Predatory

by Alexandra Ivy

  The animal, because it was an animal, curled its lips back to reveal fangs at least six inches long. Terror froze her in place.

  A man leaned over her. “Don’t move, lady. Oh, and I wouldn’t scream. Loud noises make Henry here excited. I’d hate to deliver you with puncture wounds.”

  It only took seconds for Cassie to put together the steps of her stupidity. She hadn’t asked Colin for the name of the new guard, and she hadn’t asked this man for any proof of identity. He worked for Garrity. And she was having an up-close-and-personal introduction to one of his beasts because she’d been naïve enough to think she could shoot faster than the animal could move. She wasn’t suicidal, so she remained motionless.

  “Very good.” The man sounded almost fatherly. “Cooperation makes things a lot less messy. Now I’m going to call off Henry, and you’re going to get up and walk quietly to that big van. Understand?”

  She nodded, never taking her attention from the beast’s lethal fangs.

  Her heart pounded, pounded, pounded as she took short gasping breaths in an attempt to control her fear. Think. Panic wouldn’t save her ass.

  As she climbed to her feet, she noted that her captor had picked up her gun and shoved it into a jacket pocket. He held the end of a long leash that was attached to the beast’s collar. The leash looked way too flimsy to contain all that animal power, so she assumed there was more involved in controlling it.

  Cassie didn’t move as the man took her phone from her pocket.

  “Love cell phones.” He chuckled. “They store so much great info on them. For example, that bloodsucker we offed last night had the phone numbers of the guards that I just sent on a trip to an empty lot on the other side of Philly. Guess they’ll be pissed.” He handcuffed her hands behind her and nudged her toward the van. “We need to move fast. Bet they called in a new guard to watch you. I don’t want to be around when he gets here.”

  Cassie bit her lip to keep from screaming. She wanted to fight. But her common sense kicked in. The beast hadn’t killed her, so they must want her alive for some reason. Fighting wouldn’t free her, and there was no one around to hear her scream. Besides, alive was a lot better than dead.

  She stared at the van’s open doors. To hell with common sense. She fought. Cassie kicked the man in the leg at the same time she screamed. When he tried to grab her arm, she bit him. She had to keep him from putting her in that van until the new guard arrived.

  But as she stumbled away, he moved with a speed no human should have. She had no way to defend herself as he reached her. He punched her in the stomach. At the same time, she felt a searing pain in her arm. Cassie fell.

  With a curse, the man dragged her to her feet and toward the van. “See, that was just dumb. You upset Henry, and he got your arm with a claw. The boss’ll be mad because you have a mark on you. That doesn’t make me happy, and you want to keep me happy, lady.”

  He shoved her into the van and pushed her down onto the bench. Then he locked her cuffs to a short chain attached to the side of the van. The beast crammed its massive body into the back with her. It crouched a few feet away, its unblinking stare fixed on her. Cassie swallowed hard. She would not throw up.

  The man closed and locked the back of the van before climbing into the driver’s seat. He started the van and pulled away from the warehouse.

  “How did you know I was alone?” Don’t panic, don’t panic.

  “I watched. Two guards went in. The same two came out.”

  “Where’re you taking me?” Her stomach ached and she could feel blood trickling down her arm.

  “To hell, lady. And if you try any more tricks, you’ll get there sooner than you expected.”

  Asshole. Cassie didn’t ask anything else.

  Instead, she tried to get her terror under control by staring at the beast. Face your fears. The man had called him Henry. Who would give an animal this frightening such an ordinary human name? Someone sick, that’s who.

  He’s only an animal. Calm down. Right. That was like calling a tornado only a breeze. She took a close look at him. Huge furred body. A grizzly came to mind. Three clawed toes on each foot. The talons were at least five or six inches long. And the middle talon on each foot was longer and more curved than the others, good for ripping out stomachs and throats. Breathe, just breathe. They looked like the talons she’d seen in pictures of the Velociraptors from Jurassic Park. And those fangs. Definitely saber-toothed tiger–sized.

