3 Minutes to Midnight: Urban Fantasy Midnight Trilogy Book 1

by L. M Hatchell

  “Which means –”

  “Which means the attack on Phoenix may not have been a coincidence,” Ethan finished, eyes flashing yellow.

  He turned to her. “When was the last time you spoke to your uncle?”

  A loud buzzing filled Phoenix’s head as she tried to make sense of what she was hearing and what it might mean. “Not for a while, I’ve been avoiding his calls.”

  She sat up straight. Was that it? Had Darius grown worried when he couldn’t reach her? Maybe he’d sent Raphael to get her, not realising his head of security couldn’t be trusted. As she opened her mouth to voice the thought, she looked around the room and found herself met with sympathetic stares.

  Of course, they all thought he was involved, why shouldn’t they? But she knew Darius. He’d never hurt her. There had to be some other explanation.

  Maybe if she just spoke to him …

  Phoenix slipped quietly into her bedroom, grateful to have avoided Abi. Now that she was immortal, her healing abilities, helped along nicely by Lily’s remedies, were impressive, but the damage to her neck had been substantial, and it would be a while before she could pass off the scarring as an over-enthusiastic hickey. No doubt her friend would have questions.

  She pulled out her phone and scrolled through her contact list to Darius’s name. The information Nate found weighed heavily on her mind, despite the confident brush-off she’d given Ethan and the others. Uncle D had too tight a rein on his clan and its business ventures not to know if there was something going on with the witches. Yet he claimed ignorance about the disturbances in the Lore. Disturbances which the Dublin coven were heavily involved in.

  The only logical explanation she could think of was that he’d been lying to protect her. He’d sheltered her from the Lore all her life, it’d stand to reason he would try to do it now. But she wasn’t a child anymore.

  She took a deep breath and made the call, her phone gripped tightly in her hand.

  One ring. Two rings.

  “Phoenix! Where the hell have you been? I haven’t been able to reach you for weeks.”

  A sob caught in her throat at the concern in Darius’s voice. This was the man she’d grown up with, the man that looked after her as if she was his own child. The others were wrong about him. They had to be.

  “Hi, Uncle D,” she answered after taking a moment to get a grip on her emotions. “Sorry it’s been a while. Time just kind of got away from me.”

  “Are you okay, Phoenix? You don’t sound yourself.”

  She hesitated, realising she hadn’t really thought the conversation through before ringing. Did she just come straight out and ask why he’d sent Raphael after her? Ask why he was funding a homicidal gaggle of witches?

  “It’s been a crazy few days.” Fuck was that an understatement.

  “How about we meet for dinner and you tell me –”

  “Uncle D? Do you remember the wolf I told you about? What he said about the attacks and me being involved somehow?”

  “Yes?”

  “Did you ever find out any more from your contacts? Is there anything I should be worried about?”

  “Phoenix, what’s going on?”

  He didn’t answer the question.

  Phoenix gripped the phone tighter and mentally willed Darius to say something to ease the ever-growing knot that settled in her stomach.

  “I remembered something else he said. It’s been playing on my mind. He mentioned a prophecy, said something about the witches being involved …”

  Silence.

  “The wolf was lying, Phoenix,” Darius said, finally. “If there was any such prophecy, the Council would know about it.”

  “But the witches –”

  “Are under the same rule as the rest of us. If their activities have been in any way questionable, the Council will deal with it. You’re worrying for nothing, Phoenix,” his tone softened.

  She reached up and gently ran her fingers along the bandage that covered the side of her neck. “I have to go,” she whispered, and hung up before he could respond.

  ***

  Ethan was surprised to receive Phoenix’s call so soon after she left. It made sense that she would need time to process everything they’d learned. He was even more surprised at her words.

  “Are you sure you want to do this? Break into the lair?” he asked for the third time. They were all gathered back in his living room, and Phoenix sat across from him fidgeting restlessly with the medallion around her neck.

