Chapter 14

Cat and Bear met me at the bunker’s exit, but their greeting was muted, their energy filled with a mix of fear and trepidation. Because of their deeper connection with me, they knew what I intended to do—and were fully aware of the dangers involved.

I’d never called on the adult déchet for help before now, and I really had no idea how they would react—especially given their furious state the last time I’d been in our bunker.

I punched the entry code into the grate and slipped inside before it had fully opened. I hit the CLOSE button as I passed and fought the urge to run down the tunnel. The desire to get under Chaos and rescue those five children might hammer through every part of me, but the last thing I needed was to be caught in my own security measures. I switched off the electro-nets as I approached each one, and only broke into a run once the last was deactivated. My footsteps echoed lightly across the silence and almost felt like a call to arms. I wondered if the adult ghosts were listening. Wondered if they would respond.

I found Nuri and the two men in the medical center. Branna remained fully secured, but he was awake and fighting mad, if the anger that bloomed the minute he spotted me was anything to go by. Jonas was sitting on the bed to the right of Branna’s, and Nuri had dragged in a chair from somewhere and was sitting to Branna’s left.

Only Nuri showed any sort of relief at my arrival. “Did your Sal come looking for you, as you feared?”

“He did.” My voice was clipped, cold. Cat and Bear crowded closer, but I could feel the rest of the children nearby. Their energy stung the air, electrifying it, making the hairs on my arms stand on end.

Nuri’s gaze narrowed. She could obviously feel it, too, but all she said was, “And?”

“And I got the location of five of the children.”

“What?” Jonas leapt off the medibed, a mix of disbelief and hope in his eyes. “How?”

I shot him a glance. “By doing what I was bred to do—seduce, drug, and question him.”

The questions I could see in his eyes got no chance to surface, because Nuri cut him off with an abrupt gesture. “And the remaining children? What of them?”

“Sal didn’t know where they were. He wasn’t told.”

“So they did—do—suspect you.” She pushed up from the chair and began to pace, her dark skirts swishing almost angrily around her ankles. “This is not a good development. Where are the five?”

“In the sewers under Chaos.”

Jonas swore, and Branna just looked angrier. Nuri stopped, her face going pale. “Sal told you this? And you believe him?”

“Yes, because the drug I used gave him no option but to tell the truth.” I paused and half shrugged. “It is undoubtedly a trap, but they are nevertheless there.”

She thrust a hand through her dark hair and resumed pacing. “That is one of the larger nests; I doubt we could ever muster enough people—”

“You won’t have to. I’m going in with the ghosts.”

She stopped again, her gaze narrowing as it swept me. “That is dangerous—for you and for them.”

I snorted softly. “And who in this room is truly bothered about my safety?” I thrust my hand toward the two men. “Them? We both know they would dance on my ashes in glee if I was destroyed.”

“I wouldn’t risk staining the soles of my boots,” Branna growled. “But the thought of the vampires tearing—”

“Branna, enough.” Jonas’s voice was flat, but it nevertheless contained the whip of command.

I glanced at him in surprise. His expression gave little away, but I had no sense of the fierce anger and distaste that had been so evident only hours before. Maybe he was simply controlling it better.

“You cannot go into that place alone,” he said, voice now as neutral as his expression. “It would be both your death and that of the children. Yours and ours.”

“I’m not foolish enough to take my little ones into that place.” My gaze returned to Nuri. “You all need to leave.”

“We can be of more help if we—”

“No,” I snapped, “you can’t. I’m calling to the soldiers who haunt the old corridors. I have no idea if they will actually answer my call to arms, but I can guarantee having two shifters so filled with old hatreds and prejudices standing at close quarters will only inflame an already dangerous situation.”

“And the five children? If you manage to get them all out of that nest alive, where will you take them?”

“I’ll bring them to you, in Chaos.” I hesitated, then stepped back. There was so much more I needed to tell them, but, once again, time was of the essence. I had no idea how long it would take for Sal’s partners to realize things had gone sour, but when they did, they would no doubt order the five children destroyed—especially given that, according to Sal, they’d outlasted their usefulness. Why that should be, I had no idea, and, right now, it wasn’t important. I had to get to them—rescue them—before the vampires were unleashed. “Where is the best place to enter that nest?”

Nuri hesitated. “Any of the open sewer outlets within Chaos’s lower level will get you into their tunnels, but the best place is probably the old main outlet half a click downstream from the drawbridge. It’s the one they generally use.”

