Aspen Valley Wolf Pack (The Complete Series) by Amber Ella Monroe (134)

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“Well, look what the bat dragged in,” Logan commented just as Vicq sauntered through the door of the den. “You know you could have told us guys you were going out on the town. We would have joined you. You’re not the only one who’s exceptionally bloodthirsty.”

Elaina grinned the moment she saw Vicq, and a burning desire to hold him consumed her.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t exactly go for pleasure when I have what I want right here,” Vicq commented.

Elaina pushed herself off the sofa where she was seated next to Mark and met Vicq in the center of the room. He pressed his rough, callused hand against her cheek and then kissed her. His warm mouth covered her lips with vibrant, electrifying heat. No other man had ever made Elaina feel so caught up in the moment that she literally forgot everything around her.

A chorus of groans fluttered through the room. Someone even cleared his or her throat.

“You two really need to get a room,” Eli said. “Not this one.”

Elaina pressed her hands against Vicq’s chest and parted from him. “You changed clothes. Why?”

“I ran into some…issues,” he said.

She grabbed hold of his forearm. “What happened? You’re okay, right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I met another Dresdan on the run from Russo,” Vicq replied.

“Really?” Logan exclaimed from the opposite corner of the room. “Do tell.”

“Nothing groundbreaking,” Vicq said. “He and I happened to be lurking in the same area. We didn’t kill each other…obviously.”

“Who is he?” Melrose asked.

“He goes by the name of Philippe.”

“I think I’ve heard the name before,” Mark said, uncrossing his legs and leaning forward on the sofa.

“Then word passes around more than we realize. We’re not the only coven growing in size. Neither are we the only coven living outside of Russo’s order. We all knew that, though. What this proves is that it’ll only become easier for Russo to find non-conformers. I have reason to believe that he’s ordered his Soldiers to track down outside covens as their prime mission now.”

Melrose sighed. “I know you’re not going to suggest that we move again.”

“We’re okay for now, but I’ll start scouting out another location soon.”

“Soon? As in after you deal with helping Elaina reconnect with the very same people who might get us caught?” Logan asked.

Vicq turned swiftly and crossed the room in a flash. Only a few inches separated him and Logan. Elaina could hear fangs splitting through gum lines. Tension in the room became as thick as the snow cover outside.

“Are you chastising me?” Vicq asked Logan.

Morbid silence clouded the room.

“Vicq, it’s okay,” Elaina said.

“No, it’s not okay,” Vicq said. “Well, Logan…any other grievances against me?”

“No…”

“Good. Never question my authority, and never question my loyalty to Elaina.”

“Understood,” Logan said.

The raging red color in Vicq’s eyes faded, and he stepped aside. Logan’s gaze fell to the ground as he fled past the others to escape the room.

Melrose cleared her throat. “Well, we’re glad you’re back safe in the sanctuary, Vicq. If you need us later, let us know.”

When they were gone, Elaina closed the door behind them and joined Vicq next to the hearth.

Elaina placed her hand on his back. “That was a little uncomfortable, wasn’t it?”

He turned around, and she immediately noticed the remorseful look on his face. “Elaina, my emotions…”

“Your emotions what, Vicq?”

“They’re heightened. After a Dresdan feeds on a human, our emotions are multiplied.”

“Oh,” she breathed.

“It’s like a drug-induced high.”

“I sense it now,” she said as she slid her hand across his chest and then stroked gently at his neck where his veins were pumping wildly with adrenaline.

“If a Dresdan’s craving for human blood becomes too relentless, we tend to overfeed…and overkill,” he said.

“This is why rogues feed constantly, isn’t it? Not only is it to stay alive, but it’s also for the temporary high.”

He nodded. “The only difference is, rogues don’t always leave their victims alive. Blood kills send them on the high, and it also brings them one step closer to becoming Dresdan and not just a mere rogue vampire.”

“I see.”

“An experienced Dresdan knows how to keep his cravings in check, even if it means feeding on his own kind.

“So what you’ve proven to me tonight is that Dresdan are strongest after consuming human blood, but any amount of blood from another vampire will satisfy them and keep them alive,” Elaina said.

“You always were a fast learner.”

“I have a good teacher. Thanks for the lesson.”

“Sooner or later, you won’t need my lessons. You ask the right questions. You follow the most important leads. And with my blood, you’ll ascend rapidly.” He stroked her cheek. “I can already see it. You’re stronger than you know.”

“Then why was it you who fed tonight instead of me?” she asked.

He frowned. “Am I wrong to want to protect you? To keep you safe and away from harm?”

“I won’t stand around on the sidelines,” she said. “You knew this—”

“—from the moment I met you,” he said.

“Good.” She smiled. “No sense in trying to change me then, right?”

“I’d never change anything about you.”

“You’ll go to meet my dad like we agreed on, but next time I’ll be right at your side.”

He kissed her lips softly. “I won’t argue with you.”

“So…” She slid her fingers against the back of his neck and pulled his lips firmly to hers. Her mouth lingered on his for a while before they parted again. “I don’t think I’ve ever had you while you were on a blood-induced high.”

“There’s a first time for everything.”

“Too bad you changed clothes when you got home,” Elaina said, pulling the ends of his shirt from his pants and sliding her palms up underneath against his chest.

“Yeah, well, maybe I shouldn’t have, knowing how hungry you get,” he teased. “Do you know what the next best thing to being on a blood-induced high is?”

He nipped her throat, and she gasped and let her weight fall against him.

“No, what?” she whispered.

“Feeding on someone who is,” he replied.

“Hmmm, would that someone be you?”

Elaina parted from him and pulled his shirt over his head and then threw it aside. She loved taking charge, and loved it even more when he acquiesced. Once she was finished removing all of this clothes, she paused for a moment to admire him. She often wondered how she’d gotten so lucky as to have someone like Vicq. Over the past couple of months, they’d spent a lot of time together, focusing on each other. Borrowed time. But every minute of private time with Vicq meant the world to her. His body had become well conditioned as a result of Elaina satisfying every hunger pang. He’d done the same for her.

He was mouthwateringly delectable. A masculine work of art. Every time her hands came in contact with his hard, flat muscles, they seemed to tell a story. Just like a snapshot or painting of a moment in time. Her eyes dropped to the dark trail of hair that disappeared into his boxer shorts.

As if reading her thoughts, Vicq hooked a thumb into the waistband and said, “You forgot these.”

After pushing them down his legs, he closed the short distance between them.

“What are you waiting for?” he asked, bending slightly to brush his lips against the right side of her neck. “Lose the clothes. All of them. And then get on the conference table so we can make some executive decisions.”

Heat burned her face, but she couldn’t help but grin. “Your blood-induced high also makes you bossy…and ballsy.” She pushed the one-piece jumpsuit down her body. It was snug and tight against her skin, and she wriggled her hips to tease him as she worked it down.

By the time Elaina was done with her show for Vicq, she was already swollen and wet. He shifted toward her, swiftly closing the distance between them. She gasped when they were touching. Skin to skin. Her breaths mingled with his pants as they eyed each other like main courses. He dipped his head to tease her nipples, sucking them between his lips again and again until she was writhing against him.

“Enough,” she rasped.

Elaina reached upward and dragged her fingers up through his hair. Her fingertips tingled with each stroke against his scalp. She led his head downward just enough so that she could connect her lips to his jugular. As if on command, his dick stretched and tightened. The vein on his throat pulsed against her lips…her tongue. When her fangs finally plunged past his skin to take just what she needed, her body vibrated from head to toe with ecstasy. With each siphon, she got a glimpse of his most recent memories. He fed them to her in snippets, but by now she was seasoned enough to know that he held some of them back purposely. Was he trying to spare her his most violent conquests that night, or did he not realize that he was holding back?

She stopped feeding and glanced up at him. “More.”

Vicq grasped her behind the knees and set her atop the conference room table. He parted her thighs and then pulled her aching center toward him. He made a heady, thick sound of pleasure the moment his cock head split the plump folds of her pussy. While balancing her on the edge of the table, he pushed into her. There was no momentary pause to allow her time to accommodate his heavy cock. His thrusts were hard and unrelenting from the onset. His eyes never left hers as he studied every little expression on her face. He ground his body against her clit, sending her into a climax. Her orgasm only seemed to excite him more. He pumped into her like a piston, tipping something deep and carnal in her. She gripped his back and screamed as one release folded into another. At the moment of his release, his fangs thrust downward, and he groaned out in pleasure. He buried his face against her shoulder but resisted the urge to bite her.

As Vicq panted against her, she rubbed his back to soothe the scratches she’d put there. It didn’t take them long to heal. After kissing her sweetly on the lips, he fell back into the chair closest to him.

“You rock my world, Elaina,” he breathed.

She smiled and glided her palm against his cheeks. “Do I?”

“From the very first moment we met…”

There was a soft knock at the door. “Elaina? Vicq?” It was Leila calling out for them.

Elaina brought her hands to her lips, hoping that she’d move on to another room, at least until she and Vicq had all their clothes on again.

When the door creaked open, Elaina realized that Leila had other ideas.

Elaina searched for something to cover herself with, but before she could react, Vicq used his heightened strength to shift them to the bedroom.

They burst out in laughter once inside the master suite they shared.

“Fast thinking,” Elaina said between kissing. “She’ll know what we did. Our clothes are still there.”

“Oh…right…our clothes.” He parted from her to grab a robe, slipping it on. “I’ll get them. Be right back.”

“Hurry. I’ll be in the bath waiting for you. And then I’ll help put you to sleep, ” she teased, licking her lips. “You have a long day ahead tomorrow.”

“Mmmm. I like that plan,” he said, just before leaving her alone in the room.

---

Vicq moved forward across the empty parking lot, shielding his eyes from the bright sun rays. The post office was abandoned, all right. There wasn’t a soul or the presence of an undead person in sight. The sun certainly felt hot as hell as it worked to burn just the surface of his skin. And it wasn’t even summer. It didn’t matter what season it was—one could never escape the sun. His vampire abilities activated, working quickly to heal the skin as soon as the burns began to set in. If he hadn’t fed on humans as much as he had last night, this could have been worse. The trench coat he wore aided him some.

He checked the street signs again. Anahurst and Fletcher. He was in the right place, but there wasn’t anyone around. Had he been set up? Or worse, had Elaina’s father set her up?

He moved toward the building and paused to notice how someone had cut through the thick metal chains on the door. Apparently, the chains hadn’t been successful in keeping out the trespassers. In the past, Vicq had always found the homeless living in abandoned buildings like these.

