Page 13 of Hunters and Prey

Chapter 7

They all arrived before dawn. Phillipe, Leah, Henry, Kyo, Ayita. They hadn't seen each other more than a couple of times in centuries, but one phone call, and they were all here; the mark meant as much to the rest of them as it did to her.

Turned vampires were always faithful to their makers, but it was more than that in their case. The ones who'd turned them had long become ash; they could have walked away without too much difficulty if they'd wanted to. They hadn't, because the Eirikrson were more than founders, makers, royalty. Along with immortality, they'd given each and every one of them a higher purpose.

The founders ruled this world, without any rivals. Some scions could take common vampires, but no force on Earth rivaled the Drakes, the DuValle, and the rest of the stinking royals who had a house on the hill. None but the Eirikrson. They'd acted as an authority, a tangible threat. Before the death of the Eirikrson, the vampires would have never dared take over the world like they had during the age of blood. The huntsmen kept the rabble in check, but the royals weren't afraid of mortal hunters. The only thing that they feared was the Eirikrson.

The Eirikrson killed any vampire who stepped out of line—anyone, regardless of name or agenda.

They'd trained and turned a legion of slayers dispatched around the world to become their enforcers. Viola had been on a mission in China when they'd been betrayed and slaughtered. She, Phillipe—who was trailing the sister—and the four ancients staring at the sleeping guy on the couch of her suite were all that was left of a once mighty clan.

"Shit, I can smell him. Feel him." Leah shook her head in disbelief, turning to Viola. "How?"

She shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. One kid survived and grew up around humans. Before turning, born fledglings aren't all that different from humans. They probably thought they were crazy when they started hearing voices—and then they really went crazy, no doubt. But they survived."

"His family must have left a trail of corpses for centuries," said Ayita.

Viola nodded. Tom's ancestors must have either died young, or lived to become hunters. Their human shells didn't change what they were inside.

"What are you going to tell him?"

"Me?" she snorted. "I found him. You guys can figure it out."

There was no way to go about this that wouldn't result in incredulity, drama, and potentially one of them having to knock out their young lord again.

Tom stirred on the sofa, and the five vampires in the room all stilled, holding a breath.

His hand went to his neck, rubbing it as he stretched and yawned.

Then he blinked, looked around, and sighed.

"Not a dream, then?" he asked, more curious than hopeful.

As he was looking right at her, Viola was forced to answer.

"Nope, not a dream. Here are a few of my colleagues. Ayita," she said, pointing to the russet-skinned, short woman with long, straight hair. "Leah." The busty redhead waved a hand. "Kyo." She pointed to the tall, handsome Asian man leaning against the far wall. "And Henry."

Henry had long, curly brown hair. He'd looked like a hippie before the term was invented.

"It's daytime." Tom flew to his feet. "My sister…"

"Phillipe, one of the best amongst us, is watching her—from a safe distance," said Henry, with a reassuring smile.

He'd always managed to integrate with humans better than the rest of them; his friendly, open face and nonchalance could conceal his deadly edge.

His charm didn't seem to reassure Tom, who turned to her.

"I need to see my sister. Whatever mess I'm in, it can't affect her."

"If you head to her right now, whoever's on your trail will find her. We've tweaked your digital footprint a little; it'll be hard to connect you two now."

Changing the identity of his parents, his last name, and place of birth had been a matter of calling Knox and cashing in one of the many favors the immortal wolf owed Viola.

Tom's jaw was set as he eyed the door.

"She is taken care of," said Viola, willing him to believe her.

Tom's eyes came back to hers, and he sighed. "I don't even know your name."

Oh. Fair point. "It's Viola."

It occurred to her that the balance of power was shifting in the room. For so long, she'd been the principal threat, the one people eyed and obeyed wherever she went. But as he looked right at her, his dark eyes fixed and unblinking, she knew it was a matter of time until he held everything in his grasp.

"Well, Viola, are you done hiding shit from me?"

Kyo, who rarely said a word, chuckled."I like him."

Viola wished she could say the same. Tom unnerved her. He hadn't seemed quite so sharp the previous evening. The two or three beers he'd drunk probably had something to do with it, though.

"I am. You sit. They talk."

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