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

by Krystle Jones

  When Aden knocked on my door that night, I was so strung out by nervous energy that I almost yelped.

  “Sloane? You have a second?” he called through the door.

  Panicking, I scrambled to hide the map and my notes, shoving them under my pillows before settling myself into what looked like a convincing “homework position.”

  “Yeah!” I answered.

  Aden opened the door, but I didn’t look up, pretending to be engrossed in my English Lit. assignment. “Hey, the potluck’s starting in about thirty minutes. You celebrate Thanksgiving, right?”

  “Hmm?” I said, pretending not to hear him. “Oh, right, the potluck.” I put my pencil down and stretched my arms above my head. “I’m actually on a role with this paper that’s due Monday, and would like to get it knocked out so I can enjoy the rest of the weekend.”

  Aden gave me an incredulous look. “But it’s hand carved, oven roasted turkey.”

  “Yes, I figured as much.”

  “And sweet potatoes.”

  “You don’t say.”

  “And made from scratch apple pie that’s –”

  “Okay, okay, I get it. It’s going to be out of this world awesome.” I sighed, giving him the sweetest smile I could. “Which means you’ll have to bring me back a plate?”

  My million watt smile never faltered as Aden stared back at me. “Yeah, sure. Suit yourself, but you don’t know what you’re missing out on.”

  And with that, he shut the door, and I shot my fists in the air with a silent “Yes!”

  I smirked. Guess I picked up some tricks from watching mom act for the cameras.

  Tired but determined, I retrieved the map and planted it front of me, once again trying to devote the precious route to memory.

  ***

  The next day flew by, and it was Friday night. I was in the apartment, lying on my bed. The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was the digital clock sitting on my nightstand. I yawned, rubbing my eyes as the time focused. The neon green digits read 11:30 PM.

  I bolted out of bed. My head was hurting earlier, so I had popped some aspirin – or what I thought was aspirin – and taken a nap, wanting to be well rested for my journey tonight. But I must have grabbed the wrong pill bottle, because I had severely over slept my alarm. I should have been gone an hour ago.

  I grabbed the kitchen knife I had swiped at dinner and raced to the bathroom, turning on the shower. I stuck my head in so my hair would get nice and wet. Then I turned back to the sink, leaving the shower running, hoping the sound would be enough to mask any noise I might make.

  I rolled back the sleeve of my sweatshirt, and with a shaking hand, lowered the tip of the knife to the spot on my arm where the micro tracking chip had been inserted. Aden said it had been deactivated, but if that was completely true, why hadn’t he taken me to Paris so she could remove it? Though no one had said anything about my little overnight field trip to the lab, I wasn’t taking any chances, not this time. The tip broke my skin, and I bit down on my lip hard as I dug around for the chip, forcing myself to stay calm. It wasn’t very deep, less than an inch, and once I saw the chip, I lifted it out of my skin with the tip of the blade.

  I put the chip in my pocket, and despite being incredibly dizzy, managed to clean up the blood I’d spilled on the floor. I slapped a band-aid across the wound and rolled down the sleeve, then reached over and turned off the shower. After combing through my wet hair, I unlocked and opened the door.

  Aden was standing right outside. I jumped, startled. “Hey,” I breathed, trying to calm my racing heart. “Did you just get home? You missed dinner.”

  “I had to wrap something up at the academy. Apparently a virus ate through our security cameras about two hours ago, knocking out coverage of the entire grid.”

  I tried very hard not to look excited by this. “Yikes. That sucks.”

  Aden didn’t appear very pleased. “Yes, well, Angel said she would have it recovered by midnight.”

  I smiled inwardly. Perfect timing.

  Aden tugged at his shirt sleeve, but not before I noticed another bandage at the crook of his arm.

  “Giving blood again? You’re awfully generous.”

  “What can I say? I like to help out however I can. Did you know vampires can still donate blood to humans and it won’t change them?”

  “Shut up.”

