by G. K. DeRosa
I lowered myself to the ground and army crawled down the corridor, hugging the wall as I went. A door clicked open, and I slid across the floor behind the safety of the nurse’s station. Footsteps carried down the hall, and a security guard appeared.
“Good evening ladies.” He gave the women a megawatt smile.
Both of their cheeks flushed, their eyes glazing over with a dreamy expression.
Oh, brother.
He stopped on the opposite side of the desk where I was huddled and leaned against the counter.
This was my chance. I scurried across the speckled white tile floor and around another corner as the nurses’ muffled giggles filtered down the passageway.
I got back to my feet and continued down the quiet hall. All of the patient rooms’ doors were shut, most sound asleep at this time of the night. Lucky for me.
I hurried along, my Converse silent on the tile floor; my heart, on the other hand, was another story. Its pounding reverberated across my eardrums in a frenzied staccato. The corridor dead-ended into two metal doors with big black letters stamped across: South Wing – Closed for Renovations.
This had to be it.
I pulled Malcolm’s ID badge from my back pocket and swiped it against the card reader on the wall. A computerized voice rang out in the silence, “Malcolm Levant: level two clearance. Please proceed.” My hand flew to my chest. That damn robot voice scared the crap out of me again.
The door opened with a hair-raising whoosh, and I tiptoed through. I kept near the wall, my muscles coiled so tightly I was afraid they’d burst at any moment. The dark corridor split in two. I peered down one hall. A clear tarp hung from the wall with yellow caution tape draped across it.
Hmm…
I glanced down the opposite direction. Another long hallway with what looked like more patient rooms.
The blocked off area was the obvious choice. I made a quick left and ducked under the neon tape, pulling the tarp to the side. The plastic crinkled, the noise echoing across the silent space. I gritted my teeth and froze.
A few seconds passed and no one came after me, so I let out a breath and squeezed by the canvas. There was a door on either wall and a stairwell at the end of the corridor. I moved to the door closest to me and jiggled the handle. It swung open.
My jaw dropped.
At least a dozen rows of industrial sized refrigerators spanned across the large room. I crept toward the first row and stared through the fridge’s clear glass door. Each shelf was lined with bags filled with crimson liquid. I took a quick count of one shelf and multiplied that by the shelves and then total refrigerators. My breath hitched. There had to be thousands.
Where the hell was the Collective getting all this blood from?
I sped down the aisle, my eyes gaping at all the blood. Kaige would’ve been going crazy right now. I could almost see his eyes swirling silver and his fangs lengthening. It should’ve scared me, but instead, a wave of warmth expanded in my chest.
I reached the end of the row and stared across another ten just like it. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and snapped a few pictures. I needed evidence. Malcolm would never believe me otherwise. Hell, no one would.
I flicked through the digital photos and zoomed in to make sure the quality was good. I squinted as my eyes focused on small black print on the bags.
Wait a second.
I yanked one of the refrigerator doors open and grabbed a blood bag. It was icy to the touch. I ran my finger over the white label clearing the frost. Subject #56373 was scrawled in black ink.
What the hell?
I pulled out another, noting it was marked with the same number. Then I grabbed one from a different shelf and found a different series of numbers. My stomach churned. I leaned against the refrigerator, my legs quivering.
I needed to get out of there.
I darted out of the room, and the door across the way caught my eye. What if there were more?
I tiptoed across the hall and slowly pushed the door open. It was an exact replica of the room I’d left. That meant tens of thousands of milliliters of blood.
I sped out into the hallway, my head spinning. I reached for the wall and leaned against it until the white walls righted themselves.
Heavy footsteps echoed down the hall I’d just come down.
Crap!
I spun in the opposite direction toward the stairwell, my pulse quickening with every step. I jerked the door open and raced down the stairs, taking them two at a time. The slap of my feet against the concrete echoed in the tight space. My thighs burned, my breaths ragged. Just keep going.
Somehow I lost track of what floor I was on and came to a halt at a doorway marked B.
Basement. Damn, I’d gone too far.
I turned around to head back up one level when a faint moan seeped through the door. An icy chill shot up my spine, raising the hairs on the back of my neck. I took a step toward the door and pressed my ear against the cold metal. More moaning.
I glanced up the staircase. Leaving would be the smart thing. Getting as far away from here as possible would be the logical choice. My legs refused to move. My feet were firmly planted to the spot.
Sorry, Kaige.
I turned the handle, but it was locked. The red blinking light of a card reader mounted on the opposite wall caught my eye.
Might as well give it a try. I swiped Malcolm’s badge and the door unlocked, swinging open.
I scanned the enormous space and gasped.
Humans in cages. Everywhere.
The room stretched at least fifty yards both ways with towering ceilings. Cages ran the length of the room, shooting up into the air on multiple levels. Each cell was packed with two or three people. Most were huddled in corners, their emaciated forms leaning against iron bars.
The stench of human waste and rotten garbage flooded my nostrils. The acid in my stomach churned. I gagged, swallowing down the urge to vomit.
How could this be happening? Who were these people, and how did they end up here?
