The Scarlet Dagger (The Red Sector Chronicles, #1)

by Krystle Jones

  I screamed at her to turn around while she still could, but she took a flashlight from her utility belt as the others joined her/me.

  More flashlights flipped on. “Oh, sweet! Check this out.” Rook pointed to a shelf lined with containers. We all shuffled closer to examine them. Most had some sort of liquid in them, though it was too opaque to see much of what was inside. I shined my flashlight on one, and something long and bloated drifted past the edge of the light.

  “Oh my God,” I said. “Is that a finger?”

  “No freakin’ way!” Orion leaned forward, completely engrossed in my find. I tilted my head ever so slightly, catching Rook’s eye, and winked.

  Taking my cue, Rook snuck up behind Orion and grabbed him by the shoulders, screaming into his ear.

  Orion leaped about two feet in the air, nearly knocking over the shelves in the process. He rounded on Rook and punched him in the arm so hard he staggered a bit. “You think that was funny, smartass?!” Orion yelled, clenching his fists. His normally mischievous smile was gone, and his eyes had gone steely. I recognized the look on his face, the same craving for bloodshed I saw him get whenever he got into a fight. As much as I loved my brother, I hated the darker side of him, like when we were growing up, how he’d pull off butterfly wings because he thought it was funny, or said disturbing things like, “Wouldn’t it fun to drown Ms. Allerby’s cat? Then it wouldn’t use our yard for a litter box anymore.”

  I quickly stepped between them as my brother advanced on Rook. “Back off, Orion,” I said, throwing up my hands. “We were only joking, and you know it.”

  Orion blinked at me, and just like that his goofy grin was back. “Hey, I know that” he said, tapping me on the arm with a playful punch. “Maybe I was just playing too.” He laughed awkwardly and I let my arms down, giving Rook an apologetic smile. We both knew the risks of hanging out with my brother. His dark mood swings were just part of “the whole package,” but he was largely a good guy and a lot of fun to be around.

  Something – a shadow – darted away in the corner of my vision.

  I stiffened, scanning the dark. “What was that?”

  The others paused, a look of fear crossing their faces before Rook laughed. “It’s probably a rat or something scavenging off of whatever died down here.”

  “Yeah, this reeks,” Orion said. “Let’s see what’s upstairs.”

  Something about the shadow set me on edge and I gladly let him pass, dismissing the thought to paranoia and the jitters. We found a rickety looking ladder and climbed the short ascent to the main floor. It looked like we had walked into a parlor.

  As far as haunted houses go, this one was pretty damn creepy. Moth-eaten sheets were draped across the furniture, and there was so much dust and dirt floating in the air that it looked like mist. My throat immediately began to itch; it wasn’t long before I started coughing.

  “Hey, sis,” Orion said, looking back at me. “Could you tone it down a notch? You’re kind of ruining the mood for me.”

  I was about to respond with a rude comment when Rook’s light landed on a chair. There was an odd shape to the sheet lying across it.

  “What’s that?” I asked, pointing.

  Rook moved the light back until it was directly on the chair. At first, I didn’t want to believe what I saw, how the folds of the sheet outlined arms and legs and a lowered head.

  No one moved and I knew we were all thinking the exact same thing.

  Orion broke the silence. “Is that… a body?”

  The sheet stirred, lifting just enough to see long, blackened nails dig into the armrests before a creature straight out of hell pounced on us.

  I opened my mouth to scream, but all that came out was a choked gasp for air. There was a roar, almost human, right before Rook and Orion started screaming, their terror-filled faces burned into my mind as I spun on my heel and ran.

  ***

  Someone was shaking me. “Sloane! Sloane, wake up!”

  Orion and Rook’s screams filled my head. I hadn’t realized I had also been screaming in real life until I jerked awake with a shriek, bolting upright. Two sinewy but strong arms looped around me, holding me tight.

  I thrashed wildly, still halfway locked inside the dream. “Let me go! Let me go!”

  The arms tightened around me, followed by a familiar, deep voice. “It’s all right! You’re safe!”

