Darklight 2: Darkthirst Page 3

  “Collect them. We don’t have much time.” Before he moved, I grabbed his elbow abruptly and stared into his glacial eyes. “Dorian. They don’t know what’s going on. The Bureau is still lying. My friends—” My choked ending was lost in the wind as it whipped past us, the sand scrubbing my skin.

  We both had our teammates and loved ones pitting themselves against us.

  He nodded solemnly. His hand found mine and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Let’s get back.”

  Chapter Three

  Fantastic. My old team was hunting me down, and now I got to drag their unconscious bodies through the desert. I blew a stray hair out of my face as I hurriedly patted down Roxy and Colin for any equipment that could be used to track us. Less than twenty-four hours after our daring escape from Phoenix, and the Bureau was officially on our tail. In any other situation, I would have been proud of how quickly the team had tracked the target and moved in. It was a little more complicated when I was on the receiving end of the Bureau’s power.

  Dorian stooped beside me. I studied his face, seeing how it teemed with shadows and dread. Our eyes met in a silent exchange. We would have to do something with Roxy and Colin.

  “We can’t leave them here,” I said. “They might get picked off by a redbill for lunch.”

  “What’s the benefit of bringing them with us?” Dorian asked, skeptical.

  “We get to interrogate them and get a sense of the Bureau’s plans. They can tell us numbers. Facts are better than speculation,” I insisted.

  “Fine.” Dorian’s resistance faded. Bringing them in brought another issue with us—we would have to inform our merry group of new vampires.

  “Can’t be helped,” I muttered bitterly.

  We moved quickly. I grabbed the comms off Colin and Roxy. Dorian took one, I the other, and we stomped them into pieces. It was best to grind the components almost into dust to make sure there were no tracking components left. With the bits of comm already being consumed by the desert, we hauled their bodies down the rest of the canyon. Dorian hoisted Colin’s body over one shoulder, and I took Roxy in a military carry across both shoulders. It wasn’t the first time I had carried her out of a mission like this on account of her recklessness.

  Part of me wished we had time to tear their uniforms and gear off. The added weight wasn’t doing us any favors in the hot sun.

  A figure appeared at the mouth of the cave but darted back in before I could identify them. Almost certainly a vampire. Dorian sighed, sounding exhausted already. My stomach sank with a nervous weight.

  The sound of muffled arguing became audible. The deck was already stacked against us, and we didn’t have another second to lose.

  I kept close behind Dorian, being careful not to bang Roxy’s head on the wall as I slipped her off my shoulder. Dragging my old teammates into a cavern of vampires. Despite Roxy and Colin’s aggression, maybe there was something I could’ve said to make them calm down in the desert. Everything had happened too fast.

  We entered the main cavern to find nearly everyone waiting for us. Their voices died as soon as Dorian took a step inside. That wasn’t the reaction I wanted, but I couldn’t blame the vampires. The phone had gone off an hour before, and we were now bringing them a gift of unconscious soldiers. While the former might not be the cause of the latter, it was easy to interpret it that way.

  I couldn’t see Dorian’s face, but I could feel the tension radiating into the air. Vampires huddled on one side of the cave in the darkest of the shadows, most with tightly drawn expressions. Gina and Bryce sat on the sandy floor near the far passageway that led to where Zach was resting. I sucked in an anxious breath, preparing myself for a barrage of questions, but Dorian spoke first.

  “The Bureau has found us,” he explained evenly. With a swift movement, he set Colin’s unconscious body on the ground. Stepping up beside him to grab Colin and pulling Roxy by the collar of her uniform, I dragged my two teammates to rest against the wall near Gina and Bryce. A wave of guilt hit me as Colin flinched in his unconscious state. Gina hurried to help me with a frown.

  “They were waiting at the spring?” she asked. “How did they find you?”

  “No, we stumbled into each other, and great question. I don’t know yet,” I said, and leaned their heads against the wall. “Never thought I’d have to tie up my own friends.”

  We secured their wrists and ankles with zip ties they were carrying in their tactical packs.

  “Did they give you a chance to explain anything?” Gina asked.

  I shook my head glumly. “Roxy went to punches pretty fast,” I said.