Voices carried across the room, coming in my direction. I darted to the left toward a dark corner enclosed by two cages. One was empty and the other held only one person who appeared to be sleeping.
I crouched down on the floor, willing my heart to stop racing. It was so loud I was sure it would wake the entire place up.
A gray-haired man in a white lab coat appeared, walking next to a younger guy in a matching coat. The young guy held a tablet in his hands, and he tapped away at the screen with a stylus.
I glanced into the cage next to me. The woman lying on the cement floor had an IV poking out of her wrist. My eyes followed the tube up to a medical bag hanging on a metal rod. The clear plastic container was nearly filled with dark red liquid.
How could they do this?
The older woman’s ash blonde hair splayed out behind her head, coarse and brittle. Sharp cheekbones protruded from pale skin, and she sucked air in by shallow breaths. I narrowed my eyes, focusing them to see more in such dim light.
There was something familiar about her.
I inched closer, wrapping my hands around the bars. This wasn’t an older woman… This was a teenage girl, younger than I was by two years. Carissa.
But it couldn’t be… Isla’s sister, Carissa, had died four years ago in a car accident.
I stared at the emaciated blonde in front of me. She looked like she could’ve been in her fifties instead of fifteen. It was her, though. The light smattering of freckles on her nose in the shape of a heart confirmed it.
“Hold on, Carissa. I’m going to get you out of there,” I whispered.
I glanced up, but the two guys were gone. I peered around Carissa’s cage, down the row of cells. No one in sight.
My heart constricted. I couldn’t stand the idea of leaving her here, but how was I going to get her out by myself? I needed reinforcements.
Maybe I could find the key to the enclosure somewhere…
I tiptoed down
the line of sleeping prisoners, every breath making me wince. If just one woke up and saw me, I was screwed. My eyes ran up the towers of cages shooting up at least twenty feet into the air. Bile churned in my stomach.
How could they treat humans like this? Not even the taranoi had it this bad in Draconis.
Fury bubbled up in my chest, building with every step I took. This was all to send blood to Draconis… but why? And to whom? I wish Kaige were here.
I reached the end of the aisle and searched along the back wall. There had to be an extra set of keys somewhere. In the far corner, a large yellow machine caught my eye. A long arm extended from the front with a bucket attached.
I moved closer to get a better view. It looked like a forklift or something. I ran my hand over the green and blue buttons. It seemed to be fully automated, since there was no cab for a driver. The bucket was large enough to fit a full-size adult and held a second set of controls. That must have been how they reached the prisoners in the top cages.
But no keys.
I clenched my fists at my sides. Circling back around, I snapped a few more pictures for proof. I scanned the outer corners for a control panel or anything that would unlock the cages. There was nothing.
I reached Carissa’s cage and slumped down next to it. “Don’t worry, I’m not giving up yet.” Her eyelids fluttered, and my pulse accelerated. “Carissa, can you hear me?”
Her eyes slowly opened as if even that slight movement were painful. She squinted, her little nose scrunching up.
“It’s me, Solaris. I’m getting you out of here. I just have to figure out how.”
Her weary eyes widened, showing more white than I’d ever seen and her mouth gaped.
“What’s the matter?”
A hand came over my mouth, pressing a towel over my nose and lips. I screamed, but no sound came out. Instead, I inhaled and a sickly sweet odor invaded my nostrils. My head spun, and black blanketed my vision.
Chapter 11
Kaige
Another erratic flutter shook my heart. A line of cold sweat ran down my temple, dropping onto the tall tabletop. Why was I so nervous? I could construct this formula in my sleep. It wasn’t the heavy stare of the alchemist in front of the room judging this trial. It certainly wasn’t Xander who was speeding through the elixirs he’d been assigned to make.
I brushed the beads of sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand, wiping it on my pants. My eyes sought out the ginger root from the collection of small vials I’d taken from the shelves.
The second trial involved creating specific solutions. The first one finished with the correct mixtures would win.
Various scents of herbs floated around the dark, windowless room located in the basement of the apothecary. Gas sconces lit the rough stone walls and floor, casting flickering lights over the cramped space. Wooden shelves filled with ingredients and delicate equipment stretched around us.
Delvin, one of the oldest alchemists, sat in a chair in front of us, watching our progress. Except for his roaming dark eyes, he was so still he could have been mistaken for a statue. No one else was allowed in the room or in the apothecary upstairs. This trial wasn’t meant for an audience.
It was nice not having a thousand eyes glued to my every move. Xander was probably disappointed he couldn’t showcase his potion-making talent to the hordes of eager nocturnes. He spent a lot of time messing around with formulas. Dark, nefarious things were more his specialty though, and nothing in that realm would be on this list.
The spicy scent of ginger wafted up as I grated it into the bowl. I was working on Lenimen, a solution used to counteract most poisons that could be slipped into synth. This was actually a very important one for the future king to know. No telling what enemies could arise, even ones hiding within this very castle. If for some reason the alchemists weren’t available, I would need to know how to save myself.
