by J. J. Bonds
“Agreed.” I sigh, picking up the list again. “We’re going to need more help to do this right.”
“You noticed that, too?” Alex gives me that wicked grin of hers, and I know I’m not going to like what follows.
**********
Bloody hell. Why did I ever let Alex and Nik talk me into this? It’s going even worse than expected. And that’s saying something because I was fully prepared for pissed off and outraged. The other Elders glare at me from the video chat, not bothering to hide their feelings, and it occurs to me that I’d have been further ahead to hire some mercenaries or something.
“If you believe that you have a sound lead on the Order and the location where your uncle is being held captive, then why not turn it over to Commander Smith?” DeVanie asks, as always the epitome of diplomacy.
“Any mistake, any misstep, could get my uncle killed.” I don’t tell them that my top priority is saving Aldo, not taking down the Order. I don’t trust them to see it that way. “The element of surprise is our best weapon right now.”
“You have some nerve, young lady!” shouts Nakamura. So much for Elder Lescinka.
“I’m sorry,” I say, folding my hands and placing them on the desk in front of me. My knuckles go white from the effort, but I hold on to my temper for all I’m worth. Disrespect isn’t going to get me the support I need for this mission. “My uncle’s life is at stake, and I won’t take unnecessary risks.”
“Which is why Commander Smith should be leading this effort,” Vlahos insists. I hate video chat. It’s impossible to tell who he’s looking at. Is he appealing to me or to DeVanie or to the entire Council?
“We don’t know who we can trust. The Order has spies among us, and they’re watching every move we make,” I reason. “We cannot move an entire cadre of Linkuri without drawing attention any more than we can send Commander Smith in without tipping them off.”
Not surprisingly, DeVanie is the first to respond. “What are you asking?”
“I am requesting the two best, most loyal Linkuri assigned to each coven for a special mission. They are to tell no one where they are going, and they are to cover their tracks. They will be advised of the mission once they arrive.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Any doubts I had previously about Alex’s abilities have been completely squashed. She made quick work of organizing and taking command of the twenty-four additional Linkuri the Council sent to support our rescue mission. No small feat, considering they’re all alpha types and a few outrank her.
Even with the extra help and the wide net we’ve cast over the search zones, it’s been slow going. We’ve been scouting for days, and so far, the teams continue to come up empty-handed. The Linkuri have been instructed to move through their assigned grids with the utmost caution. First, to ensure we don’t miss anything since the entrance is likely to be well hidden. And second, to remain invisible. The last thing we need is to get caught in the Order’s backyard. With our people spread over several hundred acres of forestland, Aldo would be dead or gone before we’d be in position to strike.
Refusing to sit around the hotel and twiddle my thumbs, I’ve been searching with Nik. She hasn’t said it, but I’m certain Alex has purposely assigned us the least likely of zones. Not only for my safety, but because Nik is pretty green as well and has only a fraction of the experience of the other Linkuri. Nonetheless, we’ve taken our assignment seriously, combing the forest for any signs of the vamps we seek.
I adjust the crossbow slung across my back as we climb over a cluster of boulders. I place my hands carefully, avoiding using the openings between rocks for foot or handholds. Just because I won’t die from a snakebite doesn’t mean I want to experience one. The air here is thin, much different than we’re used to, but it makes no difference as we ascend the mountain.
“Thirsty?” Nik whispers, twisting to look down at me.
“Not if you’re eying another damn goat.” I’ve had enough mountain goat to last two lifetimes, thank you very much. Maybe it’s my overactive imagination, but I swear their blood has a grassy taste from too much grazing.
“What if I told you we’ll be dining on mountain lion this evening?”
“I’d say you’re my hero,” I tell him, climbing so that we rest side by side on the top boulder. My thin T-shirt does little to stave off the coolness of the rock as I lie facedown on my belly, the hard stone pressed to my abdomen. I follow Nik’s gaze and spot the cat, prowling in the long grass ahead. She’s beautiful, moving with grace and purpose as she places one large paw in front of the other. She pauses and gives her long golden tail a flick. A born predator, the cat senses danger although she has yet to spot us. She’s maybe twenty-five feet away. A single jump for us or her. Only her attack would be unsuccessful.
