Breed of Innocence (The Breed Chronicles, #01)

by Jordan, Lanie

  “What’s your plan?” I asked, hoping he had one better than my simple escape without getting caught idea.

  “To get to the woods. We’re about ten miles from anything, so we’ll have to hike a bit, but…”

  “It beats being caught.” I nodded.

  The CGE property was mostly surrounded by a river, providing few entrances—and exits, I thought sourly—so going out the front was pretty much the only way unless you wanted to swim in a gator-infested river. They did it that way on purpose, according to the info I’d read. Over the years, some of the locations had had problems with other organizations trying to breach their security and steal tech or information, so they tried building in places that would help deter that.

  It’d seemed like a good thing at the time. But now that I was trying to escape, I wasn’t that thrilled with it.

  Maybe I should have saved my money for a boat.

  “Okay, I think they’re turning back,” Linc said, speaking softly. There was a slight pause before he gave me a not-so-gentle push. “Go!”

  We stayed low to the ground but ran, not stopping until we were hidden behind the pool’s bleachers. I peeked around and saw more guards. None of them seemed to have seen us. I faced Linc. “I don’t think they spotted us.” Crouching down, I moved to the other side of him and looked toward the fence. “They really need more than one exit,” I muttered.

  Linc shook his head. “If we get caught, you can mention your ideas to Greene.”

  I peeked around the bleachers again. There were two agents around the guard shack at the gate. “And how do we get past the guards?”

  “The same way we got here.”

  “Running and then fighting when we have to?”

  “Yup.”

  Well, it had gotten us this far. “At least it’s only the two.” As soon as the words left my mouth, I frowned. “Why is it only two?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe they don’t think we’ll get that far.”

  It…didn’t quite make sense. It would have, maybe, except… “They have to know we’re out here, though. We’ve taken out agents and guards, inside the building and out.”

  Clutching my hand in his, Linc said, “We’ll manage, Jade.”

  We. As in the both of us. I hadn’t really thought about how helping me would affect him. “They’ll know you helped me, Linc. You’ll be in trouble.”

  Pushing aside the guilt over Felecia had been easy. It wasn’t so easy where Linc was concerned. If we were caught, he’d be in as much trouble as me.

  His gaze met mine, unwavering. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Jade.”

  “I know that, and you think you know that. But why?” I dropped down. “Why are you risking so much for me?”

  “You would have done the same.” He shrugged. “And if they can try to make you seem like a bad person, then they can do that to anyone. Not exactly the kind of place I want to stay. If we have to, we can hunt demons together, because I’m not stopping.”

  My stomach fluttered. It wasn’t exactly the most romantic line in the world, but it was the sweetest thing I’d heard.

  I nodded slowly because I wasn’t quite sure what to say. His response was very…logical. But he had that uncomfortable look some guys got when they had to express their feelings. That kind of terrified/pained expression I used to find so funny.

  “It’s now or never,” he said, taking my hand and dragging me to my feet before he released his hold.

  I started after him and glanced over my shoulder. There were three dark Hummers coming out from around the South Tower. “We’ve got company!”

  Linc didn’t bother looking back, just ran faster. He was at least five feet ahead of me when I tripped over something. I hit the ground with a bone-jarring thud, rolled, and ended up face first in the grass.

  Linc swore under his breath and then ran back for me. His arms went under mine and he hauled me to my feet. This time when we ran, he made sure his pace matched mine.

  Engine sounds followed us. We were close to the gate, to escaping, when a Hummer swerved and blocked our path. Its brakes screamed and gravel flew, hitting Linc and me in the legs.

  Before I managed to skid to a stop, we were surrounded by a dozen agents. I turned in a slow circle and debated going back the way we came, but there were even more agents running down the driveway.

  Agents jumped out of two of the Hummers. The passenger side door of the remaining one opened and a shadowed figure stepped out.

  “Hello, Miss Hall, Mr. Stone.”

  It was Greene.

