by Olivia Ash
I’ve become what I once hunted.
“It’s not just about me anymore,” I say to her. “Not even just about us. It’s bigger than either of us.”
All my life, I operated out of self-preservation. It was me and Irena against the world. Family first.
But my family is bigger now.
Tucker, Drew, Levi, and even Jace—they’re a part of my life, for better or worse, forever. All of them, including Jace’s soldiers, would die for me.
I can’t just think about myself anymore.
“It’s time I give Jace an ultimatum,” I tell Irena, pretending for the moment that she can hear me. “He and I have been butting heads pretty much since we met, and he’s been trying to keep me behind locked doors for almost as long. But we can’t keep fighting, not when so many people are after us both.” I drum my fingers on my thigh. “After all of us.”
Like it or not, he and I are tied to each other. The two of us can never be safe while the other is in danger.
That’s why Jace and I need a truce.
A real one. One I can stake my life on.
And that puts Irena at risk. It’s why I’m here—because my conversation with Jace might backfire. He’s so unpredictable, so hard-headed, and I have no idea how he’ll react. He could negotiate with me or bar me from seeing Irena for the length of her hospital stay. He could even lock me in a cell—I have no idea.
But he holds the cards here, and he controls my access to Irena as long as she’s unconscious. It’s what I didn’t want, but I had no other choice. Even if it means risking a run-in with the people who are after me, I need at least one moment alone with Irena. I’ve fought tooth and nail to save her—and, in a way, this is goodbye.
For now. Just in case.
Part of me wants to wait for Irena to come out of her coma before I start all this with Jace, but I can’t delay. The tunnels below the dojo pose a huge threat to everyone in it, and every second I delay puts me and them all at risk.
In the past, I wouldn’t have cared. They’re dragons, after all. But I’m not who I was—and after everything I’ve witnessed in the dojo, I won’t be held accountable for another attack. Especially not because I wanted a way out of the dojo in case the dojo master tries to lock me in my room.
These fleeting few moments with Irena, right now—depending on how Jace reacts—may be the last time I talk to her for a while.
Maybe ever, depending on how much he and I piss each other off.
I don’t for one moment think he would kill her to spite or control me—he’s a better man than that. Besides, I would hate him for life and make his world a living hell, and he knows it.
But he might use her as leverage against me in an ill-advised attempt to get me to behave.
Besides, to date, I haven’t gotten a moment alone with my sister. Jace has always been nearby, every time. I suspect if he had it his way, that’s what my life will be like.
Jace, always nearby.
Jace, always watching.
I grit my teeth at the thought, hating the way it makes me feel controlled. Contained. Restrained.
“I let my pride get the best of me,” I admit to Irena. I clench my fist, and white light briefly swirls over my skin as I dip into my magic. “My fear of trading one master for another. Zurie controlled everything about our lives, and I thought Jace might try to do the same.” I sigh, rubbing my hands together as I stare at the tacky green carpet beneath my feet. “But I have to face the facts, Irena. I have to at least try to understand where he’s coming from. If I die, he goes feral. So, as much as I hate to admit it, I kind of get where his need to keep me locked away comes from. I won’t let him do it, but still—I can at least understand. It’s progress, I guess.”
I stand and run my hand through my hair, brain buzzing with thoughts and concerns as I pace Irena’s bedside. We used to work through things like this together, brainstorm and plot our strategies when we were backed into corners.
It’s tough when she doesn’t talk back, but it helps all the same. To see her pulse—to know her heart’s still beating—gives me a sense of tranquility I didn’t have before I walked in here tonight.
I didn’t realize how much I needed that reassurance—to know she’s still fighting, that she hasn’t given up.
But I can’t stay here much longer.
It’s nearly time.
As long as Drew has access to the tunnels, the dojo is at risk. Not because Drew would do anything malicious, but because the fact that he could hide such a glaring flaw from Jace reveals a chink in the dojo’s armor that can be exploited. It undermines the entire dojo’s strength, and I don’t want that burden on my shoulders anymore. If the dojo’s attacked again, it puts Jace and all his people in immense danger.
I’ll just have to see to it that Jace doesn’t make me regret giving up my way out.
I lean against the wall and shut my eyes, preparing myself for what’s to come.
Send me into battle and I’ll grab a gun on my way out the door. Challenge me to a duel and I’ll rarely say no.
But talking—sharing feelings—dragon gods, kill me now.
So, this is it, my last hurrah. My last daring escape into the night with no one else the wiser. I had to get one last little adventure in before I turned over the keys to my only means of escape from the dojo, should Jace get a little too comfortable ordering me around.
Footsteps echoed down the hallway—two people, one walking with thudding steps and the other at a light patter. One man, one woman.
That’s my cue.
I switch on the camera sitting on the shelf nearby and tug sharply a red hardcover book beside it. As I pull it back, the book tilts on a hinge and activates a secret door in the wall. Jace told me this place was commissioned by the dojo itself, which granted him certain control over the blueprints. I figure adding a few secret doors and heavily monitored back entrances was a wise move—and I was noticing a distinct pattern in Jace’s design choices.
