Page 8 of Delinquents Turned Fugitives
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Ginny’s screechrent the air like she was a fucking banshee. But Evan uncurled from his slump, grimacing, and grabbed her without a word. He put her into a headlock and held her, ignoring her kicks and scratches. He ignored the light she tried to burn him with, particularly when I started to counter every light she pulsed with one of my shadows.
Over to my right, several of the guys made for the new hidden door. Malcolm didn’t have a ton of firepower left but Gray watched his six as he struggled to get enough fire going to open it up.
When Ginny had slumped over and Evan had tossed her to the ground, my eyes checked on the ghosts, who were still grappling with one another.
We all tried to tune out Andros and the rhythmicthumpof Claude’s body smacking the wall.
We watched the door smolder until Evan went forward and tried to add a tiny flicker of flame to Malcolm’s. Then Gray added a tiny bit of wind.
Zavier, though he’d exhausted himself just minutes before on the vault, raised a shaky tattooed hand toward the door. And I wasn’t certain, but I think he sped up time. Just a fraction. Just a bit. Enough for the flames to take hold and dance across the door, lapping up the wood instead of simply pulsing as embers inside.
As soon as the flames weakened the door enough, Evan used his massive shifter muscles to kick it in.
The wood splintered and half the door fell in broken shards to the ground. He shoved the rest of it so hard that it hit the wall as he barreled through.
Malcolm and Gray followed him.
Z and I were last and we glanced at each other before Z jerked his head toward the door and stepped back. “I’ll get him.”
“Andros!” Z wrenched his huge cousin out of his grisly daze. “Let’s go!”
I clutched my aching ribs as I surged through the door into the unknown.
But the sight on the other side made me gasp in astonishment. I'd expected another long, dark corridor like the one we'd left behind. Or a maze. Or maybe a magical wall of ice. Something. Anything but this.
I stopped short when we entered the room that had hidden Claude and Ginny and served as their entry point to the Pinnacle's vault. Because though the huge room had a cement floor, like the one we'd just left, that was the only similarity. The rest of the long space was set up like a high-tech lab. Metal tables gleamed. There were glassed off experimentation rooms on either side. Test tubes and computers decorated the space like some abstract artist's wet dream. But worst, most shocking, and most heart-wrenching, were the far walls.
Snarling vampires were chained to the walls with thick metal bands that surrounded their torsos. Their arms were pinned to their sides by the dark grey metal that encased their entire upper bodies. Silver chains wrapped around their ankles and clanged together as the vampires saw us and rushed forward as far as their chains would allow, growling, howling, and spitting wildly.
Pity and horror froze me for a second, before I realized that the guys were sprinting through the middle of the room, heedless of the threats on either side.
"Fuck," I muttered as I bolted after them, spotting a door on the far wall. I made that door my focus, trying to block out the horrific grunts and scrabbling claws as the monsters on either side of us struggled to break free and come after us.
My heart, already exhausted from all the threats tonight, just beat weakly inside my chest. It didn't even have the energy to panic. But my mind was on high alert. It was keyed up, darting from thought to thought as my feet slammed rhythmically against the cement.
Fucking hell, how huge is this lab? How many vampires are here? Maybe twenty? Thirty? What are they doing with them?The test tubes drew my eyes before I forced myself to focus on Andros' broad back. I needed to think about next steps. But worry and wonder about what the hell kind of evil lair this was kept intruding on my escape plans. I couldn't focus on stairwells or security cameras. My mind kept circling back to this one thought:They're using them like lab rats.
There were IVs stuck in the crook of each vampire's arm. And vampires of all ages and races appeared in this lab too. It made me think that the Pinnacle was testing their blood. Was it for the blood shields Evan and I had uncovered? Were they testing the cure? Or something else?
Fucking hell, I wished I had the time to stop. I bit my lip, glancing to the side. Maybe I could just swipe a computer, and take it with me. I saw a laptop ahead on the right that was closed on top of one of the metallic work tables. It gleamed like a little present, waiting just for me.
But no. No. I didn't know what kind of protections the Pinnacle had on equipment down here. I hadn't even known this room existed. I had no information on it whatsoever. It was too much of a risk. These computers could be spelled to erase their contents if their GPS changed locations, or worse, erase their contents and activate a GPS ping that gave away my location. That's what I would have done if I were in charge here.
Despite my logic, my feet still crept closer to the machine, drawn by possibilities. We had the serum. But what if there was more? I'd never thought about more than Matthew. I'd never needed to.
I shouldn't need to now. But still, my hand extended.
"Don't," a low, British voice called out. "They've written Luring Spells to get you to touch the machines. But touch them and a Sticking Spell activates. You won't be able to move until they find you, and they'll take their time. The last man waited three days. He was dehydrated and putty in their hands once they came."
I glanced up. In front of me, the guys lurched to a stop. Every single one of them turned, as did I, to see a man's silhouette in a dark corner to our right, tucked into shadows where the lights didn't reach. I lifted my hand and shot a weak bit of light in his direction. I immediately regretted it.
In that quick flash of light, a hiss had erupted and I realized the man was nude, well-muscled, blond-haired with scruff on his cheeks and chin. But I'd also seen that there was a band around his arms... arms that ended not with hands, but with claws.
Fear sizzled inside my chest.
I shot out a second flash of light to be sure.
