Chapter 15

Stalking the Stalkers

"How long will you be on silent stalk this time?" I huff while slumping against Jase.

"I don't know. It depends on how long this trail lasts before going cold."

If I was with you, I'd keep the trail hot.

His wolfish grin emerges upon hearing what he assumes is innuendo, and I roll my eyes.

"If you're going to read my mind, read it right," I whisper in a scolding tone while playfully shoving him. "I meant I could follow any trail better than Shazy."

My eyes point to the nature-loving hybrid who is meditating with his bare feet perched in seemingly uncomfortable position as he makes himself one with Mother Earth .

Jase snickers lightly, and then kisses my forehead before throwing his bag in the back of a jeep.

"You're probably right, but he's still pretty damn good."

I stare at the man wiggling his tongue in the air while keeping his eyes closed. I turn back to Jase to give him a skeptical, are-you-fucking-kidding-me look, and he lets his laughter escape a little too loud.

"Damn it," he chuckles while shaking his head. "He'll do. For now, just behave and be safe. I love you. I swear I'll call you the second I can. I'd prefer it if you didn't spend too much time at Catagar in my absence."

His joking tone doesn't match the seriousness in his eyes, and I grin a little to goofily while leaning into him.

"Are you saying you'd be jealous?"

"Very," he murmurs while letting his lips stroll over my forehead.

A small pout forms over my lips. He starts to question it, but I start explaining it before he can.

"We haven't really defined our relationship. And it's not like you don't have a fan club riding around on your coattails," I grumble while casually motioning to the giggling group of female officers loading up into a jeep nearby. "We've never said if we're exclusive or if you're still seeing other-"

My timid rambling is silenced by his heated lips. They quickly turn to ice, and then he jerks me to his body so forcefully it forces a grunt from my lips. He barely pulls back, his breath still finding refuge between my parted lips, and then his eyes lock with mine.

"We're exclusive, very exclusive. I don't want you with anyone else, and I can swear there's no one else who could ever have me even if they stripped naked and dove into my tent."

I cringe at that thought. It could actually happen with this bunch of foolish, eager women. He tilts my head up, and then he kisses me so softly for a brief second.

"I would rip the tent apart before shooting out their knees," he jokes, and I let out a laugh despite my sudden anxiety.

I've tried so hard not to think about him being with other women. Now that my mind has gone there, it doesn't want to come back from the terrible thought. I feel as though I've just walked through a tacky spider web that I can't seem to fully wipe away, and now uncertainty is crawling around on me like the spider you just know is there but can't find.

"I mean it, Aria. I wish you could see how much I love you."

I just sigh while trying to shiver off the unwelcome jitters. He kisses my brow, his lips feeling feather soft against my angst-ridden skin.

A general walks out, and we both turn to salute as he passes. His face is unfamiliar, and I turn back to Jase as the strange man heads into Seminole.

"Do you know him?"

"I know his name - General Marks - but I don't know him personally. He's going to be stationed here in case the interrogators come across any leads that need to be dealt with immediately, should the leads require a higher status than a captain."

He sounds so educated on the United when he speaks like that, and it feels so calming for some odd reason. Then again, his voice is so soothing it could calm a stage five storm just by humming.

He smiles, and then he finds my lips again as his sister joins us.

"You ready?" she asks while grabbing her stomach, seeming to be sick or in pain.

"Yeah. You okay?" he worries.

She nods, and then looks back to Rex who is perched up beside some pretty blond. Jase's jaw tenses, and then he starts to stalk toward my brother. I'm all for him kicking Rex's ass right now. I think he could take him too. Hell, I might even help out. What the hell is my brother thinking?

"Don't," she says while halting his mission.

She grabs his arm, and he shakes her off while continuing on his path. She quickly rushes in front of him, and her hands press against his chest.

"I said don't. He can talk to whoever he chooses. Let's just go. We have a lot of work ahead of us."

Jase cracks his neck to the side, and I lower my eyes shamefully. My brother can be such an ass. He's just acting out because he doesn't want Melania to go, but he doesn't know how to speak his feelings aloud to anyone new - the curse of the forgotten.

"There's nothing for you to feel ashamed about," Jase whispers in my ear. "Don't act as though you think I'm mad at you for your brother's actions."