  She nodded, her expression remaining emotionless despite her obvious unease.

  His breath came out in a whoosh. Were they really going to break into the lair of the most powerful vampire clan in Ireland?

  Beside him, Nate was rubbing his hands together gleefully and already firing up the laptop, ready to do what he did best. Lily sat beside Phoenix with a slightly shocked look on her face as if she thought they were all nuts. Shade slouched against the breakfast bar; his single raised eyebrow telegraphed more interest than Ethan had ever seen from him.

  “Okay, first things first.” Ethan looked back to Phoenix. “We need the exact location of the lair.”

  Vampire clans were among the most secretive races of the Lore when it came to protecting their resting place, and for good reason. Although the stronger members of a clan could often withstand a degree of sunlight, there were still many that were particularly vulnerable during daylight hours. Open knowledge of their lair location would be a security nightmare, and vamps were anything but stupid.

  Phoenix brought up a picture on her phone and set the device on the table so they could all see. Lily’s face mirrored Ethan’s own surprise, nicely highlighted by Nate’s low whistle, and an “I’ll be damned,” from Shade.

  “The lair is in the American Ambassador’s residence?” Ethan asked, staring at the image of an imposing white building with grand pillars framing the entranceway.

  Phoenix gave a wry smile. “Best place to hide is in plain sight.”

  “Nate, can you pull up the schematics for the lair?”

  A couple of taps later, “Negative.” Nate shook his head, pushing unruly brown hair out of his eyes. “The plans listed only show the upper storeys.” And it went without saying that the official lair was buried deep beneath the earth, away from the sun and prying eyes.

  Ethan chewed this over, running through and discarding the various options that might be available to them.

  “I can get you in,” Phoenix cut off his thought process. Her voice was quiet but determined as her unwavering, green eyes met his.

  He thought about arguing. He wanted to make it easier on her, but this was her demon to face – his desire to protect her didn’t come in to it.

  “I used to sneak out sometimes when the darkness got to be too much for me,” she continued when no argument was forthcoming. “There are some old, abandoned service passages that made it easier to get around. They’re our best bet.”

  Her words were clipped and he could see her working to keep her emotions in check, but she sat tall, shoulders firmly set, and Ethan found himself proud of the strength she displayed.

  “Not to put a dampener on things,” Shade interjected, very clearly intending to do exactly that, “but how do we get in without being noticed by a lair full of vampires?”

  “We don’t,” Ethan said firmly, and cut off all arguments with a commanding look. “The more of us that go in, the more likely we’ll be detected. You guys can help from a distance, but Phoenix and I will be going in alone.”

  The lair was large and housed hundreds of vampires; they’d have no chance of escaping alive if they were detected. He could only hope Darius really did have Phoenix’s best interests at heart because they’d be staking their lives on it if they were caught.

  “We need to pick a time when there’ll be as few vamps as possible. Anyone have any ideas?” Ethan looked around the room and his lips quirked into a smile when Nate raised his hand with a smug grin on his face. “Yes?”


  “It just so happens there’s a very exclusive gala ball being held in the ambassador’s residence. Only one problem.” Nate hesitated. “It’s tonight.”

  “Okay, what other options –”

  “No” – Phoenix held up a hand to stop him – “it’s perfect. When there’s an event held, the vampires are either in attendance or ordered to make themselves scarce. Security below ground would be as low as we could hope for.”

  “I could probably help with that side of things.” Nate grinned as he rooted around in a rucksack that was leaning against his chair. He pulled out a small flash drive and held it up for them to see. “If you can get near enough to their servers to plug this in, I should be able to get access to their security systems and cause a few distractions.”

  Ethan took the drive from him and put it in his pocket. He still wasn’t sure this was a good idea. If they got too close to any of the vamps, their signatures would be picked up. Phoenix might be able to mask hers enough, but he definitely couldn’t.

