Hearts In Darkness

glow almost luminously. What in the hell was going on with her sight? Why could she see them so clearly?

'Where now?' His voice, though soft, seemed harsh against the sudden edginess that seemed to fill the unlit room.

She frowned. 'Straight ahead.' Which didn't make much sense. The only thing straight ahead was a concrete wall.

'It's not solid, though.' He brushed past her and ran a hand down the blocks.

She touched it. It sure felt solid. Her frown deepened. 'Why do you say that?'

'Because I can see the space beyond it.' His reply was absent, his concentration focused on the wall.

She raised her eyebrows. 'You can? How?'

'Vampire sight is somewhat similar to infra red. It allows me to see through most walls.'

'Really? Bet that was handy in your youthful, wild days.'

He glanced at her, smiling again. 'I can't see flesh, as such. Just the heat of blood. Here we go,' he added, pressing his palm against the wall.

For a second, nothing happened. Then a crack appeared in one section of the wall, accompanied by a sound that could almost have been a scream. It snaked along until it formed the shape of a door, then slowly opened.

'It is a door,' he said. 'Only it's been disguised by magic.'

The magic was obviously active, because it still looked like a concrete wall. She reached out again. This time rough timber met her fingertips. The wood felt warm and somehow oily. She shivered and jerked her hand away.

'Can you see anything beyond the doorway?'

He shook his head. 'Just a set of stairs, leading down.' He hesitated and raised an eyebrow. 'You want to stay here while I investigate?'

She snorted softly. 'I think you can guess the answer to that question.'

He grinned and held out a hand. 'Shall we go as one?'

If only,she thought, and placed her hand in the warmth of his. He tugged her forward, his movements sure despite the black cowl that surrounded them. The steps were wooden and seemed to bend under her weight. It reminded her of the warehouse and the trap Jasper had set. A trap that had very nearly killed her.

'Last step,' Michael said after several minutes.

She tensed, but her feet hit rock, not wood. At least it wasn't likely to collapse underneath her…

'We have a choice of three tunnels,' he continued. 'Which one do we go down?'

They did? She frowned at the blackness. Why could she see so clearly before and not here in the tunnels? It made no sense. She wrapped her fingers around the watch again. 'Straight ahead.'

They continued on. The air was fresher here, stirred by a faint breeze. There had to be another opening somewhere, which was only logical. Whoever was behind the kidnappings wouldn't be able to risk using the entrance through the treatment room all the time.

Ahead in the darkness, something stirred. She bit her lip. It was nothing she could see or hear, just a whisper of evil that trailed across her senses.

Michael stopped so abruptly she ran nose-first into his back.

'I do wish you'd give me a warning before you do that,' she muttered, rubbing her nose.

Nikki, hush.

The command ran through her mind, sharp with concern. Her stomach turned. What's wrong?

Vampires ahead.

That was the evil she'd sensed stirring. She licked suddenly dry lips. How many?

Two.He hesitated. Power tingled across her senses as he searched the night. And two more behind.

The door must have been alarmed. It was stupid, really, not to think it would have been. So what do you want to do?

We can try running, though I doubt it'll do much good.

Running sounds good to me.She'd rather be a running duck than a sitting one any day.

He squeezed her hand. Warmth pulsed through her, but did little to ease the chill of fear.

Follow me, then.

As if she would do anything else right now. He tugged her forward again, racing them through the darkness. Her footsteps echoed. Somewhere ahead, evil began a frenzied dance.

The strength of the breeze grew stronger and carried with it the slight taint of balsam. She hoped it meant they were getting close to the second entrance. Hoped they'd get there before the vampires closed in.

The sense of evil swamped them. Should have known her luck had never been that good.

Michael slid to a stop then thrust her sideways. She hit the tunnel wall hard, her breath leaving in one gigantic whoosh of air. Stunned, she slid down the wall, blinking away tears and fighting the rush of unconsciousness.

The air above her stirred, the sense of evil so heavy she could almost taste it. Fear surged, along with energy. It burned through her body, then lashed at the darkness above her. Something solid hit a far wall and slid to the ground.

She scrambled to her feet. She could hear the scuff of movement, the smack of flesh against flesh, but she couldn't see a damn thing. She clenched her fists, wanting to help Michael, but not daring to get in his way.

Movement to her left. She jumped sideways, lashing out with her fist. Her hand was caught in a vice, her fingers crushed. Pain shot up her arm, surged like fire through her body. She yelped, dropping to her knees, blinking back tears. Energy surged again and sparks danced across her fist, momentarily illuminating the gaunt features of the young vampire who held her. Then the energy hit him, and he was flung away, crashing through the darkness.

Footsteps echoed through the blackness, moving away from them. Michael cursed, and she felt the breeze of him moving, going after the fleeing vampire. She waited tensely, her breath rapid gasps, and her heart pounding so loudly it seemed to reverberate through the tunnel. A certain lure if there were any more vampires nearby.

After a few minutes Michael returned, though it was more a wash of concern through the link that warned her than anything she heard or saw.

Are you okay?He touched her face gently.

I think one of them broke every finger on my hand, but other than that, yeah, I'm fine. You?

They were only fledglings. No match, I'm afraid.

What do we do now?They couldn't leave the young vamps here, or whoever had turned them would know for certain that someone had been down here. Until they found Matthew, Rachel, and Rodeman, they really couldn't risk that.

The mere fact that they are missing will alert the person who turned them.

His mind voice was terse. She wondered why. True. But it might also give us a little more time. He was the one who'd told her the newly turned were unstable. Maybe their maker would just think they were off hunting somewhere. We have no other option, Michael.

No.He hesitated. Let's see how far away the other entrance is. Though it is nearing dusk, there's still enough strength left in the sun to destroy these youngsters.

He ran his hand down her arm and captured her fingers. She followed him through the darkness again.

After a few minutes, the blanket began to rise, revealing the rough brown stone of the walls and floor.

The air became fresher, rich with flowery scents. They turned a corner, and the wall opened up. She'd never been more relieved to see blue sky in her life.

The meadow below them was a sea of colorful wildflowers that swayed lightly in the breeze. To their left, a path curled around the rock face and disappeared. To their right, a drop of about forty feet to the meadow. She looked over the edge. Only rocks to cushion a fall. The ledge crumbled a little under her weight, showering the rocks below with dust.