Then again, who said magic had to be all about brute strength? Maybe I could cloak the two of us. But if a vampire jumped the hole, they'd land right on us, and that would be that. I might be able to fight off a couple, shove them down the hole, but if they had guns, I might as well jump down the shaft with Bella.

In a flash of inspiration, I raised my head and focused. The tingling grew stronger, thicker, and nauseating in my stomach. It was all I could do not to heave. Footsteps echoed ahead. I didn't have time to see if my little spell had worked before two vampires rounded the corner and came straight toward us. I ducked, forcing my mind to concentrate on my intentions instead of the panic welling inside me.

"I know I heard something back here," said a male voice. "Clear as day."

"You know what I'm going to do, hermano? I'm going to drill a bullet right through that spawn's demon skull." The unseen speaker made a popping noise. "Gonna drop him like a sack of dirt, man.

"Not if I do it first, bro."

"Do you see anything?" Amanda yelled from somewhere down the tunnel.

"Not yet," one of the men yelled back.

"That is one ugly chick," said the first guy and chuckled.

"I wouldn't even put a bag over that chica's head and fu—w-w-hoa!"

"What th—"

The vampiric wonder twin's screams faded into the distance as they plummeted down the shaft.

I glanced over the pile of rocks hiding us and saw with pride what looked like a solid floor. My spell had worked!

More footsteps rushed down the hall. I ducked back down.

"Where'd they—ahh!" The latest newcomer joined his comrades.

"Holy mother! Oh my god," said another voice, this one sounding much younger. "They just dropped straight into solid rock."

"You idiot," Amanda said, "They're using magic. Probably set up a trap and hid somewhere. Throw rocks at the wall to see if it's solid."

"Yes sir." A rock clattered off the wall behind me.

"Keep testing the walls you morons! First one to find that little spawn bastard gets a taste of his blood." Footsteps stomped away from us.

Several more rocks clacked against the floor and walls before the guy tossing them shuffled away. Sweat beaded my brow as I tried to hold my concentration, but it was like grasping a slick rope with sweaty hands. As my focus waned, the tingling subsided along with the nausea.

I heard a soft gasp. Bella's eyes lit up in the dim light and looked into mine. She pressed her hands against my chest. "Where are we?"

"Hiding." I glanced over the makeshift stack of rocks. The hole was visible again. "I think we're safe for now." I couldn't help but brag about my little feat of magic.

A smile lit her face. "I'm proud of you. It is true when they say necessity is the mother of magic."

Someone shouted. Gunfire echoed from the main chamber.

"Justin!" Elyssa shouted.

"Maybe you should stay here," I told Bella.

She tried to rise and groaned, pressing a hand to her head. "Perhaps you are right."

I jumped the hole and sneaked around the corner to the chamber. Several vampires lay unconscious in the middle of the floor. The rest had taken cover behind the columns in the back of the room, popping out at random and spraying bullets toward Elyssa's position. The vampling and cherub strained against their cages toward the nearby vampires. It would be very bad if either got loose. The infant-like cherub would drain the light out of anyone it caught and turn them into a shadow person. The vampling might start an epidemic if it bit anyone.

How Dash had procured the cherub, I had no idea. Daelissa must have done it. Why she'd done it was a mystery. The leyworm made sense, being a source of magical power, but why a cherub? Had he been studying ways to harness the power of these creatures? To enslave them? No, there had to be another explanation.

"Where's Maximus?" someone roared in anger. I poked my head out and saw Adam, his face red as he emerged from behind cover, staff held out in front of him. "Where's my sister, Felicia?"

A vampire sprayed bullets at Adam. Inches from hitting him, the air rippled with the impacts. Bullets clattered to the floor.

"Felicia is your sister?" Amanda laughed. "Maximus found out she'd betrayed him. Taught that bitch a lesson."

Adam's face went white. His jaw clenched and rage burned in his face. "Where is she?"

"Dead, you idiot!" Amanda threw something at Adam, a blur of brown that hit his shield and fell to the ground at his feet.

It only took me a split second to identify the rectangular package. It was the same explosive she'd thrown at me.

Chapter 25

Adam looked down. That was all he had time to do before the blast.

"No!" I shouted, arm extended toward him as if I could prevent his death with the force of my will. Nauseating sickness swept through my body and I felt as though I were holding a superheated bubble of molten liquid in my hand.

