Finn, and Nix all started after him, Keira on their heels. Tobias caught up with him after several yards, but Stefan shrugged out of his jacket, leaving it hanging in Tobias’s grip, and kept running. They took up pursuit again.
The further into the mountain they went, the colder it got. The shaft sloped downward, then hooked up with other shafts so that they zigzagged their way after Stefan. Keira hoped to God someone remembered the way back, because she was now completely turned around.
She was chagrined to realize they were all so much faster than her. Not because she was a slacker, but because Tobias and Nix were vampires who naturally were capable of moving at much greater rates of speed than other preternaturals, and Finn…Well, this was what Finn did for a living. He was used to chasing after fleeing subjects.
She redoubled her efforts and turned the corner into another shaft. The others were several yards ahead of her and it looked like Tobias was once again closing the gap. Stefan glanced over his shoulder, his expression a mixture of anger and disillusion, and maybe even a little fear. As he turned his head forward again Caladh stepped out from a cross-shaft, a wooden stake in his hand.
Stefan’s own momentum drove him into the stake. He let out a gasp and looked down, then dropped to the ground.
Keira ran up to the group and stopped beside Finn. She wrapped her arm around his inner elbow, gratified when his bigger hand came up and curled over hers. The warmth of it took away some of the coldness of her skin. And, more than that, it gave her comfort.
Tobias knelt beside the fallen vampire. His face grim, he muttered, “Damn it.”
“Isn’t he dead?” Finn asked.
“Yes. Damn it.”
Finn shared a glance with Keira. “I, uh, thought that was what you wanted. Him dead.”
“He wanted to be the one to do it,” Nix said. She walked up to her husband and urged him to his feet. Bringing one hand to his face, she cradled his jaw. “It’s done, Tobias. He’s finally paid for his crimes.”
He reached up and clasped her hand in his, and turned his head to press a kiss into her palm. The love between them was obvious, and Keira felt a pang of envy. Why did that type of love always seem to elude her?
Tobias let out a long sigh and turned away from the body, keeping his wife’s hand in his.
All of them stood in silence for a few seconds. Keira knew everyone else felt as much relief that the crisis was over as she did. All that remained was the dismantling of the machine. She was about to suggest as much when Tobias spoke again.
“You have perfect timing, my friend.” He held out his hand to shake Caladh’s. “I only wish we’d known we were on the same side.”
“Hey!” Finn shot the vamp a frown. “Just because Liuz was running didn’t mean he was going to get away. We would’ve caught him.”
“Of course,” Caladh said, a jovial smile on his face. As usual he was dressed smartly, his white long-sleeved shirt crisp and bright, his charcoal-gray slacks tailored to a perfect fit. “I am happy I could be of assistance to such brave and fearless people.”
“I don’t know about the fearless part,” Keira muttered. “I was plenty scared.” Finn slid his arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick squeeze. She slipped her arm around his waist and stared at Caladh. “How did you know to show up when you did?” When the others looked at her, she said, “I was working for him, that’s the whole reason I infiltrated the group. To stop them. At his behest.”
She heard Finn’s sharply drawn breath and glanced up at him. “I couldn’t tell you,” she whispered. “I wanted to, many times.”
“Same here.” His dark blue eyes began to shimmer with hope and something she was afraid to even dream that looked like love.
Dragging her gaze away from his, she looked at Caladh again. As she realized what his being here meant, her heart started a reggae beat behind her rib cage. “You didn’t return any of my calls. I never had a chance to tell you the location of the machine.” She took a few steps away from Finn and closer to the selkie councilor. “How did you even know where we were? Where the machine was? And how did you get in here without coming through the main