Coyle and Fang: Curse of Shadows (Coyle and Fang Adventure Series Book 1) by Robert III (best books for 7th graders .txt) 📕

“She looks young. Maybe early twenties?” Drake squinted at the lights. “But, of course, she’s a vampire, and I hear she’s been around a few hundred years.”

“So what’s going to happen to her afterward?” Gerrick asked.

“We don’t care,” Drake said, directing the men to the lift points. “I’m supposed to hand the book and her over to the buyer, and after that, it’s up to them. Maybe they’ll make her into a house pet or something. Who knows?”

The men eased the cage out when a sudden, violent jolt from inside made them drop it. The others readied their weapons at the growing unrest around them. Drake shouted and got them back to on task. With wary glances, they moved closer as the vampire within growled low and deep.

“How are we supposed to control her?” Gerrick asked, staring at the iron box.

“She’s kept feral until needed. Molded by the best technicians, scientists and psychologists. See this?” Drake pulled out a small wind-up music box. He turned the crank, and a soft melody chimed. The change in behavior was instant, and the malicious sounds turned to soft, comforting whispers.

“She likes music?”

“Music hath charms to soothe the savage beast.” Drake winked. “William Congreve. Curious, isn’t it? That’s all she is. Another beast that God gave man to dominate. And a woman, at that. All of these, every one of them, raised and created to be weapons of war and covert operations. Now, this one here is quite the clever one and supposedly the most dangerous of them all, but she’ll do just fine with us in control.”  He pointed to the orange gem at the end of the rod. “The aurorium is about the only thing that can kill her. Who knew the rarest of minerals, with the same energy properties as a bolt of lightning, would be deadly to vampires and her ilk. Here, give me that.”

He pulled the rod out of Gerrick’s hands and shoved it into the cage until her screams were long and bloodcurdling.

“See? Just a beast, tamed under the thumb of God’s superior creation.” Drake tapped his chest. “Let’s go.”

The murmurings from the other cages grew into growls and shouts. The men ignored the unnatural clamor. Some of the creatures stretched out, trying to grasp at them as they journeyed down the rows. Some hands were massive and covered with coarse hair. Others were unnaturally thin with open sores and rotting skin. Still others had thick, scaly flesh and webbed hands.

The mercenaries carried their prize through the maze with haste and assumed confidence. Some of the men tried to glimpse their captured prey, hoping to see what a real vampire looked like—not knowing they would witness a vampire’s fury before the night was over.

“Ain’t nobody here seen one of these?” Drake asked the men who peered into the dark cage. No one responded. “There’s an old wives’ tale that says if you spot a vampire, that means it’s been hunting you.” He laughed. “But tonight, we’re the hunters. We got this, comprende?” Drake nodded, and a few responded with nods of their own, though their nervous eyes told otherwise.

Arrived at the doors, the sentry automaton blinked on and swiveled its head around to face them.

“Access key?” it asked.

“Archangel,” Drake said with a huff.

“Password not recognized,” it said. “Should we try again, or should I activate the alarm?”

“I said the password is Archangel,” Drake repeated.

“Password is not recognized,” the metal sentry repeated. “Should we try again, or would activating the alarm be a suitable alternative? You have fifty-five seconds to decide before the defaulted alarm is raised.”

“I said the password is Archangel, you metal twit!”

“You have fifty seconds to try again.”

“If you don’t get this right, we’ll have the First Infantry on our asses,” Gerrick added.

Drake rubbed his face hard and took his hat off to wipe the sweat from his brow.

“There’s only so much incompetence I’m going to tolerate,” Drake sighed. “That’s the damn password.”

“Obviously it isn’t,” said Fang. “Good thing I know what it is.”

Everyone shared a glance as slim hands slipped out and casually rested through the opening. Thin scars lay in haphazard streaks across fair skin. Her fingernails appeared normal, though dirty and chipped. Not the eagle’s claws he was told to watch for. Drake squinted into the cage. He pulled the strap of his carbine closer.

“You have thirty seconds to try again,” the sentry said as roars and howling echoed through the cavernous building.

“You don’t appear to be feral,” he said to Fang.

“And you don’t appear to know how to properly break someone out,” she said. A heart-shaped face materialized within inches of the opening. A face too beautiful to be kept in an iron cage. Eyes the color of glowing embers shifted and studied the group, one by one until they settled on Drake. Her expression was demure, coy, curious. A playful smile crept across her full, pink lips.

Ice slinked down Drake’s back.

“You’re stuck in a top-secret military weapons cache surrounded by... monsters, and you didn’t know there were two passwords. You didn’t think this one through, did you?” Fang’s eyebrows scrunched together as she pouted.

“Why the hell would I listen to you?”

“Do you know how many men are in an army regiment?” she asked. “A thousand or more against twenty-four of you. Sounds reasonable,” she said. “And me? Well, they’ll just put me back in my corner until it’s time to play.”

Drake shot a look around, hands clenching at his sides. He pulled out his handgun and pulled the hammer back.

“What if I stick the barrel of my Colt in your pretty little nose and threaten you with a face full of aurorium?” He raised the weapon at her.

“It won’t change the fact the Army is coming.” She shook her head and gazed steadily at his sweat-lined face.

He pulled the gun away. “What do you want?” he hissed.

“The music box.” She held out her hand.

Drake studied her smiling, kind face. “I give you the music box, and you let us out. I