Predatory (Page 42)

“It took you long enough to get in here.” Zareb’s expression said he knew exactly why they’d made him wait. “Your friends will be staying here along with you and Cassie until we find our favorite undertaker and fit him for one of his own coffins. The bastards won’t get through my defenses.”

Left unsaid was that Ethan had been woefully negligent in not erecting a twenty-foot impenetrable wall around his house. Cassie noticed that Ethan didn’t argue about their staying with Zareb, so this place must be safe. And Cassie was all about staying safe right now.

“How much do we know?” Even as he spoke, Ethan stepped into a shadowed corner.

Cassie had to sit down before she fell down. The memory of what forever after would be known as The Kiss, along with everything else that had happened today, was finally taking its toll on her.

The three rescued vampires sat on the couch. They still looked groggy. After removing the knife sheath and dropping it to the floor beside her, she collapsed onto the only chair left. Cassie still clutched her purse with the gun inside. She never wanted to be without a weapon again.

“We still know almost nothing. Perhaps when their heads clear we’ll learn more.” Zareb glanced at the vampires on the couch as though he could force them into coherency by his will alone.

After being around him for a while, Cassie was almost willing to believe he could. “How were they captured?”

“They’ve been mumbling something about humans that moved too fast and creatures like nothing they’d ever seen before.” Zareb glanced at Ethan and Cassie. “Anything to add?”

Cassie nodded. “The humans that ran at us in the hallway moved like vampires.”

“The creatures they brought with them to capture me looked like someone had taken parts from different animals and glued them together.” Ethan spoke from the shadows.

One of the vampires on the couch continued in a monotone. “Big hairy bodies. Claws like some prehistoric raptor. Fangs of a freaking saber-toothed tiger and . . .” He paused before going on. “And the eyes of a vampire.”

Zareb frowned. “Disturbing.”

Another vampire joined in. “The creatures didn’t maul us much, just helped to subdue us so the human bastards could shoot us up with something that knocked us out.” He peered at Ethan and then at Cassie. He offered her a lopsided grin and a wink. “You look too good for Ethan. I’m Stark. When you dump his ass, look me up.”

Cassie swallowed her laughter. Now wasn’t the time.

The last vampire on the couch finally spoke up. “I heard one of the humans promise to reward the creatures when they visited the neighbors.”

Cassie remembered the torn bodies and shuddered.

“How did they get to Ethan’s house? I doubt they could parade their furry friends through the streets without anyone noticing.” Zareb stopped stroking the cat. It hissed its displeasure but didn’t leave his lap.

“A truck? They could’ve parked behind the house and gotten them inside without anyone noticing once it got dark.” Ethan sounded as though he was ready for the conversation to be over.

“Why are they capturing vampires and putting them in glass coffins? And what did my friend Felicity know that got her killed?” Cassie’s lids kept sliding shut.

They all thought about her questions in silence for a few minutes. None of them offered answers.

Zareb finally stood. He set the cat gently on the floor before facing his guests. “I have one thing to add. I was in the minds of the humans down in the basement before Ethan short-circuited their brains. One of them was thinking about someone called the Collector. I got the impression that this Collector was the boss, and that he wasn’t Garrity.” He motioned for the three vampires on the couch to follow him. “I’ll show you your rooms.”

She thought about mentioning that no one had introduced her to the other two vampires, but she was too tired to care. “Where will Ethan and I sleep?” Cassie didn’t want to think about the nightmares waiting for her tonight, but she couldn’t stay awake much longer.

Zareb paused. “I only have one guestroom left. It’s the one Ethan used when I first turned him. You can share it with him.” His smile said he knew his choice would upset her, but he didn’t give a damn.

Cassie narrowed her eyes and pressed her lips together to keep from shouting at Zareb. He’d enjoy it too much. Instead she turned to Ethan. “I’ll sleep on the couch.”

Zareb didn’t even turn. He threw back over his shoulder, “Can’t. It’s a sofa bed and I’m sleeping on it. I wouldn’t usually give up my own bed to guests, but I want to be the one closest to the door if trouble comes calling. My three friends here are still a little loopy and Ethan’s Second One would overreact. You? You’re only a human. Sorry.”

He wasn’t sorry. She watched the cat leap onto the couch. It lay down and watched her from half-closed eyes. Cassie recognized the self-satisfied feline smirk it wore. The damn cat would get to sleep on the couch while she’d be sleeping . . . She glanced at the floor. Maybe with a few blankets and a comfy pillow it wouldn’t be—

“No.” Ethan emerged from the shadows, his hoodie and glasses still in place. “We can share my bed. It’s not far from dawn, so you don’t have to worry about me staying awake looking for my chance to pounce on you.” He strode past her, headed for the hallway.

And because she was so exhausted that her brain felt scrambled, she followed him.

He opened the door at the end of the hallway and stepped aside for her to enter. She had a vague impression of a large space, a massive four-poster bed, and furniture scattered around the room that looked as though it belonged in some ancient castle. No windows.

“This was originally Zareb’s room. He wanted to re-create the special feel of that last great castle he conquered.” Ethan laughed softly. “The one with the throne and the willing widow. My maker can be a nostalgic bastard.”

Cassie stared at him stupidly. “Huh?”

“But then Zareb decided he had to move into the modern era. His present room is metal and glass along with a big-screen TV that takes up a whole wall.”

She didn’t give a damn about Zareb. “Shower.”

Cassie didn’t really need a shower. Her last adventure at Eternal Rest had been a bloodless one. Ethan’s kills were terrifyingly tidy and her knife had produced no splatter. She could skip the shower. But even though there was no physical evidence of death, she still needed to wash the feel of it from her body. Yes, it was all in her mind, but right now her mind was running the show.