After pulling the door open, he stepped inside, crossing the threshold ever so slowly. And just as he’d thought, the building was completely abandoned except for a few wayward pieces of furniture—desks and some chairs. And homeless people. There weren’t that many—maybe a dozen or so huddled in different corners of the room. Some held tightly to garbage bags stuffed with their belongings. There were even a few rickety shopping carts filled with odds and ends, probably items found in dumpsters or landfills. Peanut shells covered the floor, and with each step, his boots crushed over them. The residents inside were eating the peanuts.

No one paid Vicq any attention as he moved forward into the dusty, dark space of the abandoned building. The air was damp and putrid. The place needed a good airing out.

He looked up just in time to see a flash of red near the adjacent corner of the room. His eyes adjusted to the dull light and a male figure appeared. The vision was there momentarily and then it was gone. He tried to move as naturally as possible to the area, but when he reached it, the person wasn’t there. He turned down a hallway and followed his intuition. There was something there at the end of the corridor.

The sound of a click rebounded in the space, but before Vicq could react, a bullet ruptured his thigh. He bit down on his tongue from the shock of it and nearly fell to his knees from the pain.

A man with a red t-shirt appeared in front of him. Vicq swooned, sweeping his gaze back and forth as he tried to focus on the images around him. He soon realized that there was not just one man, but rather a group of men.

“What did you shoot me with?” He couldn’t move. His limbs were seizing up.

“That’s for me to know and you to never find out,” the man in the red shirt replied. “Who sent you?”

“I’m here to see Glory,” Vicq rasped, his lungs burning with each breath he took.

“I’ve got your Glory.”

The man swung something long, thick, and shiny like metal at him. One hit to the head and Vicq was out.

---

Vicq struggled to breathe, but something or someone was holding him back. His face was wet, his clothes were drenched. It felt like he was drowning. He peeled his eyes open only to have a bucket of ice-cold water thrown in his face.

“You awake now?” someone asked. “We ain’t got all day. Wake your ass up.”

The voice was familiar. It was the man in the red shirt.

Vicq gasped and pulled against the thick chains binding him to a chair.

“Oh no you don’t,” the man in the red shirt protested.

Had he been set up? Better him than Elaina. He was glad he’d come in her place.

“Man, are your eyes red? You need to get that shit checked out ASAP,” the man taunted, leaning against a table and cracking open a few peanuts shells and popping the nuts into his mouth.

Vicq growled. “Let me go.”

“The sun has really got you weak. Why would you want to go outside again?” He grinned.

The thing that Vicq hated worse than being held was being taunted. Plus, he didn’t have time for chitchat. He needed to get a message to Elaina’s father and head back before the sun grew stronger and he grew weaker.

Vicq wasn’t on the main level anymore. He could tell from the absence of windows and the drastic drop in room temperature that they were at a lower elevation. Maybe the basement level.

“I’m going to drain you dry,” Vicq warned.

The man smiled, showing pearly whites. “I don’t taste very good.”

When the chains shifted and loosened around his chest, the man’s eyes widened, and for a moment, Vicq thought he detected fear.

“If you break these chains, there will be hell to pay. These cost me a pretty penny,” the man said, grabbing a handful of peanuts from a bucket nearby on the table.

“I don’t give a fuck about your chains or your pretty pennies,” Vicq replied, struggling against his bindings until, eventually, one of the chains split. “Unlock me before I break them all.”

“Oh, shit!” the man exclaimed. “Guys! Get out here. Our vamp is awake and he ain’t no rogue.”

Three men came barreling into the room with guns. Two younger men and one older man. Vicq recognized one of the younger men instantly as the guy who’d handed Elaina her father’s note back at the dock.

“You need to shoot him again. Those chains aren’t gonna hold him,” one of the younger men suggested.

“If you’re going to kill me, just do it now.” Vicq held up his palm. “I’m not a good sport when it comes to being held in chains. Been there. Done that. Trust me.”

“I don’t trust you.” Then the older man asked, “Why are you here?”

Vicq raised his gaze and studied him for a moment, hoping to find some resemblance or something about him that reminded him of Elaina. He couldn’t. This man’s blond hair, blue eyes, and fair skin were opposite of Elaina’s. He was tall, and so was Elaina, but had most of Elaina’s genes come from her mother then?

Was this Elaina’s father? Were these men who they appeared to be? Should he talk or keep his mouth shut?

“Obviously, this is a setup,” Vicq said.

“This is no setup, vamp.” This statement came from the guy that had handed the letter to Elaina down at the dock. “I saw you last night with the girl. I figured there would be trouble. So, we came prepared. Sure enough, you’re here…but Elaina is not.”

“Where is my daughter?” the older man demanded.

“She’s safe. She got your message, but she can’t meet you here.”

“Why not?”

“She’s…” Vicq bit his lower lip, processing a million ways in which to tell Elaina’s “father” that she was now a vampire. It wasn’t his message to deliver. Not under these circumstances. He just had to get the man to trust him enough to meet Elaina under the cover of night.

“Are you a rogue? A District mutant?” The older man’s demands came quickly.

Vicq shook his head. District mutant?

“I’m vampire. Dresdan,” Vicq said. “Haven’t we figured this out already? You aren’t asking the right questions. For a couple of bounty hunters, you should learn to make the most efficient use of time. At any given moment, your outlaw could…escape…or vanish into thin air without a trace.”

The men looked back and forth between each other.

Vicq chuckled. “Apparently, you don’t know who you’re dealing with. Just like you said, I’m no rogue. But you know what? I’d really like to know what you shot me with before I haul ass.”

The older man rushed forward and grabbed Vicq about the throat. “What have you done with my daughter?”

Vicq tried with all of his might to contain himself and his ever increasing rage. He wanted to kill them all. Every last one of them in the room. He could, but he wouldn’t.

“Vampire, I will fry you to death,” the man warned again.

“You won’t get any answers about Elaina then, will you?” Vicq replied.

The older man produced a gun and aimed for Vicq’s chest. His finger shook near the trigger.

“You should be careful where you aim,” Vicq said. “You will only get one chance to kill me. I really don’t want to return to Elaina with news that her father died because of a misunderstanding.”

The older man raised his pistol, this time aiming for Vicq’s head. “Then let me help you understand, Dresdan. I will blow your brains out without hesitation if you don’t tell me where my daughter is. Do you understand me now?”

“Like father, like daughter. Should I call you Mr. Arakelian?”

Some of the tension left the old man’s arms. His expression changed from sheer anger to curiosity.

“My name is Vicq. I would never hurt your daughter. In fact, I would die right now if that meant saving her.”

“I…” He lowered the gun.

“Of all the memories that Elaina has cherished of you, she enjoyed the moments when you let her ride with you on the back of your tractor. You also taught her how to shoot a gun.” Vicq smiled. “Might I add that she’s got skills.”

Vicq thought he saw a hint of a smile somewhere, but then it vanished instantly.

“You know her?”

“Sí.” Intimately.

“You know where she is?”

“Sí.”

“Can you take me to her?”

“Of course. That’s what she wants. Now, like I said. I would die for Elaina. Would you mind telling me why you wish to reunite with her given your old ties with the District?”

“My name’s not Arakelian. It’s Smith, but yes, I’m Elaina’s father and legal guardian. I know it’s risky, but this situation will become even riskier, I’m afraid. But first, it’s urgent that I speak to Elaina about her mother.”

That’s when Vicq saw the tears welling up in the man’s eyes. The pain was so thick in the room, he could almost smell it. He swallowed and hoped this didn’t mean what he sensed it did.

“She has terms,” Vicq said. “You’ll have to meet her at sundown.”

“Is that because she’s sided with you and other Dresdan to protect her from the District hunting her?”

“It’s complicated.”

“I’ve heard the rumors about her going AWOL and escaping capture with the help of vampires.”

“Not just any vampire, Mr. Smith,” Vicq corrected and then demonstrated by thrusting his form forward, breaking himself from the chains.

Everyone scrambled to opposite corners of the room, far away from Vicq, whose fangs had somehow fully extended. Except for Elaina’s father, Mr. Smith. His fearless attitude reminded Vicq of someone else.

Red dots flitted across his chest, and he followed the source to automatic rifles being aimed at his body. Vicq’s gaze traveled back to Mr. Smith, who had two fingers raised in the air as a sign to the young men to hold fire. There was also a strange unnatural mark on the inside of his wrist. Not a District mark. A mark symbolizing something else. Vicq hadn’t seen anything like it before. One thing was certain, Mr. Smith was this group’s leader.

“One more thing…?” Vicq asked. “What did you shoot me with?”

“A tranquilizer strong enough to paralyze a vampire. It freezes the blood in your system as well as your limbs. It should have kept you out for longer than this, but there aren’t that many vampires out here as strong as you are. It’ll wear off,” he said. “As a matter of fact, I think it already has.”

Vicq looked at the two men with guns. “Do you plan to put me down again? If so, I don’t think this is going to work out the way we planned it. Bummer. Elaina really wanted to see you.”

Mr. Smith turned around to address his followers. “Put down your weapons.” He returned his handgun to the holster on his hip. “Okay, so…even though I feel I’m making a bad decision somehow, I have to see my daughter. I accept the terms.”

“Good.” Vicq reached into his coat and pulled out two plane tickets and an envelope. “Two plane tickets and instructions on how to find the meeting location.”

Mr. Smith accepted the items. “And my daughter will be there?”

“Just like we agreed.”

Vicq gathered up his last remaining strength to bolt from the room. When he reached the threshold of the abandoned building, he folded in with the dense fog waiting outside and shifted his way back to sanctuary.

---

Elaina checked her reflection in the mirror again to take in her appearance. She couldn’t remember the last time she had worn a dress, but her mom had always loved seeing her in them.

She was ready to see her parents again, yet she couldn’t conquer her nervousness and anxiety. It had been too long since she’d last seen them. Never in a million years would she have guessed that her next reunion with them would be as a vampire. She could only hope that they didn’t hate her for it. Luckily, they already knew vampires existed, but they had a lot of catching up to do.

Leila still held ownership of a local bed and breakfast not too far from sanctuary, so she’d cleared out the entire hotel to accommodate the meeting. Elaina expected things to go smoothly, but like everyone else, she agreed that privacy was most important. Plus, her parents had traveled a long way to get here.

Vicq walked through the door, closed the distance between them, and placed his hand on her shoulder.

“Ready?”

“They’re here?” she asked.

Vicq nodded once and offered his hand.

