These guys are good.
"You're part of a group of people we're looking for," the woman said stiffly. "You should come with us."
"Why?" Jessica asked. Her tone was hostile but intrigued. It was like watching a cult draw in a new member with special promises. My hand balled into a fist as we waited, helpless to do anything for the moment. If we ran in now, the group might kill Jessica and Dan before we could get to them. Plus, we needed information about these guys. They weren't out for a simple jaunt in some bubble tunnels.
"If you come with us, we can promise you a great destiny," the hooded man said. When he bent over to get closer to her, Jessica let out a little gasp. She must've seen his face. I cursed the fact that I couldn't see it for myself. "You're going to do great things. You've already felt your powers growing, I presume?"
Jessica opened her mouth, but for what must have been the first time in her life, she was speechless. She gave a surprisingly tame nod.
"We can answer your questions about the universe and help you adjust to what's happening to you. You've suffered without anyone who understands you, I'm sure," the man told her. His charming voice was like hot butter on toast. Even I felt swayed toward him, as if he might be a wise paternal figure who could lead one through life without any trouble. Instantly, my mind flashed with the faces of the only purely confident men I'd met in my life—Irrikus and my Uncle Alan—people driven by power and their own egos.
"Why did it start?" Jessica asked, lapsing back into her interrogative mode. This woman had some sense in her, but she was intrigued. Maybe Jessica's strange powers had fueled her obsession with the Leftovers. Now, it made a lot more sense why she had an obsession with the supernatural. She might be turning supernatural herself… I found myself wanting the answer to her question.
"We can show you why," the man promised. The woman beside him crossed her arms. Jessica looked between them, sizing them up. "If you come with us, we can show you an entirely different world."
"This isn't good," Dorian whispered to me. "These guys are dark. I don't know what they're planning, but it's not good. I'm getting hungrier… It’s harder to resist after you haven’t fed in a while." His eyebrows pinched together.
I nodded in agreement. "We have to step in." I glanced to my other teammates, who responded with looks of approval. It was time to show ourselves.
"Hey," I called out. We sprang from our hiding place. Some of the figures started, but the others, like the woman and the large hooded man, seemed unsurprised, like they’d known we had been here the entire time. "Jessica, you can't trust these guys. They're full of dark energy."
Jessica stared at me, and then her eyes went to Dorian. Seeing his fangs extended, she gave a frustrated growl.
"I knew it," she cried. "You are a vampire."
"We had to protect his identity," I told her, feeling my skin prick underneath the gaze of the mysterious group. I didn't want to say too much in front of them. "Please, trust us. Ignore these guys. They're clearly up to something."
"Sounds like they've treated you badly," the woman said in a near purr. When she looked at me, her tan skin and blue eyes cut a striking contrast. She was tall, muscular underneath her cloak. A long thin scar ran next to her left eye. She grinned wider when she spotted me looking. "I see your anger, and I also see that you’re armed, newcomers. It sounds like you haven't been kind to everyone you've found."
You were just skeptical about Jessica's power yourself. I bit my tongue to keep from saying so, knowing it would only be giving in to her baiting. She wanted us to look bad in front of Jessica.
"We want Dan and Jessica. We're here to protect them," I said evenly. Dorian was silent beside me, but he and the other vampires were intimidating figures with their silent presence and exposed fangs.
"You didn't protect Dan," Jessica said.
Arlonne growled. "You were the one who got Dan kidnapped." She let out a slow exhale. "Look, I don't like you much. It's why you ran away from me when I refused to look for Dan with you, saying we should prioritize our own survival, but I'm here to save you."
Oh, so that was how it happened. It was logical. Arlonne must have told Jessica they needed to find a safe base to recover before looking for Dan, and, again, Jessica had run off on her own.
This reminder made Jessica button her lip for the moment, but her captor clicked his tongue.
"They can't help you find the truth," the man with the limp said. "We will."
He had her number. Jessica wanted the truth. And, as much as I hated to admit it, our behavior with her—deserved, based on her grating personality—hadn't made us trusted pals.
Jessica paused. She turned to stare at the hooded man. "Will you let Dan go if I go with you?"
"Of course," the man said.
"He's lying," Dorian snarled, but Jessica's eyes were staring up into that hood. What did she see in this figure that she trusted so much? He was luring her in. I refused to let the civilians go like this. It was my job to prevent them from coming to harm, even if they seemed determined to dive into it. Bryce shot me a sharp look and a tiny nod, clearly thinking the same thing. We couldn't let these weirdos get Jessica and Dan.
"We won't let them take you," I
