Kissed by Moonlight (6 page)

There was another biometric pad next to the door with the porthole. Roberts placed his hand against the pad and then leaned forward to press his eye against what was obviously a retinal scanner. The door opened, and I caught a whiff of something astringent in the air: smoke, and under the smoke was the tang of burned plastic. My nose itched, and I covered a cough behind my hand. Wonderful. I so did not need my allergies going haywire.

As we stepped into the space beyond, my jaw dropped. We were in a cavernous room the same blinding white as the hallway. Suspended in the center of the room, and I mean center as in top to bottom and side to side, was a clear bubble about the size of my living room.

Well, not really a bubble. More like a dome with a flat bottom and a bubble top. It looked like it was made of unusually thick plastic, completely seamless except for small tubes attached to the top which were probably for ventilation and maybe things like food and water. I swear it was straight out of Star Trek. In the bottom of the bubble was a gaping hole, the sides blackened and melted.

"This is where we kept the prisoner." Roberts crossed his arms over his chest and stared up at the dome with a frown. His freckles stood out starkly in the harsh white light.

I stared up, wincing slightly at the crick in my neck. "Plastic?"

"Impenetrable plastene," Roberts corrected. "I don't really get the science, but it's supposed to be stronger than steel. Completely impervious to any known weapon."

"Clearly, somebody figured out a weapon that would work," Trevor said dryly, eyeing the melted sides of the hole.

"Yeah. The science geeks are probably freaking over that one." Roberts was clearly amused by the thought.

I stepped underneath the suspended dome and stared at the hole, my mind churning. Other than the bubble itself, the rest of the room was untouched. No sign that anyone had ever been there, or how Darroch had made it through the doors once he'd gotten out of the plastene cell.

"How would someone break in here?" Trevor voiced my thoughts.

"Technically, they can't, sir." Roberts's tone was almost apologetic. "We're hundreds of feet underground and you'd need authorization to get in. Maybe you could tunnel your way underground if you had a
lot
of time on your hands. Use dynamite or something to blow your way through the concrete, but the walls haven't been breached."

"Someone hacked into the system, maybe?" I suggested.

"No, ma'am. No sign the system was hacked."

"You're telling me someone with authorization came in here and broke Darroch out?" Trevor snapped. His patience was obviously wearing thin.

"There's no record of anyone entering the chamber, sir." Roberts shook his head. "Not at that time, and not for hours before. There's nothing on the security cameras, either. One minute the prisoner was there, and the next he was gone."

"No one broke him out, Trevor," I interrupted, still staring at the hole above my head. "The burn marks are on the inside. Darroch cut himself out."

***

"Heads are going to roll." Trevor's knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel, a dark flush staining his cheeks. "The boss isn't going to like this."

The anger rolled off him in waves so strong I could physically feel it. I totally got it, though. I sure wouldn't want to be the one to tell his boss a top priority prisoner, one with very powerful and very evil connections, had escaped from an impenetrable cell. And from the inside, no less.

Despite scouring the base from top to bottom, there'd been no sign of anyone entering or exiting the building. Not even Darroch. It was like he'd vanished into thin air. I could smell hinky all over this thing.

"Holy crap, that's it."

Trevor glanced at me. "What's it?"

"He vanished into thin air."

"Uh, yeah." He gave me an eye roll. "That's the problem."

"No," I said, shaking my head. "I mean he literally vanished into thin air. That's why nobody saw him leave through the door. He didn't. Once he was out of that bubble, somebody zapped him out."

"Like teleportation, you mean?"

"Something like that, yes. It has to be."

He frowned. "As far as I know, Darroch doesn't have any such capabilities."

"He doesn't." I knew that from experience. He was batshit crazy in a power hungry way, and he was stronger than your average human. Smarter, too. But he didn't have superpowers. "But there are those that do." The Fairy Queen came to mind, with her tendency to yank me into the Other World whenever she wanted.

Trevor shook his head. "The alarm systems would have detected any sort of technology. There's no way he could have got a weapon in with him, let alone one that could open the dome."

