Page 36 of Tainted Souls
The aircraft slows to a stop. Through the tinted windows, I see the skeletal remains of Blackham—decrepit buildings, abandoned mining equipment, and streets reclaimed by nature. It’s the perfect setting for an ambush, with countless places to hide and escape routes in every direction.
“We have arrived,” the pilot announces.
“This is it.” General Lee checks his watch. “You have twenty minutes to reach the meeting point.”
With a deep breath, I reach for the door handle, opening it. A gust of wind nearly pulls me out as I grab the rope with my gloved hands and begin descending.
My heart pounds, both from the drop and adrenaline.
The night air is crisp and hushed as my escort and I make our way through the ghost town, the only sounds being our footsteps and the occasional rustle of wildlife.
We reach the designated meeting place with five minutes to spare. The square is open and vulnerable. A fountain stands in the center, dry and cracked with age. We position ourselves beside it, backs to each other, and wait.
On the stroke of midnight, Clementine appears, her movements as fluid and graceful as I remember.
“Good evening, sweetheart,” she purrs, licking some blood off her finger.
My escort stiffens beside me, his hand hovering near his concealed weapon.
“The blood first,” I demand, keeping my voice steady despite the fear coiling in my stomach.
Clementine smiles, revealing the tips of her fangs. “So impatient.” With deliberate slowness, she withdraws a black case from inside her coat. “Thirty-seven vials, as promised. One for each of your humans.”
My escort steps forward, the testing device in hand. “We’ll need to confirm it’s yours.”
“Of course.” She sets the case on the fountain’s edge and opens it.
Inside, the vials glow with an unnatural obsidian, more vibrant than regular vampire blood. Silver specks, like those in my own blood, catch the moonlight. It must be one of the things that sets born vampires apart from turned ones.
He takes a single vial, uncapping it carefully, and places a drop on the testing device. He then injects it into one of our human samples.
The reaction is immediate. The human blood darkens, then begins to swirl with the telltale patterns of transition completion.
“It’s hers,” he confirms, his voice tight with professional restraint.
My comm unit crackles in my ear. “Proceed with exchange.”
Clementine’s eyes never leave mine as she closes the case. “Your turn, little dhampir.”
I take a deep breath, stepping forward. “Release the case first.”
She laughs, the sound like breaking glass. With a single flick of her wrist, two vampires materialize from the shadows, flanking her. “The case for you. A fair trade.”
My escort shifts uncomfortably, but I give him a subtle nod. This is what we came for.
“Fine,” I say, moving close enough so that escape is near impossible. “Now give him the case.”
With a taunting grin, she slides it across the fountain’s rim into my escort’s hands. He secures it against his chest and scurries away without so much as a glance backward.
“Confirm pickup successful,” I mutter into my comm.
Clementine rhythmically taps her nails on the surface as we wait, a wicked smile never leaving her face.
A few minutes pass, but they feel like hours.
“Pickup confirmed. Extraction team on standby,” comes the reply in my ear.
I turn to face the woman, squaring my shoulders. “I’m all yours.”
