“They're not really a board of directors,” answered Jia Ying. “We just call them that. They're the Chosen closest to Sante. Sort of his advisors. They make all the decisions around here. Pretty much, they run this place.”
“Seems like they're doing a good job,” replied Alejandro, lifting a teddy bear and examining its stuffing. “I noticed you don't see Sante much. Too bad. I know him from way back. I was hoping I might get to say hello, catch up on old times.” Alejandro was good at this, making subtle conversation that drew answers from people.
Jia Ying shook her head and grabbed another bear. “He doesn't come out much. He's kind of a recluse. We see him once in a while, usually just on special occasions. He's got a house on the east side of the compound and it's heavily protected. He values his privacy. We're all very grateful to him, though, for providing this community for us.”
Heavily guarded house on the east end of the compound. Maybe that's where Ari was. Daria filed it away to think about later.
“I bet
your
head is spinning,” Emmet said, nodding at Daria. “I can feel how young you are. You're just days old, little girl. All this must be quite a change for you. You're lucky, though, getting in here. It can be a cold universe out there for Chosen. We're too outnumbered by the normals.”
Normal
was a slang term the Chosen had for humans. “This place is a good community, like-minded, and close-knit. You'll see. You got lucky being let in here so soon after your Choosing.”
Daria tried not to gag as she answered. “I'm thankful I got in here, too.” She shot him a smile. Hey, it wasn't even a lie . . . mostly.
“So how did you two meet?” asked Jia Ying.
“We met in New Chicago about three years ago,” Alejandro answered, sticking with the story they'd agreed upon beforehand. “At a party of one our mutual friends.” He gave Jia Ying a playful sidelong glance. “Valerie was so into me.
Dios
, she couldn't resist. I had to fight her off that night. Remember . . .
baby
?”
Daria resisted the urge to kick him. Instead she smiled sweetly, “You tell your version, honey, I'll tell mine.” She put her hand to the side of her mouth and whispered at Jia Ying. “He followed me around like a lovesick puppy dog all night.”
Jia Ying laughed.
“Anyway,” Alejandro continued, “it wasn't long before things got serious. Eventually Valerie decided she wanted to take things to the next level and she demanded I Choose her even though she lacked the genes. I tried to persuade her it was a bad idea, but”âAlejandro shook his headâ“Valerie wants what she wants.”
“And you made it through the succubare?” asked Jia Ying. “That's amazing.”
“You are brave, lady,” Rodrigo put in. “You must really love him to take that chance.”
Alejandro laid his half-stuffed teddy bear down and crushed Daria to him, tipping her back and kissing her hard. His tongue snaked into her mouth, rubbing up against hers with long, erotic strokes that made her tingle all over and made her think of lots of things that had nothing to do with teddy bears. Emmet and Rodrigo hooted.
He set her back on her feet and grinned. “She's head over heels for me. Aren't you, baby?”
Feeling disorientated, she forced herself to focus. “Head over heels,” she echoed blankly, blinking.
Everyone laughed.
Flushing, Daria picked up a teddy bear and concentrated on packing stuffing in correctly. “I just knew that if we wanted to stay together, I'd have to be Chosen. Otherwise, he would've had to watch me grow old and die while he stayed young and good-looking.”
“Not just good-lookingâsmokin' sweetheart,” said Rodrigo with a leer in Alejandro's direction, which made everyone laugh again.
“Even if I'd ended up succubare, at least we could have stayed together,” Daria finished.
Jia Ying nodded. “I know what it is to watch those you love pass into old age and die. I have done it often.”
“How old are you, Jia Ying?” Alejandro asked.
“I'm nearly two hundred and ninety five.” She didn't look a day over twenty. “I was the only one in my family to inherit the genes. Apparently they were a leftover surprise gift from somewhere far down my bloodline.”
Daria dropped a finished teddy bear to the belt. “So you had to watch your whole family grow old and die. I'm so sorry.”
“The worst was watching my daughter go. However, it's a part of being Chosen.” Jia Ying smiled. “And, to look on the bright side, I got to watch her live a long, happy life and die a very old woman.”
Daria returned her smile. She had a feeling Jia Ying could find the bright side of most things. Maybe Daria could learn something from her.
By the end of her shift, Daria hadn't forgotten she was there undercover, but she could have. She found she genuinely liked Jia Ying, Rodrigo, and Emmet. They were companionable and friendly. Daria couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed so much in one day. For the most part, she had the impression that none of them knew anything about illegal goings-on at the Shining Way. They just seemed glad to be able to call the place home.
Throughout the day, she heard each of their stories. Emmet had come to the Shining Way to escape his life on Galileo, where there weren't many Chosen. The climate was hostile toward the few that did live there. He was a young vampire, but had been Chosen late in life.
Jia Ying had been a successful attorney on Earth, specializing in representing the Chosen. It had been the latest in a string of careers she'd pursued. As she'd grown older, she'd realized she'd wanted to “retire” from working life.
Since she had enough money saved to do anything she wanted, she decided to seek out new experiences. Soon after the Shining Way had been created, she'd bought her way in. It was home to her now and she didn't want to live anywhere else.
Jia Ying was one of the original dome residents. Daria made a point of filing this bit of information away. If anyone should know what was going on here, it would be a longtimer.
Finally, Rodrigo had followed love to the Shining Way. He and his longtime partner had come to the dome to drop out of society and live a calm life. Happily ever after was not to be, however. When the relationship ended, Rodrigo stayed while his lover moved on. Here Rodrigo had many people from which to satisfy his needs as a succubare. Daria hadn't inquired further.
Even though the day had been enjoyable, Daria left the factory at closing time with disappointment weighing bitterly on her heart.
