"You can climb on my back for the rest of the way."

The girl's brows went up questioningly.

"Our strength increases just as much as our speed when we become what we are."

"It seems to me that I'd be a lot more help to you if youyou know, transformed me."

"There's no time. You'd need a day to sleep while the change fully took hold, and I'd need a day to recover from the blood loss, or a ready supply at hand to replenish myself."

She nodded, but Ethan could tell she was still thinking about it. Craving the power, the strength, the illusion of immortality. And that was all it was: an illusion. They could diequite easily, in factwhich was why he was so afraid of losing Lilith right now. If he hadn't already lost her.

Perhaps that pain-racked scream he'd just heard had been the last sound she would ever utter.

The thought made his stomach heave. "Come on, kid." Ethan turned, presenting his back to the girl, who wrapped her arms around Ethan's neck and her legs around his waist. "Hang on," Ethan said, and then he launched into motion.

By the time they stopped again, they were crouching in some scrub brush behind a metal building thatwas surrounded by its own fence, a smaller, shorter version of the one that encircled the entire compound. A sense of Lilith's presence there brought Ethan to a grinding halt.

"This is where they would be keeping her," Marissa said. "The few who've ever been put to death have been kept here beforehand. Though we're not supposed to know that."

"I didn't know they'd ever put anyone to death."

"Only in the past six months. One prisoner who tried to escape. Two keepers caught breaking some rule or other."

"They're getting desperate," Ethan mused. "Your resistance movement, my escape and then Lilith's. They must sense they're running out of time."

"Good," the girl muttered. "I hope they're scared s.h.i.tless."

"Crude turn of phrase. Not that I disagree."

"Do you you know, sense her inside?"

"I sense something. I don't know."

"How do we get in?" Marissa asked.

"We don't. I do." Ethan looked around, spotting a barrel nearby. Sniffing the air, he frowned. "Do you have a lighter? Or some matches?"

"I know where to find them," Marissa said. "Why?"

"I want you to give me five minutesthen I want you to twist up a rag, stuff it into that barrel over there and light it. Then get under cover."

"Five minutes."

"Count them off. One, one thousand, two, one thousand"

The girl picked up the count. Bending his knees before giving her a chance to get to four, Ethan pushed off and cleared the small perimeter fence that surrounded this one building. He landed near the rear of the building, pressed a hand to the window, wiped the pane clear of the acc.u.mulated dust and stared inside.

At his brother.

He scanned the rest of the room, but he saw no one else. Nor did he sense anyone else inside, though the essence of Lilith teased his senses, and he realized that she must have been there recently but had clearly been moved elsewhere.

Ethan! James called mentally. Ethan, is that you? What the h.e.l.l are you doing here?

Ethan drove a foot through the window, then dove inside, rolling over the floor and springing to his feet, ready to defend against attack. "It's all right, Ethan," James said. "There's no one here. They've all gone."

Ethan's eyes focused on James, first in fury, and then that eased, when he saw the marks of torture on his brother's face. "I thought you worked for them, big brother. So why are you in chains?"

Lowering his eyes in what appeared to be shame, James whispered, "I only gave them half of what they wanted. The DPI doesn't like to settle for partial portions."

Ethan blinked. "You gave them Liliththe woman I a woman I care about. You deceived me in order to get your hands on her. You used meused my love for you and my trust in youto capture her for those DPI b.a.s.t.a.r.ds. You betrayed me, James."

It hurt Ethan beyond measure to speak the words, but they had to be said. His throat convulsed, painfully tight, and he could barely force air through it. But as hard as it was to speak those truths, it was harder yet to know them beyond any possibility of doubt.

"I didn't betray you," James insisted. "I betrayed her, but, dammit, Ethan, that's my job. It's what I've been trained"

"Programmed, you mean."

"Fine. It's what I've been programmed to do."

"Lilith was right about you all along," Ethan said as he strode closer to his lying excuse for a brother.

"They wanted you, too, Ethan. They tortured me. But I didn't tell them where to find you. I didn't betray you. The only person I betrayed was a woman who means nothing to me."

Ethan gripped the front of his brother's shirt and jerked him against his chains. "Well she means something to me."

