The Wolf Fount (27 page)

Thane’s approach was best: stay calm. The problem was, she didn’t know how long she’d be able to pretend to be calm if blood started flowing.

M
organ’s fingers were cold, and a fine tremor shook them. Thane gently squeezed her hand again, willing her to stay calm. The guards wouldn’t hesitate to cut them down if she panicked and went for the vampire who’d whispered in her ear.

What would happen after that was anyone’s guess, but his was that they’d be separated and confined, possibly chained. The were-liger didn’t want to be alone, imagining what was being done to her. Not that being present was much better, but at least then, he’d know and neither of them would be alone.

He’d spent far too long alone, and he knew Cal had promised her that she’d never be on her own again. As part of Cal’s pack, it was Thane’s duty to keep that promise—even if Morgan hadn’t become his lover. But she had. Now all she had to do to help was stay calm.

She responded with a return squeeze, and from the corner of his eye, he watched an expressionless mask smooth over her face.
There you go, sweetheart. You can handle this. We both can
.

The draperies were drawn aside, and from behind, a muzzle was shoved into his back. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward and tugged her into motion. It didn’t escape his notice that she hadn’t gotten jabbed. As they entered the room, it became clear that they were being held underground.

The space was circular, and the stone walls had yet to receive the plaster treatment those of the hallway had. No work was being done at the moment, and Thane focused on the figures opposite.

The master vampire was dark-haired and slender. Most vampires weren’t physically impressive, using their slighter builds to lull their victims into a sense of false security. His thin face was on the border of appearing inhuman, due to the sharpness of his bone structure, and his eyes were so light, they appeared white at the current distance.

Thane led Morgan to the designated spot and halted, studying the master while trying to find anything remotely familiar about the vampire. Was this the being who’d held him captive all that time?

It was possible, based on the master’s facial structure and eye color, that he was one of the original vampires. He could be as old, or even a bit older, than Cal. Vampires didn’t evolve to blend in quite as well as Weres did. It didn’t help that their inability to be in the sun resulted in even the darkest-skinned vampires eventually turning inhumanly pale, as though their thirst for blood leached away even that sign of humanity.

A handful of other vampires were clustered to the right side of the master’s throne, which was an ornately carved chair with a high back. Three were female, the other two male, all of them dressed in styles from the distant past. Clothing choice meant little when it came to determining a vampire’s age. One of the females still had a tan, at odds with her early 18th century-style blue gown.

She stood closest to the master, her head tilted slightly away from him and her lips compressed.
Not happy to be here
, Thane decided.

“I am Nero Vitus, and you should be grateful that I chose to take you both from my human associates.” The master vampire smiled. “Their plans for the lady weren’t to my taste.”

Morgan swallowed loud enough for the were-liger to hear, and he checked on her from the corner of his eye. She was pale, but doing her best to keep a bland expression on her face. Her lips trembled and she pressed them together. Thane squeezed her hand, the only comfort he could offer at the moment.

“Humans aren’t the most creative of creatures,” Vitus said. “Tell me, my dear, have you ever heard the phrase ‘hanged, drawn, and quartered’?”

She shook her head in response and Vitus sighed. “Humans don’t pay attention to their own history. The phrase describes a method of execution. Dragged by horse, hung, eviscerated, beheaded, and the body cut into four parts. Any one of those methods would’ve resulted in death, but no, that’s human creativity for you: Let’s do all those things, one after another, to one unlucky soul. Disgusting things, humans. Don’t you agree?”

Morgan’s eyes had widened while the vampire spoke, and she swallowed again. Her response was a weak, “I guess.”

It apparently satisfied Vitus, who nodded. “Not that they’d planned such a grim demise for you. I understand that you were a prostitute prior to your Awakening. Is that correct?”

“Yes.” Her response was firmer, closer to her normal speaking voice. Thane felt a flash of pride, hearing it, though he began worrying exactly what plans Vitus had for her.

“Did you cater to any clients with fetishes? No need for description or explanation. A simple yes or no is sufficient.”

“Yes.”

“Then perhaps you won’t be shocked at what your future would’ve been, if not for my interference. As has been recently illustrated to you, Weres are capable of recovering from terrible injuries, which is of great value to certain flesh peddlers. Especially those who cater to a, shall we say, more violent clientele?” Vitus moved his hands from the armrests and folded them into his lap. “Our mutual friend, Mr. Riscarato, knows someone who owns such a distasteful establishment. He intended to send you there, in return for a share of the profits. Your future came quite close to being extremely unpleasant.”

Though he knew nothing of such places, Thane understood the implications. What he didn’t understand were the vampires’ overt attempts to induce gratefulness in Morgan.
Maybe it’s a game to make her trust them, just to cause more damage later
.

Vitus finally turned his attention from her to Thane, but only for a moment. “Are you fond of your companion, my dear?”

Morgan’s lips parted, her hand tightening around Thane’s. He wondered if his life depended on her answer.

“W
e located the SUV by combing through local traffic cam footage, but lost it once it left Pasadena on the 210. We were able to pick it up again on a traffic cam near Asuza. Now, there’s a place beyond Asuza on Highway 39 called Falling Springs. It’s considered a ghost town.” Lucas touched the onscreen map, enlarging the image to show the area better. “There were cabins out there for campers and hikers, but most have burned down. As a point of much interest, due to various road hazards, Highway 39 is currently closed several miles from Falling Springs.”

