It’s me. I’m here, there, and everywhere.

  I see a rooftop littered with bodies. Are you hurt? he asked in a sharp voice.

  No, she said softly. I’m fine.

  He landed. She could feel his arrival like a ripple into her energy field as he was absorbed into them, one of her. Part of her. One with her. As always.

  She slowly unhooked herself from the roof and stretched, feeling herself, soul, heart moving outward.

  Calm. Controlled. Endless.

  “Hey,” Cody stood in front of her. “You sure you’re okay?”

  She gave him a sweet smile. “I feel great. Do you know how everyone is down below?”

  “I doubt anyone is left alive,” he admitted. “I just hope our people are safe.”

  “They feel like they are. I can sense life way below us,” she said in a low tone as she walked to the edge of the roof. She felt odd. Spacey. Not bad, but light. Connected to the universe around her. And it was so damn special.

  “We need to go to the source of where they came from. Are you up for that?”

  She closed her eyes and turned in the direction the wave of vampires had come from. The energy was thick and dark but very easy to track.

  “Let’s go,” And she dropped over the roof to the ground several stories below.

  “Wait,” Cody roared. “You can’t fly.”

  *

  Cody flew over the edge to the vast space below, his heart hammering in shock. She’d just jumped over. For a glider, that was a crazy ass distance. For anyone else, it was suicide.

  “Tessa?”

  Her laughter floated toward him. He shook his head. His own knees were crying out at the landing she had coming up.

  He flew lower, faster, intent on swooping down and grabbing her before she hit hard, only to find she was floating down gently. She landed softly then called up to Beast, “Jump.”

  And in shock, Cody watched as Beast jumped off the rooftop apartment with a complete lack of fear. Cody flew up, snagged him mid-fall, and lowered the massive animal to the ground.

  “You didn’t expect him to land softly, did you?” Cody asked, turning to study Tessa. She had a distant look in her eye. “Or did you learn to fly in a way that not even I can? And then have the dog fly with you.”

  “I don’t know what I expected. I just know that it was all going to be fine. And it was.” She smiled. “He might have landed okay, I might have saved him, but neither instance had a chance to happen as you stepped in and changed it.”

  She pointed to the land behind her. “We need to go over there. There are not many vamps left. And they are hoping this attack has wiped all of us out.”

  “But it didn’t.” Cody studied the horizon. “Let’s open the doors first and let the gas filter out, then we’ll fly over.”

  “Right.” She walked up the front entranceway steps and tugged on the big double doors. Cody stepped up beside her, and together they managed to open them. Instantly, a pale greenish air filtered outward. Cody took one look inside, saw the number of vamps on the ground and some piles of smoldering ash, and jumped back.

  “Looks like it did its job.”

  “Good,” she smiled. “Then let’s tell the others and leave.”

  Cody was already calling David. After he told him the good news, he left them with a warning. “We can’t be sure they are all dead, so a crew needs to go and make sure, but use masks to protect yourself. We’ve opened the front door and are now heading to the origin of that army.”

  “Wait for me,” David said. “There are several of us wanting to go.”

  Cody looked at Tessa, already walking in a circle, arms out, face to the sky. Still, they didn’t know what they’d find and could use the help. Tessa, as if hearing his thoughts, sent him a look that made him realize how stupid the thoughts were. “I think Tessa is likely to say that you need to find a way to defeat the Councilmen. We’ll bring back those we can, but we’re still going to be short in terms of numbers. We need to find out if any of the others are alive still. And if they are – where are they?”

  “Right. Stay in touch then.”

  After he put his phone away, he turned back to Tessa to find her standing with Beast in her arms.

  He studied the two of them. “Really? I have to carry both of you?”

  She grinned. “I can’t leave him behind.”

  He snorted. “Hell, you can hardly lift him. I can’t even see most of your face.”

  “But he’s happy,” she said with a laugh. “And that’s important too.”

  Cody shook his head. “Not sure this is going to work.”

  “It will work,” she said in an encouraging tone. “If it doesn’t, then I’ll have to glide with him beside me.”

  “Like hell.” He scooped her up and the dog, surprised that the dog, although huge and likely to weigh a ton, didn’t appear to be as heavy as he looked.

  “Where I go, he goes.”

  Already in the air and his wings pulling strong, Cody contemplated that statement for a long moment. “And does that mean whatever getaway I decide on, I need to plan on bringing Beast along? Because that is going to totally impact the decision as to where we go,” he grumbled.

  She reached up and kissed his chin and gave a light laugh. “You’ll figure it out.” She wrapped her free arm around his neck and dropped tiny kisses on it. “Make it a great retreat, okay?”

  He gave a happy sigh and nodded. “Will do.”

  *

  Ian squatted beside Seth. “Do you think he’ll be okay?” he asked Wendy in low tones.

  She shrugged. “I don’t know how he could be,” she muttered back, keeping an eye on Rhia pacing ten feet away as they waited for the army to arrive. “He’s been drugged many times.”

  “And some that he might have been willing to take.”

  Their gazes met. Jared crunched down beside them. “He acted normal when he drove me up to the blood farm but honestly, I don’t know what that means for you guys. He didn’t act like a psycho vamp.”