I frowned. “If this is common knowledge, why has no one done anything to block it?”

“Because while the old sewer system was completely eradicated within Central to ensure the vampires had no point of entry, the government doesn’t really care what happens beyond its walls.” She shrugged. “Besides, any attempt to shut down that sewer exit would only result in their using the Chaos ones more. I doubt those forced to live on the lower levels would appreciate such an event.”

“But surely an eradication program . . .” I cut the question off. Right now, the why behind allowing an active nest to exist so close to Central didn’t matter. I waved a hand at the door. “Leave. All of you.”

“You’ll need to release Branna first,” Jonas commented.

I hesitated, my gaze meeting his. “Only if you swear to control him. Otherwise, he can take his chances with the ghosts.”

“He will not threaten you in any way or form when released.” Jonas’s gaze was on Branna rather than me. “Will you?”

Branna’s expression was mutinous, but after several seconds, his gaze dropped from Jonas’s, and he muttered, “I will do nothing to harm you in this place. You have my word.”

I smiled grimly. In other words, once out of this place, he would do his utmost to ensure I was as dead as those who haunted these halls.

“Fine,” I said, my gaze on his. “But just remember what is at stake.”

A smile touched his lips. He knew what was at stake, and he didn’t care. It made me wonder just what the déchet had done to his kin during the war. It had to have been bad for this sort of hatred to linger so many years after its end.

I walked around the bed, brought up the main screen, and then released his bonds. He sat up immediately and rubbed his wrists; his gaze, when it met mine, was lethal, but he kept his word and made no move toward me.

I glanced back to Nuri. “Follow Cat. She’ll get you out of here.”

She hesitated, then nodded, her skirts swirling as she spun and walked to the door. Branna cast me another dark look, then leapt off the opposite side of the bed and stalked after her.

Jonas didn’t immediately move, but I could feel his gaze on me. It was a weight that did odd things to my breathing and, for no real reason, made me angry. At the attraction I couldn’t control, at him for hating so much, and at fate for forcing me to destroy the only other good thing that had come into my life in the last one hundred years aside from my little ones.

Only he hadn’t been good, I reminded myself bleakly. Quite the opposite.

“What happened to Sal?” Jonas asked eventually.

I closed my eyes briefly. “He’s dead. He will never harm another child.”

“To which I can only say, ‘good.’” He paused. “I take it he was also déchet?”

“Yes. But an assassin, not a soldier.”

“I wasn’t aware there were different types.”

“No, because the few mentions of us in the history books tar us all with the one brush even as they retouch the truth and paint the shifters in a glorious light.”

He didn’t say anything to that, but there wasn’t much that could be said. It was the truth, pure and simple. I waved a hand to the door. “Go.”

He hesitated. “Good luck.”

“Thanks.” I crossed my arms and refused to look at him, even though I could feel his silent command to do so. After several seconds, he walked out the door and didn’t look back.

As the sound of his steps retreated, I released a breath and glanced to where Bear waited patiently. “I know you want to come with me, but I need you here. You’re the oldest of the little ones, and the only one who has had any sort of combat training. I’m afraid it falls to you to protect this place—and them—from attack while we’re all gone.”

His energy caressed my skin. You should not be alone with the others. They are dangerous.

Yes, they were. But they were also déchet, and used to following orders. Maybe not mine, but I was hoping that after a hundred years of guarding nothing more than their bones and waiting for orders that would never again come, they would jump at the chance for action.

They are our only hope against such a large nest of vampires, Bear. I have no choice but to attempt this.

If it goes wrong, if death comes, call, he said. We should be together at such a time.

I closed my eyes against the sting of tears. They’d died in my embrace, and he was now offering the same comfort to me. Thank you. I will, I promise.

He pulled away. I took a somewhat shaky breath, then spun and headed for the weapons room. If I was to have any hope of surviving the next few hours, then I’d better be armed to the teeth. It wasn’t just weapons that I grabbed, but a large roll of light tubing. It was as heavy as hell and would restrict the speed with which I could move, but when all else failed, the pack full of weapons and the attached tubing might be the only thing standing between certain death and us.

With that done, I headed down to the ninth level. The closer I got to them, the more their energy bit. I hoped like hell it wasn’t a bad sign.

Cat returned, her energy briefly brushing my skin, her presence warm compared to the chill the adult déchet were emitting. They have gone. The grate is closed again.

