Darkest Hour by Rob Cornell Read Free Book Online Page A

inner vision—Jessie, face covered in blood and a ripped hunk of werewolf in her mouth was a persistent image. Then he had the bandage around his arm to remind him of her tearing a piece of him off and using it to fuel some seriously sadistic mojo. He didn’t care about the wolves. It wasn’t compassion for them that worried him. It was that his daughter could come up with such a wicked method of death.
    She’s a monster.
    He clenched down on that thought, stuffed it away. This wasn’t her fault. None of it. If he had destroyed that artifact like he was supposed to, Jessie would be the same old temperamental teenager she had been the day she knocked on his door in Los Angeles.
    Blaming yourself isn’t going to fix anything, Craigy Boy. Nobody’s going to come to your pity party and help celebrate your failures.
    Weird. His own chastising voice sounded a lot like Gabriel’s. Was it possible a piece of him still existed in Lockman? Had the psychopath passed out parts of himself like slices of pie? Here! Have a little Gabriel. I’m tasty, and will stick with you no matter how hard you try to get rid of me.
    “We’ve heard back from the team in Alaska.”
    Lockman started at the voice even though he recognized it. He turned and looked up at Adam. The ogre cast a large enough shadow to put Lockman’s whole body out of the sun.
    “Sorry,” Adam said. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”
    “It’s fine. What’s the report?”
    Adam took a deep breath, which told Lockman everything he needed to know before the ogre said a word. “Rumors are true. Group of vamps collected up in Barrow to take advantage of two months of permanent night. Word is they’ve thinned enough of the population to get Feds out to take a look. Not all that thinning was food. They’re still turning.”
    Lockman sighed and returned to staring at the farmhouse. “Can’t catch a break, can we?” They had hoped the vamps would remain relatively spread out across the country. It would require fewer recruits to take out the smaller groups of vamps. Even the ones that got into the hundreds like in New Orleans. Seemed a lack of leadership from their dead king didn’t keep them entirely from some organizing.
    “What kind of damage can they do up there?”
    “In the middle of the frozen nowhere? Depends. The sense is they’re on vampire vacation, living up the whole lack of a sunrise thing. No real strategy beyond that.”
    “Tell the team to hunker down and keep us posted. Then set up a meeting in the War Room. Looks like we’re going to have to deal with Alaska sooner rather than later. ”
    Adam nodded, but hung around.
    “What is it?” Lockman asked.
    “Some of us were wondering…”
    A sour taste filled Lockman’s mouth. Adam didn’t have to say it. Lockman knew what they were wondering. He wondered the same thing. “What’s our current ranks?”
    “Eight-hundred fourteen strong,” Adam said with pride.
    “That include Jess?”
    When the ogre didn’t answer, Lockman looked up in his eyes. He saw the pain in the pinched green face, the orange brows knit together, the thick creases across his forehead.
    “So it’s eight-hundred thirteen,” Lockman said.
    “I can’t believe you, of all people, would write her off so easily.”
    “Easily?” A ring of heat circled Lockman’s neck. He took a deep breath, tried to gather in some cool. Through clenched teeth he said, “You saw what I saw last night.” He lifted his bandaged arm in case Adam needed a reminder.
    Adam bowed his head. “I know.”
    “I hate to break it to you, but it looks like Marty’s prophecy is wrong.”
    “It can’t be.” Then, so softly Lockman almost didn’t hear, he said, “She’s the Chosen One.”
    “She’s just a kid. At least, she used to be. What’s happened to her isn’t prophecy, it’s a fucking tragedy. And I carry that weight. So don’t talk to me about writing her off so easily .”
    “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
    Lockman’s