I lean close to the monitor. “Why can’t I feel this group?”
“They must be masking their presence.” He doesn’t look happy by the revelation.
I could argue that maybe my lack of expertise is to blame, but there’s no time to figure out the why. All that matters is that they’re in the house and we’re outnumbered. “What do we do?”
Rylan clicks a few more buttons. “You’re not going to do anything. They’re barely inside. It will take them time to get here.” He stands and rolls his shoulders. “I’ll get to them before that happens.”
I’m moving before I register my own intent, shifting to stand between him and the door. “Not alone.”
“Mina.” He smiles slowly. “No matter what else is true, here I am the apex predator. Once I’m out the door, hit this button.” He motions to one in the sea of them. “It will shut off the lights.”
“Vampires have superior eyesight in the dark.”
“They still need some light to be able to see. They won’t get it in here.”
Because there are so few windows. I drag in a breath, fear like a live thing inside me. “That means you need light to see, too.”
“Yes, but sight isn’t the only way to get around. Smell is just as useful.” He closes the distance between us and kisses me hard. “Bar the door behind me. If the worst were to happen, there’s a hatch below the desk that will take you out. It’s narrow and uncomfortable, but you’ll be free.”
If the worst were to happen.
That would mean that Rylan is incapacitated. I drag in a breath. “If you think that’s a possibility, don’t go.”
“Mina.” Gods, the way he says my name. Tenderly, as if testing it out in the space between us. “No matter what else is true, we are warriors. We can only run and hide for so long.” He brushes his lips to my forehead. “I care for you. I won’t let them take you.” Rylan lifts me easily out of the way, and sets the bar across the door aside before I have a chance to react. Then he’s gone, sliding out into the shadows of the hallway. His body ripples as he changes, shifting into a monstrous wolf that looks like something out of a nightmare.
I shut the door and wrestle the bar back over the door. It’s heavy enough that I don’t know if a human woman could manage it. If I wasn’t terrified out of my mind, I would wonder again what kind of woman this granddaughter of Rylan’s friend is, but I have bigger things to worry about.
I hold my breath as I push the button Rylan indicated. Instantly, all the cameras go dark. Did I fuck something up? Even as the worry takes hold, the cameras flick back to life, their images taking on a green tint that indicates night vision.
The giant wolf that is Rylan appears and disappears in flashes, running full out down the warren of hallways. He barely pauses at the doors. I can’t be certain, but I think he shifts one hand to open them each time. It makes me dizzy trying to track him, so I turn to the intruders instead. They’re all dressed in black and wearing masks that hide everything but their eyes, which now glow eerily in the night vision. They could be anyone.
I don’t know the layout of this place well enough to figure out where they are, and it’s not as if Rylan left a convenient map to track their progress against. All I know is that he’s moving quickly, and they don’t seem to have been slowed down much by the lack of light.
On the other set of screens, the vehicle is stopped. I catch blurs of movement that might be a fight, but my eyes can’t track it to tell for sure. No matter what advantages seraphim might supposedly hold over vampires, their physicality isn’t one of them. They’re faster and stronger. I can feel Malachi and Wolf through the bond, but all I’m getting is a direction and approximate distance. It doesn’t make it easier to tell what’s going on.
Trying to follow the action will just give me a headache. I keep one eye on that screen, but turn the rest of my focus to the intruders actually in the house. They’ve gone still. I examine the buttons before me, finally finding one that seems to allow audio. A horrifying howl echoes through the speakers.
Rylan’s caught their scent.
I peer at the screen, but they don’t seem nearly as terrified as I would be in their position. Being hunted in the dark by a monster, unable to see the threat coming at them.
The staticky sound of a radio. A tinny voice I can barely pick up. “We’re in position.”
The small hairs at the back of my neck rise as the tallest person in the group lifts the radio and say in a horrifyingly familiar voice, “Round them up.”
Father.
Oh gods, Rylan’s in over his head. No matter how easily he can cut through normal vampires, all my father has to do is get a word out and he’ll flip the tables entirely. He can order Rylan to hold still and cut him into little pieces and there’s not a single thing I can do to stop it.
I scan the buttons, looking for some kind of intercom, but it’s too late.
On the screen showing the outside, the vehicle explodes. I stop short, staring in horror as vampires emerge from both sides of the road. There’s a flurry of blurred movement, a flash of fire, and then everything goes still.
Two bodies fall to the ground, and even in the dark I recognize Wolf and Malachi before the other vampires close in, piling onto them to trap them. “No,” I whisper.
“Stop. Be still.” My father’s voice brings me back to the other screen. He pulls the mask from his face. “Flashlight.”
