I don’t know the layout of this place well enough to figure out where they are, and it’s not as if Rylan left a convenient map to track their progress against. All I know is that he’s moving quickly, and they don’t seem to have been slowed down much by the lack of light.
On the other set of screens, the vehicle is stopped. I catch blurs of movement that might be a fight, but my eyes can’t track it to tell for sure. No matter what advantages seraphim might supposedly hold over vampires, their physicality isn’t one of them. They’re faster and stronger. I can feel Malachi and Wolf through the bond, but all I’m getting is a direction and approximate distance. It doesn’t make it easier to tell what’s going on.
Trying to follow the action will just give me a headache. I keep one eye on that screen, but turn the rest of my focus to the intruders actually in the house. They’ve gone still. I examine the buttons before me, finally finding one that seems to allow audio. A horrifying howl echoes through the speakers.
Rylan’s caught their scent.
I peer at the screen, but they don’t seem nearly as terrified as I would be in their position. Being hunted in the dark by a monster, unable to see the threat coming at them.
The staticky sound of a radio. A tinny voice I can barely pick up. “We’re in position.”
The small hairs at the back of my neck rise as the tallest person in the group lifts the radio and say in a horrifyingly familiar voice, “Round them up.”
Father.
Oh gods, Rylan’s in over his head. No matter how easily he can cut through normal vampires, all my father has to do is get a word out and he’ll flip the tables entirely. He can order Rylan to hold still and cut him into little pieces and there’s not a single thing I can do to stop it.
I scan the buttons, looking for some kind of intercom, but it’s too late.
On the screen showing the outside, the vehicle explodes. I stop short, staring in horror as vampires emerge from both sides of the road. There’s a flurry of blurred movement, a flash of fire, and then everything goes still.
Two bodies fall to the ground, and even in the dark I recognize Wolf and Malachi before the other vampires close in, piling onto them to trap them. “No,” I whisper.
“Stop.Be still.” My father’s voice brings me back to the other screen. He pulls the mask from his face. “Flashlight.”
One of the other vampires provides a flashlight and he clicks it on. Right before them, less than ten feet away, is Rylan. His body is low to the ground, obviously my father stopped him right before he pounced, and he quivers as he fights the command.
“Pretty thing,” my father murmurs. “You’ll make an excellent rug in my great hall.”
“No!” They can’t hear me. There’s no way any of them can hear me.
My father flicks his fingers. “Sleep.” He watches with interest as Rylan slumps to the ground. “Bind him with silver.” As his people rush to obey, he turns and finds the camera overhead. “Are you watching from some bolt-hole like the rat you are, Mina? All of the suffering to come could have been avoided if you’d done the one task I set out for you.” He shakes his head. “This is on your head. Now, be a good girl and wait for me. I’ll be along shortly.”
Something wet and hot slides down my cheeks. I press my fingertips there, strangely surprised to find that I’m crying. All this time and effort, and he’s outplayed me once again. If I open the door and turn myself in, he might—
What am I saying?
He won’t let any of the men go. Three Bloodline vampires in one fell swoop? It’s a feather in my father’s cap like no other. He won’t stop with a blood ward this time. No, he’ll want to ensure any progeny of this trio of Bloodlines stay within his control. He’ll do whatever it takes to make it happen, including drugging and torturing my men.
A sob bursts from my throat and then I’m moving, shoving the chair back and fumbling down at the floor beneath the desk for the hatch Rylan said was there. I can’t help them if I’m taken, too. I’m not sure I can help them if I’mnottaken, but I have to try to fight. They’ve sacrificed too much for me to do anything else.
I find the hatch and wrestle it open. I can hear my father’s voice, vibrating with power, but it doesn’t work well long distance. His will presses on me, demanding I hold still and obey, but it’s dampened from being conveyed through electronics. Because of that, I’m able to slip into the dark square beneath the desk and pull the hatch closed behind me.
Rylan was right; it’s a tight fit. I descend the ladder in perfect darkness, the walls so close, they almost brush my shoulders.
I couldn’t feel the weight of the mountain while in the house, but here it’s almost overwhelming. Even without seeing my breath, I know it’s ghosting the air in front of me. A shiver works its way through my body, and I pick up my pace. There’s no telling how long I have before they find the security room, how many minutes it will take them to break down the door and give chase.
Endless minutes later, the ladder ends and my feet find solid ground. I reach around, trying to get a feel for where I am now. My foot nudges something. A box. Inside, I find the familiar shape of a flashlight. I hold my breath, praying to gods I’m not sure I believe in that the batteries are still full.
The light clicks on.
I exhale slowly and take a look at my surroundings. It appears to be a natural cave of some sort, the walls close and slanting. There’s only one path forward, so I have to hope that it leads to the exit. Spending years wandering this place, lost, while my men are tortured and bred against their will is out of the question.
The box that held the flashlight also has a thick coat that’s only slightly too large, a pair of boots that are also slightly too large, and a pack of bottled water. It’s not quite a bug-out bag, but it’s close enough. I pull on the boots and coat, instantly feeling better now that I’m not freezing. I glance up into the darkness where the hatch is, but there’s no sound or movement. Down here, I’m completely cut off.
Except I’m not really.
I can still feel the men through the bond. Rylan somewhere above and to the right, Wolf and Malachi to the left.