James couldn't meet Ethan's stare. "I didn't have a choice," he said. "I tried to talk myself out of handing her over for your sake, Ethan. Again and again I tried to convince myself that I didn't have to go through with it. But in the end, I knew I had to." Lifting his gaze at last, he looked Ethan in the eye, and there was regret in his own gaze. "I was afraid of what they would do to me for disobeying orders again."

"I don't blame youwhen this is what they do to you for obeying." Ethan shook his head. "Where is she?"

"Set me free and I'll take you to her."

Ethan couldn't believe his brother thought he would leave him imprisoned, whether he promised to take him to Lilith or not. But he said nothing, just pried the manacles away, using both hands and all the strength he could muster.

"The only guards are out front. And they're most likely distracted."

"If they're not," Ethan said, "I can a.s.sure you that they will be." He led his brother to the exit of the otherwise empty building, gripped the k.n.o.b and opened the door just slightly.

As James had predicted, two keepers stood outside the door, cradling their automatic weapons. Closing his eyes, Ethan tuned listened for Marissa's thoughts and heard, Two-ninety-nine, one thousand, threehundred. Now!

As the explosion rocked the grounds, James drew back, instinctively ducking and raising his forearms, as if to shield himself from falling debris. Ethan gripped his wrist "The guards are running off, just as planned. Come on."

"Thatthat was you?"

"It was a friend." They trotted down the steps, and Ethan asked, "Which way?"

"A vampire friend?" James demanded.

"I'm not going to tell you who it is, James. But if you don't guide me to Lilith, I'm going to blow you up next. So where the h.e.l.l is she?"

"That way. Parade Grounds."

Ethan felt his stomach twist at the words. "Why?"

"Hurry, Ethan. It's too close to daylight as it is. Just go." And with that, James pulled free of him and ran.

Ethan's eyes were powerful enough to follow the blur that was his brother as James darted behind the building in which he'd been held and leapt the perimeter fence. Then he ran straight at the larger electrified fence that surrounded the compound and leapt that.

And then he was gone.

Ethan was surprised, even after all he'd learned about his brother, that James had abandoned him. He'd half expected his brother to offer his helpto try to redeem himself by finally doing the right thing. But he hadn't.

The disloyal, addlebrained b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

Squaring his shoulders, Ethan shook off the bitter disappointment he felt in the brother who'd been his lifelong hero. Instead, he focused dead ahead and continued striding toward the parade grounds, alongside the guards and keepers who continued spilling out of buildings and racing toward the explosion.

No one even noticed him as he moved with the flow of bodies, and when he veered off to the right and cut around to the Parade Grounds, he kept under cover by moving between buildings until he neared the edge of the open expanse.

And then Marissa was beside him, running to keep up. "Was she in there? Did you find her? I couldn't see when you came out, butEthan? Ethan, where are we going?"

The buildings ended abruptly, and the well worn dirt track they'd been following curved away, looping to form a complete circle around a large gra.s.sy area about an acre in diameter. On the far side of that circle stood a bare flagpole, its cords snapping in the night wind. At sunrise, Ethan knew, an American flag would be hoisted as the captives stood at attention and the National Anthem played over the loudspeakers. It was the way they began each and every day here.

But tonight the view included a different, heavier pole, erected in the center of the circle, with a womanchained to it. Her arms were stretched over her head, her ankles bound as well. Her hair, coppery curls tumbling free, fell around her shoulders, strands flying with every touch of the breeze.

"Oh s.h.i.t," Marissa whispered.

As Ethan stood there in the last of the cover provided by the alley between two buildings, staring at Lilith, aching for her with everything in him, she lifted her head and met his longing gaze. Her lips trembled into a small smile, and a tear spilled onto her cheek.

You came for me.

He only nodded, then stepped toward the open ground, eager to get closer to her. Marissa reached for him. "Wait, Ethan!"

You really came for me.

"Take her back to the Holding cell!" someone shouted, and Ethan automatically drew back, still unseen, as men in uniform surged forward around Lilith.

"Double the guard," the ranking officer commanded. "Anything goes wrong, it's on your heads."

"Yes, sir."

As Ethan watched, two of the uniformed men moved closer and began fumbling with Lilith's bonds.