Cal nodded, studying the map. The older the master vampire, the more he or she required privacy. The Falling Springs area looked like the perfect spot for a vampire to set up shop. A closed road didn’t mean anything when it came to vampires, or Weres for that matter. It was close enough to Asuza—maybe a fifteen-minute jog for vampires—to bring in supplies and victims. Plenty of places to hide bodies or even to hold hunts.

He didn’t pause to wonder how vampires could’ve built any sort of stronghold in that area. Wealth and connections weren’t limited to humans or Weres. The vampires had plenty of their own of both money and well-placed idiots willing to aid them for the promise of immortality. In fact, vampires could have built something themselves without outside help. “It’ll likely be underground. They won’t have wanted to draw aerial notice by clearing any spaces for aboveground buildings.”

“They’ll want to be near a water source, or close enough to tap into one underground. But not too close to any hiking trails,” Laney said. “There’s Soldier Creek and La Cienega Spring, if they haven’t dried up.”

“Lots of ground to cover.” Lucas frowned at the map. “Four legs would be faster, but then we’d be limited to fangs and paws, and you can bet the enemy’s carrying.”

“Teams of four, two armed, two on paws. How many teams can we muster?” Cal continued studying the map. “Include me in your count.”

“How much time are you giving me?”

“One hour.” Cal didn’t want to wait longer than that to get moving. The drive would take an hour and a half, and the search longer. He hoped it wouldn’t prove to be a wild goose chase.

Lucas sighed. “Then we’ll be going short-handed, because it’ll take longer than that to call in more people. Counting all of us and just the wolves based here, we’re one shy of eight teams. You do only want wolves?”

“Is Dougie here? He can fill the last spot.” The young leopard’s name wasn’t on Laney’s list, but Cal decided not to take any chances when Lucas nodded. “Laney, Dougie, and whoever you pick for my team.”

“All right. I’ll get things rolling.” Lucas left and Jerome stepped up to take a closer look at the map.

“I hate fighting vamps underground.”

Laney bumped his arm with her elbow. “Especially when they have the home ground advantage and we have no idea of their numbers.”

The black Were scowled at her. “Thanks. I feel so much better now.”

She laughed. “I’m going to grab Dougie and our fourth before suiting up. Who do you want carrying?”

“You and the fourth. Dougie and I will be on paws.” Cal still had the urge to tear something up. What better to tear up than a vampire or four?

With a nod, Laney left the room. Jerome shook his head, his lips curving into a reluctant smile. “Ray of fucking sunshine, that one.”

Cal sighed, crossing his arms. “I hope everyone got some sleep, because we’re in for a long night.”

F
uck. How do I answer that?
Morgan didn’t know if the truth or a lie would be better, as she couldn’t tell if the question were a potential threat or not. Aware that not answering probably wouldn’t go well either, she decided to go with partial truth. “He’s my best friend.”

“Friendship is valuable.” Vitus’s reply didn’t do much to set her mind at ease. “Would it pain you to see him suffer?”

Ice formed in her veins. “Yes.”

“Do you consider yourself a reasonable woman?”

Morgan’s mouth had gone dry, so she answered with a nod.
Oh God, how badly have I screwed up now?

“Do you believe him to be a reasonable man?”

Maybe too reasonable
. She managed to speak. “Yes.”

“Good. I have little patience for tantrums, hysterics, or heroics.” The vampire smiled, radiating goodwill that Morgan didn’t trust for a second. “Your good behavior will guarantee he continues to live and stays with you. However, his behavior will dictate whether or not he suffers.”

What the hell does that mean?
She nodded, glancing at Thane’s impassive expression. A vampire she hadn’t seen before slipped around them to go to Vitus. The new arrival was slender to the point of emaciation, and whispered into the master vampire’s ear after bowing.

“Excellent, bring our guests here,” Vitus said in response. The other bowed again before leaving as quickly as he’d come. “This visit may be a bit uncomfortable for your friend, my dear. His former master has come to collect him.”

Thane’s hand clenched around hers to the point of causing pain, but only for a second. She blinked. “You said...”

“Yes, I did. Come here. I wish to taste to your blood.”

Ugh
. Morgan hesitated but then loosened her grip on Thane’s hand. He held on until she looked at him. His expression wasn’t impassive anymore. Brows lowered and eyes narrowed, he glared at her. “Stop it. And let go.”

Thane partially obeyed by releasing her hand. She almost wished he hadn’t, but crossed the room to stand before Vitus, feeling as though the were-liger’s anger, or maybe fear, were buffeting her back.

“Stand here.” Vitus gestured to the unoccupied side of his throne. Morgan moved to the spot, turning in order to keep an eye on Thane, as well as the two armed vampires behind him, who now had both weapons leveled at the were-liger. “Your wrist, my dear.”

Lifting and bending her right arm, hand fisted, she extended it until the vampire’s cool hands cupped her fist and her elbow. Thane bared his teeth at the same time the vampire did, visibly tensing in preparation to move, and Morgan lifted her free hand to point at him. “Stay right there.”

He growled, his fangs sliding into view.

“I mean it. Stay right there.”
Don’t be a fucking idiot
, she silently urged him. Concentrating on him was better than watching a vampire dig into her wrist for dinner. Thane’s growl grew louder as Vitus sank his fangs, which the vampire did with surprising delicacy. It hurt, but not as badly as Morgan expected, and she definitely didn’t expect him to stop within a few seconds.