“I never told them to kill you, Sloan. I only told them to bring back Aareth.” The queen gave The Scar a hard stare. “Killing you was an order they decided on their own, and trust me, there will be brutal consequences.”
“I apologize, Your Majesty.” The Scar finally met the queen’s stare. “But as you can see, your captain is resilient. I would be interested in finding out exactly how she survived.”
“Doctor Livingston told me Leah Noble is your sister.” Sloan ignored The Scar and instead flipped the switch on her weapon. “He told me how you’d used magic to bring Aareth’s wife back from the dead, and had planned on using her.”
“Well, the good doctor has told you a lot, hasn’t he?” The queen pursed her lips, deep in concentration. “Okay, Sloan, I’ll tell you everything. Leah Noble is my sister. For decades, we’ve worked to clean up the streets of New Hope. Now, it’s time to do the same for the rest of the Outland. Under our rule, we’ll prosper, we’ll have order, and we’ll thrive together as one people.”
“You mean you’ll conquer the Outland and they’ll live under your rule.”
“If you choose to see it that way, then yes. My sister and I understand the manpower it would take to convince the Outland to join us. Where our army isn’t large enough to wage a campaign, enhanced soldiers could fill that gap.” The queen motioned to the armory. “Edison, along with Doctor Livingston, has done an outstanding job. Of course, I always knew the good doctor was working against me. I didn’t know until now that Commander Brookhaven was our escaped Ashley.”
“You knew Doctor Livingston was heading up The Order, and you didn’t do anything?”
“One thing you realize when you get to be queen is that it’s more beneficial to keep one’s enemies close. At any given time you know exactly what they’re doing, as opposed to leaving them to their own devices.”
“I don’t know how I’ve been so stupid.” Sloan spat the words as if they’d come with a vile taste. “You’ve only ever had your eyes set on conquest. Everything that’s come up to this point is only a means furthering this end.”
“Don’t do this, Sloan.” The queen opened her arms. “I love you like a daughter. I know I should have told you that sooner, but I’ve failed you in that way. Join me as the leader of my army, and we can usher in an era full of peace and prosperity for the entire known world.”
Sloan said a silent prayer that those who had helped her so far were still on her side. If they weren’t, then her plan had already failed.
“Edison, Elwood, you know what to do.” Sloan took a step forward, positioning herself between the vampires and her friends. “Pia, Harrison, I can buy you a few minutes.”
“What makes you think you can even compete with us, after what we’d done to you in the alley?” laughed one of the vampires Sloan didn’t recognize. “You’re out of your league.”
“You!” Sloan roared, pointing her sword at the vampire super soldier. “You die first.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Sloan
If the vampires had known about the transformation Sloan had undergone, they would have been less willing to meet her attack. They relied on what they thought was their superior sense of speed.
Sloan moved like fury incarnate. Unaware of how strong or fast she was now, she pushed her new abilities to their limits. Energy like she had never known aided her movements as she cut through the queen’s vampires.
Before they could comprehend that Sloan was moving just as fast, if not faster, than they were, two vampires lay on the floor, dead—one decapitated, the other completely cleaved in two from a combination of Sloan’s strength and her mage sword.
Out of her peripheral vision, Sloan saw Pia and Harrison sprint through the open armory door. Edison was grabbing beakers and breaking them across the table. Elwood lit the spilled liquid on fire with a match he had summoned from his back.
“Stop them!” the queen ordered. For the first time, something other than calm had been added to her tone.
The last two vampires beside The Scar moved to do the queen’s bidding. Sloan cleaved through the first like her sword was passing through air. The second vampire was a bit smarter, but not by much.
He raised his own knife to block Sloan’s sword. Either he wasn’t paying attention to the power Sloan’s weapon held, or he already knew he was dead, but he figured, what the heck.
Sloan’s blade cut through the vampire’s knife as easily as it cut through bone and flesh. The vampire fell to the floor, never to rise again.
Sloan positioned herself so her back was to the open door of the armory. Edison and Elwood, both carrying cases, ran through.
“It’s over,” Sloan said from across her blade. She ignored The Scar and looked to the queen instead. “Give up.”
“Oh, my dear, sweet Sloan.” The queen shook her head like a disappointed mother. “This story is only beginning.”
The Scar lunged at Sloan, dodging her blade and getting close enough to strike her across the jaw. The blow brought a minimal amount of pain, causing Sloan to turn her head to the side. Sloan looked back at her attacker with a smile.
“What are you?” The Scar said, hesitating a moment too long.
Sloan struck him across the face with the pommel of her sword. Every ounce of strength she could channel went into her next kick. She hit The Scar in the chest with her right foot, sending him flying across the warehouse room. His body crashed against the far wall and was lost to sight.
“How long until someone raises the alarm?” the queen asked with a sigh. “How far do you think you’ll get?”
“I’ll get far enough.” Sloan lowered her weapon. She had already asked and answered the question. She wasn’t prepared to kill the queen. “I’ll make you see that what you’re doing is not the next step in peace. It’s conquest.”
