Chapter 7

This news was greeted by a swell of excitement from the ghosts, but while they might be delighted at the prospect of having someone new to follow around, I sure as hell wasn’t. I might be attracted to the damn man, but that didn’t mean I wanted him around twenty-four/seven.

“And why would you want to be doing that?”

Jonas grabbed one of the lights and walked across to the museum’s entrance. “I don’t.”

“Then why in Rhea are you here, doing just that?”

He looked at me, his expression edged with anger. Though it wasn’t really aimed at me, I still felt the wash of it. “Because I cannot stay in Chaos, as much as I might want to.”

I frowned. “Why?”

“Because Nuri has foreseen there will be problems if you continue to move in and out of Chaos. And corps now has it under watch. We cannot afford to jeopardize anyone’s safety by allowing the suspicion of our connection to you to become a certainty.”

“Meaning she’s seen the possibility of Chaos being attacked?” I hesitated, and remembered where his allegiance lay. It certainly wasn’t Chaos. “Or will my presence there endanger Penny?”

“The latter. I didn’t rescue her from the vampire hordes just to risk her falling back into their hands.”

“Technically, I was the one who rescued you both from the horde.” I crossed my arms, my frown deepening. “Sal’s partners already know about the connection between me and Nuri, given that she returned the five children we rescued to Central.”

“No, because another mercenary group unconnected with either us or Chaos did that.”

I raised my eyebrows. “And where, exactly, did they say they’d found them?”

“They were on their way into Chaos when they discovered them wandering in the park. It holds enough kernels of truth to be believable.”

“To everyone except those kids and Sal’s partners.”

“To everyone but Sal’s partners,” he corrected. “The children’s memories have been adjusted.”

Adjusted. What a quaint term for altering or erasing someone’s memories. Unfortunately, it was one I’d heard more than once during the war, when lures didn’t perform their tasks as expected. Thankfully, it wasn’t something I’d ever gone through. Not just because my performance had been considered satisfactory, but because I was very careful about revealing any sort of emotion in front of either my handler or those who controlled us.

“How? Nuri’s not capable of something like that.”

“No, but Ela is.”

Ela was the fourth member of Nuri’s crew, and the one shifter I’d yet to officially meet. Her being telepathic did at least explain why Nuri had sent her into Deseo to keep an eye on events there.

“That still doesn’t explain what you’re doing setting up camp here,” I said.

He grabbed a second light and walked it across to the nearer side of the door, then hit the activate switch on both and moved back to the generator, remotely connecting the two lights. Technology, I thought, as the lights flared to life, had certainly improved since the war.

“I’m here simply because I provide a direct line to Nuri. I can relay any information and requests, and bring back anything you need.”

“Sensible, but won’t that just shift the corps’ attention to the bunker?”

“No, because the engineers have advised the council to run a series of stability tests on the area before deciding on the viability of the museum. They’re worried the landslip over the South Tunnel is just the beginning.”

“That landslip was caused by the explosion.”

“Something they’re not aware of. They believe the grate is part of an old sewer network that once ran under this area, and are now concerned that further collapses could endanger the whole hillside.”

Hence the monitoring equipment. “That still doesn’t explain how you got to be here.”

He began setting up another string of lights in front of the old tower. “Can you imagine anyone in Central willingly taking such a position? Especially when they want it physically monitored twenty-four/seven?”

I frowned. “Why wouldn’t they just set the equipment to automatically relay results across to the engineering department?”

“Because the explosion damaged the data-relay terminals and they’re not going to replace them until they decide what they’re doing with the museum.”

He connected the string of lights to the generator and they came to life, surrounding the old tower in a fierce ring of light.

“And before you ask,” he continued, “Nuri was commissioned to find someone willing to take on the position. I, naturally, volunteered.”

I blinked. “So Nuri is basically an agent, brokering services and assignments Central cannot or will not fill or complete?”

He nodded. “It is an ideal situation for everyone involved.”

It wasn’t ideal for me. Not if whoever they were dealing with got wind of my presence—and that was a possibility growing stronger with every day I passed in their company.

I tried to ignore the sense of inevitability that washed through me and walked through the lights. Their heat danced across my skin, but didn’t burn me as they would a full-blood vampire. After righting the nearest chair, I sat down at the small table that had definitely seen better days. “But why would the government deal with someone who—under their own rules—is outcast?”

He moved the autocook onto a second table. One thing was certain; he wasn’t intending to go without some comforts. Or eat my food.

