Sol has got to be wrong. Not all vampires are bad.
Sol. I chew my bottom lip. He can’t find out about this.
“I’ll see what I can do,” I say. “I can put in a word for you.”
Wilder looks at me now, his eyes glowing like those of a cat. “Thanks, Lyra. I think this is a situation where we’re stronger together.”
“Oh.” I just remembered. “A vampire tried to attack Stella. But it wasn’t just the vampires. Everyone’s been hunting her.” Even Colonials. I leave that part unspoken.
“I know,” Wilder growls. His brow furrows. “I intend to get to the bottom of that.” He glances back the way we’d come. “I need to get a boat and sail to Vashon. I’m pretty sure she’s there.”
“Do you even know how to use a boat?” I say.
Wilder waves a hand. “I’m sure I can figure it out. How hard can it be?”
I roll my eyes. He sounds like Sol. Are all men so confident? “And couldn’t you just swim, anyway? With your vampire speed and strength?”
Wilder shudders. “I can swim, but I hate water.”
I can’t blame him for his fear. I share it.
“I’m also not sure where I could hide, once I reached the island,” he says. “I need to be out of the sunlight.”
I arch an eyebrow. “So sunlight killing vampires isn’t just myth.”
“I don’t actually know,” Wilder says, “I just strongly suspect.” His smile is crooked. “I’d rather not test that theory.”
“Fair enough.” I glance around, getting my bearings. “I need to get going. There’s someone I need to meet tonight.”
Wilder nods. “Sure. Do you need help getting there?”
I shake my head. “No, I know where I am. Thanks, though.”
Wilder nods again and inhales shakily.
A feeling of danger suddenly grows.
“I’ll be seeing you, then,” Wilder says. He takes a step backward, his face cloaked in shadow. His eyes glimmer as he watches me. He tries to smile, but it looks like a smirk, and my stomach flutters with uncertainty.
He may appear civilized, but something tells me he’s anything but.
I back up, loathe to turn my back on this man, when Wilder suddenly spins and disappears into the shadows. A faint thump and scuffle sounds, and I look up as the vampire hauls himself onto the roof of a dilapidated warehouse.
“Liberty’s never been safe at night,” he calls, “but you must be doubly on your guard now. Goodbye, Lyra.”
Then he’s gone.
26
Lyra
Soon, I’m near the tent community where Vera lives. Surely she knows what’s going on. She’ll have answers. She’d better.
When I arrive at her tent, Vera is seated outside on an overturned bucket, a cat nestled in her lap. She’s up late, but so am I. From what I’ve seen, Vera sleeps when she likes and is just as likely to be up and about in the dead of night as she is during the day.
“Returning so soon?” Vera raises an eyebrow. “What is all of this about?”
“Some Colonials tried to kill a woman named Stella,” I say. No point in sidestepping the issue. “Why?”
“Ah.” Vera pets the cat, which emits purrs from its napping spot, eyes slits of gold as it eyes me in a lazy manner. “So, you heard.”
“Like stars, I did!” I say, flinging a hand in frustration. “I was right in the middle of the gunfire, Vera! Stella is my friend, and people tried to shoot her while I was standing next to her! What in the world is going on?”
Vera sighs, her gaze settling on the cat. I’ve never seen this one before. It’s orange, with a white star on its back.
“Your friend, Stella, has a bounty on her head,” Vera says, “and it’s a staggering sum. If the Colonials are after that money, well, with times the way they are, can you blame them?”
“Of course, I can blame them!” I hiss. “I don’t care how much money is on it; you can’t go and shoot an innocent human being.”
Vera smiles. “You and I are on the same page, then.” Her eyes take on a distant look, her hand still methodically petting the cat curled up on her lap. “But the people of Liberty are desperate. I don’t think the Colonials are much different from the normal citizens, and if anything, are more desperate. They know things need to change.”
I stay silent, listening. I like it when Vera rambles. She usually has interesting things to say.
“A few Colonials know that money could go a long way in feeding their families,” she says, “and maybe a few of the more radical members think that sort of money could help the cause of freedom.”
“But they’re wrong,” I growl. “You don’t help freedom by killing good guys.”
“I know that, and you know that,” she says, “but not everyone knows that. People are running scared, Lyra. The Founders like to pretend they’re wise, but at the end of the day, our operation is just run by normal people.”
“Normal people who are stupid,” I say. I’m annoyed. “How do I stop them?”
“You need to go to the Founders,” Vera says. “It’s possible they don’t know about the bounty and would send out a message telling their people to cease hunting her.”
I mull over this. “I . . . don’t know who the Founders are. Their identities are a secret. I’ve never met them in person.”
“I have,” Vera says.
Eyes widening, I take a step back. “Are you one of the Founders?”
Vera bursts into a high-pitched cackle. “Do you think my cats and I would be living in one of the armpits of Liberty if I was?”
She has a point. “Okay, so how do I meet them?”
“Jonah can hook you up,” Vera says. The cat in her lap yawns and stretches before settling down again.
Stifling a groan, I look heavenward. “Jonah.”
“You know he’s one of the inside-inside members,” Vera chides. “Despite his tasteless jokes, he can be trusted. Usually.”
I don’t see myself ever trusting Jonah, but there’s
