The Recruit: Book Two, page 1
THE RECRUIT
(Book Two)
By Elizabeth Kelly
Copyright 2014 Elizabeth Kelly
This book is the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, scanned or distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. Quotes used in reviews are the exception. No alteration of content is allowed.
Your support and respect for the property of this author is appreciated.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
Adult Reading Material
Cover art by: LFD Designs for Authors
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 1
“The motion sensors have been tripped.” Mannie stuck his head into Chen’s training room.
Chen nodded and turned to his student. “We’re finished for tonight.”
He bowed and, holding both of his katana swords, headed towards the door.
“Master.” She said softly.
He turned and stared at her for a few moments. “Are you sure?”
She nodded, and he regarded her solemnly for a moment longer. “Very well.”
She grinned and quickly grabbed her swords before following him from the room.
“He’s not going to like this.” Mannie said in a low voice to Chen.
“He has no say in it.” She replied immediately.
Mannie glanced back at her. “Hannah – “
“Shut it, Mannie. My master says I can go - I’m going.” She glared at him, daring him to challenge Chen’s decision.
Mannie sighed heavily. “Fine. But if she gets hurt it’ll be your head he rips off, Chen.”
Chen didn’t reply but he dropped a small wink at Hannah and she bit back a smile.
They were at the elevators now and as the doors slid open, she nodded to Jeremy and Ryan who were waiting impatiently at the elevators.
It had been nearly a month since the bloodbath at the factory, and in that time she and Jeremy had developed a cautious truce. She doubted they would ever truly be friends again, but they had a grudging respect for one another. Nearly dying together had a way of softening people towards each other, Hannah thought sarcastically.
Now, as they stood together in the elevator, he glanced down at her. “First time hunting since the factory?”
“Yes. You?”
“Yeah. Nervous?”
She shook her head. “No, are you?”
“A little.”
“You’ll be fine.”
“Yeah.” He rubbed his sweaty palms against his pants, and then rested his hands on the handles of his guns. “Everything’s cool.”
The elevator doors opened with a soft ding, and they stepped into the dim light of the old shack that served as one of the entrances to the underground facility.
Hannah plucked her night vision glasses from the top of her head and put them on. She looked over the top of them at Jeremy. “Just like James Bond, yeah?”
He smiled a little. “Yeah.”
They huddled with the others at the door to the small shack. Mannie turned to them. “Ryan and Jeremy, you’re with me. Hannah – you stick with Chen. We don’t know for sure that it’s bloodsuckers out there, so everyone just be cool. Last week it was a goddamn bear wandering through.”
He paused. “Will and his team are already out there so keep your goddamn eyes peeled. We don’t need you shooting each other.”
A shiver went down Hannah’s back and she glanced at Jeremy. That had been one of the last things Darren had told them before they had entered the factory.
They stepped silently into the cold night air. Their breath plumed like smoke in front of them, and Hannah shivered lightly. She was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and her yoga pants, and she wished she had thought to grab a jacket on the way out.
Chen glanced at her. “Let’s go.”
She nodded and, holding her swords tightly, followed him into the darkness.
* * *
Hannah peered around the large oak tree. Her eyes narrowed as she watched the three vampires feeding greedily on the fallen deer. The moon was nearly full and, despite the trees, it still provided enough light that she didn’t need her night vision glasses. She glanced to her right; Chen, his small body completely still, was standing undetected in the shadows of his own tree.
He nodded to her and, taking a deep breath, she stepped out from the protection of the trees. The vampire closest to her caught the movement from the corner of his eye and he turned, hissing in delight at the sight of her.
“Hello human.” It giggled. “Lost in the woods are we?” He stared at the swords in her hands. “I like your swords. They’re very medieval.”
His companions rose and turned towards her. “Oh my… human blood. I do so prefer it over the animals.” The vampire who spoke was wearing a long black cloak with a hood. He raised one pale hand and pushed the hood back, exposing his white and coldly handsome face.
“Do you find me attractive, human?” He wrinkled his lips at her in an attempt of a smile. “I could make you immortal, my pretty one. Would you like that?”
He untied his cloak and let it fall to the ground before unbuttoning the sleeve of his shirt and pushing it up his forearm. “First, I will have a nice long drink and then I will turn you.”
“No fair!” The vampire who had noticed her first, whined loudly. “I want a taste too. You can’t keep her all to yourself.”
“Shut up, moron.” The vampire hissed at him. “Do you want the others to hear? She’s barely big enough for all of us to have a taste. We don’t need the rest of them finding her too.”
“Then let me at least have a drink first!” The vampire ran towards her. It reached for her, its lips peeling back from its teeth and its cold hands grasping her shoulders. It made a small gasp, its glowing yellow eyes widening just a fraction before it looked down at the steel blade embedded in its chest.
“What…” It whispered and exploded into blood and ash.
