Page 71 of John’s Yearning

“I was hoping for a miracle. I’m not going to reject it, just because it arrived in the form of vampires and Stealth Guardians.”

Virginia directed her gaze to John. “Smart woman.” Then she motioned to the door behind her. “We’ve gotta go. We found a portal in Vladivostok. Logan and Enya are transporting directly there and will be expecting us.”

John nodded his approval, then turned to Savannah. He cupped her cheek. “I’ll bring her back to you. I promise.”

“I know. I trust you.”

“I’ll call my protégée Deirdre to come and keep you company while I’m gone. Stay in my office, until she arrives. Okay?”

“Is she a vampire, too?”

“Yes. And she’s a good woman. You can trust her.”

“If you trust her, I trust her.”

When she smiled at him, John pivoted, snatched his helmet and gloves from the desk, and left with Virginia. On the way downstairs he placed a quick call to Deirdre to give her instructions to take care of Savannah. In Scanguards’ lobby, several people were waiting for them: the four hybrids and Zane. Zane was wearing the same kind of Kevlar suit as John, helmet in hand. As luck would have it, Luther was in San Francisco this week and had lent his own suit to Zane for this mission. They would need the protection: it would be afternoon local time when they arrived in Vladivostok.

“That won’t be enough people,” John said.

“I can only take so many with me in the portal, or we’d have to do several trips. And with Logan and Enya, we’re more than enough to take care of the traffickers.” She motioned to Zane. “Zane filled me in on everything. They’re human, and from what you encountered at the port earlier, they don’t exactly have an army. Trust me: four hybrids, two vampires, and three Stealth Guardians can defeat fifty humans.”

John knew that, but there were kids involved, kids they had to protect, and when it came to kids, one could never be too cautious.

“I hope there are enough for all of us to take a bite out of,” Zane threw in, his eyes glimmering with bloodlust. “I didn’t get much to do in Oakland. And scaring the crap out of those two thugs was hardly any fun.”

“Well, then let’s go,” John announced.

The only portal in San Francisco through which a Stealth Guardian could travel, was in a tunnel in the 16th Street BART station in the Mission district, only a few blocks away from Scanguards’ headquarters. Virginia led them there on foot. Once inside the station, they walked down the stairs and around a corner where for a moment they would be shielded from the passengers waiting for the next train.

“Now, hold hands.”

“What?” Zane asked in disgust.

“I need to make us all invisible, but because we’re so many, I can’t do it with my mind; takes too much energy. I need to do it by touch.” She took Zane’s hand. “Now hold hands with one of your colleagues. We need to create a chain.”

“Do it!” John ordered and offered his hand.

There were no more protests, and moments later, they emerged from their temporary hiding place, now invisible, and walked into the tunnel. A couple of hundred yards into it, Virginia stopped and pressed her hand against the stone wall. Within seconds, a section of the wall disappeared, revealing a cave.

“Get inside,” she ordered, and one by one, the hybrids, as well as Zane and John crowded into the space. Virginia joined them. “Two of you need to hold onto me. And everybody else has to hold onto them. Don’t let go, or you’ll be left behind.” Suddenly the opening closed, and darkness descended upon them. “Oh, and it might be a little bumpy if this is your first ride.”

Bumpy was an understatement.

John felt as if he was being hurled into the air and tossed around like a ragdoll in an oversized dryer. But he didn’t let go of Virginia, nor of Benjamin, who was holding onto him for dear life. Luckily, the ride only took several seconds. Before he even realized it, he felt solid ground under his feet again, and the tumbling stopped.

“Bumpy, my ass,” Zane growled. “You might as well have tossed us into hell.”

Involuntarily, John had to grin. Zane was fearless and never displayed any discomfort about anything, but it appeared he wasn’t keen on a repeat of this particular experience.

“That was cool!” Grayson proclaimed.

“Oh yeah!” Damian confirmed.

Ryder simply rolled his eyes, as if he didn’t believe Damian’s and Grayson’s show of bravado.

When they exited the portal, Logan and Enya were waiting for them. John familiarized himself with his surroundings. They were in an abandoned factory. He slipped on his helmet and gloves, and noticed Zane doing the same.

“We procured a truck,” Logan announced.