Annihilate (Hive Trilogy #3)(54)

He hung up before any of us could say another word, but a small sliver of hope flickered in my belly. It had worked, sort of. Most of the vampires were being cured right now, and the Special Forces were going to try and contain and cure the others.

“He’s right,” Kyle said. I could see the New York footage had changed again. There were SWAT and Special Forces all over the streets, their fatigue and camo gear distinctive. Shouts and fighting. Vampires were still trying to rip the humans to pieces, but the moment they stopped to feed, they were shot up with AT20 and the cure.

Carter was already striding toward the door. I dashed across and stopped him. “You can’t come with us, Dad. You’re a vampire. No one will tell the difference now between good and bad vamps. You’ll be targeted.”

Silver eyes swirled crazily, and I had to look away. Too easy to fall into those mesmerizing depths and I needed a clear head for this argument. “Charlie, sweetheart, I want to be cured. I want a human lifetime with your mother … and you. I want us to be a family. I’m not afraid of the cure, and if you think I’m letting you go out there without me, you’re sadly mistaken.”

Well, shit, when he put it like that…

“No, you stay here and keep Mom, Jayden, and Becca safe.”

He narrowed his eyes on me and I returned the gesture. I knew we looked similar, and I wondered how much of his virus blood had actually shaped me during my development in the womb. Like he was actually my blood father in some ways, after all.

“Sweetheart,” my mom said, interrupting our epic stare-off. “I would feel much better if Carter was there to keep an eye on you. We’ll be safe here. There are no vampires in this area, and there’s no reason for them to leave Portland. They’re trying to take their city back.”

I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest. “Fine, you can come, I guess.”

Markus snorted then, and that set off a chain reaction of chuckles from the rest of the enforcers. Even Carter cracked a smile, before hugging me again.

“Thank you for the permission, daughter.”

“Uh, and I’ll be coming too, BAFF, unless you want to throw down ash style right now.” Jayden had untangled himself from Oliver long enough to hear about him staying behind. “You and Oliver are my family. Not to mention the rest of these meatheads. I’ll be there keeping your backs safe. Don’t even try to stop me.”

I sighed again. “Can’t keep you assholes safe, nope. No one listens to Charlie.”

Jayden gave me the perfect single raised eyebrow. He was an expert at the WTF expression. “How about you stay here, girlfriend. I’d like to know you’re safe for once, instead of gallivanting around like you’re bulletproof and shit.”

That shut me right up, until I saw Ryder open his mouth and I swung around to him. “Don’t even think about it. I’m going! This is my fight. I’m the cure for a reason.”

“Well, in that case ….” Becca stepped forward, but before she could say more, everyone in the room let out a resounding, “NO!”

She dropped back onto the couch. “Fair enough,” she said, scowling at all of us. Which honestly looked so adorable on her bespectacled face.

There was no more arguing. It looked like everyone besides my mom and Becca were hitting the city. I had a brief thought for Tessa, and hoped Lincoln had stashed her somewhere really safe. Preferably not in any Hive cities.

Ryder was all business now. “Okay then, time to suit up. We need full gear, plus the cure weapons and extra darts.” He was already in his black enforcer gear, weapons practically dripping off him.

So freakin’ hot. Give me a man with a big gun any day. Actually, just give me Ryder. He was way more than I could handle, and would keep me on my toes forever.

When I reached his side, he captured my hand and I lifted my head so he could press his lips to mine. The moment I tasted him my legs went weak and my heart started fluttering. He caught me around the waist, and for so many moments I was lost in everything that was Ryder. The strength, goodness, and warrior personality was one part; the other was the way he treated me, how he stared into my eyes like I was the only one in the world. The intensity he loved me with was breathtaking, and I would never be ready to give it up.

“We’ll have our forever, Ryder,” I said, pulling back slightly, our faces so close I could see every facet of silver and black in his eyes. “I love you.”

With a low growl he pressed his lips to mine and we were kissing again, and it was only when more than one throat cleared that I realized the rest of our group was standing around us, geared up and ready to go. I didn’t even blush when we pulled away from each other. No regrets. Hope they enjoyed the show, because there would be many more in the future.

It took me about five minutes to gather my shit, hug my mom and Becca goodbye, and then we were out the door and into two vehicles. Not as horrible as beige POS, but still plain, non-descript sedans. It was late afternoon and we were in a race to beat the sun.

“Do we have extra cure in the trunk?” I asked Ryder. I was in the passenger seat, no need to worry about rambunctious cure hunting humans today. The radio had informed us that all humans, unless those specifically trained to handle this type of situation, were on lockdown. Homes and offices were being barricaded, and armed forces were gathering in the streets. Curfew was in effect, no one was allowed outside during night hours.