“Thanks, Cat.” I sat down and held out my hand. “I need your help to contact the adults.”

That is dangerous.

I know. But I had no other choice given the adults seemed intent on keeping their distance.

Cat didn’t hesitate, simply let her energy caress my palm and merge into mine. As I became one with that other realm and the creeping hand of death once again began to claim my flesh, I said, “Déchet soldiers, I need your help.”

There was no immediate response, but the chill of death increased, and this time it came from without rather than from within.

Then a sharp voice behind me said, We know what you want. Tell us, why should we help those who are responsible for our destruction?

“Because you’re not helping them. You’re helping their children, who cannot be held accountable for the actions of their parents during a time of war.”

No one helped our little ones. They were left to rot just as much as we were.

“I know precisely what was done to them. I was there, remember?”

And survived.

“Because of my genetics, and the fact I was made immune to all toxins and poisons, yes. That is not my fault.”

We do not blame you for surviving.

Well, good, because there wasn’t a whole lot I could do about it except die for real—and that was a possibility if I didn’t get their cooperation and quickly end this conversation. Death was moving entirely too fast up my legs.

“Nor should you blame the offspring of humans and shifters for actions they took no part in.”

Air stirred, then the speaker stood in front of me. He was a thickset, hirsute fellow, more bear than human. Death had obviously caught him midshift.

And what does this mission offer us other than the possibility of a permanent death?

“It offers you the chance to vent your anger and kill. The nest we raid is a large one, and, yes, there is a very real possibility none of us will survive.” I paused, studying him. “But isn’t going to battle and taking the chance of a true and glorious death worth such a risk?”

Other ghosts began to appear behind him. Their murmurs filled the air, but were so soft I had no idea whether it was assent or dissent.

The chill of death was getting stronger. If I didn’t end this soon, I wouldn’t have the strength to enter the nest and save those children.

It would appear the others agree with you, he said eventually. We will accompany you and tear this nest apart.

“And not harm the children? Or, indeed, those who come to claim them?”

Cold amusement touched his expression. We made no move against the shifters, even when they entered this place. We cannot, unless ordered to do so. You know this.

I knew, but it didn’t hurt to check. “Thank you all for agreeing to help,” I said. “Cat?”

Her energy immediately left me, but for several seconds, it was all I could do to suck in air. My entire body was trembling, and my feet and hands ached with the chill of death. I wasted precious minutes calling to the healing state to chase the cold from my flesh, then pushed upright and said, “This way.”

I led the way down the levels until we hit the seventh, then headed for the South Siding exit. Once the grate was open, I paused, reaching out to Cat and Bear, sending them gentle kisses as the adult ghosts surged out into the sunlight. They were once again going to war, and their relief stung the air, making it shimmer and dance. Or maybe that was just a result of the sheer number of them who’d answered my call to arms. There had to be at least a hundred there, and it made me hope that Sal was right—that such a force could destroy the vampires.

I closed the grate and ran through the wasteland between Central and the bunker, not stopping when I hit either the rail yards or the station platforms. No one stopped us; in fact, everyone moved out of the way long before we got anywhere near them. It was almost as if the energy of the ghosts was a wave that brushed them aside; certainly some of their expressions were startled, if not a little scared.

I ran on, following the gentle curve of the curtain wall, my gaze scanning the riverbed as I tried to find the old sewer outlet. I eventually discovered it settled deep in the steep left bank of the old riverbed. It was taller than I was, a big semicircle structure made of red brick that had been stained almost black by time and weather. Once upon a time a thick metal grate had covered the outlet’s opening, but the bars had been peeled back and rather resembled twisted, skeletal fingers reaching for the sky. Sad-looking shrubs clung to the sides of the outlet, and a wide, well-worn path led into it. The smell coming from within . . . I shuddered. It was thick with rot and death, and all I wanted to do was run.

I squashed the urge, freed the light tube from the backpack, then unfolded the slender but powerful solar panel and shoved it in the ground. Once I unraveled and activated the tube, it would provide enough brightness to keep the vampires out of arm’s reach. Or, at least, that was the theory. I’d never actually seen these things in action.

I hooked the tubing to my belt so that it would unroll as I moved, then grabbed two weapons and said, “Right. Let’s go kick some vampire butt.”