My thoughts wandered to the blood bags. If my father wasn’t the one behind them, another noble could be plotting a takeover. Poisoning synth would be an easy way to kill us.
I blinked, attempting to concentrate on the next ingredient. My vision blurred around the edges.
My pulse spiked. Damn. Not again.
My fingers curled around the edges of the table as I fought the pull toward Solaris. It took mere seconds for the alchemists’ storeroom to disappear and a nightmare to unfurl around me.
No. Solaris was the one caught in a nightmare. Her heart rammed against her chest, and fine tremors shook her muscles.
She was in a large room layered with cages. Those cages were occupied by frail, sickly humans. Tubes filled with crimson twisted from some of the metal prisons, emptying into hundreds of medical bags.
Blood.
My stomach rolled at the stench choking the air. Not even the sight of human blood could rouse the tiniest bit of hunger in me while immersed in this hellish, despicable sight.
Oh gods. This was why I’d been feeling so strange. The bond allowed her emotions to travel all the way to Draconis to me. The reason that happened? Probably because she was in more danger than ever before.
This was the origin of those blood bags we found on Turstan’s plane.
Everything shifted, and my head swam as I returned to my own body. Deep ragged breaths were streaming from my mouth.
Solaris was in over her head. She’d stolen a high-level clearance key card and had managed to find herself in a holding cell for humans. The Collective was draining their blood.
But why? Why would humans do that to each other?
They weren’t simply stealing blood, they were robbing those people of everything. Their lives. Their dignity. Their basic human needs. All gone.
Even we considered our ancestors, the original vampires, barbaric and sometimes monstrous, but they were nothing compared to the people responsible for this.
And my little human was trapped in Imera with them.
A glass vile shattered in my hand.
Delvin shot up from his seat, the delicate material of his silver robe fluttering around his sandaled feet. “Prince Kaige, is everything all right?” His dark eyes scrutinized me from within his pale, weathered face.
No. I was not all right. Far from it.
“Fine,” I hissed between clenched teeth. “I’m fine.” I brushed the bits of glass from my palm, the minuscule cuts already healing. My gaze flickered toward Xander who was staring at me with a furrowed brow.
“What is the matter with you?” he mumbled. He seemed genuinely perplexed. We were in the middle of a trial, and I was letting my cold, perfect exterior crack.
I ignored my brother and swept the broken shards into a trashcan. I needed this trial to be over. Maybe if I could sit in my room alone and concentrate, I could communicate with Solaris. It was worth a shot. I’d tell her to get her reckless, idiot tail out of there immediately.
The thought of actually speaking with her, even just in our minds, sent tingles through my body.
I stumbled as another wave of panic unexpectedly ripped through my chest. My stomach clenched. Oh no. Solaris.
She was bent over, talking to an emaciated girl—if you could call her that—in a cage. I watched in horror as the girl’s sunken eyes widened. Chills tattooed down my spine, and my own breathing came hard and fast.
Someone was behind Solaris!
A hand holding a towel crushed against her mouth. Chemicals swirled around, instantly darkening her vision. A heavy dose of fear shot across the bond, ripping me in two. Blackness quickly engulfed the scene as Solaris’s body lost the fight with the drugs.
I slammed back into my body, both Xander and Delvin staring at me. I cursed and shoved away from the table.
Those monsters had my little human. They took her. She was unconscious and vulnerable. There was no telling what they would do to her now that she’d seen their dirty secret.
“Sir, are you all right?” Delvin was directly in front of me, confusion deepening the lines in his face.
I dragged my hands through my hair, the dampness of cold sweat clinging to my fingers. My body shook with adrenaline and fear, and my brain was a muddled mess of images stolen from hell.
Delvin cleared his throat, anxiously switching his gaze from Xander to me. “Perhaps we should take a break?”
“What?” Xander hissed. “Absolutely not.” He motioned toward me. “If my brother is unable to continue that’s his problem.”
My nostrils flared as I glanced over the ingredients and the solutions still left to mix. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t sit here and pretend I was fine when Solaris was with those monsters.
“I’m done,” I snapped. “I forfeit today’s trial.” I spun and stormed off, feeling their stares boring into me.
“Uh, sir, but…”
Delvin’s voice faded as I marched out of the room, slamming the door behind me.
The blood bond was unhappy Solaris and I were apart. Garridan said that was the reason for these flashes.
Well, it was about to become very happy again. My teeth mashed together, fangs tearing through my gums. I was going to get my little human.
The royal guard was inside the cabin of the plane, his hands fluttering over the controls as he checked them. He nodded once he finished, ensuring everything was ready for takeoff.
Perfect.
I yanked the door open, startling him.
He held his chest and let out a whoosh of air, his broad shoulders relaxing. “Oh, sir, I’m sorry. I wasn’t aware you were here.”
No. I had been very quiet while sneaking into the royal port where the luxury airplanes were housed. There were plenty to choose from with so many families arriving at Castle De La Divin for the trials.
“Can I help you with something?” His gold breastplate read Macon. “I was about to pick up the DeLaurentis family.”
