Page 17 of Sergi (Of Blood & Dreams #7)

Chapter Sixteen

The following day, before the guard came for me, I stuffed four vials of blood and the vial of Blood Poppy under the waistband of my underwear. Once I was on level three, I pulled the cart out of the storage closet and moved slowly around it, ensuring the necessary supplies had been loaded. The guard, one I hadn’t seen before, turned his back to speak with another guard, and I jumped on the opportunity to stuff the vials into the middle of a stack of rags.

When he turned back to me, he growled, “There’s a change in the cells. There are three more males. They’re wilder than most but don’t worry, they’ve been chained to the wall like the others. Be quick about your business.”

I nodded, still wondering where they were getting so many shifters. He led me down a row of cells I hadn’t cleaned before. Like the other cells on this level, the doors didn’t have keycards, and instead of one wooden beam barring the door, there were three.

Before the guard left, he gave me a malicious grin. “Try not to get yourself ripped apart.” Then he strolled down the hall, banging the doors to the other cells with only intimidation in mind. An abusive tactic. I glanced at the rags with the vials hidden among them. If I got caught, I could be back in one of these cells and added to the list of test subjects.

I took a deep breath and shook off the thought. I’d gone too far at this point. It would be safer to give the blood to the vampire and then toss the empty vials out with the garbage. I lifted the three bars away from the first door, wanting to get this over so I could spend more time with the vampire. If my uncle could hear me, he’d wonder if I’d lost my mind.

I opened the door of the first cell slowly, not convinced the guards had chained the shifters. This guard didn’t seem trustworthy, but I didn’t have to worry. The shifter, a young, wiry kid, was curled up in a fetal position and didn’t move the entire five minutes I was there. The second shifter, about the same age as the previous kid, was shorter and heavier. He sat in the corner, knees pulled up to his chest. He didn’t move either, but his eyes followed my every move.

“I know you must be scared.” I wanted to ask if he was friends with the other male but decided to wait a day. “I’m also a shifter. I’ve been here for a few months, just trying to stay alive. Never give up.”

I don’t know why I shared that last thought. Did I still believe that? I’d been on the verge of accepting my fate after witnessing the horrific experiments.

Until the day they chained a vampire.

I’d opened the third cell door and had taken two steps inside when the shifter stood. He was chained and appeared more coherent than the first two. I immediately raised my hands to calm him.

“I’m also a shifter. I’m just here to…” I stared at the shifter and blinked.

He stood motionless. Staring. Then he spoke. “Alex?”

“Carlos?” Without a thought, I ran to him and grabbed his arms. “What are you doing here?”

“I could say the same of you.” He pulled me in for a hug. “We all thought you were dead.”

Tears sprung to my eyes. “Even my uncle?”

His smile was sad. “I think he still holds out hope, but with each day that passes…”

He couldn’t finish, and I could barely see beyond my blurred vision.

“What’s happening here?” He gratefully changed the subject.

“Horrible experiments.” I sat on the floor next to him, taking in his bruises and cuts inflicted by the guards’ welcoming committee. His expression, happy I was alive yet sad to see me in this place, changed as I explained everything I’d witnessed. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. His eyes, shimmering with the light glow of his wolf, reflected his anger and a touch of fear.

And I was scared for him. “How did they capture you?”

“We were sent to find the lab, just like you’d been.”

I scoffed. “Then you were sent on a fool’s mission.”

“There were two vampires with me. Have you seen them?”

I jumped up and almost tripped over the mattress. What was he saying? “You came with vampires?”

He nodded. “Your uncle is working with them.” He shook his head at what must have been my look of dismay. “These vampires are different. They’re fighting as much for us as they are themselves. Have you seen them?”

Shifters and vampires working together? And my uncle agreed with this? He had mentioned something about testing a business partnership with a vampire House. It must have developed into something more than I’d realized. I was never one for politics and considered my uncle’s dream of shifters and vampires working together nothing more than a fantasy. But then again, I had more of a grudge against vampires than my uncle.

“Alex, have you seen vampire prisoners?”

He’d also stood, and I glanced up. “Just one.”

He considered my answer. “Maybe Rafael got away. If he did, they’ll send in a larger team.” He scratched at the iron cuff around his wrist. “If he didn’t, we might be on our own for longer than I’d hoped. Sergi can help.”

“Who’s Sergi?”