“Because she is not just anyone. She’s an Albright.”

“And this is important because . . . ?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Because the Albrights emigrated here from the Eastern Provinces and to this day remain the most powerful ruling family still active in Central City.”

I frowned. “Why is the fact that her family comes from the Eastern Provinces so important?”

“Because the Eastern Provinces have a history of cultivating magic and its use. Apparently, the ruling houses there habitually tracked down—and bred with—those strongest in both earth and personal magic. The Albrights were one of the most successful—and therefore powerful—of them all.”

“So why did they come here to Central if they had it so good in the Eastern Provinces?”

He shrugged. “Nuri’s never said, but I’ve heard it had something to do with the desire to keep the magic pure.”

My frown grew. “Meaning what?”

“I don’t know. And we’ve had no contact with the Eastern Province since the war’s end.”

“Meaning its cities were destroyed like Carleen?”

“No one knows. All contact was lost with that region after the war.”

“So why has no one bothered to reestablish contact?”

He shrugged again. “In the aftermath of the war, people were too busy both surviving and rebuilding. It was nigh on twenty years before any sort of communication and trade resumed with the other three provinces. But the deep desert lies between here and Valora, and it makes the monumental task of fixing shattered communication lines and equipment too expensive for one city to take on alone.”

I raised an eyebrow. “The deep desert surely isn’t so large that a long-haul solar vehicle couldn’t traverse it.”

He smiled. “No, but the fact that the Eastern Provinces have raised some sort of magical barrier to keep everyone out is.”

“Meaning whoever is alive in that place wants no contact with anyone here.” And really, who could blame them? While the war had very quickly encompassed all provinces, it had started here, in Central, thanks to the endless land grab by humanity and the rage of a people pushed to the edge of existence—a people who had the skill and the madness to create and then unleash the bombs. “I still think it’s odd Nuri’s family remains in contact with her, given that those in the House of Lords tend to be sticklers for following the rules and holding themselves above any hint of taint.”

“Outcast or not, she is still considered a spiritual leader by many.” Jonas shrugged. “And sometimes blood is all that matters. Would you like a coffee?”

“Since it has to be better than anything I have in the bunker, most definitely.”

“That is the truest statement you’ve ever made.”

The amusement in his tone had me biting back my instinctive reply. If I wanted Jonas to treat me as he found me, then I really had to start doing the same. He might hate what I was, but he was at least trying to treat me with both civility and respect. It was a definite step up from Branna, who saw nothing but an abomination that needed to die.

Once the autocook had been hooked up and the coffee made, he picked up the two cups and walked over to the table, handing me one before moving over to the second chair. His scent spun around me, wild and alluring. I frowned down at my coffee and wished there was some way I could control this constant pull toward him. Maybe it was just as well I’d be spending so much time in Central over the next couple of days—it meant less time to do something stupid. Like acting on an attraction that might be mutual, but one he certainly wasn’t likely to explore. Or even want.

He took a sip of coffee, his expression thoughtful, leaving me wondering if he knew what I was thinking. Which was stupid. Nuri was the seeker, not he.

Except that he and Nuri now shared DNA, so anything was possible.

“What happened when you went to explore the wall and the rift it protected?” he asked eventually.

I quickly filled him in. “I escaped through luck alone.”

Jonas scrubbed a hand across his jaw and swore. “Nuri feared they might have government contacts, given the boxes in the Broken Mountains base and the ATV they used to move the remaining kids from Carleen, but this . . .” He shook his head. “I doubt if even her family will be able to get us into that place to investigate.”

Suggesting it was her family—and their connections—that had been helping us so far. “Would they be able to get me on the employment roster there?”

He shook his head. “A false identity might hold up against casual scrutiny, but anyone being considered for employment at Government House undergoes deep and rigorous checks. The fact that we use New Port as the place of birth in all our refits will raise red flags.”

I frowned. “I thought you used New Port because the records were destroyed and there was no way to check whether an ID was legit or not.”

“Yes, but the government is well aware that false IDs are coming from that place. They just don’t do anything about it unless the security of Central and the government is at risk.”

Which was fair enough, I guess. “Then it might be better to simply find someone I can replace.”

After all, that was exactly what we were planning to do at Winter Halo.

“That’s possible, but Government House is not Winter Halo. For a start, the bioscanners there are programmed for both external and internal markers. You might pass the former, but you wouldn’t the latter.”

