“I don’t trust it, but we might be able to get something to exonerate ourselves with. They also need to respond to the evidence I already found and explain the gas chamber blueprints,” I said.
“How do we proceed?” Zach asked. He leaned against Gina. His leg was another sore reminder that our hiding couldn’t last forever. We couldn’t continue to live in these conditions.
“We can agree to meet with them,” I said. “But if we do, what’s our plan if it’s a trap and everything goes wrong?”
Dorian’s eyebrows quirked in a tiny scoff as he stepped forward. “If I go with you,” he said, “there will be no problem getting you out of the building in an emergency.”
My breath caught in my throat. His arrogance in the face of danger to himself and others was exasperating, but… confidence looked good on him. And after watching him in action at the facility, in Vegas, and in the Amish village, I couldn’t say he didn’t have reason to be cocky.
He wore an expression of perfect assurance. It sent a wild electric current through my every nerve. I heard my blood rushing and felt a dull chest ache.
Bryce cleared his throat and stepped between Dorian and me.
“Well, kids, it only seems right for a disgraced captain like myself to come along to supervise,” he said, with a hint of an amused smirk. “Might I suggest my company? You can always use a strapping man of my talents on a mission.”
Heat rose in my face as I remembered that Dorian and I weren’t alone in the room. My eyes flickered around the space, noting various expressions on the gathered faces—Zach was frowning slightly, Oleah looked sour, Arlonne had an odd look of surprise, and Laini was smiling softly. Trying to focus, I gave a small nod as I met Dorian’s gaze.
“I think we’ll be fine with just the two of us,” he said to Bryce. “I couldn’t guarantee that I could get both of you away safely, and you’re too valuable to our efforts here.”
Dorian furrowed his brow as his icy eyes focused on me, and I felt a faint prickle in my chest. We were both concerned about our proximity… even after a firm agreement to be friends. This would put that promise to the test. My stomach flipped. I couldn’t blame Bryce for stepping in. I’d basically swooned after Dorian proudly proclaimed his ability to rescue me in the face of danger, despite knowing I was more than capable of looking after myself in a tough situation. Still, the guaranteed backup of a powerful supernatural creature would be nice.
We might have trouble resisting one another, but Dorian and I had to try for the sake of our group. I knew he would keep a much closer eye on me this time, and I could sit in front of him rather than behind.
All this might have begun with him kidnapping me, but I had been an active participant since the incident in Phoenix. We would have to be the ones to lead the way to a solution. And hopefully, despite our increasing proximity, my desire for him would shrink. Hopefully.
“If not me,” Bryce said, “you’ll still need more than just yourselves.”
“I could go,” Gina said suddenly. Determined, she stared at our trio. “You all know I’m good at what I do.”
A voice spoke from the vampire side. “No,” Bravi said with a firm shake of her head. “Small groups are better if they need to escape, and I strongly suspect they will.” A shadow of worry crossed her face.
“Sending a small group lowers our risk,” Rhome agreed. “If they do get overwhelmed… we don’t lose everyone.”
I wondered if he was thinking about his family. His eyes seemed focused on something beyond our current situation.
“I could be a valuable asset,” Gina argued.
Bryce crossed his arms. “No, they’re right. If we go in with more than a few people, it’ll increase our problems if we need to get out in a hurry. The getting out is always the difficult part.”
His set jaw made me suspect he was recalling the events at the base. The bloodshed that had occurred. I closed my eyes for a moment and swallowed the tight feeling in my throat.
“It’s better for Dorian and Lyra to only be responsible for one another,” Bravi agreed.
“We trust Lyra to mediate on our behalf,” Sike said, with a reassuring look toward Dorian, who gave a grateful nod.
A murmur of agreement spread among our original vampire allies. The new vampires seemed more skeptical, but there wasn’t much they could do with Dorian’s decision already made. They had nothing to lose anyway. Everyone else would stay safely at the hideout.
We would be the ones in danger.
Zach tapped my arm, and I looked down to find him reluctantly handing me his old comm. Scratches from what we had been through had scarred it, but it looked like it would still work. A wave of strange sadness washed over me.
“Thank you,” I said. It was going to be odd not to have him beside me on a mission, and he didn’t look happy about it either. How many had we gone on together, working for the Bureau? It obviously didn’t help his worry that I would be alone with Dorian again.
But I didn’t have much chance to reassure him that this time would be different before Dorian gestured that we head toward the redbills. Bryce followed while Zach fell back with Gina.
The planning began. We would take three bills, one to ride and two to confuse the guards outside HQ. The bills could also serve as backup if a fight broke out. On the birds, we would quickly clear the space between the mountains and headquarters.
As we spoke, Dorian’s eyes briefly met mine.
I winced slightly as the ache pulsed in my chest. When Dorian and Bryce looked away, I quickly rubbed the area, hoping the sensation would die down.
This mission would require all my concentration, all my skill. Our resolve to be friends had to overcome the attraction Dorian and I had for each other. We simply couldn’t function as the team we desperately needed to be otherwise. Swallowing hard, I set about grabbing the gear I would need for this mission and the thick sheepskin coat I had adopted as my own.
