So many more questions ran through her mind, including what she was going to do about Aareth, that Sloan had almost missed the pair of men walking down the street. One was tall and thin with a clean-shaven face and a limp. The other was a gargoyle, short and stocky, and covered with stone-like skin.
Sloan had to remind herself not to stare. Her interaction with gargoyles was limited, at best. Her knowledge of them reminded her they could be turned to solid, unmoving statues in the rays of the sun. This one moved in the shade the overhanging roofs brought. Sloan turned her back on the two. She pretended to be looking into the nearest storefront that sold foodstuffs and home goods.
“Should be fun,” the tall man said to the gargoyle. “We’ll have a hearing for them, all official-like, then no matter the outcome, still hang them.”
“Just hang the two men, you mean,” the gargoyle corrected. “The boss likes the gnome, and the woman is easy on the eyes. I think she’ll keep her around a bit.”
“She’s a spitfire, though, that one. Did you see how many it took to get her and that sword of hers under control?” With a look of disgust, the thin man spat onto the dirt road. “We’re lucky none of her other companions could fight as well as her. We might not have been able to bring them in.”
The rest of their conversation was lost to Sloan. She watched their reflections walk into the building opposite hers, and disappear. It sounded like her friends were still alive, and that was enough to give her hope.
The sun was just beginning to sink over the building tops when Sloan realized patience wasn’t her strongest suit. She decided to take a closer look.
Thus far, the only people who had even looked her way twice were random citizens of Term more interested in her because she was a stranger, not because they expected anything malicious from her.
Sloan crossed the dirt road, her once-shiny black boots now covered with a thick layer of dirt that made them look brown. Her pants were much the same. The brown cloak she wore was the worst part of her new outfit. It smelled of one part someone else's sweat and another part vomit.
The mage sword was the only thing that remained exactly the same since her transformation and her flight from New Hope. It was tucked into her belt, the sheath lost somewhere during the events of the escape.
Sloan walked to the side of the building she had seen the man and gargoyle go. In the alley, there was a window she could just see into if she stood on her tiptoes.
“Listen, if you don’t want to hear reason, then at least entertain the idea you could be wrong.” Edison’s familiar voice rang out from inside the building. “The queen is planning to invade the Outland, and she’s coming sooner rather than later.”
Sloan craned her neck to gain a better look inside. The first floor was actually one large room and three steel cages. Sloan was looking through the window of the first cage. Edison’s back was to her. Next to him was another cell with Doctor Livingston sprawled out on a dirty mattress. The only other things in each of the cells besides the occupants was a worn mattress and a bucket to relieve themselves in. The third cell was empty.
The rest of the room was filled with a massive staircase leading up to the next floor, three desks with chairs, and a few gun safes and filing cabinets.
“We’re not your enemy.” Edison shook his head in frustration. “We should be preparing to repel an invading army of super soldiers, not fighting amongst each other. Come on, we can work something out. What are you boys into? Booze? Drugs? Money? We can make a deal.”
Sloan’s eyes now drifted to the three men Edison was speaking with. Two were the men she had seen walking down the street, and the third was a bear of a man. Wild, brown hair and a beard so thick that she couldn’t see his lips covered his face. He wore a pair of dirty pants and suspenders, with no shirt.
“They’re not going to listen to you,” Oliver Livingston said from the mattress in the cell next to Edison’s. “They want to see us hang.”
“That’s right,” boomed the shirtless man. “You killed half our gang. Kimberly isn’t going to let that stand.”
“Well, I don’t want to argue with you here.” Edison opened his hands wide. “But technically, neither I nor my associate, Elwood, have killed anyone. It was all you-know-who’s friend—”
Edison hid his face with one hand, and with his other he pointed to Oliver.
“Are you pointing at me again?” Oliver asked without bothering to look over at Edison.
“No, nope.” Edison lowered his hand. “Why would you say that?”