Others took up sentry positions, bearing rifles and watching in all directions as the first two released Lilith's bound wrists and ankles. A few of the guns were pointed at her, others aimed outward, as the leader gripped Lilith's upper arm and jerked her roughly across the open grounds toward the buildings.

Keeping to the shadows, Ethan followed, with Marissa sticking close to his side.

Chapter Twenty-one.

I was returned to a room much like the one I been in only a short while before. This one, though, was empty. No sign of James, and I wondered briefly whether he had escaped. It seemed likely. Ethan wouldn't leave his brother in captivity, even though he knew about James's duplicity and betrayal. I had no illusions about his feelings. If he was here trying to save me, then he must already have rescued his black-hearted brother. I knew where Ethan's priorities lay.

I strained to feel Ethan's presence anywhere near me, but I felt no hint of it. Had I only imagined seeing him only moments ago? Or had he given up, left me here to suffer my fate alone, now that his brother was safe?

A blade twisted in my chest at the thought, even though the logical part of my brain told me it was unlikely. Ethan would try to save me. Even though I was here because of my own stubborn insistence on returning to this place. Even though I had brought every bit of my suffering on myself. And even though he might very well die in the effort, he would try to save me. He was too decent a man not to.

That, I told myself, was true. And even if Ethan had freed his miserable brother before he'd come afterme, and even if his brother came first with him and always would, that didn't mean Ethan had changed sides. It didn't mean he'd abandoned me.

I bit my lip, willing that belief to overwhelm the doubts that tried to squelch it, and worked to keep my emotions well hidden as the keepers chained me to the wall. Their movements were short and quick, their nervous energy zapping from them like electric sparks. They feared me. They weren't used to working with vampires, only the harmless Chosen Ones, far less able to defend themselves.

I was weak from drugs and hunger, from the pain they'd inflicted, from fear of my impending death and worry for Ethan. I was weak. But I was also wise. Trying to fight them just then would have been a waste of my limited energy. I would wait and bide my time. Ethan was heresomewhere. He would help me, and I would need every bit of strength that remained in me to fight by his side when the time came.

Because he wouldn't just leave me here. He wouldn't save himself and leave me behind. He wouldn't run away for his brother's sake and abandon me to the brutality of the keepers.

Not again.

Finally the nervous mortals exited the building, leaving me alone. I leaned my weary head back against the wall, closed my eyes against the hot tears that burned in them and realized that I could still hear them.

They were talking softly outside my door. They really were unused to working with the Undead, I thought, to speakeven softlyso close to someone with preternaturally enhanced hearing. My head came up, my attention focused to glean whatever information I could from their words.

"What's happening, sir?" one of the younger ones asked. "What was that explosion?"

The leader replied slowly, and with great care. "We believe someone has breeched the perimeter of the compound."

"Someone got out?" the same voice asked, sounding alarmed.

"Someone got in, Jeffries. We believe they're attempting to rescue certain residents. Jamesthe vampire a.s.sa.s.sin we had chained insideis gone. So are the two teens we had in the punitive programming barracks, and I've heard a handful of others have vanished. Though if they're still inside, we'll find them, and I'd bet my right arm they are still inside. And it's probably this one they're after, her they came for to begin with."

"Is it Ethan?" Jeffries asked.

"Seems a likely bet."

"Then wouldn't it be better to execute her at dawn, as planned, and get it over with?"

"It's not our job to question orders, just to carry them out. Besides, by keeping her alive another day they can use her as bait to get their hands on Ethan and James, and on those they've already rescued."

"I think they should kill her now," Jeffries said. "The sooner the better. Take away Ethan's reason to hang around before some of us end up hurt."

"We're not going to end up hurt, kid."

"Ethan's a vampire," the kid said. "So is James. And so is the one we just chained up. That makes threeof them, and I've heard what they can do."

The other man was silent for a moment. When he did reply, fie said nothing to rea.s.sure his younger comrade-in-arms, only, "I'm putting you in charge of security for this prisoner. It's your only job tonight. I want two men guarding each side of this building. I want all of you awake and alert. Keep your radios on, and report anything even remotely unusual. Don't hesitate to use the tranquilizer guns you've been issued. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."