  Gina helped me ensure the bindings were tight but not cutting into their skin.

  “We need to move. Time is of the essence,” Dorian said with grim authority. The vampires shifted. Some pulled back with doubt, while others looked angrier than ever, their sharp teeth flashing. I wasn’t ready for a vampire riot. Dorian had his work cut out for him, and he knew it.

  “You see!” shrieked a voice.

  Gina and I turned to see the haughty vampire, Oleah, stalk toward Dorian. “I told you. The humans have been playing us since the beginning.”

  Dorian’s eyes narrowed. He took a step forward in a subtle challenge to her aggression, but his face remained calm. “If it is anyone’s fault that the Bureau found us, it is likely mine.”

  He didn’t want to anger his brethren any more, I imagined, but Oleah didn’t seem like the type to respond well no matter what.

  She reeled backward in frustration, immediately going to whisper darkly with her group.

  I recognized a few of the distrustful faces from the incident earlier today. These were the vampires who wanted to return to the Immortal Plane. My stomach sank as they descended into murmurs, but I forced myself to turn away. There was nothing I could say to convince them. Besides… I would have enough trouble convincing my own people. My eyes landed on Colin and Roxy, who might stir any minute. Gina checked them over with Bryce, who shook his head.

  “A sad day to be hunted by your own,” the captain muttered. I couldn’t agree more.

  “We could send out scouts,” someone suggested from the vampire side. “See if there are any more troops.”

  I turned to see that it was the hulking vampire who had spoken. So, the giant had a soft voice! I hadn’t heard a word out of him since the beginning.

  Dorian stared at him and nodded. “That’s an idea, Gavril. We can send out a few individuals on foot. See if we find any other soldiers nearby. If there are any, knock them out and bring them back here. We’ll want to ask questions.”

  My pulse stuttered in alarm, but Dorian met my gaze and nodded with a reassuring air. He wouldn’t let anything happen to the Bureau soldiers if he could help it. The wary vampires kept to their huddled groups. Gavril, Bravi, Sike, and the woman with one arm volunteered to scout and left immediately. Dorian went to keep watch at the entrance of the cave. I hoped the offer from these vampires meant they were becoming more willing to work with Dorian. If we could work together, our job would be easier.

  The benefit of vampires was that they were fast. Incredibly fast. It felt like only a few minutes passed before Dorian strode back to the main cavern. He wasn’t alone. A body was draped across his shoulders, and Gavril followed with another. My skin prickled at seeing the vampires hauling humans as if they weighed nothing. And not just any humans. My old squad.

  Gavril had returned with Grayson easily restrained in his powerful arms. Sike led Louise into the cavern, pinning her hands behind her back. Grayson’s eyes widened in horror as he looked about the cavern at the crowd of vampires. Louise kept her eyes low. Her face was tight and almost embarrassed beneath Sike’s stare. Gavril and Sike went to work and quickly tied Grayson and Louise’s hands and feet with more zip ties.

  I spotted the comms in Gavril’s hand. He crushed them with an easy movement, the technology crumbling like stale bread in his powerful fists. I filed that display of power away for later use.
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  “We’ll put them under guard,” Dorian said, his eyes assigning the task to Gavril and Sike. They nodded and leaned against the walls next to the captives. Roxy and Colin began to stir. This would be interesting…

  I still hadn’t decided what to say to them. Gina shot me a nervous look.

  “Where are the others?” someone whispered from the vampire side. Dorian pressed his lips together and glanced toward the entry passageway.

  “We will trust Arlonne and Bravi’s skills,” he said simply.

  “Unbelievable,” someone hissed below me. Roxy had woken up. She glared at Gina and me. “You traitors.”

  “Roxy—” Louise whispered, her eyes darting across the ranks of hostile vampires.

  “You don’t understand what’s going on,” I told Roxy, desperate to avoid provoking the vampires.

  Grayson furrowed his brow, twisting his hands accusingly in his bonds. “We understand the vampires attacked Bureau soldiers with no provocation,” he said flatly.

  “Attacked?” Roxy raised her voice over his. “They murdered a whole squad who were taking them to their new home. And you?” She gave me the fiercest glare I’d ever seen from her. “You attacked your own kind!” she yelled. “What the hell is wrong with you? Did they brainwash you?”

