Scorched Ice (Fire and Ice #3)(57)
“I also want five vampires to go through the woods to search for the back way out. Take down the cameras you locate as you go. There will probably be traps, so keep alert, but we need to block off their other exit in case they try to retreat. No matter what happens, no matter what you see or hear from our location, that roadway is to remain barred once you find it,” Julian said. “Any volunteers?”
The vamps all looked at each other before some hands rose into the air. Julian broke the volunteers off from the others and sent them ahead of their group. When everyone had been divided and given their assignments, he turned to Quinn.
“Any chance I can get you to stay behind?” he asked her.
“Any chance the sky is green?”
He smiled and took hold of her hand to pull her against him. The feel of him sent an electric thrill through her body as he kissed her. “That’s what I figured. Stay close to me, Dewdrop.”
“As long as you do the same.”
“You never have to worry about that.”
He kept her hand in his as they slipped into the woods behind Vern. Quinn searched for any hint of danger amid the thick pines surrounding them. The scent of the trees hung heavily in the air, as did the rich aroma of the earth and rotting pine needles beneath her feet. Accustomed to the myriad of scents from the desert, this new influx of aromas overwhelmed her senses.
She wanted to take a minute to acclimate herself to the unfamiliar environment, but she couldn’t slow everyone down simply because she felt overwhelmed right now. Sorting through the aromas of pine, earth, animals, and decaying wood, she finally focused on the scents of the Guardians and Hunters with them, as well as the vampires surrounding her.
Julian stopped at the side of a downed tree, released her hand, and swung himself over it. Turning back to her, he settled his hands on her hips to lift her over. When he held her close for a moment longer than necessary, she felt the tension in his taut muscles. His eyes were a red so vibrant they would make a ruby look dull.
“Stay with me,” she whispered afraid of what he would do when they came into contact with any member of The Commission, and she had no doubt they would. He wouldn’t be denied this.
“Always,” he said, and blue of his eyes briefly broke through the red when he kissed her. As soon as he stepped away from her, the blue swiftly faded away again.
“Julian—”
“You are number one, Quinn. I won’t do anything reckless, not when your life is entwined with mine.”
She threaded her fingers through his before they continued through the forest. After another quarter mile, Vern stopped and turned to face them. “About fifty feet ahead is the fence,” he said to Julian. “There’s barbwire running across the top, and I’m assuming what is electrical wire running throughout the chains. I wasn’t going to grab hold of it in order to find out.”
“I can take care of the electricity,” Dani said. “Short circuit it if necessary.”
“We’ll be able to tear through the fence afterward,” Julian replied.
“They’ll have something more than electricity and barbwire,” Melissa said. “They know what Dani and other Grounders are capable of when it comes to manipulating electricity.”
“They will,” Julian agreed. “But one step at a time. And through the fence is the first step.”
He turned away from them and walked beside Vern as they all made their way through the trees. At the edge of the woods, Quinn knelt beside Julian and rested her fingers on the ground.
Her heart plummeted into her feet as she gazed at the easily twenty-foot-high chain-link fence before them. Barbwire surrounded the top of it in looping coils that looked like they could slice someone in half. Poles stuck out from the tops of the fence and stretched a good two feet toward the tree line. More barbwire and what she assumed was electrical wire ran around the poles, making it impossible for anyone to climb beyond that point.
Looking at the chain links of the fence, she spotted more wires running through them. She was certain Vern had been right, and the whole fence was electrified. The fence ran at least two hundred feet in either direction from where they knelt. It formed a square around the single story, concrete building in the center of the fenced-in area. Thick bars covered the two windows facing them. The large satellite dish and solar panels perched on the roof reflected the glow of the full moon rising high in the sky. Nothing moved around the building, but Quinn sensed something there, waiting for them.
“It’s a small building,” one of the vamps commented.
“It is,” Julian agreed. “I wasn’t able to see what it’s like on the inside, but these bastards like to go underground too. I’m willing to bet most of this compound is buried beneath the earth.”
He turned to face Dani. “How close do you have to get to the fence to knock out the electricity?”
“I’m close enough now,” she replied. “Are you ready for me?”
“Yes.”
Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and rested her hands on the ground. Quinn felt a vibration beneath her feet as the earth swelled and dirt rose up around them when Dani began to draw from the electrical pulses running through it. Sparks raced across Dani’s fingers, and the vampires closest to her all stepped away. The ground heaved before something broke free of Dani in a zigzagging line that scorched the earth as it raced toward the fence.