One of the other vampires provides a flashlight and he clicks it on. Right before them, less than ten feet away, is Rylan. His body is low to the ground, obviously my father stopped him right before he pounced, and he quivers as he fights the command.
“Pretty thing,” my father murmurs. “You’ll make an excellent rug in my great hall.”
“No!” They can’t hear me. There’s no way any of them can hear me.
My father flicks his fingers. “Sleep.” He watches with interest as Rylan slumps to the ground. “Bind him with silver.” As his people rush to obey, he turns and finds the camera overhead. “Are you watching from some bolt-hole like the rat you are, Mina? All of the suffering to come could have been avoided if you’d done the one task I set out for you.” He shakes his head. “This is on your head. Now, be a good girl and wait for me. I’ll be along shortly.”
Something wet and hot slides down my cheeks. I press my fingertips there, strangely surprised to find that I’m crying. All this time and effort, and he’s outplayed me once again. If I open the door and turn myself in, he might—
What am I saying?
He won’t let any of the men go. Three Bloodline vampires in one fell swoop? It’s a feather in my father’s cap like no other. He won’t stop with a blood ward this time. No, he’ll want to ensure any progeny of this trio of Bloodlines stay within his control. He’ll do whatever it takes to make it happen, including drugging and torturing my men.
A sob bursts from my throat and then I’m moving, shoving the chair back and fumbling down at the floor beneath the desk for the hatch Rylan said was there. I can’t help them if I’m taken, too. I’m not sure I can help them if I’m not taken, but I have to try to fight. They’ve sacrificed too much for me to do anything else.
I find the hatch and wrestle it open. I can hear my father’s voice, vibrating with power, but it doesn’t work well long distance. His will presses on me, demanding I hold still and obey, but it’s dampened from being conveyed through electronics. Because of that, I’m able to slip into the dark square beneath the desk and pull the hatch closed behind me.
Rylan was right; it’s a tight fit. I descend the ladder in perfect darkness, the walls so close, they almost brush my shoulders.
I couldn’t feel the weight of the mountain while in the house, but here it’s almost overwhelming. Even without seeing my breath, I know it’s ghosting the air in front of me. A shiver works its way through my body, and I pick up my pace. There’s no telling how long I have before they find the security room, how many minutes it will take them to break down the door and give chase.
Endless minutes later, the ladder ends and my feet find solid ground. I reach around, trying to get a feel for where I am now. My foot nudges something. A box. Inside, I find the familiar shape of a flashlight. I hold my breath, praying to gods I’m not sure I believe in that the batteries are still full.
The light clicks on.
I exhale slowly and take a look at my surroundings. It appears to be a natural cave of some sort, the walls close and slanting. There’s only one path forward, so I have to hope that it leads to the exit. Spending years wandering this place, lost, while my men are tortured and bred against their will is out of the question.
The box that held the flashlight also has a thick coat that’s only slightly too large, a pair of boots that are also slightly too large, and a pack of bottled water. It’s not quite a bug-out bag, but it’s close enough. I pull on the boots and coat, instantly feeling better now that I’m not freezing. I glance up into the darkness where the hatch is, but there’s no sound or movement. Down here, I’m completely cut off.
Except I’m not really.
I can still feel the men through the bond. Rylan somewhere above and to the right, Wolf and Malachi to the left.
If my father transports them, the bond will react poorly.
Shit.
I pick up my pace, hurrying through the cave in the only direction I can walk. Maybe under other circumstances, I’d marvel at the cold beauty of this place or consider how it makes me feel like I’ve left our world behind entirely.
It takes less time than I would have guessed for me to see a sliver of light ahead. I click off the flashlight and move forward slowly, all too aware that this might be yet another trap. If my father was able to find the other entrances, surely he could find this one?
Except when I step out into the sunlight and turn back to look at the cave entrance, it’s nearly invisible. And I’m standing six inches from it. Someone would have to truly know it was here to find it.
Still…
I consider my options. I know where my father will take my men. He rarely ventures out of his compound to begin with, and it’s more than equipped to keep captives. It’s hardly the first time he’s tried something of the sort.
I suppose I’ll have to try to keep pace with them as best I can to avoid the bond lashing at all of us. I’m not sure what will happen if they’re taken too far from me, but I don’t want them to suffer while we find out.
A branch cracks somewhere off to my left. I react on instinct, crouching down next to a bush and holding my breath.
“I can see you, you know. That’s a godawful hiding spot.”
A feminine voice. It’s not familiar, but I hardly know all my father’s people by voice alone. “If you come closer, I’ll kill you.”
“Cute, but I don’t think so.” A woman steps into view. I blink like a fool in response. She’s a tall white woman with a mass of wavy brown hair and an athletic build, clothed in what looks like military gear designed to camouflage the wearer. The gun slung over her shoulder isn’t her only weapon. I count at least three knives that I can see, one long enough that it might be termed a sword.