The secret door slides open, silent as a whisper, and I duck inside the dimly lit tunnel. A few taps on the keypad in the metallic wall of the secret corridor close it behind me, and I tilt my head toward the wall to listen as the two newcomers enter Irena’s room moments later.
The muted creak of a door opening filters through the wall, and the click of high heels softens as a woman’s shoes hit the carpet. “…would be so much easier if we knew who this was,” the woman says, her voice muffled. “We have nothing to go on. No family history, no—”
“Stop asking questions,” a man says sharply.
There’s a moment of silence, and I imagine the woman shooting him a glare. “She’s human, Doctor. In a facility equipped for dragons. None of this makes any sense.”
The doctor sighs. “I picked you for this assignment because you’re the best damn nurse I have. I’m trusting you, Doreen,” he says quietly. “Don’t make me regret that.”
I tense, wondering if he’s going to spill the beans. Because if he does, I might have to open this door and break some necks. No one can know Irena’s connection to me or the Spectres—if they do, it’s a death sentence for her, and maybe for me as well. She’s one of the few people I would go to hell to save, and my enemies know it.
With my hands pressed against the door, I can barely breathe as I wait for his next words.
“The person who put her here is powerful,” he says, his voice barely audible. “That means you need to keep your head down, do what you’re told, and stop asking questions.”
“But—”
“No questions, Doreen,” he snaps. “I don’t like it, either. Do you know how strange this whole mess is? The bio-weapon, the antidote, the results from my tests. Nothing here is right. Nothing here is simple. But there’s a reason she’s up here, out of sight, in a secured wing.”
“I assumed as much,” the woman says with a huffy sigh. “I’ve never seen that many armed guards in the hospital before.”
“There are more tha
n you see,” the Doctor says. “Between you and me, I noticed a few new faces yesterday, and I suspect they’re undercover agents of some sort. They’re everywhere, and any one of them would write you up in their report if they hear you talking about this girl.”
“Fine,” the nurse snaps. The sound of fingers on a keyboard filter through the door, and it sounds like Doreen has shifted to the screens.
I don’t like the idea of this woman watching over my sister. It raises the wrong sort of flags for me.
“Ready for the next dose,” Doreen says in an annoyed tone.
“I’ll inject it,” the man says. “Hand it over.”
There’s a pause, but the shuffle of fabric makes me think she eventually obeyed.
“Can I at least ask about this antidote?” The muffled thud of heels over the carpet approaches the door, and I figure she’s probably five feet from me at most. I might be able to open the door and grab her before the doctor even notices she’s missing, depending on how involved he is with his injection.
But I refrain. Jace probably wouldn’t like me going around, killing his hospital staff.
“Try to keep your questions to a minimum,” the doctor says absently. “But if you’re only going to ask about the antidote, then sure, go ahead.”
The beep of the heart rate monitor accelerates, and my hand instinctively hovers above the pad that will let me back in the room. A few keystrokes, and I would be in.
It takes everything in me not to barge in on them.
The woman’s footsteps rush away from me, toward the bed. “Doctor, is she—”
“She’s fine,” he snaps. “That happened during the last two injections as well.”
“But her pulse—by the gods, how is she alive?”
There’s a long pause, and all I can hear is the racing beep of the heart rate monitor. “I don’t know,” the doctor admits after a while, his voice tense.
“How many more does she need?”
“Two more,” he says simply. “Wait for it. Wait—there.” The heart rate monitor slows to normal, and he lets out a relieved sigh. “Sets me on edge every time. I can’t have this girl dying on me.”
Even though he can’t see me, I nod.
Damn right.
“Good gracious,” the woman says softly. “Look at that.”
“Every time,” the doctor says, and I can envision him nodding. “She gets a little more color in her face with each dose. By the fifth one, I suspect she’ll wake up.”
“And if she doesn’t?”
There’s another long pause, and I’m tempted yet again to hurl this door open to get more information and clues as to what is going unsaid. Expressions. Body language. Anything more than just the muffled conversation.
Eventually, the barely audible clatter of a needle dropping into a sharps container filters through the secret door. “Then we will do everything in our power to wake her up another way.”
“And if that fails?”
“It won’t,” he says simply. “I won’t allow it.”
I relax, if only slightly. This doctor is every bit as dedicated as Jace promised he would be. The thought calms me a little, though I’m not altogether fond of his nurse. Whatever they went through for him to trust her so explicitly, I’m not sure it’s enough for me to put blind faith in the woman.
“Those scars,” Doreen says breathlessly. “How could she even get scars like these, and so young?”
“Doreen, damn it,” the doctor says through gritted teeth.
“Sorry.”
To me, Doreen doesn’t sound the least bit sorry, and that seals her fate. I think it’s time for me to dig a little into Doreen’s past and find out just who is looking over my sister—and perhaps find a way to give the woman a new assignment.
As for me, I need to go. I can’t stand in this passageway all night, even though I want to stay by Irena’s side. The secret walkways, only just wide enough for two people to walk side by side, are controlled by access panels and heavily fortified. The only reason I was able to get access at all is likely because Jace didn’t lock me out, and I suspect his soldiers are well aware I’m here. They’re probably monitoring me through the cameras lining the hallways, and I’m honestly surprised they haven’t arrived en masse to escort me back.