  Lily obviously had the same thought as him. “There’s a spell that might be able to help change your signatures temporarily,” she said as she worried at her nails. “But I’m not sure if I’m strong enough to cast it.”

  “It’s okay.” Phoenix patted Lily’s shoulder awkwardly. “The bottom levels are warded. Uncle D had it done when I came to live with him to help keep my presence a secret. The wards act as a kind of buffer for our signatures, almost like sound proofing I guess.”

  Ethan watched her closely, waiting to see if she’d realise the significance of her words, but she seemed to be lost in the memory of her past.

  “Who set the wards?” Lily’s intelligent eyes met his across the room.

  “The witc …” Phoenix trailed off, all manner of emotions crossing her face as realisation dawned on her.

  For that brief moment she looked lost, and Ethan found himself wanting to hurt the person that put that look in her eyes. Then she pulled herself together and a steely resolve removed all trace of emotion from her face.

  “Tonight.”

  “Can you get everything set in time?” He looked questioningly at Nate, knowing his expertise would be vital to get past what would no doubt be an impressive security set-up.

  With a grin and salute from Nate, the decision was made.

  Phoenix watched the city lights flash by, vibrant colours blurring together hypnotically. The late hour allowed Ethan’s Audi to keep an impressive pace as they drove along the quays, hampered only by the occasional drunk that stumbled into the road.

  She’d never been comfortable in big cities. The grey buildings felt cold and soulless to her, and the hordes of people made her feel even more alone. For the first time in many years, she longed for the rolling green hills that had surrounded her childhood home.

  It didn’t take them long to reach the lair. Nestled in the heart of the Phoenix Park, impenetrable walls surrounded a building that was both grand and understated in equal measure. White, with large arched windows and a long winding driveway, the ambassador’s residence was lit by low lighting that cast eerie shadows onto the lush, manicured lawn.

  That night, the tall wrought-iron gates stood open to the honoured guests of the gala, many of whom were blissfully oblivious of the truth hidden within the depths beyond.

  “Keep driving for another kilometre,” she directed. “There’s an old service road on the left.”

  The tension in the car was palpable and her pulse thrummed in her veins. She hadn’t been back here since the day she left four years ago, but she’d spent a lot of time within those walls, learning the secrets they held. She could only hope that everything was as she remembered it.

  It wasn’t long before they reached the road she was looking for. The trees and bushes had become even more unruly in the passing years and it was a struggle to get the car through. Ethan winced every time a branch scratched the side of his Audi, and Phoenix almost laughed at the forlorn look on his face. Although, she was extremely glad they hadn’t taken her Mustang.

  When they could go no further, they abandoned the car, pulling into a gap in the trees so it would be hidden from view if anyone happened to follow them. A frigid breeze ruffled the branches around them, grating in the otherwise quiet night. Phoenix’s nerves were on edge. Every crunch of leaves and every gust of air across the back of her neck wound her tighter and tighter.

  She led the way through the soft mud and explained in a low voice, “There’s an old service tunnel ahead that leads to the boiler room in the basement of the house.”

  As a young girl in the lair, she’d kept herself busy by finding forgotten passages that allowed her to explore her underground prison without detection. She’d pretend she was on a secret mission and her task was to outsmart the vampires.

  The isolation had been for her own safety, of course. Darius had risked his reputation by sheltering her. To the Council, she was a symbol of weakness; one of their most sacred edicts broken and allowed to go unpunished. An inter-species pairing that was allowed to continue and produce offspring. All it would take was a single vampire to speak of her existence and everything would fall to pieces.

  So, she was kept apart and alone. Only Darius and his most trusted vampires were aware of her presence among them. All for her own safety. But things were different now. She had a life she loved, and she needed answers so she could get back to it.

  Finally, they reached the entrance to the tunnel, which was largely obscured by rocks and overgrown bramble. Ethan took out his hunting knife, the one that had terrified her when they first met, and began to hack away at the thorny branches until there was just enough room for them to squeeze through. With that done, Nate handed him a small black pouch and Ethan gave a nod to confirm they were ready.