On the way to the elevator, all she could think about was what she would say. She felt she had more of an explanation to give to them about her new life than they did about why they had abandoned the old home and led authorities to believe they were dead. She’d rehearsed her speech in her mind over and over again.

There was a small dining area on the first floor. As she and Vicq walked down the hallway to reach the room, Leila, who was standing near the entrance, gave a small supportive smile and then disappeared down another narrow hallway.

Her father was waiting by the fireplace, which had been lit to keep the area warm for him. When he looked up and turned around, his entire face lit up. For a moment, all doubts and fear left her as she marched across the room to meet him in the center.

“Elaina,” he breathed as he hugged her tightly to his chest. “It’s you.” He pulled back a little to study her. “You haven’t changed a bit. Except your hair is longer and you’re slimmer. It’s really you?”

She nodded. “Yes, it’s me.”

He rubbed the outside of her arms. “You feel cold, LadyBug. Where’s your sweater?”

She shook her head. “I’m okay.”

He kissed her forehead and then ran the pad of his thumb across her temple. His brow wrinkled as he appeared to be deep in thought.

“Are you sure?”

“Um…”

An uncomfortable silence filled the room. Elaina glanced behind her, hoping to find Vicq still there, but he was long gone, and the door to the dining room was now closed.

“Where’s mom?” she asked. “Didn’t she come?”

Her dad’s suspicious stare turned to one of dread.

He shook his head. “She’s not coming because…”

“Because what? Dad?”

“She’s not alive.”

“What?” Elaina’s heart thudded uncontrollably. “I don’t understand.”

“That’s why I needed to talk to you, Elaina. I have explaining to do. We thought we could tell you together one day, but…she tried to hold on…”

His speech faltered. She could hear the uneven beating of his heart.

He took her hand and led them to one of the dining tables where they sat down.

“What happened? Please tell me.”

“Her cancer came back. There weren’t any other options available to her.”

Her chest tightened, and she pressed her lips together, willing her fangs to retreat. “She died?”

Her dad nodded.

“You said the cancer came back, but I didn’t know she even had cancer.”

“Years before you were born, Sandra developed the disease. We caught it early, and she fought through several rounds of chemo. At the time, the doctors offered her a drug treatment that had been tested and worked on patients just like her to help them recover quickly. After seeing the results, she agreed. The drugs were manufactured by the company D5 Holdings.”

“As in the District? D5?” she asked.

“Yes, the same company that owns the District. And the same company who cut my paycheck. I was a bounty hunter. I retired to take care of your mother after we found out about her diagnosis, but I was still on the payroll nonetheless. And since I once worked for them…I trusted them.”

“I had a feeling…I just didn’t…”

Elaina wrung her hands, and her dad reached across the table to console her.

“After the cancer was gone and Sandra’s health returned, we learned that she wouldn’t be able to have children. We tried, but…”

“So after you had me, you weren’t able to have children anymore?”

“No, Elaina…Sandra didn’t give birth to you. We adopted you.”

Elaina bolted up from the table, and the chair she was sitting in crashed to the floor. “This is a lie! You’re a liar.”

Pain washed across her dad’s face, and he bowed his head. He reached down into a briefcase and handed her some papers.

“Here is your real birth certificate,” he said. “It took me some time to find someone inside the District to find it for me.”

She snatched it from him. Along with her name, date, and time of birth was the location where she was born. “D5 Holdings Medical University?”

Listed under her birth name, Elaina Arakelian was her mother’s name: Chrishauna Arakelian. The father was listed as unknown.

Elaina dropped the paper on the table. “Who are you?”

“I’m still your dad, Elaina. We adopted you. We loved you. You were our child and that’s how we saw it from day one.”

“But you lied about your name?”

“Sandra insisted that you keep your birth name, so she changed hers. Sandra Arakelian-Smith. We planned to tell you everything when you were old enough to process it, but then…then things happened so fast.”

Elaina picked up the chair and took her seat again. “What do you mean?”

“When you turned thirteen, a representative from D5 Holdings came with news that would change everything for us. Apparently, your birth mother had signed you over to D5 Holdings before you were born. She never planned to keep you. I—”

“Oh, God.” Elaina’s mental breakdown had started. She knew what was coming next.

“I’m sorry, Elaina,” he said. “We were devastated, but there was nothing I could do. We signed the adoption papers, knowing at anytime you could be taken away from us. We didn’t expect it, but we made a mistake by involving the District in our affairs after I retired. You weren’t a mistake, Elaina, but things could have been different if we’d…”

“If you had adopted from someone else and gotten another baby that wasn’t me,” she said.

Her dad frowned.

“What was the news?”

“They wanted you back. They launched a new program—a genomics program—and they wanted you to return to D5.”

“To their labs?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know, but we fought for you until the very end. We asked them to reconsider, to wait until you were through with college to decide for yourself. They said they would.”

“And then?”

“There were conditions. You had to attend a college of their choice. So, I introduced you to Arnold Wade…”

“I remember. You suggested the university genomics program to me.”

“D5 Holdings also owns the University. It’s a for-profit college.”

Elaina squeezed her eyes shut and breathed through her nose slowly. When she opened her lids again, she looked directly at her dad and asked, “So, I was being tossed around like a product for testing?”

“No.”

“Yes!”

“We didn’t mean for it to happen this way. The masterminds behind D5 Holdings are monsters! We had no control.”

“What about my real mom? Couldn’t she have done something about the original contract?”

Even as the words came from Elaina’s mouth, she knew that all District contracts were lifelong. She’d lost her life to escape hers.

“She died too, Elaina. She died while in the District’s custody.”

“In the District’s custody?” Elaina’s voice shook.

“She was one of their drug testers,” he said. “I’m not sure which division, but we found her name on the payroll.”

Elaina pounded the table with her fist. “Dammit!” Tears fell down her cheeks, and she could do nothing to stop them.

“I know. I took my anger out when I lost you and then I took my anger out again when your mom died.” He passed a tissue across the table to her. “Our phone line and house were tapped that very same day as part of our agreement to keep you until you entered college and could decide for yourself. If we said anything to you, they would kill you. We were being watched, and so were you. Once you left our home to live on your own, we were forbidden from calling you or accepting your calls unless a D5 representative was present. I wrote a letter to you once, but it never got to you. And then we were forced to flee our home. Sandra died while we were on the run.”

“Which is why the house was abandoned.”

“Yes, Elaina. Both of us were presumed dead, and I kept it that way.”

“And all that time, I was working for them,” she said.

“I thought you had figured it out about how shady D5 was, but then you signed with them just like I did when I was young. When Sandra died, it was the last straw. I devoted the rest of my life to destroying the District.” He sighed. “I launched something called Refuge over a year ago. I’m the commander there. We’re here to protect those who have fled District 5. I’ve been trying to reach you for a very long time, but you kept a very low profile. I understood why, but I want to protect you like a father should, like I should have a very long time ago. I want you to join us, Elaina. I want us to be together again.”

“I can’t.”

“Elaina, I need your forgiveness. Please join us.”

“There was never anything to forgive. I don’t hold what you did against you. But I can’t be a part of your Refuge.”

“Why?”

“I’m not a human anymore.”

Her dad stiffened in his chair. “Who turned you? Was it Vicq?”

“I was captured by D5 trackers, and one of them shot me with a fatal round of poison. I died. Vicq and his coven saved my life. I had no other option, but my turn was imminent. It appears that they knew that I was a human in stasis.”

“In stasis? I’ve heard the phrase before. A human capable of maintaining the vampire agent without a complete transformation or dying.”

“Yes, the very thing they are looking for to help with their formulas. But when they realized that I had escaped and wasn’t going to return, they shot and killed me.”

He clenched his fists on the table. “Are they still after you?”

“They think I’m dead. At least, I hope they do. Either way, I’m of no use to them now. I know how they operate. I’m sure there are many more just like me.”

Her dad settled back in his chair, and a deep sigh left his lips. “This changes things. Everything.”

“Yes, it does.”

“Elaina, do you kill others?”

“I’m not a rogue, Dad, if that’s what you’re asking. I was made by a Superior—Vicq. The only time I’ve ever taken human blood was right before I turned.”

“How do you stay…? I want to say alive, but…”

Elaina chuckled. “Right now, I feed from Vicq. Like I said, he’s considered a Superior.”

“Superior?” he asked.

“As a Dresdan, a Superior is one of the highest ranks they can attain aside from the Master?”

“Is he your…?”

“Lover?”

Dad nodded. “If that’s what you call it these days…”

“Yes, he is.”

“Elaina, I have to let you know that my active duty guys are trained to shoot and kill rogue vampires on sight,” he said. “I don’t believe we’ve killed any of the Dresdan race. They’re harder to locate. But we’ve executed many, many rogue vampires. ”

“I understand.”

“Don’t get me wrong. We aren’t murderers. Members of Refuge have figured out long ago that not all vampires are murderous fiends. We banished that misconception once we learned the truth about the District. We just know how to steer clear of the rogues. If we hear of an incident where rogues were sighted preying on innocents, we pursue and execute without question. There’s no ulterior motive like with the District. We also educate human civilians on how to live safely until something can be done about getting rid of all of them,” he said. “Not you, though. I would never harm you.”

“I know. Most Dresdan are aware of the rogue problem. Sounds like it’s being taken care of from all angles.”

“But everyone has an agenda in mind these days, LadyBug,” he said. “One could only hope that agenda includes not harming anyone at all.”

Elaina smiled. “I’m proud of you, Dad. You were always adamant about helping others.”

“I wish I had done something sooner,” he said. “I guess all I was concerned about as a District bounty hunter was making ends meet. Except for my short stint in the military, it was the only job I ever had.”

“No regrets. Let’s move forward from here, okay?”

He nodded.

“Where did you lay my mom to rest?”

“A cemetery in Texas. I’ll give you the coordinates.”

“Thanks.”

“Elaina, I’m so sorry about everything.”

“Don’t be. You offered me a life I never would’ve had if I had stayed with my birth mom in the labs. I only wish you had told me sooner.”

“I wish things were different, too.”

“But had I not gone back to the District, I probably wouldn’t have known what I know now. I can’t let this rest. D5 Holdings, District 5, or whatever other names they hide behind will pay.”

“Are you planning something, Elaina?” He looked troubled.

“Yes. Since the moment I left, I’ve been planning to shut District operations down. No matter how long it takes. I’ll make them pay.”

---

Elaina flipped through the suitcase that her dad had given to her back at the bed & breakfast. Dozens of pictures from Elaina’s childhood memories were stored inside. He’d even kept some of the poems she and her mother had written together. He’d also left the file that someone had managed to confiscate from District records about her birth mother. She was now mourning the death of not one, but two parents.

