Darklight

by Forrest, Bella

  The disguises looked reasonably convincing, if you didn’t know what they really were. I couldn't wait to see the captains' faces. Carwin and another little boy vampire crept into the aisle, pointing and laughing at Rhome, who grinned and shooed them back to the family quarters.

  The soldiers gathered round the vampires to do last-minute fixes to outfits or add a bit more blush, everyone’s excited chatter echoing through the cell block, and then we returned to our own quarters to gear up for the op.

  By the time I reached the tarmac, most of the soldiers were already there. The captains discussed last-minute details off to the side. The aircraft, a Boeing V-22 Osprey, was new to the facility and a topic of much discussion among the soldiers already present. The plane/helicopter hybrid had hovering capabilities, allowing us to drop safely. The engine rumbled to life just as the facility door opened, and security guards began escorting the vampires out. Some wore human disguises, and the rest came along as backup, including Thoth, Rayne, Harlowe, and a couple of others I hadn’t had much chance to talk to yet.

  Upon seeing our costumed vampires, Bryce raised his eyebrows in amusement. Finley shook her head, while Clemmins allowed himself a chuckle. They’d agreed on this strategic approach, but it didn’t seem to change the fact that it had a rather entertaining unveiling. The soldiers hooted and hollered. Though the vampires were visibly embarrassed, they quickly recovered their composure. A ripple of laughter rolled through the entire group—even some of the guards. Apparently humor crossed species lines. I felt a zip of happiness at how different this day on the tarmac was compared to the first.

  Kane reached the tarmac last, moodily pulling his polo collar. Before we boarded, Clemmins handed the vampires more yellow tags for the redbills.

  We humans boarded the aircraft first, the atmosphere distinctly more relaxed than usual, giggles still making the rounds. A group of Bureau guards sat all the way in the back of the craft. The vampires came next, scooting into seats between soldiers, the lighthearted conversations from the vampire quarters continuing. Captains Bryce and Clemmins boarded last.

  Dorian and Kreya sat on either side of me. The redbills would stay near the facility that afternoon, as their presence at the site would probably draw unnecessary attention; the vampires had assured us that their calming effect was less necessary with the smaller number of birds that had been sighted.

  Our aircraft slid into the air with a grinding roar. Kreya looked down at her T-shirt, which sported a retro paisley pattern.

  "I don't much care for the colors," she said, bemused, taking the fabric between her fingers. "But I really like the flowers."

  “You look great,” I said. She truly looked beautiful—her auburn hair matched the shirt nicely. For as irritated as Kane was with his getup, Kreya seemed nonchalant.

  “Thank you,” she replied softly, a tiny smile pulling up her lips.

  Dorian rubbed Kreya’s shoulder affectionately, and she patted his knee, just like my mother did to me. The more I got to know this family of vampires, the more I wanted to spend time with them.

  Our flight to Salt Lake City took an hour. Ten minutes before landing, Dorian asked Captain Bryce if he could give instructions to the group.

  "Be my guest," Bryce said, and he didn’t even sound sarcastic.

  Dorian spoke loudly over the aircraft's engine. "We're going to split into teams," he said confidently. "The disguised vampires will be on foot on the golf course, our backup vampires will remain with the Bureau guards at the rear of the golf course in case of emergency, and the soldiers will secure the perimeter while we handle the flock. Lyra, can you organize your soldiers before we land?"

  I met Bryce’s eyes, and he inclined his head in permission. I smiled, pleased to add some muscle to my second-in-command training—especially alongside Dorian, who seemed to step into the leadership role so naturally. There wasn’t a drop of discomfort in his voice, and I admired that. We’d worked together well in the field; hopefully we could organize our teams into a similarly seamless flow.

  "Captain Bryce has arranged for the soldiers to use golf carts once we get there, so you'll be able to move quickly," Dorian said.

  "Our aircraft will not stay on the course," Bryce added, his voice quick and loud. "It will land at a nearby hangar, to avoid drawing attention or antagonizing the targets. Clemmins and I will be on the perimeter with you, soldiers."