  Finally, she lifted her gaze to the beast’s eyes. She caught her breath. The beast stared back at her. Those eyes. Cassie recognized them—haunting, compelling, savage.

  They were the yellow eyes of the Second One.

  Chapter Ten

  Cassie quickly shifted her gaze while she tried to control her shaking. “His eyes . . .” She bit her lip to keep from screaming when the animal edged a little closer, as though he knew she was talking about him.

  The man sneered as he glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “Recognize them, do you? Go ahead, stare at him. You won’t die. He has the Second One’s eyes, so he can draw you in, but he doesn’t have the pretty face to go with them. That means he can’t kill you that way. Doesn’t matter, though, because he has lots of other ways to end your life.”

  Questions whirled in her mind until she felt dizzy. What were the beasts? Where was this guy taking her? What would happen when they got there?

  Then she thought of Ethan. Would he search for her? She had to believe he would. Cassie prayed that Garrity wasn’t going to use her as bait. Not that she’d have to live with any guilt if she was the instrument of Ethan’s death, because she had no doubt Garrity intended to kill her once her usefulness ended.

  And just when she didn’t think she could stand one more minute of feeling Henry’s stare on her, his hunger, the van pulled up behind what looked like a large abandoned building. She didn’t see any lights inside.

  The man got out and came around to open the van’s back doors. Henry jumped out and waited as his handler snapped his leash onto his collar. Then the man climbed in to release Cassie from the van. He didn’t take off the cuffs.

  He gave her a little shove toward a door hidden in the shadows. “We’ve kept Mr. Garrity waiting long enough.”

  Inside, the darkness was complete. Henry’s hungry whining urged her to go faster. Panic made her clumsy, and she tripped on what felt like a raised board. Unable to break her fall, Cassie fell to her knees hard and for a moment the pain took the place of terror. Something sharp had torn her pants and cut into her knee. But then the man was there yanking her to her feet and pushing her forward.

  While she stumbled along, Cassie sensed others in the darkness. They didn’t speak, didn’t move. Guards?

  Finally, she reached another door. He pulled it open and light flooded out. Cassie saw a stairway leading down. Anxious to stay a few steps ahead of Henry, she didn’t hesitate.

  Once the man joined her at the bottom, he led her to the end of a hallway and then knocked on the door there. With an electronic hum, the door slid open.

  He pushed her inside. “This is as far as I go.” The door slid closed, leaving her alone with . . .

  The smell of disinfectant made her wrinkle her nose. She glanced around the large room. It looked terrifyingly familiar. Lab equipment, sinks, and containers with God knew what in them. Gurneys, some of which had empty glass coffins on them. A man and woman stood by one of the gurneys watching her with unblinking intensity. Human? She thought so. At least the woman was. The man had that complete stillness she associated with vampires.

  Cassie’s gaze finally settled on the far corner of the room. A desk with a man sitting behind it.

  “Garrity, I presume.” Cassie hoped she sounded at least semi in control. She clenched her cuffed hands into fists so they wouldn’t shake.

  “Cassie, I’ve looked forward to this moment.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Come. Sit.” He pointed to one of the two chairs facing his desk.


  Just to make sure, she reached back awkwardly with her cuffed hands to try the door handle. Locked. Taking a deep calming breath, she walked to the chair he’d indicated and sat. Then she took stock of Roland Garrity.

  Cassie had pictured someone who would look the part of a human monster. He disappointed her. Standing, he’d be of average height and build. Thinning, light brown hair. Faded blue eyes. A weak chin. She would pass him on the street and never notice him.

  Right now, she didn’t have control of her physical situation, but her mouth was still her own. “Why did you bring me here? If you try to use me as bait, Ethan won’t be stupid enough to walk into a trap.”

  Garrity raised one brow. “Bait? I’m afraid you overestimate your importance to the vampires. They won’t bother searching for you.” He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his desk. He steepled his hands and studied her. “No, I only went to the trouble of sending Caleb to take you for two reasons—vengeance and to make sure Felicity’s family doesn’t discover that I was involved in her disappearance. Families can be tenacious and meddlesome.”