  I took a shaky breath and closed my eyes as my terror subsided. “Aden,” I breathed, heart pounding. I caught the faint trace of something sharp yet sweet hanging on the air, coming from Aden’s skin.

  He gently rocked me back and forth. “It’s all right,” he repeated. “You’re safe.”

  I took a calming breath, but every time I closed my eyes all I could see were Orion’s bloody body and the sunken-in face of the vampire tearing him apart. My voice shook with a sob. “I’m a monster,” I whispered, silent tears spilling down my cheeks.

  “No,” Aden said firmly, holding me at arm’s length. I was a bit awed at how excellent vampire vision was in the dark; I could see every feature of his face clearly. “Listen to me.” He gently wiped away my tears with his thumbs. “You are not a monster. You’re human, a living, breathing human. You got that?”

  I searched his eyes. “But what if I hurt the ones I love?”

  “Then it makes you more human.” He smiled faintly. “We all make mistakes, Sloane.”

  I shook my head. My bangs were glued to my forehead by sweat. “I don’t know. Some mistakes are too horrible to forgive. My brother…”

  Aden’s eyes darkened. “That is not your fault. At some point, you’re going to have to stop living in the past and learn to live for yourself again.”

  He said it harshly and I bit my lip, thinking maybe he was just edgy because my screaming and thrashing had awoken him. “I’m sorry I woke you up,” I said, untangling myself from his arms. When I lay back down, I turned away from him, hoping he hadn’t seen how red my face was. My hands were shaking so badly that I had to clutch the pillow to still them.

  I thought maybe he would leave, but instead I felt the bed give as he lay beside me, atop the covers.

  “What are you –”

  “Chill,” he said. “You’re still freaked out. I can feel it. I’m only staying until you fall asleep. I won’t try anything, I promise.”

  I wanted to push him away, to pretend the dream was nothing, and to ignore the fact he was causing my heart to race. But instead I turned away from him, settling into the mattress with Aden’s warmth at my back.

  As I lay there the smell sharpened, and the names of the spices came to me.

  It smells like cinnamon and cloves.

  The cologne was familiar, though I couldn’t remember how. I breathed it in, and a warm feeling like love blanketed me as a memory I couldn’t quite see tugged at my mind. Feelings of adoration and love consumed me, chasing away my fears, and I was asleep within seconds.

  This time, I didn’t dream.

  Chapter 11

  When I woke up the next morning, Aden was gone. I stayed in my room for as long as I could, afraid that if I ran into him – which was inevitable considering we lived on the same floor – it would be awkward. I didn’t know entirely what to make of this carefree, gentle side to him… a side I was dangerously attracted to.

  I lay in bed until I thought my bladder would explode before caving and stepping outside my room. Aden was already in the bathroom. I froze in the door, panicked.

  “Oh hey,” he said, spitting out toothpaste and rinsing his toothbrush. “I was just finishing up. Bathroom’s all yours.”

  He walked by me without so much as a smile. It was completely normal, like any other time we’d casually talked to each other. Relief coursed through me, but I couldn’t ignore the twinge of disappointment I felt deep in my gut.

  I stayed in my room for most of the time, too embarrassed to face Mrs. Knight after what I had said to her. But – bless her – she was quick to makeup. In the early a
fternoon, she brought a tray of food to my room, and I was at first stunned to see her in the doorway. Then she smiled at me and I almost burst into tears. She hugged me. I let her and it was awkward, mostly because I didn’t hug her back. I wasn’t sure if I either wanted or deserved to.

  We separated and I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, keeping my eyes fixed on the floor.

  “I’m sorry for what I said. I had no right… I didn’t mean to…” I gritted my teeth, unable to put exactly what I was trying to say into words.

  Mrs. Knight placed a hand on my shoulder, smiling. “It’s all right. No harm done. We’ve all been there, Sloane.”

  I immediately felt lighter.

  That night, I went down to dinner. Aden looked a bit surprised to see me (I hadn’t seen much of him since we spoke in the bathroom this morning), but he didn’t bring up last night’s dinner and we all three sat down to eat as if nothing had ever happened. I’ll admit, it was kind of nice, just being able to eat and not worry about whether I was behaving “like a proper lady,” as my mom would have put it.

