Page 78 of Shadow Hunter

Something wasn’t right about that.

He opened his mouth, prepared to mention as much to the Sergeant, but the older man interrupted him swiftly, “Prep your team, operative, and remain calm,” he said, a knowing glint in his eyes. “We’ll get her out of there safely.”

Tiffany’s heartraced as she faced Lucas. Her pulse thumped hard inside her chest, and she could feel the rhythm all through her body. Standing tall, she glared at the bloodsucker. She wouldn’t show her fear. Not now. Not ever. “What is this about, Lucas?”

An evil grin twisted his face. “That worthless hunter of yours, Damon Brock.”

Tiffany froze. It took everything she had to hold her face completely still.

How did he know about Damon?

She met his eyes and decided to bluff. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Lucas snarled. “Don’t be cute with me, human. You know exactly what I’m talking about. Your vampire slayer lover and his brigade of Execution Underground cronies positioned outside this building.” He stepped closer. “Lie and pretend you don’t know again, and I’ll sink my fangs into your throat.”

She held her breath, holding her face still and stern.

He walked toward the wall and leaned against it. “I know you killed Caius.”

All the neurons in Tiffany’s brain fired. How the hell was she going to get herself out of this? She tried to steady her breathing. Damon and the other E.U. members would rush in soon, and when Damon saw she wasn’t in the main room, he would comelooking for her. Could she hold Lucas off until then? She was unarmed, but she could stall him. Make him talk.

Lucas went on. “But it’s not Caius’s life I care about. It’s my master, Apophis.”

Tiffany stared at him as calmly as she could. “If you expect that name to mean something to me, you’re going to be disappointed.”

A low growl escaped Lucas’s throat and a shiver rushed down her spine. “Apophis, named for the Egyptian God of chaos and war, my sire—the ancient vampire your hunter murdered.”

She held her position. “Damon has destroyed hundreds of vampires, and you expect me to know the name of one in particular?”

Lucas chuckled. Moving faster than she could comprehend, he came to stand behind her, grasping her throat in one hand and her hair in the other. He led her toward a closed door that she assumed opened into another room. “Perhaps you’ll put two and two together when you see what I’ve saved as a surprise for the two of you.”

Still gripping her hair, he wrenched the door open. A dark form loomed in the shadows. Lucas shoved her forward. She stumbled inside, and he flipped on the light. Her eyes locked onto the sight before her, and her heart stopped. For a moment, Tiffany couldn’t move. Her stomach churned, and her whole body shook violently.

Tears welled in her eyes as she choked down a scream.

Chained against the wall by his wrists stood her brother. Or the shell of what had once been him anyway. At the sight of her, his irises flashed red and he hissed, his fangs descending as he fought against his restraints.

No. No.

Bile rose in her throat. Unable to scream, she doubled over and vomited onto the floor. Attempting to catch her breath, shepanted, eyes wide and staring at the horror before her, but to no avail, her brain refusing to process what stood directly in front of her.

Mark wasn’t dead. He was a vampire.

And he was infected...

“No doubt that hunter of yours told you that your brother’s body burned in the fire from the raid, and believe me, until this day he still thinks that to be true. But there’s one problem with fires....” He stepped up behind her, and the warmth of his disgusting breath brushed against her neck. “There are no bodies to be found.”

As fast as she could, Tiffany withdrew her stake from its hiding place and lunged toward Mark. But Lucas grabbed her mid-movement. He dug his fingers into her hand, and the stake fell from her grasp as she felt the bones of her wrist break beneath his fingertips. She let out a sharp shriek, crumpling to the ground.

With her already down, Lucas kicked her spine, knocking the wind from her, then put his foot between her shoulder blades, holding her down. She prayed he wouldn’t move his foot low enough on her back to find her gun. “See, here’s what happened. That hunter of yours murdered my master, Apophis. Caius, being the coward he is, stabbed your brother with his own stake, then left to save his own skin. When I saw your brother lying there on the cold ground, bleeding, I saw my window of opportunity.”

He stomped harder on her spine. She reached for her stake, but the lacquered wood had landed just beyond her reach.

Lucas continued. “To make your hunter suffer, I turned your brother. I knew that to a vampire slayer, the only thing worse than death is being transitioned into one of the creatures they hunt.”

Foot still on her spine, he bent and picked up her stake, then released her.

She gasped for air.

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