She sat cross-legged on the bed, holding the picture of the woman she never knew. One photo wouldn’t tell her the whole story, and she knew there was more. Why would a mother give up her child? Why didn’t she want Elaina?

Vicq walked into their bedroom, bringing a cold draft inside with him. They’d only spoken a few times since they’d left the bed & breakfast, and ever since, Elaina had been in the room trying to fit most of the puzzle pieces together. It was difficult to paint a complete picture when many of the bits were still missing.

Vicq approached the bedside and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

“I would take the pain away if I had the ability,” he said.

“I’m fine. I’ve dealt with death before,” she said.

“Of course you have, Elaina, but this time, it’s different. Hunting rogue vampires to death isn’t the same as this.”

She sighed deeply and ran her palm over her forehead. “You’re right, but was I doomed from birth all along?”

“Doomed, no. Chosen by fate because you’re strong enough, yes.” He stroked the side of her face. “But I like to think that you and I were meant to be together. Is that selfish of me to think that?”

“No. Meeting you was worth every moment. The bad ones and the good ones. If I hadn’t met you when I did, would I still be at the District dreading my decision? Would I have known what had happened to my birth mother?”

“Maybe. We’ll figure this all out. I promise.”

Elaina watched as he undressed completely and then came to join her on the bed.

“You’ve been up all morning, Elaina. And you haven’t fed,” he said, lying on his back next to her.

“I don’t feel like feeding right now,” she said, pulling her robe tightly around her body and then snuggling up next to him.

She handed Vicq the picture of Chrishauna Arakelian. His eyes narrowed and then widened as he took in the image of the woman.

“You look like her. Exactly like her. She looks very…” Vicq frowned.

“Young?”

Vicq nodded.

“That’s because she is. Much younger. According to the birth certificate, she was only fifteen years old when she gave birth to me.”

“God…”

“I wanted to be angry at her for abandoning me, but then I realized I didn’t know the whole story. How could I blame her?”

“This likely means that they’ve been using humans in their experiments for years. Men, women…innocent children. All the evidence is there.”

“The further I dig, the more I want to know. About my mother. About District 5. About everything. I’d do anything to discover and expose the truth. And I will.”

“And I’m with you.”

---

The details about that day when Vicq rescued three adolescent boys from their kidnappers stayed with him in the months following the incident. The North Heights Health Clinic had been burned to the ground by his own hand, but the building sign still remained erected like a painful reminder of District 5’s misdoings. Just as he had the night he’d helped the boys escape, he drove south down the interstate until he reached the church where he’d left them. He figured someone would be there on this Sunday, but when he arrived, the churchyard was empty. It was only a quarter after six in the evening, but still, he was too late.

Vicq kept driving, following his instincts. His Maker had always told him that the people who he cared about the most would always hold a special place in his heart. Even though blood connections were strongest, Dresdan also had the ability to connect with a person’s soul. He knew the woman couldn’t live that far from the church, and about a half hour into driving, he spotted the same old Buick with the pink bumper sticker that said: Jesus Saves parked in front of a small brick house surrounded by a white picket fence.

He parked at the adjacent corner of the cul-de-sac and observed in awe as three young boys ran around on the front lawn, kicking a soccer ball. He rolled the tinted windows of his Aston Martin down, not caring if the sun burned him to a crisp. He couldn’t believe it. The woman had kept the boys after all this time.

All three boys appeared to be around the same age, but Vicq couldn’t tell right away if they were related or just happened to be held at the same clinic for whatever reason. It didn’t matter. They couldn’t go back there. What kind of company would do something like this to children?

Vicq left his car running and got out of the vehicle. The sun wasn’t a threat anymore as it began to fade behind the tree-dense horizon. He waited by the gate until one of the boys noticed him.

“Hey! You need something?” the blond boy asked him.

“Yes, kind of. I have a package for your…mother,” Vicq said, holding a suitcase filled with money across the fence.

“We don’t have a mother, sir.” The second boy nudged forward. He was the tallest, and maybe the oldest.

“You don’t live here alone, do you?” Vicq asked, his eyes shifting from the Buick to the boys.

“No. We’re adopted. Our nanna is inside cooking dinner. Wait here. We’ll go get her.”

“No,” Vicq exclaimed. “I just need you to give her this for me.”

The second boy narrowed his gaze and looked up questioningly. “You look familiar.”

“I do?”

“Yes, kind of like the guy from my dreams.” The boy glanced behind Vicq at his car. “Is that your car?”

Vicq nodded.

He smiled. “Cool.”

At that moment, the old woman called out to the boys from inside the house. “Taylor! Aaron. Jacob. Dinner’s ready.”

Vicq handed the suitcase to the boy. “Will you give this to your nanna for me?”

The boy frowned. “How do I know it’s not a bomb or something?”

“Very good. You should always question everything. What’s your name?”

“Taylor.”

“Taylor? I’ll stand here while you open it.”

“Boys! You’ve got school tomorrow. Come inside!”

They huddled around the suitcase together, while Taylor popped the latch and opened the case. Their eyes widened like kids on Christmas morning.

“Sir…?” Taylor exclaimed. “That is a lot of money.”

“I have to go now. I’ll be back soon. In the meantime, be good men to your nanna.” He spun around and headed back toward his car.

“Wait! Who are you? What’s your name?”

“Vicq,” he replied without turning around.

Back in the car, he watched as they raced inside the house with the suitcase and closed the door. Not even a minute had passed before an old woman appeared in the doorway. Her gaze honed in on the Aston Martin immediately, but Vicq had already rolled up the windows. Recognition clouded the woman’s face, and she stood there in the doorway with her jaw lowered in astonishment. The suitcase hung by her side, clutched in one hand.

Vicq was certain she had a million questions. He could always go back and answer them, but the words eluded him right now. His fingers were on the handle of the car door. He wanted to explain, but would the answers change anything? Would knowing how close the boys had come to death at the hands of a grimy organization make anything different? Would knowing that he was a vampire scare them?

The old woman made it easy for him. She backed up inside the home and closed the door.

Vicq breathed a sigh of relief and pulled off.

---

Elaina was hunched over a map and a diagram when Vicq returned. She pushed off the table and spun around as he walked through the doors of the basement.

“Hey,” she said.

“Hey back,” Vicq said.

She slid her fingers gently around his neck and lifted her lips to his. They kissed briefly, enjoying the silence and serenity in the small area. She hadn’t seen him all day, but she figured it was because he wanted to give her some time to herself.

“Looks like you’ve been working.” He glanced down at the maps spread out on the tall metal table.

“Most of the day. My dad sent me some maps of the District facility where I worked. These are mostly drawn up from memory by a handful of former employees, but from what I can remember, it’s fairly accurate.” She pointed to one of the diagrams. “This is the underground level where they keep the vampires. I’ve never been down there, but I’ve heard about it.”

“Interesting,” he said, tracing the lines. “These look like cells.”

“They probably are. Do you notice how the main corridor is in the shape of the five? At all times, there are two security guards manning each entrance. There are five ways to get into the building, and only one access point is available to the visiting public, but even that one is secured by District personnel. Like I said, the lowest level is where they keep all vampires, and you can only enter if you’ve been given preauthorized access.”

“A key card or something?”

“More than that. A facial recognition scanner.”

“So we need a key and a face.”

Elaina nodded. “Easier said than done. But of course, nothing about this will be easy. The labs are a private access area where they produce the postponement injections and other drugs. Most of the nurses have access to this area. Employees, like trackers, bounty hunters, and volunteer test subjects aren’t allowed beyond that point. All physical, checkups, and drug administration are performed in another unit made up of nursing stations. I had two nurses assigned to me throughout my entire employment period, but only because the first one went on a maternity leave. Unless they had significant turnover within the last few months, which I doubt, I should be able to identify most of those nurses. They’re given very little information and only follow protocol. The only thing they are good for during our raid is getting us into the labs.”

“So there shouldn’t be any violent resistance at this level then?” Vicq inquired.

“Not likely.”

“How do we know who to leave alive?”

“That’s where it gets a little tricky. My dad’s team knows more about who the top-level authorities are. If we accept his offer and take a small team of his best men with us during the raid, they’ll be able to lead us straight to the executive offices. Plus, they’ll be able to get through any barriers made to keep vampires out.”

“Isn’t he worried for the safety of his men? We can take bullets, but if we take a human, and they get shot down during this raid, they’re dead. If humans were able to take District 5 down, they would have done so long ago.”

“He’s aware, but his men have been training for this for more than a year. Like us, they needed more men and more information. Now that we’ve got all that, let’s hope we all get in, succeed, and come out alive in the end. By the time we get done with that place, nothing will be operational. We get the innocents out, grab the rest of the evidence, and burn the place to the ground.”

“What about the vampires held against their will down in the underground level?” he asked.

“We’ll get them out, too, but…”

“I know what you’re thinking. Will they be in their right mind or murderous? Should they be set free after spending so much time in isolation? I’ll take care of ensuring that any Dresdan we release are held until they’ve been screened. If District 5 managed to capture any rogue vampires, they probably wouldn’t have survived prolonged experimentation, so it’s very likely only the strongest, and those who’ve fully ascended through the blood, have survived captivity.”

“It makes sense now. My dad told me that during his last days as a bounty hunter, before they adopted me, one of the missions involved finding the man who invented the vampire trapping vault.”

“The one that replicates UV rays and stabs us to death?”

“Yes, that one. If the UV replication works to weaken the vampire, he or she is then hauled back to District facilities in a vault. However, when completely activated, it will drain a vampire completely of blood,” she said. “The inventor of this vault had gone into hiding for whatever reason, but a bounty hunting team managed to track him down. There was only one vault for a very long time until a vampire who escaped District capture destroyed it. Our training manuals say that this original inventor agreed willingly, but they could have very well forced or bribed him to give up the method for making the trapping vaults. Why else would he have gone into hiding in the first place? District 5 needed that device, because the only way they would be able to produce postponement drugs is if they had access to a fully ascended Dresdan. It’s why they keep killing off the rogues either immediately or after lab use. The vampire agent must only be useful to them if it comes from a Dresdan…an older one—like you,” she said.

“You’ve been doing your research, Elaina.”

“I’ve had a long time to think about it. And now that I know this much, I’m getting impatient,” she said.

“You were always impatient,” he added.

“I won’t deny that,” she said. “If we take the source out of the equation, we can take the whole operation down. And then the ball is back in the Dresdan Court to take care of our own problems—the rogues.”

