Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

FIFTEEN SECONDS

T he darkness is absolute and, just for a moment, I'm afraid. I'm alone with a vampire, who could do anything to me and no one would ever find me. As soon as the thought comes it's gone. It's Kyle . He's sworn to protect me. And he loves me.

He takes my hand, pulling me gently to him. ‘You all right? You looked sort of panicked.'

‘Uh, no, I'm fine.' There are tears in my eyes though. I bury my face against him.

‘Okay.' Kyle's voice is deep in the dark space. ‘What do I need to do?'

‘There's a couple of levers, quite high up,' I mumble, my face still pressed into him. ‘I couldn't reach them. But you can.'

‘Where… ah, I see.' I hear a click. There's a damp odour, the air cool.

‘What is it?' I hope to darkness it's not a dead end.

‘Stairs. Going up, though. And quite cobwebby. Don't think anyone's been up there for a while.'

‘Not that one, then.'

‘Don't think so. I'll try the other.' There's another click. ‘Jackpot. Stairs again. Going down, this time. They're heading in the right direction, at least.' He scoops me up in his arms.

‘Hey!'

‘What? You can't see, and I don't want you to fall.'

‘No cobwebs!' I squeal. Air whooshes around us.

‘Not a one, I promise.'

I feel as though I'm falling, gripping him tightly. After a few moments, he comes to a stop.

‘What is it?'

‘A door.'

He puts me down and I lean on him. Metal rattles, then there's a cracking sound. A sliver of night sky appears, the air fresh and cold. Kyle's hand touches mine.

‘Top up your anti-feed.'

I reach for the little vial and spritz myself, the violet scent filling the small passageway. Kyle pushes the door open further, sliding through the gap. His head turns, silhouetted against the sky.

‘Come on,' he says. ‘Quick.'

I slide through the gap, into the cold November night. Kyle picks me up again. ‘Hold tight.'

I glimpse a dark mass of trees and realise where we are: at the foot of one of the towers, close to where the Great Forest enters our boundaries. Kyle heads straight for it, at top speed. I hold my breath, curling into him as he moves between the trees, leaves brushing us, the rattle of twigs. My whole body tenses, waiting for the guards to challenge us. Bertrand will figure out soon, if he hasn't already, that we're gone.

‘Hold tight.' There's a moment of weightlessness and we're over the fence, still running. After a few minutes the thud of Kyle's feet becomes louder and I open my eyes. We're on a road, trees either side of us. I lift my head.

‘Is this the road into town?'

‘Yes. We'll be there in a few minutes. Just hold on, Emelia, I've got you.'

I relax as we speed through the night, the dark bank of trees giving way to buildings as we reach the outskirts of Dark Haven. We pass the burned-out restaurant, then the Dome, a line of people waiting outside as we flash past.

‘Are we?—'

‘Shh.'

Hurt blooms, then I realise. We're still close enough to home that I could be recognised. And there's no way I'm going back. Behind me lies darkness and a weight of responsibility I don't want. Ahead, my future. And Kyle is carrying me towards it.

We pass through Dark Haven into darkened countryside. After a while Kyle slows to a stop, setting me down. We're on a road, plants pushing through the cracked tarmac, dark fields either side of us. Ahead is the glow of the Safe Zone, light pylons reaching high into the night sky.

‘What happens now?' My voice shakes.

Kyle puts his arms around me, bringing me in for a kiss. ‘I promise, you'll be fine,' he says, his mouth close to mine. ‘We're going to some friends, a safe house I know.'

‘Friends?'

‘Friends,' he says, with another kiss. ‘Here. Take this.' He presses a small roll of paper into my hand.

‘What is it?'

‘It's money.'

‘It is?'

‘Yes. Human currency. They don't carry gold like we do.'

I look at it, frowning. Despite his arms around me, I can't quite relax. ‘Er, so what do you mean, a safe house?'

‘A house where vamps can rest during the day, with an internal room. I'll stay there while they take you out for the day.'

‘O-out for the day?'

‘Yeah.' Kyle grins. ‘This is the start of your human life. I thought you might like to see what you're in for.'

‘But what if?—'

‘No one will recognise you. And we're not staying long, anyway.'

‘We're not?'

‘Emelia, my darling, you know they'll be looking for us. We must keep moving.'

Okay. That makes sense. Moving on was always part of the plan. But the reality of it, and how little I know, is giving me pause. I wanted to leave my home, my life, and live as a human. But it's starting to dawn on me what a big step this is.

‘Where will we go next? I always thought I'd go to another Safe Zone, or maybe even travel somewhere, another country. But I'm not sure how?—'

‘Don't worry about that. We'll figure it out together.'

‘And you know these people well?'

‘I've known them for years.' He takes my face in his hands. ‘Trust me, my love. I would never put you in harm's way.'

I cling to him, burying my face in his jacket and inhaling his violet scent, trying to relax. I have to trust him. I also know we can't linger. I step back, running my hands through my hair. ‘Okay. Let's go.'