“Would you like to do the honors?” Nik asks as his fangs descend. They look both ominous and lethal in the moonlight. It’s sexy as hell.
“Have at it.” As much as I would like to take the cat down, he spotted her first, and I know he’s as anxious for a real hunt as I am. Not that this exactly qualifies. It should be an easy kill.
Nik climbs into a crouch, resting on his haunches as he studies the cat. She lets out a roar, and he pounces, pushing up from the ground with his powerful legs. He flies through the air with grace and precision, the muscles of his back and arms taut as he prepares to attack. He lands next to the cat, his strong hands closing around her neck for the kill. And then, in the blink of an eye, it’s done. He’s snapped her neck. She never saw him coming.
Rolling onto my backside, I sit up and cross my ankles as Nik carries our feast back to my resting place. My fangs drop, and I find myself salivating at the thought of a fresh kill. It’s been a while since I’ve had the pleasure.
Nik drops down beside me, placing the broken cat between us. “Ladies first.”
I laugh. There’s nothing ladylike in what I’m about to do. I open wide and sink my fangs into the cat’s thick coat, drawing out the blood I’ve been craving since we hit the mountain. Nik doesn’t hesitate before joining me. We drain the beast, her warm blood filling our bellies and rejuvenating us after a long and fruitless night searching for the Order.
Fully sated, we sit quietly, admiring the view from our elevated perch. The landscape is breathtaking with snowcapped mountains, lakes, and wildlife as far as the eye can see.
“You know, I thought we’d have found them by now,” I say, twisting a strand of hair around my finger.
“I know it’s hard,” he says, taking my hand. “But you have to be patient. We’re going to find him.”
“I know. I just hope it’s before the Order decides he’s outlived his usefulness.”
“That will not happen,” he swears, gripping my chin and turning my face to his. He truly believes what he’s saying. I can see it in the depths of his eyes. Whereas my glass is always half-empty, his is always half-full. I lean forward, resting my forehead against his and drawing strength from his conviction. “We will not let that happen.”
I can’t possibly deserve this boy. He’s sweet and kind and trusting. Everything I’m not. And he always says the right thing whereas I’m typically dining on shoe leather. I curl my body into his. “How did I ever get so lucky?”
“Luck had nothing to do with it,” he replies, slipping an arm around my waist and holding me close. “If you hadn’t sucked me in with that biting sarcasm of yours, you’d have gotten me with your right hook. I’m a sucker for a girl that can throw a good punch.”
The grin that spreads across my face is about as genuine as they come. No one else gets me like Nik does. No one. “So you’re saying it was just a matter of time?”
“Basically.”
I lean up and plant a kiss on his lips. One that is meant to be chaste and friendly and brief. Only it doesn’t turn out that way. Our lips brush, and a fire is ignited in my belly, one that only Nik’s kisses can extinguish. I ravish his lips, raking my fingers over his washboard abs and tak
ing solace in his arms as he kisses me back. Our lips wrestle for position, slanting back and forth under the stars. It would be romantic if not for the mission at hand. Guilt strikes, and I pull away, eliciting a groan from Nik.
Am I the worst pseudo niece in the world or what? Aldo is missing, and I’m making out with my boyfriend when I should be searching for him. It’s official. I suck at life.
“The sun will be coming up soon. We should bury the cat and head back to the hotel,” I tell Nik, jumping to my feet. Unfortunately, part of covering our tracks means not leaving exsanguinated animal carcasses lying about where the Order might stumble across them. “Let’s just hope one of the other teams had better luck tonight.”
**********
The drive back to the hotel is short and quiet, each of us lost in our own thoughts. I don’t know what Nik’s thinking about, but I’m thinking about crawling under the covers and getting twelve solid hours, give or take. After I check my e-mail, of course, which I have discovered is one of the worst things about being an Elder. Talk about e-mail overload. Someone always wants something, and they typically want it yesterday because, you know, that’s reasonable. Meanwhile, the only thing I hope to find in my inbox is an update from Commander Smith stating that all is quiet. I give a mental groan. I should be so lucky.
