Release (The Protector Book 3) (39 page)

“Whoa, what did I miss? What did you two see?” Rayna asked.

“I’ll explain later,” I said. “That was a vision and it wasn’t for nothing—it was a sign. And these are just scratches,” I said, holding up both arms. Brown elasticized bandages held the gauze beneath them in place, but the annoying drone of pain had yet to fade. “I won’t let them stop us from moving forward, and right now, we’re better off going to Theral with Vincent and his family behind us, don’t you think?”

Marcus pondered for a moment before shaking his head. “You may be right...

“May be?”

Marcus nodded. “If we’re going in search of a soul piece in another one of Ithreal’s worlds, we can’t travel light.”

“Good,” I said. “Marcus, you contact the shifters and see who you can round up. Rayna, you get Tiki and Willy. You three get as many weapons as you can carry. Vincent will make a layout of his safe house, and I’ll try to put together some semblance of a plan.”

Everyone stared and silence wrapped around me. “Unless anyone has a better idea?”

Marcus shook his head. “No…that works,” he said, sounding surprised.

“Alright then.”

“I guess we’ll get to it.” A smile pulled at the corner of Marcus’s mouth before he turned and disappeared from the room.

“I must say, Mr. Williams, I’m impressed. Maybe you aren’t the thoughtless, irrational fool I took you for.” Vincent’s expression looked entirely serious.

“Whatever, let’s just get to work.”

******

Tiny dots flickered in the midnight sky and all the pain of this morning had lessened with the exception of the drumming ache in both my arms. I swallowed the nerves that were alive inside me and tried to remain focused.

Everyone was in their designated area: Marcus, Tiki, and Willy were covering the entrance we’d gone in originally. They weren’t going in, but they’d be waiting for us on the other side. Grayson had opted not to join them, claiming he’d be useless in a fight. He opted to stay home and continue reading through our books, for what little good that would do.

Vincent, Rayna, Veronica, and I walked through one of the many tunnels that led to the underground safe house. Vincent had not only gone all out in turning the main entrance into a puzzle, but he’d also gone through the trouble of having multiple underground entrances and exits created as well. Unfortunately for us, all of our potential paths into the safe house were long walks through damp and dirt-lined tunnels.

The three of us traveled in a tunnel beneath the earth. We were on a route that Vincent said was a secret to everyone but him. It led to corridors that existed in the walls of the safe house and private quarters Vincent had designed for himself.

We entered the mouth of the tunnel just on the edge of Stonewall—miles from the safe house. Wooden beams and bracing held the tunnel intact, and we’d already been walking for hours. At least the tunnel was tall enough so I was able to walk upright.

Vincent kept Veronica beside him and led the way with one flashlight while Rayna held the other. Occasionally her hand crept out of the darkness and reached for mine, gently brushing her fingers against it. At the beginning of our trek to the safe house, I’d told her about the vision I shared with Marcus, and her fingers interlocked with mine.

Rayna’s mood seemed lighter than it’d been before I’d left for Silas. She had discovered the last mystery that surrounded her for years. I expected her to be overwhelmed with all that had happened lately, but she stayed strong and almost seemed relieved.

In some respects, I understood. She finally had answers to most of her questions—at least where her heritage was concerned. Regardless of the situation we found ourselves in, there was a sense of relief in that. I could sense that shift in her energy, and I felt it in her touch. She was more at ease.

“It’s going to be fine,” Rayna said, squeezing my hand against hers.

“I know.” I gave her the most sincere smile I could manage. I wanted to believe she was right, but I couldn’t—not yet. Time after time I’d come so close to what I thought was the light at the end of the tunnel, only to be thrown backwards with a force greater than the last.

