Chapter

The Eyes in the Dark

"This is fucking bullshit!" the vulgar shouts, throwing his drink across the room as he approaches the man in the shadows. "She turned those mutts loose, and now the Unaligned are too afraid of that fucking little bitch to fight. We've lost our cover. They'll come after us now!"

The man in the shadows keeps his composure, treating it as though it's something he has prepared for.

"Easy, Hedin," he says with a soothing tone. "She grew impatient. Apparently Brazen Mordel found a way to rid her of the calling. They'll still find what I want them to. They want find us. Had you let the girl go off on her own before she met the commander, we could have gotten her sooner."

Hedin almost hisses in response. "I couldn't let her go off alone. I've already told you this. That cunning little bitch was always on alert. She sniffed out all the best traps. I had to be there to override her track. If your men had shown up when they were supposed to the one time I sent her out on her own, then they could have gotten to her before Araya got there. Now she's too fucking powerful. We fucked around and lost our window."

"The window isn't lost, Hedin. She's only powerful when so close to her counter, just like all hybrids. I warned you that might happen if she found him. You were supposed to take him out."

"We tried. Over and over we tried. He's too bloody strong. His fucking electricity almost killed me. I led them down his false trail when he escaped Stringham, but then I couldn't find the real trail for myself when I went back. That clever bastard knows how to stay alive. Now we'll never get our hands on her."

Hedin shakes his head as he plops down, exhausted from their tireless venture that never seems to end. Every time they get close, someone intervenes or the girl surprises them with her hidden strength. What happens when she gains true control? They'll never be able to get her then, and their mission will fail.

The man in the shadows remains composed. He's spent too much time and energy on this. He won't fail. Not now.

"When Hale Banner was commander, we couldn't go after her. She was constantly guarded even when she didn't know it. They would have caught on to us if there had been even one failed attempt to snatch her. Since his death, there's been someone there... always someone.

"We need her alone, and to do that, I've already got a plan in motion. There's a girl on her way to them now. She'll arrive in about two weeks. She has a gift that will confuse Aria's empathic gift, and we'll use that to our advantage. She has his blood."

"Another calling? His blood? Kellan's?" Hedin asks, seeing confused.

"No. Not a calling. They'd figure that out now. This time our blood thief will be closer, making the calling a blood fuck need, and it won't be Kellan Maverick's blood she drinks. Counter or not, he's not the one she loves. The commander is, and he's our target. He shouldn't have left his blood unattended and so easily attainable. It was as easy as pulling it out of his bag. Though the hounds fucked up the war, they did provide a distraction... a needed distraction."

"And you're sure he won't just kill her? What exactly is your game, James?" Hedin asks.

"My game? I'm done playing games. This is the closest I've ever come to completing the process. One damn girl's blood is all I need, and I'll have it. Over and over, I'll have it until I've mastered the blend.

"The commander won't kill my little vixen I've sent to him because the vial held a healthy portion of his blood. It'll be too powerful for him to deny. I don't care how strong he is, he won't be strong enough to withstand that dose of blood once it's in her system. She will be the one playing games. She can't rush it or Aria will know something is up. She's clever... just like her whole bloody family."

Hedin lowers his voice as some of their scorpion companions pass through the hallways adjacent to the room they've chosen for their conversation.

"And what happens if this works? What happens if that purple-eyed monster you've kept alive this long finds out what you're really up to? What if she finds out you're not in love with her and you've just been playing her for centuries to get what you want? You saw what she did to our underground facility. What if she does that to us? Even worse, what if she gets Aria's blood the way you've promised her she would. You shouldn't have ever brought her in."

James walks out, followed by Hedin as he heads into a sealed room. Together they stare at the rows of chambers holding suspended lives of infected humans, all of them paused in their life as they're kept subdued in a subconscious state.

James stops in front of one, staring at the hairless girl with her eyes shut. The numerous cords are attached to her body, keeping her alive and dead at the same time... just like all the others.

"Alice isn't your concern. I'll handle her. She won't get her hands on Aria's blood. That last piece of the puzzle will make her too strong. Right now I need her as an insurance policy against Araya. She's the only one to possibly be stronger than her, other than Aria. When the time comes, I know her dirty little secret, and I'll kill her myself."

"As long as she doesn't get Aria's blood. After that she'll be unstoppable," Hedin adds, a slight tremble in his tone. "She's an emergent. A true emergent. This is dangerous, James."

"I know it is, but it's necessary. Don't forget what you're getting out of it. Ty Silver's research still lives, and with Aria's blood, you'll be able to have the gifts he did without the side effects that cost him his life. You'll be as indestructible as you need to be in order to take over the United."

"Alice thinks the United will be hers," Hedin grumbles.

"Alice thinks the United and Unaligned will be hers, but she's wrong. We're just using her until we get what we need. My big picture is right here. Just go. Prepare for Aria's arrival. It'll just be a few weeks now. We won't fuck it up this time."

Hedin walks away, nodding in acknowledgement for James's words, and then disappears, leaving the sad man alone with the infected woman behind the glass.

He stares at her lovingly, feeling guilty for so many reasons. He's not proud of what he has to do, but he loves her too much to lose her. He believes a great man can use evil for the greater good when necessary. As much as he hates the torture brought about to the new hybrids, there's only one thing in this world he lives for. He'll save her.

"I love you, sweetheart. Soon. Very soon."

End of Book II.