by Laken Cane
We glanced back once as vampires rushed from the thick trees, but Clayton, Miriam, Angus, and Rhys did exactly what they were supposed to do. They fought and distracted the enemy while my nose led Shane and me ever closer to the vampire we sought.
I crept through the underbrush, Silverlight holstered—I might be able to get close to Gray myself, but he’d see us coming from a mile away with the sword lighting up like a beacon.
Already, the number of vampires coming after me was less. Once they became noseblind to my hunter scent, it’d be a hell of a lot easier to hunt. I could track them and kill them much easier if they weren’t aware of my every move.
But it had already started to happen. They were losing my scent.
Worse, I smelled like Amias.
I understood that a split second after Gordon Gray rounded a corner, smiling with recognition. He skidded to a halt when he realized I was not who he’d thought I was.
“Master?” he asked, as though he couldn’t believe I wasn’t Amias.
“Not this time,” I murmured.
A flurry of emotions chased themselves across his thin, readable face. Relief, then confusion, then shock.
And then, he turned to run.
But we were ready for that.
I was ready for that.
And even as he turned, Silverlight was in my grip. She lit up, but she didn’t attach, and I drew back my arm and threw her like an ax at the retreating vampire.
She whirled through the air, leaving streams of silver light in her wake, and she caught him effortlessly. I hadn’t wanted to kill him—and she knew. Somehow, she knew.
She bashed him in the back of the head with her hilt, and he went down.
There was no time for awe, but I knew Shane felt it as much as I did. Maybe even more, because I’d been somewhat aware, even if I hadn’t known I was aware, that she could do more.
My first concern was for her, and I raced over the mushy ground to snatch her up, afraid that someone else might get to her before I could.
I caressed her for a second before sliding her into her sheath, then unwound the silver from my hand, wrapped it around Gray’s wrists, and stood back to look at Shane.
We stared at each other, and I was pretty sure my eyes would be just a little wide. “We got him,” I said. “Finally.”
He looked from me to the downed vampire, then shook his head. “That’s some sword, baby hunter. We all need one of those.”
“Shhh,” I said. “You’ll make Betty jealous.”
He gave me a wink, then patted his gun. “I’ve had a dozen before her. The silver fucks them all up eventually.” He eyed the sword. “I need a Silverlight.”
I was giddy with relief. I’d done it. I’d tracked and caught Gordon Gray. My first job as a hunter, and I’d done it—and I hadn’t even had to kill him.
Okay, so it wasn’t just me. Or even mostly me. But it felt damn good, just the same.
I was a hunter.
And a few seconds later, Gray woke up.
He began talking immediately. “I didn’t kill Lucy. I cared about her. I may be young, but I’m not so young that I’d try to turn her.”
“I’m sure you’re innocent.” I grabbed his silvered wrists. “Get up. You’re Captain Crawford’s problem now.”
“His property, you mean,” he said, quietly. “Look to her family for her killer. The captain won’t listen to me.”
“Listen to you lie?” I asked.
He changed tactics. “Let me go, and I will give you the incubus. I can tell you where he stays.”
“How would you know where the demon lives?”
The tiniest gleam of contempt sparked through his eyes, there and gone. “Every vampire in these woods is aware of the demon’s den.”
If that were true, I could simply ask Amias. If I could find him. If I could stand being face to face with him, talking to him like nothing had happened between us. Between me and a vampire.
I shuddered.
“Why wouldn’t Amias have told you?” Shane asked, as though reading my face.
“The master doesn’t want her facing the demon.” Gray didn’t look at Shane as he answered the question. “He’s afraid the incubus will…” Then he darted his stare away and let his words trail off.
He didn’t have to finish his sentence, really. Amias was afraid the demon would kill me. I wasn’t afraid he’d kill me. I was afraid of the dark despair he’d leave inside me.
“Release me,” Gray said. “Give me your word, and I’ll give you the demon.”
I guess he didn’t know who I was.
Why the hell did the vampires, the most depraved and cynical among us, keep thinking I was going to honor my word?
I glanced at Shane, who lifted his eyebrows. “If you don’t take him in, you don’t get paid. If you don’t get paid, I don’t get paid. Don’t make deals with the targets, Trinity.”
But I crouched beside our captive. “All right, Gray. You’ve got a deal.” And then I sat back and waited for him to tell me everything I needed to know.
Chapter Thirty-Four
I had to get rid of the demon, one way or another. If I couldn’t kill him, I had to figure out a way to send him home.
The thought of going near him terrified the absolute hell out of me, but it had to be done. If not, he’d come back for me. And the next time I might not be lucky enough to chase away his influence.
I was pretty sure I wouldn’t, actually.
I had to end him.
The rest I’d figure out as I went along.
“Start talking,” I told Gordon.
“Silverlight can kill the incubus,” he began. “But there are things she must do first. Changes she must go through.”
“Go on.” What changes? If he said I had to wash the blade in the blood of a virgin, I was going to slice off his head.
His mouth shook when he blew out a small sigh. “The silver burns,” he noted, almost calmly.
“Hurry with your tale so I can take it off you.”
