Darklight 2: Darkthirst by Bella Forrest

Author:Bella Forrest [Forrest, Bella]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Nightlight Press
Published: 2019-10-27T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Two

Team Negotiate arrived exactly thirty minutes later. I knew that because I’d been sitting in the entrance tunnel staring at one of our remaining watches when I heard the beating of wings.

Being on the run was giving me strange new personal habits I didn’t like, but I hated being unable to do anything. I was powerless compared to the vampires and useless to my team unless an emergency struck.

When the flock of bills appeared in the entrance, I let out a grateful sigh of relief. After Hart finally landed the redbills, Louise smiled at him, evidently unaware of his usual track record with humans.

“Thanks!” she said as she dismounted with Grayson, who looked like he would rather eat his own tongue than talk to Hart.

Hart glowered at Louise and stalked back toward the main cavern without a word.

Before he could disappear completely, however, I put out a hand and touched his arm, trying not to be too offended when he shrugged it off. “Thank you,” I said, genuinely meaning it.

Surprise flashed through his eyes, and for a moment, his face softened. “You’re welcome,” he said somewhat curtly, but I took it as a win.

Bryce seemed cheerful enough as he approached, but Zach looked positively elated. Gina frowned, hesitance blossoming beneath her expression. Was she worried about him getting his hopes up? I knew she would always support my brother, but I also thought of her as the more emotionally mature between the two of them, and I found her caution reassuring.

“They believed us,” Zach said excitedly. “They were receptive to our information about the Bureau and shocked to hear about what was going on.”

“They seemed to believe us,” Bryce corrected him quickly. “They’re looking into everything, starting with Jim’s experiment and his… passing.” He swallowed after the last word and closed his eyes.

“What are the next steps?” I asked as we made our way back to the cavern. The redbills chirped energetically as if sensing the group’s joy.

“They won’t promise action anytime soon. Typical of a government agency. They need to do a thorough investigation and may contact us again for further questioning during that time,” Bryce explained.

That sounded reasonable enough.

“They took photos of Louise and Grayson’s injuries and statements about their experiences.”

“What was your overall feeling, though?” I asked, wanting Bryce’s gut interpretation.

“They seemed helpful… but closed off,” Bryce explained. “There were no promises about stopping the Bureau’s pursuit of us, but they said they wanted to work something out.”

“The CIA couldn’t make promises?” Colin wondered aloud. “It seems odd that even they can’t do anything about the Bureau.”

The implied question went unspoken—exactly who could go up against the Bureau?

“They’re not promising anything until their investigation is complete?” I asked, trying to clarify everything. “Well, how long do they think that will take?”

“It’s more that they’re trying to cover their butts, like most government agencies,” Bryce said, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he reflected. He was tired from their journey. They all were.

I cleared my throat, knowing we needed to discuss next steps.

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