A plan started to form in her mind, coming together like pieces of wet paper. She shifted them around in her head until she came up with a scenario that worked, and gave her a chance to get to Cassie. Grinning like she was crazy, Kahli thought, It doesn't matter if they find me, I just have to get to the palace first.
The ground wasn't smooth. It rolled with small hills that made it difficult for the vehicles to get a light on her. Every time Kahli thought they saw her, she suddenly disappeared behind a little hill, sliding on her back, before crouching and then jumping to her feet and taking off at a full run. This was the only way to save Will. It was the only way to make sure he didn't end up in the room with her, and Reggie.
Kahli ran until her legs turned to lead. Sweat trickled between her shoulder blades, despite the frigid temperature. The dry air filled her lungs in big gulps, drying out her mouth and cracking her lips. Kahli forced herself on, ignoring the stitch in her side that burned like razor wire. The roar of engines were all around her, but she couldn't tell where any of them were. For a while, she ran away from the lights, and that helped, but the vamps figured out what she was doing and shut them off.
The wind whipped the sound around, so that without the visual, Kahli wasn't sure where the vamps were. Or Will. She was sure Reggie sent Will after her. Dashing up another hill, Kahli reached the top and threw herself over the crest, sliding down the other side. When she stopped slipping, Kahli pushed herself off the ground, and kept running.
The orchard. Where was it? The Queen's garden was to the South of the palace. That's where she was, Kahli was sure of it, but she didn't see the orchard or the roses. Just more white hills. Exhausted, Kahli rounded another hill and saw it as she slipped down the other side - the ice castle from the Purging - the one she'd climbed and taken the flag from. She'd found it.
Running as fast as she could, Kahli made it. Quickly, she glanced up and down the wall trying to find the guards, but there weren't any. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and her stomach turned to ice. She stood still as a stone, her wide green eyes slowly moving through the darkness. The twisting in her stomach told her that the King was near-by, even though she couldn't see him.
Will chose that moment to slam into her. He forced Kahli to the ground, sheltering her with his body. "Stay down," he hissed in her ear, his gloved hand covering her mouth. Heart beating wildly, she looked up at him. "Someone's here." Will lifted his hand from her mouth and put a finger to his lips indicating she should stay silent.
When Will stood, he crouched, moving closer to the wall. Kahli followed him at first, thinking she was just being silly. The King lived here. He might still be inside. Surely that was all she was reacting to, but the closer they got to the wall, the sicker she felt. When her feet stopped moving, Will managed to get ahead of her and saw the hole in the wall. He turned back to Kahli, his eyes sparkling in the waning moonlight. She didn't move. Will gestured for her to follow, but she shook her head.
She threw a thought at him, hoping he'd realize why they shouldn't go any further. The King. Don't go this way, Will. The King is here.
Will's brow crinkled, as he looked back at her. He gazed at the wall one more time and when he looked back, he held up a single finger and mouthed, Wait here. Looking down at his belt, he removed something and handed it to Kahli. It was a slender metal flashlight. It was so dark, but turning it on would be insane. It would be like sending up a beacon, telling every vampire within the palace grounds exactly where she was. Kahli looked at the flashlight, and then back up at him.
Will stepped away before she could stop him. Kahli shook her head and held up a hand, willing him to stop, but he didn't. Will disappeared through the hole in the wall. Pulse pounding, Kahli forced her feet forward, toward the King. Swallowing hard, she neared the hole. Every hair on her body stood on end. Her skin was hypersensitive. The flutter of her heart made her body shake. Fear pulsated through her body. The King was close. He was here, he did this to the wall. Being near him was suicide. And yet, Kahli couldn't stop moving toward the hole in the wall. Stepping softly, she leaned forward and looked through. Will was standing over a lump on the ground. It was a dead vampire. Black inched out from the body like jagged arms of ink.
Looking around nervously, she walked up behind Will and put her hand on his shoulder. He sensed she was there before she did it. Although he was looking at the body, she saw his gaze lift for half a beat when she entered the garden. "The King did this. He's here. I feel him."
Will nodded once, and looked over his shoulder at her. "I can't turn back." It sounded like an apology. Kahli swallowed hard. Taking his shoulder in her hand, she turned him around. His eyes were filled with sorrow.
Meeting his gaze, she said, "I know."
His voice was barely a breath, "My loyalty is forced. I have no choice."
"I know, but you can't go into the palace, Will." Kahli didn't know why she knew, but if Will went in tonight, he wasn't coming back out. Both hands were on his shoulders, holding him tight, "Please."
He shook his head, a crooked smile laced his perfect lips. "I don't get the choice, Kahli."
"I'm not giving you a choice, Will." Desperation shot through her body. Kahli pulled him close, wrapping her arms around his neck, still clutching the flashlight in her hand. She slammed her body into his, kissing him like she thought she'd never see him again. Her heart beat harder when she leaned into him. His scent filled her head and she breathed him in. Will's arms lifted and wrapped around her waist. He kissed Kahli back, his hands holding her firmly against him. Will's lips tasted like snow. They were smooth and cool. She wanted to stay there like that, just the two of them, but there was no other option. Whatever was going to play out inside of the palace walls could have to do so without Will Tatum.