"Loading up," a general orders, his eyes flashing briefly to Jase's, and he nods as if he's granting his approval.

So weird.

He smirks before returning his gaze to me, and then his lips find mine.

"I'll see you soon," he murmurs against my lips, and then his breath vanishes, leaving me with the wrong chill.

I keep my eyes closed - my heart unable to let me watch him leave again.

I hear the jeeps crank up, and I feel his eyes burn against me as I keep mine shut. If I watch him leave me again so soon, I'll fall apart, and I can't do that in front of him right now.

I turn my back to the leaving convoy, and my eyes face Seminole as they reopen. As soon as the engines find enough distance, my brother drops his feigned interest in his blond acquaintance, quickly shooing her away, and I scowl at him as I burn a path between us with my blazing fury.

"Don't say it," he cautions, his eyes narrowing in true older-brother fashion as the girl walks away confused and agitated.

"You selfish, arrogant, foolish bastard!"

His jaw clenches shut, and then he walks away from me, his pace trying to distance us before my next lashing outburst comes forth.

"How could you be such a jerk?" I continue, my tirade sure to be next.

"Damn it, Aria. What do you expect?" he barks, and suddenly my game is thrown off.

"What does that mean?"

"It means I'm not used to this. I wasn't in a hurry to find my counter. I'm not too fucking thrilled with the fact she's a damn general either. It means she's constantly on the most dangerous missions. It means she's constantly on the road, and it means she could be taken from me at any second. It's terrifying," he releases through strain, his voice choking up at the end.

I calm down slightly. I'm not used to seeing my brother so shaken. He's always the steel. Now he seems like glass... like me.

"Then you tell her you're scared. You tell her how it kills you to see her walking away when you worry about never seeing her again. Hell, you even ask her to stay. You don't go find the first thing in a skirt and use her to break Melania into pieces."

He slumps down against a wall, and I join him while looping my arm through his.

"I know. It's just… this is still new. She's, well... she's perfect. I just… it's hard to tell her the truth, knowing tomorrow we'll be even closer. This damn bond is so strong, and I don't know how to deal with all of this." He flings his hands around as though he's motioning to the air around him.

I shrug, my head falling to rest on his shoulder as his moves to rest atop my hair.

"Then you let her help you deal."

I feel his smile, and then he leans up to ruffle my sexy hair still assembled - though I ditched the dress the second Jase and I got back to Seminole. Simone will kick my ass when she sees me in my tank and jeans.

"You're such a drama queen," he says in the way he does when he's trying to downplay his emotions.

"You're such a dick," I playfully add while standing.

He hugs me briefly before walking back inside, and I smirk as I stick my tongue out at his back the way I always did after winning an argument as children.

"I saw that," he laughs out while keeping his back turned.

"That was the point," I say with a childishly endearing grin, and he shakes his head before disappearing into the building.

"Now it's my turn to fight some battles," I murmur to myself while jogging toward the archive building.

The dusty room promises to hold more spiders than answers, and the lights struggle to turn on as they flicker to a steady glow. The stale pages of ancient writings show their yellowing aged tales, and I sigh while tying my hair up in a ponytail.

This is going to suck.

I grab a ladder to start sifting through the mess of books, papers, scrolls, and so much more. I have no idea where to even start looking for this damn thing, considering Mr. Secretive Hybrid didn't give me anything more than a title.

Would it have been so much to ask for a damn reference section to try?

I decide to start with a less than promising stack, and I pull up a cobwebbed chair that is loaded with aged cracks and centuries old dust.

I plop down, and the rusting heap sounds like metal scraping metal as I inch closer to the table. The first few documents hold no secrets, and I grumble under my breath.

Hours drag by, and I'm starting to hear an old clock actually ticking in my head as though there's a hasty timeline. Suddenly, the metal cries out as a folding scream erupts from the chair I'm in, and I squeal as it collapses to the ground. My head flops back, my side slaps the metal pole of the broken chair, and I scream out my anger in a cathartic need for release.

"Stupid fucking chair," I bark, and then I hear an echo of laughter for a brief second before it fades from the room, followed by the slight click of the door shutting.

