“Shall I come with you?” Ancil asked.
“No. It’s too dangerous. If this poison can affect us, it would be instantly lethal to you.”
“You may need this, sir.” Ancil lifted a pistol and holster out of the duffel bag and handed it to Hunter. “It may slow him down so you can capture him.”
Phoebe was surprised when Hunter reached for the weapon and slipped the holster around his waist, adjusting it so the gun fit at the small of his back. She’d never seen a vampire use a firearm against other vampires. For the most part they fought hand-to-hand.
“I’ll use whatever I have to give me an edge, Phoebe. You need to do the same.”
She froze. He’d seen the video from the wedding, the fire. Was he suggesting she should use her gift if they confronted Trevor? Had he also felt the wave of power she projected while they were tracking him, as Zaira had? The short video hadn’t shown her setting the others alight. But someone might have come forward with a more revealing video.
She needed to give Hunter that retainer right away.
* * *
HUNTER FOCUSED ON the road ahead. “You okay?” he asked in the face of Phoebe’s continued silence.
“Yes. Just anxious to get there. Go left up ahead when the road forks. You’ll have to slow down. The road is very winding, and the house is extremely isolated. I’ll tell you where to park so we can walk in and surprise them if they’re still there.”
Hunter glanced in her direction as the first lightening of the sky glowed up ahead. “I don’t go down right away after sunup. If you feel yourself about to go, try to get to safety. I’ll be okay on my own.”
She was silent several moments. “Don’t sacrifice yourself for me. But do whatever it takes to get the poison so they can make an antidote.”
Hunter swallowed. He’d never met a woman like her before. She had the mind-set of the agents he worked with.
“You’ll need to slow down,” she said. “The road is on the left.”
Hunter turned onto the gravel road.
“You can pull in behind some of this growth ahead, and leave the car on the right. There’s nothing there to puncture a tire.”
The brush on either side blended into tall wild mountain laurel and azaleas. He eased the car off the road behind the tallest of the bushes. The bottom scraped, but he ignored it. When he killed the engine, Phoebe laid a hand on his arm.
“The cabin has three levels. The basement level is the secure sleeping level for us. It’s windowless, but has an escape hatch beneath the front porch, as well as at the back of the house. The first floor contains the living spaces of kitchen, living room, game room, library, and a bathroom. It’s all open. The stairway goes up to the second floor from there, and goes down to the basement on the opposite side. The second floor is where the servant bedrooms are, but we rarely bring servants with us. Security is tight on the bottom floor. Reinforced steel doors and a keypad that requires a key card and a pin. I have them both.”
Hunter gave her cold hand a squeeze. “Breathe, Phoebe.”
A small smile peeked out at him. “I’m good.”
“After this is over, we need to talk.”
She glanced out toward the horizon. “When there’s time.”
“Yes.” He shoved open the door.
Phoebe led the way through the thick forest, since she knew the way. Hunter placed his feet in her tracks so he would make as little noise as possible. After a five-minute walk, they came upon the house. The lights were on, and a green Jeep was parked in the drive. The log house, built on a tall, windowless rock foundation, huddled beneath the trees. If Trevor and his human servant were in there, he might have gone on to sleep and left the servant to stand watch.
“I’ll go look in the windows to see if there’s any movement inside.” Hunter whispered against her ear.
“I’ll take care of the vehicle.”
If she was taking care of the car, she’d be out of range of attack, since the car was a short distance down the drive. He shot her a thumbs-up.
As soon as she broke away, Hunter sped to the porch and stopped outside the window next to the front door. He peered in, but saw no one in the great room. The floor plan was just as she’d described it and was easy to scope out. He could see from one end of the house to the back door. Nothing moved.
Phoebe sped up to join him. She took a small folding wallet out of her back pocket, extracted a key card, slid it through the scanner, typed in a number, and opened the door. It swung inward soundlessly.
