“I’m glad to hear that,” Dorian said with a relieved sigh. “I was worried about them, especially Kane.”
Zach procured a phone for me as he and Gina led us into the Coalition base. I dialed my parents’ number with my pulse racing, knowing that they were going to be furious and relieved just like my brother. I ducked into an empty office for a moment while Zach gave Dorian another earful in the hallway. I wanted to be alone, since I knew it was going to be a hard phone call.
My mother answered, and I said hello. She immediately knew my voice. After she broke down into tears, my father took the phone from her. I got the same reaction from them, except twice as bad with ten times the scolding, since they were my parents. Even as an adult woman, I went on far too many dire missions for their liking. They gave me an earful, but I could hear the relief in their voices as they wound down.
I told them a brief version of what I told the others, but I deliberately kept my engagement from them, thinking that now wasn’t the time. Shame wasn’t holding me back, but I wanted to give them a break before they had more news to struggle with. They’d met Dorian and liked him, but knowing they were also worried about the vampire situation in the world gave me pause.
After my intense and emotional conversation with my parents, Gina led us to their quarters so that we could chat with her and Zach. Roxy was there. She gasped and drew me into a bear hug before promptly punching me in the arm. Fortunately, she was quicker to burn through her full range of emotions than the others. I found myself thankful for her blunt humor as she started asking what sort of aliens I’d brought home this time.
We again did our best to explain who Sen and Ruk were. This time, the story came easier, since we’d already told it before. They listened intently to our adventures, astonished that our trip had taken so long.
“Well, we’ve been pretty busy ourselves,” Zach muttered, and launched into stories about hunting down the revenants. As I listened to him, confirming much of what Gomez told us and adding more specific incidents to the story, I couldn’t believe how bad things had gotten in the Mortal Plane.
Dorian and I had been so hopeful about vampire-human relations, but the world had turned against vampires in an instant. As Zach talked, I tried to shake a strange feeling of not belonging in this room. It was more than the fact that we were all crammed into a small room meant for two people. It was the Mortal Plane in general.
After being away for months in the Immortal and Higher Planes, it didn’t feel like I was coming home today. When we landed here, it just felt like another place I’d been before. I no longer belonged to a specific plane.
My home is wherever Dorian is.
13
Lyra
Commander Ruiz sat at the end of a long table. Her short black bob looked polished as she shifted in her pressed uniform to lean back in her chair. We’d introduced Ruk and Sen, and to her credit, the head of the LA HQ had only stared at them for a few moments before getting over their strange appearance.
Sen happily informed Ruiz that she could stare as much as she wanted, since she found Ruiz equally fascinating, and then gave an exact count of the hairs on the official’s head as 110,431. We’ll have to work on Sen’s social skills with humans.
“We’ve met before,” Ruk said, with a slight bow. “But I was a snake at the time.” He did not elaborate, and so I then had the uncomfortable task of explaining to Commander Ruiz that I’d secretly brought an Immortal onto the Bureau base because I was under a magical contract, a reason which she did not find sufficient for causing a security breach. After giving me that reprimand, she drummed her fingernails on the table and took a deep breath.
“So, tell me about this plan and how it’s going to help us finish this nightmare,” she said grimly. “The Bureau wants to wash its hands of this affair sooner rather than later.”
Ruiz listened intently as Dorian and I explained our adventure. I chose to focus on the logistical aspects that would interest Ruiz as a military leader. She wanted this business with the Immortal Council finished just as much as we did, even if she didn't seem to fully understand all the supernatural politics. When we finished explaining our plan—to attack the head of the beast—Ruiz leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms in thought for a few moments.
"I'm on board," she said, surprising me, "but it will take time to convince the other members of the board. I'll have to scramble to get the resources you need. They've taken a conservative turn after all the business with the revenants played out. We're planning every move as carefully as possible with the government breathing down our necks. It'll take days," she told us. "Maybe even a week."