I jump up, my body trembling instantly, but no one is here. Then I smell the melted chocolate and dark cherry left behind, and I roll my eyes.

Stupid fucking stalker.

"You could at least tell me where the hell to look," I scream to the man who has probably already disappeared from the compound.

I shake my head, and then I look back to see a file on the table. I didn't put it there, so he had to. He apparently watched me tirelessly combing through the mountains of useless information and coming up empty handed. Either he got bored or felt sorry for me.

I gasp as I read the lines of my saving grace, and I tuck the file under my arm while rushing out of the eerie room.

Fucking finally.

As soon as I enter the office floor, Simone is shamelessly enveloped in a tangling embrace with a husky guy I never saw her speak to at the club. His hands grab her ass through the tiny shorts she has on, and then he walks away as her eyes find mine.

"Hey, bitch," Simone rolls out while casually taking her walk of shame toward me to loop her arm through mine. "What's up with the ditching act? Some guy told me you got a ride back."

"Jase showed up," I say with a grin too big for my face, and it's pointless to try and tame the full-flashing smile that won't budge.

"Wow. You really do have it bad."

I laugh lightly and then nod while making her pace quicken to keep in stride with mine. Competence found, I'm on a mission.

"Why the hell are we walking so fast?"

"I've got what I need to get back in the field, and I'm waiting on a lead."

"What?How?What lead?"

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I tilt my head curiously when I see it's blank. Then I feel the buzzing again to realize it's my other phone - my link to the mysterious masked stalker.

I pull it out, and Simone's eyes narrow.

"What's that phone for?"

"It's the phone he gave me. Don't tell anyone at all."

Her eyes widen, and I see that same look Uncle Clay used to get when he was worried.

"Aria, I don't like this. You never mentioned a secret phone."

"I'm not stupid, Simone. I would know if he was a threat. I've always been good at judging one's character. He told me up front he was saving me to use me for his own purposes. He's calling in that favor, and there're thirty prisoners of war in it for the United."

She gasps while clasping her hands over her mouth. I look down to read the text I just received.

Hershamine's camp. You'll find the trail to track from there. I can't make it too easy or they'll question your Intel. Be careful. There's a large party of Unaligned hybrids and full bloods just a few miles from that trail. If you need me, press the panic button on the phone.

I smirk as I stare at the red button he all but painted with the word panic , and then I shake my head.

"What? What did he say?"

I hand her the phone so she can see for herself, and she gasps again upon finishing. I take it from her hand just before I pound on Captain Fricks's office door.

Simone shakes her head, and then she disappears into the adjacent hallway to hide her less-than-professional appearance from the captain as he opens the door.

"Aria?" he asks, and I push the files against his chest before barging by him and his baffled expression.

"I'm going back into the field."

He sighs while gripping his head as though it aches, and then he sits down behind his desk without even looking at the papers.

"Aria, we've discussed this. It's the commander's call, not mine. I'm sorry, but you're still confined to the compound as far as duty goes."

I smile my smug, secretly victorious smirk while pointing to the unread files in his hand.

"Ever heard of the Culligan Parchment?"

His eyes widen, and then he finally looks down to the unveiled mystery of my abrupt entrance.

"Aria, this applies… this is… I think you-"

"The Culligan Parchment is a sanctioned law of the United. No approved field officer can be grounded without committing a punishable offense. Since you made it very clear the commander didn't blame me for the ambush, and you even went so far as to say I wasn't being punished, then there is no way you can lawfully ground me."

"Aria, this rule was put in place to keep commanders of the United from discriminating against hybrids. Don't take this and use it for your own personal gain."

I feel the storm inside me rising to stain my eyes with fury. I stand up and lean over the desk so my eyes meet his with more depth to my glower.

"The last time I checked, I'm hybrid, and I'm feeling really damn discriminated against."

He leans back as he tries to find a way around this.

"The commander is on silent stalk. I can't release you into the field without telling him first."

"Actually-" I take the papers from his hand and flip them over to show the second section of the article "-you have to. If the Culligan Parchment is knowingly voided by the commander, the hybrid plaintiff can evoke the right to call the council and have the commander dishonorably discharged from the United for breaking the vows he took before entering into office. Since I'm not looking to impeach the phantom commander, I'll just say he owes me one. I'm going out into the field, and I'm going tonight. I've got a lead on some United prisoners. There are thirty there, and it's not far from an Unaligned camp."

