I became a dervish, spinning and tossing firespell at anything and everything that stood between me and him. I finally reached him and helped him claw his way out of the pile. When the path was clear, he sat back on his haunches, tongue lolling as he caught his breath.
I couldn’t help but smile down at him. “Good dog.”
He might have been in wolf form, but the look he gave back was all Jason Shepherd. He shifted back, scratches on his face and arms, and looked around. “Thanks,” he told me. I nodded and squeezed his hand.
We stood, chests heaving, in the middle of a room full of dead rats. Whatever genetic engineering the Reapers had done, they really hadn’t done much for their postmortem longevity. They were beginning to smell.
He glanced around. “Everyone okay?”
Scout wiped at her brow with the back of her hand. “I’m good.”
“I’m tired, but fine,” I added.
Michael and Paul gave waves from their corners of the room.
Detroit looked up. “I’m—I’m not” was all she got out before pulling up the knee of her pants. There was a giant bite on the outside of her calf; blood was everywhere. Jason reached out to grab her before she went down, but didn’t quite make it. She stumbled backward into the wall—and into some kind of emergency button.
A piercing alarm began to ring through the sanctuary.
Jason let out a curse. “That might alert the Reapers,” he yelled over it. “We’ve put the monsters down, and now we have got to get out of here.”
Detroit slid onto the floor. “I’m not sure I can make it out.”
“You just need a little help,” he said soothingly, then scooped her up and into his arms. “I’m taking the lead, and I’m going as fast as I can. Stay close behind in case we missed anything.”
He began running down the hallway. Michael snatched Detroit’s walking stick and took off behind him. Scout and I followed through one corridor after another . . . at least until she stopped short. I watched Jason, Paul, and Michael disappear around another corner.
“Scout, come on! Reapers might be coming, and we need to go.” I tugged her arm, but she wouldn’t move.
She pulled her arm free. “I can’t go, Lily. I’ve been in the missing vampire’s position—being hurt and alone. And what they’ve done is awful. We can’t leave it intact and let them continue the work. We just can’t.”
“Scout, we have to go. Detroit’s injured and—”
“You don’t have to be here. I’ve been working on a spell. I can plant it alone and get out afterward. You don’t have to be here.”
That, I realized, was what she’d been working on her in room. Getting rid of the sanctuary had been her plan all along.
“I was one of them, Lily. I know how they work—how much it hurts, how bad it feels.” She slapped a hand to her chest. “I’m an Adept. I make a promise every day to help the people they try to hurt. To stop them from doing it. I can’t leave this place here for them to use at will. I can’t.”
Tears began to brim in her eyes. “I can’t.”
We looked at each other for a moment, before I nodded. “Then I stay. And I help.”
She shook her head. “You should go. You used up all your firespell.”
“I think Sebastian taught me how to make my own power.”
Her eyes went even wider. “Lily—” she began, but I shook my head.
“I’ve already kind of tried it, and I think it will work. You need it, and that’s all I need to know to try again. What’s your spell supposed to do?”
“Implode the sanctuary.”
Well, that would probably do it.
“Won’t that take down the buildings on the street?”
She shook her head. “It’s a pinpoint spell. It’ll wipe down the interior, but leave the architecture—the hardware—intact. It’s like cleaning off your hard drive—the hard drive’s still there afterward, right?”
I still wasn’t crazy about the idea—one wrong move, and we single-handedly brought down whatever building happened to be above us—but she was right—we couldn’t just leave this place intact. Decision made, I nodded back at her. “Okay. What do we do?”
She reached into her bag and pulled out one of the tiny houses from her shelf. “We have to set this spell. Then I give the incantation, and we run.”
“Can you take down a building this big?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t actually tried it. And even better, I’m only going to get one shot.”
An idea bloomed. I reached out my hand toward Scout. “Then we make that one shot count. Give me your hand.”
“You want to help me trigger it?”
“It worked last time.”
“It hurt last time.”
“And it’s probably going to hurt this time, too. But if that’s what we need to do, it’s what we need to do. And we’re in this together.”
“You’re the best.”
“I know. But mostly I want to get out of here. Preferably in one piece.”
She nodded, then walked into the room and put the tiny house on one of the tables. When she made it back to me, we let the door close in front of us. Scout offered her hand. I gripped it tightly in mine.
