“You’re not well enough,” Roxy agreed.
Good. Glad we agree on something!
Louise took a calm breath. “I’m ready. I’m up to it, guys. I feel a lot better. Besides, I wouldn’t misrepresent my condition… I know what’s at stake for us.”
“I’ll go too,” Sike offered. “Someone else can take my shift on tear patrol.”
Louise’s cheeks turned the faintest shade of pink. She nodded in appreciation. I regarded her carefully, paying attention to every minor detail. Yes, she looked better. Sike volunteering to come along made me feel better. He would be sure to watch her, just in case she was overzealous in her decision to go along with us.
To my surprise, Vonn stepped forward. “I’d like to help,” he said.
Even his voice sounded slippery to me, but the other vampires seemed to trust him. Bravi and Sike would be there. That comforted me. Still, I wished there was a way to keep Vonn from coming.
“We’ll rest for tonight,” Bryce said, pumping the brakes on the situation. “The police will report the incident, which means the Bureau will be on high alert.”
Taking Bryce’s point, I agreed. “Everyone needs a good night’s sleep.” Maybe I’d think of a good reason for Vonn to stay behind by the time we left.
“The plan sounds good,” Dorian confirmed. “I need to stay behind. I want to be ready if something else follows the scout back from the Immortal Plane.”
My concern eased slightly at hearing his approval. He knew Vonn better than I did. If he wasn’t worried, then perhaps it would be okay. I watched Dorian carefully. His body seemed to sag. Laini caught my eye, and we shared a thought. He’s close to his limits. I didn’t want to find out what would happen if he hit them.
“Dorian,” Laini said gently, “I think you need to feed.”
Laini’s suggestion sent a wave of relief through me. If Dorian fed, he would regain some of his strength. Despite my lingering disquiet over vampires feeding on humans, he would heal faster if he did. I hated seeing him like this, but my skin always crawled when I thought about his fangs actually sinking into someone’s neck. Right now, however, pragmatism came first. Dorian needed blood laced with dark energy to survive, and I couldn’t deny that part of his nature. My hope was that there would be a good compromise for this in the future. My morals couldn’t take much more mental gymnastics. Having to make excuses for people I cared about… it didn’t feel good.
Bryce and I looked at one another, tired and worn out from the day. It was time to sleep. Tomorrow, we would have sharper minds ready to think about our plans. We needed to get ahead of the Bureau. Was that even possible?
I wasn’t sure, but we had to try anything we could.
* * *
We ended up waiting until the next evening before our team finally felt ready to go out again. This included Louise, who seemed to be doing better. The humans gathered in the main cavern. The vampires, after a few minor delays, were also preparing to leave on a hunting mission.
I watched Dorian walk to join the group of vampires heading to the parts of the tunnels where the redbills generally hid. He’s going to feed. My stomach knotted at the thought, recalling the time I’d seen him bring back a freshly drained corpse for his redbill to finish off. Roxy’s mouth twitched with disdain. Laini shot me a hesitant look. It wasn’t a secret that the vampires were going to feed. Dorian needed his strength, but…
It’s not exactly sitting well with my team.
Grayson, Roxy, Louise, and Zach looked less than thrilled.
“I hope they don’t find us particularly evil-looking one day,” Louise muttered.
Grayson’s eyes narrowed, flicking unsympathetic glances at the vampires as he mumbled under his breath, “I don’t get why they’re doing this. They survived so long during the trial without feeding.”
“That was the board’s doing,” I reminded him as gently as I could. I didn’t point out that the children had literally fed upon their parents. The vampires didn’t have to starve themselves anymore.
Gina saw my concern, and a look of understanding passed between us. The vampires had to feed, or they would weaken until the Bureau could murder them with ease. There was no practical alternative, and that wasn’t their fault.
I wanted Dorian strong. There wasn’t a better option than this.