“By source…you mean Dresdan? Because if you’re thinking what I’m thinking, it’s highly likely that they have an ancient in their possession.”

She nodded. “My thoughts exactly. Do you know if any of your fellow men are missing?”

“No, it’s virtually impossible for vampires to keep tabs on each other. Vampires only form covens when trust and respect are mutual, and when there is a common goal. Our situation here isn’t common practice,” Vicq replied.

“You told me that. It’s actually against the rules of the Court to form a coven without sanction, right?”

“Right. We can congregate, but covens have been banned for centuries. But that doesn’t mean it’s not done, yet if you’re like me and have renounced all ties to the Court and have ulterior motives—like taking down a slummy organization—you form a coven. So, in answer to your question, just because I haven’t seen a fellow man in decades doesn’t mean that he’s in trouble. There can only be one Master of the Dresdan Court, so once a Dresdan reaches a certain state of his existence, he either lives in solitude, finds a mate to walk with him through eternity or wills himself into a prolonged slumber. We don’t keep track of each other. Beyond the duties of the Court, it’s every vampire for himself.”

“I see…but I don’t understand why anyone would want to live a life of solitude,” she said. “You and this coven mean everything to me. I consider you family.”

“I feel the same way. Here, we take care of each other as well as ourselves. Covens can disband and regroup all in the same century if there is good reason for it. We’re not like humans or animals where we need to live in packs one hundred percent of the time to feel safe. What does hold true is that when we love, we love eternally. We’ll choose our mate over anything or anyone, but when that person is gone from us, what else is left besides solitude?”

“That sounds like a rhetorical question. Are you only generally speaking about a vampire’s needs?”

He smiled. “This is something that has been proven century after century, and it’s how I feel about you too.”

“You don’t have anything to worry about, Vicq.” She smiled and closed the distance between them. “I’ll never let you go. I’ll track you to the ends of this Earth.”

“And that’s why I choose you…always.”

“By the way, where were you today?” she asked, sliding her hands under his trench coat and helping him out of it.

“I’ll show you everything you want to know once you feed,” he said, unbuttoning the top three buttons of his shirt.

At the mention of feeding, Elaina’s gaze honed in on his jugular, then dropped lower to the hardened bulge pushing against his fly.

She led him to take a seat in a nearby chair. “I can’t tell anymore if you’re trying to fatten me up or wear me out.”

“Hmmm.” He propped both arms up on the chair and observed her. “Both. I’m a little hungry myself, and plus, you stay out of trouble after I give you a good workout.”

“Oh, do I?” She straddled him on the chair and slid the collar of his shirt aside.

“Yes—”

Vicq gasped as she bit his jugular firmly. After ignoring her hunger all day to work on her plan, she’d become ravaged by hunger. Soon, they were both consumed by the pleasure of the moment. Elaina taking what she needed, and Vicq acquiescing to every desire. He fed her vision after vision of his travels to a brick house with a white picket fence, the three young boys who he’d rescued from the clinic, and the apprehensive and kind old woman. It brought joy to her to witness Vicq’s compassion for others, for humans…not just for himself and Dresdan-kind.

Vicq’s cock hardened where she straddled his lap. He took advantage of the situation, opened his fly, and tugged her panties aside. She cried out when he pulled her hips upward and then downward again to take every thick inch of his cock inside her. She rode him until every part her was filled with passion. As he pushed up, she rocked into him, tilting herself so that her clit received the force of each downward thrust.

“I love you, Elaina,” he rasped.

“I love you, Vicq.”

Soon, he sent her over the edge, giving her a deep, soul-shattering orgasm. Just before she came down completely, he gripped her neck and bit her, feeding off of her sex-induced high. His balls begin to tighten against her pussy, and he sped up his movements until finally, a sea of liquid heat spilled into her. He groaned against the delicate curve of her neck, licking off the remnants of spilled blood.

There was a soft knock at the door, and before the person could be warned against entering, it was opened.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were…” It was Melrose.

Elaina un-straddled Vicq and straightened her skirt, pulling the tight fabric down her hips. Vicq remained seated as he stuffed his semi-erect cock back into his pants.

Elaina licked the corner of her mouth, tasting what was left behind from her feeding and then asked, “What is it, Melrose?”

Melrose’s face was flushed with embarrassment. “Leila sent for the two of you. She thinks she’s found our new home, and she wanted you two to look at some pictures.”

“We’ll be up there in a moment,” Vicq replied.

“Sure.” Melrose’s gaze washed over them once more, and she licked her lips briefly before turning around and walking out of the room.

“She’s infatuated with you,” Vicq commented.

“Are you sure about that? Maybe she wants us both.”

“I’m positive. It’s you who she wants.” Vicq rose and kissed her on the temple.

“Well, too bad I’m taken,” Elaina replied, assisting him with tucking the tail end of his shirt into his pants. “I want more. Let’s meet on the mountaintop after we see this new place Leila found for our coven.”

Vicq grinned. “Bet on it.”

---

Elaina tossed the last of the equipment in the storage container, secured the latch, and then passed it off to Eli, who carried it off toward the van.

“You know we’re going to need more artillery, right?” Vicq informed as he stood to the right of her, filing some blades.

“I could always rob a District facility or two.” She shrugged. “But then that would give them reason to believe something was about to go down, and I’d rather take them by surprise. Any suggestions on where we could find some more weapons?”

“I might be able to get us more, but we’re working against time.”

“Then let’s do whatever it takes to get it done,” she said. “If we want to storm the District headquarters and the main field station on the same day, at the same time, we’re going to need all the help we can get.”

Vicq flipped out his cell phone and punched in some numbers. While he was occupied with his calls, Elaina studied the maps again. She couldn’t believe that she was only days away from executing a plan that could change virtually everything. Closing up District shops wasn’t even when the most difficult work would begin. She still felt an obligation to hunt rogues who preyed on humans and that instinct within her had never died. It probably never would.

“You okay?” Vicq asked, bending over the map with her.

“Yes.”

“You look worried,” he said.

“Maybe. We have a lot of work ahead of us.”

“We do.”

“When will you tell those boys about what happened to them?” she asked, out of the blue.

Vicq appeared confused at first, but after a moment had passed, he smiled. “I probably would have already told them, but I don’t want them to see me as…the monster. Hopefully, we can find something on their parents once Eli gets the District data files copied over, but I can’t…they can’t be more than thirteen years old, and I won’t bring them into this.”

“When I fed from you last night, and I saw what you’d done for them and how much you cared about them, I felt everything. I felt the rage and pain from the night you rescued them. I felt the fear racing through your blood when you drove them across county lines. You were hurt when you had to turn your back on them, leaving them behind.”

Vicq sighed.

“Is that why Dresdan rarely ever feed on each other? Because they learn too much?”

He turned to look at her. “You’re learning quickly. When you allow another Dresdan to take blood directly from the vein, they gain a slight—or healthy—advantage over you, depending on how you look at it. The blood contains a lot of memories, and virtually anything you’d ever want to learn about a man is in there. You can draw from our strengths and our weaknesses. You can use the truth to destroy and betray us. You should be very careful about who you let open up a vein in your neck, now and in your eternal future.”

“Noted,” she said.

“I got ahold of an acquaintance of mine who knows a weapons dealer. What time are we supposed to meet with your dad tonight? We might be able to make the exchange first.”

“Ten.” She looked down at her wristwatch. “We’ve got a few hours. Think we can handle both deals tonight?”

“I—”

A sea of thick mist clouded around the area in front of the sanctuary, followed by the ancient scent of what could only be a hoard of other Dresdan. No one had a chance to escape as the trespassers boxed them in.

None of the Dresdan belonged to Vicq’s coven. Elaina had become acquainted with everyone by now, and not one of them looked familiar.

Vicq took her arm and shielded her body with his own. Members of Vicq’s coven formed a tight ring around him, showing their fearless intent to protect their leader.

“What’s going on?” Elaina whispered.

“A Superior and his Soldiers. From the Court,” Vicq replied.

“Shit.”

When the trespassers fully materialized, she spotted the Superior right away. He was marked about the chest in the same manner as Vicq, with the symbol of the Dresdan Court.

How had they found this place? It was a sanctuary. No one knew where they were located except coven members.

Elaina got her answer to the question when one of the Soldiers shoved a badly bruised and battered Logan into the Superior’s grip.

“Nice of you to lead us here,” the Superior told Logan, producing a lengthy dagger from his coat pocket. “Now, I’m afraid your duty is done, and you’re of no use to me.”

“Wait!” Logan held up his hand in defeat. He looked frail. Pale and gray. And nearly drained of life force. “You said you’d take me to Russo and that I’d be given a reprieve. Please!”

The Superior paused. “I did say that, didn’t I?”

“Please…” Logan knelt in front of the Superior and begged to live. “You gave your word.”

“He ratted us out,” Elaina mumbled under her breath. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing right now.

“I gave my word to Russo. I answer to no one else.” He swung the blade from left to right, once, and Logan’s head and torso dropped to the ground. “One traitor down…” His gaze swept across the line of coven members. “…dozens more to go. Who’s next?”

With the exception of a chorus of gasps and a few startled screams of mortification, all Elaina could make out was the sound of branches cracking as the chilly wind whipped through the forest.

The Superior returned the dagger to the strap inside his coat. “Now, before anyone else makes any sudden moves, I have a message straight from the Master himself.”

Vicq pushed forward through the string of coven members protecting him, only to be cut off by a line of Soldiers. Elaina tried to break through the line after him, but they wouldn’t allow her to pass.

“I knew you were alive, Vicq. You couldn’t fool me. You have mad skills when it comes to escaping death, don’t you? You’re not like your Maker—who went down like a bitch.”

Vicg shifted through the line of protection, tearing off the head of one of the Soldiers. If Vicq’s goal was to leave mere inches between him and the Superior who was taunting him, he had succeeded. The only thing separating them was the rage that igniting between them.

“You can tell Russo he needs to be man enough to deliver his own messages,” Vicq demanded.

He still gripped the severed head, and he dropped it at the Superior’s feet where blood splattered on his boots.

The Superior’s gaze shifted from the Soldier’s head on the ground to Vicq.

“Such unnecessary violence…but that’s expected coming from you. If memory serves me correctly, you were one of our most ruthless Superiors until you turned soft. The way I see it, we did you a favor. You had a traitor in your midst, and all it took was the promise of freedom and ascension within the Court to get him to spill the beans on what you’ve been up to.” He rubbed his chin. “On second thought, I lied. He had about an ounce of loyalty left in him. He refused to give your location until I nearly bled him dry. Have you got anything to say, Superior?”

