Page 16 of Kingly Bitten

My eyes recovered first, allowing me to pull up the surveillance of the door on the ninth floor. They were all oblivious to what had just happened on fifteen, their attention entirely on that door.

“Hmm,” I hummed, searching for any other views of the fifteenth level.

I finally located one near the elevator and saw nothing but rubble littering the floor.

Rubble glowing with streaks of sunlight, I realized after a beat.

“Is that…?” James trailed off, peering down at the screen.

Gretchen had joined us, reacting to whatever had made James curse and flinch on the screen. “Oh my God, that’s natural light.”

“Daylight,” I whispered.

The three of us shared a glance.

Then I pulled up the footage again of the ninth floor to check on their progress. Nothing had changed. My mind whirred as I considered our options. Either we waited for them to finish their exploration—I checked my watch for the current countdown, noting that we had less than an hour left now—or we made a break for it.

“We need to get up to the fifteenth floor,” I said quickly, standing. “It’s our best option.”

Gretchen and James agreed with matching nods.

My scrubs and lab coat weren’t great for concealing my identity, or useful for stowing weapons, but we didn’t have time to change. And I wasn’t about to pull on Gerald’s uniform. It wouldn’t fit, nor would it make me any less noticeable.

May as well wear what I’m comfortable in and go from there, I decided, picking up two loaded guns.

James did the same, his gaze on Gretchen. “I’ve got you.”

“I know,” she replied.

He bent to capture her mouth with his own. I averted my gaze, ignoring their show of affection, and focused on the dead Vigils.

Searching Gerald, I found a grenade that might be useful and stuck it in one of my lab coat pockets. Then I grabbed his handcuffs and shoved them into my other pocket. Lastly, I put his watch on my opposite wrist, then I handed the other Vigil’s device to James after he finished kissing Gretchen.

“We’re getting out of here,” I told them both. “Thoughts to the contrary will only get us killed.”

They both dipped their chins in agreement.

James cocked one of the guns next, tucking the other into a holster he’d stolen from the Vigil. “Let’s go.”

I checked the surveillance one more time, ensuring the lycans and vampires were still consumed by floor nine, then I followed them out the door toward the elevator bay.

All of us had been inside one enough times to know how to operate them based on observation alone. But James took the lead, using the dead Vigil’s watch and then adding a series of commands afterward.

Obviously, a lycan or vampire had kept a Vigil alive long enough to explain how to use the watches, because otherwise they wouldn’t know. Unless this was standard technology outside the bunker. As I’d never left, I wasn’t sure. But most of the research subjects were brought in by Lilith.

The box sprang to life around us, whisking us upward. Gretchen clung to her son, her hazel eyes wild with emotion.

I slid my fingers closer to the trigger of my guns but kept them pointed at the ground.

Then I held my breath as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened.

Dust and debris filled the area, followed by a scent I didn’t recognize.Outside, maybe?

James growled, the sound low and dangerous. “Vampires.”

That didn’t make sense. Group Five had been all lycans.

“Come out here shooting and we’ll return the favor,” a deep voice drawled.