Hunter brushed his fingertips against her wrist and flattened his other palm in a downward motion, giving her a stop-wait signal. They both froze and listened intently to the sounds inside the house. The refrigerator motor, though very quiet, overwhelmed any other sound.
He signaled upstairs and led the way. The house, though small, was exquisitely appointed, with beautiful hardwood floors and high-end fixtures. They searched the five bedrooms and bathrooms systematically. All were empty.
Time for the downstairs apartments. Hunter’s lips almost brushed her ear. “Is the setup for the downstairs rooms the same as upstairs?”
“Yes. Except for the exits.”
“Okay. Let’s do this.”
Phoebe used her key card again and keyed in her pin. The heavy steel door swung silently toward them. Lights automatically flicked on. A body lay just inside the stairwell, facedown.
Hunter bent to turn the man onto his back. His eyes stared blindly upward.
“That’s Jed, Trevor’s human servant. I met him at Arthur’s the house.”
When Hunter tugged him free of the steps and lowered him onto the floor, the man’s broken neck flopped like a wet noodle.
“Let’s finish this,” Hunter murmured, though the possibility of Trevor being here was becoming less and less likely.
Their systematic search confirmed his suspicion. When they stood just outside the last bedroom, Hunter could feel the sun coming, but Phoebe was already fading, and leaned against the wall for support.
“You didn’t seem surprised to find Jed dead.”
Phoebe’s mouth flattened, but there was a flicker of regret in her expression as she glanced toward the stairs. “I’m not. Trevor has a penchant for threatening, torturing, and otherwise treating the servants cruelly when no one’s watching.”
Outrage as explosively charged as a blasting cap crackled through Hunter’s body. “And your sire was going to give you to him?”
Phoebe looked away, her expression blank. “I’m not a servant, and he wasn’t giving me to him. I wasn’t going to live with him. I was leaving to live elsewhere as soon as the wedding was over.”
“Where were you going?”
“I was going to come here for a short time, since I’ve purchased a house close by which is in the process of being renovated and made secure.”
“Who else besides you and Arthur has a key card and the numbers to get into this house?”
“Luke has one as well, and I’ve given one to Babe, since he comes up to check the house and do repairs when they’re needed.”
“Well, we know Babe didn’t open the house to Trevor and his man, since he thought it was you here. I can’t imagine Arthur giving up the key. What about Luke?”
“Never. Someone had to have taken it.” Her outraged tone didn’t sound as certain as she probably wished. Phoebe’s eyes widened, and she looked at him. “Hunter.” The sun had risen. He saw shock and fear in her expression before her features went lax and she collapsed. He leapt forward and caught her.
He carried her into the only femininely decorated bedroom in the basement and placed her on the bed. He carefully straightened her limbs and brushed her colorful hair off her face. The exotic tilt of her eyes and the generous curve of her mouth drew his attention, but he tried not to think about that brief kiss they shared outside the Pit Stop earlier. It would be too voyeuristic to think about it while she was lying there, vulnerable and beautiful.
He wondered
at that sudden look of shock and fear. He never feared his death, normally feeling annoyed or impatient about it instead. There were always things he had to leave unfinished when the need to sleep overcame him. Like now. But he needed to report to Vlad before seeking his own rest. He’d notify Stewart later, when he awoke again.
He shot off a quick text, notifying Vlad of the dead servant and their location. He climbed the stairs to secure the door, then returned to Phoebe’s room and did the same. He’d be awake before she was, and she’d never know he slept beside her. And even if she did, he didn’t care. That brief kiss more than warned her of his interest. And her response told him a lot in return.
He stretched out beside her, placed a hand over hers, and let himself go.
CHAPTER 10
PHOEBE AWOKE AS though she was moving from one thought to the next. The anxiety of that last moment before she slept still lingered. Why did it go down that way every time? She turned onto her side and noticed the hollow on the pillow next to her. Her entire body was electrified with emotions, and her heart thundered.