My hopes plummeted. "A week? We don't have that long."
"I know." Her eyes hardened with genuine regret.
"We also have limitations on our return journey," Ruk added, speaking up for the first time. "I'm afraid that the tear is in danger of collapsing. We can't bring any more groups back and forth. Our trip back will be the last one so that we don't damage the barrier even more. We'll only try to take a single group through to finish our job of taking out the Immortal Council. If all goes well, I'll return the humans to the Mortal Plane, then seal the barrier for good with everyone in their proper place. It may seal off the vampires from the Mortal Plane permanently, but we’ll have to see what I can do when I get to the task. I’m not sure I can keep the portals intact."
Tension grew in the room. This was our final mission. My conversation with Dorian about what we would do in the future seemed like weeks ago. After we defeated the Immortal Council, the planes would be sealed off from one another for good.
"I'll have Gomez call to arrange a meeting with the board as soon as possible. In the meantime, you can gather your own support for this project. I imagine many of your allies will want to assist on this final mission," Ruiz said. "I'll do all I can." She checked her watch and frowned. "I have to get to my next meeting, but Gomez will get you sorted out. Your paperwork will get you access to meals in the mess hall."
It was strange to go back to a world where I needed to eat, but one thing that hadn't changed? Dorian and I were still waiting around for people to come together and listen to us. We thanked Ruiz regardless, knowing that she was trying her best.
"This organization moves a hair faster than the arbiters, at least," Ruk commented dryly as we headed back to our housing. We’d rested all of yesterday with Zach and Gina, since our other friends were busy with refugee work. The refugees were kept separate from the other Coalition members, since Bryce was still actively trying to get them to Scotland but facing major setbacks on that front. Much like our meeting with Ruiz, everything was far stricter on the LA campus than I’d expected. Dorian was anxious to check in on Kane. Zach had assured us that we were certain to find more people milling about today because they were finished with the refugee work for the week. He and Gina had something to do for Bryce, but they promised to catch us for dinner tonight.
All the vampires were housed in larger rooms together, since there were more of them, but unfortunately, they were being watched by guards. Even our old vampire allies weren't spared a Bureau handler. It reminded me far too much of the early days with the vampires in the Bureau compound experiment.
I greeted the guard stationed at the entrance of the wing housing the vampires in our group. Dorian didn’t say a word. Usually, he tried to charm the Bureau staff, but the recent changes had added tension everywhere we went on campus. This soldier was unfamiliar to me, but he politely allowed us in after I showed our papers. We made it to the common room for the Coalition, where we expected to find some of our friends.
The first thing I heard was the distinctive sharp voice of Halla, chastising one of the guards.
“Don’t look at me like that,” she snapped. The two guards posted at the end of a large room looked tense in the face of Halla’s berating tone. “Where is my son? The medics took him away an hour ago for his check-up.”
He’s still injured, after
all this time. The fight at the Hive did a number on him, although I’d have thought a vampire would’ve healed by now. Kane was a long-time warrior, though. Perhaps he had underlying repetitive injuries from past battles that were rearing their ugly heads now. I’d seen it happen with other soldiers back when I was in the Bureau. One bad fight brought a thousand tiny injuries to the surface.
“The check-ups take an hour, just like usual. Nothing’s changed from last week or the week before. It’s only gone a few minutes over,” one guard, tan-skinned and exasperated, explained. “He should be back any minute.”
"Halla," Dorian called out to save the poor soldiers. She tensed and spun around. Her steely gray eyes narrowed.
"You two! Well, the rumors are true. You're both alive." She huffed and stalked over to us. The guards breathed quiet sighs of relief as her attention diverted from them. "Kane should be back any minute. Why didn't you come find us last night?"
Dorian bowed his head politely. "We were told you were working with the refugees yesterday until late, and our journey took a toll on us, unfortunately. This morning, we had to meet with Ruiz to get things in order." Halla gave a haughty sniff but accepted his words. Then her eyes landed on me. I braced myself. We’d had a few soft moments, but she was a hard woman after all her experiences fleeing from ruler persecution. While she’d never liked me, she developed a close bond with Sabal after Myndra went missing in the Immortal Plane. Maybe I could placate her with updates on them.
