Hotbloods (Hotbloods #1)(40)

“The agent who came to get to you,” I said, my head reeling. “He was… a different kind of supernatural?”

Navan nodded. “Earth’s base is manned by a lycan unit.”

“Lycans?”

“I guess you would be more familiar with the term werewolf, though they are different.”

“Werewolf?” I said, again trying to wrap my brain around what he was telling me.

“What do we do?” Ianthan said. “I mean, this is bad, right? This is really bad.”

Navan swallowed hard. “It’s only bad if we give up. And we’re not going to. We have to get my ship fixed… And the only way to do that now is to stake out the Fed and convince them to return my tools.”

“That’s insane!” Ianthan exclaimed. “The Fed would never negotiate with you! To them you’re a filthy Vysanthian! They’d shoot you down on sight, before you could even get a word out—and that would be even if you hadn’t murdered one of their agents.”

“I know.” Navan glanced at me. “Which is why we might need to try a different tactic.”

I looked from him to Ianthan, then back. “What?” I asked. “Why do I have a feeling I’m suddenly about to get a lot more involved?”

“Because if it was a human who made first contact with them, then we might at least get a meeting,” Navan replied.

“And tell them what?” Ianthan asked. “What would a human tell them, exactly, in order to convince them? That we need those tools back to intercept a human blood sample that’s on its way to Vysanthe? That would get The Fed asking serious questions, which would inevitably lead to revealing Vysanthe’s search for immortality.”

“Why would that be so bad?” I asked.

Ianthan exhaled. “If there’s anything our Queens agree on, it’s that The Fed should never be given information about our activities, because all that will do is encourage them to scrutinize Vysanthe more than they already have,” he explained. “If Gianne—or her sister—found out we were behind the leak, we’d be in for a fate worse than death. We’d all be.”

I could only imagine what such a fate might consist of, but from the petrified look in Ianthan’s eyes, I knew I didn’t want to find out.

“I didn’t say it was the ideal plan,” Navan said, clearly frustrated. “Do you think I want to risk something happening to Riley? But it’s the only way. If we don’t try, then we’re never going to be able to get back, the blood sample will arrive in Vysanthe, and then they’ll—”

“You’re right,” I said. “We’ve got to at least try. I mean, won’t they help if we ask them to? Vysanthe clearly needs to be stopped from terrorizing other planets, and The Fed was an organization set up to do just that—maintain balance and protect weaker species.”

“Unfortunately, it’s not so simple,” Navan said. “If we approach it like that, what we’re really asking for is a bright red target on our backs—The Fed would not be successful in subduing Vysanthe even if it tried. If threatened, the Queens would put their differences aside to join forces and combat the threat. Take your entire planet’s militaries, combine them, and you wouldn’t be anywhere close to how powerful Vysanthe’s military is. And our environment is too harsh; there are few who could compete with us in our own element. The Fed knows this, which is why Vysanthe has had free rein for so long. Of course, that doesn’t mean the Queens will ever grow complacent—they still don’t want The Fed knowing about their business.”

“So what would you tell The Fed, then, if you managed to get a meeting?” Ianthan asked.

“As you said, we may have no choice but to tell them the truth—or at least, part of the truth. Our case has to be strong enough for them to be persuaded,” Navan continued. “We’d also have to hope we can persuade them to keep our identities confidential… But we’re getting way ahead of ourselves. Before we get to that, we have to figure out how to meet with them.”

“What do you mean?” I asked. “I thought I was going to try to get a meeting with them.”

“I don’t know where The Fed’s headquarters are… though I do have an idea of how we might attract their attention.” He swept past me and reached the ladder. “For now, let’s get out of this hole.”

Ianthan and I followed, reemerging in the icy world above. However we ended up meeting with this organization, I was going to have to convince a bunch of werewolves to return Navan’s supplies.

The only thing I knew for sure was that we were certainly going to be gone longer than twenty-four hours.





Chapter Fourteen





Navan closed the bunker’s hatch after us, and then we took to the air again, flying to the nearby village to continue our discussion. The cold had really started to get to me; I couldn’t stop my teeth from chattering, and my fingers had gone numb a while ago. We landed outside a cozy little café, thankfully open at this early hour. By the looks of the dark street it was located on, it was probably the only place ever open at this time. We stood around the back of the building where vents were situated, blowing out deliciously warm air.

I shuddered, trying to sink deeper into my coat as I relished the heat. Navan dug a hand into his shoulder bag and pulled out a fistful of dollar bills. He pressed them into my hands, and nodded toward the entrance of the café. “Go get yourself something to eat.”