“Sebastian, I’d like you to return to the warehouse now,” Sam told him. “We just need to have a quick chat with the other two squads first to let them know of the changes to our plan before we leave. My hope is that Diane may have this ‘something’ transported to the other building by then.”
With a nod, Sebastian teleported away.
The rest of us met with the other two squads at the rear of the mansion. As Sam and Jared quickly debriefed them, Salem turned to me. “Remember: keep yourself safe for me and stay close. That’s what teams do, right?”
I smiled at that. He was trusting me with not only my safety, but his. “Right,” I confirmed. “Same to you. I don’t want to see a single scratch on your body. Got it?”
His mouth twitched. “Got it.”
(Salem)
It wasn’t until Reuben had strengthened certain gifts that the squads were teleported to a desolate building a short distance away from the warehouse. Once all thirty of us were gathered there, Jared summoned Sebastian telepathically. Moments later, the Keja appeared at Sam’s side.
“Please tell me you know what’s inside the –” Sam stopped mid-sentence as she took in his grim expression. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”
“The ‘something’ she referred to…” Sebastian cast Ava a brief glance before continuing. “She has your old nest.”
Ava tensed, inhaling sharply. I took her hand in mine, but she was like stone – I wasn’t sure whether it was anger or shock that had her in its jaws.
Sam gaped. “The entire nest?”
“I’m not sure if it is all of them. There are thirty-three inside.”
“Including my brother?” Ava’s voice was like ice. Sebastian’s nod didn’t gain a response; her body remained stiff as a board. Seriously, it was like rigor fucking mortis had set in or something. Had to be shock.
“Thirty-three isn’t a big number for a nest,” remarked Harvey.
“A lot of vampires left the nest when Victor was alive,” said Ava tonelessly, her expression distant, “so it’s not as big as it once was.” The girls supportively gathered close to her, but she didn’t react in any way.
David puffed out a long breath. “I did not see that coming.” Murmurs of agreement rang throughout the large crowd of vampires.
“They were brought here in a large van only minutes ago,” Sebastian told us. “They are all unconscious – I’m guessing as a result of some kind of psychic attack. None of them seem close to waking. I was just about to follow the vampires inside the building to see where they placed the nest when Jared contacted me.”
“Well, fuck a duck.” Sam began pacing as a concerned Jared watched her closely, as if he feared she’d run off in a rage and try to burn down both buildings.
“Odd that she’d expect you to care about them though, Coach, since you’re not a big fan of your old nest,” said Damien.
“I was never a fan of my deceased Sire, but I never had an issue with most of the others. Ava’s brother is in there.” Sam knotted a hand in her own hair. “Shit.”
Jared’s voice was sharp. “Those of you who are our best spies, go.”
Stuart, Denny, and three others disappeared instantly.
“I have to get him out of there,” stated Ava, her voice still arctic-cold. “I have to get to Cristiano.”
“We will get him out, Ava. I swear to you,” vowed Jared. “First, we need to find out if the building is guarded. If it isn’t, this could be a straightforward retrieval job.”
But when the ‘spies’ returned a few minutes later, it was to tell us that the building was as heavily guarded as the warehouse; two guards covered the roof and all four sides.
Jared turned to the commanders of the other two squads. “Evan, Donnie – your roles remain the same.” The two commanders and their squads dispersed, ready to target the marksmen. “As much as I hate to do this, we’re going to have to split into two units. It’s vital that we get into both buildings. Evan and his squad can help, but they wouldn’t be able to take on the retrieval job alone. Not with how well guarded it is, and especially since there is a nest of vampires to retrieve. If we add him and his squad to our number then that gives us thirty people.”
Sam nodded, visibly gathering herself. “Half can concentrate on infiltrating the warehouse, and the other half can concentrate on rescuing the nest. Other than that minor change, everything remains the same: we split up into small groups, invade whatever building we’re assigned to from the upstairs and all sides, and then kill any guards inside. Meanwhile, Donnie and his squad will be on the lookout.”