"Halla, it's nice to see you," I said. "We've seen Myndra and Sabal." Her tight scowl melted as I filled her in. Upon hearing that Sabal was safe but devoting all her time to her sister, Halla nodded understandingly. She could often go from viper to kindly grandmother in seconds.
"Those sisters are strong. If there's anyone who can pull through, it's Myndra with her sister's support. They have a true familial bond." Her eyes darkened for a moment. She must have been worried about Kane. I hadn’t seen him since our awkward parting at the Hive. I’d reacted badly after stumbling over him and Roxy kissing, and while Roxy had accepted my apology, Kane hadn’t. I didn’t know what to expect, seeing him again, and tried to prepare myself for the worst.
Had Kane told his mother about what happened with Roxy? I doubted it… Halla was the one who had warned me harshly against getting involved with Dorian. I doubted that she would be understanding of her own son dating a human. For a moment, I worried for Roxy in light of Halla’s certain disapproval. Although, if there’s anyone who could proudly go her own way in life without worrying about judgment from others, it’s Roxy.
At that exact moment, Halla went still, as if she sensed something different. She looked at the way Dorian and I were holding hands, something that used to cause me intense pain, even in the Mortal Plane.
Dorian sensed her surprise. “Lyra and I have found a way around the curse. It’s going to help us in the upcoming fight.”
"Well, how wonderful for you," Halla said with acidic brightness. What was wrong with her? Her emotions shifted from angry to happy every five seconds. I chalked it up to stress and her worry for Kane. Sen made a little delighted sound of interest beside me but said nothing. Perhaps Halla thought Dorian and I had done something nefarious to solve our problem.
"Our allies helped us with a temporary solution," I said.
Halla grunted, regarding Ruk and Sen coldly. She must have hated that we’d found a way to circumvent her warnings, but I didn’t have time for her bitterness. If Roxy and Kane weren’t here, I wanted to search for other familiar faces.
As if summoned, Kane called, “I’m back,” as he came through the far door. The soldiers parted to let him through.
Kane walked in with a limp. His gaze swung up to see Dorian and then me. He stopped, squaring his shoulders as he took in our group. He walked toward us, closing the distance, making an effort to walk as normally as possible.
I stiffened as Dorian opened his arms to pull Kane into a brotherly bear hug, unsure what to do. I was so thankful to see him healthy and alive, but I didn’t want to step on his toes if he was still angry at me. To my surprise, Kane released Dorian and pulled me in for a hug, as well. He pounded my back with a hard pressure, a sign that we were back on good terms. I broke into an unstoppable grin.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “When I heard you were missing, all I could think about was how badly I’d left things, for the sake of a petty grudge. I’m so glad you’re okay.” A feeling of relief and lightness welled up inside me, but he purposefully pulled back before I could respond. He’d probably reached his limit of emotional vulnerability for the day. “I’m glad you’re both okay,” he corrected himself. “Interesting company you’ve brought back, though.”
I grinned. “It’s harder to kill us than you might think.”
“The scrappier the fighter, the better the battle,” Kane muttered with a wolfish smirk. He gestured to himself. “I wish I was in perfect shape, because I’m sure you’ve come back for more than just a hello. I can see it in Dorian’s baby blues.”
Dorian let out a snort. His glacial eyes did look especially blue today, with his freshened-up cloak. It had taken on a blue hue after Juneau insisted on restyling it. My fiancé looks as dashing as ever.
Dorian launched into a brief explanation of where we’d been and why we’d come back. As he did, I noted Halla’s face falling deeper into a scowl. Her wrinkles bunched together, and her gray eyes darkened, especially when Dorian spoke of needing allies for a last-ditch attempt to destroy the Immortal Council. Uh-oh. Here we go.
