"How are we meant to get out of here? We're on the lowest floor and the elevator is that way?" I nod
with my head in the direction we came from, a growing tight knot of anxiety that maybe the doctor's
plan is not the best. He waves at the trucks again, reminding me of their presence, but I'm not sure how
they will help down here.
"The one on the end, it's a medical truck, and that platform lifts up to the ground above. It's how we
store them and transport things in and out."
As soon as he says it, I spin my head, eyeing the last green military truck that looks like its half-brother
was a tank, and see the gears of the platform on the space behind it. The poles and hydraulics lining
the steel wall in shadow and look up into a cavernous space that opens over your head when you get
up close to them. From my room I couldn't see it, but this space goes up some hundred or more feet to
a set of closed metal doors on the top ceiling.
"And then what? We drive around until she wakes up?" I gasp, bumping the bed onto the edge of the
platform, still helping while dissecting the absurdity of this and he shoves it fully. We come side by side
with the truck we are aiming for and he motions me to keep it going to the rear. I eye him warily, real
tension ripping through me as panic rears its ugly head, at his lack of a proper plan.
"Yes, sounds right. She's been in a coma for eight years… we need time. I need to wean her awake
and even then, I've no idea what state she will be in, physically, or mentally. All I know is we can't stay
here and do that without getting caught, and I owe her. I won't fail my friend again!" the doctor has
regained some of his equilibrium and leaves the bed with me to go run to a metal cabinet on the wall
which houses keys and scoops up a set, coming back to open the truck and motions to bring the bed
around.
"So, what you're saying is … there's no plan beyond getting out?" It's a dry, non-amused response and
I stare at him as everything inside of me grips tight. I have to swallow down the rising panic and he half-
heartedly shrugs at me.
"I'm a doctor, not a masked villain who kidnaps people for a living. I figured your fates would
somehow… I don't know… help!! I mean you came and …. you're here!"
"Oh my god!" it's the only response as I have as words fail me, and I bite down on my lower lip and try
to focus everything on helping him, and not the fact that after we get out I have no god damn idea what
we're meant to do. The guards won't sleep forever, and they will come after us. At speed, with guns,
and lots of them…. And inform Juan.
We make light work using the ramps inside the truck to get the bed and trolley in and he braces them in
place which special metal clamps, hanging her saline bag on a hook coming from the interior wall, and
pushes the mobile one into a corner and ties it down. He pushes the devices into clamps, and clips,
along the wall parallel to her bed, and settles everything free standing into holders, or ties them in place
expertly. Making light work as I can only stand and frantically race a million ideas through my head
about what we're going to do.
"I have a cabin, my home I guess, when I'm not here. We should go there and try and get her to wake
up. They'll track us, but we have a good head start and I don't know if we can lose them. No one knew
about my cabin." It's a weird little look, a half happy he came up with a plan, with a heavy dose of
please tell me that's a smart idea. I can only shake my head and stare.
He's not thinking this through, or really envisioning how well a wolf can track, or how much faster they
can be on foot when needs be. They won't just dawdle when they find Sierra and me gone, they will
come tearing after us like demons on the warpath and Juan will too, with his four crazy loyal subpacks,
who annihilated my entire bloodline and got away with it. There's no being safe in some cabin in the
middle of god knows where.
"That won't work… you've no idea how well they can hunt us. And Sierra… if Juan killed people to keep
his dirty secrets silent, then he's going to send a tsunami after her to make sure we don't wake her up."
I point out, tucking Sierra's blankets in tight to hold her neatly while he applies straps over her body to
keep her in place. All I can do is keep helping, even if nausea is almost strangling me with so many
possibilities and ways to die at Juan's hands.
"Well do you have a better idea? … We need to protect her until she wakes, we need to find a place we
can fortify. I don't know people outside of these walls… I can't fight or shoot an army of wolves."
No place can be fortified against a pack of angry Lycans. Especially not when all you have is a bound
wolf who can't use her gifts, unless in serious threat, a human aging, unfit doctor, and a sleeping witch.
We are so screwed.
I wrack my brains, trying to think of a million places I passed these past weeks alone, and how none of
them are any good to hide, and no amount of hiding will stop them tracking us. It was different when I
ran, I was solitary, and only Colton had reason to follow, and I had a couple of days head start to let my
scent fade to nothing….
Colton!!!! Of course!
I can't believe how stupid I was not seeing the most obvious answer to this question. Of course, the
fates would bring me full circle and back to him, they've never stopped tormenting me mentally when it
comes to that boy, making sure I couldn't forget him if I wanted to. This is why. This moment of need.
