Marked By The Vampire (Purgatory #2)(5)
Author: Cynthia Eden

“Every cell is monitored, twenty-four hours a day. Security was increased substantially because of an…incident that occurred a while back.” Case’s gaze raked over her. “Thought you’d be older.” He shook his head. “Hoped you’d be uglier.”

Her jaw dropped. Had he seriously just said that to her?

“But it is what it is.” He motioned to the guards. “Let’s take the doctor to her room and get her settled.”

That was it? Well, hell, what had she really expected? A red carpet welcome? “Thank you,” Olivia said, her words rushing out. “But I-I was hoping to see the inmates and—”

“Tomorrow. Pate has already sent a list of the inmates you can access. Though why the hell you want to talk with them is beyond me.”

Shane had entered the prison. Case’s gaze shifted to him. The warden’s eyes narrowed. “They’re all evil, straight to the core,” Case said flatly. “Prison is a waste for them. They should just be put down.”

She was looking right at Shane when Case made that announcement, so Olivia saw the emotion in the vampire’s eyes. A quick flash of rage that darkened his gaze.

“But then, they don’t all survive Purgatory,” Case continued as a faint smile curved one side of his mouth. “Here, they have a way of taking each other out.”

That was barbaric. Terrifying. “I thought this place was a humane punishment—”

Case shook his head and never looked away from Shane. “They’re not humans. Never forget that.”

Being a Para didn’t make someone a monster. Everyone deserved fair treatment.

A guard was heading toward Shane, and the guard had a syringe in his hand.

“What is that?” Olivia asked. She’d been told about diluted blood, but she hadn’t been told—

“It’ll make the transition easier for him. Once the prisoner wakes up, he’ll be fully contained.”

Drugged.

Her gaze flew to Shane’s. Only he wasn’t staring at Case any longer. His eyes—dark with a vampire’s power—were on her.

“Don’t worry about me, love,” Shane assured her. “This won’t hurt a bit.”

Two guards grabbed his arms. Held him tight. Obviously, they expected Shane to fight.

Instead he…

Blew her a kiss?

Her eyes widened.

Then the needle was plunged into his neck.

Two seconds later, Shane hit the ground, unconscious.

***

Shane waited until his cell door shut, then he slowly cracked open his eyes. The drug was pumping through his body, but it wasn’t weakening him. Very little could weaken him, and that was why he’d been chosen for this particular assignment.

He listened for a moment, using his enhanced hearing to monitor his surroundings. He could hear the shuffle of footsteps. The rasp of breathing.

He inhaled. Smelled blood. Decay. The ocean.

And…her.

If he could smell her, the others would too.

Slowly, Shane rose to his feet. There were bars on his window. A big, wide window, but one covered with long, silver bars. When the day came, the sunlight would pour in, and the bars would keep him in. Rather clever—giving the vamp the sun view. The warden wanted him weak.

And sunlight did weaken most vampires, just as the drug did.

Shane curled his fingers around the bars, but instead of the cold metal, he remembered touching silky smooth skin.

“Let the games begin,” Shane murmured.

In the distance, werewolves howled.

He smiled.

Chapter Two

“We keep the vampires separated from the werewolves,” Case told her as he escorted Olivia along the stone walkway that led to the northeast tower. A new day had dawned, the storm was gone, and the sun shone brightly overhead. “If we didn’t, they’d kill each other right away.”

She looked down below. She could see a large group of men, all wearing prison uniforms, filling a small courtyard.

“We let the vampires out during the heat of the day. They’re at their weakest when the sun is high.”

Her gaze slid over the crowd. “How often do they receive blood?”

“Once every two weeks.”

That wasn’t very often. But she knew why the warden had set up that blood schedule. The more blood a vamp received, the more powerful he or she was.

Olivia licked her lips. “And the werewolves? When do they get out?”

“Right after dawn, but they always wear their silver collars.” He paused. “Are you familiar with the collars?”

A bit.

One brow lifted. “Your friend Pate created the collars.”

It wasn’t as if Eric Pate was actually her friend. Was he anyone’s friend?

“The collars are lined with tiny needles. Those needles can send silver straight into the werewolves’ blood stream. You get a wolf who tries to fight us…” Case shrugged. “And you’re looking at a prisoner who is about to get pumped full of enough silver to incapacitate him.”

Such cold words. She knew that silver in the blood stream would be the equivalent of having fire burn from within the werewolf’s body.

Case continued, “I assure you, security here is top notch. I took over last month, and I made sure Purgatory was contained.”

That was an interesting choice of words. Her focus sharpened on him. “And before that? You mentioned an incident last night.”

Case’s handsome face hardened. “A few prisoners tried to escape before I was put in charge here. Their attempt failed, and they were killed.” He shook his head. “No one escapes Purgatory.”

They entered the tower. More guards waited. Guards were everywhere at that place, and video cameras monitored every single inch of the prison. Case pointed to a room on the right. “It’s been used for interrogation in the past, but it’ll be your interview room now.”

Right. Time for her to get started. Her shoulders squared as Olivia marched inside. Her nose twitched a bit at the strong smell of bleach in that room.

“We got all the blood out for you,” Case said as he propped his shoulders against the back wall and watched her. “Thought you’d prefer it that way.”

She didn’t flinch. “Kind of you.” Just how much blood had been in the place?

His head cocked as he studied her. “Have we met before, Dr. Maddox? Because you sure seem familiar to me.”

“I don’t think we have.” She made her way around the table. Organized her files.