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An hour later,the six of us patrolled through demon territory, near the waterfront of Edgemont.
We’d already cleared three houses—all with perfectly safe, perfectlyhumanoccupants. Either our theory was bogus, or Cassandra wasn’t as adept as we gave her credit for.
“This is a waste of fucking time,” Saint said beside me, his gaze darting back and forth, scanning our surroundings.
I bit my tongue to keep from agreeing with him. I’d rather be in bed with Grace, but if this led me to whomever had tried to kill her, she might be able to leave the residence to see the people she loved again before—
Don’t go there.
“The names are familiar, though,” she said to Zachariah, scanning down the list as we strolled down the darkened street. “Stroyola, Montview. Those are vampire names, just held by humans. It’s almost…maybe they’re guessing?” She’d traded in her gown for a pair of slacks and blouse.
“That’s your assessment?” Talon snorted. “That the Sons areguessing?”
She shot a glare at Talon. “Do you have anything better?”
Saint paused.
Everyone but me kept walking.
“Saint?” I turned toward my brother.
His eyes were wide, his chest rising and falling as he sucked in breath after breath, as if he was…
“You scent him.” That was the only possible answer.
Saint’s dark gaze flew to mine for a heartbeat before he broke into a sprint toward the right, off the street and into the alley between townhouses.
“Fuck!” I snapped, breaking into a run and chasing after Saint. “Zachariah!”
I heard the pounding footsteps of my brothers behind me as I followed Saint down the musty alleyway and onto the next street. The salt air hit my lungs, disguising the scent of nearby demons and anything else I could have possibly picked up on.
But Saint and Samuel were more than brothers. They were twins.
“For fuck’s sake, wait!” I shouted.
“Keep up!” he countered. Fucker wasfast.
The townhouses facing the waterfront were anything but pristine. This entire section of the territory had been earmarked for demolition and development. Saint shoved through a selection of wide, yellow tape, warning that the area was condemned, and continued his headlong flight not up the stairs to the main entrance, but to the side, where a door waited five steps beneath the surface of the street.
I barely had my Sig unholstered before Saint raised his boot to the heavy wooden door and kicked it in with one shot. Splinters flew and he jumped headfirst into the darkness.
“Damn it!” Trusting my vision to flicker thermal if needed, I followed after my brother.
If Samuel was here, we’d know it soon enough. We’d all be sick on the floor from his unusual powers, completely at his mercy.
I threw out my power around us both. “Stop it!” I shouted. “If you continue without thinking, you’ll get us both killed!”
Saint stopped just before the wall of time that held us both suspended, his chest heaving, his eyes wild as he turned to me in the dark basement. “He’s either here or he just was.”
“You’re sure?” I breathed in, catching the subtle darker notes of Samuel’s scent. Bloodmadness had changed it too much for me to be certain, but I trusted Saint.
“Positive.” The strain on his face was enough to convince me.
My chest tightened. As much as I knew we had to hunt Samuel, had to end his existence, accepting that my brother had actually turned was…difficult. “Stay with me. We’ll search room by room. If he’s here, we have to wait for the others to catch up. Time is mine, brother. It is on our side in this scenario. Do not let your need for vengeance cost your life.”
“My life is already forfeit,” he snapped.
