The Dark-Hunters (345 page)

Satara scoffed. “Some dignity. His head’s going to explode. Where’s the dignity in having your brains splattered all over a cat box because you wanted to look up some human whore’s dress? If he’d truly been worthy, we’d have never caught him so easily.”

Stryker tightened his grip on the phone. “Trickery isn’t worthy of our species.”

“Oh, get out of the Stone Age, Strykerius. There’s no such thing as noble duels anymore. This is a world where the better sneak wins.”

Perhaps, but he remembered a time and place where things didn’t work quite that way and after eleven thousand years he was too old to change his ways. “Even so, he is a cousin to us and—”

She sneered at him. “The Were-Hunters turned their backs on the Apollites and Daimons a long time ago. They don’t consider you family anymore.”

“Some do.”

“Kontis doesn’t,” she shot back. “If he did, he’d have never been able to sell his soul to the Dark-Hunters and join their ranks. For hundreds of years he’s hunted and killed your kind. I say geld the bastard and wear his shriveled balls as a trophy.”

Trates cringed at her words, as did several other males in the room, some of whom instinctively cupped themselves.

And Satara wonders why no man will date her.…

“Leave him intact,” Stryker ordered the Apollite over the phone while he glared at his sister. “I’ll be there after sundown to check on him myself and he better be as he was when you captured him.”

Before the Apollite could respond, Stryker hung up the phone and returned it to his belt.

Satara rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe
you
would show mercy to an enemy. You who cut the throat of your own son to appease Apollymi.”

Acting on pure instinct, Stryker reached up and grabbed her by the neck to silence her. “Enough,” he growled as her eyes bulged. “Unless you want to see the exact nature of my mercy, you’ll take a more respectful tone when you address me. I don’t care who you serve. Let Artemis find another handmaiden. One more word and I’ll silence you eternally.” Shoving her away from him, he stood up.

Utter silence filled the hall as he scanned the gathered Spathis. Physically no older than twenty-seven, each member of their clan was as beautiful as an angel … of death.

And they were his to command.

Ignoring his sister, he addressed them. “We have been given a rare opportunity to work with the humans to bring about the end of the Dark-Hunters in Seattle and give us the foothold we need in their world. But don’t think for one minute that this war is over. And as soon as Acheron realizes how many of his Dark-Hunters are missing, he will come here himself to see what’s going on.”

Stryker pinned a fierce look on Satara. “Are you ready to battle the Dark-Hunter leader?”

Her eyes flashed with bloodlust as she rubbed her throat. “With every breath I have.”

Stryker scoffed. “Suicidal bravery will get us nowhere. Apollymi protects that bastard of hers. It will never be by a Daimon hand that he dies.…”

“It’ll be by a human one,” Trates said from his right.

Stryker nodded. “And it will take a great deal of planning and careful execution if we’re to do this. Kill Acheron and the other Dark-Hunters will be easy to manipulate or eliminate.” He looked around the room as his army nodded in agreement.

“So who do we kill next?” Trates asked.

Stryker considered the seven Dark-Hunters who were left. Each one of them had been a fierce warrior in their human lifetime. There wasn’t an easy target in the bunch.

But with the humans helping them, for once they had a distinct advantage. Like the Apollites and Daimons, the Dark-Hunters couldn’t survive in daylight but their human helpers could. What’s more, the Dark-Hunters couldn’t sense a human the same way they could an Apollite or Daimon. Humans could easily sneak up on them and deliver an unexpected death blow. Not to mention the small oath that all Dark-Hunters took to preserve human life even at the expense of their own.…

It was an oath that would be their undoing.

“We’ll let the humans choose. This is their war. We’ll support them for now, but in the end, should they fail it’ll be their funerals and not ours.”

*   *   *

Susan knew better than to get her hopes up as she parked in front of the animal shelter. This could very easily be nothing more than a major waste of time.

Or it could be your ticket back—

“Oh, shut up, Pollyanna,” she snapped at herself as she grabbed her purse. She hated that little bit of an optimist who still lived inside her. Why wouldn’t it die?

