Page 73 of Anchor

Yes, my inner voice could be a real bitch sometimes, but there were also times when she was right.

Good thing I had no more time to wonder or to listen because the moment I went through the doors which led to the maze of corridors before the Vault, I felt…uneasy.

It was dark in the corridors, always had been. But tonight, it was quiet. Almost too quiet.

I stopped, took in a deep breath and strained my ears hoping for a sound of footsteps, at least. Guards had to be around here somewhere, either in the corridors or by the big doors to the Vault reception room.

Right now, I could have sworn that there was nobody here.

Get a grip,I told myself because the thought of turning back and getting someone to check the security cameras made me feel even more a coward than before.

Coward, coward, coward—the voice just wouldn’t stop.

And it was right—this was the Vault. It was after ten p.m., so of course it would be this silent—no agent or staff member had any business down here at this hour. Not often, anyway. I wasn’t going to turn back, not now. And if something happened, I could protect myself. Not only did I have my ring that actually worked now, I had a gun in the waistband of my pants—and most importantly, the bracelet that enabled me to do colorful magic without an ounce of pain was in my pocket.

So, I went ahead.

The closer to the gate I was, the more that feeling intensified—something was wrong here. And when I finally reached the doors to the reception room, I knew for a fact that I wasn’t just being a coward.

There was no guard in front of those doors, and there wasalwaysa guard in front of those doors.

Not to mention the one on the right was slightly open, just a tiny bit, like someone had left it like that on purpose so it looked closed, but anyone could get through without a badge.

My gun was in my hand the next second. My heart beat steadily and I was no longer afraid. It was instinct—I smelled danger and my body automatically calmed down, primed me for a fight, just like I’d been trained to do before I became an agent.

With my breath held, I went to the door and pushed it open with the barrel of my gun.

Empty.

The reception room was empty, and the doors to the Vault across from me closed.

At first, I was relieved—maybe the guards had gone on a break or something. Or maybe the Vault didn’t work at thishour? Maybe now they closed it after six, and I just hadn’t heard because I hadn’t been working with a team since I’d gotten back?

Maybe they’d made new rules because old ones said that guards had to be at the Vault doors at all times, and now…

“Hello?” I said, not too loud but not too low, and I went closer to the reception desk, gun raised, finger on the trigger.

No answer.

The reception desk was equipped with a large book where guards had to record the names of the people who came in and out, and when; their devices—these X-ray wands that were magically enhanced, as well as a ball that was extra sensitive to magical energies and read it with perfect accuracy; as well as a computer screen.

Behind the reception desk was a single door to the left that almost melted into the white wall so perfectly that you could miss the cracks if you didn’t know it was there. It had no handle; it only opened if you scanned the right access badge on the small panel to its side. I had never been to that room so I had no idea what was in there, but I was pretty sure that that’s where the guards would be, becausewhere else?

“Hello?” I called, this time louder, and I knocked on the reception desktop three times, just to make sure they heard me.

Any second now, they’d come out that door and apologize and explain to me why they’d left the Vault doors unattended. Any second now they’d come out here with a perfectly good excuse.

And a moment later, a door did open, except it wasn’t the one behind the reception desk. It wasn’t even the one I’d come through—it was the left door of the Vault that slid back soundlessly, and a head peeked out from the edge of it.

A head I knew well, with dark eyes and messy hair and that smile on his face that had my knees shaking and my fingers frozen around my gun.

No way.

Impossible.

Absolutely no fucking way…

“You might want to keep it down, sweetness. I’m not really supposed to be here,” Taland Tivoux said.

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