“Well, history is written by the victor.” The queen moved past her, toward the door. “I’m going to send the men who come after you with strict orders to bring you back alive. I’m not giving up on you, Sloan.”
“And I’ll send them back to you in bandages.” Sloan turned to watch the back of the queen as she made her way down the hall. “I’m not giving up on you.”
“Maybe that’s one of the reasons I like you, because we’re so much alike.” The queen disappeared around the corner. “You have minutes before the alarm sounds.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Sloan
Sloan sprinted down the hall toward the howls and the whimpering. Since the second battle with the vampires began, the noise had been in the background. Aareth was being held somewhere close. Sloan’s speed was astonishing. Even more amazing, her body had accepted her new ability with ease. Sloan rushed past servants and guards in a blur.
She couldn’t blame them for jumping or gawking. Not only was she moving at superhuman speed, she was also a sight to behold. The sheath to her sword was long lost. She held the weapon in her right fist, the blade still humming and glowing a faint red. Her clothes were a mess of her own blood and that of the slaughtered vampires.
The white undershirt was stained crimson and a huge slit was cut on the right side where Scar had nearly killed her. Her hair was a disaster, and she suspected her face still had caked-on blood from the wounds she had received prior to becoming whatever she was now.
Sloan pounded down the halls toward the sound of yelps and cries. The noise was coming from the general direction of the front courtyard. It made sense; Sloan hadn’t seen Aareth during her journey from the back gate, through the garden, and to the palace.
Sloan barreled into a side door leading out into the courtyard harder than she had meant to. The door blew off its hinges, exploding in a shower of wood splinters. Sloan came face to face with a dozen armed soldiers standing around a massive iron cage. Aareth was bound, still in his wolf form. His howls were so loud this close, they made her insides vibrate.
No one made a move. The soldiers all stared at her, trying to make sense of the
seemingly self-imploding door and her ragged, bloodied state.
Sloan searched the soldiers for a familiar face. She caught the eye of Lieutenant Baker. His expression was worth a thousand words as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing.
“I need you and your soldiers to stand down, lieutenant.” Sloan switched off her mage sword and lowered her weapon. “I’m taking the wolf.”
Lieutenant Baker didn’t speak. Instead, he looked back and forth from Sloan to the cage, still trying to make sense of the situation. His breath made steaming puffs in the cold night air. The torches and flaming braziers stationed around the courtyard played with the shadows in sinister fashion.
“Yes, of course.” The Lieutenant moved to the side. “Captain, are you injured? What happened to you?”
Sloan forced herself into a fast walk instead of a run to the cage. If she could get away with this without violence, it would be the best option for everyone involved. These soldiers were only following their orders. They had no idea of the plans the queen had at play.
“I’m fine.” Sloan approached the cage. It was at least ten feet tall, with thick, black reinforced iron bars. “Do you have the key?”
“Here.” Lieutenant Baker handed her the cold, steel instrument. “Captain, are you sure you don’t need medical attention? You’re bleeding.”
The lieutenant wasn’t the only one to catch on that something wasn’t right. All around Sloan, soldiers were whispering to one another.
Easy, just breathe, Sloan told herself as she inserted the key and unlocked the cage. You’re their superior. They don’t know what’s going on. All you have to do is get Aareth and get out of the city.
Sloan ignored the lieutenant as she stepped inside the cage. Her skin prickled with goosebumps, not from the cold, but from the monstrosity Aareth had turned into, the one that was lying in front of her.
Heavy panting came from the wolf beast. Calling it a true wolf wasn’t exactly accurate. Now that Sloan had a chance to see what Aareth had become and not worry about super soldier vampires trying to kill her, she was taken back by his transformation.
His body was covered in thick, black fur that did nothing to hide the musculature of his frame. Wounds from the fight with the vampires still criss-crossed his skin. His hind feet were that of a wolf’s, but his torso looked more like a man’s, with arms, hands, and fingers. His head was all canine, from sharp, pointed ears, to his muzzle that steamed with hot, panicked breaths.
He had stopped howling once Sloan had entered the courtyard, but low, almost inaudible cries still escaped his lungs. The only thing that truly remained of Aareth was the intensity in his eyes. The same eyes that had joked and laughed with her before, studied her now. It was impossible for Sloan to tell if he recognized her or not, but the fact that he wasn’t straining against his bonds to attack her was a good sign.
“I don’t know how much of you is left in there,” Sloan whispered to Aareth. “But your wife is alive. If you want to see her and get out of this cage, you have to listen to me.”
Aareth stopped whining. Besides the heavy lift of his chest when he breathed, he lay still. Sloan examined his bonds. He was lying on his left side with a pair of steel braces connecting his hind paws to one another and anchoring them to the ground. He had another pair around his forepaws. Finally, a steel collar fit tightly around his neck. It was also chained to the ground.
“Easy, I’m going to get you out of here.” Sloan’s heart raced. Every beat became too loud as she heard it in her head and ears. “If you bite me, I’m going to be so pissed.”
Sloan was aware of soldiers on all sides of the cage murmuring to one another and retreating to what they deemed a safe distance.
“Captain, Captain Sloan.” Lieutenant Baker was the only one brave enough to question her now. “Are you sure you should be doing this?”
