Darklight

by Forrest, Bella

  His pupils bounced between my eyes, studying them. He leaned up on his side, tilting his head forward, resting his forehead against mine. I brushed my nose against his and watched his eyes squint in a smile. A glorious happiness swelled in me, beautifully different than everything else lingering in my troubled mind.

  I felt a sharp ache in my sternum. I sucked in a breath, unable to keep the wince off my face.

  "Lyra?" Dorian asked, instantly drawing back.

  Pain radiated through my chest, blossoming from my center without warning. A stabbing pain, like somebody’d knifed me in the ribs. I saw white for a moment, and came back disoriented, holding my body as if to keep it from falling apart.

  "Lyra, what's wrong?" Dorian croaked, grabbing my shoulder. His fear tightened his grip on me to the point of pain.

  The sharpness faded slowly, replaced by a dull ache in every muscle. I was so cold, and after that crazy rough-and-tumble, no wonder my body was acting up. It wasn’t as tough as Dorian’s.

  I felt a flicker of disappointment as Dorian’s eyes roved over me, concerned. I wanted to reset this scene back to whatever he’d been about to do or say with his finger grazing my chin. I wanted the moment we’d had back. But my body was spent. Even my disappointment was quickly sapped by exhaustion.

  "I’ll be okay," I said, running a hand along the side of my ribs. "I probably just pulled something in the fall."

  His forehead creased in worry. "Let’s get you out of here," he said softly.

  Still reeling a little, I raised no resistance as Dorian scooped me into his arms and rose to his feet. He used his chin to pull my head into the crook of his neck. A few sharp jolts went through my chest, but they receded after I held my breath for a moment. I shivered. What exactly was going on with me? Was I getting sick? A torn muscle? More heartburn, exacerbated by the fight and fall? Frustration simmered in the back of my tired mind. I wasn’t used to feeling sick.

  As Dorian jogged along the shoreline and climbed the incline we'd fallen down, I tried to push thoughts of myself aside. He asked me to wrap my arms around his neck while he reached down to grab the video camera, his excellent night vision aiding us yet again. There was definitely no harm in retrieving it, just in case…

  Once he'd ascended the slope, Dorian ran through the woods. The rhythm of his steps soothed my tired limbs, and I mustered groggy thoughts through my exhaustion.

  At least we'd completed our mission. We had the evidence. We would stop those corrupt cops. Our government really did need the vampires' help; this would prove it without a doubt. And, hopefully, we’d save the boy.

  "We'll be back soon," Dorian whispered, his gentle but firm voice enveloping me.

  His grip around my shoulders tightened, and it coaxed me into unconsciousness.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  The sound of beeping woke me. I slowly opened my eyes, a heavy fog stifling my brain. My arms, chest, and legs were dotted with Band-Aids, and I felt one on my chin, too. I noticed several new, blotchy bruises.

  I blinked, searching through my clouded memory to remember where I was. We'd flown home. Zach had gripped my hand the whole time. I’d drifted in and out of sleep. Dorian had been watching me every time I’d opened my eyes. They'd admitted me to the medical wing the night before. Both had followed me until the medics told them they weren’t allowed in the medical wing. They’d tried to speak to me, their expressions reassuring, but I’d been too out of it to register the words. They’d waved to me from the glass window, Dorian staying a heartbeat longer, as the staff ushered them away.

  The rhythmic beeping continued as I sat up. My chest didn't hurt. Only a lingering dull ache remained in my muscles. I took solace in that, grateful for the relief. I wiggled my toes, warm under several blankets. My body remembered the feeling of Dorian's arms as he'd carried me back to the barn.

  A zip of energy shot down my spine. I wanted to see him. The night had been hard on him, too.

  I slid my legs over the bed. A bowl of fruit and toast sat on a table beside me. I snatched the bowl and inhaled the berries, then the toast, glad someone had realized I would be hungry. Surprisingly, my stomach felt fine—no trace of heartburn. It was odd, but I wasn’t going to question it. There was work to be done.