“He’s the vampire prisoner. He’s cadre.”

I stepped back, my eyes darted around the cell, unable to focus. This just kept getting better. The vampire was cadre. Now, it all made sense. His refusal to speak. The anger and frustration he created in the interrogator. His willingness to endure the torture. He was on our side? I sensed he was different. But still.

“How do you know we can trust him?”

Carlos tilted his head and studied me. “I understand your distrust. But much has happened in the months you’ve been gone.”

That was an understatement.

“Your uncle trusts this House implicitly. As do I.”

That rocked me. While Carlos didn’t hold anger toward vampires as I did, he had his own reasons to mistrust them. To hear him say these things now, well, I wasn’t sure what to make of it.

Or did I?

When I’d first seen the vampire—Sergi—strapped to the wall, I’d been curious why they would torture one of their own. He’d been defiant from the start. And after all he’d been through, he hadn’t given up. Maybe there was a faction of vampires who didn’t see us as an inferior race. Had he been kind to me because he didn’t see me as something less? Or was it a ploy?

Carlos wouldn’t lie. Not about my uncle. Not about this vampire.

“What can I do?” I asked.

“You need to free him. Free me.”

I shook my head. “That’s impossible.”

His words were low and even. “Nothing is impossible when the truth is on your side.”

My gaze shot to his, and it was impossible not to see the sincerity. My uncle’s words.

I glanced at the door. I’d been here too long.

“I need to go. I have more cells to clean before they come for me.” I changed out the water and dumped the waste bucket.

Before leaving, I placed a hand on his cheek. I didn’t know what I could do, but I would not allow my friend to be an experiment. Not if I could help it.

Besides, if I hadn’t already planned on helping the vampire, why did I have four vials of blood and one of Blood Poppy hidden in the cleaning rags?

“I need some time to replay everything you’ve told me. My schedule sometimes changes, but I currently clean the cells on this level every morning. With any luck, I’ll be back tomorrow. I only have one piece of advice. Stay wild. From what I hear, they usually prefer their test subjects broken.”

He nodded. “Trust him, Alex. We might not be able to wait for the calvary.”

The door scraped against the stone floor, and the light from the hallway cast the long shadow of a lone figure. Sergi struggled to push the beast down, but it was harder each time. The Magic Poppy was stronger than he’d anticipated. He watched the female, her steps tentative, but she drew closer as her eyes darted from him to his restraints and back again.

He howled—deep and long. A lonely sound filled with rage and sorrow.

Instead of taking a step back in fear, she took a step forward. He wanted her to go away. His beast was taking over, and the last thing he wanted to do was harm her.

“You shouldn’t be here. I’m not safe to be around.” He sounded as if he’d been running for miles without a drop of water to quench his thirst.

Rather than heed his warning, she took another step. “Because of the injections?”

He nodded.

She stepped close enough for him to pick up her scent. No fear. Curiosity if he had to guess. “I have to admit, that howl was pretty fierce.”

“The Magic Poppy is forcing the beast to rise. It’s hungry.”

She studied him. “Your name is Sergi.”

He tensed, his eyes narrowing with concern. How could she know that?

She tilted her head as she continued to study him. “I won’t tell anyone. I just came from Carlos’s cell. He told me.”

“You know him?” He grimaced as an excruciating pain jolted through him.

She nodded then turned to the table, keeping her back to him. He watched with his own growing fascination as she reached under her shift and pulled something out. She laid a small wrapped package on the table and opened it up to reveal several vials.

“This is labeled with an H.” She held up the vial, and he focused on it, but he couldn’t see it clearly enough to confirm what the label said. “It’s the same naming convention as the labels on the vials in the cooler.” She waved the vial at him. “Will it help?”

“I’m not sure if it’s enough, but it might take the edge off.”

“I brought four vials. They’re dated from a week ago. I have more hidden in my cell, but I have to be careful.”

She stepped closer, and her gaze shifted to his shoulder. When he glanced down, he wondered if it was the patterns in his tattoo that caught her attention. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen her interest in them. He could still feel the path her finger had taken when she followed the curves and lines of his ink when she thought he was sleeping.

She opened the vial and, tipping his chin up, poured the entire contents into his mouth. It was warm and stale but would still have the nutrients his body needed. He’d drunk worse to stay alive.

Once the last vial was empty, the beast settled. It wouldn’t be for long, but it was a reprieve.

