Absolution of Fate (Fate Series Book 3) (4 page)

Dante glared at Cami pointedly, ignoring Jared who stepped between them protectively. Both men knew that Cami didn’t need anyone’s protection; she could take care of herself being one of if not
the
best fighter in The Elite, but Jared couldn’t help himself. Sometimes his primal need to take care of the woman he loved, a woman who could easily kick his ass, overrode logic.
 

Cami didn’t even get annoyed by Jared’s display. She was starting to find his occasional macho display endearing rather than insulting.

“Don’t worry about Martinez; he’ll do it,” Dante stated, still pinning Cami with his stare, “but you can take your concerns and shove them up your ass. I’m going, too.”

“Don’t fucking talk to her like that,” Jared growled, taking a step towards the much larger vampire. Cami shot between them, stopping Jared before he picked a fight he couldn’t win. While he and Dante were certainly on better terms than before, when they were essentially fighting over Cami, with what was going on with Layla, Dante was pretty much always in the mood for a fight. It didn’t matter if it was against friend or foe.

She reached back and took Jared’s fisted hand without taking her eyes from Dante, in case more intervention was necessary. Jared’s hand relaxed in hers as she spoke, though she could still feel the tension in his body as he leaned into her back.

“Listen, Dante. I get it and it was stupid to think we could keep you out, but you have to understand why we’re worried,” Cami said, craning her neck to look into Dante’s fierce eyes while standing in such close proximity. “You can’t know how you’ll feel when you see her locked up, so I need your word you won’t open the door to her cell no matter what happens. We’re going in there so Alexa can cure Ethan. If that works, it will be proof that curing the infection is possible and it might give the scientists a new angle to work from. Then the Commander might be more reasonable about letting you visit Layla.”

“She’s right, Dante,” Alexa said, softly placing her hand on his arm. The simple touch seemed to dissipate some of the aggression from the air around him.

“You have my word. I’m not going to try and free Layla; I just need to see her,” Dante said, his tone softening as he thought of seeing Layla’s beautiful face again.

✧

Ethan sat on the cold floor of his cell with his back against the wall. He only moved from his position there to retrieve the bags of blood the scientists shoved to him through the tray securely inserted into the impenetrable plexi-glass of his cell. Of course, he had to pay a price for them.
 

“We need another sample.” Ethan heard in an artificial sounding voice, as the researcher on duty pressed the button that provided the only source of outside sound into the plastic cage.
 

In a flash so fast it was almost difficult for the waiting vampire to track, Ethan moved to stand before the man who jumped back several inches, unable to hide his fear despite the several inches of unbreakable barrier that stood between him and the infected vampire they all feared.
 

With the touch of another button, a small round piece of the glass slid over. Having been subjected to the process several times a day for the past week, Ethan slid his arm into the slot, never taking his glowing red eyes off the throat of the other vampire. His fangs descended to their full length as he watched the steady strum of the scientist’s abnormally rapid pulse. A part of him was excited by the man’s fear and he inhaled deeply to take in the scent of the emotion, which seeped through the small opening, before a silver cuff clamped down on his arm, locking it in place.

Ethan didn’t even flinch as the cold metal burned into his flesh; the pain was nothing, he was nothing. He had lost everything. A wife destroyed by his own hand. A daughter stolen by the one he hated most in the world, but was bound by blood to serve until his last breath.
 

The nervous vampire made quick work of drawing the required sample of blood. The opening closed from the outside and Ethan’s arm was released. He collected his offered reward from the tray and made quick work of the three bags of red liquid. The beast inside him paced, anxious and dissatisfied. It wanted to hunt. It wanted fresh blood; to feel the beat of its victim’s heart as he drained every drop of blood.
 

But as quickly as the monster started to rise, a calming presence enveloped his mind and overwhelming grief gripped what was left of his heart.

