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Zoe rolled her eyes and grabbed Kira’s hand, leading her down the corridor. “Of course it’s a yes, dumbass. Come on.”
Zoe led Kira and me through the maze of tunnels that made up Haven. On the way to the exit, my stomach started doing nervous flips. The Shadowkeeper. I shuddered. There was something about her that inspired both awe and terror. Also, the way she’d so easily dealt with the creature Simon had created? Kira and I wouldn’t stand a chance. I imagined the two of us reduced to nothing but bloody red spots on the jungle floor, but I shoved the thought away before it could really take hold. I had to believe the Shadowkeeper would see it was in the island’s best interest to get rid of Simon. She lived here. Surely she’d want to keep her home as peaceful and calm as possible.
At the exit tunnel, a member of Haven stood, holding one of the few firearms I’d seen here.
“Good morning,” Zoe said to him cheerily as we approached.
He looked up, startled. “Oh, hey, Zoe. Morning.”
Zoe pointed over her shoulder with a thumb. “Go get some breakfast. I’ll watch the entrance while you’re gone.”
“Seriously?” he said in surprise. “I just got on guard duty two hours ago. It’s a little early for a break.”
Zoe shrugged. “I have nothing else going on. Figured I’d be nice and give you a few minutes. Go on, before they run out of slop.”
The guard, a panther shifter by his scent, glanced nervously at me and Kira, but hunger won out. “Okay. I’ll be quick. You want my rifle?”
Zoe wiggled her fingers. “I have all I need with these babies.”
He was already moving down the tunnel. “Be back soon. Thanks again.”
Zoe waved. When he rounded the corner, she turned to us. “Let’s get you out of here quick. I know that guy. He eats like a fucking horse, but he’s also fast. Kinda disgusting to watch, honestly. We won’t have long.”
We followed Zoe out, waiting for her to disarm the magical wards and the standard spring-loaded traps.
“This one was my idea,” Zoe said, releasing a trap with several pieces of bamboo sharpened to wicked points. It looked designed to spring forward and stab anyone who hit the tripwire. Zoe touched the tip of one skewer and showed us where the trap would hit an intruder. “Crotch level. Anyone who gets hit by this is gonna have a real bad day. They’ll also have a few new holes to pee out of.”
I winced. “Very exciting.”
At the mouth of the cave, Zoe grabbed Kira and hugged her. “I’ll keep my mouth shut, but I’m only giving you guys a few hours. After that, I’m spilling the beans to Crew. Got it?”
“Got it,” Kira said, extricating herself from the embrace. “We’ll be back soon. Promise.”
Zoe went back down the tunnel, rearming the traps and wards as she went.
“Where to first?” Kira asked.
I pointed to the south, in the direction of the mansion. “I’m pretty sure I can find the waterfall where I first met her. I can’t think of a better place to start than there. We can try to catch her scent while we work our way toward the river.”
“Okay. Lead the way.”
The jungle was already roiling with noises, even as early as it was. The attack on Simon’s lab and the fall of the mansion had the creatures and beings of Bloodstone in a state of agitation. Kira and I spent the first twenty minutes of our trek hiding from passing beasts, one of which was another of Simon’s abominations: a weird combination of snake, bear, and tiger. A bloody hunk of something humanoid hung from its serpentine mouth.
Once it had moved on, I nudged Kira. “Come on. This way,” I whispered.
Moving quickly and stealthily, Kira and I made good time. The section of the island we found ourselves now traversing didn’t have many creatures lurking about. Not at the moment, anyway. After thirty minutes, I caught the cool and crisp scent of moving water. The river. We were getting close.
“You smell that?” I asked, turning to Kira.
She was nodding, a smile forming on her lips. The smile faltered as she sniffed again, and fear crept into her eyes. Before I could take another whiff, a half-dozen hissing, spitting, and decrepit vampires exploded from the jungle to our right.
“Shit!” I shouted as they descended on us.
I shifted and lunged at the first attacker. To my surprise, Kira also shifted and began fighting off the creatures. As I tore the head off one vampire, a second jumped on my back, clawing and biting at me. Thankfully, my thick fur made it impossible for his teeth to find purchase. Flipping over, I crushed the creature against a tree, leaving it twitching and broken on the forest floor.
Turning, I found Kira had killed one of the vampires, but three more had leaped upon her, almost overwhelming her strength with their own. One of them had Kira’s ear in his mouth. She yelped in pain and stumbled.
The sound of her in pain, the sight of thatthingbiting into her, sent me into a blind rage. My vision went red, and my inner wolf shoved aside any semblance of control. All I could remember were the growls and screams. When I shifted back to my human form, I found myself standing in the center of devastation. Vampire body parts lay everywhere, quickly desiccating. My hands were clenched into fists, and my breath heaved in and out of my lungs.