“Listen, you idiots.” The gargoyle stomped over to Edison’s cell. Its bald head and pointed ears barely reached Edison’s chest. “You’re both going to swing, no matter how much you beg and plead. Get used to the idea.”
“Come on, Rocko.” The thin man motioned to the gargoyle. “Let's go upstairs and see what the rest of the boys are up to. We’ll have our fun with these two tomorrow at the hearing and then at the hanging.”
“Well, that doesn’t seem fair.” Edison scratched at his head. “How do you know there’s going to be a hanging, if the hearing hasn’t even happened yet?”
Sloan had seen enough. She gave her toes a break and came down off their tips. A kink was already forming in her neck. It was obvious to her that she could free the two prisoners; no matter how many men they had upstairs, Sloan was more than a match for them, between her mage sword and the new powers she possessed.
The only thing that worried her was being able to get to Ashley and Elwood in time. If word traveled back to wherever they were being held that Edison and Oliver had escaped, they could be killed on the spot.
Movement tore Sloan away from her thoughts. A shadow fell across the alley, blocking out the last dying rays of light.
Chapter Five
Sloan
Sloan raised her sword, hitting the button on the pommel that awoke the mage power. Her blade hummed with red light.
“Easy there, warrior queen.” Kade’s familiar voice released the tension from Sloan’s shoulders. “It’s me. You know, that guy who fed you before you ran off.”
Sloan lowered her weapon.
“What is it that you want,” Sloan whispered. “I’m kind of busy here.”
“I know.” Kade walked into her full view, his boots kicking up tiny clouds of dust. “I’m trying to save you from making a mistake.”
Sloan felt her anger winning over intrigue. “I don’t need you to save me from anything. I’m a big girl.”
“No doubt.” Kade leaned against the building opposite the one holding her friends prisoner. It looked like an old house, with flaking paint and a sagging roof. “But the building I’m leaning up against right now is housing the New Hope soldiers who have been scouring Term. If you try to free your friends now, you’ll have to kill a whole heck of a lot of people. You’ll have not only Kimberly’s men to deal with, but the soldiers, as well.”
For the first time, Sloan stopped to think her plan through. Even with these new odds stacked against her, she might be able to take them all. But at what cost, and to whom? Could she ensure that Edison and Oliver would escape the battle unscathed? They were scientists, not warriors. On top of that, was she willing to slaughter so many people?
“If you’re insistent on saving your friends”—Kade motioned with an open arm—“then follow me.”
Kade moved to go, expecting Sloan to follow. When she didn’t, he stopped in his tracks and turned again.
“Oh, right, you have that whole trust issue thing going on.” Kade sighed, trying to think. “Listen, you obviously have no love for the crown. Neither do I. They took everything from me. We share a common enemy. Keep your sword drawn if you want, but at least follow me and see what I have to say.”
Sloan weighed the pros and cons in her mind. If Kade really wanted to ambush her, he had his opportunity minutes before when he caught her unawares in the alley. Could he actually just be a nice guy with her best intentions in mind? Doubtful.
“Okay,” Sloan said, powering down her sword. “Lead the way.”
Kade nodded and led her down the alley, away from the main street. They emptied out into yet another alley that ran behind the rear of the row of buildings. Kade fell to all fours, looking down at the sheriff office’s foundation.
“Are you all right?” Sloan looked from side to side to make sure they were still alone. “Need to tie your shoelace or something?”
“Look, stop checking out my butt and get down here.” Kade pointed to the foundation of the building.
“I wasn’t checking out your butt.” Sloan rolled her eyes. She joined Kade on all fours, examining the building’s structure.
The building was new, and whoever had constructed the sheriff’s office had done so using a raised platform. There was a tight crawlspace under the building. It would provide just enough room for someone to maneuver on their stomach and elbows.
“Give it a few more hours.” Kade rose to his knees, dusting off his hands. “The boys like to drink. They’ll be passed out by then.”