Hunter had slept with her on her bed. Had she been able to blush, she would have. She rolled to her feet to find the bag of new clothes inside the door. She took it into the bathroom to shower, emerging ten minutes later, refreshed and ready for whatever might come next.
When she climbed the stairs, she found the metal door cracked open, and no sign of a body on the floor.
Hearing voices in the kitchen, she followed the sound, and came to a halt in the doorway. The two large, dark-haired men standing on either side of the kitchen island seemed to have been created from the same mold. Both men’s features were intensely masculine, almost hawk-like, their physical presences mesmerizing.
Hunter noticed her first, and as soon as he did, the male with him turned to look over his shoulder. His dark eyes focused on her with a predatory gleam, and his power reached out to her, brushing against her like a caress.
Phoebe threw up her own power, shoving aside the unwanted intrusion. Hunter leapt across the island to land between them, his gray eyes glowing blue and his fangs distended. The taut line of his body conveyed aggression as clearly as his clenched fists.
Phoebe’s heart tripped at Hunter’s show of protectiveness, concerned for him.
The strange male’s brows shot up. “I meant no insult, my friend.” The deep, husky voice said, with an unfamiliar accent.
“Hunter,” Phoebe said as she sauntered forward and stood next to him. She wrapped her fingers lightly around his upper arm to find the bulky muscle there rock-hard with tension.
The stranger bent his head in an old-fashioned show of respect. “I am Vlad Tepes.”
“Phoebe Stewart. Hunter has mentioned you.”
“He has also mentioned you, Ms. Stewart.” His laser eyes swept away to focus on Hunter. “But he did not tell me how special you are.”
She studied his expression. “Special?”
“You are not just vampire.”
Phoebe remained silent a moment. Her heart beat so she could feel her slow vampire blood rushing through her veins. “We all bring what gifts we have as humans with us when we become vampire.”
“Not always.”
Phoebe continued to gaze at him in silence.
Her phone rang, and she dragged it free of her back pocket, glad to see it was Arthur. “Excuse me.” She moved away from Hunter and his sire.
“The local Council has asked to meet with you tonight,” Arthur announced.
“Good. What time?” She wandered to the refrigerator and removed one of the packets of blood. She popped the plug out of the straw-like extension at the top of the plastic bag and sucked down the sweet-salty flavor of 0 negative, shivering at the immediate rush.
“They wish to meet at two o’clock this morning. Ricci will be coming as well.”
“Okay.” If the local Council figured out what she could do, there would be a price on her head. They were against anyone who had special gifts above what vampirism brought them.
Maybe Adcock would trip and fall on a sharp stake before the meeting. She could only hope.
“Why do you think Ricci has decided to come?”
“I don’t know, my dear, but rumor has it things have gone south for him since the wedding. His business partners have decided he is not trustworthy.”
“Well, duh.”
Arthur chuckled. “Phoebe. After nearly sixty years you’ve still managed to retain that black and white, good or bad view of behavior, as though we’re all human. Which we are not.”
“Everyone is human, Arthur.”
“I think I’ve just been insulted.” He sounded more amused than upset.
“Vampirism just emphasizes the predatory qualities we all have. And we’re more direct with our behavior because we recognize what we are. But humans are the true predators.”
She continued, pacing and gesturing with her free hand. “They camouflage their true selves with a layer of civility. They’ve had a hundred and fifty thousand years to try and kill each other off, and everything else on the planet besides, and they’re slowly and surely gaining on it. They’ve gotten more sophisticated with their weapons and their means of destruction, and eventually they’ll manage to do it. We’ll be nothing more than a footnote when we starve to death because they’ve managed to wipe themselves out.”
“But I suggest you leave all this out of the meeting later,” Arthur replied. “The Council is normally only interested in local politics, not the big picture.”