I swore and took a drink. “When I made it out of that final building, I did so at the back of a man the guards called ‘my lord.’” I gave Jonas a brief description. “Any idea who he is?”

Jonas shook his head. “But given the nose, I would say he’d be from the ruling house of Valkarie.”

“But he wasn’t human.”

“The Valkarie aren’t—they’re one of the shifter clans who were selected to fill the empty positions in the House of Lords after the war. Why does it matter?”

I shrugged. “Intuition stirred, that’s all.”

“I’ll ask Nuri to look up his history.” He paused, and briefly contemplated me over the rim of his mug. “How did the evening with Charles go?”

I gave him a brief rundown of everything I’d caught, then added, “Whatever the Daybreaker project is, it’s sucking up huge amounts of money and is in danger of making Winter Halo broke.”

“If it is the project behind the kidnappings, I doubt Sal’s partners would care overly much—not if they achieved their aims.” He took a drink. “Did you get anything else on it? Any mention of links to the missing children?”

“Nothing I picked up from Charles indicated he had any knowledge of the project beyond its finances. Although funding did begin around the same time the children started going missing.” I shrugged. “Seeking isn’t an exact science, you know, even for someone like me.”

“Someone who was specifically created to seduce and steal, you mean?”

“Yes.” I returned his gaze evenly. “You surely can’t have a problem with that, especially when it’s being used to help save those children.”

“I have a problem with the concept—”

“And yet you’re using Ela and her telepathic skills in the exact same way.”

“—of creating life with specific skill sets in mind,” he continued, ignoring my remark. “Life is sacred. It should be a creation of two people rather than one of science.”

“Being created in a tube doesn’t make me any less of a being, Jonas.”

A smile ghosted his lips. “Most would disagree with you.”

“I can’t change what I am.”

“And I cannot help the prejudices of my past. You, however, are something of an outlier.”

I frowned. “Meaning what?”

“Meaning,” he said, draining his cup, “that I have been unfair in treating you with suspicion and distrust—even if it was initially deserved—and I’m endeavoring to rectify that. But you need to stop treating every statement I make as an attack.”

I half smiled. “I know.”

He stared at me for several heartbeats, his expression unreadable, then nodded, once. A deal had been struck. Now we just had to both keep it.

He pushed upright. “Another coffee?”

I shook my head and watched him walk across to the autocook. Like most cats, he moved with a predator’s grace.

“When do you meet Charles again?” he asked.

“Tomorrow for lunch. I’ll try to pin down more information about both Daybreaker and his boss.”

Jonas crossed his arms and leaned against the tower’s wall as he waited for his coffee to be made. “Has there been any evidence of contact between him and Rath Winter so far?”

I shook my head. “But as senior financial director for the company, he surely must have.” I paused. “Have you had any luck finding someone for me to replace?”

“Nuri’s pinned down two possibilities. She’s going to read them today and see if one is a fit. If she’s successful, they’ll be here tonight.”

I frowned. “I hope she’s careful. Both the corps and Sal’s partners are obviously suspicious of her.”

A smiled touched his lips again. “They won’t even know she’s in the city. She may not be a body shifter, but magic has many uses.”

“Including disguises, obviously.” A huge yawn broke free and I waved a hand. “Sorry, it’s not the company. It’s just been a long night and I can’t get downstairs to my bunk until tonight.”

“You can’t shadow in light?”

“I can, but it’s physically draining.” Mainly because it involved creating a light shield that blocked all light, providing me with a capsule of darkness in which to shadow. “It’s something I do only in extreme emergencies.”

“Then sleep here. The air bed is basic but comfortable enough.”

I frowned somewhat dubiously at the pack near the tower’s door. It wasn’t so much the thought of sleeping rough after all these years, but rather sleeping knowing he was here, watching me.

The amusement lurking at the corners of his eyes suggested he was well aware of the reason behind my hesitation. “You’re safe enough here. They’ve issued an out-of-bounds alert, so the public won’t come near, and the vampires can’t during the day.”

Being safe wasn’t the problem. Being too aware was. And he knew it, damn him. But I walked over to grab the pack. “Do you mind if I head up to the top of the tower? I’d rather sleep under sunlight than false light.”

And well away from you, that inner voice added.

The amusement increased. No surprise there, given the pheromones stinging the air. But he didn’t say anything and neither did I. He simply shrugged and motioned me on.

