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Chapter 10
Piper
Iworried the whole day about him and almost gave myself away several times with Tristan and numerous other hunters who thought it would be a good idea to get to know the new girl.
When I heard they were going to interrogate the prisoner, I practically died in my seat. I didn't have to be there to know they were going to hurt him. However, if I was down there, I didn't trust myself not to throw myself between him and them. So, I sat upstairs while Tristan and his friend regaled me with their latest hunt, all while my stomach rolled and my mind whirled at what they could be doing to him.
The group of hunters came back up shortly after. It had taken everything in me not to rush down to the basement and check on him. He must have been hurting, not to mention starving. I forced myself to sit there until Tristan and the others announced it was time to go see the president.
When they headed for the front door and not to some other part of the manor, I frowned. "Where are we going?"
"The president loves to have a crowd for his talks. He can't do that here in the manor since we have most of it full of weapons and other equipment." Tristan bent low, his hand touching my back. He'd gotten a little more handsy since we first went to see Marcus. I wasn't sure if he thought I was softer than I looked and now it was okay to come on to me, but I didn't like it.
"So we're going outside?" My eyes narrowed on the dim light coming through the windows. It was almost dusk now, and I wanted to check on Marcus when it was fully dark. If I was going to get him out of here, I had to do it soon. I didn't have much of a plan after that, but I'd have to figure it out along the way.
"We have an auditorium built in the back of the manor for this very reason." Tristan chuckled at my appalled expression. "I know, it seems like a lot for one guy, but what can you do? He's the boss."
I hummed, keeping my opinion to myself.
If they put this much effort into keeping their leader happy, I didn't know how they ever thought for themselves. The longer I stayed in the vampire hunters’ base, the more I felt like they were just one big hive with a single common goal—kill all vampires and anyone associated with vampires.
It made me really happy they hadn't killed Gretchen. Though, now I was more worried about why they had spared her over if it was actually part of their rules. I needed to find time to read over that handbook before I got much further into this.
Following the horde of hunters out of the manor, I began to concoct a plan. While they were busying bowing down or taking shots of his greatness, whatever the hunters did to get riled up, I'd go save Marcus. It'd be tricky, because if they caught me leaving with him, then not only would he be taken once more but my cover would be blown.
There were far more hunters here than I thought before. Most of the hunters must have been out in the field because the auditorium area, which had to seat at least a hundred, was filled to the brim. I took a chair in the back with Tristan, content to watch the others than to be up close and personal with their president. Who knew if this guy could tell I wasn't the real deal or not?
"Isn't this exciting? We're going to get to see him," a female hunter in the row in front of us squealed, her hands clasped together in front of her. It was really peculiar to hear a bloodthirsty vampire hunter fangirling so hard over their president. It wasn't like he was the real president or even anyone famous.
Tristan snorted next to me. "They act like the man has a thrall of his own with the way the women carry on about President Vincent." He shook his head, but there was a sense of excitement coming off him that he couldn't hide from me.
I grunted in agreement, sort of curious now to see what this President Vincent looked like. If they were this hyped up for him, then there had to be something extraordinary about him. However, while I wanted to see the man in question, I had to take this chance to get Marcus out. Since all the hunters were going to be enthralled, as Tristan said, with this Vincent person, this might be my one and only chance to get him out.
"I'll be back," I murmured to Tristan. "I want to get a better look."
Tristan sighed but didn't stop me as the crowd of hunters roared and someone stepped out of the side of the stage. While everyone's eyes were forward, I darted the opposite way of the platform and backtracked up the stairs and toward the manor.
The clapping and screaming for President Vincent almost drowned out the pounding of my pulse in my ears. I couldn't waste this chance. I had to get Marcus out of here.
I hadn't expected to take things as far as we did. I knew he was going to need blood and was fully prepared to donate to the cause. I didn't know if it was because I was a human servant now or maybe my hormones were all out of whack still, something I'd have to ask Darren about later, but Marcus's fangs in my neck hadn't hurt as much as I’d expected. It actually felt sort of good. Then, there was the grinding and I didn’t know what exactly came over me, but for some reason kissing Marcus seemed like the logical thing to do.
"How about it? Ready for a jailbreak?" The way Marcus looked at me made my toes curl and my panties liquefy. I never thought this stoic man could turn me on so much, but now that he had, it’s like something inside him had changed. Or maybe he was blood drunk and that made him less reserved with his words.
"Hold up, back up now." I held my hands up and shook my head. "I'm all for getting out of here, but I still have a job to do."
Marcus's brows furrowed. "You didn't come here to save me?"
The disappointment on his face was so adorable, I really hated to burst his bubble.
When I saw Marcus down here, I thought part of me would be relieved that it wasn't one of the other guys, but it tore me up inside so much that I almost said fuck it and tried to save him right then and there with Tristan beside me. However, I knew there were tons of hunters above at the moment, and I wouldn't make it out of the basement, let alone the whole manor.
"Sorry, but no." I glanced toward the door and then back to Marcus. "I'm here on my own. I just found out they had caught one of you guys yesterday. You're lucky I was already in here to help you out or you'd be dust on the floor by now."
Marcus frowned. "Does Antoine know you're here?"
I arched a brow. "What do you think?"
Shaking his head, he gave me one of his rare smiles. "He's going to kill you, and me for that matter. Come on, we got to get out of here." He grabbed my elbow, but I pulled away from him.