“How are we dividing?” asked Cassie, clearly anxious at just the idea of separating. I’d seen that look on David’s face dozens of times; he never liked it when the squad split. Although I hadn’t judged him for that, I’d never understood his anxiety. Now that I had Ava, I finally got it. David felt at ease and self-possessed when with his team, with those he trusted. The only times I ever felt truly at ease and level-headed was around Ava, the only person I completely trusted.
Jared turned to Sebastian. “I want you to go with Evan and his squad. You can teleport, and we’re going to need that ability to relocate the unconscious nest to The Hollow. Between you and the teleporter in Evan’s squad, you should be able to get the nest out of there pretty quickly.”
Chico spoke then. “Which of us will accompany Evan, his squad, and Sebastian?”
Jared ran his gaze along all of us, lingering on Ava. If I don’t send her with them to retrieve her nest, will she go postal? he asked me.
No, she’ll follow your orders. But she’ll be thinking about her brother, wishing she could rush in and help him, just like you would if it was Evan.
After a moment of silence, Jared said, “Ava, Salem, and Max – you’ll go with Evan, his squad, and Sebastian to find and move the nest to safety.”
It was the right decision, in my opinion. Ava relaxed ever so slightly.
“That will then mean fifteen vampires are working on retrieving the nest while the remaining fifteen of us concentrate on getting to Diane and Giles.”
Sam scanned those who would be accompanying her and Jared. “We’ll all split up much the same as we did during training.” She then separated all fifteen of them into five groups of three.
“What about the second squad we brought with us?” probed Maya. “Can’t they help us?”
“Unless totally necessary, I don’t want them shifting their attention from guarding the perimeter,” replied Sam. “Up until now, Diane has been very careful, and very well-prepared. She’s resourceful and cunning. We can’t afford to be suddenly surrounded by more vampires or let Diane and Giles escape; if she realises she’s losing, she’ll do a runner. Donnie and his squad can ensure both of those scenarios don’t happen.”
Jared stiffened, cocking his head, and I guessed he was speaking to someone telepathically. “That was Evan. The marksmen are out of the equation. Time to move. Ava, Salem, and Max – you enter through the front of the building that’s holding the nest. Sebastian, you need to meet Evan and one of his squad members at the rear of the building; you three will cover the back exit. The remaining nine of Evan’s squad has been divided into threes that will enter the building from the upstairs and the sides. They’re ready when you are.”
Each of the girls hugged the breath out of Ava, instructing her to take care of herself, just as she did the same with a forced smile.
Sebastian turned to me. “Before I meet Evan, I can teleport you, Ava, and Max to a spot that’s a little closer to the front of the building.” I nodded in appreciation.
Sam spoke to Ava; both females looked totally fierce. “Get them back for us.”
Ava’s smile – which was now a little malevolent – wasn’t forced this time. “You can fucking count on it.”
In a blink, I found myself in an old, crumbling building that smelled of mildew, mould, and ash. The charred walls were adorned in graffiti, and I wondered if it had once been
the victim of a fire. Going by the machinery, it was an abandoned factory.
Careful to remain concealed by the shadows, Sebastian peeked out of the window and gestured to the six-floored, L-shaped building opposite the factory. “That is where you will find the nest. Good luck.”
Max nodded. “You too.”
Then Sebastian was gone. Just as he had done, we used the cover of the shadows to glance out of the window. Two Pagori guards were near the main entrance of the abandoned building, which seemed to lack a door.
“They’re alert, which is disappointing.” Max sighed.
“I recognise them from Giles’ club,” said Ava.
“Yep, they’re his vampires,” I confirmed.
“Which means it will be more fun to kill them, because that bastard led us into a fucking trap, and those two assholes down there are apparently okay with that.” There was no real anger coming from Max. More like anticipation for vengeance.
“Where do you think they’ll have hidden the nest?” asked Ava, her voice still flat and glacial.