She stopped outside on the walkway, watching the fake Earth sky darken into fake twilight. The days and nights seemed to have odd lengths under the dome, but she supposed that Sante could make them whatever duration he liked best. Sante would enjoy playing god that way. As a result, it was impossible to know what time of day it was beyond the dome's walls, furthering the fantasyland feel of the Shining Way.
Daria could see the allure of this place, especially to the disenfranchised.
Jia Ying, Emmet, and Rodrigo all adored their current way of life and, as far as Daria could tell, had not one negative word to speak against Christopher Sante.
It left a bad taste in her mouth. How could someone as evil as Christopher Sante inspire such loyalty? How had he perpetuated such an illusion about himself as to make these people, who by all appearances seemed intelligent and rational, adore him and think he could do no wrong?
An image of Julia's broken body flashed into her mind and tears pricked her eyes.
Alejandro stopped beside her, slipped a hand into a pocket, and looked up at the same sky. “So, want to take a walk before we head back?”
“Sure.” The thought of being crammed in that room with Alejandro didn't make her want to rush back. He was too much of a temptation and she was far too weak.
They strolled down the path toward the east, in perfect accord. They had every right to explore their surroundings, after all. They were new around here. Even if they should find themselves close to the famed house of Christopher Sante, their generous benefactor, no one would find it suspicious.
Their minds and intentions one, they headed in that direction.
By the time they reached the easternmost side of the compound, it was completely dark. The dome was a lot larger than she'd ever imagined and Daria was sorry they hadn't grabbed their dune bikes for the trek. Sante's mansion rose from a lush green lawn, dotted with towering trees and flowering bushes. A tall wrought iron fence rose around it all, to keep out his admirers and the curious. A guardhouse stood at the entranceway, complete with two muscular and armed Chosen.
Daria assessed the property as they stood looking on, just another couple of Shining Way members getting a glimpse of the famous Christopher Sante's abode. She knew Alejandro was doing the same beside her.
Was Ari Templeton somewhere behind those walls? Was Sante hurting her now? Did she even still live?
Because if Ari Templeton was anywhere in the compound, every instinct Daria had screamed the abducted woman would be here.
They'd stayed there for as long as they could, talking together and pointing like tourists, until the guards approached and asked them to move away. By then Daria had already devised several ways to get into the house.
On the way back to their room, Alejandro opened up a mental pathway and shared that he also had been figuring out various ways to break in. Together they settled on one.
Tonight
? finished Alejandro.
Daria thought of Ari.
Yes. We can't get careless, but I don't think we have a moment to lose
.
13
DARIA dropped down onto the grass hard enough to make her teeth clack. She rolled to the side, and lay still for a moment, heart thumping in her chest. God, she hoped there were no dogs. She could handle almost any kind of alarm, but dogs were tricky. This had to be the fiftieth time she'd done B&E in the line of duty, and every time it gave her a case of nerves.
Alejandro had boosted her up over the fence, at the same time as Brandon had disabledâjust for about ten secondsâthe trip alarm that ran around the interior perimeter of the fence. It had given her enough time to use her shiny new vampiric strength and agility to get over the fence and roll to the side, away from the laser beam that, if tripped, would reveal her location.
Inhaling the scent of freshly cut grass, she waited for several moments. No barking met her ears. Oh, that was
so
good.
She pushed to her feet and made her way into the trees, knowing that Brandon and Alejandro, unable to hoist themselves easily over the fence because of their size, had melted into the shadows.
The place was guarded, but not overly so. As far as she could tell he had a standard security setup. It wasn't anything that, with her specialized training, she couldn't easily circumvent on her own.
Sante probably didn't feel he needed anything more than mild deterrents, just enough to protect himself from admirers. After all, the compound itself was a fortress. They handpicked and investigated every person before they allowed them through the front gate.
Lucky for her, since she wasn't equipped to break into an expertly guarded house right now. But she could do a run-of-the-mill alarm on her own with the tools they'd smuggled in sewed into the lining of their duffle bags.
Using the shadows, trees, and bushes, she made her way very slowly to the house. She was taking a huge risk because she didn't have any inside knowledge of the house or blueprints. It was a necessary risk, however. If Ari Templeton still lived, she may not have a lot of time.
Her eyes open and her senses completely alert, she approached the house and began looking for both a way inside and for any other security devices. Only one window on the second floor showed light or activity.
It was late, and she'd hoped Sante and anyone else in the house would be asleep. Once the Chosen adjusted to life under the dome, they started to sleep when it was dark and be awake when it was light. But apparently someone was still up.
She found an entrance point and wistfully touched the tools in her vest pocket that she wouldn't need. There appeared to be no other electronic security system in place for the residence. Sante apparently thought the gate, guard, and perimeter alert were enough.
This would be no challenge, but at least she'd be able to get in and out without raising any suspicion or leaving any trace of her presence. That was the best-case scenario, to be a ghost. In, check for Ari, and out.
Slipping a basic lock-picking tool from her pocket, she quickly used it on the lock at the back of the house. Slowly, she eased the door open and entered the kitchen on feet as silent as a cat's. Before she'd left the apartment, she'd washed her body thoroughly with a product designed to cleanse away all the scent. Daria hoped it had done the job. Otherwise Sante might be able to detect her in his home with his clever, ancient Chosen nose.
A dim light over the oven illuminated the large room. It was, of course, state-of-the-art. Nothing less would do for Christopher Sante.
A wine rack covered one entire wall, stacked high with bottles. Above the large cooking island in the center of the room hung fine crystal glasses and assorted cooking implements. Yes, Daria remembered well that Sante enjoyed his wine. They'd spent many cool evenings on the patio sipping glasses of fine red while watching the sun dip lower in the sky.
Bastard.
Shaking off the memory, she eased along the wall toward a door that was either a broom closet, bathroom, or entryway to the basement. Bingo, it was the basement.