“I’m assuming the NASCAR track,” Luther replied.
“No,” Melissa said and held up a brochure. “I grabbed it when we stopped for gas an hour ago. “Mohegan Sun Pocono features a harness racing track.”
“Horses,” Julian muttered.
“Does that mean something?” Quinn inquired as she slid over to fill the space Julian had vacated.
“One of the images I got from Herb was of horse racing.”
“So he was a bit of a gambler and liked to play the slots?”
“No, I think I would have seen slot machines or tables if he was a gambler, maybe even heard the sounds of a casino. I didn’t see betting windows or racing programs either.”
“Then what would he be doing at the track?” Luther asked.
Julian frowned as he stared at the strip of road they drove down. “I think he was killing time.”
“Until what?” Dani inquired.
“This place we’re trying to find, it’s also used as a meeting place for The Commission. Maybe Herb arrived early a couple of times and decided to watch the races.”
“Or maybe he liked watching the horses and came early on purpose,” Quinn suggested.
“I think he did like watching them,” Julian murmured.
“Are we stopping at the track?” Luther asked as they approached the entrance for it.
“No, keep going. That was Herb’s own private thing. The Commission is something else entirely.”
Dani walked down to perch precariously on the end of the couch as Chris released a loud snore, muttered something, and rolled over.
Julian returned to stand beside Quinn and handed her his phone. “Can you tell them where to go while I try to figure it out?”
“Yes.” She took the phone from him and typed in directions to the large group message while he guided them onward.
When she finally lifted her head from the phone again, blackness and jagged rock formations surrounded them as the RV made a steady ascent through the night. The headlights bouncing over the asphalt revealed the smooth road twisting throughout the mountain passageway before them. The unsettling sensation that the rest of the world had ceased to exist descended over her as the only sound was Chris’s occasional snore and the hum of the tires on the road.
No other cars came toward them, and she refused to look too closely at the side of the road as she was pretty sure it fell away into nothing. The metal guardrail gleamed in the headlights; its yellow reflectors appeared every few feet. She seriously doubted the rail’s ability to keep the RV from plummeting over the edge if Luther ever lost control of the lumbering vehicle. She may be immortal, but the prospect of smashing off of rocks all the way to the bottom of the mountain was as pleasing to her as having her fingernails ripped out. She’d actually rather have her fingernails ripped out.
She saw no lights following behind them in the mirrors of the RV, but the road was winding…
Rising to her feet, she kept Julian’s phone in hand as she walked to the back of the RV. She knelt on the bed there to pull the curtain aside. Blackness swallowed the road behind the vehicle. The red taillights barely pierced the dark as the RV made its way forward. The hair on her nape rose, and a tremor went through her fingers.
Had the vampires abandoned them? Had they set them up to go forward to their deaths at the hands of The Commission?
Many of the vamps believed in the prophecy, in her. She’d seen that in the awe on their faces when she’d shown them what she could do, but that didn’t mean they were willing to fight and die for her. In many ways, death was more frightening for an immortal than a mortal. After so long a life, and many of those lives entailing brutal acts, few immortals believed they would be received by clouds and angels when they met their end. She certainly didn’t expect to be welcomed into heaven, if there was one.
She really hoped the vamps were back there somewhere, following her directions instead of sitting at the track placing bets and drinking beers. This was supposed to be a beginning and an end. The beginning of a new and stronger relationship between vampires, Hunters, and Guardians. The end of an enemy she’d never encountered before Herb and his Hunter, but an enemy that she’d feared since birth.
If the vampires abandoned them tonight, and they somehow managed to survive going after The Commission, she knew Julian would ruthlessly hunt down and slaughter every vampire who had betrayed them.
“What is it?” She turned to find Julian standing in the doorway, watching her.
“It’s like we’re all alone up here,” she whispered.
“Like it’s the end of the world and we’re the only ones left?”
“Yes.”
“They’re back there,” he said.
“How do you know?”
“Because they know it will mean their deaths if they’re not.”
Quinn gulped. “Julian…” Her voice trailed off when his arctic eyes landed on her.
Then his gaze went beyond her. She turned to watch as a dim splash of light illuminated the road behind them a second before the RV slid around another curve. Julian’s phone vibrated in her hand, and she glanced down at it.
“What does it say?” he inquired.
“Behind you. It’s from Vern.”
“Good.” Julian turned away from her and made his way back to the front of the RV.
Quinn leaned against the wall. If she’d still been human, she’d be taking deep breaths in order to calm herself. Now all she could do was tell herself over and over again that it would be okay. They would get through this. She wasn’t sure she believed it though.
***
Julian directed Luther off of the twisting mountain road and onto another road that cut a pathway up the mountain. Sparks shot from the passenger side mirror when the RV scraped against the rock walls surrounding them.
“The Commission wouldn’t set this up as a one way in and out,” Luther murmured.