Pulling back from the kiss, Will looked at her. "Kahli," he breathed, his eyes liquid blue, smiling at her like she intended to keep him in the garden with kisses. Guilt made her hesitate, but she had to. The flashlight came down on the back of his head, hard. Will's eyes rolled back into his head when the metal struck. His shoulders slumped as he fell forward.
Kahli caught him, and lowered Will to the ground, pulling him toward the pile of dead vampires. "I'm so sorry, but I can't lose you."
She moved the vampire's bodies and slid Will into the pile. Arranging arms and legs, she positioned them so that they covered Will. Their blackened blood smeared across his white suit like a line of tar. Kahli noticed the ripped out throats, the King's signature, and made sure Will's perfect neck couldn't be seen beneath the pile of arms and legs. Will breathed softly, but no one would notice, at least she hoped they wouldn't. By the time Will woke up, this would be over, and things would fall in his favor, or they wouldn't. But at the very least, it gave him a chance to live that he didn't have tonight if he continued doing what Reggie wanted.
Chapter 30
Cole was leading a group of anemic humans out into a snow storm during a palace siege. In the back of his mind, he knew it was crazy, but he didn't leave anyone behind. They followed close behind him, scurrying down the hallway like scared mice. Cassie was on his heels. "Cole, they're not used to this. You have to slow down," Cassie huffed, trying to keep up with him. His long legs made his stride longer than hers, and he was practically running.
"Can't. You know that. If they fall behind, they get left behind, and from what I heard in the control room, they don't want that."
"What do you mean?" she asked in hushed tones, as Cole's eyes darted up and down the corridor, expecting to see a vampire at any moment. He clutched a metal stake in his fist, his bicep bulging.
"I got hold of the Captain earlier and she told me something rather interesting. If the Queen is defeated tonight, we all get our heads lopped off. Every last one of us is to be executed. The Queen doesn't want to leave any loot for the new monarch." Cassie's mouth dropped open in horror. He glanced past her, watching the others hurry toward them, before asking her, "You still want me to show them mercy, Cass? They treat us like animals. Turns out the palace lifespan isn't as long as we thought." He waggled his eyebrows at her. It was Cole's way of gloating, of saying he was right.
Cassie felt weak. She didn't think of the vampires as oppressors. There were good and bad vampires, at least she thought there were, but this made her sick. After the forced Pairings and now this - they didn't care if their precious humans lived or died. Everything she thought about them shattered like cheap glass. Cassie shook her head like she was trying to dislodge old facts and let the new ones settle in place. When she looked up at him, her brows were pinched tightly. The voice he heard was laced with scorn and didn't sound like Cassie at all, "I'm sick of this. Kill them." The words felt like acid dripping from her tongue. The others heard her say it.
Chaucer was directly behind Cassie. His face pinched in surprise to hear something like that come from Cassie's mouth, but he didn't comment on it. "Cole, tell us what to do."
Cole jerked his head, indicating that Chaucer should walk next to him. As Cassie followed behind, she heard them talking about how to use the weapons. As they moved through the palace, Cole used what he found - wooden moldings, a sculpture with sharp metal tines, chair legs - anything that could be used to maim or kill. Cole showed Chaucer how to hold it, how to swing to get the best leverage. "You get one shot. If you blow it, you won't live to get another. Even in their diminished state, the vamps are still stronger than most of us."
Chaucer nodded, "So, how is it that you're stronger than the rest of us and no one noticed?"
Cole glanced at him as they walked swiftly through the palace. The Southern half of the palace was filled with rolling hills, iced gardens, and frozen trees. If they were going to escape, that was the exit they needed to use. Oddly, as they progressed through the palace, the hallways were empty. The Queen must have called the remaining guards to her side, because they didn't see any. Each step towards the South exit made Cole's heart pound harder and harder. This was like Deliverance Day. Determination shot through him, straightening his spine. This time Cole would save more than Cassie. Glancing back at her, Cole saw Cassie brandishing a stake and showing one of the girls how to use her height to her advantage. A trace of a smile lined his lips.
Chaucer's question didn't surprise him. Although Cole didn't feel compelled to answer, he told the guy, "It was intentional. Up until the Purging, no one knew. Kahli kind of blew my cover. The vamps noticed and started requesting my blood."
"Are you wild," Chaucer asked, dark brows pinching together, "like Kahli?"
Cole laughed, but it sounded hollow and bitter. "I'm nothing like Kahli."
"Could have fooled me. You both seem to think you're invincible, but Kahli acts like that because she doesn't have to worry about getting a scrape and bleeding to death. Come to think of it Cole, I've never seen you bleed, never noticed feeding marks on you... How'd you manage that?"
"You talk too much, Chaucer. Knowing less will keep you alive tonight. Besides," his dark eyes flashed, as he looked back at the guy, "paper cuts are the least of your worries tonight. You'll get your neck slit if you worry about something so minor."