I turned to look at him. “What?”
He shook his head and dropped his gaze. “I just feel sorry for you.”
I snorted. “Feel sorry for yourselves. You need human blood to survive in a world where humans are almost fucking extinct.”
He frowned and then opened his mouth to say something, but Ash was back, appearing before us like a ghost.
He nodded and began to sign rapidly.
“Whoa, slow down,” Jace said.
Ash growled in frustration but slowed down.
“There’s a warehouse up ahead,” Jace said to me. “It’s crawling with Feral.” He looked troubled.
He was hiding something. “What is it? What aren’t you telling me?”
He shook his head. “Nothing, we should get back and get some rest before tomorrow morning. Ash says it’s a huge building; it will take time to scope out and find your friends.”
I glanced over Ash’s shoulder at the pylons in the distance and the wires suspended between them. Tobias was in that building somewhere, experiencing goodness knew what. But I was no fool. Morning it would have to be.
I turned away. “Let’s get out of here.”
* * *
We hit the road to Haven a few minutes later but Ash yanked me back, pulling me against him and covering my mouth with the palm of his hand. My instinct was to struggle, but logic asserted itself and I held still.
Jace cursed under his breath.
What? What was going on?
And then the crimson-robed figures came into view. Ash slowly lowered his hand from my mouth.
“Please. Please, let me go.” A young girl struggled between the cloaks as they dragged her effortlessly along the road.
I knew these branded freaks, and I knew exactly where they were taking the girl.
Not your problem, Dad said firmly. You can’t get tangled up in anything else.
He was right. He was always right. The light caught the girl’s frightened face. She couldn’t be more than thirteen or fourteen. A teenager alone in this fucked-up world. Maybe it was better if she died. The thing under the bridge would make it quick, pleasant even, if the euphoria that had assaulted me had been anything to go by. She’d die in bliss. Better than being torn to shreds by Claws or sucked dry by Fangs.
“We need to do something.” It was my voice, coming from my treacherous mouth.
“We don’t know what we’re dealing with,” Jace said.
“I do.” I filled them in on my run-in with the village and the crimson-cloaked, branded freaks that had insisted we be fed to the monster under the bridge.
They exchanged glances and then Jace’s eyes lit up with excitement. “A ward. No wonder we couldn’t find him.”
I looked from Ash’s terse face to Jace’s excited one. “What are you talking about?”
“Let’s save the girl and then get back to base,” Jace said quickly. “I’ll explain everything.”
Jace and Ash exchanged another glance, and then they straightened up and sauntered out into the road.
“Hey!” Jace called out. “We’re lost, you couldn’t give us directions to the nearest motel, could you?”
The crimson crew stopped and turned to stare at the Fangs in unison. Their bald heads gleamed in the moonlight, and the weird brand on their foreheads looked wicked and painful.
“Walk away, abominations,” the crimson cloak leading the party said. “Walk away or face the wrath of our Lord.”
Jace let out a low whistle. “Lord? Wow, is that what you call him? He really has moved up in the world.”
A flash of confusion crossed the cloak’s face. “You know not what you speak of.”
Jace and Ash advanced as one. “Let the human go, and we can discuss it.”
“The human is an offering to soothe our Lord. She will serve his appetite well.”
“What? This skin and bone thing?” Jace said. “You really are scraping the barrel, aren’t you?”
Ash was moving to the left while Jace kept them talking. They were flanking the cloaks.
The leader pulled a wicked dagger from the folds of his cloak. “Leave or die.”
“Please. Please, don’t let them take me,” the girl pleaded with Jace.
The moonlight caught her face fully and the dark veins on her cheek were suddenly visible. She was infected. Jace must have seen it too because his step faltered. Would they leave her to her fate now that they saw she was of no use to them? It would be the logical thing to do. She was dead anyway. But no, they continued to advance.
“The girl is infected,” Jace said. “You’d feed your Lord the virus?”
“Our Lord is untouchable. Our Lord cannot be tainted.”
Jace looked to Ash once more, and the big guy nodded. The Fangs attacked, moving so fast they were blurs zipping in and out of the fray. Necks cracked, and screams were cut short, and it was over way too quickly.
I crouched, breathless, hidden in the brush. They’d taken out five cloaks in a matter of seconds. If anyone could help me get Tobias out, it was these guys. I stepped out into the road as Ash helped the girl to her feet. She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself, and then turned and bolted.
“Hey!” Jace made to go after her, but Ash grabbed his shoulder and shook his head. He said something in sign, and Jace nodded wearily.
They both turned to me. “Can you remember how to get to the town? To the bridge?”
I snorted. “Yeah, I can get there. Why?”
“Because once we get the other guys, you’re going to take us there.”
* * *
“I can’t believe it,” Logan said. “Right under our fucking noses.”
“His abilities must have blossomed,” Noah replied. “He’s immune to the virus now.” He tapped away at his keyboard, and the screen in front of him lit up with data. “This is all we have on him. Subject 14. They kept him in isolation until the infiltration.”
“How many is that now?” Logan asked. “How many have we bagged?”
