Page 45 of Wolf Trap

“No chance. If they come back, when they come back, they’re more likely to do it again. You should leave, go home. Forget all this, as for you…” he leered at Lycaon.

Anthony raised his voice. “This isn’t about Loren and Zale’s redemption anymore. It never was. That was a trap to lure you out. It was their trap, a wolf trap, Lycaon! Imagine what they’d get if you put you on that site? Didn’t they want your blood, anyway?”

Grimacing, Lycaon nodded, his voice deep when he replied, “They took my blood and drank it. I’ve never heard of anything like this before.”

Anthony looked away from Nathaniel, and stared at Lycaon. “You’ve been away too long. I have seen the likes of this before. Humans do it to humans, trafficking. And humans kill lion’s locked in cages with the click of a mouse. That’s called canned hunting. I cannot comprehend it, it’s all despicable. I know I drink from humans, but only the evil, the dispossessed. And I only kill the evillest from society. I suppose I should be surprised it’s taken our community so long to catch up with the mortal’s misdemeanours. But come, let’s brace ourselves for this barbarous video, and look carefully in the background of it for clues for its where-abouts!”

Nathaniel’s eyes darted over me and Lycaon. “If they go downstairs…” he looked at Anthony with despair. “I need blood. My phone, it’s, no, I’ll have to show you.”

Trying to reassure him, I smiled softly, asking him gently, “Do you want us to wait in the cellar, or somewhere else? How can we help?”

His shoulders sagged further. “No. No, look, I’m just not myself.”

He sat down again, perching on the edge of the stool, looking expectantly at Anthony who nodded slightly, then bit his wrist and held it out for Nathaniel.

I did try to look away, and I felt Lycaon grip my wrist as Nathaniel drank from Anthony’s arm. But I couldn’t. It was, in amongst this chaos, this hell, compelling. Sensual. And I was transfixed watching them.

Lycaon tightened his hold and with his free hand, gestured that we should move elsewhere. I followed Lycaon in a daze as I watched the two vampires.

Anthony’s head lolled back, his lips parted with Nathaniel’s long curls curtaining his face as he drank from his friend.

As soon as we’d left the room, the spell was broken but Lycaon turned around and whispered, “It looks quite erotic, perhaps?”

“I think I need a glass of water.”

“You sure not a cold shower?” He shot me a cheeky grin. “You go down into the basement, I’ll bring the water. I could definitely use some, too.”

I didn’t laugh back. Everything was too awful. I knew he was trying to break the weight of this, to add some light. But it felt too heavy for that. Except for seeing Anthony and Nathaniel. Carnal and macabre at the same time.

I crept quietly down into their basement where they kept all their magical artefacts, but after that sight, well, their wholehome, even though it was in a mess from Adara’s thugs, seemed to radiate a feeling of a den of iniquity.

The cellar was trashed.The laptop screen was smashed and bottles of herbs, potions and amulets lay scattered about, leaking, strewn everywhere. I picked up some of the debris and jumped as moments later Nathaniel jogged down the stairs.

His face was still almost blue-white, but his bruise had healed a bit. He gestured. “I did get something else though, after they beat me. A contact. A reaper, no less. Apparently, the nightclub under Pulteney Bridge has a back room and Jax, the reaper, can be found there most nights. I’m surprised we’ve never heard of it, as it’s only across the city. Some kind of members’ club. That’s all I know.”

“Who told you that?”

Shaking his head, he said, “Well, young witch, no one you would know. But it wasn’t long after I had this visit. Not that I did trust him. A human, if you must know.”

“So, they’re using humans, as well…”

“They’re using everybody to gain their objectives.”

Lycaon stomped down the stairs and handed me a glass of water.

Nathaniel sighed, “Now, Lycaon, can you remove that brick, the one directly above and in the middle of the mantelpiece? My phone is behind there. Anthony gave me this, from the manor, bullets?”

Lycaon murmured, “sure, shorty.”

Nathaniel ignored Lycaon’s attempt at humour and taking the phone, switched it on. He placed it amongst the debris on his desk. He scrolled to the video, pressed play and stood back. I peered over Lycaon’s arm.

It was the screams, the cries that cut through my heart, their faces... And no one to help them. No way out. I lasted a few seconds, moving away as nausea lolled through my gut, my head feeling light. Time seemed to slow down as my brain was unable to make sense of such cruelty. Shaking my head, I said, “We have to help them. We have to get them out and burn that bloody place to ashes... if we go to this club, maybe we could get information to find their base? That’s what we need to find. And destroy it.” The words tumbled out before I realised.

I could feel my anger changing, a heat burning from my heart, snaking down my arms. My palms glowed for a fraction of a second.

“True. We need a disguise, or a way in,” Anthony answered without looking up.

I almost flinched not realising he was standing behind me.

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