IM02 - Hunters & Prey (22 page)

“Nicholas. Patience. Now is not the time.” Lysander had made himself a wedge, standing in front of Santino with his hand pressing against Nicholas’ chest. Drew was standing just behind Nicholas with a hand clamped around his arm, pulling him backward.

“You heard him. He’d be perfectly happy feasting on our blood,” Nicholas rasped.

Lysander snarled at them all. “We can argue later about who and what we eat. Let us discuss the matter at hand and leave our differences for after.”

Murmurs of acceptance filled the room. The men all returned to their seats. Nicholas slumped backward into the couch. Rozaline reached out and grab her mate, pulling him close to comfort him.

Lysander again motioned to Santino. “Why is the threat so dangerous now? Why did you not take care of this when you were first made aware of the problem?”

“In truth”—Santino’s shoulders slumped a little. He breathed out a sigh and looked down—“I was unaware until it was much too late. After I healed from our last little fight, Quentin sent me on various assignments. He kept me busy, eradicating a pack of werewolves in Colorado for a few months while he performed his initial experiments.”

Crystal gasped. “No, not Gareth’s pack!” Crimson tears glistened in her eyes. “They were a peaceful group. They hunted animals in the woods. Not people! How could you?” She raised her hand like a claw, baring her sharp nails, and lunged forward to swipe at Santino’s face.

Drew grabbed her around the waist before she could make contact with him, and pulled her back to the seat. “Easy, love, you will have a chance to get him later.”

Werewolves? Why hasn’t Lysander told me about them before?
I shot Lysander a puzzled look, but he wasn’t paying attention to me.

Santino didn’t move from his spot. Not when Crystal threatened him or when Drew made his comment. He sat quietly, waiting for the commotion to end before speaking again. “I had reports of murders in the area, so I did my duty.”

“And you call us the monsters,” Crystal yelled. “What proof did you have it was them?”

“I don’t need proof. There were murders and a large pack of dangerous sub-human animals nearby. I cannot condone the slaughter of innocents. Those beasts needed to be put down.” Santino turned away from Crystal, focusing on Lysander. “As I was saying, I was kept preoccupied with my missions. It was not until I had returned that I was made aware of Quentin’s plans.”

“Why didn’t you stop him then?” I blurted out.

“I denied him my blood. What else could I have done?”

Rozaline huffed in disgust. “You could have destroyed him. He was effectively killing off your team with this … mixture he gave them. Isn’t that what you do? Destroy the monsters harming innocents?”

“I cannot harm a human. I’m honor-bound to protect them. I will have to answer to God for my crimes. I will not go to Him with blood on my hands.”

“Even when this human is killing other humans?” Rozaline asked.

“You must really be buying whatever it is your organization is feeding you,” I added.

“I swore an oath.” Santino turned toward Fallon. “I’ll not harm a human. If I break that oath with Quentin, what is to stop me from breaking it when my thirst demands it?”

“So you call us in to kill him? I think your morals have been skewed,” Drew said sarcastically.

Santino shot to his feet. The rest of the group twitched nervously as he moved. Various low growls and snarls emanated from the couch.

Santino folded his arms behind his back and paced along the wall of bookshelves. “I do not ask that you kill him. I wish to take him back to Rome and let his punishment be delivered by the leaders of my organization. What I’m asking is your help in ridding the world of these abominations he has created, and to help me take him into custody.”

“Won’t they just die out on their own?” I asked.

Santino stopped his pacing and shot me an angry glare. His upper lip quirked up, not quite a snarl, but almost so. “We don’t know how long that will take. And with your fresh blood, he could keep them alive for quite a while. Think of the damage they could do if they got out into the city. Already some have escaped Quentin’s watch. We need to act fast and destroy them all in one targeted assault. I will handle Quentin from there.”

“Why us?” Nicholas asked. “Why not create a new group of vampires on your own to take on this supposed threat?”

“A group of newly turned vampires would just exacerbate the problem.” Santino turned toward one of the bookshelves and fingered the spines of a few of Lysander’s older-looking books. “You all are much more experienced, as well as being brave and capable fighters.” He nodded to Lysander. “You did best me and my previous group of hunters during the attack of Kallisto’s coven. I know you can handle this challenge.”

“And what happens after? Won’t you return to hunting us again?” Lysander asked.

“I will always hunt evil. But I see that there might be some good in the supernatural world too.” Santino sighed. “I would give you my word to leave you and your… clan alone.”

The room fell silent. Everyone seemed to be eyeing everyone else, waiting for someone to make the first move or respond.

“We will put it to a vote,” Lysander said breaking the silence. “Will we help Santino?”

Crystal shot Santino a hateful stare. A trail of red tears stained her face. Drew still held her tightly about the waist. I doubted she was going to vote for anything to help Santino out.

Nicholas too glared coldly at Santino.

Santino crossed his arms in front of his chest. He closed his eyes and let out a long, slow breath. He actually appeared worried, as if waiting for the axe to drop, a look that didn’t suit such a feared warrior. The lines and scars on his face seemed to deepen as his mouth pulled into a tight frown.

Tension ran thick in the air. Fallon adjusted, looking uncomfortable in her seat.

I tapped my foot a few times and bit my lip. Someone had to say something, but no one, it seemed, wanted to be the first to speak up; not that I really blamed them. He was, after all, our sworn enemy.

“I’ll help fight,” I said finally, breaking the silence.

Lysander stroked my knee with his hand. I turned to look at him and he smiled.

“I’ll help Lysander, if he intends to go into battle,” Drew said confidently with a nod at Lysander.

Rozaline chimed in too after a few more quiet moments. “I too will help Lysander,” she said his name poignantly. “And back him up if he wishes us to fight.”