I pushed the heavy metal door open, and then unlatched the silver curtain behind it. There was enough shifter in my blood that my skin tingled, but—like the vampire lights—it didn’t burn me as it would a full-blood like Jonas. I slung the pack over my shoulder and ran up the old concrete stairs, breathing air that was still thick with dust from the explosion. The ghosts dashed ahead of me, their tiny figures briefly finding shape. When we reached the metal exit plate at the top of the stairs, I drew back the bolts and pushed the plate open. Though it was also silver, it was so scarred with heat and blast damage it barely had any effect on my skin.

The children threw themselves into the bright sunshine, but I followed more cautiously, keeping low so that the building parapet hid me. The museum might have been declared out-of-bounds, but there was still the possibility that someone in Central was keeping an eye on us. The glass dome certainly didn’t offer much in the way of protection when it came to visibility. Not during the day, anyway. When I’d reached the shade of the building’s edge, I rolled out the pack and waited for the mattress to inflate. Then I stripped and climbed in. With the music of the ghosts’ murmurings streaming through my mind, I quickly fell asleep.

Dusk was rolling in on fingers of pink and gold by the time I woke. Cat and Bear were nearby, but—if the excited chatter drifting up the stairwell was anything to go by—the other ghosts were all downstairs.

I yawned and stretched, trying to get some of the kinks out of my body. The air bed was comfortable enough, but two nights of vigorous lovemaking had taken their toll—and that was a sad state of affairs. I might have made numerous incursions into Central over the last hundred years to satisfy base need, but I’d certainly never risk staying more than a couple of hours with my partner.

“What’s happening downstairs, Cat?” I flipped off the cover and began getting dressed.

Two images immediately flowed into my mind—Nuri and a stranger with orange hair and a pinched, worried face. Both were downstairs with Jonas.

Meaning, I hoped, that Nuri had found someone in Winter Halo whose position I could take. I shoved on my sandals, then deflated the mattress and rolled it up. I doubted Jonas would want to sleep up here, given that he was being employed to monitor the equipment.

I snuck across to the hatch, keeping low again even if it was probably unnecessary with night closing in so fast. Once the bolts had been shoved home, I clattered down the stairs, making just enough noise to warn those below. Jonas would have heard me stirring, but I didn’t want to do anything to frighten the other woman. If the images the ghosts had shown me were anything to go by, she was the flighty type. Which was odd, considering she was a guard—I’d have thought they’d at least make some effort to employ people who weren’t likely to run at the slightest threat.

Of course, given the attacks on the guards, maybe it wasn’t just a specific look they were after, but also a specific blood type. They were experimenting on the children because they were either rift survivors or the children of survivors, so anything was possible.

Jonas handed me a coffee as I stepped out of the tower, then took the pack from me. I gave him a smile of thanks, but my attention was on the woman sitting close to Nuri at the table. She was about the same size as me—the real me—but her eyes were yellow-brown, her nose broad, and her orange hair long and pulled back in a ponytail. Worry and fear oozed from her, and her body seemed to hum with the effort of remaining still. I suspected it was only the fact that it was almost dark outside that prevented her from fleeing.

“Ah, Tig,” Nuri said, giving me a broad but decidedly false smile of greeting. “This is Sharran Westar. She has kindly taken up our substitution offer for the next couple of days.”

Sharran looked me up and down, and the worry ratcheted up several notches. “Are you sure she’s going to pull this off? I don’t want to lose my job, even after last night.”

I sat on the opposite side of the table and nursed my coffee in both hands. “What happened last night?”

She tapped her fingers on the table—nerves, not impatience. “The ghost got me, didn’t it? Felt me up good and proper.”

“Did you report it?”

She snorted. “There’s no point, is there? No one ever does anything about it.”

I wondered if Charles knew anything about the attacks—and whether they were the source of the staff problems he was having—or if it was something else. We knew about the high turnover of guards, but it would be interesting if there were something else going on as well.

“And this is the first time you’ve been attacked?” I asked.

She nodded. “I’ve been assigned to that floor before and never attacked. I guess my luck just ran out.”

“So everyone assigned to that floor is attacked?” Kendra had certainly implied that they were, but it was odd it took longer to happen to some than others.

Sharran hesitated. “It seems to happen to the newer recruits more often than those of us who have been there longer. But we’re not immune. Not now.”

Intuition stirred. “Was there any specific time you noticed it happening more to those of you who’ve been there awhile?”

“Well, it’s definitely gotten worse in the last week or so.”

A time frame that meshed with Penny’s escape and my emergence. I glanced at Nuri.

