“They will,” Julian agreed. “But one step at a time. And through the fence is the first step.”
He turned away from them and walked beside Vern as they all made their way through the trees. At the edge of the woods, Quinn knelt beside Julian and rested her fingers on the ground.
Her heart plummeted into her feet as she gazed at the easily twenty-foot-high chain-link fence before them. Barbwire surrounded the top of it in looping coils that looked like they could slice someone in half. Poles stuck out from the tops of the fence and stretched a good two feet toward the tree line. More barbwire and what she assumed was electrical wire ran around the poles, making it impossible for anyone to climb beyond that point.
Looking at the chain links of the fence, she spotted more wires running through them. She was certain Vern had been right, and the whole fence was electrified. The fence ran at least two hundred feet in either direction from where they knelt. It formed a square around the single story, concrete building in the center of the fenced-in area. Thick bars covered the two windows facing them. The large satellite dish and solar panels perched on the roof reflected the glow of the full moon rising high in the sky. Nothing moved around the building, but Quinn sensed something there, waiting for them.
“It’s a small building,” one of the vamps commented.
“It is,” Julian agreed. “I wasn’t able to see what it’s like on the inside, but these bastards like to go underground too. I’m willing to bet most of this compound is buried beneath the earth.”
He turned to face Dani. “How close do you have to get to the fence to knock out the electricity?”
“I’m close enough now,” she replied. “Are you ready for me?”
“Yes.”
Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and rested her hands on the ground. Quinn felt a vibration beneath her feet as the earth swelled and dirt rose up around them when Dani began to draw from the electrical pulses running through it. Sparks raced across Dani’s fingers, and the vampires closest to her all stepped away. The ground heaved before something broke free of Dani in a zigzagging line that scorched the earth as it raced toward the fence.
A sizzling bang resonated across the clearing. The hair on Quinn’s arms rose as the air around her became electrified. Golden bursts of electricity shot from the fence before exploding across the top of it in a ring of arcing sparks that erupted around the entire structure. Dani lifted her hands from the ground and swayed on her feet. Julian grasped her shoulder, steadying her before she could fall over.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
“Any time,” Julian replied.
Dani smiled at him before hesitatingly brushing her fingers over his. Tears shimmered in her eyes before she blinked them back. “It should be safe now, but I’ll go first to make sure,” Dani said.
“I’m coming with you,” Julian replied.
Quinn rose to her feet once more and followed them out of the woods toward the fence. Her gaze constantly swung over everything as Dani paused near the fence. The feeling of eyes watching her every move hadn’t eased with the cameras being taken down. Her gaze swung back to the windows of the building, and she knew the watchful eyes were beyond those barred panes.
Dani wiped her hands on her jeans before clutching two of the chain links. Quinn half expected sparks to start shooting out around Dani and her body to start jerking as she was electrocuted, but everything remained the same.
“The electricity is down,” Dani said when she stepped back.
Julian grabbed two of the links in the fence. His corded muscles bulged and flexed, causing his shirt to pull taut across his back as he wrenched a section of the fence open. He peeled the metal back until a three-foot-wide section had been torn into the fence. Stepping back, he surveyed the fence before looking toward the building.
“It’s almost too easy,” Dani said.
“That’s because it is,” Julian confirmed.
Quinn moved closer to peer through the hole at the building. “Did you get any impressions from touching the fence?” she asked him.
“Only glimpses into the lives of those who put it up. Most of them were Hunters, a few were Guardians in training. They’re most likely here too.”
“Fun,” Chris muttered. “Let’s get this over with.”
Julian went through the fence first and rose to his full height. Quinn almost yanked him back when he brazenly turned to face the building. His chest and heart were completely exposed as he stood before the hole, offering protection to all those who followed him. Quinn scrambled inside the fence and rose to stand beside him. She held her ground when he gripped her arm and tried to tug her back.