Beneath the Darkness

by Harley Jane Rose

  “Why am I here?” I spat, noting that all my previous pain had left, replaced only by a dull ache as if the wounds had healed days ago.

  “We wish to determine and study any and all strengths, abilities, and weaknesses of your race,” he said complacently, as if torturing someone were a normal daily job. It infuriated me.

  “Then read a textbook!” I yelled at him. I had nothing to lose. I wasn’t going to make it out.

  “Such contemporary language. You are a recent recruit then?” He seemed genuinely interested and eager for information, which worried me.

  “Very recent,” I said shortly. “I have more strength than I know how to control. You don’t want to piss me off.”

  “A hunter in your last life?” He smiled as if stumbling on to some big secret.

  “What has that got to do with anything?” I said, not confirming his theory. If I did, I feared that I’d be his new enemy, and the torture would come without any question.

  “Humans and mainly only hunters have access to the knowledge of the species. We were always allowed to view this information before the treaty. But unfortunately, the humans hold it, and we are no longer negotiating with them. My people now test out their knowledge in practice to determine fact and fiction and find out everything we can about the enemy.”

  “The enemy? We are not the enemy! The Shadow Court is, but you guys seem to be fighting everyone but them. We didn’t want to fight you.”

  “We should not need to kneel to lower beings,” was all he said before he nodded to a one-way viewing window on one end of the room, reflecting the image back of me restrained on the surgery table with the man standing over me. I couldn’t believe how smug he looked. I could feel the self-righteous arrogance coming off him in waves. He waited a moment, and then I heard the buzz. I only had a moment to process before my screams echoed through my own ears.

  I was screaming, and I didn’t try to tell him to stop as he just stood there, still watching me. My fangs protruded through my jaw, taking over my mouth as the darkness in me fought to be free of pain and enemies. I could hear my growling and aimed it at the man, throwing every shred of hatred I had at him.

  He took a step back before composing himself and watching again in interest. The light sputtered out as a roaring vibration came through the walls. I recognized the noise. The man obviously didn’t expect, or rather hadn’t expected, to hear it here, he and ran toward the sound of the explosion. Without the brightness on me, I could feel my strength returning, but I waited while the man raced from the room. I assumed the men behind the viewing screen did too. Holding off a few more seconds, I found myself healed and pushed to repeat my escape strategy with as little sound as I could manage despite the pain of breaking bones. Soon I was free again without the light to stop me.

  I slid off the metal table, feeling my fingers and bones click back to their place. I had to force my teeth together in order not to cry out; it hurt more than breaking them. The metal door that the man had left through was closed now and locked, but it didn’t feel sturdy. I lay down on the ground in front of the door and used all my strength and both feet to kick out the door. It flew back off the hinges, and I sat in awe for a moment before realizing the noise I had made would have been heard easily. I ran out the door and took corridor after corridor, checking around every bend to get out. There were no signs in this compound, and judging by the many routes there were, I’d say that this was a place for more than just this asshole’s inquiries.

  I came across another door that was slightly ajar and sneaked out a look inside. Stacks of paper on a desk in the corner and filing cabinets hugged the walls. Pulling myself into the room, I shut and locked the door behind me and moved quickly to the desk. I scanned through document after document and began to realize that this complex was monitoring more than just vampires.

  I saw files on werewolves, vampires, humans, kitsunes, succubi, witches, demons, different types of their Unseelie, and then there was me. They had pictures of each person while they were unconscious and notes describing abilities and information taken in interrogations. I checked every photo carefully to make sure that neither Sam nor Luca had been taken when I had, exhaling when I knew they were safe. The succubus photo drew my eye and made me hold my breath. Lucinda. Her face stared back at me with eyes open, and a phrase glowed at me from the file—Voluntary Admittance. The full weight of it hit me a minute later when I was returning to the other files, including my own. She chose this. Lucinda was now in league with the fae? I checked the date of admission, and the hunter in my stomach was overpowered by the grating of betrayal. She’d been with them since before she was dating Jayden.

  My mind ran wild with theories. The fae could have had this planned all along, and Lucinda was their inside girl. I heard more roars of explosions and knew I had run out of time to read.

  I needed to get out. Taking my file with me, I folded it in half twice and pushed it into my bra, moving back to the door. As I opened it ever so slightly, two people—elves—ran past, headed back the way I had come. Once they were out of sight, I checked for others before running toward the exit—or at least where I thought that would be. Using my vampire speed, I pushed forward, taking out lone fae of all types as I went. Finally, I found stairs leading up and bulkhead doors.

  Outside it was night, and I wasn’t entirely sure where I was. But I knew that I needed to get as far from the complex as possible. I turned around, only finding trees behind me and the door hidden among bushes. Farther in the distance, I could see smoke rising above the treetops, which I assumed came from the facility belowground. Once the chaos was over, they would be out looking for me. I turned and glanced once more at the location of the facility and surroundings, committing them to memory; and then I ran as fast as I could. I didn’t know where I was going. I just wanted to get away.

  CHAPTER 28

  Bianca

  I heard it.