Adam flew back a foot, landing in the ruins of a crate. The air in front of his shield rippled like water disturbed by a thousand tiny rocks.

The pain and pressure in my hand increased. Almost by reflex, I flicked my hand away from Adam and toward Amanda's position. A concussive blast shattered stone and wood, sending vampires flying back against the cages. Adam sat up on his elbows and looked at me with pure astonishment.

Fausta yelled, "Frag out!" Tossed two metallic spheres at the vampires' position, and turned her face away. Blinding light flashed through the room. Spots danced in my eyes. I fell to my knees, gagging and heaving while my stomach groaned. I wondered if I'd eaten something spoiled, though this sensation felt much different from spicy Indian food surprise. Half-blinded, I pushed to my feet and saw Elyssa and Fausta pumping vampires full of the silvery lancer darts as the fallen bloodsuckers moaned and wallowed on the floor, severely weakened by the flash grenades.

Adam strode into the fray and found Amanda. He stood over her, feet planted to either side of her body, and pulled her partially upright by her pink T-shirt. "Where's Felicia?"

Amanda let out a weak snarl. "Go to hell, Arcane."

He punched her in the face, wincing as he did. Dropped his staff and jerked her shirt with two hands. "Tell me, you bitch."

She spat blood in his face.

Adam roared and slammed her head against the floor. His fists pummeled her face as an animalistic cry ripped free from his lungs. Elyssa and Fausta grabbed him by either arm and pulled him, kicking and flailing, off the bloodied vampire.

"Adam!" Shock filled Meghan's face. "What's wrong with you?"

Tears streamed down stricken man's face. He slumped in the grasp of the two Templars holding him. Elyssa gave Fausta a sad look and nodded. They let him go as Meghan rushed to his side.

"I failed her," Adam said, wiping at his face, hands clenched into white-knuckled fists. He stood, breathing heavily, obviously fighting the pain.

My heart almost broke looking at the man. I knew how he felt. I understood what he was going through. Felicia had died saving me. I walked toward Adam, my throat constricted with guilt. I remembered Maximus's text to me. Had he been lying, and already killed Felicia? Or might she still be alive somewhere? Maybe Amanda was just trying to push our buttons and had lied.

I didn't know if I should tell him and give him hope, or let him grieve. What would be worse, I wondered—having hope and finding her dead, or never knowing? I knew what my choice would be. I'd want to know. For me to keep this from him would be wrong, so very wrong. I'd been an idiot to keep it from him earlier.

"Adam, I—"

He turned on me. "You could have saved her," he said, voice quiet and broken.

His words stabbed my heart. I knew if he was angry now, he'd be even angrier when I showed him Maximus's texts. Pulling out my arcphone, I retrieved the messages and held it out to him. "I'm sorry. I should have showed this to you earlier. Amanda might be lying. Maybe Maximus locked her up somewhere and she's okay."

"Why the hell would you keep this from me?" Adam stared with disbelief at the phone before flinging it back at me.

I caught it before it bounced off my chest. "I was afraid you'd go over the edge, man. I didn't know whether it would matter or not."

He turned away, taking deep deliberate breaths. "We have to find her then." His voice broke. "Or find her body. I can't leave her here. I have to take her home."

"Wait a minute," Fausta said. "Maximus is gone?"

"Through the arch there." I pointed to the obsidian structure. "But when I freed the leyworm Dash had hooked up for its energy, it took the power with it."

"Where did he go?"

"Atlanta, I think."

Fausta cursed. She pulled out her phone and walked away, speaking in urgent tones.

Elyssa squeezed my shoulder. Kissed me on the cheek. "Are you okay?"

I nodded.

"This place is a mess," Bella said, leaning against her staff as she emerged from the tunnel. "And I'm pooped."

Healer Delgado knelt beside her, running a wand over her. "You've overextended yourself." She shook her head. "You'd better rest or you might burn out."

Bella nodded with a resigned sigh. "I know."

Michael appeared in the large hole which had been the original entrance before Amanda blasted it wide open.

"Where have you been?" Fausta said.

He took in the destruction without so much as batting an eyelash. "We've got another problem."

"Another one? Haven't the others subdued the remaining OPFORs?"

Michael nodded. "Some escaped into the tunnels beneath us. I saw them breaking the lock on a metal door. They got it open before I could stop them."

Fausta bit her lip. "And what's on the other side?"

"Let's just say this place is about to be overrun. By vamplings."