I mulled it over. "Maybe somebody teleported one in?" I wasn't sure we were on the right track with the whole teleportation of weapons thing, but it was the best idea I had at the moment.

"Why not just teleport him straight out of the cell?" Trevor asked

Fair point. "Might have taken too much energy. A material strong enough to be impenetrable to any known weapon can probably dampen most extra-human abilities." I glanced at Trevor for confirmation, but his face gave nothing away. Good enough. "So, whoever it was teleported the weapon into the cell so he could cut himself free. Once Darroch was out, it was easy enough to teleport him through concrete walls, no matter how thick."

"Makes sense, I guess." Trevor still sounded doubtful. "So you know anyone with that ability?"

"Not really," I admitted. "Djinn can do it. Sidhe, too, probably. But I can't think of anyone I know personally who would give a crap about Brent Darroch. There are certain demons, of course, but they don't generally have any reason to get involved with humans other than for killing." I frowned. Something was niggling at the back of my brain. "It's odd, though."

"What is?"

"Jade was the one who called us to Area 51. Jade gave us the note."

"Jade has no connection to Darroch as far as I've been able to ascertain."

"She doesn't," I said. "But there's someone who might."

Our gazes locked, and I saw the moment the thought hit Trevor's brain. "Crap. Alister Jones. But he doesn't have any sort of psychic or telekinetic abilities."

"No, he doesn't." My tone was grim. "But Alister Jones has connections in very low places."

Chapter 8

It was raining when Trevor dropped me off at home; that steady, constant light rain Portland is known for. My lightweight jacket was waterproof, but the rest of me was soaked. Frankly, I couldn't have cared less.

The entire flight home on the SRA's private plane, I'd been turning Darroch's escape over and over in my mind. It was painfully obvious the whole thing with Jade had been Alister's idea of a joke, a way to prove he had the upper hand. But beyond that, I didn't have a clue why Alister Jones or anyone else would help Darroch escape Area 51. But while I chewed on the latest mystery, the Darkness had once again started up its insistent chant.

Hunt. Kill. Hunt. Kill.
I'd told it to shut up, but it only laughed. The closer we got to Portland, the more insistent it became. Now that I stood at my back door, keys in hand, it was suddenly overwhelming.

I spun on my heel and marched to the car. A hunt would burn off some of this excess energy. Help me think more clearly.

I guess I was feeling reckless, because I was only wearing two of my usual blades. Lately, I had been giving my powers a lot more free rein. Those things that lived inside me, always wanting out. Well, tonight, I'd let them. I didn't care how dangerous it was. I didn't even care if they took over. I just wanted to fight and forget everything else for awhile.

As I pulled my car out of the drive, I forced myself to focus on the hunt. If I let my mind wander, it would go to maudlin places. That was the last thing I needed.

I was only two blocks from the house when I realized I was being followed. Maybe I was being paranoid. After all, plenty of people drive the streets of Portland at night for various reasons. But there hadn't been any cars on my street other than parked ones, and the lights suddenly flashing in my rearview mirror were too much of a coincidence to my already overly-suspicious brain. Besides, every instinct I had was screaming at me.

I'd learned a long time ago not to ignore my gut. I wasn't about to stop listening now, especially with a bounty on my head and Brent Darroch on the loose. Could he be after me already?

I was going the speed limit, which was twenty-five, so I took the next right without slowing down. Pressing down on the gas, I sped up a bit before careening around the next corner. The car was still on my ass. I was definitely being followed, and by someone who had no idea what subtlety was.

Hawthorne Street was nearly deserted, which was a good thing. The speedometer told me I was going fifty as I blew through a red light. Crossing my fingers that there weren't any cops around, I sped up the hill toward Mt. Tabor. It hadn't been my original destination, but it seemed like the best place to get away from everyone and take care of business.

The other car was hot on my tail as I cut left onto 60th and then right onto Reservoir. A hard left, and I was circling the park that covered the top of the hill. I slid to a stop in a small tree-lined parking lot with a squeal of tires and was out of the car almost before it stopped rolling.