  The howling off in the distance that filled me with relief the second I heard it. Tipping my head back to the sky as I ran, I put my hand on either side of my mouth and did a crude version of a howl in response. It came closer, and soon I found myself running alongside a wolf I recognized so easily. Maybe it was his scent or the way his eyes looked at me, but I knew who it was. He nodded at me before running faster, speeding up with ease and allowing me to follow. His four legs pushed him farther and faster, and I had to really test my new vampire speed to keep up with him. I tried to survey where we were headed and saw a mountain reaching up, a large cave at the base. Luca ran in without hesitation, and I followed, knowing that I was in danger in the open.

  I made it inside and stopped running, pulling up beside Luca. We both walked farther into the cave, and the smell of wolves bombarded my senses. I looked around in the dark. My eyes adjusted quickly, almost to an infrared standard of sight in the dimming light. I looked at Luca to see his eyes produce a slight orange glow, and I immediately turned my own gaze away, worried what my horrifying eyes would look like.

  I reached a metal door, out of place among the dirt and earth of the cave. Inside was a wolf in his human form who caught eyes with me and growled. I shied back, unsure of what to do. But Luca snapped his own growl at the man. He conceded, backing up and allowing us passage.

  I stepped inside and looked around at the dimly lit bunker room. As I looked at the population of the room, I could feel fear growing in my chest. While they were on the same side of the war, everyone knew that vampires and wolves didn’t get along. I had just stepped into a death trap, and my biology was readying my body to attack.

  CHAPTER 29

  Bianca

  I was stuck in a den of wolves. They argued in loud tones over an enemy being in the sacred place while Luca tried to fight them that I wasn’t an enemy. I didn’t think it really mattered; I still wasn’t a wolf. He’d changed back to his human form to communicate better.

  “Please list
en to me. It’s only for a night. We need to get her to the elders, especially Axton Gates,” he said loudly, trying to talk louder than all the other voices that grumbled in disagreement. From behind them all came a growl. It wasn’t like the others; it was powerful and strong. All quieted at the sound. Huxley Darch strode from the shadows at the back of the cave. I hadn’t even noticed him there the entire time.

  “Let the biter prove herself. Step into my office and allow me to decide if you’re worth it,” he said loudly. The other wolves were eager for me to do so. They were quite positive that I wouldn’t be worth anyone’s time. Huxley looked far more disheveled than usual. I followed Huxley into a smaller room out the back that passed for an office. It had a desk with loads of papers that didn’t seem in any sort of order, and Huxley slumped into a chair that was hidden among the stack of papers.

  “What important information does a vampire have for an elder? In these times, we can never know who is on which side,” he said, as if he knew everything.

  “I am a relatively new vampire. I’m Bianca Delacroix, and I have news for Axton regarding a complex that the fae have been using to torture and study us. There is also reason to believe that some of the fae may have been planning a war all along,” I stated, knowing that Huxley was someone who could be trusted. He sat up straight in his seat.

  “That is a very serious accusation,” he shot back.

  I watched Luca take in the information, lost in thought. I knew I had taken him by surprise.

  “I found evidence that supported this, and I have proof that I was tortured for research.” I pulled the folded file out for show before continuing. “But Axton needs to see this as well.”

  Huxley thought for a moment and then nodded, pulling his communicator from the drawer.

  “You will be allocated guest quarters for the night, and if you wish Luca to stay with you for peace of mind, I will allow that too,” he said, ushering Luca and me to leave the room.

  I nodded and followed Luca out and into a hallway that twisted up into the mountain. The metal door we came to sat ajar, and I could lock it from the inside, which helped my comfort level in the world of the unknown. The room was simple, furnished only with the necessities, but the lack of wolf smell was a relief. I walked over to the bed and collapsed back on it, exhausted.

  “How are you coping?” Luca asked, sitting on the edge of the bed beside me.

  “With what?”

  “Everything.”

  “Hmm … in the past two weeks, I have been turned into a vampire, tortured to figure out abilities I didn’t know I had, realized that Sam’s older brother has been played by a woman who might be conspiring with the enemy, oh, and now I’m in the middle of a mountain with a pack of wolves who are so on edge they may actually kill me in my sleep,” I said, lifting my head to look at his expression of concern. “My week has been great.”

  I knew he could hear the sarcasm drip from my voice and the bite behind my words, but I didn’t want to apologize for it. I was completely warranted to feel the way I did, and evidently, he thought so too. I felt his hand sit on my knee—a small comfort in the silence that followed. I closed my eyes, just trying to breathe in the air, knowing that I wouldn’t be woken by burning light or stitches. I found myself finally wanting to sleep.

  “You’ve been in that facility just under a month, Bianca.”

  I sat up quickly. I looked at him, and the regret he had telling me made me know it was the truth.

  “A month?” I breathed out.

