Page 48 of Tainted Souls
Max stares at me, mouth agape. “I didn’t know you could do that.”
“Now you know.” I give him a kiss, then move to his closet where his clothes hang, washed and dried. “Put these on. We’re leaving.”
“But the doctors said—”
“Max,” I cut him off. “Do you trust me?”
He hesitates briefly, his eyes darting to the window. To freedom.
Then he nods. “Get me out of here.”
He doesn’t need to tell me twice.
I climb onto the ledge, telling Max to get on my back. He hesitates yet again, but does as I say, clinging to me as I scale down the building. His new vampire physique makes him surprisingly light, or perhaps it’s just the adrenaline coursing through me.
We touch down in the hospital gardens without incident, melting into the shadows of carefully manicured hedges.
“Stay close,” I tell him, leading him through the back alleys of Penn City.
Viktor’s den is more crowded than before, the music pulsing with hypnotic intensity. I keep Max behind me as we push through the throng of bodies, vampire and human alike. Some turn and stare at Max, sensing a newcomer among them, but a warning glare from me keeps them at bay.
Viktor’s face expectantly darkens when he spots us approaching his elevated desk. “You’ve got some nerve showing up here,” he hisses, eyes narrowing to slits, “again.”
I reach into my pocket and place one tanzanite gem on his desk, watching his expression shift from anger to interest. “I need access to your tunnels.”
“For what purpose?” He picks up the gem, examining it under a UV lamp.
“Safe passage for the day.” I nod toward Max. “For both of us.”
Viktor’s gaze rakes over Max, assessing him with the skillful eye of someone who has seen countless new vampires.
“Fresh turn,” he says, the corner of his lips tugging into a suggestive smirk. “You’re the sire?”
I shake my head. “Can you help us or not?”
Viktor pockets the gem with a thoughtful expression. “One tanzanite buys you tunnel access. That’s it. No protection, no guarantees.”
I lean in close. “Like I need any.”
A sly smile spreads across his face, revealing teeth too perfect to be natural. “My, my. Someone’s confident.” He stands up from his chair. “This way.”
“Wait,” I say, stopping him. “I need something else.”
Viktor turns, irritation flickering across his face. “The tunnel access is all you paid for.”
“A signal jammer.” I roll up my sleeve, exposing the small bandage where the tracker was implanted. “For this.” Connection tends to be severed underground, but I don’t want to take any chances.
Viktor’s eyes widen, then harden to a lethal glare, transforming his face from mild annoyance to explosive rage in seconds.
“You brought a fucking tracker in here?” He grabs me by my neck, fingers pressing around my throat—not enough to cut off my air, but enough to make his point. “Are you out of your mind?Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
Murmurs and gasps ring out from the visitors around us.
I remain calm despite his outburst. “That’s why I need the jammer. Think about it. If I wanted to expose you, I wouldn’t be asking for a way to disable it.”
“You’ve compromised my entire operation!” His spittle lands on my cheek as he shouts. “They could be on their way right now!”
“Relax,” I say. “They have no reason to monitor me right now, but you need to act fast. The longer we argue, the higher the chance a sweep picks up on us.”
