Chapter 16
Edward
The deeper we descended into Dublin’s tangled underground, the colder and darker the tunnels became. The dull, rhythmic drip of water echoed like a ghostly metronome, sending a chill down my spine at the sound.
I took point, my grip tightening on the knife in my right hand, senses honed by years of military discipline alert to every shadow, every subtle flicker of movement, every sound.
I’d spent enough time underground during covert operations to know this was dangerous territory, a chilling labyrinth of forgotten infrastructure filled with potential threats and that was before you factored in a cunning Elder Lycan into the mix.
Ahead, the maintenance tunnel opened up into a broader underground subway station, our flashlights casting the platform and abandoned train cars into eerie relief.
Logan stepped up next to me, his gaze scanning the shadows warily.
“Place looks clear,” he murmured, though his jaw tightened with tension. “But I don’t trust it.”
“Nor should you,” I replied grimly, stepping cautiously onto the tiled platform. “This place is old. It’s been here since before the Collapse. Lots of hidden dangers.”
Jamie snorted, glancing around warily. “Hidden dangers. Wonderful.”
Sera moved carefully behind us, her footsteps light.
I watched her from the corner of my eye, noting the precise discipline in every movement, the lethal grace honed by years of training.
She may be a stubborn, infuriating, defiant little mate, but I respected her skill and focus.
She was a dangerous woman to underestimate.
Aidan limped slightly, clearly in pain, though his expression remained stoic and focused. “Declan’s scent is faint here,” he muttered, frustration clear in his voice. “But he’s definitely been through.”
I lifted my nose into the air and nodded. “Then we move forward, slow and careful.”
We stepped onto the subway tracks themselves, moving cautiously past rusted rails and derelict train cars, their windows cracked and grimy from a hundred years of neglect.
Scattered debris littered the platform. There were rusted signs, faded maps, abandoned backpacks and shoes from a hurried evacuation over a century ago.
My gaze caught briefly on a familiar shape beneath a pile of debris. I stepped closer, nudging a dusty tarp aside with the toe of my boot.
“This was military,” I observed, recognizing the weathered metal casing and faded paint job immediately. “Old Irish Defense Forces equipment. Probably pre-Collapse.”
Logan crouched beside me, thoughtful. “The last human holdouts in the city must have made their final stand down here. Just trying to survive.”
Sera shifted closer, her wary gaze scanning the debris carefully. “It makes sense. Underground, defensible positions, plenty of places to retreat.”
Jamie exhaled sharply. “Then it’s probably a trap. The Elder Lycan could easily use what they left behind.”
Almost as if on cue, Logan froze, holding up a warning hand. I stilled instantly. “Pressure plate,” Logan said tersely, gesturing to a tile slightly raised from the rest. “Careful where you step.”
I stepped back carefully, studying the trap thoughtfully. “Classic military setup. Probably rigged explosives or shrapnel. Efficient, and likely deadly.”
“Can you disarm it?” Sera asked, voice calm despite the faint edge of fear beneath it.
I shook my head. “Risky, especially without knowing how degraded the mechanism might be. Best we just move around it carefully.”
We continued slowly, moving with exaggerated caution, each footfall carefully placed to avoid triggering more traps, but as we reached the edge of the abandoned platform, a sudden low hum vibrated faintly beneath my feet.
“Everyone stop,” I barked, my voice echoing in the tunnels. “Hear that?”
The others froze instantly, expressions wary and tense. Jamie listened carefully, brow furrowing. “That hum—it sounds electrical.”
Recognition slammed into me suddenly, dread pooling sharply in my gut. “Move! Now!” I snapped, lunging toward Sera and shoving her roughly out of the way just as electricity surged violently through the rails.
Sparks erupted in a bright, vicious arc, crackling loudly and filling the air with the pungent scent of ozone. Jamie cursed violently, barely dodging away as a brilliant current of electricity snapped mere inches from his boots.
Sera stumbled upright beside me, breathing raggedly, eyes wide. “Electrified rails. Military?” she guessed.
I nodded quickly, heart hammering. “Exactly. Set on a timed circuit, deadly efficient. Maybe the Elder found a way of generating electricity down here since he’s been here so long…”
Logan growled, frustration clear. “We can’t move forward this way.”
Aidan exhaled in a huff, expression grim. “Looks like there’s another tunnel branching off just ahead, maybe maintenance access. Might bypass these traps.”
I nodded decisively. “Lead the way.”
We moved quickly, slipping into the narrow maintenance tunnel, and moving cautiously through the tight, dimly lit passage.
Behind us, the violent hum of electricity faded, replaced once more by tense silence.
It didn’t last though. A sudden quiet clicking echoed faintly from further along the tunnel.
This time, it was a mechanical, rhythmic sound.
Sera stiffened beside me, and put a hand out to stop us. “I recognize that noise. Those are automated turrets, probably motion-sensored. Another trap.”
I cursed beneath my breath. “Military grade again, standard perimeter defense from the Collapse era. Still operational?”
“Apparently so,” Logan growled.
I glanced quickly at the rest of the group, assessing rapidly. “We need a distraction—something fast, small, enough to draw their fire long enough for us to disable them.”
Sera glanced thoughtfully at me, a calculating gleam in her eyes. Without a word, she crouched swiftly and grabbed a rusted metal pipe from the debris near our feet. Before I could question her, she flung it forward with precise accuracy into the dark tunnel ahead.
Instantly, the turrets whirred to life somewhere ahead in the dark, their targeting lasers sweeping the tunnel walls like red eyes searching.
The first burst of gunfire shredded a pipe overhead, showering us with sparks and steam.
Using the cover of the hiss and glare, I dropped low and sprinted forward.
Sera and the others caught on quickly, hurling debris and metal scraps down the passage, drawing the turrets’ tracking away in short, jerking bursts.
By the time their sensors recalibrated, I was already at the control panel, tearing into the housing and disabling them before they could bring their aim back around.
The corridor fell abruptly silent, broken only by our harsh breathing. Logan exhaled loudly in relief, admiration grudgingly evident. “Good thinking, both of you.”
Jamie chuckled weakly, muscles relaxing just slightly. “Remind me not to piss off either of you, aye?”
I glanced briefly at Sera. She met my gaze evenly, the faintest nod passing silently between us. She wasn’t my friend, not yet, but we were allies in this moment, bound by mutual survival. That much was clear.
Logan stepped forward, glancing briefly at Aidan. “We push on carefully. It’s possible the Elder Lycan knows we’re coming now, with all the noise. Maybe all these traps are his design.”
My jaw clenched. My resolve hadn’t wavered, but it was apparent our mission was going to be even more challenging than we’d anticipated.
We’d survived the first traps, but I had no illusions this would get easier.
The underground labyrinth was filled with dangers, military equipment, automated defenses, remnants of a desperate human last stand and now, possibly even twisted into something even more lethal by an intelligent, dangerous predator.
Despite all the dangers, we had no choice but to continue onward.
Declan needed us. Our pack needed us.
“Let’s move,” I said calmly despite the tension still coiling through me, through all of us.
Together, we stepped cautiously forward into the darkness, deeper beneath the city, toward whatever danger awaited us next.