"Aria, that's very high profile. You'd need a general for that, and there aren't any-"

"General Marks is here. I saw him earlier. He's here just in case a high profile case pops up. Well, pop goes the weasel, Captain."

I should have been a lawyer or something. This feels good.

"Damn it, Aria. Don't put me in this position. Just give me a few days to check in with the commander, please. He'll want a general he can entrust with your safety."

"If the commander doesn't trust General Marks, then he shouldn't be a general. As for the commander's concern for my well being, tell him my mother will get the hell over it."

He rolls his eyes and grips his head again. "You're so damn exhausting."

"Hale Banner and Araya Crush had a child… how the hell did you think I'd be?" I joke while turning to walk out. "I'll be leaving in two hours. Tell General Marks to be ready."

"Aria, I'm a captain. I can't tell a General when to ready."

I turn back just in time to catch the sheer dread in his eyes for the predicament he's in.

"Then tell him the commander said so. I'm sure he won't disapprove, since it's his hide you'll be saving. Otherwise, I'll take this abuse of power to the council."

He sighs out again, and I smile as the door slaps shut behind me. I very proudly dust my hands off in front of me as though I've just built a city by myself. My secret phone buzzes, and I look down to see the text.

Judging by that triumphant grin, I'll assume you had success. Just make sure you get them out as soon as you free the prisoners. I'll need to run through their data. They could have information pertaining to emergents, and you don't want that getting out.

I look up and around, but my masked hero is as good at hiding as the phantom commander. I'll let his stalking tendencies slide since he got me out of this cage and back into the action.

The trail is a little cold right now, but I'm good enough to stay with it. We slowly drive in stealth mode, our silent cars creeping beside an oblivious group. I swear everyone is almost holding their breath as we pass through the range a hybrid's ears can reach.

Everyone exhales in relief once we're clear, and I glance down at my phone that shouldn't be buzzing. I know the phone is designed to avoid pinging a tower and alerting the others to a presence, but the others can't know that. Such divulged Intel could be used against us later if the Unaligned ever succeeded in planting a spy and stole the knowledge for themselves.

I'm alone in my car, so it's not like anyone can see me as long as I keep my hands low. I pull it out, and I smile when I see the message.

Very good. Stay straight. The trail will appear to take a right, but it's a fake.

"Doubting me?" I whisper to myself, though I'm sure he has my damn car bugged.

It buzzes again, and I smirk lightly, knowing he really does have it bugged.

I forget how good you are. My apologies.

I let an accidental giggle free, and then I roll my eyes. I'm being stalked and I think it's funny. Perfect. I'm following a trail to a supposed nest of prisoners with a threat big enough to make a guy who has an incredible power feel the need to call in for help. I'd question my sanity, but I don't feel like finding out how crazy I am just yet.

Then I see it - the false trail he promised. It's subtle. They had several cars with the same treaded tires take a turn, while the true vehicles stayed straight and tried to cover their tracks with a very sophisticated sweeper.

It's too good, though. The sweeper smoothed the dirt far too well, leaving a trail much too clean to not be suspicious. They messed up on the weights of the other vehicles as well. The cars they sent in their place had fewer people, totaling lesser weights. The indentions don't go as deep as they should, further proving they went straight and covered their trail.

"For the record, I would have made that trail," I murmur to the listening ears.

He doesn't text anything else, but I swear I can feel him smiling from somewhere.

I see road showing signs of wear and tear once again as the smooth trail comes to an end, letting me know they stopped and disappeared.

The grass to the right of us doesn't look to be disturbed in the least, which means they turned into the wooded area on my left. The problem is, it doesn't look to be disturbed either.

I put the car in park while looking into the thick, green veil of vines covering the woods all the way down. The uphill embankment makes it improbable for a car to go through without leaving some sort of trail, and the trees are so closely placed it would be impossible for a full size vehicle to maneuver through them anyhow.

Where's that help now, stalker boy?

The other cars pull up behind me, and they silently unload while waiting for my direction. I lean over to see this vine structure is hand woven. Someone put it here. Vines don't braid themselves this perfectly.