  “I’m so sorry. Sam and I have been trying every possible place we could to find you. I bombed the facility using equipment Sam gave me when I found where they were keeping you. He’s back in the Citadel, out of his mind. In the morning, I’ll radio him and let him know we found you,” he rushed on. And while I heard his words, I could barely respond. I managed a nod but felt myself slipping. “Bianca, I’m so sorry for leaving you there with those wraiths alone. I was assigned to protect you, and I should have. Same with the vampire attack. I screwed up, and I know that it may not help now, but I’m going to fight the Royal Fae. I have to make them pay for what they’ve done to you.”

  “The royals?”

  “Aubrey, the prince, is the one leading the charge against the species, and the other fae are so proud they feel they have to follow even if they don’t agree.”

  “Aubrey? Where have I heard that name before?” I managed, finally coming to.

  “He used to be the spoiled brat of a faery that we made fun of. Until recently, he hasn’t really embraced leadership or responsibilities. But that could have been a hoax to keep us all out of his real plans.” Luca stopped. “What did you say about Jayden’s girlfriend?”

  “Lucinda has been working with the fae in their research facility since before the incident. She’s a succubus. She could have easily controlled Jayden to break the circle and spill blood. It wasn’t like him to act quite so rashly in the first place.”

  I watched my words sink in, and then he looked at me with wide eyes, realizing the extent of planning this war could have taken.

  “But why would they want to start a war? The treaty benefitted them.”

  “They don’t want benefit. They want to lead all races. The faery who ran my interrogations seemed pained at the idea of following orders from anyone other than fae.”

  * * *

  I passed Axton my file, knowing he was trying hard to suppress his disappointment about my predicament. He looked over the five pages, and I knew I’d given up no information to the fae that I had to be ashamed of. And I knew it would show that. He stopped on the third page, however, and I suddenly became worried about what he’d found.

  “Did you find what this note on the file might be relating to?” he asked, finally looking up. I didn’t remember reading into the notes, cursing myself for not thoroughly going through my file last night when I had the chance.

  “Which note?”

  He placed the page down on the desk for me to see.

  What if humans only had one life?

  Humans had three lives as they always had. Did they want to change that? If so, how?

  “I don’t follow, Axton.”

  “Very few people have heard or believe this, but there was a time when humans only had one life. Our species was in a world of creatures that had longer and more powerful lives than us, and we tried to even the score by going to the greatest witch of all time, Baba Yaga,” he said, watching my reaction.

  “Is this witch still alive, sir?”

  “In these recent times, no one associates with the witches, but the rumors suggest she was either bound with the Shadow Court or disappeared into hiding.”

  “So she has the power to reverse this? What happens to the people who’ve already died once or twice? Do they stay on their one life, or is it all over for them?”

  “I couldn’t say for certain, Miss Delacroix. But if the fae plan on undoing it, we should stop them,” he said finally. “As for the new dilemma in terms of your species change, many hunters will not be happy about us inviting a vampire into our ranks. I am not, however, ready to push you out into the cold, as I’m sure Mr Fresca will say as well. I would like you to work in secret for me.”

  I thought about it for a second, and I knew my loyalty still lay with the hunters as it probably always would. It was barely a choice at all.

  “Can I tell Sam about this?”

  “You and Mr Fresca are the only ones who will know of this, besides myself,” he said, nodding. “Now I think it is time for you to return to your home and rest.”

  He handed me back my papers after placing them in his file machine. It scanned and replicated the documents for him to place in his own cabinet. I left with my papers inside my bra once again and walked out of the complex, ignoring the stares and horrified looks from the new hunters in training. I knew what most of
them would be thinking if they recognized me: What a fall from grace. The favorite hunter is now a vampire. Isn’t that a turn of events for the special one?

  I held my head high and stared at some of the younger students very intensely, watching the fear cross their faces as I passed. When the front doors opened, the sunlight hit my skin. I coiled back and saw the dark car out front used for Vladamir Bâsescu and other vampires of power.

  I ran for it as quickly as I could. I almost crashed into the pavement in my haste, but I made it inside and was thankful that the car had shielded blackout windows. I sat a moment, allowing my body to heal and feeling the bliss as the burns on my skin cooled. How long it had been, and how much I’d missed everything. The ride was anxiety-driven. I peered as much out the window as I could as often as possible, not allowing myself to lose sight of the city. I just wanted to be home, and it took too many moments to make it there, but finally I did.

  I ran with my speed and launched myself at Sam, hugging him and knocking us both over in the front entryway. He looked so surprised to see me but also so happy. I didn’t care that parts of my back were in pain from the sunlight streaming in behind me. I was just so happy to see him.

  After a moment, though, hunger hit my stomach, and the urge to bite him made me jump back. I closed the front door and pressed my back against it as the sun streamed into the room from small windows on either side. He sat up off the ground for a moment, perplexed and looking like he wanted to pull me to him. He noticed my nails digging into my leg and seemed to take the hint. He moved, closing all the curtains on his way to the kitchen.

  “I’ve had this ready for when you came back,” he said loudly. I followed him cautiously, glad that he sounded so sure. He opened the fridge to show bags of blood, like the ones in the infirmary, sitting in the vegetable drawer.

  “Thank you.” I smiled, knowing he’d been thinking of me since I’d disappeared. “But where did you get the blood?”