The déchet surged into the darkness. I followed quickly, my body tense as the stinking darkness enveloped me. Nothing immediately jumped out at us. The sewer drain was wide and empty, and though moisture and slime dripped from the upper sections of the old brick arch, little water ran down the deeper middle of the drain. I stuck to the left bank and ran after the ghosts, my steps light but echoing softly across the silence.

The vampires would hear it. Even though the rising sun would be pushing them to sleep, they would hear my footsteps and wake. It was just a matter of how deep into this system we got before that happened.

I ran on, every sense alert and every muscle so tightly strung it felt like the tiniest blow would break me. But as we moved deeper and deeper into the sewer system, there was no sign of the vampires and absolutely no movement beyond the rats that scattered the minute they sensed our presence.

But the air was growing ever colder, and the scent of death and darkness had grown so strong every breath felt like an invasion.

The last of the light tube rolled out, and we still hadn’t found the vampires. I swore softly, then unhooked it from my belt and attached the control box. Here goes nothing, I thought, and hit the activation switch. Light flared across the darkness, milky white and somewhat muted. I had no idea if this was it, or whether the tube took time to warm up, and I couldn’t stick around to find out. Even a slither of sunshine was better than nothing.

I moved on. Ten minutes later, we hit the nest.

There was absolutely no warning that we were even near it; one minute I was following the ghosts down the tunnel, the next I was at a junction of six outlets and the reek of vampire was so thick and strong the air felt diseased. Fear slammed into my heart as my gaze swept the large, circular area. There were no structures here, and nothing that resembled accommodation, beds, or basic comforts. The vampires seemed content to sleep where they fell, be it on one another or the thick, slime-covered floors of the various tunnels. But there was something here other than darkness and vampires—bones. They were everywhere, inches thick, all over the floor. Some had even been used to form a macabre effigy of humanity in the middle of the junction. Bloodied bits of flesh and internal organs were scattered around the base of the structure, undoubtedly offerings to whatever god the effigy was supposed to represent.

What I couldn’t see were the children.

The energy of the ghosts briefly surged upward, drawing my gaze in that direction. Two metal cages swung gently above the sleeping vampires, and inside them were the children. There was no movement, no sound, coming from them. Either they were scared witless, or they were drugged. I prayed for the latter, simply because it meant there was less chance of them making a noise and waking the nest. We were only going to get one shot at this, and there was no way in hell I was going to grab two or three and leave the others behind.

The vampires nearest me were beginning to stir. Why they hadn’t woken before now, I couldn’t say, but I had to move before they did. I quietly but quickly slipped off the pack and placed it on the ground. It left me with the six guns I carried and my knives, but if they got past the ghosts, then I very much suspected no amount of weaponry was going to help. I flexed my fingers, reaching for calm, and said, Déchet, I need a score of you protecting this tunnel. The minute they wake, the rest of you attack. Use the weapons if you can—it won’t take as much of your energy as attacking the vamps directly would.

I could feel the discontent. They wanted to attack now, while the vampires still slumbered. That’s sensible in wartime, but not here. Our greatest chance of getting those children out in one piece lay in freeing them from those cages before the vampires woke.

The ghosts weren’t happy, but the vampires remained undisturbed. Relieved, I called to the darkness and surged upward, squeezing through the thick bars of the nearest cage, then re-forming inside. As the cage swung and creaked at my sudden weight, three sets of wide, frightened eyes stared at me from pale, gaunt faces. But they made no sound and, after a moment, I realized why. Their mouths had been sewn shut.

Anger ripped through me, so fierce it charged the air. Below, vampires sniffed and stirred, and the ghosts readied to attack.

Calm. I needed to be calm if we were all going to get out of here alive. But it was a hard state to achieve when I was staring at the bloodied, swollen mouths of the three little ones. The youngest was barely four . . .

I briefly closed my eyes, fighting the sick fury as much as the fierce and sudden joy that Sal had died as slowly and as painfully as he had, then forced a smile and whispered, “I’m going to use a little magic and get you all out of here, but you have to do exactly what I say. Okay?”

Wide eyes stared back at me. I had no idea if they understood me or not. I took another, somewhat shuddery breath, which did little to erase the fury, then gently motioned the two littlest into my arms. They hesitated, then shuffled close enough that I could wrap my arms around them both. I glanced at the oldest of the three. “I’ll be back for you in a minute. Don’t make any noise.”

