everywhere. And what happened, is that blood?” He reached for my face and I jerked back. I could already feel purple bruises forming under one eye and a swollen lip where Nigel had struck me.
“I’m fine,” I snapped, pushing his hand away. “But the elite are here. Outside. They found us. They know where we are.”
His jaw hardened, and thankfully he didn’t drill me for more information, at least not here. He grabbed my arm and dragged me through the crowd, his thick form opening a path for us, leaving a wake of surprised faces.
He shouted to some of the guards to get Jacob and the others, and kept heading up, two levels, until we were near the front entrance. A side office was filled with security screens and cameras, rotating on all the different exits. There were only three main access points to Havoc, but probably a few dozen secret passageways like the one April had shown me. I wondered if they were all protected by UV arrays.
Trevor got me a glass of water and a blanket, then sat me in a chair until the others arrived.
“What happened,” Jacob said, approaching with four of his guards.
“Three elite, outside. I fought them off, and we blockaded the entrance, but they know we’re here.”
His eyes widened slightly, but otherwise his face kept an almost icy composure. He looked over my torn clothes, the red marks around my neck, then leaned in close, piercing me with his gaze like he was trying to see through me.
“You fought off three elites?” he asked slowly. A couple of his guards chuckled. With their fur and leather trimmings, and the collection of guns and blades strapped to their hips, they looked like a gang of rogue pirates.
“More like distracted them,” I said, “but it was enough to get away.”
“Your pupils are dilated. Where did you get more elixir? And why were you outside the gates?”
I bit my lip. I didn’t want to betray Marcus, and I wasn’t ready to tell him about the map we’d found, at least not in front of Trevor. I knew he’d never let me leave, and I wasn’t planning on asking for permission.
“What difference does that make now?” I said, standing up suddenly. “They know where we are. They’ll find a way into Havoc. We have to leave.”
“And go where?” Jacob asked, leaning back and crossing his arms.
“I don’t know, somewhere else?”
“You want us to evacuate nearly a thousand people, some who have lived here for over a decade, exposing them to the elements, giving up comfort and safety, everything we’ve built here. We’re going to need more proof.”
“You think I’m lying?” I asked, gaping at him. “For what?”
“To get us outside,” Steve cut in. “Where we can be picked off easily.”
I looked up at them in shock. I’d nearly been killed and they didn’t even believe me.
“And the bruises, the scratches?” I asked, gesturing at my face.
“Maybe one of your chosen buddies did it for you. We already know they can fight.”
“Sir,” one of the security guards pointed at the glowing screens against the far wall of the darkened office. The elite had found one of the external cameras. Nigel waved from the monitor, then leaned in close, his lips curling up to reveal his sharp fangs. A bloody handkerchief had been tied around one eye, and his cheek had deep scratches, though they already seemed to be healing.
“Hello, anybody in there?”
I shivered as his voice filled the small room.
“I’ve got to thank you, Emily,” he said. “We knew there was a rebel stronghold in the city, but we would have never guessed this complexity. To the humans inside, I come in peace with a message from our king. Send out the traitor to the crown, Emily Sharrow, who is wanted for crimes against the kingdom.”
The men shifted nervously behind me. I felt a pinch of vindication, as they realized I’d been telling the truth, but it was overshadowed by the deep dread that followed as Nigel continued speaking.
“The rest of you, if you are innocent, are free to remain. We don’t force anyone to join our compounds, contrary to popular belief. Outside our gates, you are unprotected. You think we are your enemy, but we are not. The humans who have willingly agreed to the contract keep us fed. If it were not for the compounds, if blood wasn’t so easily available, the elite in the citadel would roam the wastelands, feeding on every human they encounter.”
“But a