41. Zan

"We should have waited for Pax," Viggo muttered.

"If he hasn't caught up, it means he's still searching the woods. We'll be fine," I said as we stopped at the end of the tunnel.

"At least the sun has gone down." He grabbed the rope and started climbing up. "We'd be fucked if they saw us during the day."

Once he moved the cover and hauled himself out, I gripped the rope and followed. The last time we'd snuck into Project Hope like this was when Kali had taken us. This time we had no idea when the patrols were, so we'd have to be careful. We had a bag full of supplies, but we were hoping to sneak in and not need any of it.

"We're good." Viggo kept his voice quiet. "No one's around."

I heaved myself out of the tunnel, and then we placed the cover back before heading down the street. There wasn't a soul around, and I remembered Kali's friend, Asami, told her that there was a curfew in place. It was more difficult to blend in when we were the only ones walking around outside.

"We don't even know if they have her," Viggo murmured, shooting me a glance.

"They took someone," I tossed back. "It's the only reason they'd be in such a hurry to head back."

"Don't do anything stupid," he warned. "I'd rather not die tonight. We search the building, and if we don't find her, then we're gone."

I jerked a nod. "I know."

We were heading to building 1403. It was the main government building here, and I hoped it was where they kept prisoners. We didn't have enough time to search the entire city.

"We have company," Viggo murmured under his breath.

I heard the footsteps and heartbeat of one person, and he appeared in front of us a moment later. My eyes trailed over his short buzz cut and the frown on his face when he spotted us. He was wearing a military uniform, but unlike when they were in the woods, he wasn't wearing a mask or goggles. They weren't looking for the threat of vampires in their own city, which made this a lot easier for us.

"Curfew is in effect," he barked. "Get to your dwelling. Now."

Viggo let out a whistle. "Damn. What a dreary fucking way to live. Do the humans here have any fun?"

He spoke loud enough for the PARA member to hear, and the man stiffened, not missing the dangerous edge in Viggo's voice. I shot forward, slapping my hand over the guy's mouth while catching his eye, hoping I'd be able to entrance him. Hawthorn was in short supply for both Clovers and PARA. I was sure only higher-ups had access to it, and seeing as how this guy was patrolling the streets, he probably didn't meet the criteria to use hawthorn.

"Do not fight. You're going to stay quiet and do exactly what I say," I ordered coldly. "Do you understand?" I lowered my hand from his mouth when he nodded, his eyes glazed over. "Do you know where they hold prisoners?"

"Yes."

"What building?"

"1403."

"Take us there."

Viggo chuckled. "Well, this just made things easier."

"For now," I muttered. "I'm sure they'll have security there."

We followed the man down the street, heading toward the city center. There were a few other people patrolling the area, but since we were with a PARA member, they didn't say anything. My gut knotted the longer we walked. I hoped with everything I had that Kali was here. I didn't need my father finding her before I did.

"Here it is," the man said blankly as he stopped in front of a large building. It was in pristine condition, unlike the rest of the crumbling city. The metal walls were shiny, and there were no windows.

I stepped in front of him, meeting his eyes. "Do you know where the prisoners are located?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"Second floor."

"How many PARA members are in there right now?"

"I don't know for sure."

"Give me your best guess."

"One guard. More on the fourth floor."

That was curious. I wondered what was on the fourth floor. Right now, we didn't have the time to find out.

"Take us to the second floor," I demanded.

He strode forward, inputting a code into the keypad that was on the door. Viggo shifted uneasily, and I was just as on edge. It was one thing to sneak into Project Hope, but it was an entirely other thing to go into a building when we didn't know anything about the security.

Once the door was opened, we followed the guy down a dimly lit hall until we hit a stairwell. I listened carefully, hearing people on floors above us. Something familiar hit my nostrils, and I froze, sucking in a deep breath. My heart raced as I glanced up the stairs.

"She's here." I glanced at Viggo. "It's faint, but I can smell it."

Viggo cocked his head, inhaling a large breath. "Your necklace is here."

"Which means she is."

Excitement strummed through me as we climbed the steps. The moment we got to the door and the man put the code in, I pushed past him, bursting into the room. The area was large, with a row of barred cells lining the back wall. Before I could search for Kali, a military member jumped from his desk.

