The Scarlet Dagger (The Red Sector Chronicles, #1)

Chapter 14

After a few more days of drifting in and out of sleep, I was deemed well enough to return to the academy. With a smile on his face, Aden appeared in the door of my hospital room while I was tying my boots.

"Hurry up, champ," he said, leaning against the frame. "General Frost wants to see you."

I froze, eyes wide with fear. Was she going to punish me for killing some vampires? I couldn't remember that night very clearly – I think the electric jolts had fried my memory or something. But I could still feel the bloodlust rising in me as I sought to kill the vampires hurting Mrs. Knight. I had warred with myself for days, knowing I should feel guilty about killing them but trying to justify my actions by saying they were self-defense.

Maybe I'm no better than the Rogues...

He held up a hand, noticing my expression. "Relax. It's not what you think."

"I hope not, because I really have no desire to play torture chamber with Frost again."

He grimaced as I rose from the bed, and I saw the apology in his eyes. I nodded curtly then looked away, clearing my throat as butterflies rose in my chest. "Do I have to put on the, you know, 'ankle bracelet from hell?'"

Aden's lips twitched in a grim smile. "No, I persuaded Frost it was safe to leave it off."

I let out a sigh. "Good." My stomach flipped at the mention of Frost. "I guess this is kind of like ripping off a Band-Aid. Better to make it quick and get it over with."

Aden raised a brow. "Frost as a Band-Aid brand," he murmured, turning around. "Somehow, I don't think parents would take well to the skulls and dismembered organs on the bandages versus cute fluffy bunnies and My Little Ponies."

I giggled, imagining Frost as a spokesperson for children's safety products.

He signed my discharge papers, and I followed him out, my stomach still queasy at the thought of facing Frost again.

***

I paused outside the ominous black door, on the equally ominous black giant-of-a-building. The thing stretched all the way to the ceiling, by far the tallest structure in the dome. "Ugh... are you sure they don't want to torture me some more?"

Aden had his back to me, punching in a security code. "It's the Council Chambers," he replied as the door opened with a beep, "where the High Council convenes to conduct business affairs for the base, like, for instance, the fate of criminals." He glanced back at me with a smirk.

"Haha," I said, following him inside. "I'm definitely the picture of a hardened criminal."

I still felt shaky and a bit weak as we walked, but it was definitely a vast improvement over my condition from a few days ago. At least I wasn't half-dead.

"Who's on the High Council?" I asked.

"Twelve elected officials, all of which are pulled from the community. It's basically our version of a Grand Jury."

Entering the building was like walking into the night itself. The walls, ceiling, and floor were all black, with small white bulbs along the ceiling providing just enough light to see. Though everything looked the same to me, Aden seemed to know where he was going, and I stayed close to his side as we meandered down one hall after the other. He would take sudden turns, seeming to disappear right into the wall before my very eyes. Then he'd poke his head out to look for me, and I would realize there was actually a hallway there. The place reminded me a bit of a maze.

Aden finally stopped before a set of black doors, so polished they gleamed like onyx. "Wait here," he said, knocking once before stepping inside.

I fidgeted in the hallway, nervously shifting my weight. I glanced at my ankle. I was incredibly thankful they hadn't replaced the anklet, though I knew that was too good to last. They'd probably cuff me as soon as I got home.