“Let’s think about our own mission,” I said, surveying my team for tonight. Among our human ranks would be Grayson, Roxy, Louise, Colin, Bryce, and me. For our vampire companions, it was settled that Bravi, Sike, and Vonn would be traveling with us. Our band of vampire volunteers emerged from the entrance tunnel. I was grateful for Bravi and Sike, but Vonn was another story. Vonn joining us still didn’t sit right with me, but I hadn’t thought of any good excuses.
I watched Dorian’s form disappear down the tunnel with Laini and a few other vampires. Wrenching myself away, I rummaged through my gear bag, checking that everything was packed and organized. Although we had limited supplies, I made sure we had flashlights, a few bandages, and two working comms just in case.
“Be safe,” Zach said. “We’ll be waiting up for you. Gina stopped my request to join the mission.”
Gina shook her head with a small smile. “I said I wanted to go with Lyra, but you wanted me to stay here.”
“Well, this scary cave gets ominous sometimes,” Zach admitted with a lopsided smile. “Besides, Gina and I will be here to blow up any soul scourgers if they come creeping around. If my injury from our valiant scavenging lets me fight, that is.”
“Valiant scavenging?” Sike repeated. “Didn’t you bring back moldy apples?”
“I don’t recall.” Zach averted his eyes, whistling.
“Everyone ready?” Bravi asked. We nodded and followed her to the redbills waiting in the tunnel. They stirred excitedly as she came close. The other vampires had already left on their birds. I hope everyone is actually ready. I glanced at Vonn out of the corner of my eye. He seemed calm.
“Our plan is to get in, talk to Jim, and get out,” I reminded everyone. “The less sound we make, the better. We think the Bureau is still on high alert after the incident in town yesterday.”
Bryce explained to Bravi where Jim lived. I caught the words “Red Rock Canyon” somewhere in there, but nothing more. He and I would share a bird with Bravi.
“Are you nervous to see him?” I asked. Bryce was an impenetrable wall most of the time. I could understand why he might be nervous. Jim sounded like a close colleague. The difficulties with the Bureau after the fallout had probably been tough for him to understand. The Bureau might even have questioned him about his friendship with Bryce. It could also make things difficult for him professionally, considering how closely the Bureau worked with the federal police.
“We’ll see what happens when we get there,” Bryce said simply.
Bravi eyed us and shrugged, pressing her hands against her redbill’s neck to coax the bird into flight.
The redbills took off into the evening. The sun was beginning to dip on the horizon. I stared out into the peaceful desert passing beneath us. The rolling desert greeted us with a chill in the night air. Shadowy mountains appeared like giant monsters in the distance as we flew. I wondered what chaos the Immortal Plane might wreak upon the land if the tear opened further.
I shivered and suppressed the thought.
I recognized the cityscape of Las Vegas before the birds began to dip down. Under cover of night, Bravi guided the birds low over a pleasant suburban neighborhood on the outskirts of the city.
It was hot and dry. Every house seemed to have a pool attached. What I would give to dive into one and just lounge for a day. I wanted the water to wash over us and carry all our troubles away.
“Let’s land behind this house,” Bravi said. Her eyes were aimed at a house that appeared boarded up with a large “FOR SALE” sign stuck next to the mailbox. The bills landed, and we slid from their backs. Bravi tapped her redbill with a comforting hand, and the birds went of
f to perch somewhere in safety.
“They’ll be just outside the city,” Bravi explained. “Distant enough to be safe, but close enough to come get us if they’re needed.”
I nodded, but I was focused on Bryce. He shoved his hands into his pockets, surveying the street with a cautious eye.
“It’s at the end of the street,” Bryce told me. I kept close to his side as we walked. I looked back to the others and gestured toward the end of the block. Louise shot me a thumbs-up. Vonn looked puzzled at the gesture.
“Does he live alone?” I asked, trying to gauge what kind of reception we might receive.
“Yes,” Bryce answered softly. “He’s divorced, and his children are grown. He should be home alone.”
He sounded sad about that. What kind of friendship had Bryce had with Jim? It had never been my place to ask Bryce about his personal life when he was my captain, but now the dynamic had shifted. Though he was still my elder, we often served analogous roles in this thrown-together group, and I was curious. It must be hard for Bryce since his family wasn’t even in the country. He’d probably relied on his friendships within the Bureau to create a sense of home.
