Page 7 of Bite of Sin

“The fuck I can’t,” he hissed.

“Helena.” I tried soothing her, catching her arm before she could back away from me. “Even if we follow her, what could we do?”

“We can bring her back with us,” she cried. “Or at least know where she’s going.”

“No.” Warner’s one-word answer left no room for argument, but Helena didn’t back down.

“I won’t go with you,” she promised fiercely. “I’ll fight and scream.”

“And lead any vampires in the area right to us?” I snapped, losing my patience. She wasn’t thinking clearly, and none of us would make it home if she didn’t calm down.

“Then let me follow them,” she screeched, shoving me away. My heart hammered in my chest, hoping no one had heard her. “They won’t even know we’re there. I just need to know where they’re taking her. Please.”

Warner glared at her, his jaw clenched as he weighed the options. Helena was stubborn, and I had a feeling she’d fight us every step of the way if we tried taking her back to the tunnel. With night falling, we couldn’t afford for any vampires to hear us. Or the guards patrolling the grounds near the city.

“We can take the bikes and stay far enough that they won’t know we’re following,” Helena continued quickly, sensing she was winning the argument. “Don’t you want to know, Warner? Especially with Kali doing this in a couple months? What if they take her too?”

“I wouldn’t let that happen,” Warner hissed. “Fuck. Fine. But we do this my way.”

Helena nodded, relief sweeping over her face. My own emotions were a tangled mess. I wanted to know where Lisa was going, but this was a death sentence if we got caught. I’d spent my entire life surviving, and my instincts were screaming at me to turn around and go back to the tunnel. My life wasn’t exactly great, but at least I was safe behind the city’s high walls. Ignoring the fear sliding through my limbs, I followed Warner and Helena deeper into the forest.

We got to a small clearing, and Warner muttered under his breath about this being a bad idea as he crouched down beside some bushes and stuck his arm through the thick leaves. It took him a while, but he finally leaned forward, using both hands to drag out a small motorbike. Stepping next to him, I grabbed the handlebars, rolling the bike away as he got the second one out.

“The group is not going to be happy,” I muttered as I swung my leg over the bike. “We’re supposed to log it every time we use these.”

“I’ll handle it once we get back,” Warner replied tightly, walking the second bike next to mine.

Our group. The Clovers. Faith, hope, love, and luck. Faith that humans would overthrow the vampires. Hope that humans could someday live in a world where we weren’t controlled under a dictatorship. Clovers brought others in and proved there was still love in this world. And we needed all the luck that someday our numbers would grow enough to displace PARA.

The Clovers wanted a world where humans weren’t trapped in a small city for their entire lives. Where we didn’t work to the bone to survive. Where we weren’t terrified to step a toe out of line because we’d be thrown in the cells or worse, killed. PARA controlled everything, and that was how they wanted to keep it. But it was also the vampires that needed to be taken down. We couldn’t live in peace with them running free.

The Clovers had taken me in when I was a child and taught me everything I knew. Clover members spanned everywhere in this world, and there were other freedom groups we worked with.

PARA saw us as threats because the Clovers challenged their authority. We’d trained on how to protect ourselves from both the vampires and the government. I’d been with the group for years, just like Warner, Helena, and Lisa. And it was a secret we’d take to our grave. It was a trusted circle, and if someone broke it, they’d pay with their life. If the city officials ever found out, we’d be executed.

The larger our numbers grew, the more we expanded. Growing up, I did small jobs, and now I’d leave Project Hope to find food and train. Older members did the larger jobs, like finding out the secrets PARA wanted to keep from us. For now, we stayed quiet in Project Hope, but other cities were having larger fights. Members would tag buildings with our symbol, the four-leaf clover, letting PARA know rebellion was happening. It gave civilians hope. It also put a larger target on the group, making our secrecy even more important.

“Do you hear that?” Helena asked, looking over her shoulder. “We need to go before we lose them.”

We stayed silent, and the hum of engines filled the air. The convoy that Lisa was with must have left the city. There was only one road that was maybe three hundred feet from where we were in the forest. My stomach flipped, nerves skating down my spine. The Clovers had tried following the convey in the past, but PARA found them and killed them. Ever since then, we were told to stay in the city when the convoy left. They were more on guard and had more security on the nights they took the Shadows out of the city. And our group couldn’t afford to lose more people right now.

“We stay far back,” Warner ordered, catching my eye. “Keep your lights off. The moon is full, so it shouldn’t be too hard to see the road.”

I nodded as Warner got on the bike and then helped Helena get on behind him. I kickstarted my bike, putting it into gear, and let Warner go first on the narrow trail that led to the road. Even with the moon, it was still nearly impossible to see more than a foot in front of me. Branches scratched my bare legs as I rode, making me regret wearing shorts today. It wasn’t long before we made it to the dirt road.

We veered left, following the taillights of the last vehicle in the convoy. They always traveled with at least three, in case they were attacked. My pulse was going haywire as we rode slowly, keeping our distance but making sure we didn’t lose them. I wasn’t sure who terrified me more right now—the city officials if they found us or vampires roaming the woods. Either way, I’d end up dead.

I frowned in confusion when, only a little way up the road, the convoy stopped. Warner pulled to the side of the road, and I followed. We watched as men jumped out of the truck and headed into the woods.

Helena hopped off the bike, already running toward them, and Warner didn’t risk yelling for her to stop as he went after her. She was creeping near the tree line, and my annoyance grew. I understood she was upset, but the way she was acting went against everything we’d been taught our entire childhood. We didn’t take unnecessary risks. Ever.

Warner and I caught up to her, and she threw him a look of warning. She wasn’t about to leave quietly if her brother tried forcing her hand. He let out a long breath, falling into step with her, and I was right next to him.

“They’re heading to the river,” Helena whispered as we got closer. “What are they doing?”

“Maybe they figured out someone was following,” Warner shot back under his breath. “This is such a bad fucking idea.”

But we still didn’t turn back. We pushed through the leaves, following their flashlights as they moved closer to the river. I could hear the roaring of the fast-moving water, and we found a berry bush to hide behind that gave us a clear view of them. My heart dipped when I saw Lisa among the men. They were standing in a half-circle, surrounding her, with the river behind her. Helena grabbed my hand, her fingers tightening around mine as we stayed crouched down.

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