  I slipped my feet into shoes and made my way out the door. A medic stopped me as I walked out, his eyes going wide, probably at his patient’s attempt to escape without a proper exam.

  “Lieutenant Sloane,” he said. “I’m not sure it’s wise to be out of bed.”

  “Why?” I asked, feigning joviality. “I feel fine.” I smiled to emphasize my point, though I wasn’t much in the mood for smiling. I really did feel okay. Physically, anyway.

  The medic gave me his most skeptical look and insisted on assessing my condition before I left.

  He told me they suspected the root cause of my pain to be extreme heartburn, given that they couldn’t detect a pulled muscle.

  “I am surprised by how quickly it’s tamped down, though,” he remarked, eyeing me with a note of confusion—and perhaps suspicion. “Given your state last night, I expected it would be worse. Are you sure the symptoms have subsided?”

  I nodded firmly. “I’m sure, Doc. Thank you.” Recovering too soon was not high on my list of problems to worry about right now.

  Nevertheless, his diagnosis put me at ease, at least a little. Heartburn was something I could deal with, and if I truly had recovered quicker than normal, maybe it wouldn’t be too big of a problem in the future. I was just glad that I had escaped that tumble without a broken arm or leg.

  His brow still furrowed, the medic released me with a clean bill of health, but demanded that if any pain returned, I come back to see him immediately.

  I nearly ran face-first into Bryce as I walked out of the medical wing doorway.

  "Just the person I wanted to see," he said, his grin especially warm.

  "Good morning, Captain," I replied, a dozen questions jumping into my mind at once.

  "Have some follow-up for you on your excellent mission," he continued before I could even ask anything, jumping straight to the subject I desperately needed to know about. "Jim caught the relay and wasted no time. We have already made several arrests, and a huge internal investigation began this morning. They're tracking down every single person involved. Their next step will be to review every police division's reports to look for inconsistencies and dig up any other corruption in the ranks."

  "That's great," I said, taking in a breath before posing my most burning question. “What about the captured boy from the settlement?” I watched his face carefully, bracing myself.

  “Jim was able to get someone trustworthy on the culprit’s trail,” he said matter-of-factly. “Paramedics revived the boy at the scene where the dirtbags were pulled over. He’s in the hospital recovering.”

  “Oh, thank God,” I said through a massive exhale. I looked to the ceiling, mentally thanking the inventor of that beautiful recording device. I felt I could sprout wings.

  Bryce watched me, his smile warming me even more. “You did well,” he said gently. He set a hand on my shoulder for a second, probably knowing I’d been torturing myself over that for hours. Sometimes he let his heart slip into view.

  “Thank you, Captain,” I replied. I had to find Dorian—I had to tell him immediately, in case he hadn’t heard about the boy yet. “I’ll catch you later.”

  I turned toward the vampire quarters, but Bryce stopped me.

  "He's not here," he said, winking… I assumed to indicate that he was talking about Dorian. I ignored his implication without much effort; I didn’t have time to worry about who thought what about my relationship with the vampire.

  But Bryce continued, "Neither is your brother, if you were planning on looking for him, too."

  "What?" I asked, in genuine surprise. That was news.

  "Kane, Dorian, your brother, and another senior soldier flew to the police station in Vegas right after dawn,” he replied.
“Jim wanted their confirmations on the arrests."

  My eyes widened. The sound of Dorian's howling the night before echoed through me.

  "Stop worrying. I can see it written all over your little face,” Captain Bryce reassured me gruffly. “Dorian let us know about the difficulty that could arise due to their hunger, and he and Kane graciously agreed to be restrained during the validation process. They won't return with regrets."

  I exhaled. I was relieved, but a slow disappointment rose in my chest at the realization that I'd have to wait to see Dorian. "They'll be back in time for this evening's surprise," Bryce added, with an air of someone bursting to tell you their secret.

  Reluctantly, I took the bait, worried that Bryce’s definition of a “surprise” wouldn’t be much fun. "What surprise?"