I need to check in with DeVanie too. Alex is keeping him abreast of the situation here, but I imagine he expects to hear from me as well, and the last thing I want to do is rock the boat with the few Elders who aren’t praying “off with her head.” Plus I want to make sure I’m not blindsided should any of the Linkuri working for Alex send an unauthorized report back home. With any luck, the directive/ass chewing Alex gave them on the first day put the fear of Hades in them and they’ll maintain radio silence, but who knows. Loyalty is often stronger than fear, so there could be some loose lips in the group.
When we get back, we stop by Alex’s suite to check in. We’re calling it the command center because, well, it’s Alex’s. It also has a large meeting table in the sitting room, which is littered with maps of the San Juan National Forest. Each map is marked off with a grid that is color-coded by the assigned Linkuri team. Each morning when we check in, we mark the area we’ve cleared that evening using the coordinates from our GPS systems.
I can’t help but notice most of the grid is filled in as Nik shades the area we spent the night scouting. We’re running out of green space. Fast. Either we’re getting close or we’re searching in the wrong place. I really hope it’s the former. Otherwise we’re back to square one.
A quick survey of the room confirms the other Linkuri teams are feeling about as dejected as I am. It also confirms that Nik and I are among the last to return. No surprise there since our territory is the furthest from the hot zone.
Nik finishes with the map and caps his marker. We’re just about to leave when the Italians return, looking smug. Guerra and Alesi are their names. They’re rumored to be badass fighters, but I don’t know much else about them. They’re not the most social, but who am I to judge? I’m not exactly a social butterfly myself. Besides, the only thing I need to know about them is that they can get the job done.
“Wait.” I grab Nik’s arm.
“Find anything?” Alex asks the Italian duo. She’s sitting behind the table with her boots propped up on the edge.
Alesi throws a heavy sack on the table. “We brought refreshments. To celebrate.”
“What did you find?” Alex asks, excitement coloring her words as she jumps to her feet. The other Linkuri begin to gather around, as do Nik and I, pressing in on Guerra and Alesi.
Guerra steps up to the table and pushes the clutter of pens, Post-it notes, and markers aside. He flattens out the map with his meaty palms and leans in close, checking coordinates. Satisfied, he grabs a pen and places a meticulous X on the map. “Here,” he says, pointing to the location he’s just marked. “This is where the cowards hide.”
“Are you sure?” I ask, pushing my way to the front to get a better look. I throw a few elbows, which gets me a dirty look or two, but no one says anything. I glance at the map. The location he’s marked is near Vampire Valley Falls, just as Nik predicted.
“Si. It is—how you say?” Guerra searches his brain for the right English word. “Camouflaged. But this is it.”
“It would be easy to miss,” Alesi confirms, taking over. It seems his English is a little stronger than his partner’s. “The stone door looks natural, like a boulder, and it’s overgrown with brush. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was abandoned.”
“Are you certain?” Alex asks.
“We weren’t at first, so we moved to higher ground where we could wait and watch without being seen. We were about to give up and head back, but then, just before daybreak we saw movement. The door opened, and a single vamp came out. We couldn’t see much. The only thing I could make out before he closed the door was a stone stairwell that went down into the earth.”
“And you’re sure he was unaware of your presence?”
“Yes,” Alesi returns without hesitation. His confidence has me convinced. Hopefully it does the same for Alex. “That’s why we were so late getting back. We wanted to give the other vamp a chance to clear the area before we headed back.”
She nods, studying the map.
“I snapped a few pictures on my phone.” Alesi hands Alex his phone, and she flips through the images, studying them intently before handing it off to Viktor.
“And you only saw one vamp?” Viktor asks.
“Only one who came out,” Alesi confirms with a shrug. “There could be hundreds inside for all I know. It was impossible to tell how big the place was, but as you can see from the pictures, it opens into the side of a stadium-sized mountain.”