“Hence the lack of time we now have,” she said. “We have them worried.”

“Which might just result in them shutting down the projects and erasing the evidence,” I said.

“I doubt it. They have too much invested in all this now.”

I hoped she was right, for the sake of the kids still missing. And if her expression was anything to go by, she was hoping the very same thing.

Sharran’s gaze was moving between us, her expression confused. “Look, what else do you need to know? Because I start work soon, and if this is going to happen—”

“It’s okay.” Nuri’s voice was soft, unthreatening. Yet her energy fell like a cloak around the other woman, the feel of it soothing, calming. Sharran relaxed almost immediately. “Just tell us everything you think we’ll need to know about Winter Halo and your position within it.”

“But first, give me your hand,” I said, holding out mine.

“It’s okay,” Nuri repeated, again in those soothing tones. “She’s a seeker, like me. She’ll get images of the places and people you know in Winter Halo as you tell us about them. That way, no one will suspect she isn’t you.”

Sharran grunted and somewhat tentatively placed her hand in mine. Images and emotions instantly began to flow, thicker and stronger than such a touch usually allowed. She was, I thought, either a latent seeker or an untrained, unregistered psychic.

She took a deep, somewhat shuddering breath, then began. As she spoke, images flowed into my mind, crisp and clear. I saw the people she liked and those she didn’t, the places she could go and those she couldn’t, the various codes she needed to know—everything. It took about twenty minutes and by the end of it, my body was trembling and my head booming with both the intensity of the connection and everything I’d learned.

When she finally stopped, I pulled my hand free and leaned back in the chair. For several minutes I didn’t speak; couldn’t speak. Every part of me felt drained and weak. Fighting vampires, I thought, wasn’t half as exhausting as reading this woman.

Of course, fighting vampires was a whole lot more dangerous.

“We really appreciate you doing this, Sharran,” Nuri said into the silence. “Hopefully, by the time you return, we’ll have sorted out the source of the attacks and eliminated them.”

“You can really get rid of ghosts?” Sharran said, doubt in her voice.

“Yes.” Nuri once again sent out those reassuring vibes. “Ah, here’s Ela now. She’ll take you down to Crow’s Point, where we’ve arranged accommodation for you.”

I forced my eyes open and watched Ela striding toward us. She was a strong-looking woman with brown skin, brown hair, and the most intense blue eyes I’d ever seen. She met my gaze evenly and gave me a polite nod, which was more than Branna had ever done. Maybe he was the only sourpuss in the bunch.

“Is it safe to leave now?” Sharran’s jittering returned full force. “It’s dark and all, and the vampires—”

“Have no hope against a fully armed ATV,” Ela cut in, her tone warm and rich. “And if the bastards do get too close, we’ll just run them over. They crunch rather delightfully, let me tell you.”

Sharran’s expression suggested she wasn’t a fan of macabre humor. “But we have to get out of here first—”

“The ATV is parked right outside the door,” Ela said, and unslung the rifle sitting at her back. “And I have Boomer with me, just in case.”

Nuri reached out and clasped Sharran’s hand. As she did, energy surged, fierce enough that my breath momentarily caught in my throat.

“It’ll be all right,” Nuri murmured. “Just relax and enjoy your time in Crow’s Point. You won’t remember your problems or any of this when you return, that I promise you.”

Sharran opened her mouth, as if to protest, and then the cloak of energy settled around her and she froze, her expression briefly blanking. Then she smiled and nodded. “Thank you,” she said, rising. “I appreciate everything you’ve done.”

“No problem, my dear girl,” Nuri said.

Ela caught the other woman’s arm and escorted her out. Jonas closed the doors, then walked over to the autocook, collecting several waiting plates. One he gave to Nuri, and the other he handed to me. Hers was rice and stew; mine was not.

“You have steak in the autocook?” I said, surprised he’d take creature comfort that far. The portable units tended not to have a lot of refrigeration space and meat was generally reconstituted rather than fresh. And this was definitely fresh.

“Only a couple,” he said as he walked away. “But you looked as if you needed decent sustenance.”

“I did. I do.” I plucked some cutlery from the container in the middle of the table and tucked in. “Is Sharran really being taken to Crow’s Point?”

Nuri’s smile was wry. “What do you think?”

“Then where is she going?”

“Up to my kin in the Broken Mountains.” Jonas deposited another plate of stew and rice as well as a loaf of bread on the table, then sat down. “They’ll keep her sedated and under watch for however long we need.”

