Alpha's Legacy (Black Moon Saga Book 3)

46. Second Chance: Bria

When we turn the next corner, we’re greeted by the sight of a passage that is so clogged with the lifeless forms of sleeping vampires that there is literally nowhere to step without touching one of them.

“Holy hell,” Aspen exclaims in a whisper so quiet that not even werewolves could hear it.

But I heard it, and so might anyone from the pile of vamps before us, so I turn and remind her with a pointed glare that she’d better shut her trap unless she wants to take on these bad boys all at once. Then I silently gesture for a retreat down the way we came so that we can regroup and formulate a plan. I’m thinking of knocking them out with a few expertly placed time-release stink bombs, but I only have two on me. We’re going to need to take inventory and see if we’ve got enough, or if we’ll have to send someone for supplies first.

Then in my earpiece, I hear Willow saying, “He’s truly an amateur. Look at all these sketches he left on the desk. He was trying to puzzle out some more of the sigils, and failing. It’s odd, but good news for us.”

They’ve been in Grayson’s secret hidey hole for some time now, scouring the place for everything that’s been left behind, looking for clues about anything to do with Anna Jade. Where he’s taken her now, of course, but they’re also trying to puzzle out what else he might be up to. None of us buy his claim that he just wants my teams working for him to do the exact same job we were already doing for Alpha Miles.

Then the creepy little wolf who likes burrowing through walls like a rat says, “It seems like something should be here, though I’m not seeing it. I can feel it, but only in my bones. Could use your magic eyes over here to confirm.”

“Who?” Phoebe wonders.

“Anyone with magic eyes,” Rat-boy tells her.

Yes, I know that they call him Angel, but I won’t do it. He’s too shifty-eyed and creepy for me to call him angelic, even if it’s meant to be ironic. I do like that he’s quiet, though. That’s more than I can say for the rest of Pete’s team. It’s like they forget that we’re over here dealing with bloodsucking vermin that respond to sound vibrations as much as scent, and voices carry. I don't remember his people being so vocal before.

Though I suppose it counts for something that these guys aren't his own crew. They're not even usually part of the same crew. He's assembled them together from all over, and they haven't really found their groove yet I guess. Too many people who are used to being the boss, and not enough who are used to putting their heads down and getting to work.

“It doesn’t make any sense, though, right?” questions the shifter mutt that we’ve taken to calling Bam Bam, a question probably meant for Pete.

They’ve been digging through the area that they seem to think was where Anna Jade was being kept. There’s a small bed with a bare mattress that Pete said is saturated with her scent, and left on top of it, a sketchbook with the first few pages filled with pencil drawings. Also covered in her scent. I agree with Bam Bam, it doesn’t make any sense.

“She wouldn’t have just been sitting here coloring the whole time, would she? I mean, she’s been kid-napped,” Bam Bam points out in disbelief. “And why would he have allowed it?”

“Why not? He was just sitting over here coloring right along with her,” Willow comments smugly.

Though without being able to see her face, I couldn’t say if she’s pleased with herself for making a humorous observation, or if she’s feeling quite superior as she’s staring down the evidence that Grayson isn’t the hotshot he pretends to be. If it’s the latter, then she’d better watch herself. Let’s not forget that the man still managed to tag one of my guys, stealthily follow us home, and then crowd control three vampires one-handed. I can’t bring myself to care that he’s not all that skillful with traps and shields and the like. With power and talent like his, he probably rarely even has use for the basics.

But I’m busy dealing with my own stuff, so I don’t bother chiming in. Between the three of us on my team, we only have three stink bombs, so I’m working on calling Shy’s team back this way so we can chat and reorganize. If the pattern we’ve been noticing so far continues, then the more vamps there are in an area, the more likely something important is hidden away in there. The passage clogged wall-to-wall with newborns just won itself top priority. I’m betting that the master who created them nests down there somewhere.

“No, she wouldn’t have just been sitting there coloring,” Pete insists. I can hear the offense he’s taking at Bam Bam’s implication just from the irritated tone of his voice. I can also hear pages flipping. “There’s some reason why she drew these, and there’s some reason why this is the only thing she left behind. We just have to figure out the reasons.”

“There’s no magic here,” Phoebe says, probably talking to Rat-boy.

“Are you sure? There has to be. I’m almost never wrong about these things,” Rat-boy claims. “Something is here. I know it.”

“Well, it’s not magic,” Phoebe maintains. “And before you demand that my mom has a look, don’t bother. Any caster can detect the presence of magic, if it’s there. She’s better at disabling it, but I can tell the difference between magic and no magic. I’m telling you, there’s no magic here.”

That woman is way too sensitive, and she lets her feelings get hurt altogether too much. She forgets that it’s not a competition to see who’s the better caster. It’s a job, and double-checking to be sure wouldn’t kill anything but her ego if she turns out to be wrong.

“Although,” Willow starts to say something, pausing as she makes some strange clicking or clucking sound. “That is the location I was referring to earlier. The dead zone. The coordinates match.”

“See, no magic,” Phoebe seizes the opportunity to point out.

