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So much for not revealing who we were.

“I’d like to make clear, Daddy Fancy Pants is not my name,” Victor said.

“As you can see . . .” Zee gestured at Reynard. “Fancy Pants is also a vampire, but we tamed him. Although, he still likes to chase naked men through the woods, apparently. Which is definitely something we’ll be pursuing later. I’ll be pursuing. Not him chasing me. Whatever.”

Victor sighed, shrugged off his jacket, and handed it to Kenzo. “Did you not sign up to this sport, aware and prepared for the risks?”

“No.” Kenzo shrugged on the jacket and hugged it closed. “This was supposed to be a team-building retreat. HR organized it. You know, hiking, campfire making, that kind of thing.”

“Naked?” Zee asked. “Hey, not judging. All the best activities happen naked. Naked volleyball, highly recommended.”

“Honestly, I did think the naked part was weird. But nobody complained so I went along with it.”

Zee dropped an arm around Kenzo’s shoulders and we started off in the direction of the chapel.

“Adam, I fear Kenzo may not be the only victim here under false pretenses,” Victor remarked, walking alongside me.

“Yeah, weekend retreats that turn out to be manhunts are bad,” I agreed. Victor stared, as though waiting for me to say more. “Someone should put a stop to it,” I added. He continued to stare. “Oh right, we should do something about that?”

“I fear, this hunt is not like those I’ve participated in, and the outcome for many may prove fatal.”

“But the whole point of this is that we go in quiet, find Jimmy’s family, and get out without being seen.” Stopping the manhunt would definitely involve being seen.

“These woods are thick. The vampires are spread thin and unprepared for genuine resistance. As you saw, the three of us are a formidable force. There is an opportunity here to level the playing field somewhat. With some skill, our intervention could go unnoticed.”

Zee turned, stopping in our path. “You mean, the hunters become the hunted? Ooh, I got chills. I am so fucking here for that. Adam, please say yes so I can bitch-slap some suckers.”

They had a point. Kenzo would already be dead if we hadn’t accidentally intervened, and there were others like him in the woods right now, with no hope of being saved. Unless someone stepped up. “Alright, but keep it quiet. Like we were never here. Maybe they’ll just think the humans got real good and fought back? Nobody needs to know it was us.”

“Stealthy motherfucking badasses.” Zee saluted. “Got it.”

Somehow, I wasn’t entirely convinced Zee really did have it. “Zee, go with Victor. You’re both faster than I am. Save as many people as you can in ten minutes. Kenzo and I will check out the chapel. Meet us there.”

Kenzo frantically looked from me to Zee. “Can I go with them?”

Zee grinned. “Adam looks boring, but trust me, he fucks suckers for breakfast.”

I cringed. “I don’t . . . It’s not . . . I don’t actually do that.”

“Own it, Kitten.” Zee winked, then turned to Victor. “Wanna get your murder on, Your Highness?”

Victor’s lips twitched, showing a glimpse of sharp fangs. “Indeed.”

CHAPTER 16

A rotten timber steeple poked out of the misty gloom up ahead. I crouched with Kenzo where the undergrowth thinned, and scanned our surroundings. The chapel’s clapboard exterior had lost a few boards, and the paint had peeled, but a glow shone through the chapel’s stained-glass windows indicating activity inside.

“You should maybe stay out here?” I suggested, mostly in case I had to get terminal with anyone inside. It would be better if Kenzo did not witness abilities I definitely should not have as a boring human.

“Uh-huh. Okay.” He hunkered down, and hugged Victor’s jacket tighter, making himself small. “Will you be long?”

“I hope not.”

I gave him a reassuring nod, then hurried out of the brush and up the well-worn path to the chapel’s front door. All was quiet inside. Hopefully, Jimmy’s pixie family would be in a tin somewhere inside, like Jimmy had been. I’d scoop them up, and leave without anyone knowing I’d been here. Easy.

The big metal-ring door latch clunked, but didn’t open. An inhuman shove popped the lock, and the heavy door groaned on its hinges. Candles flickered in tall candelabra, flanking a short aisle that ended at a stone altar. The small flames tried but mostly failed to keep out the dark. On the chapel’s back wall, behind the altar cluttered with charms and offerings, hung an enormous portrait of a red-haired, severe-looking woman who looked as though she’d been taking smiling lessons from Victor.

As my gaze fell, the real purpose of the chapel became clear.