“I’ve said what I had to say to Russo. His days are numbered. I’ll see to that myself.”

“Threats to the Master are punishable by instant death.”

“What are you waiting for?”

“I wasn’t sent to take your life. I have orders to allow you to make your choice. You’re being given twenty-four hours to do so. You have very few places to hide now that your traitor has revealed some key secrets of your coven.” He opened his hand, palm up, and a Soldier handed him a rolled up slip of paper. He unfolded it and read it aloud. “Under the Dresdan Court, Vicq and his coven of fourteen are ordered to disband, effective immediately. Any followers who disobey will be hunted and put down accordingly. As for you, Vicq, you have twenty-four hours to report to Master Russo. If you don’t report, we’ll dismember your little car-thieving hybrid.”

The Superior stopped to hand him the message.

“Hybrid?”

“Oh, don’t look so confused. Please tell me that you remember those who refer to you as their Maker now.”

“Emory…” Vicq crushed the note in his palm.

“Yes, that’s his name—Emory.”

“He’s not a hybrid.”

“Hybrid. Transitioning. Whatever you call it. He’s not one of us, yet he knows many of our ways and drinks our blood. Don’t you know it’s against code to leave a man in transition? You’ve broken many laws, Vicq. You’re worse than the traitor bleeding out on the ground beside you.”

“What have you done to Emory?”

“Nothing yet. Twenty-four hours, Vicq. Starting now.”

The Superior and his group of Soldiers dissolved with the fog and disappeared.

---

All fourteen of Vicq’s coven members huddled in the back of the van. Some were seated on equipment, and others were standing. They were on the road because they had no choice but to abandon their old sanctuary as it stood.

“We’re with you one hundred percent, Vicq. When we had nothing, you took us all in,” Leo said.

Vicq shook his head. “No. If you want to live, you have to leave me.”

“We won’t,” Eli protested. “If we’re going to be hunted, we might as well stay together and fight as one. We’ve planned a very important mission tomorrow—a raid on the very same organization that is trying to annihilate us all. That’s more than Russo has ever done for any of the Dresdan who serve him.”

Brandon pushed off the wall of the van and said, “He’s right, Vicq. We all feel that way. We came to you and joined you, knowing the consequences. You wanted to take down Russo. You told me you still do. So do we. I’m with you.”

With Logan gone, they were down to thirteen of Vicq’s original coven members. One after the other, the coven members recited the phrase ‘I’m with you.’ Elaina didn’t hesitate when it was her turn. She never planned to leave Vicq’s side, even if there wasn’t a mission to complete. She was devoted to loving him.

Vicq rose to a standing position in the van. “Fine, but I have an ultimatum. We have to disband after the raid. By that time, my twenty-four hours to report will have expired, and I don’t want any of you near me when it does. As you probably know, I’ll never report to him. I don’t go running when Russo calls. He’s not my Master.”

“What about your friend, Emory?” Leila asked.

“I have a plan. After we raid the District, my next target will be the Court.”

A wave of silence fell over the van.

“How will this plan work?” Brandon asked.

“I’ll need to gather allies, which means contacting every coven that has denounced ties to the existing Court. That’s where I’ll need your help. In order for this to work within the timeframe I have in mind, I need two of you to start recruiting covens now.”

“What about the District raid?” someone inquired.

“I can spare two of us from that mission to go tackle an equally important one,” Vicq replied. “Besides, we’ll have more weapons soon, and we also have the manpower behind us with the Refuge members joining in. Do I have two volunteers to start the quest for off-the-grid covens?”

“Me. I’ll go,” Brandon said.

Another coven member agreed to work with Brandon.

“The rest of us will move forward as planned. After the District raid, we’ll disband temporarily. Then, I’ll join Brandon and Luke’s efforts to round up all the other covens.”

“You’re implying that we overthrow the existing Court. What if this doesn’t work?” Leila exclaimed. Her voice trembled. “I can’t see this working.”

“Don’t worry, Leila. It will,” Vicq reassured her. “Your assignment is to find us another sanctuary. If your predictions are correct—and I hope they aren’t—we’ll need someplace where we can go. If the mission does fail, we’ll regroup and try again. If it takes years…decades…to take back our Court, we’ll do whatever we have to for however long it takes.”

Resolved with Vicq’s plan and reassured by his intentions to take back the Court, everyone fell silent in the van, meditating on the swift change of events.

Elaina rose next to Vicq and placed her hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“Come with me,” he said.

They shifted out of the van and joined each other next to a junkyard surrounded by a chain-link fence.

“You have a sound plan,” Elaina said, settling next to the fence beside him.

“Yes.”

“But you’re worried. You do want your Court back, don’t you?”

“I do. I promised Zaket that I’d lead it one day.”

She moved to face him and closed the distance between them. He immediately wrapped his arms around her.

“Tell me what happened to Zaket. Why would he ask you to lead if vampires live forever? Didn’t he plan to survive?”

“It’s true that Masters rule as long as they live unless the Court is overthrown…or if the Master himself ceases to exist or disappears from the face of the Earth. Zaket wished to end his own life.”

“Why?”

“His wife died.”

“Vampire’s take wives?”

“She was human, and she didn’t want to become a vampire,” he said. “She wanted a traditional marriage and a normal life, and he gave that to her. For once in his existence, he had the one woman he would’ve done anything for, and she died. His will to live faded from there. My commitment and loyalty couldn’t even bring him back. He became disinterested in the politics of the Court, and soon, we had Superiors running their own units as they saw fit, which led to conflicts within the ranks. Even less concentration was given to reducing our rogue population. Finally, after seeing the damage of his neglect, Russo admitted that Zaket was defeated and not fit to rule us. He wanted to end it himself. I was supposed to rule. I didn’t want to, but of course, I couldn’t tell him that.”

“And that’s when Russo beheaded him while he slept.”

Vicq nodded. “He told everyone that he put our Maker out of his misery, but he also rose to Master at the same time.”

“Then he wanted to rule all along.”

“Yes. When you kill a Master, you absorb all of his powers, his knowledge…everything.”

“But it belonged to you. Zaket chose you.”

“Russo and I were both Superiors, and he was just as entitled as I was, but I don’t agree with how he ended up in possession of the Court.”

“I’ll help you get your Court back,” Elaina said.

He took both of her hands in his. “I won’t let any harm come to you. Not over this. This isn’t your fight, it’s mine. That’s why I want you, along with Leila and Melrose, to disband like the others and leave me after the raid. When Leila secures another sanctuary, you go with her.”

“No.” Her throat tightened. “I’m not leaving you behind.”

“Don’t.” He spoke firmly in a low, authoritative tone. “Don’t make this any more difficult than it already is.”

Her frustration turned to anger. “You can’t…”

“I’ll come back to you, Elaina. I always do. Remember?”

“But this time, I want to be with you.” She pounded his chest. “You left me before…”

He stroked the left side of her face. “You will be with me. You have my blood. A part of me. My life force. I’ll always be with you.”

Elaina swallowed and blinked away her tears, adamant about not letting one drop fall. He couldn’t see her this way, pitying herself because she couldn’t have her way.

She tore away from his grip and stormed off.

“Elaina…”

Ignoring his call, she retreated to a dark corner of the junkyard, seeking time to herself.

---

“A candle making store, really?” Brandon exclaimed as they filed out of the van.

Elaina jumped down, and loose dirt lifted up with the wind and flew across her face. She pinned her hair back with her hand and looked at the quaint little store sitting in the middle of nowhere. The sign read: Gisselle’s Candle Making Shop. There was a gas station off to the right with moderate activity, so the place couldn’t have been as isolated as her first impressions told her.

But still…

Vicq checked his cell phone and flipped through some screens. “Yup, this is the place.”

The majority of the coven members stayed with the van as Vicq, Elaina, Brandon, and Melrose moved forward to the entrance of the store. As they approached, Elaina noticed that there was an innocent old woman sitting in a rocking chair with one hand on a walking cane. Once close up, she came to realize the candle making store resembled a home.

“Hello,” the woman greeted them but didn’t get up from her seat.

“We’re here to—”

“—I know what you’re here for. The door’s open.” She pointed the bottom end of the cane at the door.

Without another word, she picked up a pair of long needles from her lap and ignored them as she continued her knitting. A handgun was in her lap, along with the ball of yarn. Elaina realized that she wasn’t as innocent as she appeared.

Brandon opened the door and held it open. The sign outside wasn’t a lie. Hundreds of scented candles and other related decor lined the shelves. A guy came out from behind the counter.

“We’re here to see Ghost,” Vicq said.

“I’m Fred,” the guy said. “Come this way. Ghost has been expecting you.”

They were led into a back room where Fred lifted a door up from the floor. The quaint little candle making store had another purpose. They descended down into the basement and spilled out into an underground facility.

When they entered the room, three men were waiting for them. Shelves lined with handguns and other combat weapons surrounded them.

Vicq and Ghost—who Elaina recognized from Vicq’s blood memories—exchanged handshakes and a few sentences before everyone else was introduced. Then Ghost returned to his post behind a counter made of glass and swept his hand across the contents.

“My process is simple. I don’t ask questions. All the goods are untraceable. There are no refunds,” he said. He pointed to the left and right of the room where more combat gear and hunting rifles were on display. “You can have your choice of anything in here. Just don’t plan on cleaning me out. I have another appointment in a few hours.”

Elaina took a quick look at the inventory and almost wished she had robbed a couple of District facilities. Everything resembled common civilian weapons. If they raided District headquarters armed with the simple handguns lying around here, they’d end up massacred before they got past the front gates.

She glanced behind her at Vicq and shot him a questioning look. From the expression on his face, she could tell that he already knew what she was thinking.

His eyebrow raised in amused contempt.

“Is there a problem?” Ghost asked.

Before turning around to face him, Elaina attempted to wipe the disappointment from her expression.

“You see…” She rubbed the back of her neck and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. “I know you said you wouldn’t ask questions, but maybe if we explained to you a little about why we need these weapons you’d understand.”

“Trust me when I say, I really don’t want to know. The fewer memories in my blood, the better.” Ghost winked. “So, pretty lady, let’s be straightforward with each other. What seems to be the problem?”

Elaina walked up to the counter.

“We need more guns,” she said.

She dumped a suitcase full of money on the counter and popped the latch. The lid flipped open, revealing rows of cash.

“Big guns,” she added.

Ghost grinned widely. “Now you’re talking.” With a sweep of his hand to the left of him, he made a gesture to one of the men standing in the room. “Carlos…?”

