Vampire Cadet by Nikki Hoff Page A

downfall.”
    Shannon stared at him, her mouth agape in shock. She couldn’t believe that she had missed something so obvious. How could she have been so blind? If Bryce hadn’t figured out that James was holding back information, they would have been in a quandary because they had nothing else to go on. And now, they had an amazing ace up their sleeve – and Ra’ad had no idea about it.
    “You are brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.” She jumped on the seat beside him.
    Bryce grinned as he gunned the jeep and they shot out of the parking lot. Shannon eagerly looked forward to their next move, and that was to track James and figure out what he was up to. Now, finally they had gotten a break they badly needed to finish this mission. And thanks to Bryce, they were a step closer to achieving that result. 
    After they reached the warehouse, Shannon followed Bryce’s instructions as they set up the system that would trace James. “I’ve to hack into a satellite to follow his movements through the city.”
    Shannon couldn’t care less what he did as long as he got the job done. “Ok. Just do whatever needs to be done to catch that bastard.”
    Bryce’s fingers flowed over the computer’s keypad as if they were filled with an electric energy. The screen pulsated wildly, and then showed a red signal on the backdrop of the city’s map. “There he is,” said Bryce. “Got him.”
    “Is he walking?”
    “The speed with which he is moving shows that he is in a vehicle,” said Bryce as he did some fast calculations on the computer. “Now, let’s wait and watch while we see where he ends up.”
    “If he does know where Ra’ad is and he goes there, Ra’ad is not going to wait a long time before shifting again. Surely, he would suspect the ease with which James managed to escape our grasp.”
    “We will try to catch him the moment he reaches Ra’ad. Or else we can hope that Ra’ad would take him along with them. Either way, we have a good chance.”
    Shannon sat back with a satisfied smile on her face. Finally, they were getting somewhere. Now they had a good, in fact, better than good chance of catching the terrorist who had eluded her for so long. “You’ve done an excellent job, Bryce. I am going to strongly recommend you for a promotion once this is all over.”
    He turned to glance at her. “You know what I want more than a promotion.”
    “Please let’s not discuss this any further.” She sighed. Couldn’t he leave this topic alone? Why did he bring up the same thing again and again when she’d already said no?
    “Why not, Shannon? This is very important to me. What’s going to happen when this mission is finished? You aren’t going to stay with me forever. Sooner or later, you will move on and I will be back to square one. I will be the same weakling that I was without your help.”
    She ran her hand through her hair. “So you do it the hard way. Do regular exercise, gain some muscle. It will take longer but it will be worth the effort.”
    “Even if I exercised for five hours a day, there is no way in hell am I ever going to retain this speed and agility that is due to your powers being transferred to me. You know it, and I know it. Why wouldn’t you turn me? I don’t understand…”
    She finally lost her temper. “You don’t understand. Do you think I would’ve wanted this life if I had a choice? It’s eternity without redemption, Bryce. You will lose your soul. Do you want that?”
    “I don’t care about my soul as long as I can have an eternity on earth,” he insisted. His forehead puckered. “Does it hurt when you turn? Is that why you’re hesitant?”
    “No. It doesn’t hurt and it doesn’t take long. But you will kill a lot of people before you gain control over your thirst for blood. Do you want that?”
    He grimaced. “It’s not an ideal situation. I get all that, but I am willing to live with that guilt.”
    She cocked an eyebrow. “That’s not a decision that I would