  CHAPTER 14

  With his hands behind his back, Greene smiled down at us.

  My shoulders sagged and I sighed. We would have made it—probably—if I hadn’t tripped over my own stupid feet or whatever I’d tripped over.

  I glanced at Linc and saw that his hands were curled into fists, like he was preparing to fight. While I appreciated the thought and figured we could probably take a few of the agents down, we were seriously outnumbered. I grabbed one of his hands and squeezed it lightly. His gaze fell to me and I shook my head. “Don’t,” I whispered.

  His fingers curled around mine and his other hand relaxed. Mostly, anyway.

  Greene took a step forward. “You both gave us quite a run for our money.”

  “Not a long enough run,” I muttered, making him and the others laugh.

  The smile spread. “Yes, you do enjoy running, don’t you?”

  I didn’t, not as a rule. It was too much like exercise, which I actually hated. I was just lucky I didn’t have to do a lot of it (fighting not withstanding) to keep in shape.

  Before I could say that—or one of the many things I had to say—Greene turned his attention to Linc. “I didn’t expect to find you here.”

  Linc titled his head toward me, winked, and then faced Greene again with a grin on his face. “This seemed like the place to be.”

  A warm feeling spread over me, even as my chest pounded and sweat dripped down my back. I eyed Linc quickly and resisted the urge to hug or kiss him. “Well, you caught me,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest and trying for a calm I wasn’t sure I felt. “Now what? You know I didn’t steal anything.”

  No one said anything for a full minute, but a dozen pairs of eyes landed on me until I wanted to squirm on the spot. Or maybe throw some punches. Being chased and having to fight was crappy, but I could handle it.

  Being stared at gave me the creeps.

  I was seriously getting ready to hit someone—for any kind of reaction—when the weirdest thing happened: everyone started to clap. Narrowing my eyes, I glared at them all. Linc wore a similar what-the-hell expression to mine and we both shrugged.

  Had there been some kind of weird laughing-gas outbreak?

  I dropped my hands to my hips. “Will someone tell me what’s going on?”

  Greene’s smile turned into a smirk. “Congratulations, Miss Hall.”

  “For?”

  “Passing, of course.”

  “Passing what?”

  He laughed again, his eyes brightening. “This was your Combat exam.”

  “Oh.” I blinked. “Wait. Huh?”

  “You passed, Miss Hall.” His gaze went to Linc. “I suppose you did as well, Mr. Stone, though we had something else in mind for you.”

  I still wasn’t getting it. “I think I’m missing something, because I’m really confused.”

  “Normally, the Combat exam is a competition of sorts—a skills challenge. But we decided to do something different this year.”

  “But you and Felecia—when you were in front of my room…”

  Nodding, he said, “I knew you were there.”

  “How? Do you have eyes in the back of your head?” This was a place for genetic research, wasn’t it? I wasn’t putting anything past him.

  “When you were seen coming up the stairs, security alerted me by text.”

  “And Felecia? Did she know it was a test?”

  “No. She assumed i
t was as real as everyone else.”

  “Why am I always the demonstration?” I mumbled.

  Beside me, Linc snorted. I elbowed him in the gut.

  “Because you’re so good at it,” Greene said simply.

  I ignored that, mainly because it seemed like a dumb reason and I couldn’t think of anything safe to say.

  Frowning, Greene glanced around. “Where is Miss Fitzgerald?”

  My cheeks heated. “Um…last time I saw her, she was in the old parking garage. Kind of locked in a maintenance room.”

  Something suspiciously like a smirk crossed his face for a split second, but then it was gone. He twisted around, whispered something in one of the agents’ ear. The agent nodded and turned away, jogging toward the garage.

  “When will our other tests be?” Linc asked from beside me.

  “If you don’t mind waiting a few more minutes, until Felecia is…retrieved, I’d like to speak with you all about that at the same time.”

  I bit my lip to keep from grinning.

