“The portals go to a new place like we’ve never seen before,” Lyra explained. She and her team told us all about sentient forests, weird transparent worlds, and how the monster seemed to be targeting people. Her face hardened. “We lost Arlonne through the portal to that place, chasing after some human named Jessica.” No. It had to be another Jessica. Surely the one I'd just arrested wouldn't be getting underfoot again so soon. But I had a sinking suspicion that wasn't the case.
I stared at her incredulously. “Jessica Laurence? That annoying vlogger?”
“Annoying is putting it mildly,” Dorian said dryly.
“You know her?” Lyra asked, just as astonished.
Even as we exchanged notes, in the back of my mind a dark suspicion was growing. Kane had said he didn’t recognize his surroundings at all, and he’d been all over the Immortal Plane. Maybe he was trapped in this bizarre new space that Lyra described.
I sent my team off to their stations. Sylas was taking good care of Joseph, so I brought Lyra’s team back to my camp. I had a room to myself in the town's shabby inn while the other Hellraisers took turns bunking with me or using bedrolls wherever they could find a spot, but it would work. We had a lot of things we needed to discuss, clearly. Since the twins were off guard patrol, they’d demanded to be a part of it. I relented, unwilling to fight them on this, since I wanted to talk to Lyra so badly. The Hellraisers would eventually hear about it when I prepared my brief. To my mild surprise, Evans asked to stay, too, even though I could tell she was just as tired as me.
"We'll need to hide you from the locals," I said after we all gathered, glancing purposefully at Dorian and the other vampires as they sat stuffed together on my couch. "The Bureau soldiers won't be that surprised. Rumors about vampire involvement are rife, so I'm sure plenty of them suspect or already know… but we’ll need to do our best to hide it."
We managed to fit everyone in my room.
"We’re saying we have vampire camouflage on," Dorian said, explaining to the confused-looking members of the Hellraisers.
Chandry snorted with laughter. "It didn't work on Jessica, did it?"
"She's something special," I muttered, and explained just how special she was to Roxy’s team, including her strange mental abilities.
"We need to get the soldiers to sign non-disclosure agreements for Callanish legalities," Bryce said firmly, and then cracked a grin at me. "I'm sure that won't be a problem for the all-powerful Captain Taylor. You're clearly running a tight ship."
Happy warmth filled me from his compliment. "I'm trying," I said, and gave them the rundown on what the Hellraisers had been up to, including our mission involving the infamous Jessica Laurence and Dan. I was sorry to hear that Dan was lost in the new world, but hopefully Arlonne and Jessica would find him… if Arlonne didn’t kill Jessica first.
Evans watched the vampires like a hawk. I'd never seen her so focused. It was natural to be wary, but she was obviously interested enough to stay. Chandry turned to her and smiled brightly.
"If you have questions, you can ask," she said kindly.
Evans shook her head. "Uh, it's fine."
The twins flanked Bryce's nephew on either side of an armchair. The poor guy never stood a chance. As soon as he'd been given the opportunity, Cam had used the restroom and groomed himself back into order as well as he could. His top-buttoned shirt was like a challenge calling the twins.
"What's your rat's name?" Jessie asked loudly, dangling her index finger in front of the creature. It chomped down lightly on her finger, and she threw her head back to laugh. "It's hungry!"
"It's not a rat," Cam said humorlessly. Jordan lost interest with teasing Cam for the moment and stared openly at Dorian, especially his necklace.
"Cool bling," Jordan said. "Does it really give you the power to fly?"
"I can't fly," Dorian answered. "I can jump really high, though."
Jordan deflated with disappointment, while Cam tried to extract himself from an interrogation session by Jessie. Bryce watched their interactions with an amused smile, but there was pain underneath his expression. He was worried for Arlonne. I saw how they’d looked at one another at Lyra's wedding. I bet there was more to that story.
I felt strange and… happy. In the chaos of dealing with the Leftovers, I hadn't had a night like this in some time. It was a relief to be among old vampire allies. Sike stole glances at Chandry, but I wasn’t sure what was going on there. I turned back to Lyra as she sipped a hot cup of tea. She looked somewhat relaxed for the moment, but I sensed she was still as tense as I was underneath everything. This was a small moment for us to enjoy… and yet I knew that I needed to tell her about Kane soon.
The dark sky turned light outside. Cam extracted himself soon after, citing fatigue, which led to everybody trying to figure out where they were going to sleep. I arranged for more bedrolls, since some of Lyra's group had their bedding partially destroyed from their journey. As we gathered to say a final goodnight, it was just Lyra and me for a moment, with Dorian drifting behind her.
I leaned forward in my chair. "I have some new information that I'd like to talk to you about," I confessed, trying to find my inner strength. "I'd like to chat privately tomorrow." I had nothing against Dorian, but I wanted the first person I told to be Lyra, another woman who’d been through impossible things and questioned her sanity. If I really was crazy, she would tell me so gently, and no one else would have to know.
Lyra nodded, her eyes showing she understood my need for secrecy. She reached out a tentative hand and rested it gently on my arm.
"You've done great, Roxy," she