"Who the hell are you?" he bellowed, his eyes darting between Viggo and me before landing on the man I'd entranced. "Mark, who the fuck are these two?"

I strode forward, getting close enough to catch his gaze. "Not another word."

"Who are you?" he repeated, reaching for his radio.

"Shit," Viggo mumbled, racing past me. "Looks like our luck ran out."

Viggo reached for the guy, ripping the radio out of his hand before shoving him back against the wall. While Viggo grabbed the side of the man's head and slammed it against the cement wall, I was already searching the cells. My gaze halted on the last one, my anger rising when I realized it wasn't Kali who was here.

"You've got to fucking be kidding me," I grumbled, crossing the room.

Warner stared at me warily as I approached him. "How did you get into the city?"

"Better question—where the hell is she?" I growled, looking at the cells again as if I'd somehow missed her.

"Not here."

I spotted a small table off to the side with two bags that were opened as if they had been searched. My necklace was there, and I reached over and grabbed it, sliding it into my pocket.

"Where is she?" I hissed, my anger beginning to spiral.

"I don't know," Warner gritted out.

Before he could back away from the bars, I reached forward and grabbed his neck, yanking him closer. He didn't struggle when I entranced him.

"Where's Kali?" I asked, fighting to keep my voice steady.

"I don't know."

"When's the last time you saw her?"

"When I pushed her into the river."

My jaw clenched. "Why did you push her in the river?"

"To keep PARA from getting her."

"Let's go, Zan," Viggo said tightly. "Someone's coming, and we can't fight them all off. If Kali isn't here, then this whole thing was a waste of fucking time."

I released Warner from my mind control, and he stumbled back a step, glaring at me with loathing.

"Why do you have my necklace?" I asked.

"I didn't want you to find her."

"Shit," Viggo muttered just as the door behind us slammed open.

I whirled around as two men entered the room. The moment they spotted us, they pulled their guns from the holsters. Viggo reached down and grabbed the handgun from the man who was slumped on the floor, unconscious. Bullets flew through the air, one hitting me in the thigh. Pain spasmed, and I gritted my teeth as Viggo aimed and shot both of them in the head. The guy, Mark, was still under my entrancement, and he stood there in a daze, not moving a muscle.

A groan pulled my attention back to Warner, and I let out a curse when I saw him curled up on the grungy floor with blood pooling under him. One of the wooden bullets had gotten him somewhere in the stomach.

"We need to go," Viggo said, his usual humor gone. "Before more come."

I stared at Warner, unable to move. All I could imagine was Kali if she found out Warner had died. She would be fucking devastated. Before I knew what I was doing, I raised my wrist to my mouth and tore my skin open.

"Zan, what the fuck are you doing?" Viggo hissed.

I didn't answer as I crouched down and grabbed Warner's arm, tugging him closer to the bars. Warner let out a grunt in pain when I moved him again. He forced his head up, fear deep in his eyes when he met my gaze.

Viggo stepped up beside me. "Leave him."

"I can't," I ground out. "Kali would never forgive me."

"She already hates you," Viggo argued. "After what happened at Project Peace, I doubt she'll ever forgive you."

"This is different." I reached into the cell, grabbing the back of Warner's head to keep him still.

"Fuck, Zan," Viggo cursed. "Hurry the hell up. I can hear more people coming."

When Warner realized what I was doing, he let out a protest as he struggled against me. But I shoved my bleeding wrist against his mouth, making sure he swallowed before I pulled away. Horror lined his face as he sputtered and coughed. Just like Kali, he believed vampire blood killed them. I grabbed his jaw, forcing him to look at me. I wiped the black blood from his face.

"You're going to forget what I just did," I said firmly. "You will not remember drinking my blood. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Zan…" Viggo trailed off, knowing his words didn't matter when I could hear as well as him.

More people had just entered the room, and even if they hadn't uttered a word, I counted at least four of them from listening to their heartbeats. Letting go of Warner, I stood up and spun around. All the men had guns aimed at us, but they didn't attack.

"What do we have here?" one of the men murmured, his eyes cutting to me and then to Viggo. "Apparently, we need to upgrade our security."

I stared at him, letting my gaze trail over him. "You're going to let us walk out of here."

The man laughed. "Really?"

"You know the rules, Norman," Viggo drawled, sounding completely at ease. "Tell your men to walk away so we can talk."