Tessa walked out into the Council Hall. The place was empty. Beast was at her side again. She didn’t know where he’d gone for the few moments she’d spoken to Jameson.
He had a self-satisfied air to him. She studied his walk, his high energy. Then knew. “I hope it wasn’t one of us.”
He shot her a look as if he understood what she’d said. Then let that huge head lower as he walked forward.
“Should be one of the enemy – except they taste yucky. I guess you could use a few more granola bars, huh?”
Beast lifted his head and let out an odd sounding bark. “Come on, let’s go to the kitchen. I know where they are kept.”
She turned to find Cody following behind and racing to catch up. “Need to go to the kitchen and get granola bars for Beast.”
“Why can’t he eat like normal dogs?”
“You mean dog food?” she mocked. “I don’t think so.” She reached out a hand and stroked the huge furry back. “He’s a beauty, isn’t he?”
Cody laughed. “He is anything but.”
“I know, but that’s why he’s adorable.” In the huge kitchen, she walked to the cupboard and pulled out a box of granola bars. “Here we go.” She filled her pockets and ripped one open for herself.
She spun around and stopped. Beast stood in front of her, waiting hopefully.
She held out one for him. Beast yipped in joy. She shook her head. “These aren’t likely very good for you, but they have to be better than those horrible drugged bodies.”
He inhaled the first one as she ate hers at a slower pace. She doled out a second one in smaller chunks, but he didn’t appear sated. Then again, neither was she. She opened three more bars and fed two to Beast then ate one herself.
Turning, she found Cody leaning against the doorframe, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
“He’s hungry,” she explained sheepishly.
“I understand.” He held up a blood slushie she hadn’t seen originally. “I’m on my second too.”
She winced. “Right. I should probably have one of those too.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” he said gently. “I was wondering how many granola bars we’d have to pack for a retreat.”
She gave a lusty laugh. “Maybe I’ll be hungry for something else.”
His gaze smoldered. “We still have to keep our energy up,” he murmured, stalking closer, that gaze holding her in place.
“We do,” she whispered when he stood in front of her. “But being the innocent here, maybe my information is lacking. I might need to do a little research on the subject.”
He lowered his head. “No problem.” His warm breath bathed her face. “I’ll be happy to be your research subject.”
In a low voice, she said uncertainly, “You know so much more than I do.”
“No,” he whispered. “With you it will be all new and the little bit I do know, I’ll be more than happy to share.”
And he swept her into his arms and kissed her.
The floodgates opened and passion rose inside and outside, wrapping them in a thermal blanket that threatened to burn the Council Hall to the ground.
When several chuckles finally penetrated the din of fireworks in her brain, Tessa pulled back to realize they had an audience. She pushed him back gently. “Obviously not the time or place.”
“No, but it needs to be soon,” he said in a gritty voice. “I need you now.”
And keeping his back to the others, he walked out of the kitchen.
*
Outside, Cody took several deep breaths, waiting for his body to calm down. Tessa was the only woman he’d met capable of shattering his control. He wanted her like he’d never wanted another woman. He couldn’t imagine that ever changing. He had to find a way to get them some time alone. Time to consider their future. He was hardly in a position to support her as he was in school himself. Her family wasn’t ready for Tessa to move out. And she was too young for such a big jump. No. They needed to start dating. Go through the motions in the correct order. He didn’t want her to feel cheated or to feel like she missed out on something. The Friday gathering he’d invited her to had passed. Hell, he didn’t know if anyone there was left around to attend. Once this was over, then maybe they could sort out their lives and meet up with their surviving friends again.
Tessa, well, she’d been at his side for days, weeks, and he wasn’t looking forward to the upcoming separation. But as long as they both lived and they managed to get their friends and families out of this nightmare safely, then he would handle it all.
No matter what life threw at him.
And lately it had been throwing way too much at him. He straightened his shoulders and turned, preparing to go back inside the kitchen, when he saw Beast crouched down in the grass as if hiding but alert.
On the hunt.