But no, she always had to have hope even when it was pointless. What was wrong with her anyway? Other people got to be jaded … why not her?

I’m just cursed, I guess.

Sighing in disgust, she got out of her car and headed for the entrance. She pushed open the door to walk into a brightly lit reception area.

There was a perky blond teenager standing behind a counter where the girl was tucking papers into file folders. “Hi,” she said, glancing up at Susan. “Can I help you?”

“Cats. I’m here looking for cats.”

The girl gave her an odd look. Not that Susan blamed her. There couldn’t have been less enthusiasm in her voice if she’d tried. For that matter, she might even have been curling her lip as she said it. She wasn’t quite sure. It was hard to hide as much distaste as she had for the creepy four-legged creatures who’d made her miserable as a child.

The girl pointed to the left. “They’re over there.”

“Thanks.” Susan headed toward the light blue door that was marked ironically enough with the word
Cats.

She pushed it open and had to fight the urge to run back to her car as her sinuses immediately clogged. And this after she’d taken Benadryl half an hour ago in expectation of such misery.

“Good grief,” she said, pulling a Kleenex from her purse while she pretended to peruse the evil allergy beasties. Her eyes were even starting to swell, she could feel it.

She sneezed loudly, then dabbed at her nose. “Where are you, Angie?” she asked in a low whisper from between her clenched teeth.

She was just about to abandon the thought of sticking this out when she caught sight of the strangest cat she’d ever seen. Long and lean, it looked as if someone had shrunk a leopard into the size of a house cat. But more than the beauty of its small body was the blackness of its eyes. She’d never seen a cat with black eyes before.

And it looked really angry.

She cocked her head to study it. There was something about the cat that seemed highly intelligent. “Hey, Puss in Boots, you unhappy here?” She sneezed again. Cursing and wiping her nose, she sniffed as her eyes started tearing. “I can’t blame you. I’d rather be hit in the head with a tack hammer than stay here.”

“Hi there. Can I interest you in a cat?”

She jerked around at Angie’s voice. Short with black hair and brown eyes, Angie looked about nervously and by that she could tell Angie didn’t want anyone to know they were friends. Catching the cue, Susan looked back at the cat and could have sworn it had one eyebrow raised as it waited for her response. Yeah, the Benadryl was working on something besides her sinuses. “Sure.”

“Let me show you to a room where you can play with him for a few minutes.” It was obvious Angie had been practicing that speech for a while.

Good thing Angie was a vet and not an undercover agent—she’d be shot in a heartbeat. But Susan didn’t say anything more as Angie gently took the miniature leopard out of the cage and put it in a cat cage before she led her toward another blue door that opened into a small petting room.

Pausing outside the door, Angie handed her the cage and gave her an artificial smile. “Take your time. You really want to make sure you know the cat before you take him home.”

“Will do,” Susan said in the same stilted tone. She took the box, holding it as far away from her body as she could, and entered the windowless room, which she thought was empty until the door closed and she saw Angie’s husband standing behind it. A detective, he’d been a friend of hers for years, too.

“Hi, Jimmy.”

He put his finger to his lips. “Keep your voice down. Someone could be outside. Listening. Why do you think I had Angie tell you to meet me here? I can’t afford anyone to see me meeting with a reporter after what happened last night.”

Ooo, he’d gone seriously paranoid.

“Someone like who?” she whispered. “What happened last night?”

He didn’t respond. Instead, he took the cage from her outstretched hand and set it right beside the door before he pulled her to the farthest corner, where a small bench rested. “You don’t know what I’ve seen, Sue,” he whispered. “What they’re capable of. My life, your life … all of us. It means nothing to them. Nothing.”

Her heart picked up its pace at his fearful muttering and the panic she saw in his light blue eyes. “Who are
they?
”

“There’s a major cover-up going on and I have no idea just how high up the food chain it goes, but it does go up.”

Susan leaned forward eagerly. Exposing high-level cover-ups had once been her specialty. “Major cover-up for what?”

“Remember those missing kids I told you about? The college students and runaways that we’ve been getting reports on? I’ve found a couple of them. Dead. Now I’ve been pulled from the cases and told that they’re being handled by a special task force that doesn’t exist. That I shouldn’t worry about them.”