The other two vampires shrank back, hissing and baring their fangs as Hannah smiled at them.
“Who’s next?”
“You bitch!” The larger vampire snarled and as one, the two vampires sprang towards her. She raised both of her swords and grinned fearlessly as they rushed her. With a quick flick of her right wrist, she sliced through the neck of the smaller vampire. Something skimmed past her cheek, something that felt like a high-speed darning needle, and as she plunged her sword deep into the larger one’s chest she realized blue light was pulsing through its veins. There was a small dark hole high on its chest, and she turned her head away as both vampires burst apart and blood and ash rained down around her.
“Master, did you see – “
There was the soft sound of leaves rustling behind her and she whirled around, raising her sword.
“Hey – whoa, stop!”
She stared at the tall blonde man standing in front of her with his hands up, a gun with a silencer clasped loosely in his right. Her sword was pressed against his throat and he winked at her. “Relax, sweetheart. I’m one of the good guys.”
Nostrils flaring, she kept the tip of her sword against his throat. He glanced to her right. “Chen, tell her.”
“Let him go, Hannah.” Chen’s soft voice demanded obedience and she dropped her sword at once, stepping back and staring quietly at the man.
“My name’s Reid.” The man lowered his hands but didn’t holster his gun. “I’m the new weapons instructor.”
Hannah glanced at Chen for confirmation and he nodded. “He arrived late last night. We’re introducing him to the recruits tomorrow.”
“You’re a recruit?” Reid looked Hannah up and down. “You’re pretty good for a recruit.”
“Did you shoot that vampire?” She asked.
He nodded and gave her a boyish grin. “Sure did.”
“You almost shot me.” She snapped. “Perhaps we should have hired someone who could actually aim.”
He surprised her by laughing. “If I’d wanted to shoot you, sweetheart, I would have.”
“I had it under control.” She said tightly.
He shrugged. “Let’s just say I don’t have as much faith in your shiny swords as you do.”
She glared silently at him, her hands tightening around the handles of her swords, and the grin on his face widened. “Forgive me. Next time I’ll have more faith, Hannah.”
Chen glanced around. “Where are Will and the others?”
“I got separated from them.”
Chen frowned. “You’re supposed to stick together. No one hunts alone.”
Reid nodded. “I know.”
He kicked his foot through the ashes. “Think this was it for the fangers?”
Chen shook his head. “No, they mentioned more.”
He cocked his head to the left and Hannah took a step towards him, raising her swords as Reid spun around and pointed his gun into the darkness. The lazy grace was completely gone from his tall, lean body and he stared intently into the darkness, every muscle in his body tense and vibrating.
There was a soft whistle and the three of them relaxed as Mannie, Jeremy and Ryan emerged from the darkness.
“Reid.” Mannie nodded to him before looking at Chen. “We found two.”
“There were three here.” Chen pointed to the ash and blood that coated the ground under their feet.
“Do you think there’s more?” Ryan asked.
Mannie shrugged. “I don’t know. Will and his group headed west, they may have seen something.”
Reid shook his head. “We hadn’t seen anything before I got separated from them.”
Mannie looked at the small group. “Let’s break into smaller groups. We’ll cover more ground that way. Jeremy, you can stay with me, and Ryan you can go with Re – “
“I’ll go with Hannah.” Reid interrupted smoothly.
Mannie glanced at Hannah who shrugged before kneeling and, using large handfuls of the dry leaves, wiped the blood and ash from her hands and arms.
“Fine. Reid and Hannah you head to the north, Ryan and Chen go south, and Jeremy and I will cover the east. We’ll meet back at the shack in –“ he checked his wristwatch, “half an hour.”
* * *
“You’re pretty good with those swords of yours.” Reid said softly.
Hannah ignored him, studying the darkness for signs of movement in the trees around her.
“How long have you been training with Chen?”
She sighed, giving him an impatient look. “A few months.”
“Months? Jesus…and you’re that good already? You must be a natural.” Reid said in an admiring voice.
When Hannah continued to stay silent, Reid tried again. “So what brought you to the facility?”
“Shhh.” She stopped and turned around to glare at him. “In case you’ve forgotten, we’re hunting - not going for a midnight stroll through the forest.”
He grinned at her. “Fair enough, sweetheart. Just out of curiosity – if I did ask you to go for a midnight stroll with me, would you?”
She stared at him in disbelief. “Are you kidding me? Do you realize how dangerous this is? This is hardly the time to be flirting and –“
She let out a soft squeak when he suddenly dove at her and pushed her back against a tree. He pressed his body against hers and cocked his head, his brow furrowed in concentration.
“What are you doing?” Hannah scowled and tried to push him away.
“Shhh.” He mimicked her. “I think I hear something.”
Hannah held her breath and listened. After a moment she shoved again at his chest. “There’s nothing.”
“You have blood on your face.” He informed her.