“Ten,” Noah said. “There are still way too many out there.”
“Yeah, well, we take this one out tonight.” Logan turned to me. “He had you and you got away from him?” There was a grudging respect in his eyes.
I crossed my arms. “If someone doesn’t fill me in on what the heck is going on right now, then I’m not taking you anywhere.”
Noah sighed and turned in his seat to face me. His leonine gaze pinned me to the spot, and why did I feel like I was being berated without him having said a word?
“We do more than scavenge, Eva. We hunt monsters. Monsters like the one that tried to devour you under the bridge.”
My gaze flicked to the monitor behind him and the incomprehensible data. “You know what that thing is?”
He shook his head. “We know enough. We know he’s dangerous. So dangerous he was kept in an isolated sector of the lab where he was created.”
“Created?”
The Fangs exchanged glances.
“Tell her,” Jace said. “I was going to hold off until we’d raided the warehouse, but she needs to know what we’re dealing with. What’s out there.”
“Make it the cliff-notes version,” Logan said. “We need to move fast if we’re going to nab our target. The crimson cloaks you killed will be missed soon.”
Noah nodded. “After the virus spread, after supernaturals began getting sick, the government launched a program called Genesis to try and find a cure, but somewhere along the way the objective of the program got derailed. Scientists were dabbling in genetic engineering, cloning, all sorts of things, trying to create a creature who’d be immune to the virus and whose blood would contain antibodies. But power over creation can corrupt, and in addition to working on the cure, they began to create monsters.”
“The government always knew of the existence of Other beings,” Jace said. “They’d collected data and physical samples for as long as there was an organized society. They used this data to recreate the ancient b
Ancient and powerful. I’d felt it. “And how did it escape?”
“Dabbling with ancient DNA awakened the oldest race of Fang,” Jace said.
“They’re called Vladul,” Logan said. “And they’re immortal, dangerous bastards. But as far as I know, they aren’t immune to the virus. It just affects them differently.”
“They raided the lab facility,” Noah continued. “They took it over, and during the raid, many of the monsters escaped. We’ve been hunting them ever since.”
“Okay, even if I believe all of that, it doesn’t explain how you know all this or why you’re hunting these monsters.”
Noah exhaled through his nose. “We know because we were there. We know because we too are monsters.”
Absolute silence reigned in the wake of Noah’s declaration and then Logan laughed.
“Speak for yourself, Noah. I’m no monster. Have you seen this face?”
The tension was broken, and my mind was whirling with information as I put together what he’d just said. “You’re experiments.”
“We can give you more information later,” Jace said gently. “Help us neutralize Subject 14, and then we’ll fill you in on the rest, I promise.”
There was something niggling at the back of my mind about this whole situation, something that had anxiety gripping my mind in warning, and then it hit me. The villagers were all human. Once they took out the thing under the bridge, they’d have a fresh supply of human blood. They could offer the same deal to the villagers that they had to me. Except the bunker wouldn’t be able to house that many people …
I met Noah’s gaze with a level one of my own. “What are you planning to do with the humans you can’t fit in the bunker?”
Logan let out a bark of laughter. “Oh, she’s on to us, Noah.”
Noah’s eyes lit up with something akin to respect. Jace averted his gaze, but Ash kept his attention on me and Noah.
Noah shrugged. “We’ll take our pick of the healthiest, and the rest will have to fend for themselves.”
How could I be disgusted when it was exactly what I would have done in their situation? They were doing what they needed to in order to survive. Uninfected humans meant life.
But this whole thing left a bitter taste in my mouth. “I thought you hunted monsters for altruistic reasons. I guess I was wrong.”
“You’re not wrong,” Logan said. “This particular hunt just comes with some perks. You should be grateful. It means you’re off the hook. You won’t need to stick around. It also means we won’t have to break into a fucking roost to save your friends, who are probably already infected or dead.”
I crossed my arms. Oh, he thought he had it all figured out, did he? “Really? I guess I’ll just keep the location of Subject 14 to myself until after you’ve helped me get my friends back then.”
Logan snapped his mouth shut, and Jace let out a bark of laughter.
Noah exhaled through his nose. “Eva, we need that location, and we need to act now, before he realizes something is wrong and moves.”
He sounded sincere. It wasn’t just the humans Noah wanted. He really did want to stop Subject 14.
“I give you my word that we will help you get your friends back,” he said. “It’s the least we can do to thank you.”
“And why the heck should I believe you?”
“Because I have given you no reason not to.”
Realistically, what choice did I have? Refusing to help them could lead to them refusing to help me. They could just go off and search for the village themselves, and now that they knew about the wards, they’d just work harder to resist them. That was Dad speaking, it was logic, but there was more—a reason that shouldn’t matter because it didn’t help me to survive. In fact, it forced me to put myself in danger. The thing under the bridge had held a town hostage for far too long. It had almost killed me and Tobias. It had forced me to acknowledge that I had it in me to abandon someone I loved. The fucker had to die.
I headed for the lab door. “Fine. I’ll show you the way.”
