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Just stay on this trajectory. You’re about a thousand feet out, but the disguise isn’t deep—maybe fifty feet, no more.
He trusted her and shot through the gray veil, using regular flight. Two seconds later there they were, all four islands.
The largest island, in the northwest, billowed volcanic smoke. He approached from the south. It was daylight in this part of the world. We may have to wait, if the weapon is where I think it is.
What do you mean?
A section of the penal colony that will be a bitch to navigate.
He slowed his flight to approach the large cavern entrance, then dropped them just outside, where the mountainside created a long patch of shade. Even then, the shade helped only a little bit; his skin felt like it was on fire.
“Lucian, doesn’t this hurt? The sun’s out.”
“Like hell, but I didn’t want to just fly straight in without checking it out first.”
“Good thinking, because who knows what’s inside.”
“Exactly.”
He drew her close. Claire stepped off his foot. He set all his senses on alert to the presence of any other vampires, but nothing came back.
He breathed a sigh of relief. “We’re alone.”
“Oh, thank God.” Claire nodded, but slipped her hand in his. “I’m not liking this place at all given its history.” She shuddered. “So which way do we go? Down?”
“My guess is that we’ll find the weapon in the worst possible place, but let’s give our combined tracking ability a try.”
She glanced up at him. “What do I do?”
“Just focus.”
“On what in particular?”
He waved an arm to encompass what would be the high, northeastern portion of the island, near the volcano. “There’s a series of caves up there, open at dozens of places to the sky above. Those openings were part of the torture process—the prisoners would be exposed to sunlight, pinned there to the point of death. They’d be hauled back to their cells, though often too late to be saved. Think being burned by a welding torch.”
Claire shivered. “Got it. You’d have to be a sadist to work here.”
“Pretty much. This same stretch, which goes on for half a mile and covers a portion of the base of the volcano, also draws near a lava flow so the heat can become unbearable. And as I recall, electrical grids could be tripped anywhere along the way to give a hefty jolt or two. It was said that as many vampires died by torture as by execution.”
“A few days ago, I would have said that made no sense, but then I met Daniel. He strikes me as the kind of man who never really needs a reason to kill. If he has to invent one, his imagination is fertile enough for that.”
“You’re exactly right.” He glanced at her. “Okay, try focusing on the weapon now, and think northeast.”
He felt the chains at his neck vibrate softly, the response weak. He supported her as best he could, but nothing much happened. However, Claire stayed with it, which might have just been what defined her best, and after about a minute, her voice moved through his mind. I’m getting an end point. It’s growing stronger. I can see it now. A large metal piece of equipment similar to the one Daniel showed us at The Erotic Passage. Can you picture it?
Yes. A jolt of adrenaline went through him, firing up the muscles of his thighs and arms, because right now he could see the same image within his own mind.
“We found it, didn’t we?”
“Well, you found it, but I’ve just seen a vision of it in my head because of you.”
“Seriously?”
He glanced at her, nodding.
“Just to make sure, describe it.”
“The same ventilation flaps, same color, but the whole thing has an additional black section on the bottom.”
She turned toward him, eyes wide. “That’s it. And there’s a welded loop on top.”
“Probably for hauling by crane.”
“That would make sense.”
He cupped her face with his hands, then leaned in to kiss her. But that was when a familiar voice called from across the space. “How precious. And look, you both survived. Neat trick with the disguise out in Siberia, Claire, but you won’t be lucky twice.”
Daniel. Again.
Best to just ignore him.
I agree.
Ready?
She squeezed his arm and he flew her straight through the rock, in a northeasterly direction.
Lucian, I caught a glimpse just before you took us out of there. Your father has brought a whole bunch of men with him, but they don’t look right. They look ill, underfed.
Slaves. He’s brought slaves, the bastard.
What does he intend to do with them?
You don’t want to know.
Fortunately, she didn’t ask, but she’d probably soon see for herself.
He brought her to the edge of the torture zone where a low gray metal wall separated what looked like a combined minefield and war zone. There were also several paths they could take, but each of them led beneath the openings through which sunlight streamed.
“Can’t you just fly us to the destination?”
“Do you see the webbing that hangs all through the space from the cave ceilings, even the shorter tunnels?”
“Yes.”
“Electricity. If I’d flown you in, we could have been zapped and lost consciousness. Part of what’s along here are fire pits that lead to lava flow.”
“We would’ve fallen in and been burned up completely unaware.”
“Exactly.”
“So what do we do?”
“Daniel will be along any second, and it seems to me we’ve got a race on our hands. We need to start down one of these paths.”
“What about the sun?”
He gritted his teeth. “I can take it.”
“What if I piggybacked you, created sort of a physical shield, at least as much of you as my body can cover?”
He met her gaze, brows lifted. “That would definitely help.”
“You seem surprised.”
“I suppose so. I’ve just never gone on missions with humans before—and definitely not with women. It would never have occurred to me.” He shifted his back to her. “Hop on.”
She jumped up and he caught her below her bu**ocks and pulled her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and slung one arm over his shoulder and chest. The other she balanced on his other shoulder and hung on. “Let’s go.”
Because he’d seen the end point, his innate sense of direction kicked into high gear. Surveying the pathways, he chose one to the far right. Just as he levitated over the metal barrier, Daniel showed up and took the path all the way to the left.