He wiped at her cheek with his thumb and showed her the smear of red.
She shrugged. “Yeah, I get that a lot.”
He grinned and then suddenly stiffened, looking behind him quickly before turning back to face her.
Hannah realized she couldn’t hear anything, not the rustle of small animals or the movement of larger ones deep within the woods. It was much quieter than it should have been and her heartbeat increased. The hair on the back of her neck was trying to stand up, and her body was beginning to shake with adrenaline.
Reid leaned closer, his hard chest pressing intimately against her breasts, and placed his mouth against her ear. His warm breath tickled and she suppressed a shiver as he breathed, “Ten feet over my shoulder. Do you see the eyes?”
He pressed harder against her. She could feel the bark of the tree digging into her back, and as he bent his head into the curve of her neck she squinted over one wide shoulder. She inhaled sharply as she caught sight of the eyes glowing softly at her. Reid was tensing against her, and she hesitated as she stared at the eyes. They were low to the ground, too low for a vampire, unless it was crawling towards them.
Reid was like a stone against her. She could feel him starting to turn as a familiar growling began and she caught his arm. “Reid, wait.”
The muscles beneath her hand bunched, and she knew he was only seconds away from turning and firing.
“Stop!” She hissed at him, throwing her arm around his shoulders, her sword slapping him gently on the back. “It’s one of the good guys.”
He looked behind him as the growling grew even louder, and a giant grey wolf emerged from the darkness. It was stalking towards them on stiff legs with its lips peeled back from its large white teeth. Reid turned around to face it, sheltering Hannah between his large body and the tree.
“You sure about that?” He said quietly. As the wolf grew closer he raised his gun, pointing it at the beast.
“I said stop it!” Hannah hit him on the leg with the butt of her sword and wiggled her way free.
“And you stop it too.” She glared at the wolf as she stepped towards it and it gave a soft whine, staring anxiously at her. Reid moved towards them and the wolf resumed its growling, snapping its teeth and curling its lip back.
“Don’t be an asshole.” Hannah glared at the wolf.
Reid shook his head in wonderment. It was one of the biggest wolves he had ever seen. Its large head was twice the size of Hannah’s, and its broad back was higher than her waist. It stared balefully at him as Hannah glanced around the darkness.
“What are you doing here?” She spoke to the wolf in a hushed voice.
It gave another low whine before staring at Reid once more.
“He thought you were a vampire.” She said. Reid blinked a little at how easily she seemed to understand the wolf.
The wolf made a loud chuffing noise, it was obvious enough for even Reid to hear the disbelief in it, and he shrugged. “I wasn’t expecting a giant dog to be roaming the woods.”
The wolf chuffed again and Reid glared at him. “You calling me a liar?” He couldn’t believe he was arguing with a wolf.
“Both of you shut up.” Hannah snapped. “We’ve only got ten minutes left before we need to meet Mannie. We need to turn back.”
Without looking at either of them she began to pick her way carefully through the trees and, after a moment, both Reid and the wolf followed her.
Hannah could feel tension in her belly that had nothing to do with the darkness and the possibility of more vampires on the loose. She hadn’t been this close to Will since the day he had broken her heart, and even in his wolf form he was highly distracting. Part of her wanted to smack him over the head with her sword, and another part of her wanted to drop to her knees and bury her face in his soft fur.
Keep it together, you idiot. He doesn’t want you anymore, remember?
She walked faster. She had been out here for over an hour, and the cold was leeching into her bones. Every part of her exposed skin was covered in goose bumps, and her nose and ears were red with the cold. She couldn’t suppress the shivers that were racking her body, and she looked up in surprise when a jacket was dropped over her shoulders.
“You look like you’re freezing to death.” Reid smiled at her. She gave him a nod of thanks and slipped her arms into the sleeves of his jacket. It was too big, but it had retained his body heat and she was grateful for its warmth.
“You know,” Reid moved his lean body closer to hers, “they say that sharing body heat is the best way to keep warm.”
She rolled her eyes as Will growled loudly and shoved his large body between hers and Reid’s, nearly knocking Reid over. He glared at the man, his eyes glowing ominously, and bared his teeth in a silent snarl.
“I don’t think your dog likes me very much, sweetheart.” Reid winked at her.
“He has a low tolerance level for assholes.” She said sweetly.
Reid snorted soft laughter. “He just doesn’t know me yet.” He reached down to pat the wolf’s head and Hannah stabbed her sword into the ground and caught his hand.
“I wouldn’t do that.” She warned softly before dropping his hand. “He doesn’t like to be touched.”
As if determined to prove her wrong, the wolf nudged his large head between her hip and her arm. Reid watched as Hannah hesitated and then briefly ran her fingers through the thick fur on the side of his head before tugging her sword from the ground and starting forward. The wolf paused, giving him an impudent look, and Reid could have sworn the beast was grinning at him.
