"This is Mrs. Vanderbilt's friend." I tell the others. My eyes lock with Sophie's. "Her work friend."
Sophie sighs. "For Christ's sake." She shoves Leah toward John who fumbles to hold onto his box and Leah's arm. "We don't have time for this." Sophie says and before I can figure out what her plan is, she throws her fist into the man's jaw hard.
I flinch. Jamie gasps.
Brian doesn't have time to react. He's unconscious when Sophie's fist makes contact.
"Oh my god." Jamie mashes the words into one and catches Brian before he hits the ground. I help her lower him to the ground.
When I stand up straight, Leah's smirking at us.
Jamie's spilling through questions. "What am I supposed to do with him now? He's going to wake up eventually and he's not going to be happy when—"
"Lock him in the basement." John cuts her off. "We'll take care of him when we get back."
Jamie looks at me with worried eyes. "Take care of him?" She whispers only to me. "What does that mean? Are they going to kill him?"
"No." I shake my head. But then again... I look at John. "You're not going to kill him, right?"
He shrugs. "We'll see where the night takes us."
Leah motions to the device on the ground. "What's that?"
Sophie grabs her arm again. "You're not really in a place to ask questions." After a pause, she picks up the device and looks at me. "What is this?"
Leah rolls her eyes.
"It's um... It's a machine that indicates whether you're human or not."
Her eyebrows scrunch together as she turns it over in her hands. "Bullshit. There's no way."
Leah is looking over her shoulder. "Advanced technology indeed."
Sophie holds a hand up. "Can you let me breathe?"
Leah sighs and takes a step back.
Sophie's fiddling with the machine when she looks at Jamie."Hey, hunter. You know how this works?"
Jamie clears her throat. She nods and steps forward. Once Sophie gives her the machine, Jamie follows the same steps Brian did. She takes Sophie's ring finger and presses the machine against her finger. Sophie doesn't flinch when Jamie pulls the trigger, only watches the screen curiously. After a moment, the screen flashes red.
Sophie's shoulders fall, like she was expecting it to be a fluke. "What is this bullshit?"
"I'm not really sure," Jamie answers. "I haven't seen one until today. Brian told us he's here to hand them out to the humans so they can..."
"So they know if we're living amongst them," Aurora finishes Jamie's sentence for her.
John squeezes Aurora's hand. "That's a battle for another day." He's speaking only to her but his words act as a reminder that we need to keep moving.
"John's right," Sophie says. "We need to meet with Leroy soon and hand Leah over."
My blood runs cold. "We're going into the city again? Why doesn't he come here to get her?"
"He doesn't trust us," Sophie answers. "He wants to meet somewhere neutral in case we're planning something sneaky."
Aurora's making rounds, handing a blood bag out to everyone who needs one, including Leah. "The faster we get Leah back, the better," she says. "These were the last two boxes I could find at the blood bank in town. If we don't restore the balance of things, well... We have to drink blood to survive and... I haven't drained a human in decades."
The thought of Aurora draining a human is unsettling. I'm used to Aurora baking sweet treats and digging around in her garden, not murdering innocent people.
By the time I shake the thought off, Sophie and John are nearly done with their blood bags. I tuck mine in my pocket and pull Jamie to the kitchen, even though I know everyone else can still hear us.
"I want you to bring whatever you'd bring with you hunting," I tell her.
Jamie's shaking her head before I finish my sentence. "Gwen, I'm not going to bring all my gear with me when your entire family will be there."
"Jamie." I lift her chin so she looks at me. "I need you to be ready for a fight. I don't care what everyone else thinks."
Jamie stares at me for a long moment before she finally swallows hard and nods. "Okay."
I smile and kiss her on the forehead. "Okay."
She walks away blushing, and I catch up with Sophie to help wherever I can. John drags Brian downstairs to the basement.
Aurora flashes me a look. "Gwen," she says, her tone disapproving. She continues when I look at her, wide-eyed. "Drink your blood bag before we leave." Her expression melts into a warm smile and she squeezes my shoulder once before she moves to another task.
I do as she says. I gulp down the blood from the bag in my pocket. By the time I finish it, Sophie's at my side.
She lets out a long, controlled breath. "This is good." She's nodding. "This is going to be good." She nudges me. "What are you thinking about?"
Warmth spreads in my chest. It was only a few months ago when I felt like I had nobody. Now, people can tell something's wrong just by looking at me.
"I'm nervous about Leah," I admit. "What if, instead of going after Parker, she just turns around and imprisons all of us?"
Sophie raises an eyebrow at me. "Come on, girlie. We've taken Leah on before and won. Just you and me." She motions to John and Aurora in the kitchen. "Now we've got a whole team backing us up."
I don't respond, only nod.
"Besides, Leroy said he's got a plan and he needs Leah's help to execute it," Sophie continues. "He said everything should be cleared up tomorrow morning if everything works out." She squeezes my shoulder and when I don't feel the heat of her stare pull away, I look at her.
"What's up, Sophie?"
Her lips pull into a smile. She stays quiet and I assume she's thinking but when her lips finally part to speak, she simply shakes her head and says, "Nothing."
"Hey, Gwen?" Jamie's voice comes from the end of the hallway.
Sophie jumps a little and pulls her hand away from my shoulder. She clears her throat and motions to the kitchen. "I'll find the others."
Jamie's walking toward me with a crossbow hanging over her shoulder and a stake strapped to her thigh. She flashes a confused look at Sophie but her confusion is overpowered by her insecurity as she tucks herself between me and the wall.
"Is this too much?"
My lips pull into a grin. I grab her waist and pull her close so I can whisper in her ear. "Is it weird that I'm extra turned on by you right now?"
Jamie snorts and buries her head in my neck. "Shut up."
