Biting Cold (Chicagoland Vampires #6)(18)
Author: Chloe Neill

Todd hesitated for a moment, then took Ethan’s hand. "Good luck," he said, then disappeared across the field. The night was quiet again, stars speeding by overhead.

"I’d feel a lot better if they were going down there with us," I said.

It took Ethan long enough to answer that I looked over at him.

His eyes were squeezed closed, his forehead pinched.

I put a hand on his arm. "Where is she?"

"Nearby," he said, rubbing his temples. "I can feel her fretting.

But this is different from earlier."

"She’s probably preparing to use dark magic again – the real deal. Are you going to be okay?"

"I’l be fine. Let’s get this over with."

The snap in his voice convinced me not to push the issue. He was a big boy. If he wanted help from me, he could ask for it.

Carefuly, swords drawn, we opened the door to the silo. It was dark even in comparison to the black night outside, and my eyes hadn’t yet adjusted. I walked carefuly forward.

But not carefuly enough.

"Stop!" Ethan caled out, wrapping an arm around me before I vaulted into the darkness below.

The elevator was gone.

Ethan wrenched me back just as the momentum would have taken me over the edge. An uncontroled fal into the depths wouldn’t have ended comfortably.

"Jesus," Ethan said, settling me back from the edge, his hands shaking with nerves.

"I guess they took the lift," I said, glancing down over the edge. "How are we going to get down there?"

"It’s thirty feet," Ethan said. "I can jump it, but you don’t have the experience."

"That’s not entirely true."

Ethan slowly looked at me.

"While you were gone, I learned how to jump. Wel, how to fal, anyway. Jonah taught me."

"Ah" was al Ethan said. But he looked at me for a moment, an expression of mild curiosity on his face.

"He helped me while you were…gone," I explained, not that he’d asked for an explanation.

"I’m not jealous, Sentinel."

"Okay."

"I have no need of jealousy."

I was equaly amused and aroused by the bravado. This was Ethan in the fast lane, hugging the curves instead of constantly riding the political brakes.

"Back to the point," I recommended. "Whoever goes first could send the platform back up?"

"Too noisy. We’l need to be quiet once we’re down there.

Between them, they probably already know we’re on our way, but there’s no sense in announcing it." He looked at me. "You’re sure you can do it?"

I wouldn’t deny that this jump, as al others, scared me, but I didn’t think he needed to hear that now, and my fear certainly wasn’t a very good reason not to do it. If I avoided everything I was afraid of, I’d never leave the House.

"I’l go first," he said, and before I could agree, he’d disappeared, leaving a whoosh of air in his wake. Two seconds later, I heard his feet hit the ground.

My eyes were finaly accustomed to the darkness, and I glanced over the edge. Ethan signaled a thumbs-up. When he’d cleared the way for me, I resheathed my sword, took a breath, and took a step.

The worst part about jumping as a vampire – and realy the only bad part – was that first step. It was as unpleasant for vampires as it was for humans – that sickening lurch of the stomach, the sudden sensation of faling, and the fear you wouldn’t survive the jump.

But then everything changed.

The world slowed down as if to keep up with you. Dozens of feet became a single graceful step, and as long as you kept your knees soft, the landing didn’t pose a problem at al.

I landed in a superheroine crouch, one leg bent, the other extended, a hand on the ground and the other on the pommel of my sword. I looked up at Ethan through my bangs.

His eyes blazed fiercely with pride.

"You can do it," he whispered.

I stood up and adjusted the belt of my katana and the hem of my jacket. "Did you doubt me?"

"I didn’t doubt," he said. "I…had reserved judgment."

I humphed but let it go. God wiling, there’d be plenty of time for me to harass him later.

We peeked into the halway that led away from the elevator shaft. The lights were on, and there was no sign of Tate, Malory, or Paige.

I glanced over at Ethan, my vampire-proximity alarm. He was wincing against what I assumed was another Malory-spawned headache, but he was stil on his feet.

"Do you think Paige led them directly to the book?" I wondered.

"Depends on the state she left in. And we won’t know that until we see her."

"Strategy?"

Ethan looked around. "If they want the book, they’l have to get to the bottom of the silo. But I want a look before we attack them head-on. Let’s check the launch room. We can check the hole and figure out where they are. Radio silence from here on out. You remember your signals?"

I nodded. Luc had taught the Cadogan House guards a series of hand gestures we could use to signal one another during missions. They’d come in handy before and would definitely be handy now, when we were trying to hide our presence from a former mayor and testy witch. Assuming they didn’t already know we were coming, which seemed unlikely.

Swords drawn, we moved down the halway. Ethan skirted the right side, and I skirted the left a bit behind him. We listened at each door we passed, trying to detect sound, but there was no sign of it, even with vampire senses in ful operation.

It probably didn’t help that the place was loaded with concrete to protect the missile from attack. I wasn’t realy sure how that would affect the loosing of an ancient evil, but I had a sense we’d soon be finding out.

We’d nearly reached the giant sliding door to the silo room when I spotted a glistening drop of crimson on the floor. The droplet was smal, but the smel of fresh blood was undeniably pungent.

I crouched down and dabbed it with a fingertip, then sniffed it delicately. Definitely blood, and spicy with magic. Whether Paige or Malory I couldn’t tel, but that realy wasn’t important. One of our sorceresses had shed blood.

I stood up again and wiped my hand on my pants, then gestured toward the sliding door. Ethan pointed me toward the handle, then took point at the door, sword at the ready. When he nodded, I puled.

The door slid open, and Ethan slid inside. I folowed. The room was empty and mostly dark. But the silo glowed from below, the spot where the Maleficium had been located.

Ethan motioned me forward. Swalowing down a burst of fear that tightened my chest, I crept to the silo and peeked down.

For the second time in a matter of weeks, the Maleficium was gone.

But the drama had only just started. The building suddenly shook with a pulse of magic that screamed through the building.