He nodded. I called to the darkness and let it wash through the three of us. Then I went back through the bars and dropped toward the exit tunnel, landing, rather ungainly, just beyond the ghosts guarding the tunnel. I re-formed us all, and then motioned the little ones to sit and wait. They nodded, eyes wide and somewhat glazed. I became darkness again and moved back out into the junction. Tension sung through the air and on the far outer reaches of the nest, vampires stirred and muttered, the guttural sound heavy in the silence. I spun upward and collected the third boy, but this time, when I re-formed, weakness hit and my stomach convulsed. I have no idea whether it was the stink of this place or sheer terror, but it was all I could do not to vomit. I glanced at the three children; wide, frightened eyes stared back at me. I forced a smile, held up a hand, signaling them to wait, then stepped back into darkness.

I was barely through the curtain of ghosts protecting the tunnel when the vampires finally became aware of our presence and all hell broke loose.

Their screeches and fury filled the air, but even in the bedlam of being torn from their slumber and attacked by the ghosts, they sensed my presence and surged en masse, their claws slashing at my particles even as others shifted to darkness and chased after me. But just as their energy began to lash around mine, the ghosts hit them, flinging them away and freeing me. I slipped into the second cage and found flesh. But there was no time to comfort these two, and no time to explain what was about to happen. I simply grabbed them, pulled them into my arms, and tore us all into darkness.

Ghosts rose to escort me into the tunnel. Vampires flung themselves at us, only to be sharply tossed back into the screaming, pulsating mound of flesh and fury. One of them hit the effigy of bones, and the whole structure cracked and began to tumble. The vampires screamed in despair and rose as one, forming a huge black wave that hit us hard, scattering the ghosts and sending me tumbling. I splattered against a sidewall and saw stars, but the surging mass had not finished yet. They hit me again, the force of the blow so strong that my particles were forced apart, until all that separated me from an inglorious death was the merest of threads. Somehow, I gathered myself together and shot forward, heading for the tunnel and praying to Rhea that the ghosts could hold them off long enough for me to re-form and get the children out of there.

Shots ricocheted across the darkness as the ghosts began to use the weapons. The scent of blood bloomed thick and heavy in the air, but the vampires didn’t stop to feed on their fallen. They were too busy trying to get me, to kill me.

I shot past the barrier of ghosts and became flesh again. But I was going too fast, and I hit the ground hard. I curled my body around the little ones to protect them as best I could as we tumbled several yards past the other three.

When we finally stopped, I released my grip on them and pushed upright. The tunnel spun around me, and my knees briefly buckled, threatening to send me crashing back down again. I swore and reached back to grab my one and only flare. I lit it and tossed it toward the tunnel entrance. The flickering light revealed a growing wall of twisted, angry flesh, and no matter how many times the ghosts shattered that wall, it just kept rebuilding and growing.

We had to get out of there.

I glanced at the first three I’d rescued and made a come-here motion. They stared at me and didn’t move. I can’t say I blamed them, given I hadn’t really done much more than fling them from the frying pan into the fire, but we couldn’t remain here. I had no idea how long the ghosts could hold out against the black tide battering them, but it was very evident time was the one luxury we didn’t have much of.

“We need to move before the vampires can reach us,” I said softly. The two slightly older children I’d just rescued climbed to their feet and pressed against me. A small hand touched mine. I wrapped my fingers around hers and glanced down, giving her a quick, bright smile that felt every inch as false as it was. “It’ll be okay,” I whispered. “We just have to move. Just wait here while I get the others, okay?”

She nodded solemnly. I released her hand, then ran over to where three of them still sat. “Up we get.” I caught the hands of the oldest two and hauled them upright, then squatted in front of the remaining little girl. “Can you climb onto my back and hang on really, really tight?”

After a moment, she nodded. I swung around and she climbed onto my back, her grip so fierce around my neck she would have choked me had she been any stronger. I clasped the hands of the others, then said to the remaining two, “Okay, keep close; grab my shirt if you have to. There’s light up ahead, but we need to run through this darkness for a little bit.”

They nodded solemnly; one of them grabbed my shirttails, but the oldest boy simply waited beside me. There was no fear in any of them; they were just all wide eyes and solemn faces. Maybe they’d seen so much they simply couldn’t fear anymore. But Penny had also showed little in the way of fear or situational awareness. Maybe it had something to do with Sal’s tests. Or maybe it was simply shock.

We went as fast as the little ones could, but it was slow, so damn slow. It brought back memories of the bunker, of the death I’d tried to outrun then, and the uselessness of the effort.