I pick up the tightly woven veil, and I smirk when I see a speck of steel hiding behind the embankment. The dirt has been glued in place, but this hidden entrance has been used so much that bits of its natural camouflage have started falling off.

I point to the steel speck showing, and General Marks nods before motioning for his men to come over. One guy hands me a decoding machine, and I fuse the wires with the ones on the door while it runs through a series of passwords.

Everyone arms themselves as they wait for the passage to open. My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I make some of the rocks rattle beneath my feet to hide the sound from the other ears.

Great timing, masked boy.

The door unlocks, and then we hear a very light rapping as it draws up and pushes into the embankment, allowing us passage.

"Flagstaff follow behind me, Gretels take the rear," the general whispers, and everyone falls into their place as we start into the tunnel.

I take my place beside him to walk through the wide space. I can't check my damn phone right now. Obviously Mr. Stalker hadn't expected me to find this place so quickly.

The light from the entrance disappears when the door drops back into place. All we're left with are the sounds of scurrying rats, crawling insects, and dripping trails of water from above.

I bend down when the tunnel splits, and I feel the moist dirt for the impressions that I'm not supposed to be able to see in the pitch black room. I discreetly use my secret night vision to see the trail extends to the right.

I point to the left tunnel. If they're going right, the prisoners are locked up this way. They would be using this as a base, and the hybrids would be locked up somewhere they didn't have to hear their screams, considering prisoners of war are tortured for information almost hourly.

The general nods, and then he motions to the others. The full bloods use their night vision to see his direction and guide the hybrid and human soldiers.

After a very long, silent hour of walking stealthily through the creepy tunnel, I start to hear distant grumbles and wheezed breaths. The faint smell of expelled blood finds me as well. I grip the general's arm to let him know we're getting closer, and he nods in response, even though he doesn't think I can see him.

He pulls his rifle up, and I pull free my pistols while we step closer to a faint glow of light. I can hear more pronounced sounds of pain coming around a tight corner, and then I push my hand against the general's rifle when I peer around and count three hybrid soldiers, two full bloods, and one human guarding a door I can only assume holds the prisoners.

He tilts his head, and I smirk while stepping over to the far wall that hides me from the reach of the kerosene lantern's light.

The men who are guarding our soldiers are laughing as they puff on their cigarettes, blowing smoke rings from their mouths as they compete to see who can form the best one.

I push my guns back into their holsters, and I wait on a hybrid guard to get too close to me while chuckling at the two fools arguing over a winner.

His neck snaps almost silently between my hands, making sure I detach his brainstem to ensure he doesn't have the chance to heal, and I drag him back around the corner to join our group.

The general understands my plan of stealth, and then he motions for a group of full bloods to aide me in my silent attack.

"Where did Riles go?" one of the guards grumbles.

"Hell if I know. He probably had to take a leak," another answers.

The guy rolls his eyes and then he walks over to inspect his friend's disappearance. He tries to gasp as he meets my grip, but I'm too fast and too strong. He falls to the ground, neck snapped, brainstem detached, and then one of our men drags him away.

Suddenly, I rush into the room, my body moving faster than I should allow them to see, and I dig into the wall with my foot before flipping back and snapping the neck of another.

He falls before my legs grab the neck of a full blood, and I throw my uranium tipped knives to take out two more before crushing the skull of the man between my legs - all of it over within a blink.

The only one left is the human guard, and he drops to his knees while throwing his hands behind his head. I let a small laugh out, and then the general steps up to cuff our one surviving prisoner.

Then I see the scorpion tattoo on his arm, and I instantly regret letting him live.

Fuck. He can't go with us. He knows about my kind - about me.

Sick knots twist in my stomach, and my lips tighten as my mind goes crazy with strategies. I want to interrogate him, find out what the hell is going on, but I won't be able to steal him. He probably only knows they're tracking emergents. He wouldn't be on guard detail if he knew much more.

I have to find a way to kill him without letting everyone know it was intentional.

Fuck my luck.

"Get the prisoners out," the general instructs, and several men go to remove the impossibly heavy, unbreakable steel door from its hinges.