  My spirits somewhat brightened after Mrs. Knight and I spoke, and before I knew it three days had passed and Aden’s suspension was lifted. One of Frost’s personal guards arrived early in the morning to have Aden sign some paperwork before he could officially return to the academy. I stood at the top of the stairs, having woken up early because of all the commotion. Aden spotted me. “Good. You’re awake.” He climbed the stairs and handed me a black package. “Get dressed.”

  I took it, confused. “What’s this?”

  “Your uniform,” he said with a grim smile. “If you’re going to be Frost’s lackey, you have to look the part.”

  “But I thought I wasn’t allowed to leave the house?”

  Aden shook his head. “Since you swore fealty to the Syndicate, you can start training at the academy. Provided, I have to be with you at all times, since Frost made me your guardian.”

  More like so you can both spy on me all the time.

  Aden ushered me up the stairs. “Go get changed. Classes start in less than a half hour, and we still have some paperwork to take care of.”

  Part of me was bummed I would be training. I was hoping that once Aden was gone, I could search the house for my phone and Leo’s dagger, but with the chip in my arm, I figured it was just as well I didn’t have the opportunity to land myself in more trouble. They’d probably be tracking my every move, and besides, they probably had my things under lock and key somewhere deep within the base.

  I let Aden shoo me back upstairs to my bedroom, where I stripped out of my pajamas and pulled on the black jacket and skirt, along with the tall knee-length boots. A single bronze chevron was patched onto my sleeve. I pulled my hair up into a bun, and after seeing my sallow complexion, I decided to apply a light layer of foundation to hide the bags under my eyes (Mrs. Knight had thought of everything when she set up my room, including a small makeup stash). Since the night I had dreamed of my brother, I hadn’t slept very well. My body was restless, my mind going over the events from the past few days.

  I looked at myself in the mirror. The cold soldier facing me was a far cry from the well-dressed school girl I saw a few days ago.

  This is it, I told my reflection, staring her in the eyes. You’re doing this so you can find a way out of here, to warn Leo. My heart ached at his name, making my resolve to save him that much stronger. Scanning myself one last time, I left the room and went downstairs.

  Aden met me by the door, already dressed in his black uniform. He gave me an appraising look. “Not bad.”

  His eyes lingered on the hem of my skirt a little longer than they should have, and I cleared my throat.

  He at least had the decency to blush. “What can I say? I might be your commanding officer, but I’m still a guy.”

  Aden stepped outside and I paused in the doorway, staring at the sidewalk like it might jump up and bite me. Though Aden had sworn the anklet would be deactivated while I was training, it didn’t mean I was quick to find out otherwise.

  Aden rolled his eyes. “Nothing will happen, I promise. You can trust me.”

  I looked up at him, shivering at the gentleness in his voice. His eyes shimmered, and before I knew what I was doing, I had one foot planted on the ground.

  Nothing had happened.

  Feeling braver, I fully stepped outside. My brother and I had a dog one time, when we were little. I felt like Sandy now, our caramel colored cocker spaniel, when she had first stepped into snow, tentative and unsure.

  I let my shoulders relax, and followed Aden as he took off at a brisk pace.

  My stomach flip-flopped as we walked toward the base. I kept glancing down at my right wrist, making absolutely sure my tattoo was covered. I had even slopped some makeup on it to dull the outline of the cross, which was marred anyway thanks to the Scarlet Steel. Still, it wouldn’t take a genius to guess what the ink meant, not after my rather disastrous debut.

  I wondered how the other students would react to seeing me. Would they shun me? Would some of them even try to kill me, knowing what I was? These thoughts preoccupied me as we walked, so much that I didn’t notice we were at the base until we were inside (the academy was on the ground level). Aden led me into the main lobby and I swore the temperature dropped. Students and staff alike froze to shoot us glaring looks, giving me a wide birth as Aden opened an office door for me. I stared straight ahead as I went inside, ignoring them while fighting to keep my cheeks from burning.

  Several receptionists, all dressed in red military garb, looked up at once. Their eyes widened in sync, until Aden pointedly cleared his throat and they all went back to their business. I pasted a look of complete indifference on my face and followed Aden up to the front desk.