No. This time, I wouldn’t fail.

This time, I would save the children.

Behind us, the flare died, and the ghosts gave way. The tide was after us. I resisted the urge to go faster; to do so would risk losing the boy who clung to the back of my shirt. The ghosts weren’t done yet. There were still weapons firing, and that meant there was still hope.

Then awareness surged—several vampires had gotten past the re-formed line of ghosts and were approaching fast. I didn’t stop, simply shifted the little girl’s grip from my hand to my shirt, then pulled the rifle free and fired randomly over my shoulder. One vampire went down, its guttural howl abruptly cut off; the other, however, was still very much in action.

The oldest boy reached up, snapped the second rifle free, then spun and shot. The vampire went down with a scream. The boy looked at me, and there was dark satisfaction in his eyes.

“Good shot,” I said. “Now let’s run even faster.”

We did. Up ahead, light began to twinkle—the tubing offering a distant line of hope. The children saw it, and their speed increased. Behind us, the wall of ghosts broke again, and again the vampires surged after us. Their hate and desperation were so fierce they were wind that battered our bodies and nipped at our heels. I fired over my shoulder until the rifle clicked over to empty, then swiftly hooked it onto my belt, grabbed one of the smaller guns, and kept on firing. Vampires went down, but more came after us.

We hit the light; hope surged fierce and fast, but we were hardly out of the woods yet. The tide was still behind us, and I had no idea how long the light tube would hold them off. But given their actions in the Broken Mountains’ bunker earlier tonight, I wouldn’t have been surprised if a few sacrificed themselves for the safety of the greater nest.

I stopped. Five wide gazes immediately met mine. “I need you all to run ahead while I stop the vampires behind us. Follow the light tubing—it’ll lead you into the sunlight and an old riverbank. Wait for me there.”

They nodded solemnly. The oldest of them held out the modified rifle he’d used. I hesitated and then shook my head. “You keep it, just in case one of them gets past me. It won’t,” I hastily added, to reassure the younger ones. “But it’s always better to be safe. Go. And keep together.”

They went. But their small silhouettes had barely disappeared around the tunnel’s gentle curve when the vampires surged into the light. As they began to burn, I grabbed another weapon and fired—not at those who were becoming ash but at those who flung themselves at the light. As the bodies began to mount up and the stink of ash and flesh stained the air and churned my stomach, the ghosts reappeared, forming a somewhat ragged line in front of me. Less than half of them were left, and I had no idea whether the others had been killed or were merely depleted of energy and unable to help. Those who remained, however, radiated a fierce and utter joy. They were doing what they’d been bred to do, and they didn’t care about depletion or even death.

I spun and left them to it. But I resisted the urge to bolt after the children. It was better if I kept some distance between us, just in case the vampires broke through again.

Which they did.

And this time, they also shattered the light tube. As the light in the immediate area went out and darkness began to chase its way up the rest of the tubing, I spun and started to fire. Vampires screamed and went down, only to be replaced by three or four more. I kept firing until the weapons grew hot in my hands and the low-ammo light began to flash in warning. One weapon clicked over to empty. I flung it away, but before I could grab another, they hit me. We went down in a mass of screaming, biting, clawing flesh. I swore and fought with everything I had, battling to get one arm free so I could at least flick a knife down into my hand. But they grabbed it, tore at it, chewing at my flesh like dogs do a bone. I screamed and became darkness, hoping in that form I’d at least have a chance of escape. But they felt it and changed with me, and the attacks were somehow worse because it felt as if they were tearing me apart from the inside out.

Damn it, I wouldn’t die like this! I couldn’t do it to Cat and Bear and all my other little ones. I forced a hand through the stinking mound of flesh, pulled a gun free, and began to fire. There was no finesse, no aim; I just pulled the trigger and kept on firing. Bloodied vampire bits bloomed into the air, and the weight holding me down shifted. Not much, but enough. Energy surged from Rhea knows where, and I forced my way upright. I flicked the knife free and kept on firing as I slashed left and right, cutting limbs and faces and bodies. But there was no end to them; I would die here if I didn’t move.

The ghosts arrived, and vampires were picked up and flung away. “Thank you, thank you,” I said, then leapt over the pile of bloody, broken bodies in front of me and ran like hell.

This time, the line of ghosts didn’t hold very long at all. No matter how fiercely they wanted to fight, they were no longer flesh, and beings of energy could do only so much.

