“How does it all work? Do they only hunt people and vampires once a year?”
“No,” Scott answered. “The big event, what is happening now, is the only time of the year when vampires outside the club come in to hunt too.”
“There’s aclub?” Doug asked in disbelief.
“Yes. The ten members of the club reside here year-round, though they often return to the mainland for weeks at a time. Sometimes, they bring back sport to hunt during the year, but they usually wait for the big event.”
“And by sport, you mean humans and vampires?” Mollie asked, sickened by his choice of word.
“Yes,” Scott said, seeming not to realize he was talking about living beings.
“Let me guess, the president of thisclub”—Mollie fairly spat the word—“is Raul Mrack?”
“How did you know?” Scott inquired.
“Lucky guess,” she muttered.
“And why does the club bring other vamps in for this big hunt?” Mike asked.
“Why else? Money and competition,” Scott replied.
“How long does the hunt last?” Doug asked.
“It depends,” Scott said. “One year it was only three days before they caught everyone, but last year it went for twelve days. The game’s not over until everyone is dead.”
“It’snota game!” Mollie couldn’t stop herself from retorting. When Mike glanced back at her, she took a deep breath to calm herself. Losing control now and getting angry wouldn’t do any of them any good.
“How long have you been taking care of the vampires who stay here year-round?” Doug asked.
“Five years,” Scott replied.
They’d kept him alive for five years! Did that mean Aidawasalive? Mollie felt like a kid waking up on Christmas morning, and she barely contained herself from grabbing Scott and forcing him to run to wherever this basement was.
“How old are you?” Mike asked.
“Twenty-three.”
They’d turned him into a servant when he was eighteen; Aida was only eighteen! Mollie tried not to get too far ahead of herself. She couldn’t handle it if she got her hopes high just to have them crushed, but for the first time, shetrulybelieved her sister was alive.
“If you could leave, would you?” Mollie asked.
“Of course!” Scott blurted.
Despite his enthusiastic reply, Mike didn’t buy Scott’s answer. He’d been with these vamps for five years, they fed off him and allowed him to live. There was loyalty here.
“You could come with us when we leave,” Mollie offered, and Mike shot her a look she decided to ignore. She didn’t want to leave anyone behind in this hellhole.
“I would love that!” Scott gushed.
Scott stopped outside the door to what Mike recalled was a small library. Earlier, he hadn’t gone inside to explore further, but he’d seen nothing out of the ordinary with it. Scott opened the door and entered the room with Mike on his heels. The scent of old books filled his nose before Scott turned on a switch.
Mike hissed in a breath when light flooded the room. “Turn it off.”
“It’s fine,” Scott replied. “They expect me to move about the house while they’re away.”
Mike’s eyes narrowed at him before he glanced at Doug as he crept over to study a map hanging in a frame on the wall.
“I’ll be damned,” Doug muttered and pulled it down. Flipping the frame over, he undid the latches and removed the parchment from the glass casing. He set the frame against the wall, rolled up the map, and slid it into the waistband of his jeans. “It’s a map of the island,” he said to Mike. “And there’s a boat ramp marked on it.”