Colton's mom… Colton has an undying love for her and a need to find her. He also has a sub pack,
and some fierce ass wolves who would do anything for him. One of the fiercest in the valley. Colton is
our protection and I just need to get outside to link him, so he knows I need him. We need him.
"Yes…I do. I have her son… and he has a pack, and I know he won't leave me to fight this alone if I tell
him I have his mom." He won't fail her; he's been looking for her. I know his heart and it's not like
Juan's.
"You can trust him? Even after ten years with his father?" The doctor flashes me a wary look and I nod
with no hint of hesitation. I know why he would query it, assuming under his father's guidance that he
might have twisted his son into a mini clone in all these years, but Colton is far stronger than I ever
gave him credit for. He is his own mind and he doesn't agree with how Juan hurts his people.
"Colton won't let me down. If he knows I need him, that she does, he'll come. I have no doubts in this.
We're linked, it's not hard to find him." Unless the fates took that from me when he marked Carmen, but
I guess I'm going to find that out. I don't think they would be so cruel in taking away something like that
when I really need to use it to get Sierra out of this place in one piece. The fates in all of this, have
been trying to address the balance and bring us back to what Juan destroyed.
"Okay, once we get free of the building, you should be able to use your gifts. So, I tell you where we are
and where we are going, and he can possibly help. Plan? Yes, I think so. I don't fancy dying tonight, so
we better make it snappy." The doctor is starting to lose his adrenalin rush, his panic panting, and
instead seemingly in the 'regret and what have I done, but to hell with it', mode.
He ushers me to the front of the truck, pulling the doors shut behind us and he locks them in place from
the inside. I can walk straight through with crouching, in the dark confines of the small space to the
front seats and sit down in the passenger side with a quizzical look aimed right at him as he too gets
settled in his driver seat.
"How do we go up, if we're in here?" I point out, assuming he forgot that minor detail, of the fact we're
underground, but he picks up a very heavy-duty looking radio device from the dash and waves it at me.
"This is a very high tech and expensive facility. They like remotes. Boy toys." He presses a button in
the center of the military green controller and I almost have a heart attack when the entire platform
shunts into motion, jerking us harshly, and begins to lift. Not just this one truck, but with all three on the
entire floor and we slowly start to raise up and leave the bay level behind.
This is when my panic sets in and nerves get the better of me as I realize our escape is probably going
to go down in the history of worst ever attempts. Its louder than hell; crunching, and groaning, and
echoing around us like crazy, and probably scaring off all the wildlife above ground in a three-mile
radius. I hope to god he was right about knocking those guards out, because otherwise they are
definitely going to know we are running away. I cover my ears, cringing, and recoiling into my seat, and
have to resist the urge to shut my eyes in the hopes this is a bad dream.
"Once we get up there and out into the open, the building no longer has any bind over you. The walls
work on some sort of ingrained frequency that's impossible for us to hear, but out there it doesn't work.
It has to surround you, you see." The doctor yells over the noise, telling me facts about something I
currently couldn't care less about, but it hits a nerve and I sit up, blinking as my attention peeks.
"A frequency?" I turn to him, startled, some memory from before, tingling at my brain and I don't know
why that's important, but I feel like it should be. My moment of fear dissipating when suspicion starts
hiking up inside of me.
"Yes, years of research has shown that certain frequencies alone are some of the biggest weapons
against your kind's gifts. Truly fascinating. We stumbled upon it when looking at some's ability to emit
ultra-sonic sounds as a weapon."
That's it… the weapon. The one the vampires used to attack the home and it was frequency based too.
I blink at him, not sure if I am piecing it together right or if I'm way off. The doctor is off on a nervous
tangent, babbling away like a runaway cart as a reaction to stress I guess, and I have to butt in on the
meticulous details of frequency being used to detain and disable my species.
"Did Juan ever use this facility to make any sort of portable isolation tank, that throws out the frequency
instead of putting it in the walls?" Clutching at thin air as I try to fit together puzzle pieces I don't know
belong together. I don't know how that would fit, given they almost killed me too and in turn would have
killed Colton, but it seems a little too coincidental that this is how an isolation tank is made.
"No, my dear, but he did sell the research a few years ago, claiming it was a profitable, but overall
harmless, discovery." The doctor casts me a confused look and I can tell he has no idea what I'm
talking about.