I kept on running. It was pointless doing anything else now. My trunk was a maze of bloody wounds, there were chunks out of my arms and legs, and my strength—like that of the ghosts—was ebbing. I needed to reach the sunlight. It was my only hope.

The vampires surged closer; the wind of their approach buffeted my spine, but I had no more strength, no more speed. I gripped my knife and gun so tightly my knuckles glowed. This was it . . .

They hit me. Again we went tumbling, but this time, I somehow twisted, firing nonstop at the stinking mass surrounding me. I hit the ground back first and slid several yards, firing all the while. Then the gun clicked over to empty . . .

Something whistled through the air, and a heartbeat later, light exploded into the tunnel. The vampires screamed and erupted into flame, their flesh becoming ashes that rained all around me.

Then a hand grabbed mine and hauled me upright. Jonas, I realized in surprise.

“What in Rhea—”

“Explanations can wait,” he said, voice tight. “The children are safe, and we need to run. That light bomb is only going to hold them off for a couple of minutes.”

As if to emphasize his words, the bomb’s light began to flicker and fizz. It was all the encouragement I needed. I ran as hard and as fast as I could. Jonas kept behind me, his hand lightly pressed against my back, as if to encourage even more speed from my aching, weary body.

We pounded around another long, curving corner. Up ahead, like a distant star, sunshine beckoned. We were close, so close, to safety.

Behind us, the light bomb went out, and the black tide was once again on the hunt.

“Faster,” Jonas growled. Despite the urgency in his voice, the pressure of his hand against my spine didn’t alter, though it must have been tempting to simply shove me.

But I had nothing left to give. My breath was little more than ragged gasps, every bit of me was bruised, bloody and sore, and I really had no idea how I was even managing to remain upright, let alone run.

But I didn’t want to die. It hadn’t been only my DNA that had kept me alive when the Draccid had killed everyone else—it had also been willpower. That same willpower was undoubtedly the only reason I was even functioning now.

Jonas began to fire over his shoulder. I kept my eyes on the ever-growing half circle of light, determined to reach it.

The wind of the vampires’ approach began to batter us. Jonas hissed, a sound filled with fury and no small amount of fear, but he kept his hand on my back, kept pushing, even though he could have so easily left me and saved himself.

A silhouette appeared in the bright circle up ahead. A heartbeat later, several flaming arrows shot past us and buried themselves in the flesh of the nearest vampires. They immediately exploded into fire, creating enough light that the mass behind them hesitated.

It was enough.

Jonas finally shoved me, and I went tumbling, rolling, into the sunlight. I came to a jarring stop at the edge of the old riverbed, and for several minutes didn’t move. I simply stared at the sun and sucked in its bright energy. Against all the odds, I’d saved the children and survived, and if I’d had the energy I would have whooped in sheer and utter delight.

Then a rush of dark air hit me, followed closely by the sensation of fury. The vampires had not finished with us yet. I somehow scrambled upright, my knives in my hand as I stood and stared at the sewer’s entrance. Jonas and Branna stood twenty or so feet farther up the embankment but far enough away from the entrance that the sun shielded them. Their bodies were tense and their guns raised. Nuri was farther away to my left, and the five children were with her.

A black tide of flesh spewed from the tunnel. They burned almost as soon as they hit the sunlight, but one or two broke through the gathering cloud of ash and ran at me even as their bodies exploded into flame and began to disintegrate. These ones, Jonas and Branna coolly shot.

Eventually, the tide became a trickle, then died. As the final gunshot rang out, I said, “Is that the last of them?”

“Not quite,” Branna said.

Then he looked at me and, in one smooth motion, lifted his gun and fired.

I threw myself sideways, but I was on the very last strands of my strength, and I simply had nothing left in the way of reflexes or speed. Even so, the bullet that had been aimed at my head tore through my right shoulder instead, spinning me around and throwing me to the ground. A second shot rang out, and I closed my eyes, waiting for the end to come.

It never did.

Confused, I pressed my hand against the bloody wound in my shoulder, trying to stop the flow of blood as I forced myself upright.

Branna was on the ground, blood pouring out of a hand that was now missing several fingers. Jonas bent and picked up Branna’s weapon, his expression giving little away but fury marking every movement.

“You were warned, Branna,” he said, voice flat. “Why do you not ever listen?”

“Because she’s déchet and dangerous! She should be dead, not living so close to us or the damn city.”