“It would have been too risky to send her anywhere else,” Nuri commented. “Especially as we don’t know who else might be involved in this crime.”

I pushed the cutlery container toward Jonas. “What hours is she supposed to be working tonight?”

“From ten to six.” Nuri hesitated. “Did you pick up much information from her?”

Surprise rippled through me. “You didn’t?”

“No, but I’ve always found it more difficult to read those who are psychically gifted, even if those skills were latent.”

“And yet you can read me.” Both my ability to see the ghosts and to create a shield out of sunshine were psychic abilities, even if the latter had been enhanced in the lab.

She smiled. “Not as well as I would like.”

And probably a whole lot more than I’d like. “Whatever her psi skills are, they made the connection stronger than anything I’ve experienced via that sort of touch. As long as you managed to download her RFID information, we should be set.”

“We did. And the bioscanners in the foyer shouldn’t be a problem—they check the external digital markers that are scanned in when everyone is first employed. The guards will only pull someone up if there’s a marked difference from what is on record.”

Meaning I’d better be very precise when I took on Sharran’s shape. “And will there be a problem if I am pulled up?”

“Probably.” Nuri reached for the bread and broke off a chunk. “If what Kendra told you holds true, you’ll be attacked tonight.”

Meaning she didn’t want to elaborate any further on what might happen if the bioscanner did raise the alarms. Or maybe she simply didn’t know. Even a witch and a seeker of extreme power couldn’t see every thread of the future. “Did you manage to track down any of the favori?”

Nuri shook her head. “We have a list of names, of course, but none of them remain in their homes.”

I frowned. “Then where are they now living?”

“In Winter Halo.”

“Why would they do that?”

“That I don’t know. But their families are being well compensated for their absence and aren’t complaining.”

I snorted. “Because money always compensates for absence, doesn’t it?”

“It’s all very well to be critical of such a decision,” Jonas murmured. “But you do not live in Central, and you have no experience of trying to exist in a city that basically worships the almighty dollar.”

“But I do have experience of living without it.”

“You are able to conceal or alter your appearance, which means theft is not such a problem for you,” Jonas said. “Those in Central don’t have those sorts of skills to fall back on. And it’s not like they can choose to live elsewhere, because there are few who could cope with life beyond the walls these days.”

Because of the vampires. And because most of them could no longer see in the dark, thanks to their cities of endless light.

“It does mean,” Nuri said, “that if you do become one of the favori, we may lose contact.”

“Only if I can’t find a way to get out unseen.” I hesitated, remembering my initial impressions of Kendra. “Could latent psychic skills be one of the things they’re after? Maybe the first attack is nothing more than an investigation, and if the target passes that, they’re then blood-tested.”

It would also explain why some guards weren’t attacked a second time.

Nuri frowned. “You can’t confirm the existence of psychic skills through blood.”

“No, but maybe once they confirm the existence of psychic skills, they’re testing for something else in the blood work.”

Nuri’s frown deepened. “It’s possible, but I can’t see what benefit it would be to them. It’s not as if you can inject psychic skills as you would a virus.”

“No, but the cells responsible for their existence can be grown and enhanced in a tube. I’m evidence enough of that.” I pushed my empty plate away and leaned back in the chair. “What if they’re doing what the humans did during the war? What if they’re creating not just a means of providing a sunlight immunity for vampires and wraiths, but a whole new race—one whose DNA is not only psi-enhanced but is a combination of wraith, vampire, and shifter?”

“Impossible,” Jonas said automatically.

“Why? Again, I’m living proof that the impossible is very possible.”

“Yes, but it took years of research and experimentation to successfully produce déchet. And that was all destroyed at the end of the war.”

“Are you sure? Because there were shiny new intrauterine beds up in the Broken Mountains base.”

“Which in itself doesn’t mean anything,” Nuri said. But her expression was troubled.

“Sal and I survived the war. What if someone else did? Someone like a scientist well versed in the means and methods of creating and enhancing life in a tube?”

And that was possible, given Sal had been caught in a rift with two humans, even though he’d professed a hatred of them. He’d had no reason to be anywhere near them after the war—unless, of course, he’d had no choice.

What if his two companions weren’t randoms? What if they were instead fellow military survivors—ones who happened to be a scientist and maybe even a handler?

