15. Zan
Chapter 15
Zan
“ H e shouldn’t be here,” Pax mumbled, shooting Warner a glare. “We don’t even know if we can trust him.”
“It must be difficult since you can’t entrance me anymore,” Warner tossed back, crossing his arms.
“Enough,” I growled. “Warner knows not to lie to us. Don’t you?”
It was early evening with the sun setting slowly, and I didn’t miss his jaw clenching as he remained silent. Amaros had a long conversation with him before we left the property. My father made it very clear to both me and Warner that if we didn’t succeed, it would be Kali who paid the price.
“It’s been five days we’ve been out here waiting,” Pax said with a shake of his head. “Maybe they stopped coming.”
“They didn’t,” Warner snapped. “This tree is how they get messages to Clovers outside of Project Hope. It’s where Kali left the note before they raided your city. They don’t check it every day.”
My mind wandered back to the days when Kali first entered my city. Back then, it had been so much simpler. Before my father was involved. Before we knew Kali was a Shadow. I wanted those days back.
My heart clenched. Knowing that Kali was back on the property was driving me insane. The last week had been the longest in my damn life. But my father’s entrancement made sure I didn’t go back to the property, no matter how badly I wanted to.
“And what happens if the Clover who comes can’t be entranced?” Pax ground out, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Then we use force,” I answered. “We’re getting into Project Hope one way or another.”
We’d been stalking the forest for nearly the last week, waiting for a Clover to come check their messenger tree. The tunnel going into the city wasn’t an option since the Clovers sealed it off.
“You hear that?” Pax turned his head to the left.
I followed his gaze, narrowing my eyes. There was movement through the trees, and it was coming closer to where we were. Pax grabbed Warner’s arm, yanking him down into the bushes. I crept back, concealing myself behind a tree. I listened carefully, hearing light footsteps come closer.
The second a body stopped in front of the tree, both Pax and I moved forward, revealing ourselves. The man was wearing all black, with a mask covering his face. The PARA patch was sewn onto the breast pocket of his jacket. He heard us and whirled around, his eyes widening in shock. I ground my teeth, recognizing him as the Clover who had a gun on me in Impulse the night I was taken by Kali’s group.
“Collin,” Warner said softly. “It’s me.”
“What the fuck is this?” Collin spat out, his gaze falling on me in shock. “It’s the middle of the day. How are you walking in the sun?”
“He has a hawthorn bracelet,” Warner said, resignation in his voice. He was still so early in his transition that his loyalty to the Clovers rivaled Kali’s. Though, it’d been over a month, which meant he would need blood soon, once his fangs dropped.
I snatched Collin’s wrist when he went for his gun. “Calm down. We’re not going to hurt you if you cooperate.”
“Fuck you,” he hissed, hatred vibrating in his voice. “I won’t help you.”
“Oh, you will.” Pax slid Collin’s other sleeve up, ripping the black bracelet off his arm.
Collin struggled, panic taking over when he realized he was now vulnerable to our mind control. Tightening my hold on his arm, I yanked him closer before grabbing his jaw, forcing him to look at me.
“Relax,” I ordered quietly, locking my eyes on his. “No fighting us.”
Collin went still, and I released him once I had him under control. Pax stood next to me, keeping an eye on our surroundings.
“How many other PARA members are out here patrolling?” I asked.
“Three.”
“They travel in pairs,” Warner muttered. “Collin probably broke away so he could check the tree.”
Pax and I already knew how they patrolled. We’d studied them for a year when we were in Deadwood. But we never chanced being seen in daylight like we were now. It was a large fucking risk.
“Where’s your partner?” I questioned.
“Half a mile north.”
“Who else has hawthorn?”
“I don’t know.”
“Are any of the patrolling PARA members Clovers?”
“No.”
Pax sighed. “Get it done, Zan. We need to find them before they go back to the city.”
“Radio your partner,” I commanded. “Give him your location and tell him you found something.”
Collin reached for his radio and then repeated my words. Once the guy responded, I took the radio and tossed it on the ground.
“Take your clothes off,” I ordered as I slipped my backpack off.
Collin complied, pulling off his mask first. Warner was glaring openly, but didn’t say a word. Pax strode farther away, waiting for Collin’s partner to show up. We needed to get the jump on him before he could use his radio to alert the others.