  For the next few minutes, Linc and I stood to the side and talked as we waited for Felecia. We mostly complained about the test. Neither of us could decide what we really thought of it. It was definitely different, so we had to give Greene points for originality, but it was a pain in the ass—and, unfortunately, other body parts.

  Finally, we saw Felecia and the agent who’d been sent to ‘retrieve’ her walking back. Felecia was still probably a hundred feet away, but already I could see she wasn’t happy. As soon as she spotted me, she started to run.

  Here’s round two, I thought to myself as I braced for another fight. She lunged for me a few seconds later and a guard caught her mid-air, but not before her fist connected with my jaw. My head jerked to the side and I grabbed my face, even as my other hand curled into a fist.

  “What do you think you’re doing, Miss Fitzgerald?” Greene asked. Even when we’d let the demon escape, I hadn’t heard his voice sound so angry.

  “She knocked me out!”

  “Are you going to stand there and tell me you didn’t try the exact same thing?”

  “But you said to—”

  “Yes, Miss Fitzgerald, I told you to stop her. As she is standing in front of me, along with over a dozen other agents, I would think you’d realize she was in no danger of escaping, and therefore didn’t need to be stopped any longer. It was an exercise and now the exercise is over.”

  For a split second, she looked as confused as I’d felt. Even so, she still managed to send a scathing look my way, as if the entire thing had been my fault.

  Greene kept his gaze on Felecia and motioned for her to follow. They stepped away and he started talking to her, his lips moving fast. A few seconds later, they came back and he said, “Are you up to speed now?”

  She gave a jerky nod.

  “Good. Now, as I mentioned, this wasn’t one of our usual exams. I wanted to try to something more practical than our usual competitions, so I selected two Prospects—you, Miss Hall, and Miss Fitzgerald—for a dry run.” Greene looked to Linc, raised his eyebrows. “How did you end up here?”

  Linc shrugged. “I overheard agents talking about Jade.”

  “And why did you aid Miss Hall instead of trying to capture her?”

  “Because I know her, and I know she didn’t steal anything. She’s spent more of her time with me than she has anywhere else.”

  Greene inclined his head. “As I said before, you weren’t expected, but I’m still pleased you participated. Obviously, there are some things that need to be worked out, but overall, I’m thrilled with the results.” He put his hands behind his back. “While having someone—or something—break in or out of the CGE isn’t common, neither is it unheard of or out of the realm of possibility. It’s something everything needs to be aware of and prepare for, including the Prospects.”

  “So, how did we do?” Linc asked, grinning at me first, then back to Greene.

  “Very well.” Greene’s gaze darted to the other agents. Most of them avoided making eye contact. “The rest of us need some work.”

  “We didn’t escape,” I pointed out. I almost felt guilty for them now.

  “No, but you came close—much closer than I’m comfortable with. You should have never been able to make it this far, not as P1s. However, I’m glad we had this test. We needed a different perspective, and I think you two offered it to us and showed us some of our weaknesses. Many of the CGE agents are too set in their ways. They think inside the box instead of out, and we need to be able to do both. We need to expect the unexpected and learn to adapt. And,” he added with another stern look to his agents, “we need to not underestimate our Prospects due to their age or experience.”

  Linc brushed his arm against me, still grinning like an idiot. I rolled my eyes and caught another one of Felecia’s death glares.

  Greene raised his chin and looked to a group of agents. Wordlessly, most of them started to walk away and others drove off in the Hummers. When me, Linc, Felecia, and Greene were the only ones left, Greene’s focus came back to us. “I’m hoping to change how our testing procedures are being handled, specifically for Combat and Tracking. Books are great, and the competitions we normally hold suffice, but we need more proactive exams. Real life scenarios—scenarios that benefit not only the Prospects, but the CGE as a whole.”

  Felecia crossed her arms over her chest. “So our other tests are going to be different?”

  “For safety reasons, your Weapons exam will still remain a demonstration. However, your Tracking exam will be more practical as well.”

  I was almost afraid to ask, but… “Like what?”

