Gabrielle’s fingers dug into Aleksei’s back. I thought you said no one could tell. Did you leave a mark?
Aleksei’s breath hissed out again in a long rush of annoyance. His woman thought he would make such a mistake? I will not chastise you for that insult as you are very distraught, but I do not leave evidence or marks. There is something else here. Something I have yet to understand. I rarely run across a puzzle I have not seen before. He very carefully slid into Izaak’s mind, staying very quiet and unmoving, so as not to draw the attention of either of the puppets.
Are they vampire?
Human, but a vampire controls them. They do not realize that, of course. They believe they are hunting the vampire. The vampire is using them to hunt the Carpathian people.
If they see me in Izaak’s mind, will they know what happened? Is that how they knew? Can they get into his mind?
Aleksei was careful in looking around. Ordinarily, a puppet was simply that—a body for a vampire to use any way he saw fit. He could use the eyes to see what the puppet saw. He could use his mind to move in another’s. He was fairly certain the puppet had discovered Izaak had been used for blood all on his own and would report to his master. And that just might draw the master out to them. He would want to examine Izaak himself to see what he was dealing with.
“Kill him, Denny,” one said. “Kill him before he turns into one of them.”
“Not yet, Vaugn. We need to take him to the cabin and force him to tell us everything. You got the drug on you?”
It was telling that Denny had switched to English. Vaugn had to be one of the hunters who had come from out of the country.
Denny is Denny Jashari, a local whose son was a serial killer along with his nephews. They tried to kill Andre’s lifemate, Teagan. Andre took care of them, but Jashari is clearly the head of the local vampire-hunting society. They operate in secret, but mostly target people they do not like. They accuse them of being vampire and then they kill them. Andre told us they were hunting Teagan. Aleksei gave Gabrielle the information.
He continued to stay in Izaak’s mind, waiting to see what Denny and Vaugn would do next.
Vaugn slipped his arms around Izaak. “Get up, boy. Let’s walk it off.”
Izaak cooperated, trying to find his feet when he was dizzy. Denny suddenly straightened and looked around warily. He actually looked right through Aleksei. “Drop him, Vaugn,” he ordered. “Drop him right now.”
Vaugn let go of Izaak and Izaak swayed and tried to reach for Vaugn so he wouldn’t fall. Vaugn shoved him away, looking around, too, his face revealing anxiety. Aleksei smelled their fear. He pressed Gabrielle back. He knew what was coming.
The door to the pub opened. Music and laughter poured out into the night. The rain hissed as it fell on the man striding out. He was tall and confident-looking. Handsome to the extreme. He seemed ageless, and moved with ease. He turned his gaze on Denny and Vaugn and both men froze.
“Good evening.” He sent both a smile. The smile did nothing to light his eyes or illuminate his face. Instead, he actually appeared menacing. He stopped very close to them. “You did not inform me you were taking a prisoner.”
“He has been used,” Denny said, his voice higher pitched. Strangled. As if he couldn’t get enough air.
“And you knew this how?”
“You taught me how to know, Master Aron. I touched him, and he was cold and his blood volume was low enough to make him dizzy.” Denny cleared his throat repeatedly and his hand crept up protectively as if he might pry strangling fingers away.
“And still, with me giving you that gift to aid your cause, you did not think to inform me of this man?” The vampire spoke quietly. Calmly. His tone was deadly.
Aleksei recognized him from his youth. He went by the name of Aron Mazur. Andre was on his trail, so he knew the Carpathian hunter most referred to as The Ghost could be close.
“I thought I wouldn’t bother you unless he had important information,” Denny stammered. Wheezed. Tried to suck in air. “Vaugn has the drug on him and we thought we would use it, extract the information and then bring it to you.”
Aron’s eyes, flat and cold, entirely without emotion, stared at his puppet. “Do you think I do not know what is in your mind, Denny? I could split open your head and see the rotten debris there. You know what I am. Vaugn is a pawn, nothing more. A pawn to both of us, but you wanted to show him your power. You wanted him to fear you. Your ego once again has gotten the better of you.” His eyes began to glow a dark red. “I thought we were past that. Do you need another lesson?”
Aleksei felt Gabrielle’s forehead against his back. He reached behind him and found her free hand, threading his fingers through hers and bringing her hand to his thigh. The bracelet on her delicate wrist glowed with fiery flames in protest of the evil in the air, but the links were cool to the touch.