Carlos activated a mechanism that raised a panel on the wall behind them. Less than a minute later, the entire wall slid open completely to reveal another hidden room of nothing but heavy artillery.

“Are these big enough for you?” Ghost asked.

She nodded. “I like what I see.”

“Careful. Everything in here is loaded,” Carlos said.

It took them under an hour to complete the entire transaction and then they were on the road again.

---

“You can stay here as long as you need to,” Elaina’s dad exclaimed as he ushered them into a suite. “This is a double suite, as well…adjoining room to the left. Hopefully your other men have gotten settled in by now. No one will bother you. You’’ll have the entire right wing of the hotel to yourselves.”

“Thank you,” Vicq said.

“No, thank you for bringing my daughter to me.” He handed them the key. “Our Refuge isn’t far from here. My men and I will return early tonight and then we’ll meet up again to plan out the first attack.”

As Elaina began to sort through her bags near the queen-sized bed, her dad took Vicq aside and they spoke in low tones with each other. She caught wind of her name and turned around.

“Are you two really going to discuss me while I’m standing not even two feet away?” she asked.

“It’s about the mission,” her dad replied.

“What about it?”

“Are you planning to be there?”

She frowned. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I?”

Vicq opened the door to the suite and motioned for her dad to step outside. “Let’s have a word in private about a few things.”

“Sure. I’ll be back, Elaina,” her dad said.

She wasn’t surprised that Vicq and her dad had developed a quick relationship. After all, they had more than her in common. As far as she knew, almost everyone here had a vested interest in taking down and exposing District 5. They had their goals to achieve and she had hers.

Once they were gone, Elaina closed the door to the adjoining suite, grabbed some fresh clothes from her bag, and headed to the shower.

---

Mr. Smith went behind the bar of the hotel, which was currently unmanned, and poured himself a glass of brandy before joining Vicq at the far side of the lounge.

“I usually offer drinks and meals to my guests, but we’ve never had any vampires stay here,” Mr. Smith said.

“We’ll make do with what we can find,” Vicq replied. “When did you learn that not all of us were out to kill?”

Mr. Smith sighed, slouched his shoulders, and settled back in his chair. “My suspicions have always been in favor of vampires, but just like us humans, you have good guys and bad buys. It just so happens that bad vampires can do really bad things to really good people. And they have.”

“Truth.”

“My turn.” Mr. Smith took a swig of his drink. “How long have you been trying to take down the District, Vicq?”

“Since before my Maker and Master perished. I was a Superior who worked in the field, warning the Master of outside threats to the Court and to our people. Our focus was reducing the rogue population until it was the rogues themselves who led us to District 5 and what was going on. While we were herding our rogues up, District 5 began capturing us…any vampire, not just the rogues.”

“And then District learned about your hierarchy and how vampires gain their strength.”

Vicq nodded. “Exactly. The weaker rogues were useless for many things, so they targeted Dresdan who’d already ascended within the Court.”

“Like yourself?”

“Yes, like me.”

“Has Elaina told you about her parentage?”

“Sí. It’s extremely difficult for mated vampires to keep that sort of information from each other.”

Mr. Smith’s head flinched back slightly. “What do you mean?”

“We share memories through the blood.”

“Oh.” His eyes widened. “Oh.”

“That comes as a surprise to you? Didn’t that organization teach you this stuff when you were working for them?”

“I wasn’t in that line of work. I didn’t hunt vampires like Elaina. I tracked people—human people—and things…and objects.”

“Right. Makes sense.”

“About this raid…” Mr. Smith started. An awkward moment of silence followed and he pulled at his sleeves and then straightened his collar. “Elaina’s transformation to vampire threw me for a loop.”

“She’s not just any vampire. She’s Dresdan. Strongest and most prevalent of the vampire species.”

“With Elaina being a Dresdan, I’m not sure I can convince her anymore that she needs to be protected now that she’s a District refugee. She was hard-headed growing up, and I suspect that determination and fiery spirit of hers has grown exponentially.”

“It has,” Vicq replied, nodding in agreement. He’d experienced firsthand how determined Elaina could be when she set her mind to something.

“I need your help to convince her. I witnessed your relationship with her and how well you communicate with each other, and I think you’re the only one that can stop her from following through with this raid.”

Vicq stiffened in his chair. “You want us to let this organization off the hook.”

Mr. Smith shook his head quickly. “No, no, no. Never. The goal of Refuge has always been to create a world where we can live without hiding in fear of being taken in by the District again. The price for betraying an organization like that is usually death.”

Vicq cringed as an image of District trackers following them halfway across the country to take Elaina in flooded his memories.

“Oh, don’t I know it,” he said.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t realize Elaina was in trouble. She was doing so well as a refugee out on her own.” Mr. Smith lowered his head.

“You were watching her?”

“Not always. She was so good at concealing herself. I was afraid that if I reconnected with her that the District would put two and two together and link us,” he replied. “Plus…I wasn’t ready to tell her about the secret I’d kept from her all those years. I wanted her to know me as Father…always.”

“She still calls you Dad, Mr. Smith,” Vicq reassured him. “Being a father is more than sharing genes or blood lineage. When I lost my father, both of parents really, my Maker was all I had.”

“Then you understand my need to make this right again. I have to do something about this. I have to fix this. I don’t want District 5 coming after her ever again. I don’t want her going near them ever again,” he said.

“So…you’re suggesting…?”

“That she stay here with the others while we take our teams out to infiltrate the District and seize what we can.”

Vicq swallowed and shook his head. “Elaina’s not going to go for that. I can tell you that right now.”

“Someone has to convince her. The one person she trusts more than anyone else…even me, unfortunately…is you.”

“That’s the thing.” Vicq threaded his fingers together on the table and leaned forward. “What you’re implying means breaking my promise to her. I told her I’d help her and that I’d be right there by her side when she returned to destruct District 5. If I don’t do this, I’m breaking my vow to her.”

“If we do this and she goes, it could mean her life. Would you keep your word to her if you knew she could be harmed, or worse, killed?”

“I won’t let anything happen to Elaina. I’ll be right there with her, and she’s stronger than you give her credit for,” Vicq replied.

“You didn’t answer my question.” Mr. Smith sighed in aggravation. “Maybe you need a little more convincing yourself.” He reached into his pocket, grabbed a small device, and spoke into it. “Michael!”

“I’m here,” a male replied.

“Vicq and I are in the lobby. I need to show him something.”

There was silence, and then a bit of static.

“Remember what we talked about?” Mr. Smith asked.

“Yeah. I’m on my way.”

About a minute passed before a young man walked into the hotel. It was the same man who had interrupted Vicq and his coven members out at the docks. He was the one who’d brought the note from Elaina’s father.

“You remember Michael, don’t you?” Mr. Smith asked.

“Yeah.”

The man pulled up a chair and took a seat at the table.

“Michael was orphaned as well as a result of D5’s treachery. Both of his parents were employed by the District. His dad was a vampire tracker. His mother was a nurse. Both died suspiciously while there, and Michael was only two at the time. Unlike Elaina, Michael grew up under D5’s supervision,” Mr. Smith said.

“How?” Vicq asked. “How could they own children?”

“There are many things you’ll never understand about D5, but just know that any contracts executed with them are legally binding for life. When Michael’s parents died, he had no living relatives. He didn’t become an orphan of the state; instead, he became D5’s property. And at D5, everyone is considered property, sort of like an asset. Your status and usefulness within the organization determines your worth and how fast you depreciate.”

“Are they harvesting organs?” Vicq inquired outright. His blood began to boil, and he tried to restrain himself from overreacting.

Mr. Smith nodded.

Raging horror clotted in his chest. Vicq turned to Michael. “Is this true?” he asked.

Michael nodded. “It’s true. It just depends on how you’re labeled. It’s all a matter of chance and circumstance, as well. Sometimes it depends on your DNA, your genes, or your blood type. If they can’t use you in the field or in business operations, then they use you for research, or vice versa. There are many divisions. Divisions that weren’t even approved by the US Government. What the public sees and what we know are two different things.”

Michael glanced at Mr. Smith as if trying to gain reassurance or approval to continue.

“Go ahead, Michael,” Mr. Smith said. “He’ll learn one way or another.”

“I was a bounty hunter before District 5 discovered something that changed everything. It all started with Elaina when they found out that her rare blood type contained the properties needed to complete some new testing. Throughout the years, District scientists had only been focused on the most dominant blood type of the human population. But that changed when Elaina’s blood was spilled alongside a Dresdan. That Dresdan was you, I believe.”

Vicq nodded. “I remember it like it was yesterday. They poisoned her and then tried to kill me.”

“The trackers took the blood evidence that they collected in to District scientists, who did some testing. That’s when they made the discovery about her. She wasn’t AB negative at all. D5 coined a new human blood type—Type S. Without a perfect match, the blood separates like oil and water. With a match between a human and a vampire, the blood fuses together and creates the vampire agent. When Elaina was born, she was born at a District owned hospital. Some of her earlier records indicate that Elaina has one of the rarest blood types—AB negative—which is probably why placing her with adoptive parents wasn’t a concern. They were more focused on the dominant blood type. Yet, Mr. Smith has evidence from family doctors that Elaina’s blood type is unknown. Inconclusive.”

“And, of course, Sandra and I didn’t want to push the issue. We didn’t want the District involved in Elaina’s life any sooner than we’d agreed. Other than this mystery surrounding her blood type, Elaina was healthy,” Mr. Smith added.

“This discovery about how Elaina’s rare blood reacted to an ancient was somehow leaked throughout D5’s ranks, and rumors were spread that employees were being tested in droves for rare blood types. Nearly everyone was worried that their employment status would change and that they’d be transferred from the front lines to the back labs. And by that time, everyone knew that being a human lab rat was the worst fate within the District. No one came out alive. The sick went in because they knew they would die either way. They were fed garbage about dying in the name of research and lured to sign contracts for millions of dollars. Either way, the District began to search out unique blood types. The posters went out about Elaina being missing, and the District Heads sent out numerous teams, both bounty hunters and trackers, in search of Elaina. One team was lucky enough to find her, but failed to retrieve her.”

Vicq grimaced. “They killed her. That’s what they did.”

“The injection wasn’t meant for her. Someone on that team made a grave error.”

“Luckily, she had me in her system,” Vicq noted.

“I think your blood, or whatever she accepted from you is what ultimately kept her alive when she was human. No one could have survived all the poison she was subjected to,” Michael said.

“You have a lot of intel,” Vicq said.

