“This is going to be a problem,” Elliott said, echoing Cadence’s concern. “She’s not mature enough to handle that kind of power.”
“I know. But what in the world can we do about it now?” Cadence asked.
“I haven’t the foggiest idea, but I can’t see any good coming of it,” Elliott replied.
“Listen, I don’t know what all you could see through her IAC,” Jamie began, “but something seemed a little off to me. She seemed a little… less good natured than she usually does.”
“Since when has that pubescent bundle of hormones been good natured?” Elliott asked, but Cadence understood what Jamie was trying to say.
“You think that the serum somehow enhanced her Vampire qualities, too, so that she’s a little more… evil… than before?”
“I guess that’s what I’m getting at. Maybe evil isn&rsquo
The fact that there was a moat didn’t come as a surprise, but as Paul and the first wave of his attack team stood on the edge of the murky water, looking at an expanse of about eight feet, he was shocked at what he was seeing moving beneath the surface of the water. The low growls and rumbles emanating from the bubbling water didn’t make him feel any more comfortable.Tentacles sprang from beneath the murky surface every once in a while. There were other forms as well. Some looked like shark fins or snapping jaws. The shadows that past near the surface were all unwelcoming, so the team stood on the edge contemplating how to get over this roadblock.“We could try to leap across it,” Jeb suggested.“Yes, but how do we know those arms aren’t going to reach out and grab us,” Patsy said, which was precisely what Paul had been thinking.“Could we throw together a bridge or something?” Becky stood with her ha
Something brushed against Paul’s leg. He glanced down, but couldn’t see what it was and decided it was time to get out of the moat. He began to swim the few feet to shore when there was a loud gasp behind him and then a splashing sound. He turned to see Steph being sucked under the murky water.“Shit!” Paul shot down into the water again. He could hardly see, but a black shadow was moving rapidly away from him, further down the length of the moat. He swam after it, noting Tanner was right behind him. It took several powerful strokes to catch up with it, but when they did, there was no easy way to describe what had ahold of Steph.It’s skin looked like seaweed, billowing in the water. It was a dark, mossy green color, and as far as Paul could tell, it didn’t have a face. It held Steph in front of itself in a way that made him think of a criminal positioning a hostage against its chest, but it was hard to tell for sure exactly where it
The gunfire began to taper off once the Vampires saw what happened when the silver nitrate spray from the grenades made contact with their flesh, and Paul knew they needed to move quickly if they were going to infiltrate the building before the Vampires regrouped. Some of the Guardians had already moved in, and without his IAC on, he had no way of knowing whether or not everyone was okay or how the attack was going. He hated moving blind but he had no alternative.The upper floor of Larundel looked a lot different than the basement where Paul had been held, at least he assumed the concrete cell he’d been in was in the basement. The ground floor level almost looked welcoming, with newly refinished wood floors, white paint, and crown molding everywhere he looked. It was a stark contrast to the hellhole he remembered, one he hadn’t been prepared for.Still dripping wet from his encounter with the moat, he started down the hallway with Becky behind him, Tanner
They were in cells, both of them, but not together. He knew they had to be in the basement and that they must’ve fallen through some sort of opening in the floor. Without taking another step, he requested the rest of the team turn on their IACs. “Proceed with extreme caution! There are openings in the floor, and cells beneath them!”“I can’t find Patsy!” Jeb shouted. “She’s gone!”“Glenn is gone, too,” Lynn said. “He was right here.”“Paul, drop back now. Start your exit.”The sound of Aaron’s voice in his head was startling, and Paul pulled himself to his feet but didn’t know whether or not to follow the order he was just given or find his teammates. “We’ve got people missing.”“I know that, but you’re not going to be able to get them out under the pre
The world slowly came back into focus, and Cadence got the idea that she hadn’t really been asleep that long, but the weight of familiar eyes had her stirring beneath the sheets, and she checked the time on her IAC before she opened them. It was only 9:30, which meant she hadn’t been asleep for even four hours yet, but whatever had brought her fiancé to her bedside after such a short amount of time had to be pressing, so she cautiously opened one eye and stared at him.“Hi.”“Hi. What’s up?”He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, but none came out, so that was something. She opened her other eye and pulled herself up to sitting. It must be bad or else he’d just tell her. Immediately, her thoughts went to Cassidy and then to Jamie. Had his procedure gone well? Had her sister floated away during the night?“It’s Becky.”Cadence was confused for a moment. She hadn’t b
Asteria’s eyes flew open, and she immediately noted that something was different. She sat up too quickly, and a pain shot through her head, something that shouldn’t happen. A glance around the unfamiliar room reminded her of where she was, and then she felt her abdomen. Empty.On unsteady feet, she clambered across the room, grabbing a dressing gown as she went and flinging it on over her dress, which she noted seemed to be in shreds in the front. She hurried down the unfamiliar hallway, but the castle seemed too quiet, as if everyone was down in the bottom lairs, which is precisely where she headed.The longer she walked, the more steady she became until she was practically flying. She remembered Hines giving her the shot to put her out so he could remove her baby from her womb. Her hands went there now and felt stitches beneath the robe. She wondered how long it would take for those to heal, but more importantly, what had become of her child.Voice
Asteria realized the other three continued to watch her, even when the child switched sides, which was also quite painful, his dagger-like teeth sinking in with no regard for her sensitive flesh. “What are you doing?” she barked at them. “Surely, there must be something else you could be spending your time on!”“Your Majesty, much has happened while you slumbered. Melbourne… we’ve been attacked. But we’ve pushed back the assault, for now. And we have prisoners as well as a Hunter’s demise.” Hines oscillated between an anxious smile and pride.“Only one?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.“Well, they brought hardly any Hunters with them. But five Guardians stand in the cells below Larundel, waiting for my return so that I may end them.”“Why are we waiting? Have your incompetent assistant do it.” The child adjusted, snarling, as if he didn’t lik
Liz opened her apartment door, looking exhausted, and waved for Cadence to come in. She wrapped her arms around her mother and then greeted her father with the same sympathetic gesture before asking, “Where is she?”“In her room. Floating above her bed in some sort of trance.” Liz sounded completely defeated as if it had been hard enough to control her teenage daughter before she could essentially fly.Cadence entered her sister’s bedroom with caution. She wasn’t sure she was prepared to see her that way again, but Cassidy was sitting with her legs crossed, her hands out, palm up, about a foot above her bed with her eyes closed. “Cass?”Nothing changed, so Cadence took another step inside the room and cleared her throat. “Cass? Can you hear me?”With a sigh, Cassidy fell back to the bed and then opened her eyes. “What?”“Nice to see you, too,” Cadence muttered. &ldq