Kyle nodded before starting down the stairs.He moved noiselessly down the concrete steps, as did the others.Their inbred, hunter instincts made them far stealthier than thehumans he heard below them.
A door opened and clicked shut. When silencefollowed, he realized the humans had exited the stairwell. Fromabove, shouts and gunfire continued to pierce the air, but thesounds grew fainter as they descended.
When they arrived at the second floor, Willowand Declan destroyed the camera Lucy pointed out as Kyle stoppedoutside the door leading to the second-floor hallway. Brian andEthan stepped to either side of the door as they prepared to takeout anyone who might emerge.
Kyle had started to reach for the knob whenBrian grasped his wrist. His brother-in-law stood for a minute withhis brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed. And then, Brian pulledKyle’s wrist away.
“She’s not here,” Brian whispered. “I don’tknow where she is, but it’s not here. We have to keep going.”
“Someone should stay here,” his dad said. “Tomake sure no one from this floor enters the stairwell behindus.”
“I’ll stay,” Paige offered.
“So will I,” Ian said.
Kyle hesitated; he’d prefer not to leaveanyone behind, but his dad was right. They couldn’t afford to havesomeone slip into the hallway behind them. If they remained here,Ian and Paige would also know if someone entered from above andalert them.
When Brian and Ethan stepped away from thedoor, Ian and Paige took up their old positions. Kyle met Ian’sgaze, and his older brother smiled at him. Kyle didn’t look back asthey continued to the next floor. He had to get Melanie and get outof here before anyone was injured any more than they alreadywere.
He would have gladly helped any of his familythrough all of this if it were one of their mates trapped here, buthe would never be able to live with himself if something happenedto one of them. They were all mated, and many of them had childrenwaiting for their parents to return. He wouldnotallow anyof his nieces and nephews to become orphans.
When they made it to the third floor, Willowand Declan destroyed another camera while Brian stood outside thedoor, staring at it as if he could somehow see through the thickmetal. Finally, he turned away.
“She’s not here,” he said.
This time, Jack and Charlie volunteered toguard the doorway. The bloodstain on her thigh had seeped down toher shin, but the gash had stopped bleeding. Still, she needed sometime to stop and rest.
When they reached the fourth floor, Willowand Declan killed another camera while Brian stared at thedoor.
“She’s not here,” Brian said and turned awayfrom the door.
Lucy stepped forward and whispered. “If she’son the fifth floor, then she’s in a cage. I’ll have to get ontothis floor to set her free.”
“What if she’s not in this building?” Stefanasked.
“She’s here,” Kyle stated.
He did not doubt that. Deep inside his bones,he could feel her somewhere in this forsaken pit of despair.
“Good,” his mom said.
“So, do we all exit here?” Mollie asked.
“At least some of us do,” Mike said.
“I can go alone,” Lucy offered.
“Absolutely not,” Kyle said.
Lucy folded her arms over her chest. “Theydon’t know I’m a vampire; they won’t expect anything like that fromme.”
“But they’ll know you freed me and theothers,” Kyle reminded her. “They’ll consider you a traitor, andhow do you think they’ll react to that?”
She bit her bottom lip as she studied thedoor. “Since they don’t know what I am, I still might get pastthem.”
“I think it’s better if we split up here,”Cassidy said. “You shouldn’t have to risk doing this alone.”
“I agree,” David said.