We start walking. I'm not used to lights so bright and it feels odd, as though I'm on a stage rather than outside. The lights are on tall poles connected by wires, their globes so bright I can't look at them directly. Kyle keeps to the shadows, while I walk through shimmering pools of silver and gold, fascinated. Then I notice a small square building up ahead. I stop. But everywhere else is fenced off and we can't avoid passing it. Kyle takes my hand.

‘We're about to go through the checkpoint,' he murmurs. ‘You're Emily Reynolds now. You cannot be Emelia Raven, not anymore.'

I try not to freak out. But as we near the building, a dark block against the grass, two vampires appear. Shit. Raven guards. I pray they don't recognise me. I squeeze Kyle's hand, my palm sweating.

‘Don't worry, Emily,' he says. ‘We just need to get you home.'

I know he's saying this for the benefit of the guards, who are well within hearing range. They whoosh over to us.

‘Halt. You're entering a Raven Safe— Kyle!' One of the guards, stocky and dark-skinned, grins, his teeth white in his face. ‘What are you doing here? Another day off?'

‘Declan!' Kyle lets go of me to shake the guard's hand. ‘Good to see you! Yes, another day off. Emily here has family in the Zone, so I said I'd take her in. You don't need to check her, do you?'

‘We have to check every human who enters the Zone.' The other guard is tall, pale, his long blond hair tied back in a ponytail. ‘To ensure they're disease free. It will only take a moment.'

Shit. Why didn't Kyle warn me?

‘Well, make it a quick moment – dawn is coming, and I need to get inside.' Kyle's tone is light but his hand, gripping mine, is tense. The tall guard grabs my wrist, pulling me into the building.

It's dark inside; I can't see much. I suppress a squeal as my jacket is pulled from my shoulders, then my shirt, leaving me in only my bra. Then the guard's hands are on my body, the inside of my legs, turning one arm, then the other. He leans in to sniff my neck and I freeze. Shit. The anti-feed. It's expensive stuff, not many people wear it.

‘Everything all right?' I can hear the strain in Kyle's voice.

‘She's wearing anti-feed. And there's no blood port anywhere. Where did she come from?'

Blood port? What the fuck is a blood port? I'm trembling with outrage and fear, outrage at his familiar touch, fear we'll be found out. I'll be fine, of course. But Kyle…

‘She's a blood dancer. From the Raven estate. They don't have blood ports, you know that. Free range never does. They always douse them in anti-feed whenever they have a day off. C'mon, man, I just said I'd take her to see her family. Let us through, will you?'

I hold my breath. The blond vampire is still touching me. Declan, the other guard, is standing nearby. ‘It'll cost you.'

‘Fine.' We have no choice, and Kyle knows it. ‘What do you want?'

‘A taste of your pretty companion.'

I freeze. Holy shit. I pray to god and darkness and everyone else I can think of. There's a click and a small candle-lamp blooms on the desk.

‘What's that for?' Kyle sounds furious.

‘I want her to see me, while I feed from her.'

‘Absolutely not.'

‘Just a small bite. We rarely get to have free range. And your companion, despite the anti-feed, smells delicious.' He holds my wrist, his nose moving along my arm to the crease of my elbow. I'm freezing cold and trying not to cry. A blood dancer, after all, would be used to such attentions. So we're screwed.

Kyle's silver eyes flick to me. ‘Five seconds.'

‘Thirty.' Fuck.

‘Fifteen, and I'll be timing you.'

‘Done.' Before I can react the guard's fangs drop and he bites down. I flinch, trying not to scream at the threading pull in my veins. How how how do blood dancers do this, day in and day out? A couple of tears escape and I try not to gasp. How the fuck long is fifteen seconds, anyway? It feels like fifteen hours.

‘You're done. Let her go.' Kyle's fists are clenched, his face stone. But the guard doesn't release me, sucking harder. I groan at the pain, unable to help it.

‘Let her fucking go!' Kyle roars. He lunges forward, but Declan grabs him, holding him back. ‘She hasn't taken any painkillers!'

Oh. So that's how they do it. Or maybe they just get used to it. I'm starting to feel dizzy, and my eyes meet Declan's, pleading. The pull in my veins gets stronger, the guard's mouth locked onto my arm, his gulping swallows violent in their intensity. I don't think I can take much more of this.

‘Please.' The word is a whisper, breath leaving me. Kyle is still roaring, pulling free of Declan. But before he can reach me Declan is there, his hand on James's throat, choking him.

‘Let her go – you're taking too much. You don't need another report, James. And I'll fucking make one if you drain her dry here. You know Raven blood dancers are expensive – you damage this one and you'll be for the pits.' He shoves at the other guard who finally releases me, groaning, his lips dark with blood. My blood. Fucking hell. I feel sick.

‘I don't care. It was worth it.' He sinks back into a chair. ‘I've never tasted anything like it. Raven dancers really are the best.'

I'm half naked, cold and shaking. Blood runs from my elbow, pain radiating up to my shoulder.

Kyle catches me as I fall.