Chapter Nine

The car zoomed along at the fastest speed possible while navigating on pure ice. They’d cranked the heat after a driver change to put Roman in command of the vehicle. Despite the heat, Vivi still scooted closer to Ky, not that he had any body warmth. He tried to mask his shivers, but where their thighs touched, he vibrated with chills.

“You’re freezing,” she whispered.

He opened his mouth as if about to utter another “I’m fine” like he’d done three times since they got into the back seat, but shut it. She removed her coat and wrapped it around his front. “No arguing. I’m not the one who got shot and punctured by metal.”

“Thanks.” He intertwined his fingers with hers.

Hand-holding was new. Never done it with a man. Never knew she liked the connection.

Flynn craned around from the passenger seat. His eyebrows drew together. He shrugged out of his coat and handed it to her, repeating her words. “We’re almost there.” He scanned Ky. “You’ve got to hold on, mate. We’ll be to safety soon.”

As she tucked the coat around his legs, an unfamiliar feeling expanded inside her chest. To belong to a group like these men who had one another’s back, who’d die for one another, and who’d never give up until they found a missing one… She blinked against bleary vision and wished to reassure Flynn. “He’ll make it.”

Even if I have to use some healing magic on him again, to my own detriment.

He squeezed her hand. For now, he was okay.

She watched wide-eyed out the windows, expecting the humans to appear and drag her back.

Between the energy she gave up to heal him earlier, the small boost she gave Ky in secret to make it to the car, and the shock of being free, everything in her felt frazzled.

Beyond that, these three lycans simultaneously intrigued and frightened her. Each individually was powerful. Put them together, and these guys manipulated forces beyond her understanding. Ky said they fought “bad” paranormals, but who judged good from bad? Wasn’t their master human, which meant a human perspective decided? That made zero sense.

Ky warned her not to make him the hero, but she hadn’t really listened. Maybe they actually were villains. They were sent after people like her, but she had a tough time believing Ky would kill indiscriminately unless protecting himself or someone else.

They got her out of prison.

Roman, the one who distrusted her most—man, he was big and scary—said little and remained focused on the icy road. To his credit, he handled the car well. Hell, he seemed to handle everything well.

“You’re free. I won’t let them take you back,” Ky whispered as he took her hand, his small tremors shaking hers.

“We’re not free yet,” she said, even though she was breathless and energy zinged through her. As she squeezed his hand and held on, she wanted to drink in the moment, to remember forever this feeling of optimism mixed with fear of her fellow car inhabitants. Since she hadn’t felt anything like this in ages. Years, at least.

“She’s right,” Flynn said. “We have to get out of this country.” A long while later, down mostly bumpy back roads, Flynn pointed. “There. The turnoff.”

A snow-choked lane hid a small runway.

“Finally,” Roman muttered. “Now we have to hope our ride shows up.”

“You didn’t fly your plane here?” Ky asked Roman.

“She’s in Russia. Can’t risk bringing her into China, not after that last time a few years ago when we got shot down.” Roman said low to Flynn. “You texted him?”

“Twenty minutes ago.”

“Where is he? We’re sitting ducks here.” Roman scrutinized the perimeter of the runway. “I don’t like it.”

Helicopter blades sounded in the distance, getting closer.

“About time,” Roman muttered, even though they’d waited only ten minutes.

Once the bird landed, they jogged for the open door as the rotors slowed. Vivi picked up a familiar scent. Everything in her kicked into defensive. She froze.

Vampire. Their species’ enemy.

With a yank, Ky drew Vivi behind him. He raised his rifle.

Roman knocked his muzzle skyward right as Ky shot, the bullet flying uselessly upward. “No.”

“Vampire,” Vivi hissed and aimed the Glock at the person sitting in the copilot seat inside the helicopter.

Roman bashed her hand against the side of the helicopter to dislodge the gun and restrained her. She struggled, refusing to go down without a fight.

Ky grabbed Roman’s wrist and forced him to release her. Once Roman did, Ky pulled her into him, protective. Part of her liked it, which was weird, since she didn’t do alpha macho bullshit, but the other part of her needed to fight for herself against this threat.

Ky asked, “What is Antonio doing here?”

“You know that vampire?” Vivi asked.