“Hard to say,” replied Max. “The building’s pretty big.”
“If it was me, I’d hide them in the centre.”
“Why?” I asked her.
“Because it would mean that if anyone infiltrated the place, they wouldn’t find it simple to locate the nest no matter where they entered. Diane probably doesn’t believe we’d even know the nest are here, but she’s paranoid. Like Sam pointed out, the bitch likes back-up plans and covering her ass. She’ll account for this possibility just in case.”
“I agree. So we’ll assume the nest is on the third floor, but we’ll be sure to search each area as we go.”
Max seemed happy with that. “Same drill as last time?”
I nodded before turning to Ava. For once, she seemed just as eager as I was on assignments. “Ready?”
“Ready.”
With the simple act of closing his hand, Max had deprived the guards of their senses. We didn’t give the two Pagoris time to react. Without moving from the factory, I took out one with a lethal psychic punch. Ava literally appeared behind the other guard – she’d moved so fast, it was more like she’d teleported there – and mercilessly snapped his neck.
Max and I quickly joined her in hunkering down in front of one of the smashed windows near the main door, scanning the interior. The room seemed to have once been a large reception area, going by the overturned desk and the papers strewn all over the floor.
“Can’t see or hear any guards,” whispered Ava.
“There’ll be some further inside,” predicted Max.
“Let’s find out.” I slipped in through the front entry, avoiding stepping on the papers or anything else that would make a sound. Behind me, Ava and Max moved just as stealthily. Like the factory, it smelled of must and mildew, and also of an ammonia-like scent that was distinctive to mouse urine. I sure hoped Ava wasn’t one of those people who got freaked out by the squeaky little shits. The last thing we needed was her squealing.
Both she and Max followed me through the arched entry of the reception area, which led to a long hallway. Still, I couldn’t sense any guards. Sticking close to the wall, we silently advanced down the hall – pausing each time we came to a room, peeking through the open doors. Nothing.
As we neared a junction deep inside the building, I heard the slight scuffling of feet. Halting abruptly, I held up a hand, listening hard. More scuffling, followed by a gusty sigh.
We were too far away for me to pick up the vampire’s scent and be sure it wasn’t one of our own – it wasn’t likely, but it was possible. As such, my gift wasn’t the best to use or I could accidentally kill one of ours. I turned to Max and mouthed, “You move on three.” Then I looked at Ava, mouthing, “You on four.”
She seemed surprised but gave me a curt nod. I held up four fingers and then slowly began the countdown. The instant I dropped my third finger, Max acted, stripping the vampire’s senses. Once I dropped the fourth finger, Ava seemed to fucking vanish. Hearing the tell-tale snapping sound, I knew the vampire hadn’t been one from The Hollow. I rounded the corner, Max close behind me.
Ava was staring down at a pile of ashes in a way that said ‘good riddance’. “He was covering the stairs. Now he can’t.”
Moving as silently as before and staying close to the wall, we scurried up the stairs until we reached the first floor. I stopped dead on reaching the doorway, causing the others to halt behind me. There were two piles of ashes on the wooden floor.
Peeking around me, Ava whispered, “They must have been guards. If they were ours, there would have been some kind of uproar.”
She was right. If the guards had found and destroyed intruders, they would have loudly alerted the others, and guards would be searching the place far and wide for more of us.
“If vampires are guarding the stairwell, maybe it’s because the nest is on a higher level,” mused Max.
“My thoughts exactly.” I continued up the next set of stairs with Ava and Max again behind me, heading to the second floor. Abruptly, I froze at the sound of harsh panting. Someone was in pain and trying hard to breathe through it. Then there were running footsteps nearing the stairwell.
“I’ll get you out, just hang on,” said a familiar voice.
I rocketed up the stairs, finding Evan’s teleporter, Ian, scooping up one of his squad members – whose leg was broken in at least three places. Max winced.
