An hour later, everyone was up and Ryder had a team consisting of himself, Ace, Jaden, Liam, and three others. Kayla was the only female in the group, and he wasn’t sure which was worse, bringing her or leaving her behind. Not that she was going to stand for staying back and helping at camp. Nope, she was the first up, dressed, and weapons strapped in place. He’d dared not say no, plus she would never listen to him. At least this way he knew where she was every second, and as long as she was with him, he knew he could protect her. Fuck, this bonding shit was nerve-racking.
“Let’s head out and ring the doorbell,” Ryder said. Scouts had been out earlier and when they’d cut their way through the fence, they met no resistance. That didn’t mean people weren’t hunkered down inside and simply ignoring them. It’s what he would do.
Liam took the lead. Having worked at Site R for several years, he hoped flashing his badge would make for easier access. Their hike took nearly thirty minutes but at least it was uneventful. That fact didn’t help Ryder’s mood. Having Kayla beside him tested every reserve he had. There wasn’t a mission he could think of that was more difficult and he’d carried out many. Had taken down those the government deemed should no longer breathe and rescued others. There were times he and his men had been surrounded by enemy fire. Even that had been a cake walk compared to having this female in danger. What the ever-loving fuck was going on? Who in their right damn mind thought creating these kinds of bonds was a good idea? If he could reach the Almighty right now, he’d throttle the God personally for causing so much stress. Among other things.
Finally, they made their way through the hole in the fence and stood at a keypad, camera pointed at them. Liam pulled out his old badge and waved it at the camera.
“Hey, let us in. We have more people back at our camp,” Liam shouted. Only the wind responded by lifting snow and blowing it across the concrete. While the sun was reaching for the sky, the air was brisk. Ryder hoped the day would warm and maybe melt some of this early snowfall. While he didn’t feel the cold, the others did. Shelter was quickly becoming important.
“Jaden, you doing okay?” Kayla asked, causing Ryder to turn and look at the vampire.
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine. What’s going on? No bullshit, you know better than that.” Ryder stepped back into the role of Seal team commander.
“My fucking skin feels like it’s on fire.” He wiped sweat from his brow.
Kayla stepped closer and laid the back of her hand on Jaden’s forehead. Ryder tried to stop the growl from escaping but lost that battle.
“Seriously?” She gave him a death glare. “He’s hot to the touch. Can you guys get sick?” The concern was evident on her face.
“Hell if I know. One wouldn’t think so,” Ryder answered.
As the sun lifted higher and reflected off something, it sent light across Jaden’s cheek. Smoke rose as his skin sizzled.
“Mother fuck!” Jaden hissed and turned away, pulling the hood on his jacket over his head.
“Fuck! Quick, into the shadows,” Ryder shouted.
The men––except for Liam who was still human––huddled into the small spot of darkness. Ryder did the exact opposite. He slipped off his jacket and stepped directly into the sun’s rays, arms extended.
“Ryder! What the hell?” Kayla’s voice was laced with fear.
“Nothing. I feel nothing.” He faced his men more confused than ever. “I’m so sick of this fucking shit.”
Ace stepped from the shadows and lifted his face to the sky. In a matter of seconds, he experienced the same burning as Jaden and leaped back into the safety of darkness. “That was most unpleasant.” He had already started healing, and thankfully Jaden bore no scar from his experience.
“Get that fucking door open. I don’t care if you have to blow something up,” he barked as he opened communication to Gordy.
Hey, shit’s going weird over here. Gordy responded.
Let me guess. Catching fire in the sun?
You guys too?
Some of us. Take cover until we can get inside. Ryder’s gut rolled at the thought of his men being scorched. He did this to them. While not directly, he had changed them and therefore bore sole responsibility.
We are heading into the trees.
Keep me posted of any changes. Then he broke the connection. He needed to reach the other primordials. Find out if they had experienced the same and warn them if not. Pulling out the satellite phone, he dialed Shade, who was in Mexico.
“Ryder! Fuck I’m a man down.” The tone of Shade’s voice was dire.
“The sun?”
“Some men severely burned, including myself. A newly turned vampire was burned to ash before we could get him to shelter.”
He dropped his hand with the phone to his side. So, it was a game of Russian roulette and no one was safe. “Get that door open. Now!”
A crazy idea hit Kayla. “Let me try.” She couldn’t stand by and watch these men burn to death. She also knew there was something that Ryder wasn’t telling them.
Ryder’s brow hiked. “How do you think you’re going to get it open?”
“I don’t know, but I need to feel useful.” It was more than that but she wasn’t sharing. Not yet anyway because she had no idea how to even explain it.
“Fine,” he sighed. “I don’t suppose you can make it any worse.”
She laid her fingers on the pad, yet didn’t press any keys. Closing her eyes, she tried to relax. Something that was difficult with Ryder and his sexy-ass presence beside her, as well as a threat looming over the vampires’ heads.
