Chronicles of the Uprising (Trilogy 1): Trilogy 1 by Katie Salidas, K.A. Salidas Page A
Authors: Katie Salidas, K.A. Salidas
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time,” Mira snorted at him.
Tegan spat at Mira. “At least I didn’t cheat.”
As much as Mira wanted to rise to the occasion, his taunting wasn’t worth it. The handlers were coming, and any additional aggression while they were around was bound to earn her more time in the lightbox. She needed her energy, what little of it she could spare, to formulate and execute her next escape attempt.
Chapter 5
Two handlers came to retrieve Tegan, but only one had shown to escort Mira. Luck must have been on her side. She smirked at Tegan as he was cuffed silently and nudged toward the exit. Clearly the loser, his shoulders slumped as he lumbered slowly behind one handler while the other followed, holding his UV torch at the ready. As much as she hated him, the sight of Tegan being taken away in such a manner tugged at her heartstrings. No matter what, arrogant prick that he was, he was still a vampire, one of her kind. Still a prisoner. And being treated this way was wrong.
When Tegan had finally disappeared, Mira looked around cautiously, secretly praying that her other handler would not show. Not that she was ever that lucky, but it would be nice.
“Where’s your dance partner?” Mira knew she shouldn’t have said it, but couldn’t help herself. The fresh infusion of blood and a win in the training arena had her feeling quite cocky. And those handlers were big bullies as it was. Anything to get under their skin was a bonus for her.
“No funny business. Hold out your hands for cuffs,” the handler snapped at her. She assumed it was her regular female handler, but the voice sounded strange. Mira had a sneaking suspicion that she had really shaken her previous handler up. That brought a new smile to her face.
This new handler was hiding her face behind a dark polycarbonate shield.
Humans really went to the extremes to prevent vampires from having any advantage. No eye contact – not that it would really matter if they did, the myth about vampires having mental capabilities and taking control of others thoughts was just that, a myth – but still, this human wasn’t taking anything for granted. The oversized helmet with neck protection was, in Mira’s opinion, a little overkill as well. Sure, she could go for the jugular, but unless she really intended to kill, there was no point. Blood loss was too quick at that artery. Of course, if she was intending to kill, flimsy plastic was not going to stop her. There were hundreds of ways to incapacitate a human without using her teeth. Problem was, as heavily guarded as the place was, it was generally not a smart idea to make trouble. Vampire strength or no, she was outnumbered. The only way out was through stealth, not bloodshed… no matter how tempting bloodshed was.
“Here!” Mira huffed and held out her arms, awaiting the cuffs.
A second handler appeared behind her and tossed the cuffs to the woman, who immediately clamped them around Mira’s wrists. The initial sting of the silver made Mira groan. She hoped it hadn’t been too loud. Showing weakness in front of the handlers was just inviting trouble, and she was already in enough trouble with them as it was.
“You’re late,” Mira said, hoping instead to cover the pain in her voice with taunting. “We were going to go to the party without you.”
“Silence, slave.” The pure hatred in the male handler’s voice was unmistakable. His command was stern. She wished she could see his eyes. He could sound as mean as he wanted, but the truth, the fear, would show clearly in his eyes. Unfortunately, he too wore the dark shield hiding his features. “Let’s get her back quickly,” he said to his partner.
“Yeah. She’s in a mood alright. And I don’t feel like dealing with it,” the female handler responded.
Mira felt the butt of a rifle jab into her back. “Move,” the male handler ordered.
“Would it kill you to ask nicely?” Fresh blood and a win in the training arena had done wonders for
Tegan spat at Mira. “At least I didn’t cheat.”
As much as Mira wanted to rise to the occasion, his taunting wasn’t worth it. The handlers were coming, and any additional aggression while they were around was bound to earn her more time in the lightbox. She needed her energy, what little of it she could spare, to formulate and execute her next escape attempt.
Chapter 5
Two handlers came to retrieve Tegan, but only one had shown to escort Mira. Luck must have been on her side. She smirked at Tegan as he was cuffed silently and nudged toward the exit. Clearly the loser, his shoulders slumped as he lumbered slowly behind one handler while the other followed, holding his UV torch at the ready. As much as she hated him, the sight of Tegan being taken away in such a manner tugged at her heartstrings. No matter what, arrogant prick that he was, he was still a vampire, one of her kind. Still a prisoner. And being treated this way was wrong.
When Tegan had finally disappeared, Mira looked around cautiously, secretly praying that her other handler would not show. Not that she was ever that lucky, but it would be nice.
“Where’s your dance partner?” Mira knew she shouldn’t have said it, but couldn’t help herself. The fresh infusion of blood and a win in the training arena had her feeling quite cocky. And those handlers were big bullies as it was. Anything to get under their skin was a bonus for her.
“No funny business. Hold out your hands for cuffs,” the handler snapped at her. She assumed it was her regular female handler, but the voice sounded strange. Mira had a sneaking suspicion that she had really shaken her previous handler up. That brought a new smile to her face.
This new handler was hiding her face behind a dark polycarbonate shield.
Humans really went to the extremes to prevent vampires from having any advantage. No eye contact – not that it would really matter if they did, the myth about vampires having mental capabilities and taking control of others thoughts was just that, a myth – but still, this human wasn’t taking anything for granted. The oversized helmet with neck protection was, in Mira’s opinion, a little overkill as well. Sure, she could go for the jugular, but unless she really intended to kill, there was no point. Blood loss was too quick at that artery. Of course, if she was intending to kill, flimsy plastic was not going to stop her. There were hundreds of ways to incapacitate a human without using her teeth. Problem was, as heavily guarded as the place was, it was generally not a smart idea to make trouble. Vampire strength or no, she was outnumbered. The only way out was through stealth, not bloodshed… no matter how tempting bloodshed was.
“Here!” Mira huffed and held out her arms, awaiting the cuffs.
A second handler appeared behind her and tossed the cuffs to the woman, who immediately clamped them around Mira’s wrists. The initial sting of the silver made Mira groan. She hoped it hadn’t been too loud. Showing weakness in front of the handlers was just inviting trouble, and she was already in enough trouble with them as it was.
“You’re late,” Mira said, hoping instead to cover the pain in her voice with taunting. “We were going to go to the party without you.”
“Silence, slave.” The pure hatred in the male handler’s voice was unmistakable. His command was stern. She wished she could see his eyes. He could sound as mean as he wanted, but the truth, the fear, would show clearly in his eyes. Unfortunately, he too wore the dark shield hiding his features. “Let’s get her back quickly,” he said to his partner.
“Yeah. She’s in a mood alright. And I don’t feel like dealing with it,” the female handler responded.
Mira felt the butt of a rifle jab into her back. “Move,” the male handler ordered.
“Would it kill you to ask nicely?” Fresh blood and a win in the training arena had done wonders for
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