Page 74 of Land of Shadow

“Aang, stop!” I swipe at his shirt, almost grabbing hold, but he’s faster. In only a few moments he’s out of reach. “No!” I scream as he runs out the lobby doors and into the street.

By the time I reach him, he’s holding up the vial as the sun frees itself from a fluffy cloud. The sample goes instantly black, the vial cracking and falling into tinkling shards on the pavement.

“Aang—”

“What the fuck, Georgia!” he yells and steps back from the ashy smudge. “What is that?”

The soldier who replaced Gage clears his throat. “Doctors?”

“Shut it, G.I. Joe.” Aang points at him as Gretchen and the others push through the lobby doors and join us on the street.

“What happened?” Evie drops to her haunches beside the broken glass.

“Just an accident. Aang dropped it.” I’m searching for anything, for a life raft in a rushing current. Something we can all use to survive. “Please, let’s just go back inside and get to work.”

Evie pulls a pen from her lab coat and pokes around in the ashes. “It just … combusted?” She looks up at me questioningly. “How?”

“Please.” I clasp my hands together in front of me. “Please, stop. Please let it go.”

Wyatt chuckles and elbows Evie. “You owe me a twenty.”

“What?” I turn to him.

He shrugs. “Our first day here, I bet Evie twenty bucks that we were dealing with vampires.”

My mouth drops open.

“Yep.” She gets back to her feet. “I hate to say it, but you were right. Total bullshit, by the way.”

“I remember.” Gretchen wheels closer and peers at the ashes. “Evie bet on aliens.”

Wyatt could’ve punched me in the tit, and I’d be less shocked.

“Guys, focus.” Aang crosses his arms over his chest, displeasure still writ large in the wrinkle between his eyebrows. “Georgia’s been lying to us the entire time. She’sknown.”

“I mean, it makes sense. I’ve read enough manga to know a supernatural villain when I meet one.” Gretchen scratches her ear. “Though I suppose your Juno’s Miracle guy isn’t a villain. He’s trying to help.”

“Look, can we …” I glance at the soldiers and hope to god they weren’t listening to all that. “Can we take a little walk?”

Aang stands firm, brows still crinkled. “Only if you promise to tell us everything.”

“I can’t.” I close my eyes as Candice appears again. “Not everything. Not yet.”

“No. We need to know what you know. We’ve been working on the cure with a blindfold while you’ve been leading us around by our dicks.”

“Aang, give her a chance.” Gretchen wheels to my side. “Let her explain.”

“Not here.” I turn and walk away, hoping with everything inside me that they follow. My steps are slow, my mind trying desperately to order how I’m going to tell them that yes, there are vampires. And no, they are definitely not the good guys.

When I’m about two blocks away, I stop. Taking a deep breath, I look back and see them following. Wary-eyed Aang leads the pack.

“The lab is bugged. The entire hotel is bugged,” I blurt.

“My bathroom?” Wyatt seems particularly offended.

“Probably, yeah.” I keep my voice low. “Everything we do is monitored.”

“By the vampires or the government?” Evie whispers.

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