Like before, Sloan ignored him. She was too busy praying that the same key that unlocked the cage would also release Aareth from his bonds.
Hindquarters first, Sloan inserted the key. With a loud click, the bonds fell away.
Sloan let out a huge breath she hadn’t known she was holding. Aareth still didn’t move, besides his rising and lowering chest. His bright blue eyes followed her actions.
Sloan moved to the second set of restraints on his front paws. The key did its magic. Once again, the shackles opened and released Aareth from their grasp.
“This is going to work,” Sloan whispered to him as she gathered her courage to release the collar from his neck. “We’re going to be okay.”
Alarms signaling a complete palace and city lockdown split the night air in a cacophony so loud it could have woken the dead. Aareth jolted in surprise. On instinct, his jaws opened, and he bit into Sloan’s right arm.
Chapter Forty
Sloan
As soon as Aareth bit her, two things happened at once. The feeling of a dozen knives clamping down on either side of her arm shocked Sloan, and for a split second the pain was held at bay by the pure shock of the moment. Sloan screamed in agony once that half-second had passed.
The second thing that happened was a group of guards who ran from the palace, all shouting things, trying to be heard over the loud sirens.
Sloan had bigger problems on her hands than trying to catch what the soldiers were saying, but she caught enough to understand. There was plenty of pointing and hand waving in her direction, along with the broken, “Stop the captain,” and “Get her.”
With Sloan’s right arm still in Aareth’s mouth, Sloan was left with only one choice. She pulled back her left fist that still held her sword and struck Aareth in the nose with all her might. The hilt made contact with the soft part of Aareth’s snout. Blood flew into the air, but brought the desired result. Aareth released his grip. Blue eyes watering, he shook his head from side to side.
Sloan didn’t have time to think. Soldiers from all around the cage were running at her now. There were precious seconds to react.
Sloan ignored her bleeding arm and the pain that accompanied the wound. She flipped on the switch to her mage sword, bringing the blade down on the last restraint around Aareth’s neck.
“Don’t kill anybody,” Sloan yelled at Aareth as she exited the cage. “Follow me.”
That’s all she could do. Hands were already reaching to tackle her to the ground. Rifles were pointed her way. The siren continued, followed by so much shouting, Sloan wondered how even the soldiers could hear one another.
Sloan did her absolute best not to seriously injure any of the soldiers trying to grab her. But the fact was she was still getting used to her own strength. Sloan bulldozed past the first few soldiers. When a hand did grab her, it was ripped away as they lost her grip on her, thanks to her newfound speed.
When Sloan did strike, she aimed for a stomach or a kick to a leg. She turned off her mage sword, worried she would actually kill one of the soldiers trying to grab her. As she bulldozed her way to the palace exit, the wrought iron gates began to swing closed.
Gunshots filled the air, flying past her head or striking the cobblestone steps, sending up broken pieces of stone.
Breathing was easy as she sprinted. Even the pain in her arm was beginning to dull. Sloan chanced a look behind her. Whether he understood what she’d said, or he was as eager as she was to escape from the cage and the bullets, Aareth ran just behind her.
Sloan’s feet barely touched the ground before they lifted again. Still, by the time she had reached the front gates, they had just swung closed.
What the hell, Sloan thought. I’ve already been punched, stabbed, and bitten tonight.
Sloan slammed into the iron fence at a full sprint. Her teeth rattled as she made contact with the unforgiving frame. It sagged, bent for a moment, and Sloan thought she had broken the gate off of its hinges. But it held. Sloan stumbled back, stunned, before Aareth slammed into her from behind, sending both of them crashing into the gate.
A rending metallic tear added t
o the sounds of the night. Side by side, Sloan and Aareth sprinted down the street toward the city’s main gates.
Chapter Forty-One
Sloan
Even with their inhuman gift of speed, Sloan knew there was no way they were going to make it through the city and reach New Hope’s main entrance ahead of the alarms. Already she could imagine the massive doors being swung shut.
All around them, people screamed or dove out of their way. Horses bucked at the sight of Sloan and Aareth pounding down the middle of the streets.
Sloan found herself with a free moment to worry about how Pia, Harrison, Edison, and Elwood had done. Not only that, but the idea had also entered her mind that she had made a unconscious choice to send them after one another while she saved Aareth. Very easily she could have chosen to go and warn Jack and the Ahab sisters, or Doctor Livingston and Commander Brookhaven.
Had she made the right choice? What if none of the others made it out at all? But she had made the only correct choice there was, hadn’t she? She was the only one who could have saved Aareth, right?
The cold air that should have chilled her lungs felt refreshing on her run. Fatigue was only a memory while the burning her muscles should have experienced was nonexistent. The pain in her arm where Aareth had bitten her was not only gone, but it also felt better than normal.
Sloan glanced down to see what had become of her wound. Just like the mortal knife she had taken to the ribs, her injury had healed. The exact science as to her new healing factor would have to wait to be explained, if it ever could be. Right now, Sloan had bigger problems to deal with.
The Complete Vampire Project Series: (Books 1 - 5) Page 35