“He got hurt fighting the guards. I’m taking him to The Hollow, and then I’ll be back. I haven’t yet found the nest, but I can tell you they’re not on this floor.” Ian then teleported away, knowing better than to waste time chatting.
“Then we keep going up.” I’d only advanced a few steps when suddenly Sebastian appeared right in front of me. “Christ, I almost fucking killed you,” I whispered abrasively. He didn’t seem to care.
“We have a problem.”
“Another one?” mocked Max.
Sebastian ignored that. “We have found the nest, but it is not going to be easy to reach them. There is a bomb – a psychic bomb.”
“What’s a psychic bomb?” Ava demanded, echoing my own thoughts.
Sebastian didn’t answer until he’d teleported the three of us to a large room where Evan and one of his squad, Trent, were waiting. A loud gasp flew out of Ava as she noticed her nest slumped all over one another, unconscious. Surrounding them was a thin blue ring that occasionally flickered and produced a low hum.
She swallowed hard. “What the hell is that?”
“It’s a rare gift, but it’s a fucking good one,” replied Evan. “It allows the vampire to surround something with what’s referred to as a ‘detonating ring’. As you can see, the ring is slightly visible, but it’s a psychic construct. One that’s linked to the vampire who made it. It acts as a sort of tripwire. If something crosses the ring, he’ll know, and then he can cause whatever is inside of it to instantly explode.”
Max skimmed a hand over his head. “Well, shit.”
“We still have to get to my nest,” insisted Ava. “There has to be some way to do it.” I placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly.
Sebastian pulled his cell phone from his Armani pants – he always dressed well, even for assignments. To be fair to him, he probably hadn’t anticipated that Sam and Jared would ask him to partake in it beyond spying on Diane. “If you will excuse me for a moment, I must contact someone.”
“Who?” asked Ava.
“One of The Hollow’s researchers. They have been gathering information about gifts for centuries. If there is a way around this gift, they will know.”
I held Ava to my side as she watched Sebastian closely, most likely trying to eavesdrop on his conversation. I wanted to tell her that everything would be okay, that she didn’t need to worry, but I didn’t want to lie to her. The fact was that this could be really, really bad.
The second Sebastian ended the call, she burst out, “What did they say
?”
“The only way to deactivate the ring would be to kill the vampire who created it. If someone in the warehouse manages to kill him or her, that would work, but I would rather not wait around in the hope that this will happen soon. The researchers believe that although it is not possible to cross the ring without alerting its creator, it may be possible to teleport inside it without his or her knowledge.”
Ava stiffened. “May be possible?”
“It is a risk. It could be that an attempt to teleport inside the ring actually alerts it’s creator. And the nest would then be destroyed before your very eyes.”
Horror flashed across her face as she again swallowed hard, casting a longing gaze at her brother.
“Ava, if we don’t take the risk, Diane will use them against Sam,” Evan pointed out, his voice sensitive. “We still don’t know what she wants. But even if Sam gives it to her, I’m betting Diane won’t hand over the nest. She wants Sam to suffer. The best chance these vampires here have at surviving this is if Sebastian tries to save them.”
He was right. Had it been me, I would have immediately told them to take that chance. But Ava wasn’t like me. For one thing, she had a heart. For another, she would hesitate at just the very thought of anything happening to them – particularly to her brother. “Ava, Evan’s right,” I said. “Diane will be planning to kill the nest no matter what happens. You know it, I know it. What’s more, Sam knows it. You know what that means.”
She nodded. “It means Sam won’t agree to whatever Diane’s request is, because she’ll know there’s no point since it won’t save them.”
“Sebastian really is their best chance, baby.”
After a long moment, she looked at Sebastian. “Do it.”
He inhaled deeply, closed his eyes, teleported away…and appeared inside the ring.
“It worked.” Max grinned. “It fucking worked.”
Ian and five of his fellow squad members appeared in front of Evan, their backs to the ring. “I took our injured to The Hollow and then gathered these five together to…What are you all looking at?” Ian pivoted. “Shit, is that a detonation ring?”