  I got a closer look at the Bureau guards at the back. They had grenades strapped to their utility belts, and ARs sat beside them. They looked decidedly less comfortable than the rest of us in the presence of our vampire teammates. I noticed Dorian eyeing the guards’ weaponry, too.

  "The weapons are a precautionary measure, Mr. Clave," Bryce said curtly when he saw Dorian looking at the guards. "Every single one of you will be on your most discreet and professional behavior today," he added with a growl. "From the moment we land, there will be civilians among us."

  For the first time, nerves traveled down my spine. How difficult would this be for the vampires compared to past missions? Would their hunger distract them? Or overwhelm them? The citizens here hadn’t been vetted by the FBI and Bureau training; they could be a grab bag of darkness.

  Bryce told us to prepare for the drop just as I finished discussing details with the other soldiers. Clemmins helped the disguised vampires adjust their comm earpieces. The backup vampires would receive necessary communication via the guards’ comms.

  Everyone lined up against the side doors as the aircraft descended, and I felt the familiar drop in my stomach as we lost altitude. Through the windows I saw jagged mountains ringing the neatly gridded city, and then the expansive green of the golf course grew in the view. We would aim to land near the clubhouse.

  "Ten seconds to drop," Bryce said through our comms. And then—"Teams, drop!"

  Security guards swung down to the pavement first. The backup vampires followed, and I raised my eyebrows at Thoth’s agility as he slid down. I wouldn’t let that gray beard fool me anymore.

  I was the first human to zip down, and our captains descended last. The aircraft immediately ascended again and buzzed away as we got into formation.

  The disguised vampires broke away from the two other groups after an intense survey of the course, clearly avoiding looking at a group of tense-looking employees who gawked at us from a patio attached to the clubhouse. Captain Clemmins approached the employees and quietly spoke, gesturing for them to enter the club. They meekly disappeared inside. The Bureau guards surrounded the backup vampires, fully concealing them from the clubhouse’s view. The guards then moved alongside their vampires and stationed themselves between the clubhouse and the field that rolled out in front of us.

  My team made our way toward a group of golf carts parked at the first hole. We jogged to the boxy white vehicles, my mind settling into mission mode. It had been a while since I’d last taken command, but today I felt positive and in control, like the pieces slipped effortlessly into place.

  I spoke calmly into my comm. "Soldiers, lieutenants, and captains, pair up and start your carts."

  Bryce and Clemmins paired with Grayson and Sarah, the least experienced soldiers. I watched in amusement as Grayson's face turned the shade of the golf cart when Bryce plopped down beside him on the bench seat. Sarah gave a big, excited smile to Clemmins, who nodded to her. Their wheels started slowly rolling.

  Zach ran up beside me and hopped into the passenger side as I started my vehicle. I would’ve been fine working with any of my teammates, but I would take Zach over any of them. Z and L.

  "Remember when I taught you to drive?" my brother asked, grinning.

  "Let's hope so," I said, with a feral grin of my own. It had been a while since I’d worked closely with Zach, and I felt the camaraderie we’d developed years before Bureau training slip easily into place.

  I located the vampires walking down a slope toward a cluster of trees. Their pace quickened as I watched. The course was expansive, with many slope
s. I couldn’t see its full shape through patches of trees and the rolling hills.

  "Soldiers, form a wide circle around the vampires and maintain distance until we have target confirmation," I said into the comm.

  I hit the gas, and we started in the direction of the vampires over the rolling, flowing course. It could be risky for them to approach a wild flock of redbills without their own birds present, especially since they now resembled humans, but the makeup was necessary. I swallowed and increased speed.

  "Yeehaw," Zach said into the wind, but his eyes narrowed with his typical focus.

  My team spread out and established a drifting circumference around the vampires as they began sprinting. We tried to stay parallel with them, but they were too fast. Though, given what I’d seen of Dorian’s speed in Las Vegas, they were probably holding back.

  "We've sensed the targets. Soldiers, give us a wider berth," Dorian said into our earpieces.