Once Collin was standing in only his boxers, I tossed him some clothes from my bag, ordering him to put them on. Grabbing the collar of my shirt, I yanked it off and stripped off the rest of my clothes before taking Collin’s PARA uniform and putting it on. Collin was maybe an inch shorter than me, and we were nearly the same size. Hopefully his partner’s clothes would fit Pax.
“How are we going to get past the temperature checks?” Warner gritted out.
I glanced at him as I laced up the black boots. “We have it figured out.”
“Right,” Warner mumbled. “I’m sure you’re going to leave a trail of bodies behind you.”
“Now if that were true, why would we try so hard to get into the city unnoticed?” I questioned while I tied the other boot. “We could have burned it down like we did Project Peace, but here we are.”
He didn’t need to know that Project Hope was far better protected than some of the other human cities. Even so, I was sure my father had enough vampires to overtake it. But that wouldn’t guarantee us getting Keeva out, which was why we were doing it this way.
Pax’s voice filtered through the trees, and I spotted him with his hand around the throat of another PARA member. He already had him under entrancement, and I glanced at my watch to make sure we were still on schedule.
“Hurry up, Pax,” I called. “Sunset is in less than an hour. The convoy will be going back to the city soon.”
“I’m going,” he ground out as he tugged off his shirt. “I can hear the others.”
I tilted my head, hearing the rushing river that was close. Focusing harder, I caught the voices Pax had heard. My heartbeat sped up, knowing it was almost time. I slipped the mask on, and then put the goggles over my eyes, letting out a grumble when I realized it messed with my vision. The reflective lenses made everything off color, but humans loved them since vampires couldn’t use entrancement when they were on. I pushed them on top of my head, facing Collin again.
“Do not say a word,” I ordered when I caught his gaze. “When we start walking, you follow without making a sound.”
“I’m ready,” Pax said, his voice muffled slightly from the mask.
Collin’s partner was following Pax, and he was already dressed in the extra clothes we’d brought. The guy was larger than my brother and his uniform was a bit too large, but nothing super noticeable, which would make this easier. Pax wouldn’t have to change into another uniform once we found the others who were patrolling the forest.
Warner stared at Collin with a frown. “What about them?”
“You’re staying with them.”
“What? I’m coming with you?—”
“No,” I cut him off sharply. “Pax and I are going. Your job is to stay with them.”
“Fuck off,” he spat out. “You want me to just sit here?”
I halted in my tracks, whirling around. “That’s exactly what you’re going to do. You’re a liability. You don’t have our strength. And I still half expect you to try to fuck us over. You’re staying out here where you can’t mess anything up.”
“Fuck you over?” he repeated, fury raising in his voice. “You turned me into one of you.”
Annoyance rushed through my veins as I stepped closer to him. “Yes, I did. That’s the only fucking reason you’re standing here right now. You think you’d still be alive if PARA kept you?”
“You didn’t do that for me,” he snapped, shoving me back. “You did it for Kali.”
I grabbed his throat, making him grunt in pain when I yanked him closer. “Yes, I saved your life. Multiple times now. And I’ll keep doing it— for her . But do not mistake that for kindness. Now, you’re going to stop arguing and do what I say or we’re going to have fucking problems.”
His eyes flashed with anger, and he straightened his spine, defiance crossing his face. I arched an eyebrow, studying his reaction. He was mad, that was nothing new. But this was different. Warner was transitioning. His desire to challenge me was more than just about his loathing of me. His mentality was changing, and I had a feeling he wasn’t fighting me because of his loyalty to humans—but for his love for Kali.
My jaw ticked in annoyance as I stared at him. Life would be so much fucking easier if he weren’t here. If I had my way, he would have been gone long ago. I was doing this for Kali. Because she saw him as family. I could tolerate him for her happiness.
Pax appeared at my side. “Let’s go.”
Collin and the other human followed behind us with Warner walking beside them. Pax led us deeper into the woods, and soon I could hear the two other PARA members ahead of us. My heart pounded in my chest, nerves rushing through me. The government would know we were going behind their backs if they caught us trying to get Kali’s twin. If we fucked this up, there was a large possibility that our agreement would mean nothing.
“You got everything we need?” Pax asked quietly.