A chill went down her spine at those words. “Are you sure?”

“Of course I am,” he said angrily. “I found evidence … and when I went to report it, I was told that it would be in my best interest not to do any more investigating. So I did a little more of it with my partner Greg and now he’s missing, too, and…” He swallowed hard. “They’re after
me
now.”

“Who?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. I don’t even believe it and I know the truth.” His eyes were round in fear. “I’m taking Angie tonight and we’re leaving town.”

“Where are you going?”

“Anywhere but here. Anywhere there’s no people in league with the devil.”

Susan went cold at his words as a wave of suspicion went through her. “And who’s the devil?”

“I told you, you wouldn’t believe it. I don’t and I saw it. Do you understand? They’re out there and they’re coming for all of us.”

“Jimmy—”

“Sh. Don’t lecture me on this. Get out of this town, Sue, while you can. There are things here that aren’t human. Things here that shouldn’t be alive, and we’re the food for them.”

She pulled back with a grimace at his bizarre turnabout. “What the hell is this? A bad joke?”

“No,” he snarled, his nostrils flaring. “You can be stupid if you want, but this isn’t a game. I thought it would be safe to talk to you here in this shelter of all places. And then I find out that one of them is working with Angie. Working
here.
Right here in this clinic. He could be listening in on us right now and reporting back to the others that I’m on to them. None of us are safe.”

“Who’s here?”

He swallowed hard. “The other vet. Dr. Tselios. He’s one of
them.
”

“Them who?”

“The
vampires.
”

Susan ground her teeth as she fought the urge to roll her eyes. It was a battle she was amazed she won. Surely, Angie and Jimmy wouldn’t be so cruel as to play this game with her. Not when they knew how much she loathed her job at the
Inquisitor.
“Jim—”

“Don’t you think I know how crazy I sound?” he hissed, cutting her off. “I was just like you, Sue. I thought it was all bullshit, too. There’s no such thing as vampires, right? We’re the top of the food chain. But that isn’t true. They’re out there and they’re hungry. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll get the hell out of here. Please write it up to let other people know before they kill them, too.”

Now that was just what her bloody reputation needed. More wounds.
Thanks, Jim.

Jimmy’s eyes narrowed on her as if he knew what she was thinking. “It’s your ass now, Sue. I did my best to save it. You can do what you want, but I’m out of here.”

Before she could say anything more, he left her standing alone in the room … and returned the cat cage to the floor by her feet.

Susan sneezed.

As she dabbed at her nose, the door opened to show her Angie, who stared at her with a frown. She entered the room and shut the door behind her. “What did you say to Jimmy?”

“Nothing really. Why?”

“He wants me to leave with him right now.”

Susan sighed at the fear in her friend’s voice. “Did he tell you what was going on?”

She shook her head. “Not exactly. He said too many people were missing and dying and that he’s terrified that the ones responsible will come after him next. He wants us to head out for his parents’ house in Oregon.”

“Did he also tell you about the vampires?”

“The what?” By Angie’s face, Susan could tell that Jimmy hadn’t shared that bit of information with his wife.

“Yeah. According to him, the vampires are out to kill all of us off. No offense, Ang. I think Jimmy needs some help. Has he been doing a lot of overtime?”

Anger flared deep in Angie’s eyes. “Jimmy’s not crazy, Sue. Not by a long shot.”

Maybe, but she didn’t want to argue with her friend. “Yeah, well, thanks for the hot news tip.”

As she started for the door, Angie stopped her. “Here. Take the cat with you.”

She gaped. “Excuse me?”

“Please. For whatever reason, Jimmy is terrified. Take the cat to keep up appearances and I’ll come by and pick him up after work.”

Sue cringed at the thought, but she would do anything for her best friend. “All right, but you owe me.
Big
-time.”

“I know.”

Growling low in her throat, Susan picked up the box and followed Angie to the counter out front.

Angie handed her some papers while she wrote out a check for the adoption fees. “Now don’t forget to spend time with him until he gets used to you.” She was back to being stilted and odd again.

“No problem.”