Dark Horizons (The Red Sector Chronicles) (26 page)

“We tried to escape, but it was like the fire had been given a mind of its own. Someone had infiltrated the base and doused the floors and walls with gasoline, blocking the exits. Several of us ran for the hidden exit, but a group of Black Cross Guild hunters intercepted us, opening fire and driving us back toward the conflagration. They had painted a message on the wall in what ap
peared to be blo
od: ‘Wicked ways punished by wicked means
.’”

That made my blood run cold. When I was still abhorred on the vampire base for being a hunter, a group of religious vampire radicals called the
Blood Brotherhood
left me a similar message on a note in my locker.

Maybe vampires and humans aren’t so different after all.

“Some of us tr
ied to fight back,” Dr. Rinaldi continued, sounding shaken. “B
ut what could a group of unarmed scientists do against a hoard of trained killers?”

My eyes fell onto his bruises. “How did you escape? From the way Leo was
talking, the lab blew up.”
I hadn’t meant for it to sound so harsh, but neither Leo nor his father seemed offended.

Dr. Rinaldi
rubbed his temples, as if the memory hurt to even think about.
“
The lab did explode. I was one of the lucky ones who managed to get to the underground stairwell in time, but not before a hunter caught me.” His eyes grew distant as he subconsciously
reached down and
touched his purple cheek. “He gave me one hell of a time,” he said in a strangled voice. As he
spoke
, his hand trailed from his face to his arm.

Leo and I watched him rub his arm in silence for a few tense seconds, waiting for him to say more. Dr. Rinaldi’s mouth was slack; he stared straight ahead, locked away in his own personal nightmare.

Gently, I cleared my throat, and he blinked several times. “Oh,” he said softly, looking at us. “Sorry. My mind was somewhere else.”

I glanced at Leo. His jaw was clenched, and his brown eyes shone with worry as he gazed at his dad. Then his face scrunched up right before he sneezed.

“Oh, good Lord, that’s right,” Dr. Rinaldi said, standing. “You’re both soaking wet. Come with me, before you catch pneumonia.”

Though my clothes were still wet, I didn’t notice it so much anymore because I was actually nice and toasty now. Still, I followed Leo and his father through the tight hallway and into a
slightly smaller
room
with a dingy lump
I took to be some sort of bean
bag mattress.

Dr. Rinaldi lit a few candles, which somehow succeeded in making the windowless tomb look that much creepier. He shuffled over to a
ga
rbage bag and pulled out a few T
-shirts and jeans. “Here,” he said, tossing a black shirt and
a pair of baggy
jeans to Leo. “They won’t be a perfect fit, but they’ll feel better than what you’re wearing.”

I ca
ught the khakis and blue button-
down
shirt
he tossed me. “I don’t know, Dr. Rinaldi. I kind of like my blood-crusted, torn-to-bits sweater. I think I could start a new fashion trend
– the ‘I’ve-been-running-for-my-life’ look.”

Leo and Dr. Rinaldi stared at me, and my lame attempt at humor died away. Awkwardly, I cleared my throat and stared down at the bundle in my hands, feeling my cheeks flame.

“Leo and I will leave you to get changed,” Dr. Rinaldi said, wal
king back down the hall. I half
expected some flirtatious comment from Leo about helping each other out of our wet clothes, but he didn’t so much as look at me as he passed. He followed his dad out without a word.

A frown tugged at my lips. Leo had to be feeling like hell, with the vampire endorphin addiction and finding out his father was still alive and living underground like a rat.
That bothered me
too. Leo’s father had money; I mean, the government wasn’t stingy in paying their top engineers. I could see why he wouldn’t want to go back to his house right away, considering the Black Cross Guild might have caught wind he escaped and come after him. But he could easily have afforded an apartment.

So why live in the tunnels? Why exile yourself completely from humanity?

Unless there’s something else he’s not telling us.

I sighed. After everything I’d been through,
I was almost too tired to think about conspiracy theories and pseudo-terrorists
.

Sitting on the
beanbag lump
, I peeled off my ruined sweater and tossed it on the floor. The shirt was huge – probably because it belonged to Leo’s dad – but sof
t. It had to of had a gazillion
thread count to feel this smooth. 

My jeans took a little more maneuvering and shimmying to get out of, but I finally managed to tug them free
,
and they joined my sweater on the floor. If I thought the shirt was big, the khakis looked like clown pants. I pulled the waistline out, observing the several inches of space between it and my body.

Beggars can’t be
choosers
.

I never thought I would say this, but I was actually starting to miss the pleated skirts and starched shirts my mom used to force me to wear.

After spending a few minutes trying to untangle my hair, I stood up and walked back down the hallway.

A hushed conversation floated toward me. Leo and his dad were sitting together on the
floor
.

I started to listen in but then stopped myself. I had no business whatsoever listening to
what
they were saying.

Casting one last worried look at Leo, I turned and trudged back down the hall and into the
other
room. There didn’t appear to be a door to close, so I stumbled toward the
oversized beanbag
and plopped on top of it. A waft of something smelling like mold drifted up as I lay back, making my nose and throat itch. A little disgusted, I rolled over onto my side, with my back toward the door, and rested my head on my arm.

Before I knew what hit me, my eyelids had fluttered shut, and I was tugged beneath the undercurrent of sweet, beautiful sleep.