  Bryce grinned at me. "I can’t tell you now, because then it wouldn’t be a surprise, eh? You'll see soon enough."

  He left me standing in the hallway, nonplussed. I guessed I’d just have to wait and see.

  I returned to my bunk in the women’s quarters, looking forward to talking with someone about what had happened while I was away, but found no one. Another redbill mission, most likely.

  I plopped down onto my bunk, a little disoriented by the prospect of an extended period of alone time and no to-do list. I wondered how long the boy would be in the hospital, whether his family had gotten to see him yet, how I could send a gift. Sighing as my feeling of triumph warmed my belly, I hit the showers and enjoyed taking my time without anyone telling me to hurry up. The hot water dissolved the tiny leftover aches in my muscles.

  After the shower, instead of succumbing to boredom—which I tried not to ever do—I figured I should check in with my parents. It'd been ages since we'd spoken. A pang of homesickness hit me between the ribs, practically making the decision to video call them for me.

  They answered the call, and the screen flashed to my mother sitting in the kitchen. She smiled ear-to-ear as we greeted each other. My mom swiveled the phone to show Dad’s face, too. He gave me his usual casual wave, his eyes bright.

  "Tell us everything," Mom said.

  "Things are going really well. Better than expected. The species relations are calm, even friendly."

  They looked cautious, exchanging a skeptical look.

  “That’s good,” Mom said, drawing out the second word. “I’m glad they’re not giving you any trouble. I never thought I’d see the day.”

  "So, tell us about these redbill missions," my dad said, taking over while Mom set the phone down on the table and continued eating her breakfast. “Everyone here is very impressed by them.”

  "They've gotten more organized since the beginning,” I said, pleased that news of our work had reached home. “We have a set structure and protocol: two teams. The vampires handle the birds, and our soldiers provide backup and control the civilians. The missions are nonstop now. Last I heard, Captain Clemmins said our numbers were up to around three hundred."

  "Three hundred birds gone?" my dad asked, shocked. “And no casualties?”

  "No casualties," I said, and my dad gave a low whistle of appreciation.

  Pride swelled in my chest. I appreciated praise from my captains and coworkers, but there was nothing quite like getting that glow of admiration from my parents—and my uncle. With everything they’d achieved and been through with the Bureau, their congrats meant the most to me.

  "Well, that explains the unusually relaxed mood here recently," Mom said from across the table, shaking her head a little. “I can’t quite believe it.”

  "Stop doing so well. You're going to put us out of our jobs," my dad joked. "By the way, we just hit the next milestone of development on the new satellite surveillance system. I hope to have it nearly completed by the time you guys get back."

  "That's great," I replied, glad to hear about something other than my own work.

  Dad described some of the hitches they'd overcome in the previous week. Business as usual.

  "Everything else at home is good?" I asked.

  "Totally fine. Almost boring, besides the surveillance," my dad said.

  "We're a little envious of you kids and all the excitement you're getting," my mom added, chewing her toast. "And curious. You must be getting to know some of the vampires rather well. What are they like?"

  I laughed at the impossibility of finding a description that included both Kane and Dorian.

  “They’re all very different from each other,” I settled on. “Some are sweet and quiet”—I thought of Laini—“some are honest and gracious”—Rhome—“funny but whip smart”—Sike—“and… some are grumpy. But honorable, too.” Kane, obviously. I shied away from describing Dorian. I’d never be able to hide my feelings from my parents, and having the entire facility already teasing me was more than enough. But I’d miscalculated.

  My parents exchanged a worried look that I didn’t understand. I retraced my words; I hadn’t somehow given myself away, had I? That would take my parents’ powers of observation straight to mind-reading.

  “They sound,” Dad paused before settling on a word, “charming.” Somehow, he made it sound dangerous.

  “Just be careful, Lyra,” Mom said. “Remember, they’re vampires. They’re not like us, and they have a lot to gain from this experiment, if it goes well.”

  Oh, God. “So do we,” I pointed out. “Imagine no more redbills, and no more vampire murders.”

  They nodded.