  “It’s true. Paris has been playing around with it. As long as there’s not too much vampire blood in their system, they won’t turn. Blood types still have to match, though.”

  “Hmmm… interesting.” It was kind of ironic, thinking of a vampire donating blood to a human.

  My eyes flickered behind him, to the clock on my night stand. 11:45 PM. If I didn’t hurry, I might miss my chance at meeting up with Leo, if he had even gotten my message. I hadn’t been back to Angel’s to find out.

  I gave Aden a tense smile. “It’s been a long day,” I said, trying to move past him. “I think I’m going to crash early.”

  “Oh, okay.” He sounded disappointed.

  I paused. “What?”

  He blushed slightly, looking down. The carpet had suddenly become very interesting to him. “It’s nothing. I was just wondering, you know, since it’s Friday night and all, if you’d be up for watching a late night movie with me?”

  I blinked, surprised. “Um…” I chewed on my lip. “I’d love to, but I kind of have this awful headache and really would like to crash.” I gave him a hopeful smile. “Can I take a rain check?”

  He looked at me, smiling back. “Of course. Have a good night.”

  He started walking toward his room and I ducked across the hall into mine, thinking I was home free, when he paused and sniffed the air. “Hey, did you lose a limb shaving or something? It reeks of blood.”

  I froze, but laughed before I could panic. “I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing and clipped my shin pretty good.” I shrugged. “No big deal.”

  Aden gave me an amused smile before shaking his head and disappearing into his room, closing the door behind him.

  I shut my door and raced through my room, collecting my things: a flashlight with extra batteries, the kitchen knife, the map of the tunnels (which, upon studying them, I had discovered were laid out in the same grid as the Pittsburgh White Sector), a watch with a glow-in-the-dark face (which I put on), and a change of clothes. I twisted my hair up into a wet bun and pulled on my black sneakers. Reaching into my pocket, I removed the chip and laid it in a small, empty jewelry box under my pillow before going to the window.

  It slid open easily. I hoisted myself over the ledge, slowly lowering my body until I hung from my hands. The drop wasn’t far. I let go, catching my fall on the balls of my feet and the palms of my hands with all the grace of a cat.

  I ran, trying to make as little sound as possible as I sprinted toward the mausoleum. The base was deserted. Everyone was at home by now. Along the way I encountered a handful of guards, but I was easily able to avoid them. Other than that, I didn’t see much of anyone else… until I got to the mausoleum.

  I frowned as I knelt next to one of the fake rose bushes. I counted at least ten guards surrounding the building, no doubt Aden’s doing after the other night. I didn’t blame him. I’d be worried about me escaping, too.

  I looked around, seeking some way to distract them. A stray thought streaked across my mind.

  I wonder how far my glamour would reach…

  Feeling bold, I crept closer to the mausoleum, settling in the bushes a few feet from two of the guards. They clutched big riffles, and I saw tazer guns at their belts. Each of them wore a bullet proof vest and a headset.

  I shook my head, somewhat flattered Aden considered me this much of a threat.

  As he should, but did he honestly think a few studs with guns would stop me?

  Focusing on one of the guards, I pushed my thoughts upon him, willing him to believe something was happening near the alley on the opposite side.

 
He blinked, shaking his head.

  His comrade eyed him with concern. “Hey man, you okay?”

  I pushed harder, feeling the thought harden as it took solid form in his head. “Yeah,” he said slowly. “There’s something going on in the alley. We should round the others up and check it out.”

  The other guard looked confused and tapped his headset. “I didn’t hear anything.”

  But the glamoured guard was already gone, running away from me. The second guard paused, debating whether to leave his post. After stalling for a few seconds, he called the other guards about the issue, telling them to spread out, and walked away.

  Completely alone, I sprang from the bushes, sneaking around the side of the mausoleum and letting myself inside. I flipped on the flashlight and spotted the tomb that marked the entrance. Pushing aside the lid, I descended the ladder into the hole. After rolling out the map, I studied the highlighted route and took off running as fast as I could. I glanced at my watch. Five minutes until midnight.

