She really hated the whole damn prophecy, but if it somehow made it possible for all of them to live and work together, she would suck up that they made her feel like a rare animal on display for the first time ever. The idea of being akin to a zoo attraction for vampires was something she would have to get used to, and hopefully, she would become old news for them soon.
Shadows shifted through the trees. Her hand fell to one of the guns at her side as she sniffed the air and strained to hear anything above the creaking of the trees. Faint footsteps on the forest floor reached her. Detecting no heartbeats from those approaching them, her hand fell away from her guns before Vern emerged out of the woods. The ten vampires who had gone with him followed behind.
“We took down all the cameras we detected,” Vern said. His brown eyes held a hint of red in them when he stopped before Julian. “They have quite the encampment at the end of this road.”
“Did you find any traps?” Julian asked.
“We made it through to the fence surrounding the building safely. We’ll make it through again,” Vern replied.
“Did you notice if there was another way out of here?”
“No, but we didn’t go around the whole fence.”
“There may have been traps out here before, but they could have taken some of them down to try to make us lower our guard,” Luther said.
“It’s a good possibility,” Julian agreed.
“They still have no idea how many of us there really are,” Vern said. “At least the last quarter of the vehicles never made it into camera range.”
Julian rubbed at the stubble lining his jaw as he surveyed the vamps gathered around them. “Half of you are going to stay here,” he declared.
“Why?” one of them asked.
“For backup. You’ll know when we’re in trouble. I have a feeling there will be no hiding that if it happens. They’re trying to pull us in, but we’ll also lure them into a feeling of false security by keeping our true numbers from them.
“I also want five vampires to go through the woods to search for the back way out. Take down the cameras you locate as you go. There will probably be traps, so keep alert, but we need to block off their other exit in case they try to retreat. No matter what happens, no matter what you see or hear from our location, that roadway is to remain barred once you find it,” Julian said. “Any volunteers?”
The vamps all looked at each other before some hands rose into the air. Julian broke the volunteers off from the others and sent them ahead of their group. When everyone had been divided and given their assignments, he turned to Quinn.
“Any chance I can get you to stay behind?” he asked her.
“Any chance the sky is green?”
He smiled and took hold of her hand to pull her against him. The feel of him sent an electric thrill through her body as he kissed her. “That’s what I figured. Stay close to me, Dewdrop.”
“As long as you do the same.”
“You never have to worry about that.”
He kept her hand in his as they slipped into the woods behind Vern. Quinn searched for any hint of danger amid the thick pines surrounding them. The scent of the trees hung heavily in the air, as did the rich aroma of the earth and rotting pine needles beneath her feet. Accustomed to the myriad of scents from the desert, this new influx of aromas overwhelmed her senses.
She wanted to take a minute to acclimate herself to the unfamiliar environment, but she couldn’t slow everyone down simply because she felt overwhelmed right now. Sorting through the aromas of pine, earth, animals, and decaying wood, she finally focused on the scents of the Guardians and Hunters with them, as well as the vampires surrounding her.
Julian stopped at the side of a downed tree, released her hand, and swung himself over it. Turning back to her, he settled his hands on her hips to lift her over. When he held her close for a moment longer than necessary, she felt the tension in his taut muscles. His eyes were a red so vibrant they would make a ruby look dull.
“Stay with me,” she whispered afraid of what he would do when they came into contact with any member of The Commission, and she had no doubt they would. He wouldn’t be denied this.
“Always,” he said, and blue of his eyes briefly broke through the red when he kissed her. As soon as he stepped away from her, the blue swiftly faded away again.
“Julian—”
“You are number one, Quinn. I won’t do anything reckless, not when your life is entwined with mine.”
She threaded her fingers through his before they continued through the forest. After another quarter mile, Vern stopped and turned to face them. “About fifty feet ahead is the fence,” he said to Julian. “There’s barbwire running across the top, and I’m assuming what is electrical wire running throughout the chains. I wasn’t going to grab hold of it in order to find out.”
“I can take care of the electricity,” Dani said. “Short circuit it if necessary.”
“We’ll be able to tear through the fence afterward,” Julian replied.
“They’ll have something more than electricity and barbwire,” Melissa said. “They know what Dani and other Grounders are capable of when it comes to manipulating electricity.”