Page 22

CHAPTER 21

I ignore them all as best as I can, embarrassment and anger warring inside me. I gave in to the fae too easily. I thought I was doing it to keep everyone safe, but the truth is, part of me wanted it, and I hate that he knows and uses it against me.

Now is not the time for my heightened, confused emotions though. Being distracted in a hunt is a death sentence, so I try to push them aside and focus. The information Simon gave me leads me to Meadow Park.

The black iron gates at both entrances are chained, and the park easily spans three miles, with running paths, a pond, and even a small coffee shop. During the day, it would be filled with human families and dogs, but now it remains empty and dark, a foreboding feeling coming from the trees.

The old oaks reach high into the sky, their branches casting horrific shadows across the ground. Pursuing my lips, I pull off a glove and press it to the gate.

Flashes of pain, blood, and death reach me. Something touched this gate recently, something dark. The cries of the dead call to me, striking my brain until I have to yank my hand away so I am not overwhelmed, but as always, it stains not just my brain, but my soul.

I pull my glove on and try to ignore the bile crawling up my throat. “This is the right place.”

“Are you sure?” Ronan asks as he floats up, hovering over the gate. “I don’t see any bodies or anything.”

“Doesn’t mean whatever is hunting isn’t here, and it’s hungry, very hungry,” I murmur as I step back and eye the gate once more. The lock is thick. I could waste hours trying to cut it. If this thing hunts at night, then it should be slinking from its hiding place soon. I want to catch it before then.

“I’ll climb over,” I begin, eyeing the fence to the side. There are spikes on top, but I can clear them.

The fae rolls his eyes and flicks his fingers, and the lock drops free, the gate swinging open. “Or we could just do that.”

Frowning, I glare at him then the gate. “Do not help. This is my hunt. I didn’t need magic before, and I don’t need it now.”

“Is your fight not a result of magic?” he reasons. “You use that, so why not use us?”

Ignoring him and his logic, I reluctantly stomp through the gate before softening my footsteps. Whatever is here will probably sense us coming if not hear us—most monsters can. There is no way to quieten my heartbeat, breathing, or footsteps enough to fool monsters. This often leaves us without the element of surprise, but that doesn’t mean I’ll give up.

Heading down the winding path, I follow the cute wooden signs pointing towards the pond. Once we reach it, I stare at the still, calm water. It’s a round, natural pool the park was built around.

There is a path all the way around it with a small island in the middle that seems to be for wildlife, but it’s empty. There aren’t even any birds or fish that I can see.

Ripples suddenly rush across the surface, as if someone is breathing under there.

Great.

This is definitely the place.

Crouching on the grassy verge, I eye the water, hesitant to reach out and touch it. Is it a water creature? Maybe it’s a nymph, though I haven’t heard of them being able to drain a full monster, never mind take a grown one down. Maybe it’s a trapped siren or mermaid. The possibilities are endless and too many to account for.

I glance at the three men—erm, monsters behind me. “Sense anything?” I wouldn’t usually ask, but I don’t want to go in blind if I can help it. Whatever is hunting these monsters is strong enough to kill and drain them. I need every advantage I can get, so even though I hate relying on anyone else, I have to.

We are a team, or at least Shamus hopes we will be.

“Magic.” The fae shrugs, looking bored and uninterested.

“Obviously. What kind?” I snap.

He arches his eyebrow. “The knowledge will cost you.”

“Forget it,” I mutter, glancing back at the water.

“It’s a portal,” Tem murmurs, and I glance over to see him crouching a few feet away, which is surprising since he always seems to be attached to my hip. His hand hovers over the water, where droplets slide across his palm and fingers as he seems to test it. “I can feel it. It’s an old one at that.” He glances at me. “It’s not meant to keep anyone out, but to keep someone in. It has weakened, allowing whatever is inside it to slip free, but it would be drawn back before long. There is blood in the portal, chaining whatever it is, very similar to my own. It’s ancient magic.”

“Fucking great,” I mutter. “Which means it’s old and powerful, or at least getting there after all the feedings, so when it’s strong enough, it can break free of the portal shield.”

“Very likely.” Tem shrugs. “Or it could be freed by someone else.”

“Will us entering break the portal?” I ask.

“It shouldn’t. It seems things have gone through before—probably animals or foolish humans trying to swim. They didn’t stand a chance. That’s how it must have fed and become strong enough to escape it in the first place.”

“Brilliant.” Pulling my bag around, I tighten it so it stays on my front.

“What are you doing?” Ronan asks.

