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“Liar!” Loken roared.
“It’s true, my love.” Apparently unaware of any danger, Serafina moved toward Anthony, one hand outstretched, a smile of welcome on her face. “Anthony, my beloved, come to me.”
Teeth bared, he reached for her. There was a sharp crack as he broke her neck, and then he tossed her aside.
Anton took one look at his mother’s broken body and ran out the door and up the stairs.
Fear congealed deep in Cara’s belly as Anthony Loken moved woodenly toward her. She screamed as he drew near, went weak with relief when he lumbered past her toward the stairway.
Vince’s head snapped up as Cara’s voice rang out in his mind. He had no sense of where she was, only that she was terrified.
With preternatural speed, he left The Nocturne. Where was she? He knew Mara could find anyone at any time, but he hadn’t yet perfected that part of his vampiric nature.
However, some things came easy. A thought took him to the library. Sarah Beth told him that Cara had gone outside with Anton a little after six o’clock and hadn’t returned.
“I went outside at six-thirty and she was gone, though her car’s still here, and so is her bodyguard’s. I called her cell phone a few times, but she’s not answering.” Sarah Beth shook her head. “I’ve spent the last half hour wondering if I should call the police. Do you think I should call them?”
“No,” Vince said curtly. He didn’t want anyone to get hold of Anton before he did. Keeping a tight rein on his anger, he headed for Cara’s house, telling himself all the while that there was nothing to worry about. She had dated Anton before; perhaps she was dating him again. He didn’t believe it for a minute, but he clung to the thought in an effort to stave off an ever-increasing sense of dread.
He knew her house was empty even before he rang the bell. Something was definitely wrong. He could feel it in his gut. Fighting down a growing sense of panic, he headed for DeLongpre’s house. He needed help, and he couldn’t think of anyone more qualified than her father.
Brenna met him at the door. “Roshan, did you…Vince! What are you doing here?”
“I’m looking for Cara. Do you know where she is?”
“No, and it’s driving me crazy with worry. Roshan left here hours ago with Anton Bouchard.”
“Bouchard!” Damn, what was Anton up to? Nothing good, that was for sure.
“Yes, I wanted to go with them, but Roshan told me to stay here. I overheard Anton telling Roshan that his mother had Cara.”
“Do you know where they might have gone?”
“I have a feeling they’ve gone to that abandoned laboratory outside of town. I was just about to go out there.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“I sent Frank to check it out. He’s probably there by now.”
“Let’s go.”
It was strange, traveling at preternatural speed with another vampire. He had never done it before. They passed through the night like shadows, invisible to human eyes. It was a peculiar sensation. Like everything else in his new lifestyle, it had taken some practice to master, and some getting used to. He wondered how long it would take for things like shape shifting and dissolving into mist to become second nature.
They reached the lab in a matter of moments. One of DeLongpre’s cars was parked off the road, screened by a section of dense brush. Di Giorgio was waiting for them by the car. He carried a sawed-off shotgun. It looked very much at home in the crook of his arm.
“Have you seen anything?” Brenna asked anxiously.
“No. I circled the building. The only entrance is the front door, and it’s locked.”
“Come on,” Brenna said. “Roshan’s in trouble.”
Frank went first, followed by Brenna and Vince. Vince nodded in grim satisfaction as a blast of the shotgun shattered the lock. So much for the element of surprise, he mused as he followed the bodyguard and Cara’s mother down a flight of stairs, wondering, as he did so, why the threshold had no power to stop him. Perhaps it only worked on homes, he thought, and then he smelled blood and he knew the answer. Violence had been done here, shattering the threshold’s protective power.
They paused in the first room before moving through it to another flight of stairs.
Again, Di Giorgio went first, his shotgun at the ready.
A cry of horror escaped Brenna’s lips when she entered the room at the bottom of the stairs.
Coming up behind her, Vince swore a vile oath. The last vestiges of black magick hung heavy in the air, along with the scent of blood, death, and decay.
He stared at the woman sprawled facedown on the floor. It was obvious, from the angle of her neck, that she was dead.
He swept past Brenna to Cara. After freeing her from the restraints, he drew her into his arms. “Are you all right?”
She nodded. “My dad…”
Vince glanced at the vampire. Roshan’s eyes were closed, his skin the color of old parchment.
Brenna reached for one of the straps holding her husband down only to let out a harsh cry of pain as the silver burned her hand. “Frank! Do something!”
Setting the shotgun aside, Di Giorgio quickly removed the silver manacles that bound DeLongpre to the table.
“Roshan!” Brenna placed her hand on his shoulder. “Roshan, can you hear me?”
Cara went to stand beside her mother. “What’s wrong with him?” she asked, her voice thick with unshed tears. “He can’t be dead!”
“It’s the silver,” Brenna explained. “It’s like poison to us. We’ve got to get him off that table. Frank…”
“I’ll take him,” Vince said. “Di Giorgio, you go on ahead, make sure the coast is clear.”
With a curt nod, Di Giorgio scooped up the shotgun and moved toward the stairs. Brenna and Cara followed him. Both women glanced repeatedly over their shoulders to make sure Vince was right behind them.
When they reached the top of the stairs, Cara came to an abrupt halt. “Wait. The baby…”
“What baby?” Brenna asked.
“There’s a baby in the lab. We can’t just leave it.”
“Who does it belong to?” Brenna asked.
“I don’t know, but we can’t leave it here.” Turning on her heel, Cara ran to the lab and scooped the baby from the crib. Still drugged, it lay in her arms like a rag doll. Crooning softly, Cara rejoined the others. “Poor little thing,” she murmured.