Alexa
. he thought, sinking back into his normal spot. He continued to feel her as strongly as ever, and though he knew it was only in his mind, she was the only thing that allowed him to hold on to the tiny shred that remained of who he once was. At the same time, feeling her in that way was the worst form of torture. He often wished it would stop, that he could just give in to the beast and his bloodlust and never look back, but he’d promised to hold on as long as he could for her, because it is what she would want.

There came a point with all infected when, while they resembled who they once were and were basically in control, they no longer had any humanity. No remorse. No love. They followed orders without question and they took what they wanted from whoever was unlucky enough to stumble across their path and never looked back. For most, it occurred as part of the initial transformation; but for Ethan, it was different.

As had become the normal progression of his silent torture, his thoughts turned to Chloe, and the scene of her giving herself over to Lucias replayed in his mind. For the briefest of moments he tried to convince himself that he will rescue her, hoping in some way that it will give him redemption for his sins against Alexa, but his beast’s low guttural laugh mocks him. He was powerless to act against his master, so he would remain just as he was; a feral animal in the cage it deserved.

✧

After seeing the pain his friend had been in for the past week, and knowing how powerful Chloe was, as Dante suspected it didn’t take much persuading to get Martinez to agree to help them, and Layla was Jasmine’s best friend, so she was in without any hesitation.

He stood completely still; concentrating on the impenetrable mist he was casting over himself, Dante, and Alexa as they waited for Jared’s signal.
 

With Cami still being allowed access to all areas of the compound, except the lab where Ethan and Layla were being held, it was easy enough sneaking the veiled trio to within a few yards of the final door they needed to pass through. For two days after devising their entry plan, Cami had been watching the Commander and the scientists who were allowed access to Ethan and Layla, carefully noting the amount of time that passed between Claesson opening the outer door and the scientist exiting, which they were able to do simply using the general access code for most doors to the compound. This was a lucky piece of information Alexa was able to pluck from one of the unsuspecting vampire’s minds when he wasn’t making much of an effort to keep up his mental shields.
 

“I’m so nervous,” Alexa whispered, so quietly that Dante wouldn’t have been able to hear if he weren’t a vampire.
 

“You don’t have to whisper, Alexa. Martinez’s mojo blocks the sound, too,” Dante said, feeling rather anxious himself, more from the thought of seeing Layla rather than the worry of being caught. As far as he was concerned, there wasn’t much the Commander could do to him that was worse than what he was living through already.
 

“I know; it just feels weird talking with the guard so close,” Alexa said a little more loudly, as she continued to watch the guard talking to Cami and Jared.
 

Cami had concocted a reason to enter the corridor so they could chat with the guard and distract him while the others snuck in. There was a soldier tasked with delivering blood to the various guards posted around the compound and, while he’d been making his rounds near the residential wing, Jasmine lured him into her quarters where Cami hit him with a powerful sedative dart. Cami hated involving anyone else, but she couldn’t very well risk discovery by shooting the unsuspecting vampire in the corridor, which was in plain view of the security cameras. The soldier was visiting from another compound and eager to impress the Commander, so there was no way he would deviate from his duties without a little help from Jasmine, whose talent was in persuasion. A little memory manipulation and the soldier would be convinced he’d spent the missing time thoroughly enjoying the pleasure of Jasmine’s company and, since he would have had to abandon his duties in order to do so, his silence was all but assured.

With the original courier securely restrained in Jasmine’s bathroom, Cami took his delivery and met Jared before heading to the containment unit. The guard didn’t bat an eye when she explained that the regular courier had been called away for a special training session in preparation for an imminent attack on the compound. With everything that had happened over the past few weeks, the fear of attack hung heavy in the air of every vampire community, including the compound.

After what seemed like forever to Alexa, Jared finally gave the signal, placing his hand on Cami’s right shoulder.

“Did you hear that?” Cami asked, interrupting the guard’s explanation of the security protocols from his compound and looking off to the left away from her and Jared.

“I didn’t hear anything,” the guard replied, taking a step towards Cami while focusing his preternatural hearing down the corridor.
 