The latter would certainly explain why Sal had followed orders he didn’t agree with—not if the anger I’d witnessed after one phone call was anything to go by. Not only had déchet been rendered incapable of killing humans, but we also could not go against orders issued by our military handlers. If Sal’s handler was one of his two partners, then there would always be that innate pressure to obey, even if the rift had muddied their DNA and basically made them separate parts of a whole.

“I guess it’s possible,” Jonas said. “But that only makes it more imperative we get inside Winter Halo.”

“If they are creating such creatures,” Nuri said, voice heavy, “it is doubtful they’d be doing so within Winter Halo itself. Any form of gene manipulation carries the penalty of death. They can’t possibly control everyone who works within that place, and would not take such a risk.”

“Which goes back to the intrauterine pods we discovered in the Broken Mountains base.”

“And,” Jonas said, expression grim, “raises the scary prospect that they’ve already succeeded in creating a wraith capable of withstanding sunlight.”

“Even if that is true, we have time to stop them,” I said. “This program hasn’t been running all that long, and any new being to come from it would still be young. If there’s one thing the déchet program revealed, it’s that growth can only be manipulated so far.”

Nuri frowned. “Everything I’ve read suggests accelerant was used on déchet.”

“It was. But development could only be increased to a certain point before death or madness stepped in—especially given that the mind doesn’t always grow at the same speed as the body.”

“They might not care about that.” Jonas’s voice was grim. “Not if all they want is the eradication of life on this world.”

“If they wanted total annihilation, why wouldn’t they just develop the rifts as a weapon? We still don’t understand them, even one hundred years down the track.” And we really had no protection against them, even if the huge metal curtain walls that protected all major cities from vampires also seemed to provide some sort of barrier against the rifts. “And the false rifts prove their existence here may not be as random as we first thought.”

“The initial rifts were a consequence of the war and the bombs,” Nuri said. “Doorways were opened that never should have been, and the Others quickly took advantage of a whole new killing field.”

“Then I guess we should just be thankful it has taken as long as it has to bring their plans to some sort of fruition.” I hesitated and scrubbed my hands through my hair. The steak had stopped the trembling weakness, but a dull ache remained behind the backs of my eyes. “I need to get moving if I’m to take Sharran’s place tonight.”

Jonas rose. “I’ll get the scanner.”

Nuri took a piece of paper from her pocket and pushed it toward me. “Here’s some basic background details you might not have gotten from Sharran’s mind.”

I quickly scanned the list. It was indeed basic stuff, like where she’d been born, who her parents were, where her siblings where living and what they did, as well as where she currently lived and who her neighbors were. Everyday stuff that I hadn’t gotten from her mind, and which might well trip me up if I wasn’t very careful.

Once I’d committed the information to memory, I crumpled the paper and tossed it lightly in the air. The ghosts caught it and began playing with it, their giggles of delight filling the air and making me smile.

Once Jonas had returned and the new RFID chip inserted into my left wrist, I said, “How am I going to get information to you? Come here?”

Jonas hesitated. “It’s probably the best option. If they’re watching Chaos, then they’re also probably keeping an eye on anyone we deal with on a regular basis—”

“Won’t that put Ela’s position at Deseo in jeopardy?” I cut in.

“She’s not actually in there as herself,” Nuri said. “It’s not too hard to alter someone’s appearance with a little bit of makeup and contacts.”

A little bit of magic didn’t hurt matters, either, I’d wager. I pushed up from the table. “I’d better get into Central and get ready for tonight.”

“Turn off the lights near the door,” Nuri said, with a glance at Jonas. “We can’t risk someone seeing the light spill when it opens.”

Jonas nodded and walked over to the door. Nuri grabbed my hand, preventing me from following. Energy surged, running up my arm like an electric charge. But it didn’t feel like she was attempting to read me, nor did it appear she was using magic on me, as she had done with Sharran. It was more an injection, one that made my body hum with renewed vigor. And one that, if the sudden pallor of her skin was anything to go by, left her feeling a whole lot poorer.

“Do not waste time if you get into Winter Halo’s inner sanctum.” Her voice was soft. Distant. “Your time there will be short.”

A chill ran through me, but before I could say anything, she blinked and released me. “But time is short all round when it comes to saving those children. Go.”

I hesitated, then left. Jonas switched off the lights as I neared the door and then forced it open just enough for me to squeeze through.

“Be careful,” he said. “And watch your back. Especially around Charles.”

I paused and glanced back at him. “Why?”

“Because his allegiances, like most of the gentry, lie with the government, and he will report any suspicions he might have about you to those in charge.”

