Chapter Thirty-Two #3
I glance at the others, the weight of the steel cold against my skin. I wonder why they bother with so many firearms when they’re capable of far worse than anything in their hands.
“Zayne can take down anyone in close combat,” Kylo answers my unspoken thought. “And Elijah’s telekinesis makes him deadly at a distance. The weapons are for additional support.”
“Follow my lead,” Elijah orders.
We advance in a single formation through the brush. Elijah and Zayne take the front, their movements synchronized and silent. I’m tucked into the middle, with Kylo trailing close behind.
“We’re almost there,” Zayne whispers. “The building’s ahead. We’ll break in through an underground passage. It should be somewhere around here.”
“You see that western hemlock?” Elijah points toward a cluster of trees.
I have no idea which one he means.
Elijah’s lips twitch, a laugh catching in his throat.
“We both heard that,” Kylo says with a chuckle.
Zayne looks back and forth between them, a frown deepening on his face.
“Access to the tunnel is right by that tree,” Elijah says. “Let’s go.”
A metal panel lies half-buried beneath dirt and pine needles. Elijah wrenches it open, the metal groaning as it yields. He drops into the dark, and Zayne vanishes a second later.
“Go. I’m right behind you,” Kylo says.
My palms scrape the metal as I climb down the three rungs. When the ladder ends, I drop, landing against Zayne’s chest. My boots hit the floor with a loud, wet squelch.
“Thanks,” I say, awkwardly stepping back.
“No problem,” Zayne replies curtly.
Rusted pipes line the walls like skeletal remains, and the air is filled with the stench of stagnant water and sewage. Kylo drops next, landing with a splash before rising, his eyes sweeping the tunnel.
“Follow the waterline,” Elijah says, tapping the blueprints.
We move quickly, our footsteps slapping through puddles that soak into my boots.
The passage ends abruptly in a solid, moss-covered wall.
“Shit,” Kylo mutters. “This shouldn’t be a dead end.”
The paper crinkles as Zayne snatches the prints from Elijah. “This is wrong,” he grits out as he scans the prints.
“Let me see,” Kylo says, taking them from Zayne. He scans the pages quickly. “This isn’t accurate. How the hell did this happen?”
Tension ripples through the space like a held breath on the verge of release. I inhale deeply, fighting against the pull of their emotions pressing in from every direction.
“Find another path,” I say. “Let’s retrace our steps.”
We double back until we reach the tunnel split. We veer left this time, but as we round the corner, Kylo stops dead. I nearly stumble past him, but his hand shoots out, yanking me back against his side.
About a dozen Aether Hunters block our path.
We’re facing overwhelming odds.
Kylo smirks. “Have a little faith.”
He raises his hand. A surge erupts from his palm, striking the group like a physical shockwave. The impact hurls them back, bodies hitting the pipes with a brutal clang before collapsing in a heap.
I hadn’t understood the scale of his power until now.
“You’re just now realizing that?” he asks.
“I’ve never seen you go all out like this.”
He throws a grin over his shoulder. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
“You done?” Elijah asks, kicking a pebble. “Or should I grab a snack while you two flirt?”
“Get me one while you’re at it,” Kylo quips.
“If you two are finished…” I look down the dark corridor. “Maybe we can find the stairs?”
“You and Kylo take that passage,” Zayne says, pointing past the fallen hunters. “Elijah and I will hang back and keep the perimeter clear.”
“What if there are too many?” I ask.
Elijah taps the row of grenades strapped to his belt. “Zayne and I will create our own distraction.”
“Grenades?” I blanch.
Mischief dances in Elijah’s eyes. “This is war, Lia. What did you expect?”
“Stop wasting time.” Kylo grips my hand and leads me down a side passage until we find a ladder tucked into a dark corner.
“There’s our entrance. I’ll go first.” Kylo scales the rungs and heaves the door open. He scans the perimeter. “All clear. Come on.”
He pulls me up into the unknown. The transition is jarring. We’ve traded the damp tunnels for a sterile, white labyrinth. Fluorescent lights buzz overhead, the glare so aggressive I have to squint. It looks less like a compound and more like a twisted asylum.
“Do you feel him?” he asks.
I close my eyes and search for any trace of him.
It comes suddenly.
A familiar resonance spreads through my body, like an invisible tether pulling me forward.
“He’s close,” I say, trusting the pull.
“Keep moving. Tell me if it gets stronger.”
We wind through hallway after hallway, the white walls blurring into an endless, identical loop. I sense the energy signature growing stronger.
Leo… where are you?
We round a corner and crash into someone. She staggers back, one hand bracing against the wall. The sharp lines of her cheekbones stand out, her expression souring at the sight of me.
A dreadful certainty slides through me.
This woman carries Blair’s features, yet the life behind them is gone.