“Why are you doing this?” Sloan followed Kade’s lead, resting on her feet in a squatting position. “You don’t know me or owe me a cent.”
Kade took a deep breath. The act made his chest rise and fall in a soft, rhythmic motion. Sloan almost thought she heard a deep purr echo somewhere in his lungs.
“You’re a tiger.” Kade said, rising to his feet. “You’re the most beautiful tiger I’ve ever seen.”
“You don’t even know my name.” Sloan blushed, also rising to her feet. “And I’m not a shifter.”
“Well, what is your name?” Kade looked at her with a boyish grin. “And I didn’t mean you were a shifter.”
“My name’s—” Sloan hesitated. For the first time in a long time, she wondered if she should give Kade her real first name. It was something she hadn’t done since her first year in army boot camp. “You can call me Charlotte.”
“Charlotte…” Kade played with the name like a lollipop across his tongue. “I like it.”
“Why did you call me a tiger?”
“Because you’re strong, fearless, and confident.” Kade took one last, long look at her that made Sloan feel uneasy in the best kind of way. “You don’t need my help. I’m one hundred percent confident that you would be fine without me. And in a weird kind of way, that makes me want to help you.”
Sloan and Kade looked at each other through the dusk the early hours of night brought on.
“If you need—I should say, if you want my help”—Kade turned to go down the alley—“you know where to find me.”
Chapter Six
Sloan
Crawling on her stomach around the underbelly of the sheriff’s building was the very last thing Sloan wanted to be doing. But Kade was right. It would be better to do this quietly than to rush into a frenzy, severing heads and mutilating bodies with her sword. The fact that she had even entertained that idea told her she had been hanging out with Aareth too long.
Sloan flipped on her mage sword with a quick twist of her thumb. The dull red glow gave her a few feet of illumination in every direction. Her back scraped the top of the small crawlspace as she maneuvered her way through the dirt. It smelled of wet wood and urine underneath the house. She did her best not to wonder what was done with the privy buckets when they were full.
Mage sword out in her right hand, Sloan inched her way to where she thought Edison’s cell was located. When she first crawled into the space near the rear of the building, she had been confident that she could find the right place to emerge. Now that she was actually under the floor, everything looked so different.
Sloan did her best at guesstimating where she should emerge. A spot with heavy reinforced wood told her she had guessed well. The floor would need to be strengthened below the cell to ensure it would be able to hold the weight of the steel cell bars.
Sloan almost gagged at the smell. It had been slowly building in her nose until she could practically taste the odor of a used bathroom.
Hold it together, girl, Sloan coaxed herself. Almost there.
There was barely enough room for Sloan to position herself on her back. Light snores from directly above her told her she was underneath Edison.
Not only were snores wafting down toward her, but Edison was talking in his sleep.
“No, no, you’re cute,” Edison murmured in between snores that sounded more like coughs. “But I came to the dance because I love you. You don’t think I look pretty?”
Sloan rolled her eyes, trying to listen for anything else that would tell her this was not the right time to emerge. But besides Edison’s dreams of a dance imagined, there was nothing. No squeaks from the floorboards above, no chatter from the men supposed to be watching the pair of inventors. It was good enough for Sloan.
With more difficulty than she imagined, she lifted her sword and began to cut through the floor above. The mage sword was silent and made quick work of the floor despite the reinforced wood.
Sloan barely felt the pressure of the wood against the blade. She would have to remember to ask Edison about the mage sword’s battery supply, if it even had one.
Within the space of a few breaths, there was a small hole opened in the floor above her. Sloan switched off her sword. She moved the circular piece of wood she had cut out and placed it next to her on the dirt ground.
She waited again to ensure she was still unaccounted for. The only thing that she could hear was her own beating heart and Edison’s insistence that he was pretty and had come to the dance on his date’s request.