  I wondered what Aden would do when he discovered I was gone. I’d left a note on my nightstand, saying I’d be back in a day or two, and to tell everyone I was sick with a stomach virus. Angel had helped me with that. Apparently being a near immortal vampire didn’t make one immune to disease.

  The tunnels seemed to grow longer the farther I ran, darting this way and that as the grid changed paths. At last, I came to the tunnel I thought led to the park – and the playground – where Leo and I had first met. The ground shifted as the tunnel arced up, leading to a single manhole-sized door. I stopped in front of it, panting.

  What if Leo had brought the Black Cross Guild? Even worse, what if they were all armed to the teeth with Scarlet Steel?

  Remember why you’re here. You’re not the type of person to leave your friends hanging. You can’t let them die.

  I fisted my hand, taking a deep breath. The reason why I’m here… I might not get another chance like this. It’s now or never.

  Bracing myself for death and accepting the dangers, I pushed on the door and peered through the hole.

  Chapter 23

  Blades of slightly overgrown grass rose all around me (my eyes were level with the ground). Damp earth and fresh rain soaked the air as I stuck my head out, looking around. As I had hoped, I was somewhere in the park, which was situated behind my old elementary school. The air was cool, the sky clear and spackled with stars.

  I glanced at my watch. Twenty minutes after midnight.

  Swearing, I set my equipment (all but the knife, which I tucked in my pocket) just inside the entrance and hauled myself out of the hole. After pulling the lid back into place – leaving it slightly ajar in case it had a tendency to get stuck – I raced through the trees, praying Leo hadn’t left yet.

  Please, please be there, I thought, seeing the brightly colored playground equipment through the foliage. I peered through the leaves, not seeing any sign of Leo.

  My heart began to sink. Maybe he’d gotten tired of waiting and had already left. Or maybe he had never shown up to begin with.

  Disappointment stabbed at my chest as I stepped through the tree line and walked over to a swing set, gravel crunching under my feet. I plopped down, heavy hearted, and slowly began to rock myself.

  I was too late, all because I overslept. I could’ve kicked myself, I was so angry.

  Gravel shifted behind me. “Sloane?” asked a shaky, rough voice.

  I gasped sharply, my heart skipping a beat as I abruptly stood and whirled around to find a tall, olive-skinned boy standing a few feet away. My eyes widened, drinking him in. His black hair was spiked with gel, and the muscles in his chest and arms stretched against his white t-shirt. A pair of brown eyes looked back at me, mirroring my shock.

  “Leo,” I whispered.

  He slowly smiled, and I laughed as I ran to him, throwing my arms around his neck as he clutched me tight.

  “It’s really you,” he said, running a hand through my hair. “I thought… we all thought…”

  I pulled away and smiled up at him. “Yeah, me too, for a while.”

  His eyes were always fierce – Leo didn’t know how not to fuse passion into anything – but something about the way he looked at me now made me tremble.

  “I’ve been helping the Scarlet Guard search for you,” he said. “McGuinness even had the Guild out looking.”

  This surprised me. I had always thought McGuinness hated me. Then again, McGuiness didn’t really seem to like anyone.

  I tensed at the mention of the other hunters, but Leo didn’t notice. “Are you hurt?” he asked, examining me.

  “No,” I said, blinking. “I’m fine, for the most part.”

  “For the most part?” A sharp edge crept into the question.

  I bit my lip. When I’d come here, I had every intention of telling Leo about the underground city of vampires. But for some reason, Angel’s face, all innocent and naïve, flashed through my mind’s eye, followed by Aden, his stormy blue eyes burning into my own. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t erase him from my thoughts.

  I can’t tell Leo about them. Not yet.

  Shock and confusion rolled through me as I began weaving a lie. “I was chased by vampires,” I heard myself say. Leo took a sharp breath as I continued. “I fought them off, but they followed my trail. I’ve been outrunning them, trying to find my way back. By some miracle, I found an old house that still had some electricity and a computer.”