  She took a deep breath and stepped into the tunnel, her clothes snagging momentarily on the remaining thorns. Ethan followed close behind her, and his warm presence helped to calm the frantic beating of her heart.

  The air was stale and the smell of packed earth was heavy around them. With each step they took, the darkness became more complete, almost like they were walking into the black, gaping mouth of the beast. She’d taken this same route many times when she was younger; her yearning to see the sun had been too strong to ignore. The same clawing fear that she felt then, the fear of being caught, caused adrenaline to thrum through her veins now.

  At the end of the tunnel they waited, listening intently for any noise on the far side of the old metal door. The only sounds that reached them were the whirring of machinery and the clunking of the large boiler that serviced the house.

  Phoenix was uncomfortably aware of Ethan’s close proximity at her back and she had a strange urge to push him away. This little trip down memory lane was leaving her raw and exposed in ways she never imagined.

  With a final glance of agreement, Ethan put his shoulder against the heavy door and pushed. The loud creaking of rusted hinges made Phoenix cringe back into the shadows. Heat from the boiler hit them like a solid wall in contrast to the cold air of the tunnel, but other than that, she registered no movement within the room.

  Moving silently, they edged forward and wove between the heavy-duty machinery that filled the space. Large pipes covered the ceiling in a tangled maze above their heads, adding to the claustrophobic feeling and making Phoenix’s chest feel tight.

  The next door led to a long, empty corridor. Concrete floors and starkly painted walls echoed even the slightest sound. Phoenix inhaled a slow breath and paused for a second to compose herself. They were in the basement of the main residence, not yet low enough to hit the lair, but that didn’t mean they were safe.

  The main server sat on this floor; it linked to sub-servers above and below ground. It would be guarded, but if they were to have any hope of getting into the lair unnoticed, they would need to go there first.

  At Ethan’s nod, she led the way, stopping them just short of the server room.

  Scu
ffling sounds and the occasional snort confirmed the presence of a guard beyond the final corner. Phoenix felt a sudden urge to backtrack and forget about their crazy plan. But Ethan didn’t give her a chance. He handed her the small package from Nate and in the blink of an eye, he was gone, leaving her alone and exposed in the corridor.

  For a whole minute it felt as if her heart had stopped beating and her lungs had forgotten how to expand. Then she heard a banging in the distance and her heart stuttered back to business.

  A low curse sounded and heavy footsteps faded into the distance. Phoenix counted to ten before crouching low to peer around the corner.

  Empty.

  She ran towards the server room, fumbled with the package in her hand, and pulled out a small black scanner. After connecting it to the pin pad at the door just as Nate had instructed, she waited, watching while numbers flashed on the small screen in a blur of red.

  It seemed to take forever, and every second that passed felt like a ticking time bomb. When the screen finally flashed green and gave a soft beep, she nearly yelped with surprise.

  She yanked the door open and slid quickly inside before pulling it tight behind her. A cold breeze from the air conditioning system caused goose bumps to prickle along her skin, and she rubbed her arms briskly against the chill.

  Lights, cables, black boxes. It looked like a scene from the future when computers had officially come to take over the earth.

  “Nate … Nate? Can you hear me?” She pressed the small earpiece, willing him to answer.

  “I’ve got you.” Nate’s answer came back through a burst of static. “Okay, I need you to find the main server. It’ll probably be the one with the most cables in the coldest part of the room.”

  Phoenix looked around, quickly discounting the smaller boxes and monitors.

  There!

  Towards the back of the room, a large cabinet stood with floor to ceiling black boxes and flashing lights. Cables ran from it like tentacles ready to crush anyone that came near.

  “Once you find the server,” Nate continued in her ear, “plug the hard drive into any free USB port. I’ll do the rest.”