Page 76 of Shadow Hunter

Damon opened his mouth, trying to force words out, but she placed a single finger over his lips.

“You don’t have to say it. I already know.” She ran her hand over his arm before she sighed. “Let’s go massacre some leeches.” She turned away and walked toward the door.

Fifteen minuteslater she sat in the passenger seat of Janette’s silver sedan, cruising away from the city. She had no idea where they were going, but she’d assured herself that there was nothing for her to be afraid of; Damon and the rest of the Execution Underground team were right behind her. They had her back.

Once the vamps had accepted her suggestion of a meeting, entering their fold should have been a piece of cake, but a mounting feeling of dread crept through her. She couldn’t shake the feeling that the night wasn’t going to go as smoothly as planned.

After thirty minutes of silence, Janette parked her car outside what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse. Tiffany nearly scoffed. What a cliche´. Was it just her, or did all drug dealers, gangsters, monsters and the general underbelly of the population operate from inside old warehouses? She and Janette exited the vehicle and slipped inside the freezing cold building.

Tiffany almost choked on her own tongue. The inside held more vampires than she had ever imagined resided in Rochester. Nearly thirty bloodsuckers filled the room, along with only a small scattering of the humans she knew to be Hosts.

With twenty members of the Execution Underground at Damon’s side, the vampires outnumbered them. She tried not to think about that. Few of the vampires were very old, of that she was certain. She prayed the E.U. hunters could handle the extra monsters.

All eyes turned to her and Janette as they entered the room. Tiffany scanned the crowd and recognized several faces. The closest in rank to Caius was Lucas. The regular bartender at Club Fantasy, Lucas had been on this earth since the mid-1800s, when he’d been working as a scientist, or so Caius had told her. The vamp wasn’t nearly as ancient as his egotistical Roman superior had been, but in age he trumped all the other vamps in the room. Caius had told her that Lucas was the second-eldest vampire in the city, another migrant from N.Y.C.

“Finally, our absent leader’s pet is here,” Lucas said with a grin.

From the look on his face, she already knew he couldn’t have been happier about Caius’s disappearance. With Caius gone, it was highly likely power would fall to him. Others might try to battle him for the position, but considering his age, his defeat would be highly unlikely.

He eyed her up and down. “You don’t look to be grieving very deeply over the death of your lover.”

Lover, my ass.In her head, Tiffany pulled her gun and shot Lucas point-blank solely for the disgustingly smug grin painted across his face.

She fixed him with a hard glare. “I’m not grieving because Caius is not dead,” she said.

A murmur of whispers ignited throughout the small crowd. So much for not drawing attention to herself.

Lucas raised a brow. “That’s quite an assertive claim. Do you know something we don’t?”

She shrugged. “Maybe. Gentlemen first.”

Lucas frowned. He didn’t like being sassed by a lowly human. His lips remained shut.

Janette answered instead, her ghostly face reminding Tiffany of a skeleton. And, man, was the red lipstick freaky against that pale skin. Janette glanced in her direction. “All we know is thatCaius, Carl and the car have disappeared. Perhaps you know something more than we do?”

Tiffany continued to stare straight at Lucas. “Actually, I don’t. But why Caius going missing would cause all of you to believe he is dead is beyond me.” She scanned the crowd, meeting several pairs of eyes along the way. “There’s nothing pointing to Caius’s death, and knowing him as I do— as we all do—it seems quite likely to me that he’s putting a plan in motion, something he doesn’t want anyone to know about until he’s ready to reveal it. It sounds to me—” her gaze locked with Lucas’s again “—that some may be all too eager to declare him dead.”

His jaw clenched. “Don’t get too cocky, human,” he spat.

She feigned an innocent look. “Too cocky? I’m just trying to protect Caius’s interests...exactly like everyone else here who is loyal to him.”

Many vampires and Hosts alike nodded.

She cleared her throat. She had to keep this situation under control. “Rather than bickering about whether or not Caius is dead, I think it would benefit all of us to come up with a strategy to search for him. Until it’s proven otherwise, we should proceed as if Caius is alive and well. I’m certain he left to attend to pressing business.”

Lucas chuckled. “Without informing you or any of his fellow vampires?”

Tiffany shrugged innocently. “Who am I to question his motivations?”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Perhaps you’re correct.”

What?Tiffany’s eyes widened.Where was he going with this? Why was he agreeing with her so readily?

A devious grin spread across Lucas’s face. “May I have a word, Tiffany? While the others create possible action plans, you and I can discuss the finer details of Caius’s disappearance in private.”

Damn it all to hell. With everyone standing there watching, she couldn’t refuse or she would appear insubordinate, a deadly sin for a human, as if she had something to hide or a reason to fear. And as Caius’s favorite, she was somewhat safe—hurting her would be as blatant as attacking Caius himself. So, if she wanted to appear as if she truly believed he was still alive, she couldn’t act as if she feared Lucas. But she wouldn’t put it past him—or any powerful vampire, for that matter—to attack her in Caius’s absence, if only to strike a blow at Caius since he sought the elder’s position. In other words, either way: she was fucked.

She flashed a fake smile. “Of course.”

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