Phoebe laughed. “All right. I promise not to wax philosophical about anything but that pompous, sniveling, cowardly asswipe who left me to be staked while he hid in the bushes.” A quick wave of rage rushed through her. “Has anyone looked into his finances to see if he was paid off by Ricci or his people?”
“He wasn’t paid. He’s a coward, and cowards always have a heightened sense of self-preservation when it comes to saving their own worthless hides.”
“I’ll keep that in mind for next time. Perhaps I need to improve my aim.”
“Now, now, my dear. We both know you are not a murderer.”
“A girl can wish for a fatal accident, can’t she?”
Arthur gave a bark of laughter. “Be here by one thirty.”
“Okay, Arthur.” She hung up and turned to find Vlad and Hunter had been listening to her every word. She smiled her most genteel hostess smile. “Would anyone else care for some blood?” She held up the partially emptied packet, pushed in the stopper, and laid it on the sink.
Vlad laughed. “You are delightful, my dear.”
She didn’t know whether to be pleased or not about his comment. Probably not.
“Where has Jeb gotten off to?” The poor, dead man couldn’t very well get up and walk away, and he was nowhere in sight.
Hunter spoke for the first time since her appearance. “He has been returned to the Ricci clan for burial.”
“Thank you for seeing to that. I think he was with Trevor for nearly ninety years. I can’t imagine why Trevor would suddenly kill him. Do you think someone broke in, killed Jeb, and took Trevor? He does, after all, have a lethal weapon.”
Hunter’s dark brows forked in a frown. “We have just been debating that.”
“Ricci will be at the Council meeting tonight. Perhaps you’ll have time to speak with him, if you wish to attend.” She looked to Hunter first, then to Vlad, including him in the invitation, though she wasn’t sure about the wisdom having three powerful master vampires attending such a function.
“I believe I will leave it up to Hunter to learn what he can during the meeting. You will keep me informed, Hunter?”
“Of course.”
Vlad approached her and extended his hand. Phoebe placed her fingers in his grasp. “It was very nice to meet you, Phoebe.” He bowed over her hand.
“Thank you.”
Vlad chuckled. “It is refreshing to see someone who is neither cowed nor overly impressed by power.”
“Indeed. And I believe you have true promise.” He gave her hand a squeeze before moving so quickly her senses picked up only a brush of air against her skin, and he was gone.
She released her breath on a sigh and a shudder. “He’s scary as hell.”
Hunter’s eyes still glowed blue. “Yes, he is. He is also very impressed by you.”
“I wasn’t trying to impress him.”
“He knew that as well.” He ran his fingertips down her arm. “I have never moved to protect someone from him before.”
“He could have hurt you.”
“Yes. Easily.”
She cupped his cheek and ran her thumb over his cheekbone. “Thank you for your protection.” She had planned to secure his discretion with a retainer, but after his attempt to shield her from Vlad…it seemed unnecessary. “We need to get a move on. I’ll pack my things.”
“You need to finish your meal. You may need your strength during the meeting.”
She wouldn’t need her strength. She’d need patience and control to avoid barbecuing Adcock like a chicken wing.
Once they were on their way back to town, her thoughts returned to that concave depression in the pillow next to hers. “Thank you for taking care of me last night.”
“You’re welcome. It’s been some time since I shared my sleep with someone. It was nice waking up to you.”
A prickle of heat bathed her face. Was she actually blushing? How was that possible?
“We’re not encouraged to get involved with our clients. But after this is over, Phoebe, I’d like for us to spend some time together.”
If she lived. Emotion swamped her and made it hard to swallow. “It may be some time before I’m a free woman.”
“No it won’t.” He shot her a glance. “There are several agencies who are very interested in Trevor and his poison. He’ll be staked if they capture him.”
Did Hunter’s sire have a hand in that plan? “Is that what Vlad said?”
“Yes. Among other things. The house you’re having remodeled, how secure is it?”
Magic and Mayhem: Once Bitten, Twice Shy (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Have Wand, Will Travel Book 2) Page 8