The streetlamps flickered slightly as we walked down the street. I brushed my hands over my arms as goosebumps pricked my flesh. Something in the air felt malevolent.
I wouldn’t want to be home alone on a night like this.
Seeing Jim was going to be hard. I hoped that Bryce would be able to convince him of our innocence. Surely, Jim must be suspicious of the sudden termination of both the trials with the vampires and of his close friend’s job?
Bravi paused for a second. Her short black hair seemed to stand on end. Sike shot her a look. He stopped and brought his wiry arms down to his sides.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Dark energy,” Bravi said, her voice just a bit more guttural than usual. “There was a dark presence here not long ago. Maybe still here.” Her eyes darted over the area.
I glanced over the street. The only thing I noticed was that it was evidently trash night. It was unnerving to think there could be any darkness on such an ordinary street, hidden from my sight. But then again, lately I’d been learning to expect trouble everywhere.
A shiver passed over Vonn. I could almost see his pupils expanding, even in the dim glow of the streetlights. From beneath his curling lip, I saw just the hint of fangs extending.
“A dark human, indeed,” he said, his head shifting back and forth.
Instinctively, I stepped toward him. The look on his face reminded me of Dorian when he’d almost lost control during our first experiment with Jim, in this same city. I bit my bottom lip, trying to read between the lines. This wasn’t Dorian. I didn’t know Vonn at all. Could we stop him if he lost control?
“Are you okay?” Roxy asked him gruffly, her voice and expression unfriendly.
“I’m fine,” Vonn said smoothly, his hands waving off her undisguised suspicion. “I’m in perfect control, don’t worry. It’s only natural for a vampire to respond this way. I haven’t had as much practice as Bravi at hiding it for politeness’ sake.”
Bravi scowled at the snide way he said “politeness” but said nothing.
“What if your friend is the dark presence?” she asked instead, shooting Bryce a heated look. “It would make sense. We’re nearly at his house.”
Bryce shook his head. “No. Not Jim. I have full faith in him.”
I thought back to our first meeting. “Dorian and Kane have met him,” I said in a low voice, “and neither of them reacted to Jim then.”
Bravi nodded, appeased.
Bryce’s brow furrowed with worry as he homed in on the house at the end of the street. I could tell he’d skipped to the same thought I had—someone filled with darkness lingering in the area might not be a coincidence.
We approached the house as quietly as possible. Jim lived in a flat desert-style home, an identical sibling to the houses lining the street in this neighborhood. When Bravi stepped onto the landscaped stone of the front yard, a floodlight turned on. He was using motion sensors. Is he worried about his safety?
Bryce knocked on the door, a solid staccato rap. Silence greeted us. Vonn breathed heavily beside me.
Bryce knocked again. No answer. We waited for two minutes. When Bryce turned around, a worried shadow fell over his face, starkly visible in the floodlights washing over us.
“We have to break in,” he announced, as though it were the most natural solution in the world.
“My specialty,” Roxy said, rubbing her hands together. She caught my confused look and shrugged. “What? I had a brief stint as a juvenile delinquent.”
Colin frowned and crossed his arms. “Is it okay to just barge in? He could be out of town or working late. I’m not really eager to add breaking and entering to our list of crimes.”
“If he finds out we’ve broken into his house, he might be reluctant to talk to us,” Louise argued, looking pensive.
Bryce, however, shook his head. “No, Jim would understand,” he said, and his voice seemed gruffer than normal. He ran his hand through the scruff of hair at the base of his neck. “Believe me, he would do the same for me under these circumstances—he’s just that kind of guy. If we’ve got a dark presence nearby, I would much rather apologize over some broken glass and a busted security alarm than wait for him.” With a somewhat forced chuckle, he added, “Don’t worry, when this all turns into a great joke, I’ll let you all blame me.”
“Speaking of a security alarm,” Roxy muttered, digging around in her boot and coming up with a small knife. On the side wall, a silver box had been affixed near another black one. She flipped open the cover on the silver box. “We need to get this alarm turned off.”