He slowly turned, his gaze surveying the hill behind him, then the fields of grass around him. The moonlight shone bright, and his eyes easily picked up rocks and hollows as he studied the area that Beast was locked on. He wasn’t growling though.
“What’s the matter,” Tessa asked, coming to stand beside him.
“Beast,” he said by way of explanation.
He watched as she closed her eyes and searched in a different way. A way he couldn’t. She opened her eyes and they glowed with fire.
“They are coming,” she whispered. “This is the attack we’ve been waiting for.”
She was already backing up as she spoke, her movements calm and relaxed for all the world, as if she was still having a nice conversation with him. But there was no doubt she was retreating. Would the enemy see it that way?
He ran to catch up to her and then bolted inside.
She gave a hard whistle.
Beast up and raced – forward.
“Shit, he’s heading into the fight,” she cried. “He’ll get killed.”
Cody wasn’t sure that was a bad thing, but he owed Beast already and that would be sad for this animal to come to such an end like this.
“We don’t even know what we’re up against,” Cody snapped, trying to see through the window but still staying hidden.
“I do,” she said, her voice soft, deadly. “It’s the last of them. Everything they have left to fight with. And it’s ugly out there.”
Cody shifted to the far side and watched the wave of vamps race toward the Hall.
At the door was a huge bell. He started to ring it and ring it and ring it.
The entire hall needed to show up for this.
And where the hell were the rest of his group? He wished his father were here. They needed the ancients. He didn’t dare think of where Ian and Wendy, not to mention where Jared and Rhia, were at. There’d been a vast silence for so long. Sian only managed to get messages through, even though they were only updates and not a full explanation.
If there ever was a time that they needed the troops to rally around, it was now.
David came racing into the kitchen. “Cody, what’s up?”
Cody never said a word, he just pointed.
*
David’s heart stopped as he watched, frozen in place, the black wave moving toward him. “How are there so many?”
“I’d say they opened up the damn lab and let the rats out,” Cody snapped, sprinting to the main hall. “There are too many. We have to get everyone downstairs to safety. We need to hide out while we get some kind of strategy in place here.”
“I’m on it,” David yelled, sending people scattering to spread the message.
He spun around, looking for others to urge faster.
And caught sight of his sister walking to the front door. “Tessa, what are you doing?”
Cody raced past him. “Tessa?”
She opened the double doors wide and stood in the center, Beast once again at her side.
“No,” David roared. “There are too many.”
She turned to look back at him. “Where are the gas canisters that Bart stole?”
David came to a stumbling stop, his mind racing. Then he saw how that could work. “I’ll set it up. Make sure everyone up here is safe downstairs.”
Cody ran to the control panel on the side. “I’ll warn everyone. They need to be in the three lower floors.” He hit the button for the announcement system and ordered everyone below.
David’s last worry as he raced to the storage room was why was Tessa still standing in the doorway. She needed to run.
Then his mind was consumed with trying to set up the canisters. Timing was critical.
At least they were where he’d seen them last. The Council hadn’t had a chance to examine them yet.
His fingers were thick and awkward with his panic. He snatched up the canister then ran to the boiler room and the air-conditioning system. He had to get these connected fast. At the risk of killing their own people, the others had to be moved down to the lower levels to avoid the gas. It would evaporate quickly, and he could help that along by pushing fresh air out there, but this was all he had to kill off the horde coming toward them.
It was also something he understood in theory – but had never actually tried out himself.
Then again, this nightmare had brought a lot of firsts into his life – and everyone else’s too.
*
Rhia sagged to the ground. Surely this was over?
Is it over? Serus asked in her head, that loving voice bringing tears to her eyes. Are you done? Satisfied?
I have our son. I’ve killed more of our people than I knew the clan had in its population. And every one of those deaths broke her heart.
This is not what she wanted out of life. She would have done anything to avoid this war, but they’d brought it to her doorstep and stole the heart and soul of her child, and she was not going to back down.
I’ve missed you. I need you back.
I missed you too, but I had to save him. Now we need help. There are rooms full of humans. I have Jared, Ian, Wendy…and Seth.