Literally.
Finally able to loosen up, numbers started to flash in her mind. Wasting no time, she opened her eyes and began jabbing the keys, praying for a damn miracle. After entering the last one, a whirr filled the air, and the door began to slide open.
“Son of a bitch! How did you do that?” Ryder grabbed her by the waist and spun her to face him. Her skin heated from the contact.
“Don’t question it, just get in there and secure the place.”
He snarled. “Well, since you’re here, you might as well come with us.”
The tone in his voice was evidence something was seriously wrong. Everyone moved into the tunnel and thankfully out of the light. Ryder and Kayla took the rear, and she couldn’t take it another second.
“What happened on the call that upset you so much?” she whispered.
He tossed her an aggravated glare before slipping into her mind. Not out loud!
Well, won’t your men hear us this way as well?
No. I can block them and keep this conversation between us.
Handy. So, what’s the news?
One of Shade’s men basically fried and turned to ash while he could do nothing. He said he was also affected, but I didn’t get details.
That piece of news tugged at Kayla’s heart, and now she understood the urgency in his voice. What the hell were they dealing with now? Wasn’t a damn plague enough? Add in demons and some rogue vampires for a mixture of pure delight. Apparently, the Almighty thought they were having too much fun with this little party and decided to add sun exposure as a new threat. Would this shit never end? Things were changing so fast it made her head spin. So many questions without answers, it was understandable why everyone was on edge. She was certain the same question loomed in their minds as well. What bomb would be dropped on them next?
Ryder hadn’t experienced near panic like what pumped through his blood at this very moment. Death from the sun? What the ever-loving fuck? He’d had enough and wanted answers, but there was no one to give them. They had to make shit up as they went. He could handle it. He was a trained Navy Seal and had to improvise on many occasions. This was no different. Survival was at stake, plain and simple. Once they had the site secure, he would begin to formulate a new plan.
The tunnel was wide and barren of any doors. Dim lighting cast a yellowish hue across the concrete as the eight of them moved quietly at a slight downward angle.
“Place seems eerie,” Jaden whispered.
“Do you think we’ll be met with an ambush?” Ace focused straight ahead.
“Who the hell knows?” Ryder had expected this place to be occupied. When word came about the illness, officials should have fled and taken over Site R. It made no sense to him that they would leave this place empty. Unless, they had a better location and Site R really had been abandoned. Hopefully, they hadn’t taken everything that wasn’t nailed down. He prayed for supplies of any kind at this point. They needed a damn break.
Finally, they came to the end of the tunnel and stared at a room with a glass wall. Another door with a damn keypad.
“I’m not sensing anything breathing in there,” Ace stated.
“Me either.” Ryder looked at Kayla. “Care to try this pad too?”
She hiked a shoulder. “Sure.” In two steps she was pressing keys and opening another door. Ryder slid forward, the butt of his rifle pressed to his shoulder.
“We will be discussing your new ability later.” Then he moved past her and into the room.
“A control room, but this isn’t the main center,” Liam said as he tapped at a keyboard. “Monitors show the perimeter.” He jerked his head at the flickering screens. “I’d guess someone has been here for this stuff to be up and running.”
“Someone has and probably still is,” Jaden replied as he stood at an elevator door on the other side of the small room. “I smell human and my guess is they went wherever this elevator leads.”
Ryder walked over. “A badge swiper. For fuck’s sake, shoot the damn thing.”
“Maybe I can override it from here.” Ace started tapping on keys again, and Ryder was grateful the guy was a wiz with computers. Two minutes later, the door slid open and Ace looked back with a grin.
“Good job. I need a volunteer to stay up here and watch our backs.”
“I’ll stay.” Jaden took up a post by the door, and Ryder waved the rest of his men into the elevator.
Once inside, he hit the close button, the doors slid shut, and the elevator began to move. Kayla cleared her throat.
“Damn, this is taking forever. How far underground is this place?”
Ryder raised a brow to Liam, while wishing Kayla wasn’t forced to press against him in the confined space. Still, it was better than having her touch any of his men. He might come unglued at that. He was hanging on by a thread as it was.
“Six hundred and fifty feet,” Liam answered as the elevator came to a smooth stop.
The doors opened to reveal another corridor. This one was narrower than the one that led into the complex, and the lights were slightly brighter.
“Let’s move out. I scent one human, but we need to assume this person is armed and dangerous. Remember, we have a human in our midst.”
“Thanks for the reminder, but I’m capable of taking care of myself,” Liam shot back.
“Fine, but Kayla stays behind the rest of us.” He wasn’t taking any chances on her getting shot again. None of them understood what she had become or was still transitioning into, but he knew the connection he had with her was going to be his undoing. Protecting her was like an instinct buried deep in his bones, and now it had surfaced, he had no control over it. It pissed him off to no end. Hell, right now everything pissed him off.