The wounded men and women inside are quickly given numerous packs of blood, and their labored breaths start sounding so much more natural as they gulp it down. Several gasps of air ring out as their excruciating pain numbs and then disappears.

"How did you find us?" one asks.

I use my secret vision to see the tattered stripes on his shirt. He's a captain. They had a damn captain.

"We caught a lead to your trail, and we tracked you to here," General Marks asserts while motioning for men to inspect the healed bodies.

"No, I mean how did you find this damn hiding place? It's invisible from the road, and they take precautions."

"We tracked the trail to the false veil, and-"

"Who's your tracker?" the captain urges, interrupting the general, and it's a little odd considering the circumstances.

"I am," I offer softly, my eyes trying to cipher the rattled captain whose posture droops from what appears to be months of confinement.

I gasp as he blurs to me, and his arms fall around my waist as he jerks me into his embrace. Tears fall from his eyes and find my shoulder as he silently sobs. I fight against my own tears, feeling mounds of pity for him, and I return the embrace with comforting arms.

"You're okay now," I soothe.

"Thank you so much. I don't know how you did it, but thank you," he strains out with an emotionally charged whisper.

I suppose he should be offering the immense gratitude to the masked man instead of me, but I'll stand in for him until he's ready to be seen.

"We need to get moving," General Marks's gruff voice interjects. "Get the freed prisoners to safety. We'll handle the others. Take Ms. Banner with you," he says to a man.

Damn it.

I withdraw from the appreciative captain to face the general fucking up my plan.

"I'd rather go with you, General. You may need me in case it turns into a maze. You sure as hell don't want to turn into the wrong door and alert them to your presence. I'm also tech savvy, in case they have bomb traps in place."

I'm so proud of me.

He tightens his lips, and then he nods.

"Very well, but stay close," he cautions.

I nod, and then a small group begins helping the captives to safety.

"I'll go as well," the rescued captain inserts.

"I'm sorry, Captain, but I can't allow that. In cases such as these, the rescued are required to exit. Your emotions are too overwhelmed to think clearly, and you could jeopardize our safety," General Marks kindly rebuts, and the captain sighs out when he knows how right he is.

"Banner?" he asks, as though he just heard my surname.

"Yes," I murmur while giving him a wink.

I pat his arm, and then I walk into the darkness to follow the others.

"Your father would be very proud," he whispers, and I offer him a small smile while letting my eyes show appreciation.

We reach the split, and the captain reluctantly parts with the rescued flock as we turn down the other tunnel. I very inconspicuously fall to the back of the pack, and I pull my phone out when all eyes face the front - their attention focused on the fight ahead.

Get them out. It's important you keep them away for at least two hours. I'll fill you in on what I find when I can.

I push the phone back into my pocket, and I quickly make my way back to the front just as the general turns to find me. He motions for me to take lead when the tunnel really does become a mess of passages.

How am I supposed to keep them away for two damn hours?

I wish I could tell him there was a damn scorpion in custody right now. Maybe he would show up early and eliminate the problem before our men could probe him for information.

I find the right door, and I step aside for the men to ready themselves. The general motions for them to break through, and they charge in with their assault rifles firing immediately.

Sparks fly, singed barrels fragrance the air, and dead bodies fall to litter the floor. I keep my body pressed against the wall as my mind races to come up with a strategy. More and more bullets pelt against metal, glass, and skin. I hear the screams, but I do as I was ordered before this mission started and I stay out of the line of fire.

I can't afford to be shot if I'm going to find a way to distract the general.

"All clear," General Marks yells, and I walk into the disaster zone that is a massacre.

Several of our men sit while sipping blood, and so many of the scorpion-tattooed men lie lifelessly on the ground. The blood stains the room, and finally I think of something.

"We need to pull them out and ash these bodies. We have humans with us. We can't risk infection, and there are full bloods bleeding everywhere."

If a human has a cut, the blood could meld with the bloodstream enough to force an infection.

"She's right, General. We need to pull out and burn this group before continuing with our inspection," a captain interjects.

General Marks grumbles under his breath. I can see his overly eager ambition staining his eyes, but this is protocol. He has to do this.

"Very well. Let's get started. I want to return as soon as possible," he growls, and everyone starts grabbing bodies to slide out as our human soldiers walk out empty handed to avoid the blood still spilling from the gaping wounds of the dead.