“Good point.” I glanced at the metal tubes running from the box, my eyes following them until they turned the corner out of sight. Getting the police called on us again might mean a fight we couldn’t afford.
Roxy twisted something inside and covered the box again. “That should do it,” she said victoriously.
I would have to ask her later if her alarm knowledge came from this mysterious past as a mischievous youth or from training with the Bureau.
“Let’s be quiet. I have a bad feeling.” Colin rubbed his arms.
I crept toward the side of the house, choosing the one that wasn’t visible to the neighbors since Jim’s house was the last on the street. With some testing and teasing, we found a window that gave way easily enough. One by one, we hoisted ourselves into the darkened house.
Our point of entry turned out to be a small bedroom. The light from outside was bright enough to see that this had once been the bedroom of a teenage girl. A dainty paisley bedspread covered the twin bed in the corner. I caught sight of my group in the mirror of a vanity and swallowed embarrassment. We looked like a rag-tag team of bandits, creeping through rooms, lit only by streetlamps. It was a far cry from my days as a uniformed Bureau soldier. I’m still the good guy… I wouldn’t be doing any of this if it weren’t for a good cause. I wasn’t sure whom I had to prove that to in my head, but I felt the conviction in my bones.
Slowly and silently, the group crept through the house. The vampires were much quieter than the soldiers, despite our training. I turned on my flashlight, not wanting to risk turning on the interior lights. It was messier than I had expected, but that was a good thing if it meant he was here or had been recently. Jim was apparently fond of collecting his recycling in one giant stack in the corner of his kitchen. The one-story layout of the home made it easy to fan out. If Jim wasn’t supposed to be home and his neighbors knew that, it would be bad to raise too much attention.
Louise’s foot caught the edge of an old delivery box, and it skittered over some tiles. We froze, but nothing happened. The house seemed too still. It was a big home with several unoccupied rooms, from the looks of it.
Is Jim not home? Maybe he went on a much-deserved vacation?
The house was utter
ly dark aside from a few lights coming from appliances and the flickering beams of our flashlights as we nervously searched corners. My feet nudged a pair of shoes left haphazardly in a hallway. Would somebody on vacation leave their shoes in the hall as though they’d just stepped out of them? I couldn’t see Bryce’s face, but I knew it would be tight with worry.
Bravi stopped suddenly, taking my arm for a moment.
“There’s blood,” she announced with an audible sniff. The sense of dread that had been growing in my stomach twisted nervously, and I breathed in deep, trying to prepare for what was to come.
“Blast it.” Bryce didn’t go slowly anymore, striding across the living area and flinging open a door. I followed closely behind, holding my flashlight trained straight in front of me. My heart thundered in my chest. Bookshelves and a mighty oak desk in the center meant we were in a study. My flashlight’s beam illuminated a silent figure slumped in a chair, his back half-turned to us.
For a moment, I could picture Jim falling asleep in his office chair as he poured over paperwork, sitting peacefully in the dark. Did he just nod off while working? With all the lights off?
But I already knew something wasn’t right, which was confirmed when Bryce sucked in a sharp breath. Someone pawed at a switch on a nearby lamp. I clicked off my flashlight as soft yellow light flooded the room, bringing the picture into clearer focus.
A few steps ahead of me, Bryce went still, then very slowly raised his hand to cover his mouth. I heard him mutter a few words under his breath, then exhale roughly.
Jim was dead.
A single bullet hole pierced his temple, blood oozing thickly from the wound. My fingers clenched into numb fists as I raked my eyes over the scene. A gun lay on the ground next to his arm, which hung stiffly over the side of the office chair.
I came up next to Bryce, my stomach sick with pain, both my own and his. I wanted to do something, say something, but I wouldn’t even know how to go about comforting this battle-hardened man who had once seemed entirely unshakeable to me. I touched his arm, but he didn’t seem to feel it. Instead, he closed his eyes for a moment, turning his head to the side. His lips were white.
Darklight 2: Darkthirst Page 21