She’s also human.
She eyes me. “You’re Rylan’s seraph.”
Surprise flares. I wouldn’t have thought he’d tell anyone about my identity or what that might mean between the two of us. “Who are you to him?”
“A friend. Sort of.” She lifts her gaze to the mountain behind me. “I take it things went poorly. The alarms have been blaring since those assholes breached my security. Where is he?”
“They took him.” I can feel him moving, but there’s a sluggish nature to the bond that makes me suspect they drugged him. I don’t know what drug can incapacitate a vampire, but of course my father is aware of it and has it on hand. “They took all of them.”
“Well, fuck.”
“That about sums it up.” I twist, trying to estimate the growing distance. We have miles and miles to play with, but I’m on foot and they’ll be in a car before too long. “I have to go.”
She narrows inky eyes at me. “I don’t suppose you have a plan.”
Not even close. “Of course. I’m not going to let him harm them.”
The woman sighs. “I guess I’m at your disposal, at least for transport and the like. Though I’m not storming any castles for you, princess.”
I can’t afford to trust her, but at the same time, I can’t afford to reject any help out of hand. “Why would you help me?”
“My family owes Rylan a debt we can never repay.” She doesn’t say it like she’s happy about it. “Since I’m the matriarch of the family now, that means it’s on me to keep balancing the scales.”
I eye her. I’m hardly an expert on humans, but she doesn’t look much older than me. “Who are you?”
“Oh. That.” She adjusts the position of the gun across her back and offers her hand. “Grace Jaeger. I’m a monster hunter.”
I shake her hand, feeling numb. “Wouldn’t you consider me one of the monsters?”
“Definitely.” She says it so easily. “But, like I said, the whole debt to Rylan thing means you’re safe enough with me.”
I’m out of options. I run my hand through my hair. “We have to follow them. Do you have a vehicle?”
“Come on.”
Her vehicle, if it can be termed such, is an off-roading beast with two seats and yet more weapons. Grace climbs behind the wheel. “Which way?”
I point north. “They’ll be heading for Montana where my father’s compound is.”
“I see.” She worries her bottom lip, a small line appearing between her dark brows. “We can’t drive this the whole way, but there’s a good stopping point a few hours from here that will take us in that general direction.”
It will have to do. “That works.”
She guns the engine and then we’re off, flying over a trail that barely seems to exist. The engine is too loud for easy conversation, which is just as well. I don’t know this woman, and all I can focus on in the worry about what comes next.
My father took my men.
I close my eyes and welcome the anger that knowledge brings. Better that he’d taken me instead. At least I know how to survive in that compound, though that was back when he actively underestimated me. I doubt he’ll make the same mistake again.
Nausea rolls over me in a wave, and I have to open my eyes. What the hell? I press my hand to my chest and try to focus on the area in front of the vehicle, but it doesn’t help. Another wave, stronger this time. “Pull over.”
Grace glances at me. “What?”
“Pull over!”
She slams the vehicle to a stop, and I barely get out of it in time to lose the power bars and apple I ate earlier. I keep dry heaving for several long moments as my stomach tries to exit my body.
I have never thrown up once in my life. I don’t get sick at all, not really. I search the bond as best I can, but it doesn’t seem to be originating from there. What the hell?
Another wave of nausea nearly has me dry heaving again.
“You okay?” Grace gives a rough laugh. “You’re not like, pregnant or something, are you?”
Surely not.
Except…
I close my eyes, feeling with my power on instinct alone. I’ve gotten really good at feeling the parameters of the bond. Searching within my actual body isn’t all that different. To be thorough, I scan myself from head to toe. There, nestled in my lower stomach, I find it.
The tiniest, most fragile spark of life inside me.
I open my eyes. “Holy shit.”
I struggle to my feet to find Grace offering me a pack of mint gum. “Don’t get back in here until you chew through one of these. I’m super sensitive to smell and puke breath is gross.”
“Thanks,” I say faintly, my mind still spinning.
“Is there a reason you’re muttering ‘holy shit’ at the forest after you throw up?” She sounds vaguely curious, almost like she’s asking out of politeness.
If I’m really pregnant, it means I have what I need to fight my father. It would be significantly simpler if I also had my men at my side, but I’ll make do. All I need to do is get onto the compound and make a public declaration. It will take careful planning. I can’t think about it right now.
I press my hand to my stomach, and the little flicker of life seems to flare brighter in response. I wish I could be happy. This is what we wanted, after all. Except my being alone and stranded with some strange monster hunter while my men are taken captive by my father was never part of the plan.
“Turns out you were right.” I swallow hard. “I’m pregnant.”