Viktor doesn’t look too pleased by this revelation. “What about alternate exit points?”
Alesi bristles. “We scouted around, but didn’t see any.”
“Just because you didn’t see them doesn’t mean they weren’t there.” Alex runs her fingertips over the map. “They’d be fools to have only one way in and one way out.”
Viktor looks to Alex. “What do you think?”
She looks around the room, her jaw set, taking in the hard faces of the other Linkuri before settling on Viktor. “I think we go in tonight.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
So much for twelve hours of much-needed quality time with the Sandman. Hours have passed as I lay in bed, tossing and turning, too keyed up to sleep. Knowing that Aldo is so close and may be coming home tonight? That this nightmare may finally come to an end? Dusk can’t get here soon enough. Only with nightfall comes a dangerous rescue mission and the threat of death. We won’t all make it out tonight. And if I’m honest with myself, that’s the real reason I’m so wired.
I will be eternally grateful to the Linkuri who will storm the Order’s lair tonight, but how do I live with myself, knowing that those who don’t return died on a mission I ordered? Hell, my own death doesn’t scare me as much as the death of someone in my employ. I know they chose this life and they are committed to serving the Consiliul de Batrani, but that doesn’t make it any easier. Especially knowing that Nik will be among their ranks.
Maybe I should talk to Alex about keeping him out of the action. She’d listen to me. I’d make her. Somehow. I huff and roll onto my back, staring at the ceiling. No, that wouldn’t be right either. No matter how badly I want to interfere, I can’t. How could I deny Nik the opportunity to fulfill his own oath? He’d resent me until the end of time, as I would him if our roles were reversed. Besides, I have every intention of going in after Aldo myself despite the fact that I have less training than any of the Linkuri, including Nik.
It’s possible that neither Nik nor I will survive the night. I force myself to consider the possibility, although it makes me sick to my stomach. A fine sweat breaks out on my brow. So often I act rashly and rush into a situation without stopping to consider the ramifications. Today, I
have nothing but time to think. Time to think about all the mistakes I’ve made, time to think about all of the people I’ve hurt, time to think about all the things I still want to do. And wow, does it suck the big nasty.
I sit up and throw the covers back, dropping my feet to the floor. If this is my last day on Earth, is this really how I want to spend it? Alone and miserable? Life is too precious. And now, so is time.
Before I can change my mind, I knock on the door that joins my room to Nik’s. He doesn’t answer immediately, but I know he’s in there. I know he’ll answer. For me.
Nik opens the door, a look of concern on his face. He’s fresh from the shower. His hair is wet, and his chest is bare, save for the droplets of water that glide down his sculpted chest and over his ridiculous abs. His black cargos hang low on his hips, and he holds a fluffy white towel in one hand and a gun in the other.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes,” I reply automatically, jerking my eyes from his chest to his face. He stares at me expectantly, a wet curl hanging low on his forehead. I bite my bottom lip, unsure of what to say next. I really suck at stuff like this. “No. I don’t know. I just didn’t want to be alone.”
“Come on in,” he says, wrapping and arm around me and guiding me to the edge of the bed. He puts the gun on the nightstand and sits down next to me. “Long day, huh?”
“The longest,” I return, tipping my chin at his gun. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Just being cautious.” He says it like it’s no big deal, and I suppose it’s not anymore. This is the life he’s chosen, and it will always include risk and violence and death.
“Can you just hold me for a while?”
He spreads his arms, and I crawl into them as he lies back on the bed. There’s no place I’d rather be right now than wrapped in Nik’s powerful arms. Here I find the sense of tranquility so often missing from my life and which I so desperately crave. Well, mostly. My heart may be racing a little as I lay my hand on his bare chest, feeling the hardness of his muscles. My fingers move of their own accord, tracing a figure eight on his pecs. But it’s not a figure eight. Not really. It’s an infinity sign, reminding me that while our lives are finite, this moment will live on forever, if only in our memories.