Something within me shattered and hardened. No matter what I said, no matter what I did, it was never going to make a difference to these people. If saving Jonas and the lives of five children had made no difference, then nothing would. I was déchet, and that was all they would ever see. Jonas and Nuri might overlook it long enough to use me, but their fear and prejudice undoubtedly ran just as deep as Branna’s.

When all this was over, and I was no longer of use to them, they would get rid of me. That was as clear as the sky overhead.

“As the other children should be dead?” Jonas snapped. “Because you know full well that she is our only hope—”

“Then there is no hope,” I cut in harshly.

Jonas’s gaze jumped to mine. It was a weight I felt deep inside, and filled with a fury that was suddenly aimed at me. “What?”

“I said there is no hope.” I clipped the empty gun to my belt, then looked at Nuri. Her expression was an odd mix of surprise and fear. “I can’t do this. I won’t.”

“You are not the type to walk away,” she said, her voice even despite the emotional turmoil I could feel in her. It wasn’t me she feared but rather my walking away. She really did believe I was the only hope to save the remaining eight children. “You can’t.”

“Watch me.” I took a step backward. Then another.

“The children will die, Tiger. I’ve seen this, just as I’ve seen that is something you do not want on your conscience.”

“You’re right, I don’t. I have risked not only my own life to save these five, but the lives of my little ones and those of the déchet. And in gratitude, he”—I flung a bloodied hand in Branna’s direction—“has attempted to kill me not once, but twice. There will not be a third time.”

“I swear to you—,” Jonas began, but I cut him off with a harsh laugh.

“As you vowed only a few hours ago to control him? As he vowed to do me no harm? No,” I said. “You can save your breath and your vows, because I no more believe them than you can believe it is possible for a déchet to be anything more than a mindless killer.”

“Tiger, you have to listen to me—”

“No, I don’t.” My voice was as grim as Nuri’s was urgent. “I’m done listening to you. I’m done helping you. I’ve been drugged, interrogated, had the lives of my ghosts threatened, and now I’ve been shot—and all by the very people who want me to help them. Enough is enough.”

“If you do not help us,” she said, voice grim, “then I will be forced to carry through with my threat and make you.”

“That threat worked before because I had no warning and no time to prepare. That is no longer the case. Believe me, there are still weapons hidden in the bowels of our bunker that have not been seen since the war, and I will unleash them against both you and your city if you ever attempt to harm my little ones.”

She studied me, her arms crossed and determination evident in her gaze. She wasn’t going to let the matter go, no matter what I said—and yet there was also a sense of acknowledgment that I really did mean to walk away, and nothing she or anyone else said would stop that.

The five little ones I’d rescued had gathered around her skirts and were now staring at me, their wide eyes seeing too much, understanding too much. Just like Penny. It made me wonder if they, like her, were somehow connected to the people who’d kidnapped and tortured the children. Made me wonder if it meant that those behind all this would soon know of my decision to walk away. Would it make any difference? Would it mean the vampires would stop attacking our home and leave us alone?

Maybe. Maybe not.

I doubted such peace was worth the lives of eight children, though.

“What we need to do is report her damn presence to the authorities,” Branna growled. “They can go in and raze the place, just in case there’s more of them hidden there.”

“There is no one else. With Sal dead, I am now the last of my kind. But go ahead and report my presence—it’s undoubtedly what you planned to do once all this was over anyway.” My gaze went to Jonas’s. “Because, hey, I’m not human and I’m not a shifter. I’m just a monster with no feelings or thoughts of my own, and therefore undeserving of consideration or life.”

There was no emotion visible on Jonas’s face. No acknowledgment of my words. Why I even expected there to be, I wasn’t entirely sure, given that I was only speaking the lies they wholly believed.

I added softly, “But if there’s one thing you should believe, then it’s the fact that I will do everything within my power to protect my home and my little ones. And anyone who enters that place with ill intent will regret it.”

He didn’t say anything. None of them did. My gaze flicked down to the weapons he still held. “Shoot me if you want. I really don’t care at this point.”

And with that, I turned and walked away.

They didn’t try to stop me.

They didn’t shoot.

But the weight of their gazes lingered long after I’d left them behind, and it made the guilt even harder to bear.

Because despite all my denials, Nuri was right about one thing—I couldn’t ignore the plight of those children. It wasn’t in my nature.

I just had to find a way to help them that didn’t involve Nuri and her men.