Page 49 of Tainted Souls
Max moves forward, but I signal him to stay back. This is my mess to fix.
Viktor’s grip tightens for a bit before he releases me with a disgusted shove. “Just know that if I go down, you’re going down with me.”
I pull out the other tanzanite from my pocket, its deep periwinkle surface sending shimmering reflections dancing across the serious face of Viktor. “Signal jammer. Now.”
Viktor pins the gem with his eyes, greed and self-preservation battling with payback. After what feels like an eternity, he snatches it from my palm. “Wait here,” he growls, disappearing through a hidden panel in the wall.
Max steps closer, his voice barely above a whisper. “You didn’t tell me about a tracker.”
“I might’ve forgotten about it.” I offer him a sheepish smile. After all, it’s not every day that I carry around a government tracking device for nearly twenty-four hours. “General Lee had it implanted just before the exchange.”
Viktor returns, holding what looks like a metallic bracelet with a small digital display. “Put this on,” he orders, thrusting it toward me. “It’ll scramble the signal. Anyone monitoring your tracker will think it’s malfunctioning.”
I snap it around my wrist, miniature lights blinking to life along its surface. The device hums with a low vibration, sending a slight tingling sensation across my skin. “Thanks.”
Viktor leads us through a hidden door behind his desk, then down a narrow staircase that descends deep below the city. The air grows colder and damper as we go, carrying the earthy scent of soil and stone.
After an endless stretch of twisting passages, we reach a fortified metal door embedded in rough-hewn rock. “These tunnels connect to caves outside the city,” Viktor explains, taking an ancient-looking key from his pocket. “As long as you follow the red markers, no matter what path you choose, you’ll find your way out.” He unlocks the door with a dramatic swing. “Off you go. You have until sunrise tomorrow.”
The tunnel beyond is completely dark, enlightened only by sparse emergency lights casting eerie shadows on the stone walls. I thank Viktor before pulling Max through, the door closing heavily behind us.
“I didn’t know these existed,” Max whispers, his vampire vision allowing him to see perfectly in the near-darkness.
“Most people don’t.” I shrug, following the red markers painted at irregular intervals on the rock. “The tunnels were sealed after the war, but smugglers like Viktor keep them operational.”
We walk in silence, footsteps and the occasional drip of water from the ceiling the only sounds left to fill it. Max seems lost in thought, occasionally touching the walls as if to reassure himself that they’re real. He still moves so human despite no longerbeing one, reminding me that he’s only beginning to understand what he’s become.
“Hey,” I say, stopping abruptly. “Want to try something fun?”
“Define fun.”
“You haven’t tested your speed yet, have you?”
His face shifts from confusion to realization. “I can do the sprinting thing now?”
“Sprinting doesn’t even begin to cover it.” I set my backpack against the wall. “Watch.”
I dash forward, pushing off with my feet and letting my dhampir speed carry me. The tunnel blurs around me as I race about fifty yards ahead before pivoting and returning to Max in seconds. The rush of air displaces his hair as I stop in front of him.
“Your turn,” I challenge, smiling.
Max gauges the length of the tunnel, uncertainty plastered across his features. “I don’t know how.”
“Don’t think.” I step behind him and place my hands on his shoulders. “Just feel it. Your body knows what to do now. Trust your instincts.”
He takes a deep breath, squares his shoulders, and then—he’s gone. A gust of wind whips past me as Max vanishes, leaving nothing but disturbed air in his wake. For a second, I wonder if he’ll be able to stop, imagining him crashing into a wall at supernatural speed. But then a blur materializes back in front of me, his eyes wide with exhilaration, his hair windblown.
“That was—” he gasps, breathless, not from exertion but from pure adrenaline. “I felt like I was flying!”
I can’t help but giggle at his childlike wonder. “Pretty cool, right?”
“It’s incredible,” he admits, looking down at his hands as if seeing them for the first time. “Everything feels so vivid andextraordinary. Like I’ve been watching life through foggy glass until now.”
The moment of joy fades as quickly as it came, replaced by a twinge of guilt crossing his features. “I shouldn’t be enjoying this, should I?”
“Why not? It doesn’t change what happened.” I pick up my backpack and continue walking, gesturing for him to follow. “You’re allowed to find the silver linings.”
He should, because the dark clouds will come soon enough, and he’ll need the light while he can.