“You’re face has changed.” She stroked his cheek then, seeming to realize what she’d done, stepped back. “Sorry.”

“It’s the Magic Poppy. It forces the physical changes of the beast.”

“You mentioned something about Blood Poppy. Would that help?”

Devon and Remus had thought Blood Poppy was the major ingredient in Magic Poppy, yet only a small amount had shown up in the test results. No one understood why. According to Colantha, Blood Poppy was the source of life for vampires. Without it, fertility rates had dropped, and rare blood disorders were on the rise. She’d also warned of the Blood Poppy’s addictive component.

Devon’s addiction to Magic Poppy had been hard to shake. Colantha admitted Blood Poppy was used in her special juice that healed the psychic strain in dreamwalkers. The juice was addictive, and its use was monitored closely. Was the Blood Poppy, albeit used in small quantities, what made the Magic Poppy so addictive? They might have added an additional habit-forming ingredient since the Blood Poppy was considered rare.

There might be other reasons for the low quantity of Blood Poppy used. It might be potent enough in small doses to be sufficient for the end product. Or, perhaps, adding Blood Poppy past a certain amount negated the effects of the other ingredients in Magic Poppy, countering its effectiveness.

That left the question of whether the Blood Poppy would help his current dilemma or make it worse.

Desperate times.

“At this point, it couldn’t hurt.”

She walked to the table and picked up the last vial. “This is labeled BP, so it’s only a guess that it’s Blood Poppy.”

“I’ll risk it.”

She glanced toward the door. “Did you hear something?” She closed her fist around the vial and ran to the door, carrying the waste bin, and peeked out. Then she disappeared into the hallway but returned after a few seconds and set the emptied bin next to the table. “We don’t have much time. They’ll come looking for me soon if I’m not at the stairs.”

She opened the vial. “You’re sure about this?”

He was caught in her worried gaze. The smoky blue ring around her hazel eyes was more pronounced today. Was it impacted by emotions?

He nodded, and he kept his eyes on her as she poured the thick liquid on his tongue, waiting patiently for the last drop to leave the glass tube. She shoved the vial in her pocket.

“Before you go, tell me the layout of the place. Do you know where the command center is?”

She hesitated as she considered his request. Was it because she didn’t want to tell him or because she didn’t know? Then it all came out.

“You’re on level three. If you go left out of this hallway, make the first two rights to take you to the stairs. Level two is where most of the prisoners are held. On this level, wooden bars are used to lock the doors, but on the upper levels, they use keycards. I think the same one opens all of them.

“There are guards’ quarters on each level. The labs are on the first floor, along with the cafeteria and the living quarters for the lab staff. I only go where the guards take me, which is either to this level or the labs.” She paused and tapped a finger on her chin. “There are signs on the walls, and if I remember correctly, security and the command center are in the opposite direction from the labs.”

He nodded. “Do you know where Gheata sleeps?”

When she looked confused, he added, “He’s the one who’s been interrogating me.”

“You know him?”

“In a way.”

“But he doesn’t know you?”

He shook his head. “He’s never seen me before. I thought he would have checked the House rosters, but he hasn’t shown any indication that he knows who I am.”

Boots echoed in the hall, and her eyes widened. This time, they reflected fear.

“Tell them I made a mess, and you had to clean it up. They won’t check.”

“I’ll try to bring more blood tomorrow.” As the boots got closer, she asked, “Do you think Rafael got away?”

He wasn’t surprised by her question. If she’d spoken with Carlos, he’d be wondering the same thing. He wouldn’t lie to her. “He’s capable, but I’d say it’s a fifty-fifty chance. We can’t wait.”

She nodded and turned as the guard entered, and she lowered her head, her tone turning submissive. “I’m sorry I’m late. I hadn’t been expecting the new shifters, and then this prisoner had made a horrible mess. It won’t happen again.”

The guard glanced at Sergi and then at her. “Just get moving. You’ll be late for the labs. The experiments start in an hour.”

She gave Sergi a terrified glance then scurried from the room.

Once the door was closed and bolted, he closed his eyes but didn’t sleep. He reviewed the information she’d shared. And though he couldn’t be sure, he thought a tingle had gone through his system after drinking the Blood Poppy. It tasted good. Better than human blood.

Unsure how much it would help, and while he still had his faculties, he went over the facility’s layout again and formulated a plan.