They'll throw in a blood disintegrator once we've cleared the bodies, but it won't be enough time. This could only take an hour, so how do I stall for another?

I follow behind the rest of the men while dragging a full blood female. I see the split in the tunnels, and something compels me to look behind me as we pass. I smirk as my night vision catches my masked stalker running down the hall with silent footsteps leading his way.

You better fucking hurry.

We get outside, and I see the bloodied face of our human captive as he lies face first in the ground. Obviously they've already begun their interrogations.

Shit.

"Has he said anything?" General Marks asks in his domineering tone.

"Nothing of any value. He spit in my face," our interrogator gripes with his nose turned up.

Thank fuck Mom isn't the one interrogating him.

"Well, give him something to wake him up. Go easy, he's only human, and we need to know what they're up to." Then the general turns to the captain we freed before continuing. "What did they demand to know from you?"

"They wanted to know the names and locations of our gifted fleet. We gave them false Intel, and then they beat the fuck out of us for a month straight. Then this past week they were more specific-"

The captain's sentence is cut short, and his eyes fall to mine as if something has occurred to him. The others seem oblivious to whatever it is, and they all gorge on food and water as if it's heaven in solid form.

"What?" General Marks urges.

"It's probably nothing, but they wanted to know exactly how to break into Seminole. I suppose it's because we have the most gifted residing there. None of us are from Seminole, so they eventually gave up beating useless information out of us."

Damn it. They want me. They're coming for me.

Mom hasn't lived in Seminole for centuries, so they're not after her. They want me because my damn gifts are so fucking passive right now. I really am an easy target and a fucking liability, just like Jase said.

"I'll call Captain Fricks and have him bump up security," the general murmurs under his breath, and he pulls out his phone to break silent stalk and make the emergency call.

"I think we should get back. If they're planning to go after Seminole, they could bump up their attack date now that we've taken down one of their bunkers," I murmur leadingly, praying he takes the bait.

Please work.

"Damn," he gripes when it goes to voicemail. "No. We'll stay and work the scene here. We need to get back and investigate now that the bodies have been handled. Some of my men can stay here to ensure the ashing."

Fuck.

It has only been fifty minutes. My mind instantly starts racing again, and genius strikes in the form of an awakening human. The scorpion-tattooed man groans as he stirs, and I smirk as I use my gift to loosen his cuffs from around his feet and hands.

He feels the break, and he sneakily creeps to his feet while eluding the eyes and ears of the others. He jumps in a car, and slams on the accelerator to blaze down the road.

"After him!" General Marks yells.

Everyone starts jumping in their cars, including me. I quickly crank it up, knowing I can outrun these fools.

I slam it in gear, and I begin following the trail etched in the soft ground. He's a fast driving son of a bitch human though. I haven't caught a peek of him yet, and I know I'm following the right trail.

For miles we follow the impressions left behind, and I finally see the rear end of the United car he high-jacked for this high speed chase. I can smell a mist ahead, and judging by the roaring and crashing sounds in the distance, there's a waterfall ahead.

I don't care if this human survives or dies. I need him out of the grasp of the United. I summon up all my strength and cross my fingers as I try to use my gift enough to force a flat tire.

I squeal in delight when it works, and the car ferociously flips through the air several times before landing, crashing, and rolling over the cliff. I have to slam on my brakes to avoid the same fate.

I leap out of my car and rush to the edge. Then I tune out everything else so that my vision excels, and I smile when I see him pinned and drowning after having survived the hellacious fall.

I shut my eyes and give my hearing the chance to find dominance as I listen to his heartbeat slow down, weaken, and then finally stop. The sound of braking cars scrapes my over sensitized ears, and I cringe while covering them and dropping to the ground from the ringing ache.

"What the hell happened?" the general barks.

"He didn't see the cliff coming up," I lie, and then I slowly stand to my feet as he peers over the edge.

"Drag him out. Maybe we can revive him," he orders to a full blood.

He runs to the edge and dives the two hundred feet down, barely making a splash.

Humans die too easily. He can't be revived.

Now I've stalled for long enough, and I've eliminated the threat. I just hope my hybrid stalker finds all the evidence they have before we return.