vampire?” Adalric
slowly curved, and he lifted a lip into a smirk that
showed off one small, very pointed fang.“Yes. I am a
vampire.”
“Holy shit!” Brock stumbled back several steps. While Adalric chuckled, Catlin grabbed his friend’s
shoulders.“Focus, Brock. Those guys out there killing lifted a brow. The corner of his mouth people are vampires, too. Now, I agree that there’s no way the shifters are going to go catch them without us, but be smart about this. We can’t catch them alone. We need their help, their protection, to bring these guys
down and make the killing stop.”
Brock’s dark eyes focused on him, and he nodded.
“Yeah. Gotcha.” Catlin removed his hands and the
African American sank onto the couch.“Boy do I hate
it when you’re right,” Brock muttered.
Catlin frowned.“What do you mean?”
“You asked what would take down a shifter. There’s
your answer,” Brock replied almost blankly.“A pair of
fucking vampires!”
Catlin grimaced, understanding how overwhelmed
his friend felt. He was trying to keep his shit together,
too.“Just think of all the bloodsucker jokes you’ll be
able to use now,” he cajoled, knowing how much the
other detective liked to tease.
That had his friend brightening.“Yeah. Cool!” Kontra took that moment to walk into the room.
Catlin turned, facing him as Brock rose and stood
beside him. “You’re not leaving us behind,” Catlin
stated flatly, crossing his arms over his chest. Kontra’s
eyes narrowed. The alpha male probably didn’t like his
tone, but Catlin didn’t give a damn.“We’re the only
ones who can help you hide the truth. We’ll come up
with a story so no one will know what really
happened.”
Kontra exchanged a look with Adalric, who lifted a
brow as if to say it’s your call.
Surprisingly, it didn ’t end up being that difficult to convince Kontra once he and Brock agreed to stay close to the shifter and vampire group where they were assigned. Brock was sent with Kontra, Eli, and Darian. Catlin found himself teamed with Gallo, Adalric and Payson. He’d tried to convince his mate to stay home, but Gallo refused. Kontra had explained that because Catlin was an unclaimed mate, the need to protect would drive Gallo crazy if he were left home.
They prowled the dark streets, looking for signs of the rogues. Brock had searched through the last month’s assault cases where the victim hadn’t been killed. He’d found six more where the victim had bite wounds on their necks. From the appearance of those assaulted, the vampires were becoming increasingly violent in their attacks. Using the information, Brock and Catlin created a grid of locations. It gave them an area to start hunting.
Scuffling sounds from the alley ahead had Catlin on full alert, and he drew his service weapon. They hurried toward the noise as quietly as possible. Payson lifted his nose to the breeze and smirked.“Just a cat.”
A scream echoed off the buildings for two seconds, only to be cut off. Catlin tried to pinpoint the direction, but Adalric seemed to know exactly where it came from. He sprinted down a side street, Payson a step behind. It took everything Catlin had to just keep them in sight as they ducked between buildings and ran down alleyways. His chest heaving, he came upon a disturbing scene.
Deep in the alley, a blonde woman lay sprawled across the wet ground. Blood oozed from two puncture marks on her pale, slender neck. Payson was leaning over her, checking for a pulse. From the woman’s pinched features, clouded eyes, and sallow skin, Catlin couldn’t drum up much hope.
Beyond them, Adalric had a man pinned to the wall of a building. The vampire leader’s eyes glowed an eerie red. His hands were sharp claws where they dug into the other guy’s neck.
As he drew closer, Catlin realized the captive ’s eyes were red as well. The guy opened his mouth in an angry snarl as he struggled against Adalric’s hold.
Catlin shivered as he saw the vampire leader flash his fangs, which seemed larger than what he remembered seeing.
“ You have been found guilty of endangering the safety of our species,” Adalric snarled.“How do you plead?”
“Fuck you,” the foolish vampire replied. A creepy smile curved Adalric ’s features. “Very well.” Without a word, the powerful vampire dug the claws of his other hand into the captive’s chest and tore out his heart. Blood gushed from his chest. The red glow dimmed from the man’s eyes only to be replaced by a regular brown color. Adalric let the man’s body drop to the ground.
“ Was that necessary?” Catlin managed to get the question out of a tight throat as he fought back the urge to puke.