Roman picked up the Glock that had fallen to the snow.

“Will someone please tell me what’s going on? Why is he here?” Ky pointed at the ageless Spaniard who was too pretty to be human.

“He’s our ride,” Roman said.

The vampire smirked. Clean-shaven with his dark hair neatly pulled off his face into a ponytail at his neck, he reclined in his seat. A white V-neck T-shirt peeked from a dark leather jacket showing off a smooth chest, so unlike male lycans. His gray-jeans-clad legs were crossed at the knee, showing off his leather boots. He exuded a threatening charm, but not sleazeball. He was the kind of guy who projected the aura of an elegant spy, when in reality, he was a dangerous predator.

“Not arguing he’s an ass, but he’s not exactly an enemy,” Roman said. “Anymore.”

“Did the world lose its mind since I spent several weeks in hell? How is Antonio not our enemy? We’ve been tracking him for four decades across all continents trying to narrow down what exactly he does and why he’s always a step ahead of us, possibly involved with the worst of the worst.”

“Get on the fucking chopper,” Roman ordered.

Flynn hopped on board and buckled into a seat. He unwrapped a new lollipop.

The vampire uncrossed his legs when he saw Vivi. His eyes narrowed. “We weren’t expecting extras, especially not one like her. How long was she in there?”

“A while. We’re not leaving her,” Roman said.

Antonio snapped his fingers. The copilot handed what looked like a cell phone into the back seat. Antonio swiped through a few screens and waved the phone in her direction. “She’s transmitting. They both are. The trackers must be removed from both of them right now, or I’m leaving them here.”

They put a transmitter in me? That’s what’s in my side? She touched the now healed area just below her ribcage. Bile tinged the back of her throat as an uncontrollable shudder swept through her with a coldness that had nothing to do with the frigid breeze. Her heart rate escalated as she resisted the urge to tear her skin apart looking for it.

“Can we do this on the other side of the border?” Roman asked.

Antonio shook his head. “I’m not getting shot out of the sky because these two are transmitting a giant bull’s eye signal to guide a missile. After last time, I swore I’d never go down in one of these tin cans again.” He touched his cheek. “Takes too long to heal afterward, and the burns on the face are so unattractive.”

“Do you have a suggestion to remove them? And is it fast?” Roman massaged his forehead. He met Ky’s gaze and shrugged. “No choice. We need this ride.”

“Give me a knife,” Ky said. “Pretty sure mine’s in my side. I’ll cut it out. What’s another pint of blood loss today?”

Vivi pressed on her side, detecting nothing. If a transponder had been implanted, it was deep.

Antonio grabbed Roman’s arm as he removed his knife. “Don’t be dramatic. This need not be barbaric. We have more efficient ways, but you’re going to have to be open-minded.”

“Get your hand off me.” Ky glared at Antonio’s hand.

The vampire held his hands up and called out, “Rys, can you take care of this for us?”

The pilot pushed out of his door and walked around the chopper. All four of them recoiled.

“You expect me to trust a Volkinar vampire?” Ky backed a step away from both the unknown vampire and the helicopter, keeping her behind him. Volkinars had diverged centuries ago from regular vampires as an offshoot with evolved, superior night vision that left their eyes almost white. They’d perfected sorcery, which was the use of power gained from the control of evil afterlife spirits. Typically, they were good at divining and summoning spirits or ghosts.

“Volkinars aren’t necessarily evil, but one of our kind faces one only when you want it to do something for you.” Her father’s voice echoed inside her head from one of the learning lectures he forced on her as a kid. “Nothing they do comes for free. Find out its price.”

Vivi stepped out from behind Ky and scowled as the Volkinar approached. He was sinewy strong, which he toned down to casual in his dark T-shirt and blue jeans. The vampire had come up with aces in the hair department, with a thick dark mane and graceful facial symmetry.

“What do you want in exchange?” she asked.

The edges of the Volkinar’s eyes crinkled as if he laughed at her, although his lips didn’t alter their fierce straight line. “How about you owe me one?”

The Volkinar’s voice had come out low and raspy as if he spent the last few decades chain-smoking.

“There’s no way I’ll agree to a nebulous IOU. I want this agreed upon now. I won’t randomly do something for you at some unspecified time in the future.”