“I grew up on the inside. I had no choice. The thing is that I’m just like Elaina. I wasn’t lying when I told you that back at the docks. I’m Type S, as well. When the information was leaked and right before I could be called in for testing, I sought out my D5 records. I found out some things that had me questioning why I’d been loyal to them all these years when they still wouldn’t give me a straight answer about what happened to my parents. I visited a clinic that same day to have some testing done. Sure enough, the results of my blood type came back inconclusive. I didn’t wait around long enough to find out what D5 would do to me. With the files I’d stolen from D5 in my possession, I got the hell out and joined Refuge. I won’t be with your crew tomorrow either. Because if anyone from D5 happens to get even a drop of my Type S blood, they’ll use it. And we all know, there will blood.”

“Highly likely,” Vicq agreed.

“Type S beings are being permanently tagged and hunted down. We know this because one of them lived in a Refuge facility for a short period of time. But then District bounty hunters came for them. They cleared out the whole place and ten of our men were taken back to District headquarters. I don’t even want to imagine what happened to them when the Heads got involved,” Michael said.

“Is the tag like the 5 they burned on the back of Elaina’s neck?”

Michael shook his head. “No, not that. This tag can’t be seen. They shoot a tracking device inside of you.”

“How much Type S blood do you think they need to complete their project?”

“We still don’t have the answer to that. But now I know they have someone or something in their possession. A vampire so valuable that they keep watch on him day in and day out. The vault is monitored at all times. It is never ever left unmanned. And there is no reason for us to give them access to the thing they need the most to keep profits in their pockets and for them to do further damage. This isn’t just about the vampires, it’s about the humans, as well. This organization has done nothing but kill in the name of scientific research. Nothing they’ve done leads to anything meaningful for humans. It’s about profits and creating things above the law. Playing God. The truth is, they can’t make a hybrid. They never will. It’s against the rules of nature.”

“Then what is it that they’re trying to accomplish,” Vicq asked.

“They want the life force of a vampire without becoming one.”

“That’s impossible.”

Michael cocked his head to one side. “Is it?”

“Partly, but in order to sustain our life force, we take blood. The difference is that vampires can feed from humans or other vampires. Humans that are in transformation need vampire blood. They will crave it. They will go mad and die if they don’t take it. If what you’re saying is correct, other than Type S beings, no human-in-stasis will be able to survive without it. The more powerful the vampire, and depending on how much blood is taken, the more time they will get before the vampire life force fades from their system and they have to take it again. Once they take vampire blood, they’ll need more and more of it, to the point where the transformation will eventually be complete. Aside from Type S beings, is there any other evidence? What else do you know?”

“All along, D5’s goal was to create a human-vampire hybrid that’s able to sustain the vampire agent long enough without a complete transformation. And yes, recent research shows that the only blood type capable of that is S. Now, my guess is that there are only a few dozen of us out there with Type S blood.”

“How do I know you have this blood type?” Vicq asked.

“Aside from the papers I have from the clinic, I can give you hard evidence with your cooperation.”

Michael produced a knife and slit his open palm until a small puddle of blood appeared on the table. Vicq followed suit, slit his wrist, and watched as the blood spread out next to Michaels. Their blood fused together as if by some force or magic, changing from dark red in color to black and then back to red again.

“Elaina’s blood will do the same,” Michael said. “Her becoming a vampire doesn’t change that. See for yourself.”

“I’ve seen enough,” Vicq spoke softly. “What I don’t get is if District 5 knows that they’ve failed their mission on a very large scale, why then are they still in operation? People are dying in pursuit of their low-life missions. The lives of women and children are being ruined so they can make profits.”

“You aren’t the only one who’s raging mad about this,” Michael said. “This is the reason why I’ve stayed with Refuge so long. We’ve all been affected either directly or indirectly. We just need to destroy everything connected to District and expose them for what they are. Maybe we’ll never find out what they’re trying to accomplish at this point.”

“And maybe we’ll just have to make it our business to find out,” Mr. Smith interjected.

---

“Seriously?”

Elaina glanced back and forth between Vicq and her dad. She chuckled nervously, waiting for them tell her this was all a joke and that they didn’t expect her to stay behind on a mission she’d been contemplating for years.

“It’s really for the best,” her dad said. “You and I both know that they’ll salvage whatever they can get.”

Waving her hand out in front of her in a swift cutting motion, Elaina shook her head. “This isn’t up for debate. I’m going. Even if I spill blood, how can that be an issue if we’re going to set fire to the place?”

“There’s still a risk,” Vicq said. “I gave my word that we would take down District 5. And we will. That hasn’t changed. There’s just been a slight detour in the way things need to happen going forward.”

“No, Vicq. You gave your word that you would be by my side. We never planned for me to be holed up in a Refuge dungeon while everyone else did the work. That’s not me.”

Anger rose in her chest and she paced the room in front of them.

“I know, Elaina. You don’t have to prove yourself to anyone. This is about you putting your life on the line, but it’s also about what could happen if District got ahold of your blood again.”

“We don’t want to see you hurt, and we don’t want anyone from the District getting their hands on anyone considered high value to them,” her dad said.

“Then what about Vicq, he’s considered high value. The District has been tracking him for years. Is this just about keeping me out of the raid?”

“Elaina, this attack can’t be executed without at least one Superior Dresdan. I’ve already sent two of my coven members away, and at least three more will remain here at the hotel. We don’t know what we’re going to be dealing with when we open those underground vaults. Together, our men will be able to infiltrate District 5 and get past the humans, but I may be the only one capable of holding off an attack from a stronger ranking Dresdan.”

“That wasn’t the plan. And you, Vicq, have been changing your mind a lot lately. The both of you are fools to think that I’d agree to this,” she exclaimed between clenched teeth. “Leave me, please.”

Vicq moved toward her, and Elaina took one step back.

“Both of you.”

As Vicq and her dad were leaving the room, her dad turned back around and said, “Give it some thought, Elaina.”

Without another word, she sent them off and closed the door behind them.

---

Elaina sank deeper into the comfort of the heated water, resting back against the hot tub. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, letting the faint smells of jasmine and lavender calm her. But nothing seemed to be helping Elaina. For the past several days, she’d been occupied by memories of her childhood, of her time being used by District 5, and of her mother. Both of them. She thought about the limited choices her birth mother must have had, and about the sacrifice she’d made to keep Elaina safe even if it meant giving her up for adoption… even if it was only until Elaina reached adulthood. She thought about the burdens her adoptive mother had had to bear, and the secrets they had to keep from her.

The door to the bathroom opened, and Elaina didn’t even have to open her eyes to know it was Vicq. If it weren’t for the noisy hinges on the frame, she probably wouldn’t have noticed he had entered the small space at all. He always had a knack for catching her off guard, sometimes unintentionally.

“I came to check on you,” he said.

“I’m fine.”

“I went out,” he said, inching closer. “Me and the guys. We fed.”

“Good for you,” she replied.

“I overfed, actually. You can take all you need.”

“Why?” She sat upright in the tub and glared at him. “I’m not going on the raid, so why do I need to feed tonight?”

“Elaina…” He sat on the edge of the tub. “I’m trying to do the right thing here, or at least what I think is right. I never wanted you in danger anyway, and this is for the best. Even if I had an alternate choice, I would never have sent every member of my coven on a mission like this. If the whole coven gets wiped out, that’s the end.”

“And what if that does happen?” she asked. “You’ve got District 5 headquarters to take on, and Russo and his Soldiers to ward off. What happens if you go in and never come out?”

“Then you, Leila, Leo, and Melrose will take over the coven,” he replied. “But that’s not going to happen. I have someone to live for now, and that person is you. I just need you to trust me and trust my process, and we will find peace.”

She sighed deeply and sank back into the hot tub.

Vicq took the sponge from her and poured a little body wash over it. She withheld any further protests as he smoothed the sponge across her tense muscles.

“When this is all over, we’ll relax together. No more running. No more worrying about who’s after us,” he said.

She wanted that type of life with Vicq, and although she felt blindsided by his recent change of heart, she knew he had her best interests in mind.

“Do you trust me to keep you safe?” he asked.

She couldn’t stay angry at the man she loved and needed.

“I do.”

But not five hours later, after they’d made love and slept in each other’s arms, Elaina woke up alone in bed with her wrist chained to the headboard.

The only source of light was from the moonlight streaming through the curtains.

Thinking the worst, she shot up in the bed and fought against the handcuffs. She screamed at the top of her lungs, and only then did Leila and Leo burst in from the adjoining room.

“Elaina, you’re up,” Leila came to her side. “Everything’s fine. We just—”

“Why am I chained to the bed? Vicq did this, didn’t he?”

Leila nodded.

“I’m going to kill him. I’m going to kill him with my bare hands.”

Leila couldn’t even make eye contact with her as she said, “Vicq…your father…they had to take precautions.”

“They’re gone, aren’t they?” Anger rose in Elaina’s throat as she looked for Vicq’s bags.

Leo came to the bedside with a set of keys. “Yes, we had to make sure you weren’t going after them. We were given orders to let you out, but only if we have your promise not to leave the Refuge hotel.”

Elaina clenched her fists and drew in slow, steady breaths. “Like hell I won’t. I can’t believe they would lie to me.”

Leo stood and pocketed the keys.

“Just unlock the cuffs, honey. They’re long gone by now,” Leila took Leo by the hand, urging him.

Leo shook his head. “I made a deal. Unless she promises that she won’t follow them to District headquarters, I can’t let her out. If something happens to her, Vicq will have my head.”

“No, he won’t,” Elaina said.

“Don’t you think we all want to succeed?” Leo asked. “My sister is trapped in there, remember? Of course I’d like to go in and find her myself, but we all have a part to play in this. I have no doubt that Vicq and the others will do whatever it takes to shut everything down and set the innocents free. I trust the process. Even though this isn’t what you expected, you should, too.”

“Elaina, please,” Leila exclaimed. “Both teams will handle everything. Everyone knows the plan from here on out. We all have a part to play in this, and you can’t risk getting tagged.”

“You don’t understand. For months, I’ve been planning to do this, now I’m expected to just sit by and wait. I doubt Vicq is even coming back. He said so himself. That he’d leave everyone behind after the raid.”

Leo and Leila exchanged knowing looks.

“Unlock me,” Elaina demanded.

“I need your word that you won’t flee Refuge,” Leo replied.

“I can’t give you my word, because I’ll only break it. You’re right. Everyone here has a part to play, and it just so happens that I have my own mission,” she told him.

Leo stepped back. “Then I can’t release you.”