On our way.
Serus fell silent, but he was still in her head. And her heart. She’d walked such a difficult line this last week, and it wasn’t over. She’d have to stand up in front of the Council and justify her actions. But she’d do it all over again if she had to.
Now she had to heal her relationship with her family. Going rogue hadn’t hurt just her…
“Are you okay?” Wendy asked, her voice frail. “I can’t believe we survived that onslaught.”
Ian groaned. “Is this surviving? I feel like I’ve been skewered and someone pushed all the stuffing out of me.”
“If you can talk like that, then you’re fine,” Jared said in a surprisingly strong voice.
Rhia glanced back at Jared. “I gather from that statement you’re okay too?”
He held up two large spikes. “I like being armed.”
At his feet was Gemma. Dead and half ash, the stench – like her – rotten to the core.
But the sweat rolled of his face, and she knew he’d come close to losing the freedom he’d fought so long for. “Good job, Jared.” She struggled to her feet. “I am so ready to go home and rest.”
“Ha,” Ian jeered. “As if.”
“No, she’s right,” Wendy said. “We have the people we came to find, more besides, and we’ve fought several rounds. I can’t imagine that there are more here, but going home is the best idea. I’m worried about those at the Hall. I checked my phone, but messages are hit and miss.”
Rhia nodded. “I’m worried too, but we can’t leave these people unguarded, so we have to wait for Goran and the army.”
“Is Goran here?”
Rhia smiled. “Yes, and so is Serus. I’ve told them where we are. He met up with Goran who brought the human army in, but they raced into a trap and are now unconscious. Goran has a working phone so they’ve called in backup.”
“But they are both fine?” Wendy asked in delight. “That’s awesome.”
Rhia, stay there. We’ll be there in ten. We’re that close.
*
Rhia, talk to me. I’m coming, but there are multiple hallways branching off. Goran keeps walking down endless hallways.
I’m here. Just follow my voice.
Now that the door is open, you mean.
It was always a courtesy as you know. You could open it any time.
I could. But that was a bridge we never crossed.
Until now, she whispered in his head. Why did you now?
I have alarms set with you. And knew you were in trouble. I couldn’t hear what the trouble was until you’d calmed enough for me to talk to you and for you to hear me.
I’m happy you did. He could hear the heavy sigh in his head. I do love you, Serus. I know my actions…
Don’t. Don’t go there. With everything you’ve done, I’ve always known that you were doing it for the right reasons. He’s our son. Not just yours. But he won’t get a free pass out of this, and we can’t be certain that he was coerced into it.
I know. Her voice was sad, broken. But I have to give him that chance.
And you – you won’t get a free pass either, he warned.
No, and I don’t care. Her voice took on a note of defiance. Most of the Council have no offspring. They have no maternal or paternal instincts.
And that doesn’t work in your favor at this point.
It is what it is. I have Seth. Nothing else matters.
He understood, but at the same time, if she were exiled for her actions, it would impact the Council, the community, but especially her family. He wasn’t willing to live without her, and the kids were too young to deal with the ostracization that would happen.
Maybe.
He knew she would worry about it later, but right now she was too tired and not thinking clearly. Then there were the drugs…
The drugs are out of my system. Never to return. I took only a little so that I could remember. Remember where the computers were. Where the database was. Where to go to find Seth. It was all for him. Always for him.
Let’s hope it was all worth it, he warned. They might kill him anyway.
That’s my job, she whispered. As I’m responsible for bringing him into this world, then it’s my job to take him out.
A door loomed ahead. He nodded to Goran.
Ready for anything, they opened the door to find dozens, no, more – way more, of young humans all lying in beds and hooked up to machines.
“These kids were the seed group for the new blood farm,” Rhia said, barely standing on her feet in front of the straggly looking group.
Ian and Wendy had their arms wrapped around each other, slightly behind Rhia.
Jared stood protectively over a vamp crumpled on the ground. Serus’s heart raced. Rhia had done it.
She’d actually rescued their son.