Zach insisted on seeing us off, gingerly putting weight on his leg as he walked to the entrance, Gina at his side. I hugged her first, then hugged Zach, the two of us clinging to one another for several breaths. When I pulled away, we both had tears welling in our eyes. He tapped me on the jaw with his fist and smiled. I smiled in response, hoping he could see in my eyes that there was nothing I wouldn’t do to get back to him, then turned and walked away.
We mounted Dorian’s redbill with me in front this time. I gave a final smile that was taut with nerves to the gathered humans and vampires before the redbill launched itself into the air. Dorian briefly tightened his grip as we rocketed upward into a cold gray sky.
As the pain stirred in my chest again, I nervously wet my lips. Thankfully it didn’t worsen, and I took a deep breath.
It was now or never.
Chapter Nine
I braced myself on Dorian’s redbill as HQ came into sight. The sun beat down on us in Phoenix more intensely than in Canyonlands. Even way up here, I was sweating in my coat.
The nearby suburbs contained rows of houses painted in earthy greens and grays and reds and browns. The HQ building, all sleek glass and white concrete, was built on the edge of the city, away from downtown. The greenery became sparse, and pockets of red dirt peeked through the landscape.
Dorian shifted behind me, aiming an uncertain scowl at the buildings. The fight at the training facility and the Bureau’s betrayal remained fresh in our minds. It surprised me that I could even look at the HQ building without feeling sick.
“Ready?” Dorian asked as his redbill dipped down.
“As I’ll ever be,” I muttered. “Think we’ll look friendly with our pack of redbills?” My guess was no, but I wanted it that way. Two birds flanked us, one on either side. Friendliness was the least of my concerns regarding this invitation from Grayson. We needed to get back to our group safely. If that meant flashing a little supernatural firepower, then so be it.
As we began our final descent, Zach’s hopeful face swam into my mind. Part
of me hoped Grayson was right about the Bureau having its reasons. It would mean the organization I had poured my life into and a member of my family I had admired for so long were not as bigoted and closed-minded as they currently seemed to be. But another part of me knew that if this was the case, then it meant they had something on the vampires. And that I had been lied to by Dorian and all the others I had grown to trust. It was very much a rock and a hard place situation.
The bills landed in an overgrown field beside the HQ, their wings stirring up clouds of dust as they settled and steadied.
Dorian dismounted. He rested his hand on the side of his redbill, offering me the other hand for support without a word. I took it to steady myself on my dismount. Our eyes met. He was warm to the touch despite several hours spent at high altitude. I wished my freezing fingers could say the same.
My chest burned, a brief throbbing cramp, but the sensation passed. For a moment, I held his hand, enjoying the feel of his skin against mine, the way our respective callouses and scars fit together into a brand-new topography. It felt nice to have him here with me.
Friends, Lyra. Get a grip. You’re supposed to be friends.
I dropped his hand like it had burned me. “Sorry. I’m sorry.”
Dorian’s face flickered with regret. We’d agreed on friendship as our best option, and yet hand contact while sliding off a redbill was enough to rile up our feelings. How could we make this work? My chest tingled with the ghostly trace of an ache as he turned away from me.
I turned my attention to the task at hand. The tall yellowed grass tangled around my legs, and thorns from scrubby bushes caught on my boots and pants. A chain-link fence separated us from the HQ building.
We seemed to be alone. The runway was empty, and there was no movement from the building. But I knew better. Someone was watching us from inside. Was my Uncle Alan inside that building? I twisted my hands, worried. Was I ready to see him face-to-face for the first time since everything fell apart?
Dorian said something in a series of low sounds to the bills, who gave him their rapt attention. He gestured at the sky. His redbill chirped back, sounding more annoyed than anything. The small flock took flight. I couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to get too close to the redbills with Dorian around.
“Are they tired?” I asked, wondering about that annoyed chirp. Did redbills have limits to their energy? I was also desperate to get us back into a professional conversation.
“They’ll be fine,” Dorian said firmly. “They’ll be standing by for the plan. I just didn’t think it wise for them to sit out in the open so close to so many well-armed Bureau soldiers.”
I nodded. I hated and adored his easy slip back into professional mode. Was this easier for him? His face gave nothing away.
For a quick moment, I studied the building, considering the layout from the outside. Who knew where I would be taken when I got inside? One of the board rooms? An interrogation room? A holding cell? If I needed Dorian, I wouldn’t be able to shout, that was for sure. Turning my back to the building, I faced him and brought out my comm.
“Time for a modification,” I said.
“What are you doing?” Dorian asked, but I was fast with my hands.
In a second, I twisted a few wires and snapped off the excess casing from the comm that would be visible from outside my ear. Pocketing the scrap material, I placed the receiver in my ear and draped the microphone into my hair and down the collar of my uniform.
“They already can’t track it, but this should help to hide it better. I hope. What do you think?” It felt loose, but maybe it would work. Better than nothing.
Dorian stepped close to study the comm. He brushed a few strands of hair over my ear, concealing the comm even more.