  The noise filled the cavern. I balled my hands into fists at my sides, trying to stay calm. “I understand why you would think that, Roxy. But the Bureau was lying to us all. They’re still lying to you. I swear we had no other choice.”

  Grayson watched, gaping at us. Louise and Colin, who had been awakened by the shouting, sat in silence with cold stares.

  “No other choice?!” Roxy cried, nothing in her face suggesting she believed me. “If you’re as in control of yourself as you seem to be, then you had endless choices, Lieutenant.”

  Her words sliced through me, but I forced my face to remain calm.

  Dorian’s face was tense, the muscles of his jaw working as he clenched it tightly, the shadows whipping across his sharp cheekbones. He moved an inch in between Roxy and me.

  Her eyes swung to Sike and then to Dorian. “And you two! You betrayed us. You kidnapped my teammates and killed people, good people, who were trying to help you survive—”

  “The Bureau was trying to exterminate the vampires,” I interrupted sharply.

  Roxy’s chaotic eyes swung back toward me.

  “You’ve been fed half-truths and bigoted evidence,” I told her.

  “She’s telling the truth.” Gina stepped forward, along with Bryce.

  “Aye, she is. The Bureau has made fools of us all,” Bryce said. “They strung along each and every one of us.”

  Roxy pressed her lips together upon hearing this. Her cheeks reddened with anger. There was a vacuum of silence after the echoes of shouting. “Captain,” she acknowledged, but didn’t follow it with anything else as her furious gaze fell to the ground.

  Still wary, I crouched in front of her, attempting to make myself as nonthreatening as possible. “We haven’t betrayed you, Roxy. Please let us explain.”

  At that moment, Bravi and Arlonne quietly returned to the cavern, obviously finding no other Bureau personnel on their scouting mission. Bravi joined us, and Arlonne hung back closer to the other vampires. She seemed intrigued by the interaction.

  “Roxy, you’ve been keeping me awake with your yelling since basic training,” Zach croaked with a wry grin as he limped in. “Thought I was finally safe, but it seems not.”

  Gina flew over to help him, but he was steady enough. He took her hand and placed a swift kiss to the back of it, giving her a reassuring look. I gave a relieved inward cheer. He seemed much better than earlier.

  Roxy opened her mouth, some smart retort ready on her tongue until she saw the dressing peeking out of the tear in Zach’s pant leg.

  Following her gaze, he lifted bandages away from his right thigh and showed off his battle wound to the four captives. Gina and I had applied the stitches last night. The area was still an angry red, with a tinge of brownish-yellow from the iodine, but it wasn’t bleeding.

  “This was from a Bureau agent when everything went down,” he said. “A Bureau agent very intent on killing not only the vampires we swore a treaty with, but also me and Lyra and Gina and the captain.” He stuck the dressing back down. “The only reason any of us are alive is because of the vampires.”

  “I have hard evidence from the Bureau itself,” I said and pulled the blueprint along with the report from my gearbag. My composure wavered as I clutched the building plans. I had been taught there must be honor in war to counteract the destruction it so often brought. The fact that my uncle—the same man who had reminded me of this in a grave but proud speech when I got promoted to first lieutenant—actively supported this kind of atrocity rocked me to my core.

  I gathered my emotions while Gina held the report for them to read. Then, while I gestured with the blueprint, I explained in more detail what we knew. “That report is about the efficacy of hydrogen cyanide over two carbon gases. The Bureau never wanted the vampires to survive. They built new homes for them, but they all form an interconnected gas chamber. I overhead my own uncle talking about their plans in a meeting with the board.” A hard knot settled in my stomach as I pictured Uncle Alan’s face. A man I used to trust with my life.

  “Gas chamber?” Colin echoed with horror.

  I tapped the illustrated system that showed the way gas would move throughout the entire area. Stunned belief dawned on Colin and Louise’s faces.

  “I heard my uncle say it himself. Extermination.” A disgusted shiver ran down my back.

  Roxy glowered. “I don’t believe it. You could have gotten that anywhere.”