"Harmless? The vampires attacked our mountain using a frequency to disable us all from turning. I
almost died because of that stupid black box, and if Colton hadn't…." I shudder at the memories,
warmed slightly by the notion that Colton is where I'm heading once more, and even though it's stupid
and I should hate him, there's a tiny ray of hope inside of me, an aching to go back to him. My own
stupid weakness kicking in and finally after weeks of being heavy and hurt, it's raising a tiny little beam
of sunshine in my dark days.
"It was turned into a weapon… by vampires? I thought their kind were long driven underground and no
longer a threat. Forgive me, my dear, we don't get any kind of news here." The doctor's clueless, and
the shock evident on his face, eyes wide, mouth gaping slightly as he takes that in and looks out of the
window in front of us as he wraps his head around it, resting his hands on the wheel of the truck and
shaking his head so very slightly.
"A month back, take or give, maybe longer now, I don't know, I lost track. They attacked out of the blue
and sent the mountain into chaos. A war is coming, and the wolves are all being dragged back to the
mountain for Juan to control." I sink back in my seat and watch as we climb the last few feet. Climbing
the darkness while surrounded by eerie tones of groaning and grinding and I try not to think too much
about how high we are on this rickety sounding platform. The roof begins to open up and the dull grey
of an ending day peeks through the cracks and makes me aware I'm about to taste fresh air once
more. The urge to leap out and feel it on my skin distracts me and I turn to face the now silent doctor
instead.
"Using a device, not too dissimilar to what we created? And they attacked Juan's mountain and his
people…." He mumbles more to himself than me and I can tell he really did not know. I can almost
taste the suspicion in his tone, as he too comes to a conclusion I thought about but realize it's stupid,
and I'm letting paranoia and hate cloud my judgement.
"Yeah, but if you're thinking Juan had something to do with it then, one, we hate vampires so no.
Unlikely he would coerce with them, and two, Colton saved me when I was almost toast. If I died then
Juan would have lost his son and heir, and no, that's just no. I don't care what kind of monster he is, he
puts Colton on a pedestal and always talks about his ruling one day. He wouldn't let his own son die.
No matter what, I do believe his legacy is the most important thing next to being king of all he sees. He
only has one son."
"But hear me out .... If Colton died, then Juan would have had reason to tie up his people in his control
and use the attack to rally the wolves to unite as a pack. If he fabricated a war, or even gave them the
means to start one, then it all plays into what he wants to be…. the prophecy. Uniting the packs against
a war and thus forcing his position to fill what the prophecy wanted. A wolf to reign the people. He's still
so obsessed that it should be him!"
My blood runs cold and as crazy as it sounds it starts to fall into place. The doctor has a point and yes,
Colton dying would push those loyal to Colton to rally with Juan in avenging his death. A common
enemy is a great way to instill fear and make the people look to a leader to save them. Something
doesn't sit right with it though, and I'm trying to decipher it.
"You think he enabled the vampires and prompted them to hit the orphanage in the hopes Colton would
die when I did? As a catalyst to get the people under control and mounting an arsenal."
I'm instantly nauseous, my skin prickling with goosebumps and my breathing gets shallow as I try and
swallow this all down. Even for Juan, it seems insane, but then he did cull an entire blood line for his
chance at taking a crown. The doctor nods his head, looking up as our freedom comes into view with
an increase in grinding and crunching in the mechanics and he starts the engine with the turn of a key.
The truck roaring into life and vibrating through the seat under me as I reach around and pull on my
seat belt, so eager to get out of here I'm almost bouncing in my seat with nerves.
"He sedated his mate and left her to rot … you tell me if killing his son to maneuver an outcome is
something he would do?"
"He went to war against them and lost so many of his people. He hates the vampires with a passion." It
doesn't make sense. He wouldn't willingly negotiate with them, but it does make sense that he didn't
care who he sold the research to and maybe it came by their way in another avenue. Maybe the
vampires took it or bought from whomever Juan sold it to. There's something just not there that I feel I
should see, and it's leaving a hole big enough to cast serious doubt, as much as I want to tar him with
that brush.
"A war against a people that should never have happened. Lycans and Vampires used to dwell in
peace… not so long ago." The doctor side-tracks me with a ludicrous statement and I frown his way,
half snorting at his gross misinformation.
"No, they didn't. I don't know who told you that story, but I can assure you, we've been mortal enemies
since the dawn of creation. We were never peaceful allies." They taught us that in school and for the
life of me, I have never heard any other version. It's ludicrous to imagine our two species living on the
same lands and not tearing each other's throats out.
"No, my dear, that's not true. Sierra was very good at her history and very vivid in her telling's. Her
people, the witches …. as her mother was, predate the first of either of your kinds. They tell the stories
among their own." The doctor lifts his brows in a paternal manner, nodding towards me as though in
this he is one hundred percent certain, and I can't grasp it. It's all we were ever taught, that the
vampires are the enemy and always have been.