  “How did you get back in? To the White Sector, that is.”

  “I used the same code.”

  Leo looked at me hard. “Did they… hurt you, Sloane?”

  The air thinned between us as I stared back at him, unblinking. “No,” I finally said. “No, they didn’t.”

  He let out a long sigh. “Thank God you’re alive,” he said, pulling me to him again and resting his cheek against the top of my head. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if I lost you.”

  I hugged him back, breathing in the scent of mint soap on his skin. Leo. My Leo. I’ve finally found you.

  We stayed like that for a few minutes, neither of us speaking, before Leo pulled away and said, “Do you want to tell your mother? I assume she doesn’t know you’re back.”

  My stomach churned at the thought of facing her. “No,” I said quickly. “Not yet.” I didn’t think I’d ever be ready to face her after what I’d done. I had broken so many laws and restrictions by going into the Red Sector. Those actions alone were going to come with a heavy punishment. I especially didn’t want to think what she’d do if she found out I was now a vampire.

  To my astonishment, Leo grabbed my hand and smiled at me. “Come on. I have a surprise for you.”

  “Where are we going?” He led me toward his blue Jeep Compass, which was parked in the school parking lot.

  Leo lived with his uncle, who had more money than he knew what to do with, and often doted on his nephew. He had bought the Jeep for Leo as a Christmas present less than two years ago, right after Leo had turned sixteen.

  He grinned as we got in. “You’ll see.” He gave my hand a squeeze, and I squeezed back. It wasn’t romantic. We had always held hands, since we were kids. Leo was closer to being a brother to me than anything else, my best friend in the entire world. I wasn’t even sure I could think of Leo in that way. Or rather, I was afraid to, as if by doing so I would be sabotaging our friendship. I didn’t think it was worth the risk.

  Leo sped off and filled me in on what had been happening since I’d been gone: school, training, etc. A whole month had passed, but the world had continued marching on as it always had.

  After a short drive, we pulled up in front of a sketchy looking, aluminum sided warehouse. I slowly got out of the Jeep after Leo. “Where are we?”

  He didn’t answer, but his lips were curved into a mischievous grin. He pulled something from his pocket, dangling it in the air for me to see.

  “A blindfold? Really?” Normally, I would’ve been ecstatic about
surprises. Call me crazy, but after spending time in the Red Sector, I’d had more than my share of surprises for this lifetime.

  “Trust me,” he murmured, wrapping the strip of black cloth over my eyes and tying it behind my head. I gave him a nervous smile as he took me by the shoulders, guiding me as we walked into the building. He paused, warning me of some approaching stairs, and we slowly descended. Blind, I reached out with my other senses. It felt like concrete flooring. The air smelled of sugar and dust, and there was so much alcohol riding the draft that I could literally taste it.

  “Leo, I’m not sure –”

  “Trust me. We’re almost there.”

  In front of me, there was a muffled giggle and a few gasps right before Leo ripped off the blindfold and I faced a throng of people yelling, “Surprise!”

  My nervous excitement quickly turned to horror as I looked at their wrists, seeing one black tattoo cross after another.

  This wasn’t just a surprise party.

  Leo had deposited me in a room full of vampire hunters.

  Chapter 24

  Don’t. Panic.

  Pasting a bright smile on my face, I welcomed the crowd as they closed in, hugging and welcoming me back with warm sentiments. My body tensed as they surrounded me, but as far as I could tell, they didn’t suspect anything amiss.

  Yet.

  Old friends and new faces alike spoke to me. In just the short month I had been gone, the Guild had already doubled in size. McGuinness always had been an ambitious recruiter.

  I was hardly able to meet their eyes, knowing what I was and how naïve they were. Not too long ago, I was just like them. We thought all vampires were like the wild Rogues, that they were nothing more than blood thirsty monsters incapable of turning a victim, though we knew it was possible. But the Rogues always killed their victims before turning them; making a vampire was practically impossible in our books.