I glance at him with an incredulous expression. “Hunting, of course.” Without waiting for his response, I stand and dive into the pond.

I expected it to be shallow, but the water is so deep, all I see is darkness under me. My hands cut through the water on either side of me as I float just below the surface, sparing the three observing faces one last look before I swim down.

I need to get to the portal before I run out of air. Let’s hope it isn’t more water on the other side or I’m fucked. Things like this were not made for humans, and my body will only be able to hold out for so long. Fighting a monster underwater could mean my death, but it has to come onto land to hunt, which means it can breathe above, and that’s my only consolation.

Diving deeper into the murky water, I open my eyes and hold my breath as I swim. The closer I get to the bottom, the stronger the feeling of something sucking me towards it becomes.

It’s probably how monsters of lake myths were born—a portal like this.

The magic washes over me as my lungs begin to scream, the edges of my vision blackening, but I still push forward, swimming as the magic grows.

The darkness seems to part, a glow emanating below me, and I swim towards it desperately as my body starts to give in. The glow only grows, obscuring everything, and then I fall through it.

The pressure of the water around me is gone, and instead it feels like air. I take a gasping breath, still unable to see, but I choke on the air and then hit something hard.

Pain stabs into my side, and I bite back a groan.

The air is forced from my lungs in a huff, and I lie on something sharp, the agony in my thigh making me grit my teeth. When I can finally breathe, I push my wet hair back.

As I turn, I feel something crunch, and I freeze. My eyes finally adjust, and then I peer down and swallow my horror. I’m lying on a pile of bones belonging to birds and animals, although . . . some even look human.

With dawning horror, I glance down at my leg to see a small bone protruding from the side of my thigh, my blood seeping around the old shard.

I grit my teeth and wrap my hand around the bone, yanking it free. It hurts, but as I prod the wound, I realise it’s not deep, just a bleeder. Ripping a sleeve from my shirt, I tie it around the gash and then slowly get to my feet. I slip and almost fall as the pile of bones shifts beneath me.

Pulling a flare, I crack the tube and toss it, illuminating the space around me in red. Despite it being under a lake, it doesn’t look like it was carved into the earth. The walls are steel and covered in rust with wires hanging down. It looks like an abandoned factory or an underground lab. I can’t see much farther. The bones pile is higher than it is wide, but there appears to be a corridor leading deeper into the place.

Glancing up, I see the glowing portal above me, the water lapping at it dark and serene. I guess I’ll have to climb if I want to . . . How did whatever this is get out?

A noise has my head jerking up again, and I see three bodies heading through the portal. I throw myself from the bones, rolling across the concrete floor and sliding to a stop in a crouch as I watch the fae and Tem hit the pile. The fae lands in a crouch before he stands and pushes his hair back, while Tem hits the bones in a belly flop. Ronan simply floats down and stands next to me.

“Took you long enough,” I mutter. “I was wondering if you chickened out.”

“Just giving you time to get eaten first.” The fae smirks as he walks delicately from the bones like he’s sauntering down a runway. Tem, on the other hand, just rolls and flops onto the floor before bouncing to his feet and smiling at me.

Rolling my eyes, I crack another flare and turn back, eyeing the place as I move deeper. The walls seem to drip with condensation. There’s a camera, old and forgotten, high up on the corner of the wall, as well as a busted metal door before the narrow corridor. Stepping on it, I peer inside the darkened hallway beyond.

“I guess this is the way.”

“I like their decorations. I never thought to use bones,” Tem remarks. “It gives it more of an intimidating aura.”

Ignoring him, I step into the corridor. Ronan floats behind me, and the others trail after me, discussing the pros and cons of using bones as decorations.

The passageway has a round roof and isn’t very long, and when I stop at the end, the hair on the back of my neck rises. I cannot see much, but I can feel.

“Enough,” I hiss, holding my hand up as I peer into the dark room beyond. “There’s something in there.”

“Well, obviously. Isn’t that why we are here?” Ronan jokes.

Ignoring him, I pull my hand from my glove and press it to the wall. Instantly, I recoil as if scalded. Screams and death fill my vision, as do flashes of people running, white coats, and so much blood.

“Something really bad happened here,” I admit.

“If you mean the lack of colour, I agree,” the fae comments. “If you are going to do the creepy Gothic thing, it’s all about colour.”

Ignoring them, I step into the room, my senses stretching beyond. I feel the buzz of electricity so I follow it. I walk into a rolling stool and curse before fumbling across a desk. The buzz grows louder in my head, letting me know I’m close.