When the door to the containment unit slid open, the guard startled, and they all laughed a little as the exiting scientist shuffled away without acknowledging any of them, keeping his eyes focused intently on the notes he was making on his tablet.
 

“I guess it was just my imagination,” Cami said, turning back towards the door to the containment unit as it slid closed. Her eyes darted around, looking for the telltale, though nearly imperceptible, shimmer of Martinez’s mist. With the guard being from another compound, he would never have seen Martinez’s ability so, even if he noticed the anomaly, it wouldn’t register as anything other than warm air moving around. When she found no sign of it, she knew her friends had made it through the door in time.
 

“I think we’ve kept you from your duties long enough, soldier,” Cami said, taking Jared’s hand. “I’d love to hear more about those new security procedures later.”

With that, she and Jared disappeared around the corner.

✧

“Now we wait,” Cami said as soon as the soundproofing to her quarters engaged.
 

“I’m starting to feel like this was a bad idea,” Jared said, running a hand through his already tousled locks. Cami’s eyes followed the motion. She loved the way it made his sandy hair looked like he’d just gotten out of bed. “No one will be entering that room for almost an hour. What if something goes wrong? I should have gone with them,” he continued, oblivious to her stare.

“Dante and Martinez will protect Alexa. We have to trust that Chloe’s vision was correct,” Cami replied, pulling Jared down to the bed. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but now that I have you, now that I know what true love is like, I know their bond is strong enough to save my brother.”

She took Jared’s face in her hands and stared into his eyes for several long seconds, the lust that had just started to simmer in hers giving way to something deeper. The love that flowed between them seemed to fill the surrounding air, blocking out everything else. Their lips drifted closer and closer, drawn to one another like magnets until they finally came together. The kiss was soft and sweet, full of nurturing and comfort.
 

“There’s nothing we can do for now,” Cami whispered, drawing back slightly, her lips drifting over his as she spoke. “I don’t want to waste this time together.”

The future was so uncertain. They both knew the world could be turned upside down at any moment; right now was the only time that was guaranteed.

When their mouths met again, there was urgency and desperation in their kiss. It was as if they were both pouring everything they had to give, every hope, every fear, into that one act.

Jared slipped his hands into Cami’s soft curls, tugging her head back slightly to gain full access to her mouth. He swept his deft tongue across her swollen lips, then took the lower one between his teeth and tugged. He released it and groaned when Cami’s fangs dropped from her gums, an undeniable indication of her desire. As if on cue, the scent of her arousal reached him and his own fangs lowered in response.
 

In a flash of movement, Jared had her pinned beneath him on the bed, his fingers making quick work of the buckles and snaps of her weapons harness. In their short time together, he’d become an expert in removing the many layers of her soldier’s attire.
 

Cami pushed up to aid him in slipping the black leather over her shoulders and off her arms. When he pushed the contraption aside and it slid off the bed, the loud clang of her swords hitting the floor didn’t faze either of them.
 

Unlike Jared, Cami didn’t have the patience to undo all of the buttons holding his blue button-down shirt in place. She simple grabbed each side of his shirt and yanked, sending white buttons flying in all directions.
 

Jared flashed a lopsided grin; her impatience thrilled him. She was the most passionate and uninhibited woman he’d ever known; something he would never have guessed when they first met. He continued to hover over her, just looking down, taking in her remarkable beauty despite the insistent throb in his strained jeans.
 

Not in the mood to take it slowly, Cami grabbed Jared’s shoulder and had him on his back before he could protest. Once in control, her favorite place to be, she had the rest of their clothes on the floor before the next beat of their vampire hearts.

As much as she wanted to feel him inside her, Cami couldn’t help but pause to take in the masculine beauty of the man she could now freely admit she loved. Her eyes drifted from his full lips turned up in that sexy grin he often wore, to the golden skin covering his pecs and chiseled abs. A shiver went through her when her gaze reached the light trail of dark blonde hair, most of which was covered by his thick length laying slightly to the side and almost reaching his navel.