“Warning next time,” Mike chastised, pulling himself off Chase’s back.
“Look.” Nick’s tone was more serious than I’d ever heard. He swept the flashlight to roam across the room.
“Christ,” Mike exhaled.
My breath drew back in my body quickly, which echoed along the cold walls of this chamber.
“There has to be at least fifty of them.” I spun in a circle, following Nick’s flashlight.
I’d never seen anything like this. Obviously, the people buried here were of importance. The tombs were spread apart widely, each gold plated and marked with ancient writing and holy symbols.
The very worst part was Chad had used nine of these tombs for his personal use. All nine had a tube running through the tomb attached to an air tank resting beneath.
“She’s in one of these?” Nick said and the horror rolled off his tone.
It only took a second before I glanced at Nick and knew exactly what I had to do. I was about to break my rule—again. “Off to sleep, you.”
He immediately fell to the ground.
“What the f**k?” Mike roared as he rushed toward Nick.
“You too,” I snapped out. A second later, he joined Nick on the ground. With Mike now sleeping as well, I glanced back at Kellen. “Focus, you need to find her.”
Kellen gave a firm nod. He knew this wasn’t a game. He may be against the idea of helping mortals, but he’d obviously grown attached to Sabrina since he’d been through the case with us because there was no hesitation when he closed his eyes.
I attempted to listen as well, but I suspected Sabrina was close to death. I couldn’t hear her breaths. The fact that Kellen could was the only thing that was going to save the woman now.
Kellen spun around with his head cocked as he listened intently.
Chase stayed silent, not moving an inch. Smart man. I gave him an approving smile and his worry-filled gaze met mine.
Only a few minutes later, Kellen’s eyes snapped open. “There,” he said as he rushed forward. He raised his hand and with pure vampire strength, punched the tomb and it crumbled to pieces.
Dust and stone crumbled around us and blurred my vision. Chase began to cough as he breathed in the debris. This was why there was dirt in Kelly’s nose and throat. It wasn’t because she was buried alive, but she was kept in this place—the tomb—for who knows how long.
The air cleared slightly, and then I saw…
“Sabrina.”
With lighting fast speed, I lunged into the tomb and pulled the young woman out, cradled her in my arms.
“Is she alive?” Chase asked, still coughing as he kneeled down next to me.
I flipped her over. Her coloring was off. She was so gray, her lips had a bluish tinge, but I could feel her lungs moving ever so slightly. More than that, I could feel the pull of her weakening pulse.
“Barely. Kellen, quickly.”
In a snap, Kellen knelt beside me, bit his arm and I held open Sabrina’s mouth wide as he applied pressure from his wrist to give her generous amounts of blood. I would have offered my own blood, but Kellen’s was stronger. It would revive her quicker and right now, we needed it.
When nothing happened and Sabrina’s breathing became even shallower, I shouted,
“More.”
Kellen brought his wrist back to his mouth and bit deeper sending blood to pour out of his arm.
“You owe me for this,” he growled as he fed more of his blood to Sabrina.
Slowly, Sabrina’s color returned. Her cheeks flushed with rosiness and her lips back to pink. I let out a long sigh when Sabrina’s throat began to accept the blood eagerly.
Then, after a deep gulp, Sabrina’s eyes shot open and she screamed bloody murder.
Her eyes were wide with fright and her entire body trembled in fear. It was the first time I ever encountered this…and it was horrible in every sense. Normally, we saw a dead body, never saw what a victim felt while they were being treated with cruelty. I doubted her scream would ever leave my mind.
But I didn’t waste a second. I grabbed her face, locked her into my gaze and forced her not to look away. “You were abducted, but that is all you remember. You were drugged and you will have no memory of anything else. You were not mistreated. You are going to go on and have a wonderful life filled with happiness.” I glanced to the men sleeping soundly on the floor. “Wake up.” When the men jumped to their feet, I continued, “Nick broke down the door, it’s old, so it crumbled to pieces. We have rescued Sabrina.”