“No, but Grayson doesn’t only dabble in magic,” Willow reminds her. “He has access to at least one vampiric artifact, so it stands to reason that he could have more. Perhaps something that could obscure a door or opening without using any magic?”

Oh, you clever, clever witch. She’s probably exactly right about that. Maybe not about the second artifact, but about the effect being vampiric rather than magical.

Not only is there already a confirmed master vampire somewhere in this area, as there would have to be to explain the swarms of newborns everywhere, but underground tunnel systems were always Raja’s favorite places to set up residence and tinker with things. If Grayson has found one of her toys, then it would make sense for him to have retrieved it from one of her haunts, maybe even with the assistance of the unknown vampire. Raja always sealed her workspaces with her unique blend of vampiric talents, creating effects that resemble what protective magic can achieve.

“Copy that,” I finally speak into my earpiece. “We’re kind of in the middle of something, but once we get it sorted, I’ll head over that way to check it out. But for the record, Willow’s theory that it’s vampiric is highly plausible. If we’re still thinking Raja, then that’s exactly what she would have done to obscure an area for her work.”

“I can accept that this is vampiric rather than magic,” Rat-boy comments thoughtfully. “What I can’t accept is that it’s just a solid wall, because I know it’s not.”

I can hear Pete still flipping through that book, probably clinging to it being a useful task because he needs it to be. I know it’s killing him that their rescue arrived about a day late, and I fully expect him to explode at me about it later. He’ll blame my insistence on leaving here last night, and I’ll let him. Not because I was wrong about it, but because I’ve got some mighty thick skin and he’s worried about his missing mate. Me too, though I’ve moved past playing all the unproductive blame games at this point.

Shy’s group finds its way back to us, and they have three more of the stink bombs we’re going to need. And since he’s right here, we might as well use him. He’s the one with the vampiric talent for wall-climbing. Between that and Delia’s levitation thing, they should be able to get them all placed.

“Whatever you’re plotting, hold off for just a moment,” I hear a familiar but unwelcome voice speak from just behind me.

“Grayson,” I growl. “I’m in no mood for your games, and what we’re ‘plotting’ is our job. Taking out the vamps, as requested. Where’s Anna Jade?”

“You haven’t finished your part, so I’ll be keeping her for now,” he responds, and I can hear the smirk in his voice, even if I still can’t see him. “Just consider yourself lucky that I’m feeling generous today. I’ll let you off with a warning for the betrayal going on in my quarters as we speak.”

Ugh. Pete's crew must have missed a camera somewhere, probably in Grayson's "quarters" as he just said. I'm well aware of him monitoring my teams, and sometimes we even give his hidden cameras a little wave, but I'd hoped that Pete's guys could stay off his radar. Knocking out surveillance is supposedly Nolan's thing, the special talent that he brings to the table, and Pete's usually pretty good at it too.

“I had nothing to do with whatever it is you’re accusing me of,” I lie anyway, because why not. It could be a bluff on his part, meant to trap me into confessing.

“Sure you didn’t.”

I feel a light tug on my earpiece, and then it’s hovering in the space before me.

“Hmm, they don’t sound all that competent to me. The least you could have done is hire some real professionals,” he mocks, and I realize he’s there in front of me listening to the open chatter.

He returns the device to my ear, and I don’t hear anything. Either they’ve gone quiet, or he just busted the damn thing. Wouldn’t that just be wonderful.

“But I’ll give you a second chance,” he offers, feigning sweetness. “The stakes will be higher, but the reward will be the same. You’ll get the girl back once you’re finished, as long as you get rid of the amateurs in my apartment and do as I say.”

“What’s the new assignment?” I ask, not bothering to argue with him.

Pete and his crew have no reason to be here now anyway, and they’ve had enough time in Grayson’s hideout to collect anything of use. Besides, if Willow hasn’t finished tracking his teleport by now but was wasting time scoffing at his drawings, then Grayson is right. They’re conducting themselves like amateurs, and more time won’t help them be more effective.

He thrusts a paper into my hands, and on it is written some coordinates. They’re not far from here, and if I’m not mistaken, they might even be down a little way past the corridor that’s packed with sleeping vamps.

“He goes by the name Enrique, and he’s the creator and master of all the newborns and fledglings you’ve been exterminating. I finally managed to track him down, so you’re welcome for that, but here’s the deal.”

My skin starts crawling in a strange and unfamiliar way, and I get the sense that he just leaned in close enough to touch me. My body shudders involuntarily just at the thought, and I resolve to have myself checked over by a caster to make sure that he didn’t just shove his essence in me or something.

“There will be no capturing this one, despite his sentience,” he says lowly, probably attempting to intimidate me. “No arrests made either, only sure and sudden death. Any other outcome will jeopardize your precious little witch. Do you understand?”

“Then what's the catch? There must be one," I question, hoping that he doesn't perceive it as me taunting him for going too easy on us.

I don't want him to decide to make it harder for us to win Anna Jade back, but he did say that he was raising the stakes. Asking us to eliminate one sentient vampire is basically just adding a specific target to what he was already demanding, and I don't want to be blindsided by whatever it is that he's really asking of us.

