board, creating rainbow patterns. “Sounds like the recruits talk a bit too much,” I said with a thick voice. Clearing my throat, I added, “It might be to do with his tattoo, yes, but I’d rather not talk about it. Same with Mikey. But thanks though…really.”
Danny smiled, and a set of dimples appeared on his cheeks. Looking at his dark skin and doe eyes, I had to admit he was attractive. But nothing stirred in me. There was, and would only ever be, one person for me.
“No problems,” he smiled.
“So, back to my original question. How are you feeling after what happened?”
Danny unscrewed a container of milk, took a sniff, and pulled a face. “It left me feeling quite drained; I’ve been sleeping a lot. Also a bit fluey, you know?” He drained the lumpy contents down the sink. “But I think it’s getting better now.”
“So are you up for carrying on training then?”
“Absolutely.”
“Good.” I pulled the Biomote out of my jacket pocket. The new units were barely bigger than a credit card and twice as fast as the old models. They also had apatrope blades concealed in the back so they could be used as emergency weapons. “Come and sit for a minute.”
Danny set down the empty milk carton and followed me over to the dishevelled couch, where I swept the bedding aside and sat down. He moved a dog-eared copy of the HASEA Handbook – which was stuffed full of post-it notes – and plonked down next to me.
“What does that do?” he asked, frowning at the device.
I set up the sequence code for retina scanning and held it out so that the recruit could see. “This is a Biomote. Advanced technology mixed with Fae magic. You’ll get one a few weeks after you officially join. It does tons of different things – testing for your particular ability or ‘gift’ is one of them.”
Danny nodded enthusiastically. “Del gave me a handbook to look through. I read about the gifts.” He rubbed his hands together. “Sick. I can’t wait.”
I couldn’t help but smile. I already liked Danny; he was one of those people who existed just the way they wanted to – and to hell with everyone who didn’t like it. Tapping the lens at the back of the Biomote, I used my other hand to manoeuvre his head into the correct position. “Stare into here and try not to blink. That’s it.” I pressed a button and the unit gave a low beep. “And….done.”
I barely had time to put the unit down before it beeped again. The image on the screen was an oscillating virtual brain formed from blue grid lines. The screen zoomed in on a flashing section near the front and the name of his gift flashed up on the screen.
“You have the power to levitate,” I said.
“Yes!” Danny shouted, pumping his fist into his palm.
I chuckled. “I’m guessing that’s the one you wanted then?”
He shrugged. “Nope. No preference. I had that reaction pre-planned. You’re basically telling me I have another superpower on top of the ones I already have. Who cares which one it is? They’re all wicked.”
I smiled, slipping the Biomote back into my jacket. “Good point.”
He ran a hand over his short, black hair. “So this one is like flying, right?”
“Not exactly. Depending on your ability to control it, you’ll be limited to between sixty and eighty feet. Plus, going up and down is easy. Going horizontally is much, much harder.”
“Guess we better go work on that then,” he said, and we both stood up.
I turned my back so he could change into a pair of jogging bottoms that he had to fish out from behind the sofa. He slipped on a pair of trainers and together we walked through the base and into the expansive gardens. The sun was out in full – a golden bauble hanging in the blue sky. Danny followed me past the ornate fountains and towards the Sanctuary. We cut left, heading down a narrow path lined on either side with evergreen shrubs. On one side, in the distance, I could see the Pyromancy training area. Recruits were unleashing trails of flames onto sandbag dolls and reducing them to piles of cinder as their teammates cheered them on. The roar and crackle of the flames was loud, even as far away as we were.
The shrubs opened out, revealing an expansive circle of concrete ringed by towering conifer trees. A semicircle of equally-tall glass stood in front of them. Half a dozen recruits were already there, a few standing about looking nervous, others floating at different levels in the glassed area. Ivy Affron and Larik Godren – Huntmasters of Trojan and Artemis respectively – were overseeing them, shouting encouragement at those already airborne. One petite girl with a cute face and black hair was hovering upside down and making panicked noises as she scrambled to use the glass to pivot herself around.
“Come on Hollie; you’ve got this” encouraged Ivy. “You’re over twenty feet up now!” The information just made the girl shriek louder.
I exchanged salutes with the other Huntmasters. Ivy was a pretty Chosen with a heart shaped face and long blonde hair. She gave me a smile and then swore loudly, running to catch Hollie as she lost control and plummeted head first out of the air.
Larik – a noble-looking Blooding with a hooked nose – gestured towards Danny. “Would you like your teammate to join in with our recruits? I would be happy to oversee him for you.”
“That’s very kind of you, Larik, but I’d rather keep myself busy. Do you mind if we jump in with everyone?”
The Bloodling smiled warmly. “Of course. Please go next.” He stepped back and folded his arms behind his back. Larik had spent much of his two hundred years as a Vampire in high society, and as a result, social politeness had been ingrained into him.
As we passed, I noticed the long scar that ran from his temple to his neck. He’d received it during the devastating SOS attack on the base. It was a day dubbed the Hollow Victory – named that way
because we’d won the battle, but lost so many people…including Midnight. The wound on Larik’s face had been made with a Banshee poison-coated blade – the same substance that had killed our friend. The scar would never heal.
I ushered my recruit forward to the entrance of the glassed arena. “Okay Danny, this is the Levitation Pod. It’s where we test the levels of your gift and basically exercise the hell out of it.” I flashed him a smile. “Ready to go?”
Danny seemed to have lost the confidence he’d carried earlier. He scratched the back of his neck. “Err…is this a good time to mention that I have a fear of heights?”
I had to stop myself from laughing. “Come on, idiota, you’ll be fine.” I pushed him towards a panel attached to one edge of the glass. “Put your hand on there.”
He did as he was asked. The beam analysed his prints, and a few seconds later I’d linked the unit to my Biomote and could see all relevant data. Danny moved to one side of the curved area and blew out through his lips.
“Okay. This first time, I want you to use the glass as a kind of support. It’ll also allow me to receive feedback on how high you’re going and generally how well you can use your gift.”
He nodded. “So…how do I, like…do it?”
Before I could speak, a male recruit with a shaved head hovering nearby answered instead. “It’s proper easy, mate. Just lift your arms out to the side and clear your mind, like you’re meditating.”
Danny craned his neck to stare up at the speaker. “Err, thanks, mate. Problem is I’ve never meditated before.” The recruit shrugged and floated away.
“He’s right, though. What I want you to do is take a deep breath and focus on nothing but the rhythm of your own breath,” I said.
Danny nodded and closed his eyes, holding his arms slightly out at his sides, palms upturned. Almost instantly, he started to lift onto his toes. His feet broke free off the ground, and he rose up about a metre.
Wow, that was quick.
The Veil: Corruption (HASEA CHRONICLES BOOK 2) Page 17