Page 124 of Delinquents Turned Fugitives
My heart trilled like a bird as my eyes darted around. “Be on alert,” I said.
There was no way the Pinnacle would make it this easy.
A second later, I spotted something that explained the lack of guards. An amulet was tucked into a crack between the stones of the hallway wall. The seam between stones had been chipped away and the amulet had been shoved inside and whitewashed to match the rest of the dreary wall. But my eyes spotted the faint purple glow, one that would have been just on the edge of the normal visual spectrum, probably invisible to most eyes.
“Stop!” I whispered, holding up a hand.
But one of Callum’s vampires didn’t listen. He slid in front of Callum and I as he checked the numbers on the doors. He got closer to the door we wanted—too close to the amulet.
“Stop!” I called again, louder.
But he took another step, putting his hand on the door.
“Room 33 is here,” he announced.
A second later, he screamed.
At nothing.
His hands turned into claws, his fangs descended, his brown eyes grew darker as his pupils blew until his eyes were full black with barely a hint of white and he looked just as insane as any of the vampires trapped inside these walls.
The other vampires made to rush forward, but I grabbed Callum’s arm, yanking on his ripped shirt. “There’s an amulet over there. In the wall. Tell them to stay back.”
“Wait!” Callum’s command was met with instantaneous obedience. Where his crew member had ignored me, the rest listened to him, almost like I’d heard shifter alphas could do, almost as though magic was woven into his tone.
Even the vampire who’d led the way, the one who’d screamed, stopped short for a second. His blown-out eyes and hooked nose had pinched in a tight expression as he fought to restrain himself and follow Callum’s command. But then, chest heaving, he pointed at nothing. His claws extended and he bellowed, “Don’t come closer!”
My eyes followed his gaze, which was focused on the wall. Nothing was there.
I turned to Evan. “I see a purple glow. Delusion Amulet?”
I looked behind me, magically tossing more shadows down the hall just past our group in case the damn sounds of Callum’s man brought more guards. As I slid the shadows down like blinds, I felt my power stretch and grow taut—a rubber band that had reached its maximum capacity.
I turned back to Evan, voice tight. “I’m maxed. Tell me. Do you think it’s a delusion?”
He bit his lip studying the vampire, who’d begun to pace. “I’m not sure. Apprehension Amulets are a violet color. If I could see it, I’d be sure.”
“Fucking bollocks, figure it out.” Callum’s order had my eyes smashing into his. “Not five minutes in, and Jordan is a goddamned mess while your fucking team hems and haws—”
Callum’s furious jump to blame—or whatever the hell his statement was going to be—was cut off.
Jordan leapt at the wall, his claws smashing into the stone with supernatural speed. The awful sound of the bones in his hands snapping rolled down my spine like a shiver and I cringed.
Fuck.
“Can’t you restrain him?” I asked Callum, my voice thin as a string as Jordan howled in pain in the background. The sound of his bones snapping back into place was nearly as awful as them breaking in the first place.
“You want me to restrain him now? Or your brother later?” Callum’s eyes blazed with threat.
“Firefly,” I only said his name, but he knew exactly what I wanted.
With azip, Zavier reversed Jordan, undoing the damage to his hand, rewinding the vampire so that his face returned to normal and he stepped backward through the hall until he was only a step in front of Callum.
When Z finished, his chest heaved with effort.
“I’m spent,” he said.
Fucking hell. This goddamnned alliance was going to be the death of me—if something else wasn’t first.
“Stay the hell here!” I barked at Callum and his team, not caring how much that pissed him off.
I glanced over at Andros, making eye contact, before I stepped over to the amulet myself, fury making me quick. I dug that glowing fucker out of the wall, chipping my nail as I pried it from a crack between two stones and then held up the deep purple gem so everyone could see.
When I turned back, my entire team was dead, lying in a bloody heap on the floor of the hall—and Callum’s mouth was painted red.