“Yeah.” I turned to face Warner. “There’s a truck right over there. You’re going to take them, sit there, and wait for us.”
Warner frowned. “And if you don’t come back?”
“We will,” Pax grated out. “But if we’re not back in five hours, then drive away. Go to Deadwood.”
“Deadwood?”
I sighed. “The city we kept you in. Go to Impulse. Gia is supposed to be visiting tomorrow.”
Turning my attention to Collin, I pulled him back under entrancement. “You will obey everything Warner says until he says the word apple . You will not remember being entranced, and you will not remember seeing the three of us.”
Pax was saying the same thing to the other PARA guy, and when I broke the entrancement, I caught Warner gaping at me.
“You’re putting me in charge of them?” he asked slowly. “Why?”
“Because you’re not going into Project Hope. Keep them under control for at least five hours. If you have to go to Deadwood, then let them go first.” I slid the goggles over my eyes. “You heard the word I told him?”
“I heard it,” he muttered. “Kali’s favorite fruit.”
If I wasn’t so stressed about what me and Pax were about to do, I probably would have been far more irritated that he knew that. Though, I shouldn’t be surprised. Other than me, he knew Kali better than anyone.
“I don’t have to tell you why this is important,” I warned him.
“Because you’re threatening Kali,” he hissed.
It took everything in me to stay still as I glared daggers at him. “Not me. My father. I’m doing this to make sure he doesn’t hurt her. When are you going to get it through your fucking head that I care for her?”
“We don’t have time for this,” Pax cut in impatiently. “We need to meet up with PARA before they go back to the convoy.”
“Don’t do anything stupid,” I snapped, backing away from Warner before I did something I regretted.
Pax and I headed closer to the river, following the voices. I pulled my backpack in front of me, unzipping it and pulling out the two small pouches. We’d taken these from a PARA warehouse months ago, and they were finally going to be useful. I squeezed, hearing the pouch crackle before handing one to Pax. These tiny heat packs were what the government used to keep warm when they were out patrolling. They used it mostly for their hands, but it would help us get past the temperature check at the gate of Project Hope.
Pulling off the goggles, I pulled up the mask far enough to slip the heated pouch under it, placing it on my forehead, and then pulling the wool fabric back in place. Pax was doing the same, and a minute later we were ready to go.
“If they have hawthorn in their system, this isn’t going to work,” Pax muttered as we walked between the trees.
“After the warehouses we’ve been burning down, their supply is low. I doubt they’re giving it out to everyone.”
“Let’s hope so.”
I spotted the pair of PARA members talking quietly to each other with rifles in their hands. Even though it was daylight, I was sure they were loaded with wooden bullets. I peered around, throwing my hearing to make sure no one else was close.
“There you are,” one of them said, impatience in his voice. “We need to go. It’s almost sunset.”
“Sorry,” I replied casually. “Got lost.”
He tilted his head, not recognizing my voice. I took one more step, and then reached forward, knocking his goggles off. The other guy let out a surprised yell when Pax went after him. The man raised his gun at me, but I grabbed his arm, forcing it back at his side as I pushed my own goggles up before catching his gaze.
“Calm down,” I said in a low voice. “Do not fight me.”
Relief flooded me when he complied, proving he didn’t have hawthorn in his system. Pax already entranced the other guy, and we quickly gave them orders to act like we were the men they knew and came out here with.
“Lead us to the convoy,” I ordered, stepping back and putting the goggles back on.
“That was the easy part.” Pax said as we followed them. “The security will be at an all-time high where they’re keeping Keeva.”
“We expected that.”
“Zan…” He trailed off, sounding hesitant. “Even if we are successful, and bring her back to Dad, he’s not going to let Kali go. He wants both of them.”
“I know that,” I snapped. “What am I supposed to do, Pax? I can’t come back to the property until we get this done. Right now, I can’t even fucking see her.”
He didn’t respond, and I clenched my jaw, feeling the pity radiating from him. I was barely holding it together after being away from her for days. If I thought about it too long, I was going to lose it. I knew that Amaros wanted both Kali and Keeva. I was more than aware that it had something to do with the war against PARA. But right now, I only cared about one thing— seeing Kali again. If that meant I had to bring her twin back to my father, then that was what I would do.