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I’d found, during my years as a huntress, that vampires were sort of like cats. The young ones were like kittens: wild and liked to climb things. The older ones were more like older, grey housecats. They were usually a little fat, a little tired, and didn’t like to be bothered to work too hard for food.
The man who had me pinned down?
He was somewhere in-between the two, and he was a wildly dangerous mixture of intoxicating and sensual.
“Please let me go,” I whispered. I wasn’t begging. I wouldn’t do that. Not for a vamp. Still, sometimes being polite paid off more than you bargained for. If he liked the way I sounded, I could distract him again. I could get away. I wouldn’t have to die in the middle of the Grove like a brand-new monster hunter who didn’t know what she was doing.
“Say that again.”
“I’d like to go now,” I whispered.
I was pinned to the ground. He was totally on top of me and I was face-down in the dirt and grass. The Grove didn’t get its name because it was in a busy part of the city. Rather, it was a darkened portion of a long-forgotten area of town. It was separated from the rest of the city by a huge, wrought-iron fence with a huge gate. There were run-down buildings and yards with dead grass throughout the Grove. The sidewalks were cracked with weeds growing through. Everything about this place was disgusting.
Except for him.
“And where do you have to go, huntress?” He whispered. “As we’re talking, your safe house is being raided.”
I stilled.
No.
They couldn’t have found it.
Jacob was there, and so was Clay. Ruth was there, and Tanya was there, and Megan was there. He couldn’t have found it. Who was this vampire? How had he found my friends? And why? They didn’t go hunting nearly as often as I did. They were always busy with other things, and besides, I was the best at hunting. I was quick and efficient, and I didn’t get emotionally attached to anything, really. Killing a vampire didn’t bother me in the least.
“Liar,” I whispered. I couldn’t allow myself to believe that he was being honest about having my friends killed. I knew who this man worked for. He worked for the Vampire of Garnetia: the biggest, baddest motherfucker there was. That was the old vampire who was strong and wise and wicked, and he was the one behind this. I was sure of it.
“Try me,” he said.
“You’re not telling me the truth.”
“I am.”
“Vampires lie.”
“Not when it counts.”
He loosened his hold on me, and I felt him move off of my body and stand up. His jacket made a swishing sound as he moved. I didn’t move an inch, though. There had to be a catch. This had to be a trick somehow.
“Get up,” he said.
I thought about reaching for my stake. If I could get it, I could spin around and shove it up into his heart as I rose to my feet.
“This is a one-time offer,” he said coldly. “Stand.”
I was smart enough to know when I’d been beaten. Smart enough to know when I didn’t have anything else going for me. The vampire could kill me if he wanted to, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.
So, I stood.
I turned around to look at the man who had attacked me. He was wildly beautiful. He was all of the things I wanted in a vampire: beautiful, luxurious hair. He had bright, wonderful eyes. His nose looked like it had been chiseled out of stone. His entire face looked that way. Everything about the vampire seemed fake and perfect at the same time.
“Leave this place,” he said.
“What?”
“Leave it. Never come back to the Grove.”
“The Grove is a cesspool,” I pointed out. Why was I arguing with this creature who wanted to spare my life?