  Vengeance. Cassie repressed a shudder. She didn’t trust herself to speak, so she simply stared at him.

  He went on as though he hadn’t expected her to comment. “You are directly responsible for the loss of Eternal Rest. Now I’ll have to deal with insurance and a police investigation besides having to find a new place of business. I believe you owe me for all the trouble you’ve caused.”

  “What’re you going to do?” No matter how horrible, she wanted to know his plans.

  “First I’ll explain all this”—he swept his hands wide to encompass the room—“because no one should have their human life terminated without knowing why it happened. And then I’ll change you from a pain in the ass into a useful commodity.”

  Human life terminated. There it was. She was going to die. There was a kind of sick relief in knowing the worst. Cassie didn’t say anything, because if she tried to speak she knew her voice would shake. She wouldn’t give him the opportunity to gloat over her terror.

  “I and all my employees are part of a larger organization run by a brilliant man. He’s never shared his name with us, but I understand his desire for anonymity. We simply call him the Collector.” He paused.

  “And he collects what?” She was proud that her voice sounded clear and steady. He would never know how much effort she’d put into those four words.

  “Nonhumans with extraordinary powers and humans with potential.” He leaned back in his seat again, his expression filled with admiration for the Collector. “He’s an amazing scientist, and he’s found a way to transfer power from nonhumans to very rich humans willing to pay for it. The nonhumans are kept alive while their power is slowly leached from them. Our clients have a lifetime supply as long as they don’t get greedy.”

  Cassie knew her horror was written all over her face. She couldn’t put together words to describe her disgust. So it was lucky that Garrity wasn’t expecting a comment.

  “Those we choose to sell must be physically beautiful as well as powerful. We package our products in attractive clear glass coffins so that our clients can not only enjoy their new power but also have something aesthetically pleasing to admire.” He raised one brow. “Any questions so far?”

  Can I throw up on your desk? She forced words past the boulder lodged in her throat. “Fine, so I understand why you collect beautiful vampires. But why humans?” Other questions pushed and shoved to be next in line.

  He looked surprised that she’d ask that question. “Every human has latent power. When the human becomes vampire, that power is freed. Of course, we can’t charge as much for humans we’ve just changed because they don’t have a proven gift yet.” He smiled. “You can think of them as sort of grab bags. The buyer has no guarantee, but sometimes he gets a pleasant surprise.”

  Cassie felt as though her eyes were glued open. She couldn’t blink, couldn’t breathe, and her heart was pounding so hard that she wondered if every vampire in the city could hear it. No, he couldn’t be going where she thought he was going.

  Garrity’s smile was twisted and evil and happy.

  “Will your buyer get a pleasant surprise, Cassie?”

  Whatever had been holding her in her seat snapped. She was out of it and running for the door even though she knew it was locked. Reason didn’t enter into the blind terror she felt. She kicked at the door and screamed. And when the human who wasn’t a human grabbed her, she bit and kicked and cursed.

  Somewhere deep inside where her reasoning self hid, she wasn’t surprised when she felt the prick of a needle. Cassie fought to stay awake, because to close her eyes was to lose her humanity. The man picked her up and placed her on one of the empty gurneys. He took the cuffs off her and then immobilized her with leather restraints. As her vision began to dim, she was aware of Garrity leaning over her.

  “This is your binder, Cassie.” He beckoned the woman closer. “She’s a member of a powerful binder family that works exclusively for the Collector. Fortunately, he’s loaned her to me until I replace Tony.” He frowned. “You’ll have to bring a good price to make up for killing him.

  “Once we’ve drained you and replaced your blood with nice fresh vampire blood, we’ll tuck you into your shiny new coffin, bind you there, and then bury you in one of the cemeteries I own until someone purchases you.” His smile returned. “Did I mention that the Collector is brilliant? We can hide our merchandise in ordinary graves where no one would think to look.” He started to turn away, but then glanced back. “I do hope you’re not claustrophobic.”