“No, they wouldn’t,” Julian agreed. “The Commission may be the most vicious bastards I’ve ever come across, and from me, that’s saying a lot, but they’re also some of the most cunning.”
“They wouldn’t still be alive if they weren’t,” Luther said.
“I think we should stop here,” Julian said when the rock walls finally gave way to reveal woods. The area was large enough that they would be able to maneuver the vehicles around if it became necessary to get away quickly.
Luther pulled onto a large swath of cleared grass and parked the RV. The headlights illuminated thirty feet of the grass and dirt roadway before Luther doused them. Turning, Julian’s gaze fell on Quinn sitting at the table with Chris by her side. Chris had finally woken up again five minutes ago. Quinn’s fair skin was paler than normal, her scars more clearly visible as she held his phone like a lifeline.
There was no way he could talk her into staying behind. The last thing he wanted was for her to be anywhere near the clutches of The Commission. What they would do to her if they discovered her true heritage and what she was capable of…
He refused to think about it. If he did, he would take her from here right now. They’d never been this close to ending The Commission before; he couldn’t turn away from this chance. The vampires would never trust him again if he abandoned this plan and he would be putting her life more at risk if that happened. The vamps now knew what she looked like. They would come for her and try to use her.
“After Herb’s encounter with us, anyone here will know we might be able to track them to this place,” Luther said to Julian. “They know of your ability and Herb would have told them that he found us.”
“I know,” Julian said while he walked to the back of the RV. Headlights filled the bedroom as Vern’s van pulled up behind them.
“They could have fled from here,” Quinn said.
He turned back to her, memorizing every one of her proud features. “From what I’ve glimpsed of this place, it is pretty fortified. They can make a stand here against us, which means they will have s
tayed.”
“Are you sure about that?” Lou asked.
“Yes. Also, The Commission would love nothing more than to have my head on a platter along with all of yours. They’ll take this opportunity to end us if they think they can.”
More color faded from Quinn’s face, and her eyes became the color of molten gold. “Julian—”
“It’s never going to happen,” he said with a flick of his wrist. “Besides, they’re only expecting us. They have no reason to know, or to ever think that we would be working with a large number of vampires. They believe us to be hated by all of them. No matter how prepared they think they are here, they’re about to learn they’re wrong.”
Quinn bit her lower lip as her gaze traveled to the night beyond the windshield. She slid from the booth and walked over to the sofa where Dani sat. She waved her hands for Dani to rise. The young Hunter jumped up, and Quinn lifted the top of the sofa to reveal the stash of weapons stored inside. Reaching in, she pulled out an assortment of stakes and slid them into the ankle holsters she had within her boots.
“They’re human; guns will work,” Lou said to her.
“I’m not entirely positive about those vamps either,” Quinn replied. “There’s no way I’m not going to be prepared for anything and everything. I had a harsh reminder of that lesson in the hotel.”
She pulled out knives and more stakes, which she discreetly tucked against her sides before removing two handguns. Looking at her, no one would know she carried an arsenal strapped to her, but years of training and hiding from nearly everyone had taught her how to keep everything concealed well.
Judging by the determined set of her jaw, Julian didn’t think she would hesitate to kill any threat she encountered this time. Hunter or not, human or not. It wasn’t only her life on the line anymore, and she would destroy any who tried to hurt those she loved.
She strapped the guns to her sides for everyone to see, a distraction he realized from the rest of the arsenal on her. The others rose to gather their own weapons when she stepped away from the couch.
“How good are you with a gun?” he asked her when she came to stand by his side.
“Good enough to make someone bleed and, hopefully, die,” she replied. “I was trained with all weapons, but firearms were never my strongest point.”
He rested his hand on her shoulder, drawing her haunted eyes to him. “Use the guns first against them.”
“I don’t plan to get close enough to use anything else if I don’t have to.”
He squeezed her shoulder before releasing her. Stepping closer, he examined the remaining contents stashed beneath the sofa before pulling a small handgun free. He’d far prefer to tear out their throats with his fangs, but he had Quinn to worry about now. If something happened to him, she wouldn’t survive it. Going for the kill from farther away was the safer option for all of them.
He ignored the remaining stakes. If the vampires dared to try to double cross him, they’d pay mightily for their mistake, but it wouldn’t be quick unless it was necessary. He pulled his shirt over the gun to cover it. As much as he hated the cold, he wouldn’t be wearing a jacket tonight. The cumbersome material might only get in the way, and he needed to be able to move freely.
“Are we ready?” he asked as the others finished strapping their weapons discreetly onto them.
“Ready as we’ll ever be,” Chris said.
Turning to the door, Julian pushed the handle down and stepped into the crisp air as the wind whipped down from the mountains. A shiver ran down his spine while his gaze searched over the rocks and trees around them. His ears perked when a small clicking noise sounded from a hundred feet away.
Cameras. His prey already knew they were coming.
CHAPTER 21
Quinn watched as the vampires Julian sent out in search of the cameras blended seamlessly into the woods. All of the vampires who had agreed to help go after The Commission had arrived. They all looked like she felt, a little queasy and a whole lot murderous.