I brought my gun and voids, but with so few left, I didn’t want to risk using them. Once I run out of voids, I’m done—there’s no getting more. I need to save them for an emergency.
Jace’s soldiers will probably march through the tunnels at any moment, which would suck. Frankly, I would like to make it back on my own and enjoy the tail end of my last hurrah while I can.
Part of me is simply dreading the looming conversation I can no longer avoid.
I groan, kind of wishing the earth would just swallow me whole instead. This won’t be fun—because either the controlling and stubborn Jace Goodwin will relax his tight grip on my life, or I will have to leave the dojo forever.
I’m honestly not sure how this could possibly work in my favor, but I’m going to try.
Chapter Two
I slip through the evening shadows several miles from the hospital, looking for a car to steal. The random Jeep I borrowed to get here is too risky to take back, since I can’t risk anyone recognizing it or me.
Honestly, the thought of taking someone’s car is making me feel guiltier than it ever has in the past, and I’ve walked past three perfect opportunities so far because all the clues suggested it was the person’s only car.
I don’t want to screw anyone over—I just need a ride home.
My growing morals are kind of getting in my way, but I guess it’s a small price to pay in the end.
Surprisingly, no one greeted me at the exit of the hospital wing. I had expected a full entourage, a small army to guide me to a helicopter and whisk me back to the dojo, but it had been quiet as I exited the building into the warm night.
Color me surprised. I’m not sure what game Jace is playing, but he certainly has me intrigued.
Now, I need to go with my backup plan—find my own way to the dojo. Not a problem. I’ve been on my own before.
As I weave through the houses in this suburban area, I notice several upstairs lights click off. Bedrooms, probably. The sun set roughly two hours ago, and I imagine dozens of kids being tucked into their beds, living the kind of fairytale childhoods I never got.
I silently drop from a tree and creep through the small grassy stretch between two of the houses. With a brief peek at the road, I scan the dozens of driveways before me.
There—four houses down is a house with three cars. All local plates, and I figure this late on a Tuesday night, they probably don’t have guests over. With that many brand-new cars, they’ll likely have good insurance. That means I’m not screwing them over if I take one.
This house looks like fair game.
Before I can move, the hair on my neck stands on end.
Deep down, my intuition flares in warning. There’s a sudden urge to hide, one that’s fueled only by my primal sense of self-preservation.
Running purely on instinct, I press my back against the hard siding of a nearby house as something whizzes past my face. It digs deep into a nearby tree.
A tranquilizer dart.
Freaking awesome.
I knew this was a risk of coming here, and in the end, it was worth it. I just can’t let them catch me.
With adrenaline buzzing through me, I bolt. There’s no time to assess, no time to counter. Trapped in a tight alley between two houses, I don’t have much leverage against an attacker—especially not one that’s trying to snipe me out with tranquilizer darts. If one of those hits me, I’ll only have a few precious minutes to either take out my opponent or find a place to hide—neither of which is likely to happen before I fall unconscious.
As I run, I keep to the shadows and let my natural stealth take over. A lifetime of Spectre training kicks in, fueling me forward, keeping me out of sight. Every moment
I can, I survey my surroundings, looking for my attacker.
There’s no one.
I’m running from someone I can’t even see.
And when I find them, they’re going to die.
My first thought is that Zurie has found me—but that’s not possible. If she had, the tranquilizer wouldn’t have missed.
My second thought is Diesel is coming after me, likely to do Zurie’s bidding as always. But he doesn’t possess this kind of finesse. He usually punches his problems in the face.
Whoever is after me now, they’re not a Spectre. This is someone else.
With the immediate threat avoided, I switch from prey to predator. Someone who could sneak up on me has to be talented, with enough of a grasp on stealth to go unheard. That means they’ll still be tracking me, and I can lure them into a trap.
First, I need to find the higher ground.
As I leap the next fence, I come across a large backyard littered with toys. A jungle gym sprawls across one corner of the yard, complete with a slide and built-in wooden fort. Behind it, a thick row of trees and hedges hide most of the back fence. A three-story house looms above me, with a wooden stairwell leading from the ground up to a deck on the second floor. A lone light at the sliding glass door casts thin shadows across the grass, leaving most of the yard in darkness.
Higher ground. Limited hiding places. Low light. Open field. Obstacles. Few places to run without giving me a clear shot to the back of their head.
It’s perfect.
As I run toward the jungle gym, I pull out a small dagger from the belt at my waist and toss it into the middle of the yard, where I know it’ll glint in the light as my new enemy runs by.
It’s my bait—and all I need to spring my trap is for my new opponent to pause long enough to study it.
I jump into the jungle gym’s small fort and draw my gun, keeping to the shadows as I train my barrel at the dagger in the yard.
And I wait.
Thankfully, I don’t have to wait long. Seven minutes later, a tall man jumps the fence after me, landing in the grass without even a whisper of noise. He’s tall and well built, and I can even see his biceps in his silhouette. His chest rises and falls a little too quickly, suggesting he doesn’t have my stamina or speed, but he’s still kept a surprisingly close tail on me.
