Page 174 of Hunters and Prey

Feeling my throat tighten, I bit my lip.

“It’s getting worse, Black,” I said.

He stared at me for a few seconds.

I saw a flicker of insight spark there, and a deeper understanding.

“Last night?” he said.

I nodded. “I think so.”

Remembering the closet, how I found myself back in our bed, I shook my head.

“I know so,” I amended. “It definitely happened last night. While I was with Brick.” Grunting, I added, “I lost all of my guns. Well… your guns, I guess. My clothes were gone. Even my earrings. For once, I was actually glad you hadn’t given me my wedding ring back. I would’ve had to send someone to the Conservatory to look for it.”

Black gave me a puzzled look. “What Conservatory?”

I didn’t answer that yet.

“I have no idea what Brick must have thought,” I said instead. “I have no idea what any of them thought. Based on my memories, I had a real audience that time. Probably about ten vampires would have seen it. God knows what happened when I just disappeared like that.”

I felt Black’s frown harden.

He didn’t like that.

He didn’t like it at all that the vampires would know that about me.

He didn’t address it yet, though.

Like me, he was probably picking his battles in terms of how much of this we could talk about at the same time.

“What set you off?” he said, his voice still gruff. “Last night. Something must have set you off.” He swallowed, a plume of heavier feeling coming off his light. “It was Nick, wasn’t it? Nick was there. With Brick and the others. That’s why––”

“No.” My voice was hard, almost harsh. “No.”

I shook my head, my jaw clenching.

“It wasn’t Nick, Black,” I said. “Nick had absolutely nothing to do with it.”

Meeting his gaze, I shook my head even more vehemently, seeing the skeptical look in his eyes.

“Black… hear me on this. It wasn’t Nick. Brick claimed he had no idea where Nick was, and weirdly, I believe him. Dorian wasn’t even there. Brick told me he’d sent that psychopath out to find Nick, along with others of their kind. I’m sure he’s desperate to bring Nick back before you find him and kill him.”

“Then what?” Black said frowning. “If it wasn’t Nick, what happened?” His fingers gripped my arms tighter. “Did Brick try something with you?”

I shook my head again, grimacing. “No.”

Taking a breath, I closed my eyes.

Then I just said it.

I blurted it really.

“It was Zoe,” I said. “It was my sister. She’s alive, Black.” Feeling a jolt of shock go through Black’s light, I amended, “Well, sort-of alive. Alive the way Nick is alive. Or Brick. Or Dorian. She’s a vampire now. Given that the last time I saw her was on a slab in the morgue, I have to assume she’s been a vampire all of this time. So… ten years now? Eleven?”

Grimacing, I added,

“Not even a fucking postcard.” Grunting, I added, “Even Nick called his mom.”

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