Free Left for Undead by L. A. Banks Page A

it,” Hunter said. “Even though we’re
sworn allies of Rodney’s, all of this feels like an ambush.”
    “I know. But I’ve got to warn Madison. If these guys
start gunslinging magick in the middle of the streets again, then we’ve gotta
do something to protect the human population there.” Sasha blew out a long
breath as they approached the guard shack on foot. “First order of business, though,
is to move my team to the best and closest military facility.”
    “Agreed.”
    Digging in her back jeans pocket, Sasha produced her
wallet and ID for the young soldier in the guard shack. “We need to get an
escort to Colonel Madison’s office to meet with him on an urgent matter.”
    “Is he expecting you, ma’am?” The young guard studied
her ID and then looked at Hunter with a steely glare until he produced his
wallet and showed his contractor ID.
    “No,” Sasha said with a weary sigh, “but he will
definitely want to see us.”
    “I should be glad to see you, Captain,” Colonel
Madison said, standing behind his polished walnut desk. “But when you show up
on my doorstep unannounced and with urgent news, I’m never sure if I should
immediately start loading a sidearm or call Washington.”
    “Maybe both, sir,” she said, feeling an odd sense of
comfort that he’d greeted her by her former rank, totally ignoring her retired
status.
    The colonel nodded at Hunter and extended a handshake
in Hunter’s direction. It was another first, and she watched Hunter step
forward seeming a little taken off guard by the unusually warm gesture.
    “Please, have a seat,” Colonel Madison said, motioning
toward the two leather chairs in front of his desk. “What’s the sit-rep?”
    Sasha and Hunter sat, but Hunter simply looked at her
to do the explaining. “All right,” she said, blowing out a long breath. “We’ve
received intel that the Vampires have experienced daylight grave invasions,
making them additionally paranoid and aggressive. They believe that the Fae are
the culprits, even though the Fae claim that they had nothing to do with it—and
the wolves are innocent bystanders, simply old allies of the Fae. But we have
reason to believe that there will be retaliation in the near future from the
Vampires, which could spill over into the local human population. I may also
need to temporarily put my team out here at the Naval Air Station to keep them
out of harm’s way.”
    Colonel Madison’s walnut-hued complexion turned ashen
as he stared at Sasha. “Then what can we do? If we start blowing away Vamps,
they’ll come after innocents for sure.” Panic was evident in the colonel’s eyes
as he searched for answers.
    “That’s why this is only an advisory update,” Sasha
said, glancing between the colonel and Hunter. “If we can investigate quickly
and get word to the Vampires that the Fae were not involved in this, then it
might make them hold off for a little while. The one thing I am sure of is they
know humans weren’t so crazy as to go busting into vamp graves.   or
at least let’s hope not.”
    “If they had been, they’d be dead already,” Hunter
said in a blasé tone. “Humans are easy to track from their sweat scent and any
adrenaline in their bloodstream. So if it was a bunch of wannabe Vampire
hunters or idiot college kids on a dare, that would have been addressed with
the first grave that got hit. Therefore, if humans stay out of the way, then
they won’t be in immediate peril.”
    “So, what do we do—declare martial law again and make
people stay indoors at night?” Colonel Madison looked from Hunter to Sasha and
then stood, unfolding his athletic six-foot-three body from the chair to begin
pacing. “If we do that, it’ll start a panic. If we do that, all the media and
crazies that are still down here trying to corroborate the existence of supernaturals
will stay and it’ll undo all of the public sanitization we accomplished after
the last debacle. I’d have to contact the