  “That’s true,” Mom said, to my relief. “Just be careful, Lyra. Don’t let them manipulate you.”

  "Yeah, yeah," I said, exhaling. "All right, guys, I love you. I'll talk to you later; I've gotta go run some drills."

  We exchanged goodbyes.

  I hung up and stared at my feet. That had only taken thirty minutes. How did normal people stand downtime? I wanted to be in Vegas with my team.

  I searched the halls for any captains to discuss the recent redbill missions with, but they appeared to all be in a meeting in Finley's office. Stymied, I went to the cafeteria and sat on top of a table, chewing an apple. The empty facility felt sad when it was so vacant.

  I plodded back down the main hall and remembered the vampire children. Maybe I could drop by to visit.

  I shuffled past the empty cells, stopping momentarily to look at my quilt on Dorian's bed. It lay neatly folded on his pillow. I wondered if he had used it at all.

  I closed my eyes, the sensation of his touch on the riverbank flowing through my body again. The warmth and openness and wonder that had suffused his voice when he’d thanked me for stopping him from killing the officers. In that moment, it felt like everything had mattered so much.

  I wasn’t sure I’d ever had a moment that left me feeling so connected to another person during a mission before. And my life had been mainly missions. I’d never had a boyfriend; I’d always had other things occupying my time.

  I was beginning to think that what I felt for Dorian went deeper than physical attraction. And since that moment on the riverbank, I was almost certain that he felt something for me, too.

  With all of that on my mind, a myriad of feelings crowding my thoughts, I entered the vampire family quarters. I approached Rhome and Kreya’s chamber and tapped on the door, waiting for a quiet acknowledgment before looking in. Apparently, Laini was babysitting for the day.

  "Hi, guys," I said, to Carwin and Detra sprawled on the floor. They’d acquired toys, some from the cells, others that I didn’t recognize. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one warming up to the vampires.

  The children dropped their stuffed animals and hurried to their doorway, where they gazed up at me with their normal mixture of cheer and intense curiosity. I smiled down at them, pleased to see their little faces.

  "Carwin, how's your arm?" I asked.

  He held up his forearm, showing me that the bandages had lost most of their bulk since the first time I saw him in the desert cavern.

  "Looks a lot better," I confirmed enthusiastic
ally. The four weeks since we’d met had healed him well.

  He nodded and nibbled a finger sheepishly.

  Less shy than her brother, Detra spun in a circle to get my attention. "I've been good!" she said brightly. Laini grinned, shaking her head in denial.

  "That's great to hear," I said, laughing.

  I heard other children giggling down the hall. A boy and girl peeked out of another doorway, ogling me. I waved at them, and they scuttled behind the door. Maybe they’d be braver next time.

  "May I come and stay with you guys? Everyone's out for the day, and I have no work to do," I said, turning back toward Carwin and Detra.

  "Sure." Laini tapped the empty spot beside her on the bed. "We’re playing a guessing game."

  "I love games," I said to the kids. I sat beside Laini and crossed my legs, rubbing my hands together excitedly. The children shuffled over and stood in front of us, bobbing their heads with expectation.

  "The adults think of something and the children ask us questions until they figure out what it is," Laini explained.

  "Twenty Questions. Cool," I said. "Should I go first?"

  "Yes," Detra said, tapping my knee impatiently as she awaited my readiness.

  I thought over what a child would readily know… and then tried to think of what a vampire child would readily know. "Okay. I've thought of something."

  "Is it blue?" Carwin inquired immediately, his voice very serious.

  "Nope!" He was way off base, but that was the fun of this game.

  "Can you put it in your pocket?" Detra asked.

  "No," I replied, trying to keep a straight face as I imagined my word fitting in someone’s pocket.

  The children went silent, thinking of more questions.

  Detra tugged at a lock of her hair. "I have a different kind of question," she said slowly.

  "Okay," I said cautiously, glancing to Laini for approval. I didn’t want to unintentionally say something vampire kids shouldn’t hear. Laini leaned against the wall, smiling at me in encouragement.