Shane stood back, his arms crossed, staring down his nose at me with a dark look of disapproval. “If Silverlight could destroy the incubus, Amias would have told you.”
“No,” Gray said. And finally, he looked at Shane. “He cannot lose his thrall—and you cannot understand.”
“Tell me what I do to end the demon,” I said, impatient.
Before Gray could open his mouth, Shane spoke. “The others are coming.”
A few seconds later the supernats appeared. Angus led them, and silently, despite his usual roaring, stomping, unavoidably loud self.
His stare found me, then went to the vampire on the ground. “You got him,” he said, a gleam in his eyes. “If you were wearing nothing but lacy panties and high heels right now, my happiness would be complete.”
“Neanderthal,” Miriam said. “If I didn’t think he’d be out of commission for a week afterward, I would order Clayton to kick your balls into your throat.”
Clayton didn’t look at anyone. He stood with stiff blankness, his gun and blades holstered.
Rhys grinned but said nothing as he cleaned his blade on the hem of his shirt, then slid it into its sheath.
They were all a bit bloodier and a lot more unkempt than the last time I’d seen them, but no one appeared to be dying.
I went back to questioning my capture. “Continue, Gray.”
“You need an exorcist,” he said.
I looked at Clayton. “You said you know a man?”
“An exorcist,” he said. “I do.”
I gave him a nod. “Good. So you’re saying,” I asked Gray, “that we can have a priest exorcize the demon? That’s all we need to do?”
He laughed, despite his pain, despite his circumstances, and it was genuine amusement. “Not quite all.”
Shane ripped off his silver crucifix and dropped it on Gray’s face, where it sizzled and sank into his flesh even as Gray screamed.
“Damn,” Angus said. “That’s
heartless.” He patted me on the shoulder. “You should be more like him, sweetheart.”
I shrugged away his hand, then yanked the chain off Gray’s burnt flesh. I glared at Shane. “Let him talk.”
“He needs to talk faster,” Shane said, and though I agreed with him, I’d had my fill of torturing vampires for the week.
“The silver on his wrists is enough to control him,” I said, calmly. “And it burns like a motherfucker. There’s no need to torture him.”
But Gray had been convinced. He didn’t need further prodding. “The priest will trap the demon, but the trap will hold the incubus for only seven minutes. You must work quickly. Once the priest has trapped the demon, he will enter the circle, and he will cause the demon to possess him. Then, Silverlight must go into the priest’s heart.”
I stared at him, my mouth dry. “I have to kill the exorcist to kill the demon?”
“Likely,” he replied, “the man will die. Or perhaps his God will save him.” His shrug was tiny. “We can’t know for sure.”
“No.” I shook my head, resolute. “There has to be another way.”
“There is no other way,” he told me. “It must be your hand that wields Silverlight, and it must be you who flings her into the circle to pierce the demon.”
“No.”
“Trinity,” Miriam said, “the demon is killing many. You’ll have to destroy him or he’ll continue killing humans. Kill the exorcist.”
I looked at her. “Kill one to save many?”
“Exactly.” She smiled. “That’s exactly right.”
“It’s not,” I murmured. “I can’t do that.”
Angus hunkered down beside me. “Trin, this demon will continue killing if he’s not stopped. He’s taking innocent human lives every day to feed. Many women will die. And remember what he did to you. What he will do to you again if he’s not stopped.”
I lifted my gaze to his. “I want to stop him. But I can’t kill the exorcist to do it.”
Angus looked up at Clayton. “Convince her.”
“This man will gladly sacrifice himself to save the world,” Clayton said.
“Is he sick?” I asked. “Already dying?”
“No,” he answered. “But he has past transgressions he feels the need to pay for. He wears his hair shirt every day. He will do this with joy and will see it as an immense favor.”
“He’s insane,” I realized.
Clayton only shrugged.
“We’ll help you, honey,” Angus said. “All of us. We’ll guide your hand.”
“It has to be done,” Rhys agreed.
Gray waited, and burned, and hoped.
“Shit,” I whispered, and closed my eyes. “Shit.”
Rhys leaned over the fallen vampire. “Where does the incubus hide?”
“I’ll take you there,” Gray said. “Trinity will send Silverlight to stop me if I try to run. But I won’t trust you to release me if I tell you now.” He lifted his chin, his eyes dark. “He’s in these woods, but you’ll never find him without me. Release me, and I will lead you there.”
Angus stood. “Call your exorcist,” he told Clayton. “Go fetch him. We’ll wait here for you.”
“Wait,” I said, but Clayton, after Miriam’s quick approval, jogged away.
We were doing this.
And I was so not ready.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Shane pulled me away from the silvered vampire, and he was not happy. “If you let that vampire lead us to the demon, no one will hire you again, Trinity. And this isn’t just about you. I’m along for this ride, and I don’t want your bad reputation to affect my work.”
“Calm down,” I whispered, with a glance in Gray’s direction. “It’s not like I’m going to actually let him go after he leads us to Seth Damon.”
He threw back his head and inhaled deeply, then blew it out slowly before looking at me. “You did that with the first vampire you caught in the city. Once, you can come back from. You do it again, and you won’t.”