  We pulled off to the right, and I checked to ensure the other carts tapered off, too.

  "Clave, what is the predicted location?" Bryce growled.

  "Beyond those trees ahead," Dorian replied. A shiver ran up my spine at the sound of his dark voice focused on the hunt.

  "Security, please follow and secure the rear with your vampires. Maintain a visual on all parties," Bryce ordered. Even though I’d been designated Dorian’s second-in-command, Bryce still headed this operation.

  "Yes, Captain.” A gruff male guard’s voice scratched over the comm.

  The vampires pulled farther ahead than I was comfortable with, but I held steady. I had to trust them. By this point, I had very little reason not to. We rolled to the bottom of the slope, and the carts spread in formation around the trees.

  "Targets spotted," Dorian said, his voice a bit quieter, as if to avoid startling the redbills in his eyesight.

  I increased my speed to get a sightline past the trees, and our targets came into view. A flock of five redbills poked at the grass around a hole—until they spotted the approaching vampires. The bills stilled, in what I had come to recognize as a sign of caution.

  "Soldiers, hold your positions until otherwise instructed," I ordered. I angled our cart's wheels toward the flock and hit the brakes. The other carts angled and stopped, mimicking me. Next to me, Zach sat silently, his hand resting lightly on his weapon, surveying the scene with focused eyes.

  The vampires stopped and spoke in a huddle.

  “That’s one big bird,” Zach whispered seriously, nodding toward the flock. I spotted it and nodded to my brother.

  “I’m keeping my eye on that one,” Zach said, his tone still hushed. “Got a weird feeling about it.” His gaze fixed on his personal assignment.

  Suddenly, that very bill let out a scream that carried far past us. The bird was easily twice the size of the others. At least this time it was less likely to snatch me, and there was no large body of water nearby to crash into. I tensed in discomfort, remembering the sight of talons wrapped around my body and the jolt of hitting the lake’s surface.

  The vampires spread into a line and loped cautiously toward the birds. The massive redbill shrieked again. I didn't speak redbill, but it sounded like a warning to me. I pushed fear out of my mind, focusing my eyes on the vampires. They didn’t falter. Instead, they lengthened the space between themselves as they neared the birds. The vampires were attempting to encircle them, before moving in.

  The lead bill screamed again and threw its beak from side to side. Then it tossed back its wings and began tearing up the grass in massive clumps with its talons. That was definitely a warning.

  I looked back to locate security. They were in position to surveil the costumed vampires and wild flock. I debated calling security closer in my comm, but I stopped myself. The vampires had a plan, and I needed to manage my nerves to avoid disrupting their process.

  The largest redbill carried on posturing, its screeches growing sharper. The other four bills swung their heads around, eyeing the calm vampires surrounding them. Kreya, Rhome, and Kane paused as Bravi and Dorian closed the circle around the birds. In graceful unison, the vampires held up their palms and tightened their circle around the flock. I waited; this was about the time that everything usually calmed down. Zach’s previous comment about the largest bill circled in my mind, though, and I held my breath.

  This time, daddy redbill wasn't having it. He jerked his wings and pointed his clacking beak at Rhome, then swung around to scream at Dorian. Unintimidated, looking perfectly calm, Dorian took another step closer, raising his open palms higher.

  That did it for the bill. The massive animal lunged for Dorian, nearly cutting him in half with its beak. Dorian dove, rolling between the bird's ankles. It whipped around and stabbed at him again, howling between snaps.

  "Holy crap," Zach said without surprise. "Should we be moving in?"

  "Not unless the vampires request it," I said, gripping the steering wheel tightly. I prayed this was the right decision as I swallowed hard, committing. It reminded me again of watching Dorian in Las Vegas—it had always been harder for me to stand by and wait than to charge into battle myself. I reminded myself that it was necessary this time. I had to trust Dorian.

  The other vampires held their positions but crouched, preparing to spring away or jump in to help Dorian. The giant redbill jerked around, stabbing and slashing and grabbing, but Dorian kept two paces ahead, dodging and weaving as it chased him through the flock. That same floating sense of pride I’d felt in Las Vegas swelled in my chest again.