“If he had any suspicions, I would have sensed them.”

“Perhaps, but as you said yourself, seeking isn’t an exact science, even for one such as you.”

A smile tugged my lips. “There’s nothing quite like having your own words used against you. But I’ll be careful.” I hesitated, then added, “Thanks.”

He nodded and closed the door. I turned and hurried toward Central. I still had two hours before I needed to report to Winter Halo, but I wanted to get to Sharran’s place on Twelfth and familiarize myself with her surroundings first.

Cat and Bear came with me. While I was generally reluctant to put them in the way of danger, they could go places in Winter Halo that I could not. And if Nuri was right—if my time there was going to be fleeting, for whatever reason—then maybe my two little ghosts could uncover the truth about the place. And that just might be the difference between rescuing the missing children and not.

Once I reached the wall, I shifted shape to take on Sharran’s appearance and scent, then reclaimed my vampire form and surged up the wall. When the light spilling over the wall from the nearby towers began to chase the shadows away, Bear grabbed me and boosted me up the final few meters. I landed on the wall in a half crouch and quickly concealed my presence with a light shield.

This time I headed right, closer to the drawbridge rather than away from it. Sharran’s place was a small, three-story concrete structure that would have sat in the deep shadows of the gate if this place had such things. I jumped down to its rooftop, then lowered myself over the edge and—after a deep breath to calm the irrational fears that immediately resurfaced at the thought of a three-story drop—let go. I landed in the small walkway between Sharran’s building and the next, my fingers brushing the pavement to steady myself. I quickly checked for cameras—although it was unlikely anyone would place them in a back alley like this; hell, I’d never even seen them in the main street in all the years I’d been coming to Twelfth.

There were a couple of windows on the building to my right, but Cat and Bear—anticipating my needs—checked them. No one was watching, in either of the nearby buildings or the one directly across the street.

I released the sun shield and strode toward Twelfth Street. Though there were plenty of people still out on the street, no one paid any attention to me. I ran up the three steps to Sharran’s apartment building, swiped my left wrist across the scanner, and then pushed the door open. The foyer inside was basic, and smelled faintly of age and mold. The flooring was some sort of plastic that squeaked underfoot and the walls a grimy gray. There was an old-fashioned tenant directory directly opposite the entrance, a metal staircase that had definitely seen better days, and two doors. Sharran’s apartment—1B—was the one on the left.

I repeated the scanner process and entered the room—and there was only one. It held little more than a single bed, the oldest autocook I’d seen in Central so far, and a curtained-off area that turned out to be the bathroom. Above the air shower was a smallish window; I slid it open, peered out, and saw the walkway I’d just left. Which meant I had a second exit, and didn’t have to risk leaving this place via the front door in any identity other than Sharran’s.

Her tunics and coats were hanging from a rail that had been attached to the wall to the right of her bed, and the rest of her clothes were neatly folded into the small shelf unit underneath it. I walked over and lightly sniffed some of them, double-checking that the scent I was now using did indeed match the one lingering on the material.

Bear’s energy lightly brushed my arm. Can we explore the rest of the building?

“Yes, but no trouble-causing.”

Their amusement spun around me as they headed back out. I stripped, donned one of Sharran’s tunics, then reached for a matching pair of brown boots. The material in both was scratchy and somewhat unpleasant, and made me realize just how lucky I’d been to have a store filled with old uniforms in the bunker.

Cat and Bear returned, and were decidedly unimpressed by our new abode. I grinned. “We won’t be staying here much, never fear.”

I grabbed Sharran’s pack from the end of her bed, shoved in a coat, and then headed out again. High above me the stars were out, but I couldn’t see them thanks to the glare of the UV lights.

I slung the pack over one shoulder and wound my way through the various walkways, heading for Sixth Street and Winter Halo. Bear scouted ahead, but Cat once again kept fairly close. Despite the excitement of new adventures, she really didn’t like Central any more than I did.

As we approached Winter Halo, my gaze slid up its glass front and my steps slowed as trepidation surged.

It wasn’t fear. Or, at least, it wasn’t fear for my own safety, but rather that of the missing children. Nuri had already warned that the children’s time was short. One misstep within this place, however minor, might well spell the end for them.

And yet if I didn’t take that risk, we might never find them. Might never rescue them.

You are not alone, Cat said. Not this time.

No, I wasn’t. I took a deep breath, pushed away the trepidation and the glimmers of intuition that said trouble would come a-hunting, and strode toward Winter Halo.