  “Right, but he might not have had much in the way of drugs at that point.”

  “No,” Ian shook his head. “He’d have had quite a few, I imagine.”

  They frowned and stared at the comatose young man.

  “He looks so normal,” Wendy said.

  “That’s because he is normal,” Rhia snapped, looming over them. “He doesn’t just look it, he is.”

  The others looked at each other then dropped their gazes.

  “You don’t believe me?”

  Ian stood up tall and faced her. “We saw him in action with Tessa. The things he said, did.” He shook his head. “I want to believe that he’s on our side, but I just can’t see it.”

  Her gaze narrowed then slipped from one to the other. “Then why help me save him?”

  “Because we’re hoping there’s a way to reverse the drugs and see who he was at the beginning of this,” Ian said. “We don’t want to see any more vamps die.”

  A shuddering sigh escaped her chest. “I might not be able to save him,” she admitted. “From the drugs or from the Council, but I have to try.” Her gaze swept over the trio. “You understand, don’t you?” she pleaded.

  When silence was her response, her gaze hardened. “Ian, are you really telling me that if that was Wendy on the ground that you wouldn’t do everything you could to save her?”

  Ian turned to look at Wendy. Then his shoulders slumped. “Absolutely I would.”

  Wendy gave him a misty smile. “And I would for you, too.”

  “See,” Rhia cried. “It’s not difficult. It’s called love and trust. If my son is in there, under all that garbage they did to him, then I know he’s trusting me to get him out and into the clear. And I’ll do it if it’s at all possible. If he isn’t and he really was so lost as to want to join the ranks of those animals, then it’s a hard thing for me to do, but I will dole out the punishment myself.”

  “No one is going to let you kill him,” Wendy cried. “That’s your son. That would be horrible.”

  “If he can’t look me in the eye, hell, if he can’t look Tessa in the eye and tell her that he’s not a part of this and pass her tests, then he can’t be trusted. The only choices are to lock him up for centuries – a punishment that I wouldn’t want for myself or for him – or to be put to death.” Sadness crept into her voice even though she tried hard not to let it. “And that would be very difficult.”

  “It would have been better if he’d died during the fighting,” Serus said. “He’s my son too, but if he’s part of this abomination, then you know what needs to happen.”

  *

  Serus studied the small group collected around his son. They were still waiting for the army to arrive. His boy looked normal but as much as he loved that kid, he wasn’t going to let his paternal feelings blind him to the possibility that he was guilty of the very same things as the other vamps in charge of the blood farm. And that would not have a good end. If his son was involved, then better that he died like Goran’s boy had. At least he’d been fighting for his cause. On the wrong side to them, but at least he’d been passionate about it. Believed in it.

  As he studied Seth’s lax features, he wondered what was going on in his son’s mind. Because like Ian, he’d seen Seth act like a very different person that he knew him to be. In reality, they needed the boy awake and Tessa on hand to hear him tell his story. It was sad times when he couldn’t trust the words coming out of his own son’s mouth.

  But inside, he understood that that time was past.

  “Easy, Serus. The boy might be innocent,” Goran said in low tones.

  “You might be able to believe that. I hope that,” Serus corrected. “But I have my doubts. We saw him in the mine, remember?”

  Goran was silent as they approached the group. “I remember,” he said quietly. “But if there’d been any chance to save my son, I’d have done it in a heartbeat.”

  “Exactly. But the longer this goes on, the worse it will be. Better we wake him up now and get Tessa over here. See what the truth is where we’ll deal with it privately.”

  Goran sighed. “Hard but just. I wouldn’t want to be part of the nasty Council tribunal either.”

  “Even worse, we’ve missed so many of the Council members that according to Sian, they are setting up a monkey court as it is.”

  “Something we need to get back for. And fast,” Serus acknowledged. “And we need as many Councilmen back to the meeting as possible.”

  “Right. So Rhia needs to come back with us.”

  “And any others we can find. But chances are good the ones at the Council Hall are the only ones left alive.”

  “Unless some are in hibernation or on holidays.”

  “Sian is tracking those down.”

  Rhia walked closer. “What’s the matter with the Council?”

  Serus quickly explained.

  “But that’s terrible. If those horrible old men get back into power, then all we’ve done has been for nothing.” She turned frantic in front of them, her gaze going from Serus to Goran. “It can’t be allowed to happen.”

  “And we’re doing what we can to find the other Councilmen,” Goran reassured her. “Sian is working on it.”

  “There are a lot, and she needs help,” Rhia cried. She spun around to look at the crowd of young people behind them. “We have to get back.”

  “She does need more help. She’s needed you,” Goran snapped. “And it’s likely too late now.”

  Rhia shook her head. “No, see, I had to do this. There was no other way. Sian will understand.”

  “Maybe, but there’s no time for that now.” Serus reached out to grab her hand. “We all have to go back now. To hell with waiting for the army.”

  “All of us, yes, but I’m not leaving the kids behind.”

  “We aren’t planning to leave anyone behind.” Serus motioned at the group behind her to walk forward. “I’ll grab Seth.”

