How you doing? he'd asked.
How do you think I'm doing, human? I'm in a cage. We aren't going to harm you.
Bitter laugh. That's what my last owner said, just before his guards held me down. And just so you know, I'll slaughter you and your people the way I did him and his if you think to make me your whore.
As Devyn had told him how Bride camouflaged herself before bursting into tiny bits of mist, he'd been half afraid the warrior would do something similar, but it hadn't happened. Be at ease. That's not why you're here, you have my word. There's a virus being passed around my people, one that only vampire blood seems capable of defeating. We just want to take a little of yours and test it.
The explanation was ignored. Tell me about Starlis. It was a command laced with need. Certainly. Tell me who that is first. That pale jaw clenched. The female you bought. Starlis. Pretty name. She's fine. Next door to you. He shouldn't have admitted that, but wanted the warrior to relax. Not that he would have been able to do so, had the situation been reversed. Nothing will happen to her, either.
It better not. Because if you hurt her ... Claws curled into a fist and cut the warrior's palm. Were they lovers? Brother and sister? Like I said, we only mean to test your blood.
That desire will cost you. You should have spoken to our king rather than purchase us. The word purchase was sneered.
Your king is hidden from us. We don't know how to find him. Red lips had lifted in eerie amusement. Don't worry. He'll now find you.
It was a threat everyone at AIR had taken seriously. Security was being beefed up, the black ops and field agents called in.
The sedan eased to a stop, and Dallas pulled himself into the present. He'd hated leaving those vampires locked up, but hadn't known what else to do. AIR needed their blood. Hell, mankind needed their blood.
Hector exited without a word, and Dallas quickly followed suit. Warm morning air enveloped him. There were several cars around them, agents outside them and staring into a government-protected forest. The same one Dallas had been next to last night, just on the other side. Coincidence?
"Weapons are in the trunk," Hector told him.
He swung around back and popped the trunk. Sure enough, there were enough guns and blades to take down an army. He sheathed the smallest and sharpest of the knives and holstered two pyreguns. He even pocketed an extra crystal in case one of the guns misfired. He wasn't taking any chances this time.
" 'Bout time you joined us," Jaxon said, striding to his side. The agent palmed a mini-grenade, measured its weight, and gently placed it in his side bag. "Thought we were going to have to win this battle without you."
"Not likely," he said with a snort. "I've got skills you can only dream about." That earned him a laugh. "Just keep yourself alive, my man, and I'll be happy."
What was with everyone doubting his abilities? He'd screwed up once. Okay, twice. Big deal. "As you know, I can do things other people can't. I can move faster than anyone here." Besides Mia, but
she wouldn't leave Kyrin's side. "I've finally given over to my dark side, so I know I can handle this." He said it with confidence, his psychic knowledge assuring him of success. He also said it without a hint of disdain.
He'd always thought he'd feel more alien, the more he accepted his powers. He'd even expected to feel regret. Instead, he felt more like himself than he had in months. "I can scout ahead and see what we're dealing with," he added. "Let everyone know what's going on before they get there."
Having heard the conversation, Hector came up beside him and held up a computerized map. "Our boy is here. It's a straight shot, dead center, and impossible to miss; he's in a circular clearing, the only clearing, where helicopters land."
Dallas nodded. "You guys circle the entire area if possible and slowly close in. I'll give a shout if he goes invisible, so you'll know to wear your infrareds and watch for him."
Jaxon slapped him on the shoulder, his scarred face still etched in concern. "Got your own infrareds?"
His gaze scanned the trunk. When he found a pair of goggles, he nodded, grabbed them up, and fitted them around his neck. "Now I do."
"Nolan's been here ten minutes and hasn't moved from his spot," Hector said. "We think he's waiting for her."
Her. The queen. The one responsible for the cannibalistic disease. Selfish bitch that she clearly was, she screwed men without a care, damning them to either death or life as a killer while saving herself. Nolan had mentioned her unparalleled beauty, but no other power. What would he be up against?
"Thought he couldn't sense her anymore," Dallas muttered. What a liar Nolan was.
Once again he scanned the trunk, looking for anything else he might need. He saw a case of bright blue syringes and lifted one into the light.
"My own special blend," Hector said proudly. "It's four different sedatives for four different races mixed together, but it's not approved by AIR, so using it could get you into trouble. Some ingredients will probably work on more than one race, so there's a possibility of overdose."
"Work on the Schön?"
"Only one way to find out."
Dallas pocketed two of the syringes, then closed the trunk and peered into the thick trees. If he got in trouble for using the sedative, he'd deal. "Electricity turned off on the fence?"
Jaxon shook his head. "But it will be for ten seconds. Soon as I see you close in, I'll throw the switch. We can't leave it off, though, just in case Nolan makes a run for it. Don't want to make it easier for him, you know."
Dallas flashed both agents a confident smile. "Don't wait till I'm close to the fence to switch it off, because you may not see me reach it. Click it now." With that, he leaped into a sprint. As he ran, he opened himself up to the power inside him, swirling and ready to be used. Instantly he propelled into hyper speed.
A quick glance behind him showed that his friends now seemed to be moving in slow motion, barely achieving an inch per second. He reached the fence and scaled it, only cutting himself once. A minor scratch in his thigh, but it burned like hell. It was just as he was releasing the metal that the electricity kicked back on. A shock moved through him, but didn't slow him as he started running again, feet flying over grass and rocks.
He maneuvered around trees, their trunks and branches blurring into a haze of brown and green. As quickly as he was closing the distance, he was still able to see the things in front of him clearly, as if his vision tunneled ahead and his mind planned his actions accordingly, dancing him out of harm's way without incident.