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“Are we seriously going in there?” Felix asked. “What if the place is crawling with vampires, Rayne? Not all vampires in this city are a part of Eleazar’s coven. We might come across some who want our heads on a platter.”
Rayne wanted to suggest that Felix stay in his Mustang, but he didn’t want to leave his mate vulnerable. He had no choice but to take Felix inside. “Just stay close to me.”
The scent of vampires was strong as they walked into the building. The space was filled with several metal cages, and the floors were covered with a thick layer of dirt. He didn’t think whoever owned this place bothered with cleaning, and he figured they probably saw little to no foot traffic. The interior was a shithole, a contrast to the other places in the neighborhood.
The cages lined one side of the room. The doors were locked when Rayne tried to open them. A few were small, but most were large enough for an adult to fit inside. There were a few blankets in the larger cages, and all of them were home to a puddle of blood.
Rayne saw a staircase that led to the second floor. As they walked across the room, he saw a figure on one of the makeshift beds, a blanket covering a lump. The bed wasn’t inside a cage, either.
The smell of death was heavy in the air. Rayne pulled the blanket back to find a human lying there, twin pinpricks on his throat. His eyes were glassy, but Rayne was sure the guy hadn’t been there long. “I think I just found the latest missing person.”
Felix spun away, gagging. “I’ve never seen a dead body before. Is that the smell choking me?”
“Yes.” Rayne covered the guy back up to spare Felix from having to see him again. “I think this is where the victims are taken.”
Felix appeared green. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why take a human here, right next to where he works? Is the vampire trying to get caught.”
“Arrogance.” Rayne’s lip curled. “I think he’s flaunting his victims, saying look what I can do.”
“That’s just sick.”
Rayne couldn’t agree more. “Let’s get out of here. We’ll let the police discover this place.”
“But…” Felix bit his lip. “We can’t just leave that poor guy lying there. He deserves respect.”
Rayne sighed. “I’ll call the cops and leave an anonymous tip.”
First, Rayne would dispatch one of his men to make sure that the signs a vampire had bitten the victim were hidden. The wolves and vampires were trying to remain in the shadows, and this wouldn’t be possible if humans became even more suspicious than they already were.
“Thank you.” Felix glanced at the bed, and Rayne saw sympathy and pain in his eyes. “At least his family will have closure. I don’t know what happened to the other victims, but I’m willing to bet that, when we find the killer, we can get answers.”
Rayne was counting on that.
Chapter Ten
Rayne and Eleazar stared each other down in the foyer. Rayne could see that the vampire felt the same about him being there as Rayne did.
“I’m only permitting you to be in my home because of Felix,” Eleazar said with hostility. “Help him gather his belongings and then leave. But don’t try snooping around or my men will take matters into their own hands.”
What Rayne wouldn’t give to drive a stake through the bastard’s cold heart.
He gave Eleazar a tight-lipped smile. “What, no love for taking care of your boy?’
“Stop it,” Felix huffed. “Rayne, keep quiet. Eleazar, stop antagonizing him. I promise we’ll go straight to my room, get my things, and leave.”
Eleazar’s eyes softened when he looked at Felix. “This is only temporary. You are on loan to the wolves. I expect you back here in one piece when this is over.”
So Felix hadn’t told Eleazar that they were mated. His mate had to have his reasons, so Rayne slid his right hand into his pocket to hide the mating symbol.
Eleazar turned and walked away, his footsteps echoing. Rayne was afraid he’d never get the stench of vampire out of his lungs. The place reeked so badly that his wolf wouldn’t stop snarling.
“This way.” Felix led Rayne upstairs and down a long hallway.
Rayne followed close behind, his hand hovering close to the gun tucked into the back of his waistband. He had long since stopped using a holster. Rayne was too fast for a holster to be useful.
He checked each corridor as they moved through the endless maze, his senses on high alert. The feeling that something was wrong only intensified as they made their way to Felix’s bedroom.
Maybe it was the fact that he was in enemy territory. Maybe it was something else.
