Sam nodded, visibly gathering herself. “Half can concentrate on infiltrating the warehouse, and the other half can concentrate on rescuing the nest. Other than that minor change, everything remains the same: we split up into small groups, invade whatever building we’re assigned to from the upstairs and all sides, and then kill any guards inside. Meanwhile, Donnie and his squad will be on the lookout.”

“How are we dividing?” asked Cassie, clearly anxious at just the idea of separating. I’d seen that look on David’s face dozens of times; he never liked it when the squad split. Although I hadn’t judged him for that, I’d never understood his anxiety. Now that I had Ava, I finally got it. David felt at ease and self-possessed when with his team, with those he trusted. The only times I ever felt truly at ease and level-headed was around Ava, the only person I completely trusted.

Jared turned to Sebastian. “I want you to go with Evan and his squad. You can teleport, and we’re going to need that ability to relocate the unconscious nest to The Hollow. Between you and the teleporter in Evan’s squad, you should be able to get the nest out of there pretty quickly.”

Chico spoke then. “Which of us will accompany Evan, his squad, and Sebastian?”

Jared ran his gaze along all of us, lingering on Ava. If I don’t send her with them to retrieve her nest, will she go postal? he asked me.

No, she’ll follow your orders. But she’ll be thinking about her brother, wishing she could rush in and help him, just like you would if it was Evan.

After a moment of silence, Jared said, “Ava, Salem, and Max – you’ll go with Evan, his squad, and Sebastian to find and move the nest to safety.”

It was the right decision, in my opinion. Ava relaxed ever so slightly.

“That will then mean fifteen vampires are working on retrieving the nest while the remaining fifteen of us concentrate on getting to Diane and Giles.”

Sam scanned those who would be accompanying her and Jared. “We’ll all split up much the same as we did during training.” She then separated all fifteen of them into five groups of three.

“What about the second squad we brought with us?” probed Maya. “Can’t they help us?”

“Unless totally necessary, I don’t want them shifting their attention from guarding the perimeter,” replied Sam. “Up until now, Diane has been very careful, and very well-prepared. She’s resourceful and cunning. We can’t afford to be suddenly surrounded by more vampires or let Diane and Giles escape; if she realises she’s losing, she’ll do a runner. Donnie and his squad can ensure both of those scenarios don’t happen.”

Jared stiffened, cocking his head, and I guessed he was speaking to someone telepathically. “That was Evan. The marksmen are out of the equation. Time to move. Ava, Salem, and Max – you enter through the front of the building that’s holding the nest. Sebastian, you need to meet Evan and one of his squad members at the rear of the building; you three will cover the back exit. The remaining nine of Evan’s squad has been divided into threes that will enter the building from the upstairs and the sides. They’re ready when you are.”

Each of the girls hugged the breath out of Ava, instructing her to take care of herself, just as she did the same with a forced smile.

Sebastian turned to me. “Before I meet Evan, I can teleport you, Ava, and Max to a spot that’s a little closer to the front of the building.” I nodded in appreciation.

Sam spoke to Ava; both females looked totally fierce. “Get them back for us.”

Ava’s smile – which was now a little malevolent – wasn’t forced this time. “You can fucking count on it.”

In a blink, I found myself in an old, crumbling building that smelled of mildew, mould, and ash. The charred walls were adorned in graffiti, and I wondered if it had once been the victim of a fire. Going by the machinery, it was an abandoned factory.

Careful to remain concealed by the shadows, Sebastian peeked out of the window and gestured to the six-floored, L-shaped building opposite the factory. “That is where you will find the nest. Good luck.”

Max nodded. “You too.”

Then Sebastian was gone. Just as he had done, we used the cover of the shadows to glance out of the window. Two Pagori guards were near the main entrance of the abandoned building, which seemed to lack a door.

“They’re alert, which is disappointing.” Max sighed.

“I recognise them from Giles’ club,” said Ava.

“Yep, they’re his vampires,” I confirmed.

“Which means it will be more fun to kill them, because that bastard led us into a fucking trap, and those two assholes down there are apparently okay with that.” There was no real anger coming from Max. More like anticipation for vengeance.

“Where do you think they’ll have hidden the nest?” asked Ava, her voice still flat and glacial.

“Hard to say,” replied Max. “The building’s pretty big.”

“If it was me, I’d hide them in the centre.”

“Why?” I asked her.

“Because it would mean that if anyone infiltrated the place, they wouldn’t find it simple to locate the nest no matter where they entered. Diane probably doesn’t believe we’d even know the nest are here, but she’s paranoid. Like Sam pointed out, the bitch likes back-up plans and covering her ass. She’ll account for this possibility just in case.”

“I agree. So we’ll assume the nest is on the third floor, but we’ll be sure to search each area as we go.”

Max seemed happy with that. “Same drill as last time?”

I nodded before turning to Ava. For once, she seemed just as eager as I was on assignments. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

With the simple act of closing his hand, Max had deprived the guards of their senses. We didn’t give the two Pagoris time to react. Without moving from the factory, I took out one with a lethal psychic punch. Ava literally appeared behind the other guard – she’d moved so fast, it was more like she’d teleported there – and mercilessly snapped his neck.

Max and I quickly joined her in hunkering down in front of one of the smashed windows near the main door, scanning the interior. The room seemed to have once been a large reception area, going by the overturned desk and the papers strewn all over the floor.