I Am Only One {Mature Vampire Romance}

Book 3|15. He Was Right

"Yes, I haven't had a chance to discuss it with Cage yet, but I want to go after Talon's previous owner."  

"Cage said you'd want to do that, so we changed the teams to accommodate your capturing the bitch and us to get the information on Marku's whereabouts."

My heart warmed.  Even though I hadn't even had a chance to say anything, Cage knew what I needed, and was already planning for it. 

"As it stands now, you, Talon and Tobias will track her down and capture her. Talon believes the three of you have sufficient force to accomplish it, leaving Cage, myself and the rest of the team to locate the Security room."

I calculated the numbers in my head. Cage and I had already planned to split up because we would have the most success at compulsion. We had divided Echo and his men evenly between us because we were both going to be hunting for Marku's security. Now that I would be diverted obtaining Seraphine, it made sense for Cage to utilize more resources as he would need them, potentially facing the full force of Marku's security.

Cage and Talon returned into the room, with Talon fully geared up and ready to go, complete with weapons. Cage settled in behind me and rested his hands on my waist, his thumbs gently messaging little circles on my lower back. I turned to face him and whispered, "Thank you."

His grip tightened and he nodded. He had overheard our conversation. He knew what I meant. Echo continued, explaining which routes each team would pursue. Even though Talon would be with me, I memorized the directions.

And finally, we were ready to go.

..........

We traveled on foot from the hotel to Marku's estate. Running was much faster and less conspicuous than using vehicles. Finding an entrance to the tunnels had been a bit more complicated, but after displacing several large boulders in various sections of the terrain, we finally gained access. We quickly made our way until the point we had to separate. Cage held me, his arms like steel wrapped around my body, and whispered against my hair, "Be safe...I love you."

I hated leaving him. We would have no possible contact with each other going forward. We all carried cell phones but they were cut off, so that we did not risk detention. Cage was certain Marku's security regularly monitored transmissions. I rasped, "I love you too."

Every nerve ending in my body hummed with anticipation as Talon, Tobias and I turned and headed toward one of the residence wings. The tunnels were exactly as I had expected, cold, dank paths etched deep in the ground with stone walls. We used no light source, yet I was able to see perfectly in the dark. After several minutes, we hit a dead end, the tunnel went no further and there was no exit in sight.

"Talon?" I whispered.

"Shit, they must have made changes. It's been over a year since I've been down here," he hissed quietly. He inclined his head toward the ceiling and studied it carefully, as he walked back in the direction we came. Tobias and I followed behind him, also staring up.

Talon came to a halt so quickly that I couldn't stop myself from bumping into the back of him. He turned and placed a finger over his lips, motioning us into silence. He then pointed to a specific spot on the ceiling. I peered closer and could see the faint outline of a door.

Talon and Tobias were both big, but neither was tall enough to reach the door on their own. Talon reached for my waist, his eyes questioning, asking for my permission.

I nodded.

He turned me away from him and his grip tightened, lifting me onto his shoulders as if I weighed nothing. I reached up and felt the contours of the door. It was small, but should be big enough for us to fit through. There was no knob, per say, only a few holes where I guessed a makeshift handle had been.