Putting down the red light, I spy a thick, horseshoe-shaped handle set into a square case. There’s wording above it, but I can’t read it. It’s not any language I know, that’s for sure.

As I brush my fingers across it, I feel the tingle grow, indicating there’s electricity there. It’s probably a bad idea, but it’s better than fighting in the dark.

I grip the handle and flip it up. There’s a buzz, and then light blares on above us. It’s so bright, I have to shield my eyes for a moment. When I drop my hand, I glance around and find we are in some sort of control centre. Computers and screens all come back to life, some in the middle of programs as if they were abandoned. None of them look new, maybe five or so years old, but there’s an immense amount of power and technology here.

What were they doing?

What is hiding down here now?

Ronan makes a noise, and I look up to see him wide-eyed as he lifts his arm.

“Erm, I think you woke him.” I follow Ronan’s pointing hand, and my mouth drops open.

The blazing white lights exposed the glass-fronted lab beyond, and inside, hooked to a giant machine in the middle, is a man.

No, not a man.

A machine.

A mix of both.

His blood-red eyes snap open as he snarls, flashing huge fangs as his gaze lands on us.

“Prey,” he hisses in a deep, earth-shattering voice.

This was the monster from the vision, the one who killed.

“Oh fuck.” Ronan groans. “I’m so glad ghosts can’t be drained, but good luck, Tate.”

I cannot drag my eyes away. I have never seen anything like this. It’s a mix between man and machine, monster and technology. The wires tethering him to the machine seem to glow.Recharging him or imprisoning him? Chains lie at his feet, old and forgotten, with holes in the walls where they were once anchored.

His skin is deeply tanned despite being under the earth, but slashes across his chest and abs expose metal beneath his skin, and one of his hands is completely metal up to the forearm. A leg showcases more metal and wires as well.

The fucker is huge, easily eight feet, and completely naked . . . bar the blood coating his body.

This is definitely what we are here for.

“What is that?” Tem murmurs curiously. “A new friend?”

“I don’t have a clue,” I reply. “It looks like a mix of machine and sangui. Whatever they were doing here, they clearly created it”—I glance at the machines, realising they were monitoring it—“and watched it before it went wrong. They tried to trap it down here as a last-ditch effort, but it’s failing now.”

“Interesting and all, but he’s moving,” Ronan squeaks.

I glance back to see him disconnecting the wires from his skin before he steps down, the ground shaking under us from his weight.

“Any ideas?” I ask, but they are all silent. “Awesome. Let’s try talking to it first.”

“I don’t think he wants to talk,” Ronan mutters as he hides behind me. I stop at the glass window. There’s a doorway to the left, completely open, and he could be on us in seconds. The glass won’t do much, but it sure as shit makes me feel better to have it between us.

“We aren’t here to harm you,” I say slowly. It can obviously speak, so maybe it can understand me. “You are the one draining the monsters, right? You must be so hungry?—”

He roars, and I swallow.

“I don’t think he wants to talk,” the fae remarks casually.

I shoot him a glare before focusing on the man, erm, machine . . . monster before me. “The thing is, you can’t go around killing others and drinking their blood. It’s not good. That’s why I’m here. To ask you to stop.”

His head tilts to the side, and his eyes narrow. His fist suddenly lashes out, hitting the glass. It splinters and smashes, and before I can react, he’s reaching through, uncaring about the sharp edges carving off the skin on his arm as he grabs me and pulls me through it.

I don’t scream as he turns and lifts me close to his face, roaring again.

I see a subtle blue glow in his irises, a ring inside of the darkness—more mechanics.

“I am not here to hurt you,” I repeat as he lifts me higher, effortlessly holding me aloft. As I speak, I slide my hand into my bag with slow movements.

He simply bares his fangs and pulls me closer, no doubt to drain me, but I’m not in the mood for that today. Seriously, why does every monster want to eat me? Can’t they just be friendly for once? I wrap my fingers around a double-edged dagger and slowly extract it as he pulls me towards his mouth.

“Fine, if you don’t want to talk, then let’s settle this another way,” I mutter and plunge the dagger into the only place I can reach—the area between his neck and shoulder.

His eyes widen.

I don’t know what I hit, but his eyes flash blue and then his head drops, his fist releasing me. I hit the floor and drop to my knees, rubbing my throat as I breathe deeply.

Peering up at him, I wait for his response, but he seems to be frozen, and I swear I hear his wires sparking.