"I'm serious!" Something about the shoes she traded for boots and the tanktop she traded for a heavy jacket... I can't help but notice how sexy she looks. I also can't help but notice how comfortable she is with the crossbow designed specifically to hunt vampires. Can't help but wonder how many times she's slung the weapon over her shoulder.
"You guys ready?" John asks from the kitchen. His eyes go wide when he notices the crossbow at Jamie's side. "Oh.You're a..." He scratches the back of his head. "You huntin'?" He chuckles.
"I told her to bring it," I tell him.
He nods fast. "That's a um—"
"It's a good idea," Aurora says from over his shoulder. She smiles at John. "Jamie needs to be able to protect herself."
John swallows hard. It's obvious he's still fighting his urge to run so instead of responding, he forces a shaky smile and nods once.
Sophie walks past with a hand clamped around Leah's arm. For a moment I think she doesn't notice the crossbow hanging over Jamie's shoulder but when she pulls the front door open, she says, "Is that the same crossbow that killed my men a while back?"
Jamie's cheeks go pink but she doesn't back down. "Not sure. I wasn't there." Jamie smiles smugly.
John chuckles.
Sophie rolls her eyes and steps through the doorway.
We don't speak once we load into the back of the van. Leah's quiet in the corner with John in front of her and Sophie on her side. Aurora's driving and Jamie and I are closest to the exit in the back.
Sophie sighs and it sounds impossibly loud against the silence. "Are you guys sure you'll be able to turn this all around by tomorrow?"
We look at Leah.
She grins. "It's fascinating how the same people who threw me out are now crawling back for salvation."
Sophie rolls her eyes as dramatically as she can. "You know what? Nevermind." She mumbles something in Spanish. I know she said something insulting even though I can't understand her.
There's something deep and aristocratic about Leah's voice. "I will be exterminating the pests by sunrise, yes." Leah lets a silent beat pass before her eyes narrow at me. I stare back, waiting for her to say whatever's on her mind but instead, she just looks away.
I can't help but wonder what she's thinking. The last time I spoke to her, she made sure I knew she wasn't okay with what I'm doing with Jamie. Is she thinking about her promise to execute me? But, as if she can hear my unspoken question, Leah says, "You have incredible restraint for a newborn."
I clear my throat to cover for my lack of a response.
"You could have had the potential to be truly special." She sounds disappointed.
Something burns in my chest. Embarrassment, maybe.
Apparently, I'm not the only one who feels like this because Sophie shoots daggers at Leah. "You know she's developed her elder-assigned-ability already." She nods when Leah looks at her with wide eyes. "She is special."
The van slows to a crawl and then stops completely. I'm glad for the distraction because I know what Leah's follow-up question would be. Which ability has Gwen developed? And I'd have to lie or admit that we share the same strength.
Aurora's muffled voice comes from the front. "We're here." She sounds too cheerful for the situation.
I take Jamie's hand in mine and squeeze once. "You ready?"
Jamie nods once and pushes the back doors open.
I climb out first and wait while Sophie and John bring Leah out. Leroy is a few yards away, surrounded by guards and black SUVS. I hadn't been paying attention to where Aurora was taking us but now that I'm outside, it's obvious we're under the only bridge out of the city.
I swallow hard. There's at least ten guards and only five of us. Four of us if I don't count Jamie.
"Well, well, well!" Leroy claps his hands together. "So glad to see you've all come to your senses."
John walks in front of me, his eyes glassy. "Gunner." His voice is choked by a sob. "My boy."
My eyes shoot to the guard on Leroy's right. I hadn't noticed him before, in all white instead of a flannel and work boots. Gunner looks different now. His beard is shaved down so it's mostly stubble and his uniform is ironed and neat. He's got a new scar that cuts down over his smile.
"Stay back, dad," he orders.
John freezes, his mouth hanging in disbelief.
Leroy nods. "Thank you, Gunner. Sophie, you may approach with Leah. We ask that the rest of you keep your distance."
No. No. Leroy can't possibly expect us to trust him.
I'm ready for some pushback but Sophie doesn't hesitate. She pushes Leah forward and follows after her. But something doesn't feel right and even though I can't put my finger on it, I know I can't let her go alone.
I bend over and whisper to Jamie. "Stay here. Be ready for anything." And before she can protest, I'm jogging after Sophie.
"What are you doing?" Sophie hisses at me.
"Evening the odds," I answer, keeping my eyes focused on the guards. Something isn't right about the blood suckers Leroy brought, but I can't place my finger on it. Usually, guards are even-tempered and stone faced. These ones haven't mastered the statue-like gaze yet. They shift their weight. Their eyes dart around, focusing on too many things at once. I try to push the thought down. Tell myself it's because Leroy was short on men and these must be the replacements to the guards who've died or fled recently. They're undertrained.
"I said—" Leroy shouts.
"Gwen's coming with me," Sophie cuts him off.
Leroy doesn't protest, only rolls his eyes.
Leah turns on me once we've closed the distance between the van and Leroy. Her eyes are angry and vibrant. "Remember my words, child. I won't hesitate to come after you once I've dealt with the rebellion."
"And I won't hesitate to kill you," I say calmly. Despite Leah's threat, I can't help but notice something else. The heat of someone's stare on my face. I turn and find one of the guards staring at me. Finally, it clicks. The woman's eyes. Too large, too glassy looking. She's wearing colored contacts. She must be hiding her fiery red eyes.
I look at Leroy, a grin pressing at the edges of my lips. "Interesting. I didn't think you'd let newborns join such an exclusive army."
Leroy crosses his arms over his chest and taps a foot against the ground. "What are you going on about?"
I'm pointing at the guard with the glassy eyes, about to make a snarky remark but as I do, she pulls Leroy into a chokehold and holds a handgun against his head.