***

Sunshine kissed my face as I awoke in the poppy field. I lay there, staring up into the everblue sky and enjoying the feeling of total relaxation.

My f
ingers idly toyed with the long
emerald blades of grass when someone else’s hand found mine.

I didn’t jump as long fingers twined with my
own, squeezing gently. “Somehow
I knew you’d be here,” I said, turning my head to see Aden lying beside me.

My
breath
stuttered as I stared into his crystalline blue eyes. Once again, I was reminded of how beautiful he was. This Adonis belonged in the sun, not doomed to live a life in shadows and secrecy.

The corner of his mouth quirked up in a teasing smile. “Oh, really? It’s my dream field, and you somehow thought I’d be here?”

My brows rose. “Excuse me,
your
dream field?” I said playfully. “If it’s all yours, then how do you explain the poppies?”

His eyes twinkled with hidden secrets. “I may or may not have had a peek at one of your memories.”
I’d learned from Aden that apparently when a vampire turns someone, he
or she
gets a glimpse into that person’s memories.

My mouth dropped open in indignation. “Hey! I told you before – no invading my privacy! Those memories are mine, and mine alone.”

He barked out a laugh, releasing my hand and rolling over onto his back. “
You kind of relinquished that privilege the day I turned you.”

My eyes narrowed as an unexpected dark surge of resentment slithered through me. “Against my will,” I said darkly.

He looked at me sharply, regret in his eyes. “Sloane, you know I had no other choice. I had to make you near invincible to protect you from Orion.”

I sighed hard, tearing my eyes from him. “Yeah, I know,” I said tightly.

But that doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven you.

I couldn
’t tell him that, not out loud. Mostly, it was because I wasn’t sure where that resentment was coming from.
It shocked me, in a way.
I never thought of myself as the type to hold a grudge. It was much easier to forgive and forget and move on with life. Aden’s “betrayal”… I thought I was over it. That I had forgiven him. And yet as I stood there analyzing my heart, I knew some tiny p
art of me
hadn’t completely
forgotten
how he had ruined my life, no matter how imperfect it had been.
Without a doubt
, his turning me had rooted itself deep into my core, maybe as a warning to be warier of people in the future.

I frowned, frustrated with trying to figure
out
the jumbled mess of emotions.

Aden sat up, propping his chin on his hand. “What’s wrong?” he asked, trying to get a better glimpse of my face. “Something’s bothering you.”

I laughed. “Well, let’s see: The world is going to hell, the Black Cross Guild has tortured me, our group’s been separated, I’ve been shot at by
the
Scarlet Guard, and my maker is infected by some crazy disease. My life is literally about to implode.”

“The Black Cross Guild caught you?” he asked.

I winced at the worry in his voice. He
had
enough to deal with. Why did
I
have to tell him all that?

“Sloane, are you all right?” he asked, cupping my chin and tilting my head toward his scrutinizing gaze.

I waved his hand away, sitting up. “I’m fine. They caught us, but we got away before they could cause any serious damage.”

He
pulled his knees up and wrapped
his arms around them. “You need to forget about me and come back to the base. It’s too dangerous up there.”

“Oh, and a
super-
virus
isn’t?” I countered. “Aden, I’m not going to abandon you.”

“I’m not worth it, Sloane,” he said,
his
eyes turning grim.

I blinked, not su
re if I was seeing it or not. Leaning
closer,
I squinted
against the sunlight. There was definitely
something off about his eyes; they were red-rimmed and bloodshot.

Aden stared at me for a few seconds before abruptly turning away.

I sat there, suddenly very cold despite the heat in the air. “It’s getting worse, isn’t it?” I whispered. “The virus.”

“Don’t be silly,” he said. I could hear the strained smile in his voice. “I just haven’t been sleeping very well.”

The very real possibility I could lose him loomed before me like a big black ravine. “Aden,” I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. He tensed under my touch. “I’m going to find Orion, and we will find a cure. I promise.”

His head turned slightly back toward me,
and he gave
me a ghost of a smile.

He’s giving up.

Desperation set fire to my core, and I gripped him by the shoulders, whirling him around. He startled, gazing back at me with a question in his eyes. “You are not giving up, you hear me?” I said. “I’m going to find my asshole brother, and you’re going to get well. Aden. Knight. Does. Not. Quit. You fi
ght for everything you’re worth. G
ot it, soldier?”

Something in his eyes shifted, turning to awe. “You’ve been fighting your whole life, haven’t you?
That’s why this passion comes so naturally to you.
”

I blinked, taken aback. Clearing my throat, I dropped my hands and looked away. “Something like that,” I said in a small voice. I closed my eyes for a few seconds to gather my thoughts before looking back at him. “Life pretty much taught me that when you get knocked down, you get right back up swinging.”

Aden sat there for a moment, staring at me
as if
I had lost my mind, and then he slowly smiled. “All right,” he said at last.

I nodded, my shoulders relaxing. “Good.”

Aden searched my eyes, his expression going serious. “Sloane, there’s something I need to tell you.”

My breath hitched as he leaned forward, his gaze never leaving mine. “What are you –” I started to say, when he placed a finger to my lips.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he whispered. “But
I need to be straight with you
.”

I waited, going
stock-still
, not even daring to breathe as he spoke.

“Sloane, I
–”

I never got to hear him finish because right then, t
he field and sky fell away as the earth opened up and I was sucked into the chasm below.