Sloan slowly rose through the narrow hole, and her eyes widened when she realized where she was. Sloan stood right in between Edison’s spread legs. Fate had certainly had his best interest in mind that day. A few more inches to the north and Sloan’s escape hole would have turned into Edison’s worst nightmare.
Quietly, Sloan lifted herself out of the recently carved escape hole. The room was quiet. Only one guard dozed at a desk at the far end. A few muffled voices could be heard from the second floor, but at this range, they sounded like they were either drunk or dead tired, maybe both.
Sloan removed herself from the awkward position between Edison’s legs and leaned in toward him. She pressed her hand against his mouth.
“Edison,” Sloan whispered close to his ear. “Edison, wake up and be quiet.”
Edison continued to snore.
Sloan pinched his nose shut with her thumb and pointer finger. A brief gag, and Edison’s eyes snapped open.
“Shhhh…” Sloan pressed a finger to her lips. “It’s me. We’re going to get you two out of here.”
Edison blinked a few times before realization crossed his stare.
“Oh, Sloan, am I glad to see you. They have Elwood and Ashley.” Edison turned to take in the hole between his legs. “My goodness, woman, you almost did the females in this world a huge disservice.”
“Yeah, or maybe I just doomed them.” Sloan moved to the side of Edison’s cell that he shared with Oliver Livingston. Oliver was already sitting up on his mattress.
“You came for us?” The doctor looked at her through the broken, gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. “I didn’t know if you’d made it out or not. When Edison came for us to tell us the news, I feared the worst.”
“I told you’d she’d make it out alive.” Edison slapped Sloan on the shoulder. A puff of dirt followed his action. “She’s nothing this world has ever seen before. One part vampire elixir, one part phoenix serum, one hundred percent badass.”
“Boys.” Sloan turned her sword on once again and began working on the bars separating the two inventors’ cells. “Let’s save story time for after we get out of here. We still have to free Elwood and Ashley.”
“Right, right.” Edison held the bars while Sloan cut a mini-sized hole through the steel. Not surprisingly, her blade severed it like butter.
“There.” Sloan finished the last cut, looking over to the lone, slumberi
ng lookout. He was still passed out hard, doing a fair amount of snoring of his own. “Let’s go.”
Edison grunted as he moved the cut steel bars to his side of the cells to provide Doctor Livingston access to the escape route. He fumbled with the grip on the bars, and they slammed onto the wood floor. It wasn’t a loud sound, but in the presence of utter stillness, it echoed in Sloan’s ears.
The trio of escapees stood quiet. All eyes turned to the guard who now fidgeted in his chair.
“I wanna, I wanna ride the pony,” the guard mumbled in his sleep.
Sloan and the doctor looked at Edison with glares.
“Pshhh.” Edison smiled, throwing a thumb at the sleeping guard before he entered the escape hole. “What an idiot. Who talks in their sleep?”
Sloan
“Where are they being held?” Sloan asked as she jogged with the two scientists away from the sheriff’s office. “We need to go and get them now. In a few hours, the sun will rise, and they’ll realize you’ve escaped. When that happens, we need to be as far away from Term as possible.”
As soon as Sloan had said the words, an image of Kade came to mind. She didn’t even mean to think of him, but a tiny part of her she had locked away for a very long time felt like she would miss him if she never saw him again.
“There’s a brick house somewhere in the center of town.” Doctor Livingston motioned with his hand to the area of Term where they needed to travel. “We were taken there briefly when we were first captured, then we were separated. Edison and I were taken to the sheriff’s office, while Ashley and Elwood were kept at the estate.”
Sloan did her best to dust off her clothing. It was pointless. At this time of night the streets were empty. No one would see them, and if they did, they were probably too drunk to tell that they didn’t belong in Term.
“So how did you get captured, anyway?” Sloan asked the two scientists as they traveled down the side of the dirt road.
The Complete Vampire Project Series: (Books 1 - 5) Page 38