  A plump woman with rosy cheeks smiled a little too brightly. “Captain Knight!” She was trying to be pleasant, but I could tell it was strained. “What can I do for you today?”

  The Aden I saw at the apartment – the true Aden – was gone. His face was stern as he said smoothly, “Mary, this is Sloane McAllister.”

  “I know who she is,” Mary squeaked.

  Aden sharpened his voice and she visibly drew back. “As her training begins today, we will need to square away registration papers before Ms. McAllister is officially enlisted.”

  The woman glanced at me and paled. “She’s training?”

  Aden’s jaw twitched. “Is that a problem?”

  “Er, no, Captain Knight. It’s just –”

  “I know what she is,” he said softly, voice as hard as steel. “But if you’d like to personally take it up with General Frost, I’m sure I can arrange an appointment.”

  Her skin turned even whiter and I felt her fear. “Fr- Frost?” she stammered. “No, no that won’t be necessary. If the General commands it…”

  Aden smiled in cool satisfaction as she scurried away to retrieve whatever items I needed to fill out and sign. I glanced at him and caught his wink from the corner of my eye.

  The woman returned in a flurry of rustling skirts and papers, so anxious she nearly dropped them in the process. “All right, Ms. McAllister,” she said with a tight smile. She handed me a pen. “I just need you to fill out a few things, and we can get you all squared away.”

  I reached up to take the papers she offered, but Aden snatched them from her grasp. “As I’m in a bit of a hurry, I think I’ll speed things along.” He turned to me. “I’ll explain the fine print later. Just sign here, here, and here and that should be adequate for now.”

  “What about the physical?” I asked, pointing to a clause.

  “Don’t worry about it,” he said quickly, taking the pen and scribbling what I assumed was a signature. “I’ll see if Paris can squeeze you in sometime later.”

  I blinked. Calm down, Aden. I don’t think they’ll fire you, or whatever they do down here if I’m a few minutes late to class.

  “O-kay,” I said slowly. He handed me the pen back and I signed
my name where he said, not asking any questions. As I signed away my life – my freedom – I felt a knot coil in my stomach. By agreeing to this, it meant forsaking my humanity, in a way.

  I took a deep breath as I handed the papers and pen back to the secretary. This is only temporary, to make ends meet. I won’t be doing Leo any good if I’m dead.

  Aden bid the secretary farewell and we left with my schedule in tow. It was fairly generic, a handful of education classes on top of some basic hand-to-hand combat training. “They want to observe you, to know they can trust you not to go guerilla on us after we’ve put you through the full training course,” Aden said. “Once your probation is lifted, you’ll have more combat training, though you’ll still have a few general education classes. They want everyone enlisted to receive a well-rounded education.”

  Inwardly I scowled, my mind stuck on his first comment. Great, as if being babysat wasn’t bad enough.

  I nodded, acting as if it didn’t faze me. “Understandable.”

  Deep in thought, I idly followed Aden across the main lobby and down a hallway lined with classrooms. I figured I’d be watched, but I hadn’t counted on being under 24/7 surveillance. How was I supposed to look for a way out if I never had a chance to be alone?

  At the end of the hall was a locker room. It was kind of creepy, with a low ceiling and poor lighting that flickered erratically, like it might go out any minute. Aden showed me my locker – which was basically a grey, rusty box – and handed me a slip of paper with my combination before leading me back down the hall to an open door. I looked inside. For the most part, it looked like an ordinary classroom, with desks and a chalk board where a willowy woman in a red military uniform stood.

  “Your first class is calculus,” Aden said, handing me the schedule. I brightened a bit at the mention of my favorite subject and thought maybe today wouldn’t be so bad after all. Math had always come naturally to me. The numbers, the rules; they all fit together in a way life couldn’t match. With mathematics, everything had a logical place and it was simple.

  Aden reached into his pocket and produced a shiny bronze name badge. He stepped toward me, so close that our chests nearly touched, and pinned it on my lapel. An unexpected blush crept to my cheeks at his closeness and I squirmed under his gaze.