Marked By The Vampire (Purgatory #2)(21)
Author: Cynthia Eden

He stared at her, then…shook his head, as if confused by her. “I told you…Pate sent me.”

She stepped toward him. Her legs were all shaky and she could actually still feel the man inside of her. Inside. Outside. All around her. “You’re FBI?”

He nodded.

“Since when does the FBI hire vampires?”

“Since I owed Eric Pate a blood debt, and this was my way of repaying him.”

Oh…um, okay.

“I’m part of the Seattle Para Unit,” he continued, his voice fully devoid of emotion. “When Pate’s targets are too big for his normal resources to handle, I step in.”

She ventured another step closer to him. “Shane Morgan…is that your real name?”

He shook his head, and her humiliation deepened. Wonderful. She’d had sex with a man without even knowing his real name.

“Shane Morgan is the name I use for my cover here at Purgatory. I’ve been Shane August. Shane Elliott, Shane—”

Olivia held up her hand. “I really get the idea.” She stared at him. “What is your real name?”

“Just Shane is close enough. That’s the name I’ve used the longest.”

He was driving her crazy. “What’s happening in Purgatory?”

“That’s what I was supposed to find out.” One blond brow lifted. “But then I got distracted by saving your sexy ass.”

Did he think her ass was sexy? She almost glanced back but didn’t. “Do you know a way for us to get off this island?” That’s it—just keep talking. Don’t think about the sex or the bite. Just think about safety.

“Maybe.” His voice was mild. “But that’s going to depend.”

Another small step had her nearly touching him. “On what?”

His eyes narrowed. “On just how badly the people in Purgatory want you back.”

The knots in her stomach were getting worse.

“I answered your questions, now you answer mine.” He cocked his head. “Who sent you to Purgatory?”

Uh, they’d just covered this. “Pate. Eric Pate, you know—”

“Pate got orders from above that you were supposed to be shipped in. How’d you work that? Who sent you?”

Olivia shook her head.

“Don’t play games with me.” His face hardened as he stared at her. “If I’m risking my life for you, I want to know the risk is worth it. Because if you’re playing me…”

“I’m not!”

“Then you’ll pay.” Flat. Cold.

“Look, I’m—”

He leapt toward her. Put his hand over her mouth and pulled her tightly against him.

She struggled, but he just held her tighter. She tried to—

A rock fell down from overhead, crashing against the side of the cave and ricocheting before it sank into the water. “They’re close…” Shane whispered in her ear. His warning was a breath of sound. “Too close.”

She couldn’t hear anything but the desperate thunder of her heartbeat.

“Don’t move.”

His head slid back from her, and he glanced up. Another rock fell down, barely missing Olivia’s foot.

She held herself perfectly still, too afraid in that instant to even breathe.

***

“They aren’t here!” Case yelled at David. The werewolf was proving himself to be a total waste. They’d been all around the island, and the wolf had turned up nothing so far.

Case’s head tilted back as he gazed at the water that surrounded the island. They were at the highest point on the island, a stony hill that gave them a vantage point to survey the area around them.

But we still haven’t found the vampire.

“Alphas are supposed to be better than this,” Case snarled. His fingers tightened around the collar’s remote. Maybe it was time to find a new alpha to use on this hunt.

“In wolf form, I’d find them instantly.” David’s voice was low, tight with anger. “The wolf is always the stronger hunter.”

Case frowned. He actually knew that bit was true, but… “You seriously think I’ll let you take off that collar so you can change?” Did he look like an idiot?

David whirled toward him. “I’m close! I can catch the faintest hint of the vamp’s scent…of her…” He shook his head. “But I won’t get any closer, I won’t find more unless I shift!”

Case shook his head and he hit the button on the remote—the button that would send a powerful surge of silver right into the werewolf’s blood.

David gave a guttural cry of pain. “I…can…find them!”

“So can another wolf. One who doesn’t have to shift in order to get the job done.” He’d go through every werewolf in the place if he had to do it. Every single one.

Pain twisted the werewolf’s face. “Others…can’t…find them. Vamp was…smart. He went underwater…that-that cloaked…scent.”

Yes, the vampire had been more resourceful than he’d expected, and Case still wanted to know how the vampire had known about the tunnel under Purgatory.

“The…only way…is if I shift…”

Case eased up on the remote and the silver concentration surging into David slowed. “You realize if I take off that collar, the only option for containing you will be death? If you make one wrong move, my men will be forced to pump you full of silver bullets.”

Actually, the more he thought about it…

That idea works.

Case had planned to discard the werewolf, anyway. He couldn’t let David go back and tell the others about the tunnel. Someone else might try to escape.

Not on my watch.

And if he were to spread the story that David had attacked his men or tried to flee, without his collar—everyone will think his death was justified. The only recourse left to my men.

“You won’t have to…to contain me.”

No, he wouldn’t. Case would just kill him, if he had to do it. “Fine.” Case nodded and motioned to his men. But they hesitated, and didn’t move forward. “Unlock his collar.”

One guard began to inch toward David.

Case pulled out his gun. Checked the silver bullets. Then aimed the weapon at David. “One wrong move, and you’re dead.”

David nodded.

***

“We need to get out of here,” Shane rasped. He’d caught the werewolf’s scent, and that jerk David was far too close for his peace of mind.