Chapter 32: Unseen Footage

WILLOW

I quickly fill McCall in on the situation before joining Victor in the surveillance tent. Victor has been thorough, setting up cameras in every possible location. Buildings, trees, both hidden and in plain sight.

He’s left no stone unturned. I explain to him what we’re looking for: anyone acting suspiciously or leaving the pack grounds for an extended period. Victor and Jenna get to work, ready to report back on anything they find.

Jenna knows who we’re looking for, but she keeps it to herself, especially from Victor. It’s not that I don’t trust him. I do. I just need confirmation that these two women are the ones we need to keep an eye on.

As the sun sets, I meet up with Thorn and Rueben. Only Jenna is in on my plan. We leave the pack grounds, heading toward the caves.

The further we go, the stronger the vampire aura becomes. They’re definitely close. Genisis is on high alert, scanning the path ahead for any signs of movement.

“Where did you hear about these caves?” Thorn asks. “We haven’t thought about them in years. They were deemed dangerous after a cave-in about fifteen years ago.”

“Eros was flying overhead and spotted them,” I explain. “He saw signs of life, fire rings, and dead animal carcasses scattered around. All signs point to vampires. They’re training new recruits, keeping them hungry to fuel their bloodlust and make them more deadly.”

We move silently. “It’s how they build their armies. The survivors are welcomed into the fold while the weaker ones die. The older vampires follow behind, wreaking havoc. They’ve been doing this for generations. But this time, they’re going to meet a force they weren’t expecting. I plan to end this soon. Not tonight, but soon. Once I’m certain Mihai is here, it’s over.”

“All right. I think we’re close enough. I need you two to stay here. If I run into trouble, I’ll mind-link you. Stay alert.”

I wink at them and shift into mist, moving closer to the vampire camp. I can smell the wood smoke and see several vampires milling about. They’re passing bodies around, biting into them, feeding, and then discarding them.

I hear laughter coming from the caves and see two people standing there. A man and a woman. She’s beautiful, with black hair and a shapely body. The man with her looks similar, clearly a relative. Mihai’s mate and her brother.

I slip past them as a wisp of mist and float deeper into the caves. I stick to the ceiling, watching the forty to fifty bodies below me. They’re new recruits, writhing in pain as the vampire poison courses through their veins, turning them into mindless killing machines.

I move from room to room until I find the king himself. He’s with a young girl, his teeth buried in her neck as he thrusts into her lifeless body. He finishes feeding and discards her body.

“Bring another!” he demands. “She was just an appetizer!”

Two men bring another victim into the room. A young boy, no more than fifteen or sixteen, human by his scent. He’s terrified, crying as he sees the girl’s dead body. He tries to run, but Mihai catches him by the throat.

“Ahh, dinner!” he exclaims, sinking his teeth into the boy’s neck and his cock into the boy’s backside. The boy screams and struggles, but soon he too succumbs to death.

Disgusted by the violence I’ve just witnessed, I move away. Now I know for sure that Mihai, the monster I want dead, is indeed here.

As I’m leaving, I hear whimpering from another room. I float toward the sound and find a large cage hanging from the ceiling. Inside is a naked woman, dirty and bloodstained. She’s alone for now, but I see bite marks on her arms and legs, in various stages of healing.

I move closer, slipping between the bars of the cage. I float over her, taking in her tear-stained face. She’s stunning. Red hair, bright green eyes, a small heart-shaped face. There’s something magical about her.

I take a breath and let Genisis scan for any nearby vampires. Finding none, I shift back into my human form and sit beside her. She scrambles into a sitting position.

I hold out my hand to calm her, putting a finger to my lips. “My name is Willow,” I whisper. “I won’t hurt you. What’s your name?”

She looks around, not seeing anyone else. “Saoirse,” she says, clearly terrified. She’s been beaten and abused, but there’s still a spark of life in her eyes. She’s not broken.

“I can’t take you with me yet, Saoirse, but I promise I’ll be back. I’m going to kill these bastards. I’ll free you then, I swear.” I offer her a smile and my hand.

She takes my hand and squeezes. “Thank you,” she whispers softly.

I shift back into mist when I hear footsteps approaching. A guard brings in four new recruits and orders the girl to extend her arms through the bars. The new recruits attack her arms, feeding on her.

As hard as it is to leave her behind, I flee into the night and rejoin Rueben and Thorn.

“Let’s go!” I command when I reach them. We hurry back to the pack, and I head straight for my tent.

I need a moment to decompress. Genisis and I both want to storm those caves and kill all of them for the atrocities I just witnessed. My mind is spinning when I get a link from Victor.

~“Willow, I have evidence that two females have left the pack at least twice since they returned. Not together, but on separate days.”~

~“I’m on my way. Cue the video.”~