Chapter 7

Tegan leads us down hallway after hallway. More camouflaged men and women silently watch us as we pass. Only the whites of their eyes give them away. Nobody speaks to Tegan, but I notice a few of them nod their heads as a sign of respect as she passes. They do watch us as we move past, however.

Their varying shades of irises never leave us, but their expressions remain hidden beneath layers of decorative rock that I have never seen before. Bogdan grips me tighter as we move deeper and deeper into the mountain. He must be thinking this isn't safe, because if this turns out to be dangerous, we have little chance of escaping without being caught.

We follow Tegan and turn a final corner, and a brilliant hue of light fills the space around us. I suck in a breath of disbelief as I glance at the commodious, wide ceiling. Pieces of rock have been scraped out and replaced with lights. Their placements are random and vary in intensity. It reminds me of sparkling lights poking through the branches of a Christmas tree.

My eyes fall to the floor of this spacious room. Couches and rugs of all different types, colors and sizes are everywhere. Filling every seat are Secondaries. The cacophony of their voices ricochet against the rock walls. Some are reading, some are talking, some are laughing, and some are simply resting.

But oh, they are all so eloquent.

They don't have the same edge to their features as vampires, and the softness only adds more depth to the immortal portion of their flawless looks. Bogdan moves us closer to the wall, attempting to keep us out of the line of attention. Already our presence is becoming noticed.

Tegan moves swiftly through the masses of people, leading us to another tunnel along the far wall. This time there is no whispering or words of protest for the man in front to step aside. Tegan opens the door and we follow until the voices in the main room echo into silence.

"Where are you taking us?" Bogdan growls once the door behind us closes with a heavy thud.

Tegan doesn't answer, but after we pass through another hallway, she stops at a door and knocks a single time. The door creaks open slowly, not wide enough for us to see the person on the other side. Tegan leans forward and whispers again. It's soft enough that I can't hear, but Bogdan's eyes narrow at whatever she says.

Large hands move through the door and gently remove Leo from her arms. His body looks so weak, so sickly pale. My eyes catch on the blood that has soaked through the final shirt I pressed against his stomach. He's lost so much. Too much. His eyes don't open as he's pulled inside, and the tendrils of his shaggy blonde hair are the last thing I see before the door is closed again.

I swallow hard, and the familiar fingertips of fear clutch my emotions in their grasps. Tegan backs away from the door. She glances around the floor, peering at the single drop of blood spilled from Leo's stomach before he was taken.

She moves her boot over it, scraping it across the uneven floor until the drop becomes hidden beneath a streak of mud. Then she glances down at her shirt and scoffs.

"I'm going to have to get cleaned up," she mutters.

"Will he be alright?"

I whisper the question even though she asked me not to talk. Tegan's head snaps up in my direction and her expression is so menacing that I find myself huddling further into Bogdan's touch for protection.

"They'll do what they can for him," she answers evenly. She glances between Bogdan and me before her eyes slide down to his waist. "I'll be needing my gun back."

Bogdan sets me to my feet and pulls out the gun in a swift movement. I've never seen him use a gun before, but he looks like a natural as he gracefully handles the piece of weaponry before returning it to Tegan.

"What happens now?" I ask.

The fear is thick in my voice. This is the population we searched for endlessly. Yet now that we've found them I'm already rethinking our decision. It's clear they're not like us. Then again, it's our fault that they're not. We pushed them out of our society and so did the immortals. What choice did they have but to hide in the mountains and keep to themselves?

"Now," Tegan answers slowly. "I will take you to our leader. He will determine your payment."

_________________

Bogdan and I are once again directed through various hallways of rock guarded by hidden Secondaries. The news of our arrival must be circulating, because this time their stoic faces crack under their curiosity. Their dark eyes follow us with every step we take, and I force myself to keep my attention elsewhere. Tegan warned me not to speak; perhaps eye contact is frowned upon as well.

Instead I focus on the rocks as one hallway transforms into another. The colors are starting to change. The darker, ashy tones are lightening to a gentle auburn color. I have the sudden instinct to reach out and touch them, to see if the rock walls are as smooth as they look. But instead I stuff my hands into my pockets and keep moving.

As we approach the end of the hallway, Tegan's pace comes to a halt. She waves her hand towards the door that's sitting in the middle and nods to the guards standing in front of it.

"They're here to see the Primary."

The guard on the left nods a single time. The guard on the right, however, looks slightly wary. He takes a step forward and frowns over at us before studying the blood staining Tegan's shirt.

"And is the Primary expecting guests?"

He says the word like it's a curse, and his sneering tone is thick with disgust. A shiver dances down my spine. Out of instinct I position myself slightly behind Bogdan. He immediately pushes me further behind him, straightening his spine to block me from them. His masculine fingers linger on my hip before he breaks the contact.

But the small touch makes an impact. I chew on my lip and stare at his muscular shoulders twitching beneath his shirt. It's been far too long since felt those shoulders. More than that, it's been far too long since Bogdan's drank from me.

I've noticed the brightening of his red eyes over the past few days, but he hasn't made an advance. He hasn't even broached the subject. Before the war started, most humans viewed feeding their vampires as a chore. Some even thought it was a punishment.

But I crave it.