Lysander looked at Nicholas. “Will you fight with me, old friend?”

“I’d rather not make a pact with the enemy, but if you go into battle, I will be at your side.”

The only one left was Crystal. She looked like she would rather kill Santino than work with him. She sat there with gritted teeth, eyes shooting daggers at him.

“Crystal, we will not ask you to fight if you do not wish it,” Lysander said calmly.

She turned to look at Lysander and took a deep breath. “I will assist you and the clan, but I will not associate with him.”

“Understood.” Lysander nodded.

“Well that settles it then. We fight,” I said.

“You are forgetting your little friend here.” Santino motioned to Fallon.

“What? She can’t fight, she’s out of this.”
What’s he playing at? She’s mortal.

“Yeah. I’m done with this supernatural bullshit. I’m cool with Alyssa being a vampire, and you all are really nice, but I don’t want to get involved in this war or fight or whatever the hell you guys are doing. Leave me out of this.”

“I will need her help to infiltrate Quentin’s operation. I need a viable excuse for my absence,” Santino said. ”Tracking her down and returning her with valuable information will seem plausible.”

“Wait, you’re going back there without us?” I yelled. “With my friend? No way.”

“Hell, no! I’m not doing this,” Fallon yelled as she jumped to her feet.

Santino caught her by the wrist and she yelped. “Let go of me.”

“If I go back with her and an excuse to explain my absence, I can make it easier for you to get in. Otherwise, Quentin will be expecting an attack. If things look too suspicious, he’ll be on guard. I assure you your friend will remain safe. He will not harm her.”

“If he’s as psychic as you said he is, then he’ll be able to read her thoughts and know what we intend to do,” I added.

“He can only read her current thoughts. He cannot look into her memories. I need her help to make the plan work. Quentin will not trust me alone any longer. She needs to feed him bad information. Let him read incorrect thoughts. Make him think she wants to see you all destroyed.”

“No,” Fallon whimpered. “You can’t ask this of me.” She fought against his grasp, trying to uselessly to pull her arm out of his iron grip.

“It may be the only way for this plan to work.” Lysander said. “Santino is right. If he can create a diversion, a false sense of hope for Quentin, then it will make our attack a surprise. We have a greater chance of success this way.”

I saw the fear in Fallon’s eyes. This was more than she had ever expected to deal with in her life. She knew, as I did, that doing this would put her life in danger.

“Take me back with her then too,” I said.

“No!” The response came from everyone in the room.

“We cannot allow him to take any more of your blood. None of you can come with us. I must bring her back and set the plan in motion. I must make Quentin think I am still doing his work. He must think she is ready to divulge secrets about you, so he can mount an attack. Only if he is busy with preparations will he let his guard down. That will give you the access you need to infiltrate and destroy his operation.”

I stood up, looking Santino dead in his eyes. “Look, Fallon doesn’t want to go. If you won’t let me go with her, then come up with another plan.”

Lysander’s hand grazed the side of my arm. I turned quickly to look at him. “I’m not letting my friend be put in any more danger.”

“Alyssa, Fallon, please listen,” Lysander said soothingly. “I know this will be a difficult task, but neither of you can turn away from it now. Alyssa, you must take responsibility for bringing Fallon here. You have shaped her fate by introducing her to our world. And Fallon, you must accept that with the knowledge you possess, you must take on certain responsibilities.”

“I’m scared,” Fallon said, her voice cracking as she spoke.

“It is perfectly normal to be scared,” Lysander said. “The danger to you should be very small. Quentin wants us, not you. Just do as Santino says, and you should be kept far from the actual fighting.”

Fallon stood silent. Tears glistened in her eyes. Her body trembled and I could feel the fear radiating off her in in strong pulses. Her heart thrummed wildly in her chest. She wanted no part of this.

I felt like a leaden weight sat in the pit of my stomach. Lysander was right. I had set her fate in motion by bringing her into this world of mine. I wished I could take it all back. I wished I had never set foot back into that café.

Fallon gulped back her fear. I saw momentary resolve in her eyes. She didn’t speak; she only nodded and sat back down next to Santino.

“It’s settled then. The girl comes with me,” Santino said.

“We will attack tomorrow night,” Lysander said. “Midnight,”

“Come on, Miss Fallon, I’ll give you your orders on the drive back.”

I hear a soft whimper from Fallon as Santino took her and walked her to the front door.

“Midnight, Lysander, and not a moment later. I’ll have Quentin preoccupied. Alyssa knows the location.”

CHAPTER 16

*****

I
listened to the clan making their plans for attack, all the while seething with anger over the fact that my friend had been used as a pawn in their strategy. Nothing I could have said would have changed it though. Once the clan had made up their minds, no matter the danger to Fallon, she’d been sent off ... with Santino.

On the drive to the hotel—our supposedly safe resting place for the day—I barely said two words to anyone. At that point, I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to fight with them; I just wanted to get my friend back. Fallon’s safety was my primary concern.

Upon arriving at the hotel, Lysander suggested we all get some rest and sent us off to our rooms. For me, that meant sharing with Lysander, my supposed mate. I wasn’t feeling very lovey-dovey about him, though, and gave him the cold shoulder as we prepared to sleep.

I feared for my friend. She was in the hands of one of the deadliest killers known to our kind. She was being led back into the wolf den … and we let her go.

No, not ‘we,’ Lysander did.

He ordered her to go. I could hardly imagine what she must have been feeling.

What if it was all a trick? Can we really trust Santino? He is a cold-blooded killer, after all. For that matter, what about Quentin? There’s no telling what he’s capable of. What if she’s been tortured or murdered?

There would be no end to my guilt and grief if our plan sent Fallon to her death.
I should have never gotten her involved in our world.