  I couldn’t help my admiration. Even accounting for vampire speed and reflexes, he was undeniably one of the most skilled fighters I’d ever seen. But knowing that didn’t stop me from holding my breath as Dorian suddenly stopped, and the bird closed in on him. It lashed out with a bony, clawed foot twice the size of a vampire. Dorian dipped, rolled three times, and popped up beneath the animal's tail feathers.

  "What is he doing?" Zach exclaimed.

  My fingers numbed around the wheel.

  Before the bird could swivel, Dorian leapt, grabbed the bird's feathers, and yanked himself onto its back. The other vampires rose out of their crouches like they'd been waiting for him to do just that.

  Zach and I turned to each other, mutually gaping. Dorian really wasn’t predictable—at all. And I was extremely grateful for it in that very moment. Zach blinked hard, and then we wordlessly slapped a high five.

  The huge bird howled and jumped into the air, its wings flailing. It bounced and bucked. I strained to see if Dorian would fall off, but he'd secured his legs around each side and had his hands on the back of its neck.

  "This is one screwed-up rodeo," Zach said, pulling at a piece of his wavy hair. "I'm going to comm security."

  "That'll make things worse," I said carefully, my thoughts rapidly filing through my memories of our trainings and previous missions. “Remember the redbill training in the facility yard? Every time we’ve brought weapons in, they’ve freaked out.” And the redbills freaking out in this case meant they’d go straight for our vampire colleagues, some of whom I was beginning to think of as our friends.

  My brother paused, squinted his eyes in thought, and then let out a tense breath. "You’re right," he said firmly, as if still trying to convince himself, and gave a nod. “We don’t want to blunder in and make things worse.” His trigger finger twitched, though, and I knew he was imagining saving our friends with a well-placed bullet. Most people never caught on to it, but Zach’s love and enthusiasm for weapons stemmed from the desire to keep people safe.

  Just then, Bryce cut in over the comm. "Soldiers and security, be ready to jump in," he barked. He didn’t sound anxious, but that didn’t surprise me. That man never lost his cool.

  The giant bill thrashed around the rest of the flustered flock, and their cries of fear carried across the course. The smaller birds grouped close together, beating their wings.

  The other vampires stayed cemented in place, raising their palms to ch
in-level in a gentle pose that looked like surrender. The smaller birds quieted and stared, tilting their heads in curiosity. I was transfixed, impressed by the vampires’ cool in this moment. They stood in the face of danger, but it looked like a calm, organized ritual.

  Dorian's bronco bird stopped in one spot and pecked at Dorian's feet. I heard Dorian shout something, and the redbill gurgled. It swung around once more, then stopped moving. Dorian's hands remained locked around the base of its neck. At least he had something to hold on to in case the thing freaked out again—thank goodness.

  After a few beats of stillness, Dorian leaned forward and moved his hands farther up the bird's spine.

  I breathed out again in relief. "I think they're communicating," I whispered, more hopeful than sure. Zach just stared, his eyes intense, as through waiting for first blood to be drawn.

  A chorus of gurgles from the flock of redbills turned to chitters. The vampires were almost close enough to touch them.

  Dorian's mount lowered its wings and slowly tucked them back. And then it began to titter with the rest of the flock. The friendly, welcoming sound sent relief coursing through my body.

  Zach audibly sighed with relief beside me, slapping his palms down on his thighs. “This is good. This is better,” he muttered with excitement, mostly to himself.

  The vampires on the ground placed their palms on the birds’ foreheads. The chirping stopped. Dorian slid from his bird's back, and, without missing a beat, walked around to face it. It lowered its head to accept his touch.

  Almost an entire minute passed. Every single creature stood completely still, until by some unspoken agreement, the vampires bent to fix the bands around the birds’ ankles.

  As every soldier, lieutenant, captain, and security guard stared, the flock clucked to each other and took flight in the direction of the desert.

  "Targets not to be seen again," Dorian said over the comm. This time, I heard him smiling.