Riley became more powerful with each soul piece he obtained. The Brothers were becoming more prominent in Riley’s quest for power, but their past was still a mystery to me. They were demigods and sons of Ithreal, but who were they? Why did nobody know anything about them? There were too many questions: Why did they want the power of their father, the king of darkness, to be invoked by a hunter? And if they were so powerful, why were they waiting so long to take action? And the question that screamed inside my mind the loudest: Why were they working with Riley?

Nothing added up, and the most frustrating part was that the only people who could answer my questions refused to talk about it. And the Brothers and Riley were holding their cards close their chests.

“What’s going on in that head of yours?” Rayna asked.

“Yes, hunter, do tell us of the genius you’ve been pondering in this elongated silence.” The sarcasm in his voice bounced off the walls.

“Nothing, just trying to stay focused.”

Rayna turned to me, giving me her ‘you’re full of it’ look.

I sighed. “I’m just wondering about the Brothers, Riley, and even me. I have so many unanswered questions, and I just feel a little out of touch right now.”

“We’ll get the answers we need, Chase. We just need to be patient.”

I hated the word
patient
. It meant waiting. It meant staying calm and relaxed through horrible circumstances in the hopes that your day would come. I hated that word when I was younger, and I hated it today. The only difference was now I knew Rayna was right. I might not have liked the way things worked, but trying to make things happen hadn’t led me anywhere good.

“I know,” I said.

“You know, since we’re on the cusp of performing a massive vampire jailbreak, maybe you two should save the ‘my fate is so horrible, oh woe is me,’ chitchat and stay focused on the plan.” Vincent stopped in his tracks and turned the flashlight on me. “If you’re not on top of your game, you’ll be on your back, staring into the mouth of a vampire. That is, if they give us a chance to see it coming at all.”

Veronica’s blue eyes were glowing in the dark, and I caught a glimpse of a strange smile on her face. I ignored it and blocked the light from my eyes. “Well, if all goes to plan, they aren’t even going to be here. They should all be at the warehouse waiting for your arrival, right?”

Vincent didn’t respond. He turned and walked farther down the tunnel.

“Right?” I asked.

Vincent clicked off the flashlight. “Yes, yes, right…”

Rayna followed his lead and turned off her flashlight. We waited in the darkness and when I finally thought to ask why we’d stopped, Vincent’s voice cut off my thoughts.

 
“We’re here.”

“Okay…are we just going to hide in the dark?”

Vincent shushed me and we wallowed in the silence of the pitch black tunnel.

“Something isn’t right,” he said. “I can feel it.”

Chills ran down my spine, and I wasn’t sure if it was the damp tunnel air or something more. The sensation came again and I recognized the power.

“We’re not even inside yet. What makes you think that?” Rayna said.

A scuffle sounded in front of us and Vincent croaked in a strange voice. “Trust me.”

“What are you talking—” Rayna’s voice trailed off when she turned on her flashlight.

Veronica’s hand was wrapped around Vincent’s throat, cutting into the skin with sharp talons.

“My sweet hunter,” Veronica said. “I asked you to give my son a message, not orchestrate a death-worthy coup.”

Veronica’s power rippled through my core and I grabbed Rayna’s hand and pulled her back.

“You don’t really think I turned this pathetic excuse for a human into a vampire as a sign of good faith, do you? I needed to keep an eye on everything.” Veronica smiled. “Just cooperate and make this as painless as possible. Unless you like pain, in which case we will get along splendidly.”

Veronica forced Vincent forward, appearing to have Alessia’s strength as well. Even with Vincent struggling, she hardly had any difficulty steering him in the directions she chose.

The tunnel ended in a deep hole. Veronica pushed Vincent over the edge, and his scream echoed on the way down until a
thud
sounded below.

“After you.” Veronica grinned, motioning to a ladder.

The bottom opened up into a small, dirt covered foyer, and a steel door awaited us. Vincent had gotten to his feet, but his shoulder was sagging and out of place. He grabbed his arm at his elbow and lunged forward, slamming it into the wall. A loud
pop
echoed, and he growled, rotating his shoulder.