  “Neither do I,” Grayson piped up.

  Are you kidding me? I wanted to scream but knew that it would only make things worse. What evidence did they want? For me to wheel my uncle in for a full confession complete with slideshow presentation?

  “Why would they lie about something so extreme?” Louise asked in a firm voice. “You would be crazy to make that up. Lyra isn’t crazy.”

  “It’s written on the page,” Colin added. He tore his gaze from the blueprint with a shudder. “The Bureau was leading them to slaughter.”

  At that moment, Laini approached with Dorian.

  “Was it the phone?” she asked. The four captives turned to her as best they could in their restraints. “Is that how you found us?”

  I was grateful for her arrival. It was time to steer the discussion back on track.

  “Don’t say anything,” Roxy said hotly to the other three.

  “If they don’t talk,” came an oddly chipper voice from the other side of the room, “I’d be happy to help.”

  I turned to see one of the twins, her eyes gleaming with a twinkle of pleasure. These twins gave me the absolute creeps.

  “Or we can leave them for dead,” she said, with emotionless eyes and a small smile on her face.

  “No,” Laini and I said together. Sike took a threatening, protective step in front of the captives while Dorian placed himself between the vampires and the humans.

  “No one will be harmed.” Dorian sounded like a three-foot-thick brick wall of no, and he looked just as solid. Even given the seriousness of the moment, I felt the gravitational pull of his strength. I shook off the distraction and stooped down again to meet Roxy at eye-level.

  Roxy raised her eyebrows.

  “Come on,” I said. “You may not always like me, but we’ve gone through enough together that you trust me.”

  She gave me a stony look that suggested she did not, in fact, trust me.

  “Albany, New York. One of our first expeditions together.” I said. “I saved your butt from a redbill when you forgot to take the safety off your gun. I’ve got your back.”

  With a begrudging sigh, she nodded slightly. My shoulders lifted with relief as she spoke.

  “I know that,” she said, her posture becoming a little less hostile
. “Look, they only sent us four to survey the scene before the Bureau brings in the big guns to rescue you guys. If my hands weren’t tied, I’d be doing air quotes around rescue, okay? They sent us because they figured we were less likely to get killed by either you guys or the vampires. Well, the vampires they know about.”

  Her confession caused a moment of silence. My heart stirred with the hope that we might be able to work with Roxy’s team. She took a deep breath and continued.

  “We were supposed to get the lay of the land and then report back. The Bureau had a general location, but they had no way to know what kind of base the vampires had set up. They put me in charge since you were gone, Lyra, which,” she shrugged, “wasn’t as satisfying as I was hoping it would be.”

  “How did they find us?” Zach asked, leaning against the wall to take the weight off his leg.

  “I’m not sure how they tracked you guys,” Roxy replied. “They will have searched the personnel database, so if your phone is registered with the Bureau, they probably found you that way.”

  “Aye, it’s a useful tool,” Bryce echoed. “But I always make a point of keeping my personal phone off the database.”

  “It must have been the old phone,” I muttered, futile guilt washing over me at the flicker of pain my words caused in Dorian’s face. “I hadn’t gotten around to registering my new one. Man, I knew they could work fast, but being on the other side of the Bureau’s intelligence is terrifying.”

  Gina and Bryce nodded beside me. If the Bureau was onto us, we would have to move quickly.

  “Are we still waiting for anyone to come back in?” I asked Dorian.

  He nodded. “The earlier scouts are still out there.”

  “Do you have rations?” Gina asked. “If we can’t leave immediately, we may as well eat while we have the chance.”

  Louise nodded. “We brought day rations in our gear bags.”

  “If you haven’t torched them yet,” Grayson grumbled.

  In a few minutes, we found the rations and divided them, drinking deeply from the canteens Dorian and I had brought back from the spring. The measly supplies failed to inspire much optimism, but they were something. The captives had eaten before they left, according to Louise, but I made sure there was enough left for them. If they came with us in the end, we might need the provisions. We ate enough of the nutrition-packed granola bars to restore our energy, but my stomach yearned for more. My father’s lemon butter pasta wafted into my mind, making my stomach growl, but I pushed the thought away. We were in survival mode.