I crave having his lips on me. I crave having his body pressed against mine as he sates his hunger. Aside from the initial pain of the bite, the act of a vampire drinking from a human is pleasurable. It's euphoric, beyond anything I've ever experienced before.

My seductive thoughts come to a jarring halt when the wide door in front of us swings open. Each of the guards straighten and move positions in order to keep the massive doors propped open. The one on the left looks unfazed, but I notice the one on the right still isn't happy about the situation.

Tegan scowls in his direction before stepping to the side to give us access to the door. Just before we reach its threshold I think I hear her laughing quietly, but I could be wrong. My fleeting moments of happiness and longing are replaced by anxiety.

My eyes sweep over the new room. Guards line the wall, all of them standing tall with their hands tucked behind their backs. Their uniforms are different than the ones in the hallway. They're not camouflaged to the rocks of the walls and the ceiling. Instead they're all dressed in a matching purple color. A vibrant, rich sash sits across each of their torsos.

I swallow hard, quickly realizing this room is very different than the last. There aren't any couches or pretty lights or relaxed conversation. Instead this room is lightly furnished - pristine but minimal. Even the air in here is different. It's heavy and stiff, as if anything more tranquil would be out of place.

As I continue to glance around the room, a masculine voice cuts through the silence. My attention snaps towards the desk.

"Ah, the vampire and the human," he says. "Your arrival has created quite the stir."

His voice is like velvet, but there's a harshness to it that puts me on edge. Without thinking I slip my hand into Bogdan's as we traipse towards the desk. To my surprise, his porcelain fingers intertwine with mine. I glance up at him, but his red gaze is fixated forward.

"I've just gotten word about your friend," the man adds, and I slowly turn my eyes towards him. "Leo, correct? He seems to be stabilized."

Light eyes collide with mine when I seek out the face to match the voice. I expect to see an older gentleman, but the man staring back at me is no older than early twenties. Of course, as a Secondary, he might be generations older, but his appearance catches me by surprise.

The Primary, as Tegan called him, grins slowly as we come to a stop in front of his desk. Thick, chestnut-colored hair falls in waves around his face. His green eyes are bright and brimming with intensity, and Bogdan tightens his hold on my hand. Whatever emotions the Primary is feeling isn't sitting well with him.

After a beat of silence, the Primary stands from his chair. It scrapes against the roughness of the rock beneath him, and the sound echoes in the dense air.

"But where are my manners?" he says and reaches out his hand towards us. "I'm Reyo, leader of the Secondaries."

Bogdan reaches out to grab his hand first. "Bogdan."

The two of them exchange a terse look. I glance at their hands, wondering how hard the shake must be compared to most human introductions. Secondaries might not be as strong as vampires, but they're far stronger than humans. The Primary's grin hardens as their introduction comes to an end. Then his light eyes slide over to me.

I don't want to let go of Bogdan's hand, but I do anyway. Nervous, clammy sweat coats my palms as I lean forward and make my introduction. His masculine fingers curl around mine. His grip is strong, every bit as strong as I expected, but there's a warmth to his touch.

"I'm Finn," I say.

My voice sounds like rusted metal scraping against glass compared to theirs. It sounds chalky, unrefined. Reyo releases his hold on my hand, and his smile relaxes as he studies my face.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Finn."

The second I step away from the Primary's desk, Bogdan's hand immediately finds mine again. It's a possessive touch, and Reyo's gaze studies the small moment of affection with a shielded expression.

"Bogdan," Reyo says quietly and fixes the smile on his face. "I would like to have a few minutes of private conversation with Finn, if you don't mind."

Bogdan stiffens beside me and his hand tightens. "I do mind."

Reyo nods. "Understandable. But I will have it nonetheless. So you have a choice - either be escorted from this room and shown to your guest lodging accommodations....or be put in handcuffs and taken to a holding cell instead."

The Primary gestures to the guards lining the exterior of the room. Taking his silent cue, they all take a menacing step towards us. Bogdan could outrun most of them, but it's a circular room and there are far too many. They'll catch him and get him handcuffed eventually.

Knowing this I grudgingly shake loose his touch and turn to face him.

"Please, just go with them," I whisper. "I'll be fine."

"He will be," Reyo echoes.

"I want him delivered to my room the minute you are finished," Bogdan demands.

The guards look at each other nervously. A few take an additional step towards Reyo's desk, but the Primary holds up his hand to stop them. It's clear he's not used to being questioned or talked to in such an aggressive manner.

Reyo's feigned smile never falters. The warmth of his gaze turns cold, however. He studies Bogdan's face before nodding a single time.

"Of course."

I want to hug my vampire, to kiss him right here, right now. But the minute I find the courage to do so, two guards are already on either side of him. They make sure not to touch him, but their unforgiving gazes serve as invisible restraints, daring him to break away. Bogdan's red gaze holds mine as he walks towards the door.

I crane my neck as he leaves the Primary's room, his tall stature slipping into the shadowy tunnels of the mountain. I cross my arms across my chest, hugging myself as the other guards follow behind him one by one. When the door heavy doors close behind them, I realize it's just the Primary and me left in this grand room.

Slowly I spin on my heels to face him. His eyes meet mine, and he leans over his desk and smiles wide enough that I notice the tips of fangs beneath his lips.

"Thank you, Finn," he says. "I believe it is now my job to address the terms of your payment."