  “We can’t leave the humans here unprotected,” Jared said. “They’ve got to be saved. Many of the kids here are from my high school – Tessa’s high school.”

  Serus froze, thinking about it. “No, we can’t leave them,” he agreed softly. “I’m not sure how long it will take them to make their way here. The Human Council is sending in teams for the army that is now sleeping off a heavy dose of drugs not far from here.”

  “Are they sending enough for these rooms full of teenagers?” Jared cried. “I can’t go if they aren’t safe.”

  “We’ll make sure,” Serus promised. “These kids need to be treated by medical professionals. We can’t just wake them all up. It will take too much time.”

  Jared looked around nervously. Serus understood. He was surrounded by vamps, the species that had put all his friends into this situation. “Did you find the one you were searching for, Jared?”

  *

  “No,” Jared whispered. “We haven’t.” he hesitated. “But we didn’t check everywhere.”

  Goran spun around. “There are more rooms. Have you checked every one?”

  Jared nodded. “She’s not in this area.” He walked to the doorway, his heart heavy. “I want to keep checking down this hallway, but Rhia wanted all of us to stay together.”

  “And she was right,” Goran said. “Let me walk down a little ways with you. If there are more rooms, we’ll check them out, if there aren’t, then we’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  Jared brightened. “Thank you sir, I appreciate that.”

  Goran groaned. “On one condition. Don’t call me that.”

  With a big grin, Jared slipped around behind the big vamps and darted into the hallway. If he didn’t know these two ancients, he’d have been terrified. He was still nervous about getting too close. They were so incredibly strong and capable. Fierce would be a perfect description.

  Outside in the hallway, he turned around to reorient himself. Then pointed. “We need to go this way.”

  Knowing time was tight and that the ancient would have no trouble keeping up, he ran down to the far corner. He’d already made it this far but hadn’t had a chance to explore more. At the corner, he took a look down the hallway. There were two doors. He went to the first. It appeared to be a supply room that was more empty than full. That went along with what everyone was saying. The bad guys were running out of supplies – and men.

  Not fast enough though.

  He turned to the room across, and seeing Goran almost at his side, he pushed the door open.

  Chapter 8

  Cody flew low across the fields carrying Tessa and Beast. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment. It was such a pleasure to fly like this even in these circumstances. In Cody’s arms, even with Beast. Poor Cody. He was soaking up the weight of both of them.

  She studied the ground ahead of them, but there wasn’t much to see. The energy had blended into a large foggy mass. Too many different people. Too many different energies. Too many different actions. And the wisps of drugs that had been visible in each person were completely overwhelmed.

  “It’s chaos down there,” she murmured.

  “That’s to be expected. A lot of people moved through here.”

  “I know.” She studied the terrain. “Let’s land over there.” She pointed to a spot above the rise. “If we can look down, we might be able to see better.”

  “I’ll fly lower so we can scan the hillside looking for an entrance first.”

  “It’s such a different view from up here.”

  “I love it,” he said. “I’d do this all day.”

  “Understandable.” She loved the wind in her face, the fresh air in her lungs, and the weightlessness of the flight. To have her body off the ground, to feel that sense of freedom.

  It was so damn special.

  He flew lower until they were hovering in front of the hill. The hills hummed with energy. It was seriously fascinating. She’d never been able to see any of this from such a view. So much color. So many energies.

  “There is the entrance,” Cody said. “At the bottom of the hill, there’s a large cavern opening.”

  “Let’s go down.” She was eager to go inside. She wanted to find the end to this. Looking back at the distance they’d travelled already, she realized that they were likely over the top of the tunnels. If the wave of men had travelled above ground, did that mean that they didn’t know about the tunnels or that they’d sent a second wave of people through the tunnel at the same time?

  They’d sent David and all the other vamps down into the lower floors and through the tunnels. Something to consider as they entered. If they were on the lookout for attacks, they needed to be watching from several directions. She took a few steps and lowered Beast to the ground. He swiped the side of her face with his wet tongue.

  “Ugh, that’s enough of that.” She backed up and wiped her wet face off. Cody was laughing behind her. She didn’t mind the licking so much until she considered what he’d been chewing on lately. Now that was gross.

  Trying not to think about exactly that, she walked to the edge of the cavern and studied the darkness inside. Energy flowed in a steady stream. But it was dark, sickly-looking energy. Not the wholesome energy she was hoping for. It meant that whatever was left inside was injected full of drugs. She’d known that would be the case, but the overwhelming cloying smell just added to the evidence. She couldn’t see anything but death anywhere.

  Her mind centered on the job ahead and with Cody at her side, she entered the darkness.

  There was complete absence of light, and with the musty, drug-filled air, she couldn’t see anything. She could hear though and it appeared to be more growls and howls than voices. In fact, she didn’t think she heard any voices, human or vamp.

  “Easy, Tessa, watch out for Beast.”

  She nodded. When Cody reached out to tug her to a standstill, she stopped and waited. Slowly, her vamp eyesight dominated and sharpened to a clarity that allowed the striations on the cave walls to show up. But the place was empty. Except for the herd of animals that had all been something else and were now…something else again. And in the middle of the pack were ashes…lots and lots of ashes.