“Well, I have no clue what the man is even capable of besides creating an endless swarm of vamps and stirring up trouble everywhere he goes, and neither do you,” he points out, and rightly so. “Plus, as you well know, once you kill their master, the rest tend to get a little wild. It could get a bit exciting down here, and you’re not going anywhere until every last one of them is down. Not if you want your girl back.”

He's not wrong, although his ignorance about vampires is showing through. This Enrique guy hasn’t been lifting a finger to try to control his creations. They’re already wild and feral. His death might rile them up a bit, but they’ll be no more of a threat than they already have been. But I won’t bother pointing that out. Let him think that he’s got me cornered, or whatever it is he’s going for.

“Alright, fair enough,” I tell him agreeably. “Luckily for you, we were just about to clear out the passage that leads to this location, so we’re already hot on his trail.”

“Good. Better go now before he figures out that you’re coming. He should be sleeping right now, if my sources are correct.”

“Perfect.”

“Don’t screw this up,” he warns threateningly. “And no more trying to pull a fast one on me. I’ll always figure it out, and you only get one second chance.”

“Heard you loud and clear.”

"And Bria," he begins to say, a hint of smug playfulness to his tone, "You'd better hurry. There's a clock on this now. Wrap it up by midnight tonight, or the girl is mine to do with as I please."

Grayson doesn't intimidate me, not even when he speaks my name like that, but I don't like the sound of that last part. These must be the raised stakes he alluded to and then danced around. I don't like it one bit, and I'm skeptical that Pete's crew will be able to make it to her in time, so I guess we'd better get to work.

He reveals himself for only a split-second so that I get a full view of the menacing look he’s giving me as he disappears again, presumably teleporting away to wherever it is that he’s keeping Anna Jade now.

“I didn’t want to say anything and risk him turning his attention on me and shoving one of those things in my arm,” Shy starts to say, stepping closer and holding out his earpiece to me, “but Pete has been trying to reach you.”

I curse under my breath as I take the device from him, using it to replace my broken one.

“I had a feeling that he disabled mine when he took it,” I mutter, hitting the button on the earpiece before broadcasting, “Bria here. Just had a surprise visit from Grayson, and as his parting gift, my comms are out.”

Pete offers his own curses and makes a frustrated sound, and I can almost see him shaking out his agitation the way that he does when he gets worked up.

“Copy that,” he says after a moment. “We were just wondering if you have an ETA on your assist with the hidden vampire door?”

“Uh, yeah. Not happening. In fact, get yourselves out of there. He’s monitoring a lot more closely than we thought, and at this point, you being down here is jeopardizing Anna Jade.”

I don't bother to say anything about how we're on a clock now, and his crew's incessant chatter in my ear is only going to slow us down, or how we need them out of here so we don't have to worry about coming to their rescue when we have more important things to do. Grayson is onto them, and they need to go. That was part of the deal, so I figure I've said enough. At least for now.

Pete curses some more and then clears his throat. “Got it. Guess we’ll go and test out our clearance with Alpha Miles to see what sort of intel he’s dug up. At this point, we should probably be looking above ground anyway.”

“Is that what Willow’s teleport-tracking sense is saying?”

“Yes. He can’t have left the city,” she answers me directly. “But he went far enough that I don’t think they’re in these tunnels anymore, and I have a general sense of what direction he went.”

Well, I’ll be. I guess she did do her job before playing around with Grayson’s drawings.

“Okay. Well, good luck,” I tell them. “Comms might not work over that kind of distance with all the above-ground interference, so I guess this is where we part ways, Dream Team.”

Pete chuckles despite his stress, and after a few more brief exchanges of goodbyes and good lucks, his people seem to sign off and prepare to move. I switch Shy's earpiece over to connect with Pete's directly, hoping to catch him before he's gone so that I can tell him privately that they'd better hurry and track Anna Jade down in case my team fails to meet the deadline. He's not happy about it, as I knew he wouldn't be, but I also trust that he'll keep it together and do whatever he needs to do. Maybe he'll even start cutting some corners and bending the rules, which I normally wouldn't condone, but these are dire times.

And now my own crew and I need to get back to business. It’s time to go and knock out an entire passage of the “red-eyed buggers” as Rat-boy likes to call them, and once the stinky poison mist has cleared, it will just be a simple hack job, putting them all down while they sleep peacefully. I much prefer that to the alternative of having to chase them all down once we've eliminated their master.

But then we’ve got a date with this Enrique guy, speaking of their master. Though I’d normally take issue with shooting first and asking questions later, he already seems like scum that I’m finding myself unable to feel sorry for, sentient or not. What he’s been doing down here is cruel, disgusting, and quite frankly, as much as I hate that Grayson’s motives and my own might be aligning, I can’t help feeling like we’re about to do a massive public service by getting rid of him.

Besides, I'll gladly rid the world of one rogue vampire without regret if it means freeing Anna Jade before Grayson can have his way with her. There's no contest there. Enrique is already a goner, even if he doesn't know it yet.