"Look, man," I said, staring into the geeky Arcane's furious gaze. "I'm going back in. We'll save her. I promise."
His eyes reddened. He bit back on what might have been a sob or a shout of frustration. "She's all the family I have, Justin." He turned away. Clenched his fists tight. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to blame you."
I put a hand on his shoulder. "Believe me, I understand. I know how you feel."
He looked back. "Yeah, I guess you would."
I walked over to Katie and Bella.
Elyssa stood nearby, a helpless look on her face. "What's wrong with her?"
Katie took a shuddering breath and looked at Elyssa. "Nothing. I'm sorry I'm such a wimp." She wiped at her tear-stained eyes.
"She shot some vampires," I said.
"Shot them?" Disbelief took Elyssa's voice up an octave.
"I couldn't help it, okay?" Katie broke into new tears. "The gun fired so fast. I think I killed at least five of them."
"More like two," I said. "You just seriously wounded the others."
"But I had to save you, Justin. Screw that jackass Underborn. He's a first class bastard."
"Wait a minute," Elyssa said, mouth dropping open. "You were one of Underborn's moles?"
Katie gave a miserable nod.
"The poor girl has been through hell," Bella said.
Elyssa walked up to Katie, mouth set in a firm line—and hugged her.
I felt my eyebrows try to climb off my forehead. I'd expected to meet a fairy riding a flying dragon before seeing this.
"Thank you," Elyssa said, and pulled away after a moment.
Katie's green eyes looked a bit shell shocked as she nodded. "I did what was right."
"You did good." My girlfriend looked at the other woman as if seeing some hidden potential. Or maybe she was just looking for a reason to punch her anyway.
"And now, back to me," Fausta said, pressing a thumb to her chest and gazing expectantly at the rest of us. "Got your attention? Good. The other rescue team just entered their tunnel. We've got to move out now."
I turned to see a large figure emerge from the shadows. The breath caught in my throat. Michael gave me his trademarked, calm look.
Offering him a nod, I said, "'Sup?" and tried to keep it real.
He grunted.
The gray man stood nearby, watching as Fausta began her descent into the tunnel.
"Can you stay and watch Katie?" I asked it—him—whatever.
"I will, Justin."
Katie offered me a tear-stained smile. "Be careful. Don't get shot."
I smiled. "You know me, I'm always careful."
Elyssa snorted and followed Michael and the others in the tunnel. Noticing I was the last person, I quickly followed her down.
"Uh, so we're gonna go in blasting?" I asked, trying to readjust the sword on my back so I could actually use it if need be.
Just ahead of Elyssa, Michael pulled something from a holster and passed it back to Elyssa who gave it to me. A gun. A big one. I looked it over, my night vision allowing me to see it with nearly perfect clarity. "A Desert Eagle. Nice." All my knowledge about guns came from video games. I'd blasted a virtual zombie or two with a gun like this. Thinking back to Katie's traumatic breakdown, real life promised to make it an unforgettable experience that would scar my very soul.
"I'm having flashbacks to El Dorado," Bella said. "You sure there aren't any shadow people down here?"
"Shut up back there," said Fausta in a harsh whisper.
Elyssa passed me a couple of clips for the gun. I shoved them in my pockets. We scurried down the tunnel in silence and drew to a stop right back where I'd come from—Maximus's godforsaken compound. I couldn't see much past Michael's over-muscled form, but caught a glimpse of Fausta climbing a ladder.
My nerves knotted. What if all the vamps were still waiting up there, guns drawn, and ready to blast anyone who came out? Then again, if they'd found the hatch, I felt certain they would have chased me. The line started moving again. Before long, I was able to climb the ladder. Three unconscious vampires lay nearby.
Fausta gripped one and motioned to Meghan. "Can you wake him up? I want to ask some questions."
Meghan nodded, made some flippity-do patterns with her wand before touching it to the vampire's head. His eyes jerked open. He opened his mouth wide. Meghan touched his throat with the wand and only a whisper emerged.
"Where are the others?" Fausta asked.
He clamped his mouth shut.
Meghan ran the wand along his skin, and blood seeped from the