"So, what are you telling me? We used to be friends? Had morning coffee and bake sales together?" I
almost laugh at that, sarcasm kicking in and as we finally hit the upper ground, he throws the truck in
gear and reverses at speed right off of the platform and then backs us into a clearing in the middle of
the dusky forest we find ourselves back in. We're already outside the compound, further than the dirt
road that came up to the fence and I realize we are a fair bit from that completely. Underground must
spread wider than I figured it did and he hits the makeshift road and puts his foot to the gas, heading
out and switching on headlights to illuminate where we're going. The sun has not yet set, but the forest
is grey, and shadowy, and I have to cling onto my seat as I bounce around on the rough terrain, trees
hitting the windshield and roof as we skim under low branches.
I cast a glance behind us to check on Sierra and although the insides of the truck are rocking and
bouncing around like mad, she is secured and her machines are still beeping away, all the tubes
swinging wildly. She seems okay.
"The Lycans were the daylight guardians of the vampires and in turn the vampires protected wolf lairs
in the darkest hours. They were created to complement and protect each other, not war and fight, it's
why you're almost matched in power and gift. Each with a special unique gift of course, but neither
meant to be used against one another. A peaceable arrangement born at conception, between light
walkers and dark, both with different needs and not even a shared food source, so no reason to feud….
Your kinds were from the same lands and some even procreated. A bite from either side can kill the
other, so it's not exactly smart to start raging fights with an enemy who only hints at your demise every
time."
I return to facing his side profile as he watches the road closely and maneuvers around falls logs and
debris, focusing all my disbelief on the side of his head.
"Procreate… now I know you're insane, and you need to up your meds, Doc. A vampire and a wolf…
had babies? Nahh, Now I know you're high. That's definitely not a thing, there is no such thing. We're
enemies, and always were." It's a half laugh, shaking my head in humor, disbelief, as I turn in my seat
to face the fast flyby of the forest, completely convinced he has a screw loose somewhere.
The doctor throws me an alarmed look that I catch from the corner of my eye, frowning, and screwing
up his face like I'm the crazy one, and almost swerves us into a tree before looking back and saving us
the near-death impact. That makes me jump, fiercely snapping my eyes to him in a bid of 'watch where
you're driving' gasping and panting for breath after that near miss. My stomach is now lodged in my
throat, and I brace my legs against the dash and push myself back in the seat to attempt to calm down.
My wolf hasn't yet figured out she can come out to play now we are free of the facility, but another fright
like that and she won't hesitate. So tired of shredding and losing clothes and it would be awkward
sitting nakedly with this man.
"Alora … yes, it's hard to digest and like I pointed out in the case of Colton, cross breeding is not
always successful given your masterful DNA and its ability to heal, much like the vampires can, but
how can you disbelieve when you are sat here, the very proof of that union. Your own genetics are
waving their hands at you and saying, 'here I am'." He blanches at me as though I'm being completely
preposterous, and his words are like a punch in the gut. Spinning me to him, eyes gawping wide at
what he said.
"What?!?!" that's not the response I expected from him at all and I blink at him, my mouth open and
frown intensely. "I thought you said I was witch and wolf." I let it out slowly, precisely, as I remind him of
how stupid what he's saying, actually is.
"No, my dear, I said you were a hybrid…. assuming your mother was a perfect half and half without
knowing her history of course, but it was very clear from your turning what you are. You're white…
witches generally make black wolves, like a kind of racial thing, I guess. You know like humans, where
Latino and white makes semi Latino, and then a white and white human makes white …. add in a
splash of color, and their baby's shades are wonderfully diverse. Vampires however… lack of sun and
being the undead, fascinating in biology by the way, they make white. Interestingly though, in all
hybrids where wolf DNA is present, they're always the prominent characteristic. Amazing… strong
genetics the wolves. And in some rare, rare instances, where the vampire gene is equally strong, but
yet, still of no match to that powerful beast…. the babies are lucky enough, gifted enough, down the
generational tree, to have red eyes. Remarkable." He's way too pleased with his story telling, and the
utter joy on his face only heightens the horror on mine.
I don't know if my mind leaves my body completely, or if shock and a sense of numb knocks me for six,
but I swear, I have an outer body experience and get so close to passing out as I just stare at him,
blankly, dead pan, not even remotely able to react to that little titbit of information, that I say nothing at
all.
I'm a vampire hybrid. No!!! Just, NO!
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