A beginning and an end, she reminded herself, and they both might occur tonight. The end of The Commission, and probably the end of some of those who had followed them here. Perhaps the end of her or Julian.
The hair on her nape rose as she surveyed the woods crowding the narrow roadway. She kept expecting eyes to materialize from the shadows of the thick pines surrounding them, but she saw no movement within the trees. The only sounds she heard came from the howling wind and the branches scraping together as the trees swayed against each other.
“Wouldn’t they have separated, gone to ground in different locations in different areas of the country?” one of the vampires who had remained with them asked.
“They might have,” Julian replied. “From what I saw, this place looks highly fortified though, at least from the outside. There is a large fence surrounding a concrete building. I’m sure there are other things protecting it too, but I don’t know what they are. Even if they have a stronger fortification elsewhere, The Commission will most likely group together in the hopes they’ll be able to take us out. Don’t forget they’re not expecting the numbers we have.”
Luther turned to face the vamps. A few of those closest to him took a step back, wary of the man who was completely human but radiated an air of ruthlessness. “He’s right. I have limited experience with The Commission even for a Guardian, but when threatened, they group together. They’re twisted and have caused more damage and hurt more people than many vampires over the years.
“However, they are only human, and humans tend to gather numbers for strength, and The Commission doesn’t have many numbers left. Spreading out may mean keeping some of them alive for longer; it also means thinning their resources and making them more vulnerable. If it turns out they aren’t all here, but if even one of them is, it will be one less we have to deal with by the time we’re done hunting them down.”
“I like the way you think,” one of the vamps said, and those around him nodded their agreement.
“What about the Hunters they’ll have with them?” another asked.
“If they’re under The Commission’s control, they’ll do as they’re ordered. The Commission will happily sacrifice them to save their own lives,” Luther answered. “You’ll most likely have to take those Hunters out.”
That was what Luther hated most about The Commission, Quinn realized. Luther would destroy anyone who threatened his Hunters. They were the children he’d never had, and he loved them as such. The Commission used the Hunters as disposable pawns, something meant only to protect them. To Luther, such a callous attitude was unacceptable.
Quinn surveyed the woods again. She didn’t acknowledge it, but she was aware of the vampires creeping closer to her. Some of them with open awe and curiosity on their faces, while others didn’t seem aware they were doing it.
She frowned at one when he stopped a foot away from her. Julian stepped in between them; the look on his face saying he’d happily tear the man’s throat out if he moved a centimeter closer. The man backed hastily away.
She really hated the whole damn prophecy, but if it somehow made it possible for all of them to live and work together, she would suck up that they made her feel like a rare animal on display for the first time ever. The idea of being akin to a zoo attraction for vampires was something she would have to get used to, and hopefully, she would become old news for them soon.
Shadows shifted through the trees. Her hand fell to one of the guns at her side as she sniffed the air and strained to hear anything above the creaking of the trees. Faint footsteps on the forest floor reached her. Detecting no heartbeats from those approaching them, her hand fell away from her guns before Vern emerged out of the woods. The ten vampires who had gone with him followed behind.
“We took down all the cameras we detected,” Vern said. His brown eyes held a hint of red in them when he stopped before Julian. “They have quite the encampment at the end of this road.”
“Did you find a
ny traps?” Julian asked.
“We made it through to the fence surrounding the building safely. We’ll make it through again,” Vern replied.
“Did you notice if there was another way out of here?”
“No, but we didn’t go around the whole fence.”
“There may have been traps out here before, but they could have taken some of them down to try to make us lower our guard,” Luther said.
“It’s a good possibility,” Julian agreed.
“They still have no idea how many of us there really are,” Vern said. “At least the last quarter of the vehicles never made it into camera range.”
Julian rubbed at the stubble lining his jaw as he surveyed the vamps gathered around them. “Half of you are going to stay here,” he declared.
“Why?” one of them asked.
“For backup. You’ll know when we’re in trouble. I have a feeling there will be no hiding that if it happens. They’re trying to pull us in, but we’ll also lure them into a feeling of false security by keeping our true numbers from them.
“I also want five vampires to go through the woods to search for the back way out. Take down the cameras you locate as you go. There will probably be traps, so keep alert, but we need to block off their other exit in case they try to retreat. No matter what happens, no matter what you see or hear from our location, that roadway is to remain barred once you find it,” Julian said. “Any volunteers?”
The vamps all looked at each other before some hands rose into the air. Julian broke the volunteers off from the others and sent them ahead of their group. When everyone had been divided and given their assignments, he turned to Quinn.
“Any chance I can get you to stay behind?” he asked her.
“Any chance the sky is green?”
He smiled and took hold of her hand to pull her against him. The feel of him sent an electric thrill through her body as he kissed her. “That’s what I figured. Stay close to me, Dewdrop.”
“As long as you do the same.”