“He’s helping you because I asked him to,” Antonio said.

She dismissed Antonio with an irritated side-eye. “What’s in this for you?” she asked Rys.

“Not getting shot out of the sky sounds fair. You’re a cute little feisty thing, but you offer nothing I want.”

“I want it clear that you’re doing this because you have an agreement with that other vampire, and you don’t want to be shot out of the sky. You will not show up in my life at a later time and ask that I help you.”

“This isn’t the nineteenth century. The rules have changed. Fair warning, it’ll hurt,” Rys said. “It must be ripped out of you, but you won’t bleed.”

“You’re going to enjoy it, aren’t you?” she asked.

A smile lifted one side of his lips. “Probably.”

Ky took her arm and drew her away. “Let me go first.” Ky turned away from her and stalked back toward the Volkinar. “That way if the process is fatal, it’ll be me who dies.”

Roman said, “If he dies, I’ll kill all of you vampires and pilot the damned craft myself.” If it was possible, the air went colder.

“You guys sure curse a lot, given…” Antonio trailed off.

“Given what?” Roman’s eyebrows rose. “Given our brother, Shane, was the language police?”

Everyone stilled.

“That wasn’t what I was going to say.” Antonio went poker-faced. “Given you work with angels. Isn’t no cursing one of God’s rules?”

Roman rolled his eyes.

“I’m going first. I’m in better shape to be the guinea pig.” She hip-butted Ky out of the way. “Plus, Rys and I have an understanding. He won’t kill me.”

“Sit.” The Volkinar pointed to the open door of the helicopter.

She perched on the lip, feet dangling off the ground. After removing her coat and raising her scrub top to give him access, she focused on the starless horizon. Cold air breathed over her skin. Too many muscles in her body hurt all of a sudden. “Let’s get this over with.”

His icy fingers probed her side but did nothing.

“B-b-be fast. H-hurry up.” Panic welled in her as flashes of things that had been done to her over the years slideshowed in her brain. She was seconds away from losing her mind and ending up screaming.

“Take a deep breath for me,” the Volkinar said.

She did the best she could, but it ended up choppy. She winced as she realized one of her ribs might be broken after the fall from the explosion. How had she not noticed? I’ll heal. I always heal.

“There’s a small object here.” The vampire pressed beneath her ribcage. The lack of pain meant the injured rib must be on the other side. “I’m going to draw it through the skin but do a controlled heal as I do so. It’s going to burn a bit.”

She wrapped her fingers around the edge of the helicopter floor. As she squeezed her eyelids closed and braced herself, she started seeing visions. Flash. Strapped onto a medical table while the German used a scalpel to cut into her until she passed out from the pain. Flash. Some sort of fluid forced down her throat followed by retching and severe abdominal pain and welts, large ones that itched, but her hands were tied so she couldn’t scratch. All she wanted was to scratch the skin off her body.

She gasped for air in chugging gulps.

“Vivi… Look at me,” Ky ordered. “Vivi. Look. At. Me.”

She stared into his eyes.

“You got this.” He unhooked one of her hands from the edge of the helicopter. “You’re a badass.”

“Am I?” The question reached far beyond the fact a Volkinar was about to remove a piece of hardware from her.

“Yes.” He squeezed her hand. “Keep looking at me. I’ll keep you safe. I promise. I always keep my promises.”

Heat built on her side. A sharp burn tunneled through her skin. It felt like the pain channeled all the way to her navel. Instinctively, she leaned away from the searing throb, but it followed her. I can handle this.

Breathing deeply, she inhaled Ky’s scent and concentrated on the steady beat of his heart, audible to her sensitive ears.

She compressed her lips to hold in the scream that wanted out. When she felt like she couldn’t hold it in any longer, it stopped. A small hiss escaped her. She realized she’d been crushing Ky’s hand and let go. “Sorry.”

“Got it.” Rys held up a little piece of metal about the size of a jelly bean. “Not that bad, right?”

She ignored the vampire to stare at Ky, needing to warn him. “It hurts. A lot.”

“I’m fully expecting you to hold my hand, too.” A smile ghosted his lips.

She grinned back, her stomach doing all kinds of somersaults.