Viktor gave Adam and his sister a scolding glance while wagging his finger at them. “I do not want either of you wandering off, do you understand me? This is not a vacation. I know this adventure has you curious, but this is not the time for you to go exploring.”
As Viktor proceeded to lecture our rebellious little teens, I ventured onto the platform in search of the blond-haired pixie.
While my Vampire vision was good, it was too difficult to see anything beyond the bright lights directly above. I walked to the side of the building and searched for a way up since the roof would give me an ideal vantage point. This wasn’t a big train station by any means, so it wouldn’t be hard to find a good climbing spot.
An elderly couple sitting on a bench watched me like a hawk, and the woman clutched her purse a little tighter. I skirted around the side of the building, searching every dark corner. Carol was small and easy to miss, especially with her black jacket and hood. She might have slipped out to smoke a joint. I really didn’t know a damn thing about these kids or what kind of life they led. I hopped onto a large air-conditioning unit and jumped until I caught the edge of the roof. My shoes gripped the brick wall with ease as I pulled myself up.
When I reached the other side of the roof and looked down, I spied a couple facing each other. I almost turned away until I noticed that neither of them had luggage.
“Carol?” I shouted.
When they looked up, the lamppost illuminated a young man’s face. Next to him, a familiar young teen with a ghostly-white complexion and a crown of blond hair. Carol looked like a deer caught in the headlights.
“Get away from her!” I growled at the man. “Carol, go inside,” I said, emphasizing every syllable. “Christian, if you can hear me, I need you on the west side of the building. Carol’s out here with some random guy.”
Fearing this joker might grab her and run, I assessed the edge of the building and decided that risking a broken leg by jumping wasn’t an option. Not at night, and not when Niko wasn’t around.
“Dammit.”
The only way down was to aim for the tree branch. It wasn’t very thick, but in my experience, even thin branches were strong.
I squatted and measured the distance in my mind. The branch was a few feet lower but close enough that I could land on it. I’d scaled trees all through childhood, so not having a fear of heights always worked to my advantage. When I jumped, I felt like a cat leaping out a window. I scrambled for the branch, landing on it so hard that it snapped but didn’t break in two. It merely hung like a floppy arm, taking me with it.
I hit the sidewalk and went rolling into the dirt.
“That one likes to roll in the mud like a pig,” I heard Christian say.
I dusted myself off and stood up. “What are you doing out here?” I gave Carol a scolding glance.
Christian had a grip on her jacket, and she looked startled by the sudden turn of events.
Her breath frosted in the cold night air, and her cheeks turned bright pink. “I just wanted to see where we were.”
I looked around, but the man was gone. “Who was that guy? What did he want?”
Christian nudged her toward me. “Romeo took off into the parking lot. Want me to go get him?”
I looked over my shoulder and sighed. “No. Viktor doesn’t want us running off.” I straightened Carol’s black hood and tucked her hair inside. “Are you okay?”
“We were just talking,” she said.
“You need to stick with us. Got it? I know you’re curious about the outside world, but right now it’s dangerous. Viktor doesn’t want you guys wandering off. And no talking to strangers. Even cute ones.”
“If he had kidnapped me, would you have gone looking? Or would you have finished delivering Adam and Eve?”
She looked a little dejected, so I put my arm around her and led her to the platform as a train whistle sounded in the distance. “There’s no way anyone’s taking you from us. Think about it. We’ve got a Vampire, a Chitah, a Mage, a Sensor, two Shifters—you couldn’t be in safer hands. And if someone did snatch you, they wouldn’t get far. Claude owns your scent.”
“Ew. What does that mean?”
“You probably didn’t notice him doing it on the train. Chitahs can pull in a person’s scent and put it to memory. Forever. It’s why they’re excellent trackers. No matter how many years pass, anytime he catches even a whiff of your scent, he’ll know and he’ll find you. Just stay close to the herd from now on.”
She glanced over her shoulder and then tucked her hands in her jacket pockets. “How long is this trip gonna last?”
“I don’t know.”
“Is that Vamp your boyfriend?”
“He’s my partner. Why would you ask that?”
