Death's Servant(10)

Recent rain has left the ground spongy, making my every step absorbed by plump soil and new plants. The sun set while I trailed Raine to this isolated location, and the long twilight of late spring creates deep shadows between the thin trunks and undergrowth.
In a third of a mile or so, glimpses of red brick and a metal roof wink through the dense vegetation. Within a few minutes a huge structure and several smaller outbuildings come into view. Three stories high with a gabled roof and arched windows, the main house resembles a McMansion on steroids.
The new homes where I’ve been working don’t even compare, and I thought those houses were huge. Either her pack is doing much better than Romeo’s in Manitoba or this isn’t their home.
The breeze shifts and the strong stink of werewolf lifts to reveal a fainter scent underneath. Blood cools in my veins as I realize I’ve encountered the odor before. It’s the unmistakable stench of vampire.
Is this a vampire house and the wolves live here as well?
I tamp down my confusion and skirt the edge of the woods, slowly making my way onto the neatly trimmed grass, angling toward a far corner of the house.
A large detached garage comes into view with an array of expensive cars parked on the gravel. I see hood and grill ornaments for Mercedes, Lexus, and Porsche. Either they’ve got company or Raine’s pack drives luxury cars. Her tiny battered Honda sits off near an even larger, one-story outbuilding farthest away.
I ease behind the garage, casually drifting from one darkened location to the next. Despite the obvious signs of habitation, no one walks the grounds nor do I see any movement through the windows. Huh. Wonder where everyone is?
I approach Raine’s car, her familiar scent filling my nostrils. A quick glance reveals the car lies empty without even a candy wrapper to clutter its neatness. The area near her car door holds the strongest trace of her, the trail leading toward the large house, not one of the other outlying cottages or sheds.
I tense, unsure if the course I’ve taken in coming here is the wisest choice. I’m all alone and have no idea what I’ll be facing. I shrug off my discomfort and follow Raine’s last steps. I’ve come this far, might as well see it through to the end.
Like I suspected, she went to the backdoor of the main house. Sounds of local wildlife from the dense woods surrounding the house are strangely absent, as if they sensed my predator presence and refrained from further display. Before I decide to try the knob or knock, a groan meets my ears. The sound issues from the right, around the corner of the imposing brick façade.
I press my back to the sun-warmed surface and slink quietly along the outside wall, easing toward the noise.  A large bay window protrudes, its panes free of fabric, allowing inhabitants a clear view of the peaceful woods beyond. The design style also offers me an unhindered view inside.
Two men in tuxedos stand with their backs to me, their attention focused on the dining room table before them. One brown-haired man stands taller than the other one with black hair. The shorter man leans forward, eagerness apparent in his body language. I follow his gaze and barely stifle my surprise in time.
Raine sits on the polished mahogany surface, knees spread to bracket her thighs outside the hips of a third tuxedo-clad man standing in front of her, leaning over her neck. Her head is tipped back, leaving her delicate throat exposed to the man’s attentions.
His dark blond head angles across her throat. He appears to be kissing the skin there.
She groans again and the sound cuts through my heart like a knife. All this time I thought she wanted me, desired me as a possible mate. What an idiot I’ve been.
The man roughly pulls down the neck of her t-shirt to expose her breast. He grabs her flesh, squeezing hard. Raine gasps and thrashes her head to the side, allowing me to see her eyes are scrunched tightly closed, a look of discomfort showing in her features.
I jerk in surprise when one of the men, the taller one with brown hair, near the partly opened window speaks. “Go easy on her, Nathaniel.” His voice holds strength and the man kissing Raine’s neck loosens his hold on her small breast. “She donated last Wednesday and I’ll not have you draining her more than necessary. She’s a favorite of Dominic’s and he’s scheduled her for Friday.”#p#分页标题#e#
A faint whiff of blood billows from under the wooden pane and fear grips my gut. As if confirming my horrified thoughts, a thin trail of red seeps down the young woman’s skin, collecting in the hollow of her throat.
Dear God. They’re vampires feeding off Raine.
By the casual sound of the tall man’s comments, it must be a normal occurrence. Panic clogs my throat as I stand frozen in place, unable to turn away from the horrible display and afraid to move and be discovered.