“What?”
“You can’t make fucking deals with your targets, and then go back on your word.”
“Why not?” I frowned, confused by his anger. “No one cares. They’re only vampires.”
“Because no one will trust you,” he shouted, drawing a few looks from the others. He clamped his mouth shut and when he spoke again, it was more quietly. “No one will hire you, and no one will work with you. No vampire will make a deal with you when it really matters. You won’t be a respected hunter, Trinity. There’s a rhythm to hunting. There’s a community, an understanding, and there are fucking rules.”
“But I don’t—”
He leaned forward and got in my face. “There’s a code. And if you can’t live and hunt by that code, you will not be a hunter.”
I was quiet for a few seconds, and I stared into the little knot of supernats standing over the silvered vampire, unable to look Shane in the eye. “I’m sorry,” I said, finally.
I hadn’t meant to be a dick or an idiot, but I’d ended up being both.
He softened. “Honor,” he said. “It’s important.”
I nodded. “But if I let him go…”
“Captain Crawford won’t trust you to hunt for the PD again.”
“And we won’t get paid.” I looked at him, trying for a smile. “I really don’t want to work at Angus’s store for the rest of my life.”
I needed to hunt. Needed it. It was in my blood.
“Then you’ll find another way,” Shane said, as he walked away.
“How long do we have before the exorcist gets here?” I called.
“Half an hour,” he said.
“Dammit.” I couldn’t do everything. Not in half an hour.
I strode toward the little group. “Angus, will you deliver Gray to Captain Crawford?”
They all gaped at me. “Hell no, I won’t,” Angus said. “How else are we going to find the demon?”
“I’m working on it.” I gripped his arm and stared up at him. I was tall, but Angus was really tall. “Take him to the police station for me.” I hesitated. “Please. Trust me.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Shane smile.
Yeah, I got it.
Angus shook his head, but his stare was gentle. “Be careful, Trinity.” He turned to Shane. “Truss him up, and do it right. None of that girly shit Trin has going on.”
Shane reached up under the back of his jacket and his hand emerged with a pair of silver handcuffs. He knelt beside Gray and got to work. When he was finished with the vampire a couple of minutes later, Gray was cuffed and wrapped from head to toe, and he wasn’t going anywhere.
“You gave your word,” Gray yelled, as Angus hauled him away.
“No,” I said. “I agreed to give you freedom if you led me to the incubus.”
“I need to tell you about Lucy.” But the silver was taking its toll and his voice was weak, fading, and tired.
“I’ll come see you when this is over.” But he was already gone, and he wouldn’t have heard my murmured words anyway.
I caressed Silverlight’s sheath, then turned and walked away.
“Hold up,” Rhys said. “Where are you off to?”
I turned back to face them. “I need to talk to Amias, and I need to do it alone.”
No one spoke—not even Miriam—so I left them there and went to find the only other person who could take us to the demon.
If he would.
I didn’t wander far from the group. I knew Amias would find me.
He did, not five minutes later.
I looked at him, and I waited for the rage. I could feel it, sort of, waving its arms and drumming its heels like a little kid throwing a tantrum, but it was easily dismissed.
I was sad to see it go, really, but no matter. The hatred was still there, and it wasn’t going to fade. Not ever.
He might think he ruled me, but he did not.
“Why are you smiling?” he asked quietly. He stood
a few yards away, his hands at his sides. He wore no jacket, just a black button-up shirt and black pants. He shoes were freshly shined and expensive, and he looked like a mysterious gentleman taking a leisurely stroll inside the gates of his estate.
But I knew him, probably as well as anyone could know a master vampire, and it didn’t matter what he wore or how smooth he was.
He was a vicious animal.
“I didn’t want to leave you there,” he whispered. “I want you now, Trinity. Can you feel it?”
And it was as though his words were torpedoes filled with sex. They pierced my eardrums, exploded in my brain, and left me gasping and doubled over, my fingers pressed to the two tiny puncture wounds on my thigh.
It took everything I had to straighten and pull Silverlight from her bed. She attached with a force that knocked the awful desire from my body, and she shook with the eagerness to taste the vampire who watched us.
“Your strength is impressive,” he said, smiling.
“Angus was telling the truth,” I said. “You did something to my mind.”
He took a step closer, despite Silverlight. “Are you in pain?”
I frowned. “No. Why?”
“You don’t want to hurt me.” And he was so very, very proud of that fact.
I could feel myself paling. “What is wrong with me?” I wasn’t asking him, and he didn’t bother to answer.
I would have hurt him if he’d threatened me, but I didn’t stand there with the overwhelming need to rip his heart out the way I had before.
Before the sex.
Silverlight wanted to hurt him. I didn’t.
“What do you need, Trinity?” There was pity in his voice.
That made me mad. “I need the demon. You’re going to tell me where he is.”
“Of course.”
I stared. “What?”
“He’s just returned to his nest a few minutes ago. He is tired and weak despite his…night. We must stop him now.”
“His night.” I cleared my throat and continued a little louder. “What happened?”
“We need to hurry,” was all he’d say. “Daylight arrives in two hours and I can’t help you when the sun comes.”