“I’m in,” Kane said. Determination—a streak of revenge and bloodlust for the rulers in it—radiated from him. “Roxy will want to join, too.”
“You haven’t healed,” Halla said, jumping into the conversation. She reached for Kane’s arm, resting her hand on one of his muscled biceps. “You need to let your body rest.”
Kane rolled his eyes but spoke gently, in a way that he rarely did with anyone else. “I’m fine. I’m a vampire warrior. We’re made to fight.” Halla scowled as Kane turned back to us, and I suspected that conversation wasn’t over. “I’m definitely in, and I’ll go around spreading the word. I’m good at gathering troops. Or did you forget that time I saved you on a Chicago rooftop?”
I chuckled. Kane was good at coming through, in any fight. “Thank you,” I said, for more than one reason. It was the closest I could come to accepting his apology without embarrassing him.
“You need to lie down,” Halla insisted. “You can gather troops after that.” Kane gave in, casting an annoyed but relenting look at her. It was probably easier for him to sometimes cave to her demands than constantly fight with her.
We left Kane to his mother’s care, Halla’s sharp remarks fading in the distance. Sen stared briefly back at the door, but I assumed she was just fascinated with the guards posted at every door. When we got to the end of the hall, a woman rounded the corner.
She was blonde, in her late twenties, with a towering, muscled figure. My eyes landed on the high-ranking Bureau patch on her shirt pocket. Her nametag read Nils, and she was certainly someone with a high-clearance level if she was walking around with seven security cards on her lanyard. I arched an eyebrow as she extended a polite hand.
“Lyra Sloane and Dorian Clave, my name is Dr. Sonia Nils—call me Sonia,” she said. Her grip was firm, always a good sign in my book. Ruk passed on the handshake, but Sen took ten seconds for it. Sonia merely nodded and continued, “The prisoner heard that you arrived. We can’t keep the guards from gossiping, unfortunately. She requested to meet with you. I’m the lead researcher on her case.”
It took me a moment to work out that she meant Inkarri. I was surprised they’d found a way to successfully feed her in this place where Immortals weren’t meant to live. Why did the hunter want to meet with us? And why was Sonia running out to deliver the message of a prisoner?
“Are we allowed to meet with her?” I asked skeptically. I didn’t want to do anything that mig
ht jeopardize our goals here. Sonia studied me, likely sensing my doubt.
“I know it’s unusual,” she admitted. “But I checked with Ruiz, and she said it was okay as long as it didn’t compromise any planning. She said you two were smart enough to know what not to say.”
“Inkarri,” Ruk muttered. “I forgot we brought her here in the first place.” Sen’s gray eyes widened with surprise. I couldn’t remember if we’d told her we took an Immortal ruler to the Mortal Plane as a hostage. Oops. Ruk seemed unruffled. “We might as well see what she has to say.”
Sonia led us to the prison on the HQ campus. It was in the center of the compound, protected by several guards on the outside. Sonia used her special clearance card to allow us in. As we walked through the hallway, my stomach churned with dread and recognition. I knew this tile and wall color.
Guards greeted us and allowed us through to the inner cells. Inkarri was being kept alone. Through a medium-sized window in the metal door, I made out the signs of a padded wall. I couldn’t work out why the setting was so familiar, until I realized that it was something I’d seen in one of the windows from the Higher Plane. I shot an urgent look at Dorian, not wanting to say so in front of Sonia. He nodded once. He must’ve figured out the same thing.
Inkarri sat slumped against the wall. Dark circles marred the skin under her hollow eyes. She looked gaunt and half starved, but alive. Somehow, they were giving her dark energy. I spotted handcuffs and chains shackling her to the wall. Man, I felt bad for anyone in these circumstances. Sonia stepped up to the window and pressed a button. The window slid to the side. Three bars over the window still kept us separate from Inkarri, but I doubted she was strong enough to put up a fight.
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