The haze left their eyes instantly and Mike patted Nick on the back. “Good kick.”
Nick nodded the acknowledgment, thoroughly pleased with himself. “Strong legs come in handy.”
I glanced back to the now quiet Sabrina. She blinked a couple times then groaned.
“What happened to me? Where am I? Who are you?”
“We are from the FBI, Sabrina.” I smiled so elated at the outcome. “It’s over now.” I sighed deeply as I glanced around to see everyone smiling in relief, even Kellen.
My gaze fell back to Sabrina as she rested in my arms, a feeling of complete happiness coursed through my soul.
“It’s all over now. You’re safe.”
Chapter Fourteen
At Froedtert Memorial Hospital, Sabrina’s parents hugged her, tears flowing down their face and I smiled. Never had I felt this before, it was really quite humbling. Sabrina was home—safe.
“So, this is why you do this?” Kellen asked from behind me.
I glanced over my shoulder to find him leaning against the nurses’ station. “I’ve never experienced this before,” I told him honestly.
Kellen raised a brow, his tone soft and in wonderment. “Never?”
I shook my head as I approached him. “Normally we don’t see the women saved.”
Stepping into his arms, I hugged him and rested my head against his chest. “We just catch the killer before he can kill someone else.”
Kellen took my chin in his hand to bring my gaze up to his and brushed his fingers across my cheek. “It’s a good feeling, no?”
I laughed, that was an understatement. But for the first time, in his eyes, I could see that he understood what I liked about this job—my reasons for doing what I did.
Humbling moments were all around me. “It’s probably the greatest feeling I’ve ever had.”
“If I didn’t know you better,” Kellen chuckled and continued to stroke my cheek. “I may think you were a mortal.”
My own eyebrow quirked upward. What had he meant by that? “Why, because I care?”
Kellen nodded, gently. “You care for mortals and what happens to them.” He inclined his head and gave me a knowing glance. “That is a rare trait.”
“Hadley,” Mike called out.
I stepped out of Kellen’s arms and looked toward his voice. He and Nick were approaching from down the hall. “Time to go?”
Mike nodded with a smile. “Soon. The Chief has set us up in the hotel across from the station.
Let’s get some rest before we head back. We all need it.” He let out a long deep sigh and his tiredness showed through. “Meet at the airstrip when the sun goes down tonight. The flight leaves at nine o’clock sharp. All right?”
I nodded and held back my laughter. Truthfully, it was just implanted into his mind that since the sun was due up soon we couldn’t travel. I wasn’t about to feel guilty about that. Like I said, I didn’t like the sun. “Roger that.”
Mike held his hand out to Kellen. “It’s been a pleasure to work you. You have certainly lived up to your legendary status.”
Kellen shook his hand, grinned and winked at me. “I’m only too glad to have been of service.”
Mike gave me a curious look then looked back at Kellen. “Will I be seeing you again?”
“Count on it.” Kellen smiled.
“Good,” Mike replied then patted me on the shoulder. “Well done on this one.”
I bat my lashes. “Thanks, I do try.”
Mike laughed a tired sound then glanced into the window to peer into the room. He witnessed the same display I had seen of Sabrina with her family. “Bless the Beauty,” he said so very quietly.
Nick wouldn’t have heard him, but I had and so had Kellen. Softness had reached Kellen’s eyes.
Hmm, the big tough guy was getting a little mushy around the mortals. But I didn’t mind it. We were all ecstatic we had rescued Sabrina. The whole meaning of Bless the Beauty had changed.
Sabrina had been saved. Was it God’s efforts that made it so? I didn’t know that and wasn’t about to speculate. For once, my job had a happy ending that didn’t mean finding a killer or a dead body. It was more rewarding than I’d ever experienced.
After Nick exchanged pleasantries to Kellen, the men were off.
I stepped back up to the window. Sabrina’s mother still hadn’t let her go. I was amazed to see that it appeared Sabrina was consoling her mother as she patted her back and whispered words that she was all right.
Another job done. Another life saved.