Chapter Thirteen
The trek back through the stinking pipe and out into the night was claustrophobic when flanked by the Fangs. Noah and Logan led the way, Jace walked abreast of me, and Ash made up the rear. The sharp scent of testosterone almost masked the stench of shit … almost.
The guys had weaponed up. Noah had a customized machete complete with hand guard. Logan was carrying a bat with metal barbs sticking out of it. Jace had chains with spiked balls on the end, and Ash was sporting a neat-looking crossbow. Not the weapons I’d have paired the guys with. Ash looked more like a smash and crash guy, he certainly had the bulk for it. Having said that, he’d moved light on his feet, swift and silent when we’d been tracking. Noah looked like a twin dagger man, his pantherine physique reminding me of the powerful ballet dancers we used to watch in the theater room back in the compound. I’d have given the crossbow to Logan, simply to force him to hang back. Jace was the only one whose weapon made sense. He had the powerful biceps to swing those chains. They all looked lethally professional in their black combat gear. They looked like a team.
The van waited patiently, but Jace broke off and headed around the side of the pipe.
I turned to Ash. “Where’s he going?”
Ash gave me a flat look.
I winced. “Right. Sorry.”
Noah opened the van’s side door, and Logan hopped in.
I crossed my arms. “If you make me get in back with him, I won’t be responsible for my actions.”
Logan smirked. “What? Won’t be able to keep your hands off me?”
I smirked back. “More like won’t be able to stop my fist from kissing you on the mouth.”
“Actually,” Noah said, “you should sit up front, so you can direct us.”
Ash climbed in back with Logan, who cursed under his breath as the larger guy ate up room. I was about to climb up into the front passenger seat when the purr of an engine had my head whipping round. A sleek black bike came careening toward us and skidded to a halt a foot away from the van bumper. Jace offered us a mock salute. His barbed ball and chain were clipped to his waist.
“I’ll tail you,” he said.
I couldn’t help but stare at the bike. I’d never learned to ride one, but I’d always wanted to.
Jace grinned. “You ride?”
I shook my head.
“You want to learn?”
“Sure.”
“We’ll get on that once the carnage is over.”
I climbed into my seat, and Noah started the engine.
I clipped my seatbelt on. “Head back toward Haven. I’ll tell you when to stop.”
* * *
Twenty minutes later, Noah pulled the van over. To the east lay the forest Tobias, Emily, and I had escaped from after running from the crazy townspeople and escaping the Feral Claw attack. Had it only been a day ago? It felt like a lifetime. My body ached from lack of sleep, but there was no way I was backing down and showing weakness to the Fangs. The more they owed me, the better.
We clambered out of the van, and I set off into the forest.
My brain switched on my internal map, the one I’d made as we’d run for our lives.
Long minutes passed as the guys trudged behind me, vigilant under the bright moon. This was the Feral’s time. This was when they prowled.
We kept moving.
“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” Logan asked, his tone clearly skeptical.
I didn’t bother to answer him.
The trees were beginning to thin, which meant we were almost at the abandoned railway. But then Noah came to a halt beside me, and the other guys followed suit.
Their expressions were puzzled as they scanned the forest ahead.
<br /> I tracked their gazes, seeing nothing but the way forward. “What is it? Why are you stopping?”
“There’s nothing this way,” Logan said.
“We should head back,” Jace agreed.
Wait? What? “We need to keep going. There’s an abandoned railway station up ahead.”
Noah frowned down at me, his tawny eyes glowing in the gloom, his large frame casting me in shadow. “Maybe you’ve forgotten the way.”
Was he serious? And then it clicked. “The ward is messing with your heads.”
Jace rubbed his temples. “She’s right, this has to be some kind of subliminal suggestion.”
“We have to keep moving,” Noah agreed.
A howl drifted up into the air to our left. Too loud, too close. The guys were on instant alert.
Feral Claws on the prowl.
“They won’t follow us through the wards.” I broke into a run, the guys at my heels, and then a dark shape leapt into my path. I skidded to a halt and fell into a defensive crouch as more Feral padded out from the trees—large, red-eyed, hungry Claws, and we were the prey. Beside me, Ash growled low in his throat, a sound so much like a Claw it sent a shudder up my spine. The Feral closed in, a ravenous pack eager to be sated.
We were surrounded.
I raised my arm, slow and easy, intent on drawing my tulwar from its sheath across my back.
“No.” Noah’s voice was low and authoritative. “Don’t.”
Was he crazy?
Ash’s growl grew louder, rivaling the Feral facing us. The Fang stepped forward, shielding me with his muscled frame.
Heat pressed against my back, hands cupped my waist, and lips brushed my ear. “Make a break for the wards,” Jace said, urgent and soft.
“When?”
And then the clearing erupted in a cacophony of roars as the Claws attacked. Jace’s grip tightened and then my feet left the ground. I was airborne, flying over the Claws. He’d thrown me. He’d thrown me as easily as a rubber ball. But I wasn’t made of rubber. The ground rushed up to meet me. Shit. Prepare to land. I rolled, came up on my feet, and broke into a run. My skin prickled. Was the air sweeter?
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