Darker (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #6)(20)

We reached the perimeter where a twenty-foot fence topped with razor wire stopped us. That was new. Large signs warning of prosecution for trespassers decorated the fence in various places. Ignoring them, Jez had little trouble peeling back the fence near the bottom. We slipped through with ease.

I would have expected higher security from a government agency. Except their goal was to appear as if they weren’t housed within the abandoned hospital, so the real security didn’t begin until one was already inside.

I led the way to the far end of the structure, opposite the entrance used by agents. That left us with little more than a broken window to enter through. I wanted to come in close to the stairwell since the FPA had no surveillance on the stairs.

“I’m not sure what’s in the basement, but it unhinged Arys,” I paused, looking from Willow to Jez. “I think the FPA has something really shady going on down there. Be ready for anything.”

Willow didn’t seem concerned. If anything, he was excited. Being immortal clearly had its advantages.

The second I dropped through the busted out window into the hall, I was frozen with fear. My heart pounded so loud in my ears I could barely hear Jez’s soft whisper.

“What the f**k is that?”

I followed her gaze to the shadow creeping along the wall behind me. In the nearly non-existent lighting I watched it morph as it moved, taking on different shapes. It grew and stretched, becoming a heavily muscled cat. It continued to writhe and ripple, changing into a wolf with bared fangs. Wings sprouted from the wolf’s back moments before it shifted into the form of a man.

“It’s mocking us,” I said in both awe and apprehension.

“It’s a shadow weaver,” Willow announced, utterly fearless next to us two fidgety mortals. “A demonic force that preys on restless spirits. Harmless to the living, for the most part.”

I edged toward the stairwell. Debris littered the floor. From broken boards with nails jutting through to drug paraphernalia and broken glass, the place was a hazard. It hadn’t changed in the month since I’d last been inside.

Several ghosts drifted over to check us out. I couldn’t see them, but I could feel them darting out to grab my clothing or tug my hair. It wasn’t as startling this time around.

“I knew it would be like a horror movie in here,” Jez stated, her voice loud in the silence.

“On the bright side, you don’t have to see the psych ward upstairs.” I picked my way through the graffiti-riddled hall, stepping carefully to avoid rubble.

I kept expecting an alarm to sound as agents surrounded us. So, when we reached the basement door and nobody had stopped us, I started to get an ill feeling.

Willow came to an abrupt halt. “There aren’t many places that hold this kind of darkness. It could be dangerous for you.”

“Oh God, Lex, please tell me you’re not going to vamp out on us.” Her tone was light, but Jez wasn’t kidding. “Make that me. Tell me you’re not going to vamp out on me. I’m sure the angel will survive it.”

I was conflicted. Last time, the basement had done a hell of a number on Arys. If Falon hadn’t shown up when he did, Arys might have killed Shaz or me. The place might do something similar to me.

“I feel fine, Jez. I’ll let you know if that changes.”

She nodded, but I noticed she was careful not to have me at her back. I couldn’t say I blamed her. She’d survived one of Kale’s attacks, so she had every right to be wary.

The basement door was secured with a heavy-duty deadbolt and a security-card clearance slot. Before I could wonder aloud how to get by it, Willow vanished; within seconds, he opened the door from the other side. I waited for some evidence of a security breach to ring out, but again, silence. It was too strange, as if something wasn’t right.

“Hot damn you are a handy thing to have around,” Jez commented with a smile. “Is there anything you can’t do?”

The light in Willow’s eyes faltered for just a moment. “There are many things I cannot do.”

The stairs were cold, hard concrete. Dimly lit by a dusty, low-watt bulb, it was impossible to see the bottom due to the slight spiral in the staircase. Stone walls lined each side, giving it a small, claustrophobic sensation.

Willow took the lead, which was fine with me. Feeling a curious blend of fear and anticipation, I descended slowly behind him. I shielded tightly, afraid to allow any of the energy down there too close. In my mind, I kept seeing what it had done to Arys.

He’d be livid if he knew I was here without him, but I’d never allow him inside the old hospital again. Never. I had thought for sure he would kill me that night. Stripped of all self-control, he had been reduced to the essence of the vampire without the man, a killing machine.

In all honesty, I had been hoping to avoid Arys. I wasn’t in the mood to continue our conversation about Shya from last night. It was far from over. Of that, I was certain.

Jez hovered close as we rounded the bend in the stairs. Her perfume tickled my nose, and I had to fight back a sneeze. That would be a hell of a way to announce our presence to anyone down there. Of course, anything other than human likely already knew we were here.

I expected to see something at the bottom of the staircase. Instead, absolute black greeted us. My chest tightened, and the fine hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.