“How many of the ones on this mission know how to get here?” Declan asked.
“Only Lucien and Leonard,” Ronan said.
“Leonard is a young hunter who only recently completed his training and was allowed to join the fight,” Nathan said.
All the new vampires who joined the Alliance were blindfolded before coming here and placed in the back of a van they couldn’t see out of even if they weren’t blindfolded. They remained at the compound throughout their training, and when it was time to test them on the streets, they were blindfolded and put in the same van. Many of the younger hunters had no idea how to get in and out of here, but the ones who graduated to become fighters did.
Even after the vamps became full-fledged members of the Alliance, they still didn’t reveal their location until the Alliance decided it was okay for them to know. If the recruits didn’t like the arrangement, they didn’t have to stay.
It wasn’t that they didn’t trust them, the recruits wouldn’t be here if they weren’t trustworthy, but they couldn’t risk one of them falling into the hands of the Savages. When the Savages started turning their captives instead of killing them, they completely changed the rules of the game.
If too many vamps and hunters knew the location of the compound, it was only a matter of time before the information fell into the wrong hands. Declan would prefer if they didn’t tell any of them where they were living, but he realized it wasn’t practical or fair to them. Still, he preferred the compound remained more of a secret.
“If they were captured,” Asher said, “we have a big problem.”
“Lucien would never reveal our location,” Killean growled.
Declan had to give Asher credit; he didn’t back down from the lethal look on Killean’s scarred face when many would have fled the room.
“I don’t think he would say anything,” Asher said, “and neither would Leonard, unless they succeed in turning them into Savages, and if they do—”
“That won’t happen,” Killean interjected. “At least not with Lucien.”
Anger flickered in Asher’s eyes, and his jaw clenched. Simone rested her hand on Killean’s arm; he remained visibly tensed but relaxed a little.
“We have to face the possibility it could happen,” she said gently, “to Leonard and Lucien. We’re putting the children at risk if we don’t prepare for the worst.”
Killean opened his mouth to protest, but when Madison let out a small coo and giggled, he clamped his lips together. He stared at the baby for a minute before giving a brisk nod. “We’ll prepare for the worst.”
“Can you track any of the ones who disappeared?” Declan asked Elyse.
Elyse’s rare gift of being able to track others through their blood was a big asset for them until she got pregnant and decided to take a break.
“No,” she said. “I haven’t started using my ability again since Madi’s birth. Besides, there was no reason for me to come into contact with the blood of anyone on that mission.”
His fingers rattled the broken pieces of candy in his pocket as his agitation mounted. The woods around that bunker took up thousands of acres of land; if anyone was alive up there, it could be impossible to find them.
“What about Brian?” Declan asked. “Can he find Willow and Lucien?”
Vicky’s brother-in-law, Brian, had a different ability than Elyse, but he could also locate people and vamps. He’d helped them out more than a few times over the years.
“He’s in Australia,” Vicky said.
“What is he doing there?” Declan demanded.
When they all shot him questioning looks, he took a deep breath to calm the turmoil rolling through him. But they had to find Lucien and Willow; he realized there were three others with them, but right now, he didn’t care about them. Lucien was more like a brother to him, and Willow….
Well, he had no idea what she was to him. However, the idea of her in the hands of the Savages, being brutalized and tortured until she became a monster, awakened protective instincts he never knew he possessed. It also brought forth a murderous rage that was dangerous to them all.
He never should have gone to Mexico. He should have been stronger. He should have handled his desire for Willow instead of leaving. If he’d been here, he would have been on that mission too. He would have kept her safe; he would have helped Lucien… or he could also be missing and possibly in the hands of Savages.
Taking a deep breath, he lifted his eyes to the thousands of books lining the walls as he sought to control the demon part of him trying to break free and destroy. Since the day he stopped aging, he’d walked a fine line between man and monster.
Most days, he expected to lose the battle. But somehow, he got up, got through it, and continued the war against the Savages and himself.
“He took Abby on a tour of the world,” Vicky said. “They’ve been traveling for a couple of weeks and planned to be gone for six months.”
“Have you contacted them?” Declan asked.
“He was the first person I called,” Ronan said. “I haven’t heard back from him.”
“They probably don’t have reception where they are, but they’ll call as soon as they get the messages.” Vicky wiped a tear from her eye as her gaze shifted to the windows. “I had to tell my mom Willow is missing.”
Nathan drew her against his chest and hugged her. “We’re going to find her.”
Vicky relaxed against him, but her palpable grief beat against Declan.
“We have to decide what to do with the women and children,” Nathan said. “If they have Lucien and Leonard, we have some time before they turn them into Savages. We have plenty of fighters and defenses here, but it might not be enough if a horde of Savages arrives, especially since Lucien knows all those defenses.”
“We’ll add more,” Ronan said. “I’ve already ordered more guards on watch. We’ll dig more traps and add more guns and bombs to the perimeter. If someone tries to get in here, they’re going to regret it.”
“So, you plan to keep the children here?” Elyse asked as she held Madison closer.
“For now,” Ronan said. “Until we can find a place that Lucien and Leonard don’t know anything about. If they were captured, then we still have some time. It will take at least a couple of weeks for them to turn, if not longer. Baldric is already looking for another property to purchase.”
“Okay.” Declan stepped closer to the table and grasped the map lying near one of the pictures. He recognized the map as the same one they used when they hunted down the location of the Savages in Maine. Elyse’s mark was still on the map. “Let’s go find out what happened to them.”
“How many are you going to take?” Roland asked.
“Not many,” Declan murmured.
He didn’t have to look at Vicky to know she didn’t like his response.
“What do you mean, not many?” Vicky demanded.
Declan lifted his head to meet her narrowed eyes. He would also prefer to take an army up there and tear the woods apart, but they couldn’t risk more lives, and they couldn’t leave the compound weakened.
“We can’t afford to leave the women and children here unprotected,” Ronan said. “And if we have to evacuate, we’ll require as much help here as possible.”
“We can’t leave them up there!” Vicky protested.
“We’re not,” Declan assured her. “I’m going.”
“So am I,” Logan said.
“Me too,” Asher said.
“I’ll join you,” Saxon said.
The color drained from Elyse’s face as Madison stuck her thumb in her mouth. Saxon smiled at her, but Declan sensed his reluctance to leave his family behind. However, Lucien would be the first one out the door in search of him, and Saxon would go to find him.
“You should stay with your mate and child,” Declan said. “If we’re forced to abandon the compound, it will be better if you’re here with them.”
Saxon gazed from him to his family before bowing his head. “You’re right.”
Elyse’s shoulders hunched forward, and she sighed. Before she became pregnant, she was a fierce fighter, but her family was her priority now, and she didn’t want it separated.
Declan didn’t blame her; if he had a family, he would do everything in his power to protect it. However, he never planned to have a family. He was too fucked up for that, and after what happened with his father, and then him, he couldn’t risk having a child.