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I leapt off the end of the catwalk and ducked into the tunnel. Once the musty scent of the cramped space hit my nose, I realized my error. I'd entered the underground bunker through a slide. Hardly an ideal exit route. But I didn't have the extra seconds to spare scrambling around for an alternate exit. I skidded into the cavern where I'd first met Saga and scrambled when my foot caught on a rock sticking up from the packed earth. I was three steps from the chute leading toward freedom when a heavy weight slammed into my back like a wrecking ball. I fell face-first into the cold, packed dirt and every molecule of air in my body escaped in a painful rush. A low, mean growl hit my ear like a hot wind.
"Good boy, Polonius." Saga's voice sounded amused but winded. "Miss Six, that canine on your back is trained to attack on my word. Are you going to force me to utter that word or are you going to be a good girl and surrender."
Warm drool landed on my neck. Polonius was hungry. My own stomach growled in response. As much as I wanted to stand up and fight, I knew that even if I managed to get away from the dog and up that chute before Saga gave the command, I'd never make it out in the Badlands with no food, water or provisions. So, as much as it pained, me I lowered my forehead to the red earth and surrendered.
Six.
The cell was darker than the Badlands during a new moon. My hand was on a cold stone wall, but the dirt floors made it smell like a grave. Tears stung the corners of my eyes. I swiped at them even though no one could see me. It was bad enough I had to be with myself and those fucking tears. They sickened me.
A specter of a memory haunted my brain. Of lying in a similar cell, only that old one was all-white and brighter than lightning. Back then I'd been crying too. But those tears had been innocent and pure. A child mourning the loss of everything familiar, a child's fear of the unknown. That was my first night in the dormitories. They'd taken me straight there after they'd realized my blood type. Back then, I didn't know how that simple test would determine my fate. I'd been so relieved they'd let me live that I hadn't thought about what a bleak existence it would become without my mother.
I remembered blood stains on my hands contrasting sharply against crisp, white sheets. A few tears mixed with the red like some morbid watercolor painting. I remembered feeling like I was being watched even though I was alone in the room. I remembered feeling like my heart was going to claw its way out of my chest and run away without me. I remembered feeling more alone than any other girl in the history of the world. But I'd learned quickly that tears only made the beatings worse, and the more I stuffed them down, the stronger I became.
But back then I'd had a future, even if I hadn't known it. Now? Even if they let me live until morning and forced me to help them attack the Troika, it was doubtful I'd last the week.
The sound of a key in a lock echoed. I swiped away the tears and sat up. They couldn't be allowed to see me broken. Even if--especially if--they planned to kill me.
Only instead of Icarus or Dare arriving with a gun, my visitor was Rabbit, bearing a tray of food. A lantern on the tray created a halo of light around his young face. "You hungry?" he whispered.
I nodded, but only because I didn't want him to leave. That kid was the closest thing I had to a friend in Book Mountain. Hell, he was the closest thing I had in the entire world.
He smirked and set the tray down on the floor next to the bed. "It ain't much. Saga says we can't spare too much since we might have to go underground again soon."
I accepted a small cup of water with a nod. "Go underground?"
"Yeah, Dare said we're going to make big move on the mosquitos, but after we might have to hide for a while."
I froze. "Wait, you said 'we're'--as in you're going to help with the attack?"
He nodded with exaggerated patience. "Of course. I'm really helpful." His tone was heavy with offense, like I'd wounded his pride. "Icarus said I'm going to be really important to this mission."
I shouldn't have been surprised Icarus was going to let the kid take part, but I was shocked Dare was allowing it. She watched over Rabbit like he was her own young. "Hey Rabbit?"
"Yeah?" he said over a mouthful of dried meat I'd refused when he offered it to me.
"Did they say what they're going to do with me?"
A shadow filled the doorway, blocking out the dim light from the hallway. I recognized Dare's petite silhouette. "Rabbit," she snapped, "Saga needs help in the library."
The kid flashed me an apologetic look. I smiled back and shoved the rest of the dried meat strips into his hand. That earned me a real smile before he ducked out of the room. Dare stood aside to let him pass. The tenderness with which she'd watched him fled the minute he exited. Then those eyes hardened and watched my reaction as she slowly closed us in together.
The meager light from the lantern didn't do much to expel the shadows standing between the vampire and me. Her yellow eyes glowed in the dark. She didn't approach immediately. Just stood with her back to the door, letting the tension rise between us like a poisonous gas. I might be damned but I wasn't going to be the first one to speak.
Finally, she pulled away from the wall. "Have you ever tasted blood?"
The question was so unexpected, I jerked in shock. With a wary frown, I hesitated. "Yes."
"Whose?"
I licked my dry lips. "My own."
She nodded and took her time absorbing this information. "By your own choice?"
I looked up and met her eyes. "No." I'd expected this information to please her. Instead she grimaced and looked away.
"We're not all monsters, you know." She looked back at me, to make sure I'd heard. I didn't react. Her posture was tense and her mood too unpredictable for me to want to give her any reaction that might set off a chain reaction. "I haven't had blood fresh from the source in years." She paused. When she spoke again her tone was quiet, like a confession. "And I've never had any high blood."
I stilled like an animal sensing impending attack. "Dare--"