  Cassie couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer. Her lids drifted shut, and surprisingly, the last thing she thought about was Ethan. Now she’d be able to stay with him for the rest of his nine hundred ninety-nine lifetimes. As blackness descended, she screamed and screamed and screamed inside her head.

  Chapter Eleven

  No one would look at his face. Ethan didn’t blame them. The Second One was strong tonight.

  He’d hunted for Cassie alone last night. And when he’d tracked down a group of six of Garrity’s men, he hadn’t hesitated. He’d killed them all along with their two beasts, one at a time, while he hid in the shadows. The last man he’d kept alive long enough to get the information he wanted.

  He put on his sunglasses and pulled his hood forward to hide his face.

  Zareb paced his living room restlessly. The other vampires stood motionless around the room’s edges, unwilling to come closer to him or Zareb.

  “You returned home almost at dawn this morning. Tell me anything you didn’t have time to tell me before the day sleep took you.” Zareb paused in his pacing.

  Ethan almost growled. Cassie had been gone for three days. The hell with talking, he wanted to get moving. They’d finally figured out where Garrity had Cassie, and Ethan wanted to be there now. He’d kill every one of the bastards. And if they’d hurt her—he wouldn’t even consider the possibility that she was dead—he’d kill them slowly. No Second One for them. Too easy. The Second One rumbled its thoughts on that.

  But Zareb wouldn’t get his ass moving until he got an answer to his question. “The Collector is a scientist and a fucking entrepreneur according to what the guy said last night. I told you about the coffins and the binders. This Collector rewards those who work for him by feeding them small doses of energy from captive vampires. That’s why his men move so fast.”

  “And?” Zareb glanced at his watch.

  “The Collector created the beasts. He’s a stem cell research genius. The beasts really are made from a bunch of other animals.” He stopped and closed his eyes. This was the hardest part to tell. “He searches particularly for vampires from our bloodline who’re lost to the Second One. I don’t know how the hell he does it, but he uses their brain cells to create the beasts’ brains. They have our intelligence, hunting ability, and the Second One’s mindless lust for killing. The one difference is that the Collector has pr
ogrammed their brains so that he or his people can control them.” He turned away. “I’m sure he was pissed off that one of his beasts killed Darren and that Garrity didn’t get a chance to harvest his brain.”

  The gathered vampires moved restlessly. Their hate, their need to kill battered at Ethan.

  “After we take care of Garrity, this Collector is fucking finished.” Death lived in Zareb’s eyes. “Let’s go.”

  Ethan was oblivious to the dark streets, to the others in the car. He reached out with his thoughts, searching, searching. Damn it, why couldn’t he sense her? He finally grew aware that the car had stopped. He climbed out and waited while other cars parked nearby.

  Zareb had pulled out all the stops. Twenty of his children surrounded him. The four brothers who guarded his home stood a little apart from them.

  One of the brothers spoke. “We left her alone, so we’re here to help get her back.”

  Zareb nodded. “We’re a mile from the building where we think Garrity is headquartered. He’s grown careless and arrogant. He doesn’t know how many children I have or how powerful we are when united.” He stared into the darkness. “Run, my children. And then kill.”

  And so they ran, shadows gliding silently around buildings and through streets. Ethan was the first to reach the abandoned building. The rest spread out around it, looking for other ways in. He wanted to tear the door off with his bare hands, but Zareb moved in front of him.

  “You’re too lost to your anger. We don’t need any noise to announce our visit. Let me.” Zareb touched the door and it simply dissolved.

  Ethan stepped inside and then froze. He knelt and touched his finger to the floor. Her blood, her scent. He looked back. “She’s here.”

  They flowed silently into the building.

  Cassie lay in her glass coffin. She could see everything as long as she didn’t have to turn her head. Her mind was alive, a maelstrom of panicked thoughts and emotions. Where was Ethan? Had Garrity caught him? And how could she exist like this—her eyes the only thing she could move—for a lifetime?