Page 142 of Tainted Souls
My stomach tightens. I know exactly who she’s referring to. Always huddled together, whispering and laughing behind their hands when I walked past, the popular crowd whose opinions carried weight in every corner of the school.
“Jasmine, Gracie, and Colton?” I ask, despite already knowing the answer. There were more, like Mary, Felix, and Camille. But they were by far the worst.
“Yes.” She scans the area to make sure we’re still alone. “None of them completed slayer training—all requested transfers to key posts. Jasmine is head of vampire research now. She’s been questioning the ethics of our containment methods lately. Gracie, working in weapons development, has been designing non-lethal capture devices that seem unnecessarily humane.Then we have Colton, head of security. He lost his sister to vampires a long time ago, but what if that was a cover story? What if she was turned instead and he’s been a covert player ever since? There’s more, but these three top my list. Too many ideological shifts, too many conveniently timed decisions. And most importantly, none of them have airtight alibis.”
I shift my weight, processing—Jasmine, the bleeding heart. Gracie, the pacifist. Colton, the double agent. It’s almost too ironic. They were the ones who made my time at Redmoore a special kind of hell, treating me like a ticking time bomb, spreading rumors about my supposedly unstable vampire side, and now hold positions that would give them the perfect cover for sabotage. Could their personal grudge against me be so intense that they’d resort to doing the bidding of someone like Cain? Or is Cain holding something over their heads? Threatening and blackmailing them somehow?
“Do you think they’re working together?” I ask.
Lexa shakes her head. “No, but it’s possible. That’s the scary part. If we’re dealing with multiple leaks, it means the rot runs deeper than we thought.”
My blood runs cold. One mole is bad enough, but a web of them? Coordinated or not, it means one thing: Cain’s reach is growing.
I glance over my shoulder, sensing rather than seeing the Ravens in the shadows, growing impatient. “I have to go.”
Lexa steps back, her hand moving instinctively to the weapon at her hip. “Twenty-four hours, then. I’ll be here with the general.”
I nod, then turn and walk into the darkness, feeling her eyes on my back until the forest swallows me completely. The moment I’m out of sight, the Ravens materialize beside me. This is becoming a war with invisible front lines, where alliesand enemies wear the same faces, and trust becomes the most dangerous weapon of all.
CHAPTER 30
AS WE MOVE,I struggle to keep up with the others, my legs still aching from the long swim and even longer hike. The sky above is beginning to lighten at the edges, the first hints of dawn threatening to break through the canopy. The sun will be up soon, which means they need shelter.
We’re in the foothills now, rocky terrain that offers few places to hide. At least, none that I know of. Quite frankly, I wouldn’t mind if they were all set ablaze by the sun’s deadly rays right this instant—my heart speaking, not my head.
Ace changes direction abruptly, leading us toward what appears to be a precipitous rock face covered in thick moss and climbing vines. He pushes aside the vegetation to reveal a narrow crevice, barely visible unless you know exactly where to look.
“In,” he commands, ducking through the opening. One by one, the Ravens slip into the gap, disappearing into darkness.
No blazing inferno show for me today.
I hesitate for just a moment before following, squeezing my body through the tight space. Rock scrapes against my shoulders as I push forward, emerging into a surprisingly spacious cavern.
Kale strikes a match, lighting a series of wall-mounted torches that illuminate our surroundings.
The cavern extends deeper than I expected, its ceiling high enough that even Ace can stand comfortably. Natural stone formations create separate alcoves, and I notice old supplies stacked in corners.
“You’ve been here before,” I realize, turning to face the group.
“We have safe houses everywhere,” Reece says, stretching his arms overhead. “Even in places we’re not supposed to be.”
The cavern feels ancient, worn smooth by water long since dried up. It’s a little insulting how no one has ever stumbled across this hideout during a patrol. How they have been right under our noses, heard our voices, but managed to evade us time and time again. They really aren’t just some mysterious entities. They are clever—more than I’m willing to admit.
Ace gestures for everyone to gather in the center where flat stones form a natural circle. “Report,” he says, looking directly at me.
His sharp, commanding tone is really starting to grate on my nerves. But I bite my tongue, too tired to make impertinent retorts.
“The general seemed receptive,” I begin, settling cross-legged on the ground. “But cautious. He’s consulting the council as we speak. We have twenty-four hours before we need to meet him again.”
“If Redmoore has a mole,” Ace says, talking to my forehead because I refuse to meet his eye. “How can we trust any alliance we form with them?”
“One mole isn’t going to corrupt the whole corporation,” I answer flatly. “Investigations have already started anyway. Won’t be long until they figure out who it is.”
The conversation continues, the Ravens dissecting every aspect of our encounter with Redmoore, analyzing potential advantages and risks. They speak with the easy familiarity of people who have fought together for years, finishing each other’s thoughts and understanding implications without need for explanation.
I nod when expected, contribute when I must, but my heart is not in it. Without Saul here, I feel the gulf between us more acutely than ever. As they debate strategy, my mind drifts to him. Is he alive? Is he suffering? The image of my brother being dragged away haunts me, his face full of determination even as they took him. He knew the risks and he accepted them. But I can’t shake the feeling that if I had been faster, stronger, better somehow, he might still be here.
The Ravens gradually break into smaller groups. Palina and Irene move to an alcove, speaking in hushed tones while fixing each other’s hair. Kale and Reece start a small fire in a stone pit, heating water in a battered kettle. Ace sits alone, his back against the wall, his eyes closed but clearly not sleeping.