  Greene’s smile was lightning fast. “A demon ride-along. It would have just been you and Miss Fitzgerald, but since Mr. Stone crashed the party, I believe he should be included. So, starting with you three, our Prospects will be taken on a hunt with two groups of agents. They’ll rely on your tracking skills to find and secure whatever demon you’re searching for. The agents, of course, will have some clue as to what you’re up against and where it may be. Unless your information will cause more harm than good, they’ll follow your leads.”

  I was both nervous and excited. Nervous because I hadn’t expected to go on a hunt so soon—even a ride-along—and scared because it seemed like it was up to us to find them.

  “How do you pass or fail?” Linc asked.

  “You pass by providing the proper information the agents need to do their jobs. You fail by doing the opposite or not following their instructions.”

  Linc looked pleased about it. Felecia seemed…apprehensive.

  “Is this a group test?” I asked, thinking of Felecia and our feud. “I mean, if one of us fails, do we all fail?” I wasn’t worried about the hunt itself. I’d seen Peter in action, and if the other agents were half as good as him, then I figured we were in good hands. But I didn’t trust Felecia at all. Since our last encounter ended with her shoving me into a demon and leaving me to fend for myself, I wasn’t sure how she’d react.

  “No. You’ll be graded individually. However,” he said, shooting a stern look to Felecia before looking at Linc and me, “your ability to work with others will be included in your final score.”

  That was something at least. I wasn’t sure how I’d work with Felecia, or why Greene put us together, but I trusted Linc. I met his gaze now, gave him a wide, toothy smile. “When do we leave?” we both asked at the same time.

  “The next call we get.” After a slight pause, he added, “Assuming it’s a typical hunt, of course.”

  *~*~*

  “Finally,” I said, stretching my arms over my head. “I figured there’d be calls almost every night for demon trouble.”

  Greene had sent someone a few minutes ago to tell us we were going for our ride-along. It was Saturday, so we’d had to wait almost a week.

  We’d had our Weapons exam that Thursday, and I’d taken my GED test the day before that, on Wednesday, but Greene still hadn’t told m
e if I’d passed either test or not (though all the other Prospects knew if they’d passed). I’d spent the last three days worrying. I was playing the ‘if I’d passed, Greene would have just told me’ card, while Linc was playing the ‘maybe he wants to surprise you, because you’re the first blah, blah, blah’ card. When that hadn’t worked on me, he’d told me to suffer. He figured whatever happened happened and worrying over it (and annoying him with it) wouldn’t do a bit of good.

  So I’d stop worrying. Out loud, anyway. Annoying him was a perk I wasn’t willing to give up—I just found different ways to do it.

  Linc shrugged and stole a fry from my tray. “There probably were calls every night.”

  I frowned. “Then why didn’t we go?”

  “Maybe one of the other groups handled it before the CGE was notified.”

  “Other groups?”

  He ate another fry. “You know about the old Neighborhood Watch programs, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, there are still those, but there are Demon Watch groups too.”

  “That’s kind of cool. And scary.”

  Linc nodded. “The different CGE facilities send out teams to different towns—ones with high demon activity—and train some of the police departments on demon hunting. They teach them just the basics. Just enough to help keep them alive until someone more experienced gets there. Those people turn around and train some neighborhood people to help. And,” he added, taking a bite out of his burger, “there are other self-trained hunters.”

  “I know about those.” At this his raised eyebrow, I added, “You mentioned it before, and I overhead Greene talking to one after the demon-escaping thing with Felecia. Sam Porter. I’m guessing female, since he’d told his assistant ‘she’ would be sending coordinates.”

  He nodded, stole another fry. “Ah, okay.”

  “But still. Greene—and the books—made it sound like there are tons of demons crawling around, so I guess I expected to go on the ride-along sooner, you know?

  “There are tons of them. Some hibernate, some just lie in wait. Some are easier to take out. And you remember Greene’s condition? A ‘typical hunt’. Maybe there have been some non-typical ones before now.”