The other driver jammed on his brakes, nearly sending his car into a tailspin. He managed to correct before he crashed his vehicle into mine. The guy was one hell of a driver.

The car was black and sleek and powerful. It looked like a Mercedes, but someone had removed everything from the license plates to the little icon doodad that usually sat on the hood. I guess I wasn't the only paranoid one. Even with my more than human night vision, I couldn't see into the interior, thanks to the tinted windows. Totally illegal in Multnomah County, but I doubted the driver was worried about getting a ticket.

I expected him to come charging out, but nothing happened. He just sat there. What was he waiting for? An engraved invitation?

"You going to sit there like a bump on a log all night?" Patience has never been my strong suit.

The driver's side door swung open and someone slowly stepped out. At first I couldn't make him out, thanks to the glare of the headlights, but then he stepped into the beams so I could see.

Immediately I could see my mistake. I admit it's sexist, but I see somebody with mad car skills like that and I automatically think "male." This driver was the exception. From her long blonde hair to her six-inch fuck-me heels, this driver was all woman. The cold expression in her eyes told me her skill set included something far more deadly than good driving.

"Well, now, is that any way for a lady to behave?" I taunted, trying to get a rise out of her. Keep your enemy off-guard, and they make mistakes. Mistakes that can save your ass.

It worked. She bared her teeth at me in a snarl, and my blood ran cold at the sight of long, sharp canines.

She might be all woman, but she was far from human. I should have sensed her, as I did all vampires, but with the combination of lack of sleep and adrenaline overload, my Spidey senses were off kilter.

"Let me guess." My tone was dry. "You're after the bounty." I still had no idea who had put a price on my head, but she was the second vamp who'd shown up planning to claim the prize, thanks to that stupid website.

She tilted her head to the side like a bird studying a bug. A slight smile curved her lips, and she gave her hair a flirty little toss, but her eyes remained cold and dead. "Mama needs a new pair of shoes."

I rolled my eyes. Fantastic. A vamp with a sense of humor. "You know you're not the first, right?"

"I don't imagine I am. But I will be the last." She evidently didn't suffer from lack of confidence.

My fingers closed around the handle of my
skean dhu
as I pulled it slowly from its sheath on my belt. The deadly little Scottish blade was the latest addition to my arsenal, and I was looking forward to giving it a workout.

I shot her my best "fuck you" smile. "Good luck with that."

Chapter 9

The vamp moved so fast my eyes almost couldn't track her. One minute she was standing there in skintight leather and a cocky attitude, the next, she was nothing but a blur. How she moved so fast in six-inch stilettos, I'll never know. I'd have broken an ankle for sure.

I had just enough time to crouch slightly and twist to the left before she slammed into me. The angle of my body threw her off balance enough to stagger her a little. I helped her along with a quick twist back to the right as I stood, flipping her over my shoulder. Instead of taking us both to the ground, she found herself flat on her back on the gravel, gaping like a fish. Sometimes I really love the laws of physics.

She growled low in her throat, an expression of pure rage crossing her perfect, icy features. She didn't have the usual slavering half-crazed vampire thing going on, which was odd, but I didn't have time to focus on that. With one smooth move, she was on her feet again, circling me like an angry dog.

"Is that all you've got?" I taunted as I stood my ground, blade in hand. "You're giving us girls a bad name, you know."

Her lips peeled back in a snarl, exposing her long, brutally sharp canines. "We should have exterminated you hunters generations ago. You're nothing but a pain in the ass." There was bitterness to her tone which spoke of more than a vampire's rage. This wasn't about a bounty, and it wasn't about blood. This was personal.

"What did we ever do to you?" As if I had to ask. No doubt one of us had killed her maker or something else within the realm the hunter's job.

"As if I would tell the likes of you," she hissed.

Whatever. I couldn't care less if she told me. I shrugged, using the movement to mask my true intentions as I braced myself for the throw.

The knife flew from my fingers, embedding itself in her eye socket. The vamp fell to her knees with a shriek of agony, her fingers clamping around the hilt of the knife.