I adjusted it again. “I’m afraid it’ll get stuck in there,” I confessed and flushed at the slightly silly concern. Having a comm lodged in my ear canal for the rest of my life didn’t sound like an ideal situation.
“Here,” he muttered, leaning down, his hand aiming for the microphone in my collar.
A hot thrill went through me as his face inched toward mine. We froze, both realizing how close we were. I could see the ebb and flow of the shadows under his skin, the sweep of his long dark eyelashes, the flecks of almost-silver in his blue irises.
Already? We are so bad at this.
I pulled back with a guilty wince so quickly I nearly stumbled on a matted clump of grass. I clutched the comm in my ear, trying to make sure it hadn’t fallen with my sudden movement. My heart was going a mile a minute.
How were we going to get through this? I couldn’t brush his hand without feeling butterflies in my stomach and getting residual heartburn from any close interaction.
“It’s fine,” Dorian said abruptly, responding to the concern on my face. “We can handle this. Probably.”
Not the most comforting statement, but it would have to do.
I needed to go inside. My heart wanted to stay, but the mission was the priority. A stolen moment here could cost us all a lifetime of freedom.
“I’ll be here for you if you need anything,” Dorian reminded me.
He sounded gentle, with an undertone of caring, though I wasn’t sure a stranger could have perceived it. They certainly wouldn’t know the value of such a thing.
“I’ll try to contact you if anything happens,” I promised. “But they might search me and take the comm. If that happens and I’m not out of there in four hours, call the redbills and raise some hell."
His glacial eyes looked conflicted. I could tell he wanted to reassure me. I wanted the same thing. To comfort him.
It wasn’t the time. We had to focus.
“I’m off,” I told him.
“Good luck,” he said, then smirked. “Not that you need it.”
His words sent a boost of confidence through me. Taking a breath, I stepped toward the building.
* * *
The Phoenix HQ building was taller than I remembered. Despite the nervous bite of my stomach, I held my head high as I strode toward the entrance. Two guards waited inside. Their cold gazes swept over me, and I could feel that their assessment found me wanting.
My uniform, despite our best attempts at doing laundry, stained with sweat, sand, and blood. The guards and soldiers milling around in the lobby were pristine, the epitome of military formality. Not that long ago, I had looked like these perfect soldiers. So much had changed so quickly.
I displayed my ID and tried to ignore the dirt on my sleeves that served as a stark reminder that I was from a different world now.
“First Lieutenant Lyra Sloane,” I said firmly, trying to keep my cool. “Here to see Director Sloane.”
The guard glanced down as I presented my credentials. His eyebrows quirked with a hint of surprise.
Yes, it’s me. The rising-star first lieutenant who betrayed the Bureau for vampires, and the niece of Director Sloane. Nice to meet you, guard.
I wasn’t sure if the news had gotten out about my role in the scuffle at the training facility. The Bureau was good at suppressing things, but that story might’ve been too big to hide. When fellow soldiers died, people often wanted to know why and how.
Finally, he nodded. Leaving his companion behind at the entrance, the first guard led me down a long white hallway lined with dark green carpet.
I avoided the stares of the Bureau employees who passed us. Their frigid expressions did nothing to quell my fears. I kept my eyes forward, noting exits and potential escape routes.
“Where are we headed?” I asked as we turned right through a gray metal door and down several flights of stairs. If they brought me too far into the building, it might be difficult for Dorian to find me later. Even if he could somehow track me through the stone I still carried in my breast pocket, he didn’t know the layout and would be trying to fight his way through an entire building of Bureau personnel.
“We will allow you to talk with your team,” the guard said icily. “And whoever
else may want to speak with you.” He opened a second gray metal door at the bottom of the stairs and ushered me through.
Okay then… looked like small talk was off the table. I studied the guard’s body language carefully. His posture was stiff, but he gave no indication of being on high alert. The gun strapped to his chest was standard equipment for Bureau guards. Did he and everyone else think I’d betrayed my humanity to save vampires? The Bureau had used the story that I had been kidnapped to manipulate my team, but the Phoenix HQ guards would be harder to convince, especially now that I had just waltzed in looking like I’d been under deep cover in a ditch for a week.
This corridor was more intimidating with its scuffed beige walls, black tile floor, and intense fluorescent strip lighting. Grayson’s strained voice on the comm came back to me, followed by a feeling of unease deep in my gut. They could’ve coached everyone before my arrival. They could lead me into one of the holding cells and just leave me there while they went after Dorian.
While I’d walked into this already assuming it could be a trap, it was a very different situation now that I was in the belly of the beast, so to speak, alone and with my backup several minutes away. If I needed to escape, I could take out the guard. Ten bucks said the building would go into lockdown after that, but if I could make it to the roof and contact Dorian, the redbills could pick me up. Assuming I wasn’t swarmed by soldiers before they arrived.
“Here,” the guard said, opening the door to a room. I hung back in the hallway. It was now or never.
The first thing I saw was somber beige brick. The room was small, the kind that might be used in an interrogation. There was a basic table with four chairs gathered around it.
Darklight 2: Darkthirst Page 9