Eva pulled to a halt. “Do. Not. Touch. Me.” She held no guilt, not when he worked for an organisation who literally forced people to fight for their survival. “Let me go, or I’ll tell Augustine.”
“Tell Lord what, exactly?” he seethed, fingers digging in. “How you’re a little whore who can’t follow orders?”
“That you offered your throat.”
His jaw was rigid as he forced her through the door into the office. “Threaten me again and see what happens.”
Eva put on her most seductive smile. “You don’t know who I am, do you?” She stepped closer, hoping her nervousness wasn’t reflected in her movements. She only had one shot. She had run out of time, having never been left alone in the tunnels. She would never have gotten away with it if it were Floyd, or even Mr Parental Disappointment, but over the last few days everyone had been busy, including Augustine.
It was now or never.
She just really hoped he was human, or something weaker than herself otherwise it would be a huge mistake. Not that it could get much worse than it already was. She still had some of her strength, Kace’s blood more potent than anything she had been given before.
You’ve got this, kid.
It was always her father’s voice she heard when she needed a pep talk. Although, she doubted he expected what she’d planned. Or maybe he did, considering he was the one who taught her how to punch in the first place.
The nameless security snarled. “Like I give a shit who you…”
His words were cut off when her fist connected with his nose. There was an audible crack, and more blood than she anticipated. She had put all her weight behind it, but he didn’t go down.
Shit!
His angered cry echoed, but before he could react, she hit him again, trying to blur her movements just as she had seen Dutch do before. His head snapped back as he finally fell to his knees, slumping forward onto the wooden floor.
Eva grinned, barely stopping herself from pumping her fist in the air with victory. Quickly, before anyone peaked inside she dragged him further in to Augustine’s office, pushing him behind one of the leather sofas. Blood was smeared on the wood, a lot of it.
Well, he definitely wasn’t a vampire.
Ignoring the puddle forming she slipped out of the office, closing the door behind her. No one other than Augustine or Dutch would enter when it was closed, and she hoped that gave her enough time. She was alone in the corridor, her eyes adjusting to the restricted light until she moved away from the wall, the veins brightening.
Trying to wrap the shadows more tightly around her she walked down familiar twists and turns, the workers who she passed not giving her a second glance. When she felt the shadows fade, the light too strong, she made sure her body language was convincing, that she was allowed out on her own, and hadn’t in fact knocked her security out and left him bleeding profusely.
When she found the stairs she needed she descended quickly, running to the deadbolt and pulling it open with a creak.
The room beyond was just as she remembered, the cries and whimpers quieter than before, almost hesitant when she stepped inside. At first it was pitch black, but the veins inside the separate cells quickly reacted as people stepped forward.
There were a few cells open, the contents empty. Eva rushed over, careful not to step on any of the veins that pulsated. Each cell was marked with harsh lines, some gouged out of the rock while others were painted. Food, basic and beige lay half-eaten on the floor, the toilets dirty at the back. The cell hadn’t been vacant long.
“Hunter?” Eva whispered, turning to check that the main door was still dark. “Hunter?” She stepped closer to the next cell, the occupants scattering back as if scared. There was a man and a woman, both filthy with the same tray of food left uneaten. The woman’s face was swollen, her left eye shut completely while her right was black and blue. The man didn’t look much better, a large gash across his bare chest.
The cell door was simple, the lock needing a key that she didn’t have. Other than the veins there was no added security, no runes or markings that she could see that would indicate any other type of magic. She reached for one of the thick metal bars that criss-crossed, unsurprised when even with her added strength she was unable to dent the metal.
Of course you can’t break it!she cursed herself.Honestly, Eva!
“Hunter?” she whispered again, panic spiking her voice. She could hear every movement of the prisoners, every shuffle of fabric and drip of a broken faucet. The veils that were bright let out a gentle buzz, hurting her ears if she concentrated on it too much.
A vampire was in the next cell, his eyes pure midnight as he glared at her approach, fangs long past his bottom lip. He was alone, the lines carved on the wall twice that of the others. “Fuck off you bitch, you’re marked as theirs.”
Eva didn’t have time to correct him, scanning each cell quickly before she was caught. “Please, I’m looking for a kid, his name is…”
“What do you want?” a voice whispered from the other side of the room.
Eva turned, tuning out all the other sounds until she spotted him, his hands wrapped around the bars as he peeked through the small gaps. “Hunter?”
The young boy blinked, his eyes glowing a bright green, his pupils thinning to slits. “Who the fuck wants to know?”
He stepped back when she approached, his face all high cheekbones and a sharp jaw. His features were closer to a man than a child, but his age was obvious in the way he held himself. His clothes were torn, his hands scabbed over and his face was covered in a fine layer of grime. Evidence of tears left a slightly cleaner streak down his cheeks, which he reached up to rub across with his thumb.