Before we could begin, Michael ran back around the corner. “What are you doing? We need to go.”
I couldn’t help but smile down at him. “Good dog.”
He might have been in wolf form, but the look he gave back was all Jason Shepherd. He shifted back, scratches on his face and arms, and looked around. “Thanks,” he told me. I nodded and squeezed his hand.
We stood, chests heaving, in the middle of a room full of dead rats. Whatever genetic engineering the Reapers had done, they really hadn’t done much for their postmortem longevity. They were beginning to smell.
He glanced around. “Everyone okay?”
Scout wiped at her brow with the back of her hand. “I’m good.”
“I’m tired, but fine,” I added.
Michael and Paul gave waves from their corners of the room.
Detroit looked up. “I’m—I’m not” was all she got out before pulling up the knee of her pants. There was a giant bite on the outside of her calf; blood was everywhere. Jason reached out to grab her before she went down, but didn’t quite make it. She stumbled backward into the wall—and into some kind of emergency button.
A piercing alarm began to ring through the sanctuary.
Jason let out a curse. “That might alert the Reapers,” he yelled over it. “We’ve put the monsters down, and now we have got to get out of here.”
Detroit slid onto the floor. “I’m not sure I can make it out.”
“You just need a little help,” he said soothingly, then scooped her up and into his arms. “I’m taking the lead, and I’m going as fast as I can. Stay close behind in case we missed anything.”
He began running down the hallway. Michael snatched Detroit’s walking stick and took off behind him. Scout and I followed through one corridor after another . . . at least until she stopped short. I watched Jason, Paul, and Michael disappear around another corner.
“Scout, come on! Reapers might be coming, and we need to go.” I tugged her arm, but she wouldn’t move.
She pulled her arm free. “I can’t go, Lily. I’ve been in the missing vampire’s position—being hurt and alone. And what they’ve done is awful. We can’t leave it intact and let them continue the work. We just can’t.”
“Scout, we have to go. Detroit’s injured and—”
“You don’t have to be here. I’ve been working on a spell. I can plant it alone and get out afterward. You don’t have to be here.”
That, I realized, was what she’d been working on her in room. Getting rid of the sanctuary had been her plan all along.
“I was one of them, Lily. I know how they work—how much it hurts, how bad it feels.” She slapped a hand to her chest. “I’m an Adept. I make a promise every day to help the people they try to hurt. To stop them from doing it. I can’t leave this place here for them to use at will. I can’t.”
Tears began to brim in her eyes. “I can’t.”
We looked at each other for a moment, before I nodded. “Then I stay. And I help.”
She shook her head. “You should go. You used up all your firespell.”
“I think Sebastian taught me how to make my own power.”
Her eyes went even wider. “Lily—” she began, but I shook my head.
“I’ve already kind of tried it, and I think it will work. You need it, and that’s all I need to know to try again. What’s your spell supposed to do?”
“Implode the sanctuary.”
Well, that would probably do it.
“Won’t that take down the buildings on the street?”
She shook her head. “It’s a pinpoint spell. It’ll wipe down the interior, but leave the architecture—the hardware—intact. It’s like cleaning off your hard drive—the hard drive’s still there afterward, right?”
I still wasn’t crazy about the idea—one wrong move, and we single-handedly brought down whatever building happened to be above us—but she was right—we couldn’t just leave this place intact. Decision made, I nodded back at her. “Okay. What do we do?”
She reached into her bag and pulled out one of the tiny houses from her shelf. “We have to set this spell. Then I give the incantation, and we run.”
“Can you take down a building this big?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t actually tried it. And even better, I’m only going to get one shot.”
An idea bloomed. I reached out my hand toward Scout. “Then we make that one shot count. Give me your hand.”
“You want to help me trigger it?”
“It worked last time.”
“It hurt last time.”
“And it’s probably going to hurt this time, too. But if that’s what we need to do, it’s what we need to do. And we’re in this together.”
“You’re the best.”
“I know. But mostly I want to get out of here. Preferably in one piece.”
She nodded, then walked into the room and put the tiny house on one of the tables. When she made it back to me, we let the door close in front of us. Scout offered her hand. I gripped it tightly in mine.
Before we could begin, Michael ran back around the corner. “What are you doing? We need to go.”