“Well, that looked fun,” the fae says.

“You’re doing great,” Tem adds as I glance back to see him and Ronan giving me a thumbs up. Climbing to my feet, I give the man a wide berth as I scan the room. He’s not dead, so I need to find a way to kill him quickly.

If he’s part machine, then maybe there’s a way to shut him down.

There’s a table at the back, so I head over to it and hit the keyboard, but I don’t understand any of the language. Picking up a folder on the side, I scan the contents. Most is in that strange language, but some is in English.

I read the reports and glance at the now stationary man. “It seems the original king of the vampyrs wanted this experiment. They wanted to temper their weakness so they could feed from anyone and anything, becoming invincible. It went wrong, and they created . . . him. He was considered a failure, insane from merging a soul and mechanics. Well, no fucking wonder he’s mad.” I drop the folder. “They created him, experimented on him, and then locked him away to starve and go mad. I’d be pissed too.”

“Super interesting,” Ronan mutters. “Do they say how to kill it?”

“Maybe the way you kill vamps?” I suggest as I eye him. I might feel sorry for him, but I’ll still kill him if I have to.

“You could use him, you know,” the fae says, and I glance over, frowning. “You need all the strength you can get for what is coming. I’m not big on sharing, but this might be beneficial.”

“Get to the point,” I hiss.

“I could tether him to you and make it so you are linked, then he couldn’t kill you without killing himself. Survival is something everyone understands, even animals like him.”

“He would hate me. I would trap him like they did.”

“It’s a different kind of chain, and it’s better than death. Your choice,” the fae offers casually, as if he doesn’t care either way.

I glance back at the man. Could he be saved if I have enough time? Could we free him of the madness clearly plaguing him? I hate that the fae is right. We should give him a chance. If I don’t, I’m no better than Black.

We have all killed for survival.

Maybe if someone offered him a shred of decency, kindness, or a chance, he would be different. Killing him feels wrong.

“Fine, let’s do it,” I state.

“Magic comes with a price,” the fae warns.

“Of course. What price?” I mutter as I stare at the man, swearing I see his fingers twitch.

“I want to explore your past in your mind, unchecked and uncensored. I want to feed on it,” he explains.

“Fuck that,” I mutter.

“What’s your choice?” he counters.

There’s a mechanical whir, and we all turn to see the man straightening, gearing back up, and as we watch, he reaches up and pulls the blade from his neck, tossing it aside. The skin and wires stitch back together, and his eyes blink, like a computer coming back online. “That’s not good.”

The fae grins. “Better decide quickly.”

He turns and flashes fangs at me. He seems pissed. “That was rude, I’ll admit, but you were being unreasonable,” I tell him, but he appears to be done with talking.

He storms towards me, his intention clear.

He wants to feed on my blood.

Ducking under the man’s arm, I avoid his meaty hands again. “Fine! Deal!” I roar as my back hits the wall, and he comes barrelling towards me. I’ll kill him if I have no choice, but I want to be different than them.

I have to be.

Besides, part of me understands this monster.

Betrayal leaves its mark.

It can make you into an animal.

The fae appears behind him, and his claws plunge into the man’s chest before the fae dances back as he whirls with a roar. Lifting his bloody hand, the fae offers it to me. “Blood exchange to seal the tie.”

I glance at the big bastard blocking my path. I have to get past him, and it’s clear the fae won’t help.

Fucking fae asshole.

Glancing at the big man once more, I roll across the floor, avoiding his hands, and come up before the fae, grabbing his wrist with a wince before I suck his fingers into my mouth, swallowing the creature’s blood.

“Now make him drink yours,” he says as he steps back.

“Wait, how—” I am yanked backwards, my back hitting a chest as I glare at the fae.

The tricky bastard. I’ll make him pay for this later.

My head is yanked to the side. I could fight him, but I don’t, and instead I brace myself. A moment later, those wicked fangs sink into my neck. My body spasms from the agony, but I force myself to relax.

Just when I start to feel weak and woozy, the man removes his fangs, and I stumble forward as I look at him. I reach up and cover the wound.

His eyes flare like he’s trying to fight the connection. My blood stains his mouth and chin as he reaches for me, his hands clenching and unclenching.

“It’s a spell that links us. Your instincts are demanding you stop. If I die, you die,” I explain. “Give me a chance to be different, to be better than them.”

Taking a chance, I drop my hand and step towards him. He watches me approach, his eyes wide and scared, like an animal waiting for a blow. I press my palm to his head, and I fall inside his mind.