Veronica reached the bottom with a smile painted on shiny red lips. Her piercing eyes glanced over each of us as she sashayed over to the door, pushing it open.

One short hallway later, and the room opened up to what could only be described as a massive bachelor pad. A single wooden door stood across from us with a brass handle and a deadbolt. Leather couches and a flat screen TV filled one corner of the room, with a granite countertop bar to the side. A four poster bed occupied another corner, and a decent-sized kitchen filled the opposite wall. Two long, deep freezers sat in a corner and at the far end of the room, there was a door that I assumed led to a bathroom.

The couch was occupied by a man in a dark suit, and he rose immediately when he saw us. He was my height, with black hair that fell around his shoulders and shone in the soft glow of fluorescent bulbs. His pronounced chin had a cleft, and a hint of stubble shaded his jawline. His back was perfectly straight and his eyes didn’t shy away as he approached.

A woman at the bar turned in the stool as the man walked by. A purple dress that was a few sizes too small molded around her thin figure and barely came down past her hips. Her crossed legs were a creamy white and black heels were laced in a crisscross pattern halfway up her calves. The dark purple and black eye shadow gave her eyes a smoky appeal and enhanced the impact of her purple and gold irises—irises that matched Alessia’s. Blonde hair dangled over her shoulder in braids.

Alessia emerged from the bathroom in a short red dress that hugged her body. Her platinum hair hung down over her back and her strapless dress swayed with each step.

Veronica stumbled where she stood and shook her head, confusion warping her features.

With each step the man took in our direction, Vincent’s shoulders tensed. His expression was stoic, but I could see him fighting a silent battle in his eyes. All his grace and power had vanished the moment the man stood from the couch, and his skin had faded slightly to its translucent counterpart.

“The prodigal son returns to claim his wretched beasts,” the man said through stiff, pale lips. He stopped and extended his arms to Vincent without acknowledging the rest of us. When Vincent didn’t return the greeting, the man stepped forward and forced it, grabbing Vincent’s face and kissing both of his cheeks.

Alessia stepped up beside the man and her brows furrowed. “Show your respect, son.”

“It’s fine, Alessia,” the man said, an Italian accent rolling each word off his tongue. “It’s been a long time and we all know what a baby your son can be.”

“It is not fine. Vincent Lazzario, you
will
greet your father.”

“Alessia,” the man’s voice warned.

“Dante, please. He has—”

Alessia was silenced as Dante raised his hand. An awkward silence rose as Alessia bit back her words.

Dante studied each of our faces before turning back to Vincent. “You cut your hair. I don’t like it short. You look like a vampling.”

“I’m so glad you came all the way here to comment on my hair. Not all of us break our nails clinging to ancient times.”

“Still as ignorant as ever, I see. And look, you’ve made some…
friends
.”

“Unlike you, Father, I cannot so easily survive in the world with nothing but enemies.”

“Vincent, I did not attempt to form this agreement with you so that you could destroy your hopes of repentance with disrespect,” Alessia said. Dante lowered his gaze, shaking his head.

“I have no intention of accepting your deal. It is you who is shamed, not I. I have taken a stand for what is right, whereas you live in the past like Neanderthals. If you think otherwise, you are but a fool.”

Vincent’s head jerked to the side and the sound of a hand against flesh made me wince. If it wasn’t for the shift of Dante’s shoulder, I never would have seen him move.

“You choose to disrespect me,” the man frowned. “I accept that. It’s who you are—disloyal to the end. But your mother? You don’t disrespect your mother.”

Vincent turned his head to the side and cracked his neck. “That is the only one you get.”

Dante’s expression froze, and his dark yellow eyes were intense. His shoulder shifted again, but this time, Vincent’s hand caught his wrist.

Dante’s brows raised and he smiled. “The boy has grown,” he said, glancing at Alessia, but she didn’t look impressed; she looked worried. “But he’s still a boy.”