16. Lucien

I head out with Elle an hour after the sun goes down. She tried insisting I take the night off, but I have fed already, and I know that if I remain in my rooms, knowing that Kieran and Adam are out there, I will lose my mind.

What little of it I have left, at least.

We meet Naomi, Thistle, and Arty again and the first few hours pass quickly. The streets are still busy, but then it is Saturday evening, so I am not surprised by the couples who spill from restaurants or the groups of friends who wander from one pub to another.

Maybe I should have gone with Kieran and the others. At least then I would know if they were safe.

Elle nudges me. "Focus," she hisses. It is a well-deserved reminder. I was the one who made the decision to join the hunt instead of helping them.

They will be fine.

We end up on an empty street in Belgravia, with Naomi darting away from our little group every once in a while as she investigates dark corners our eyes sweep over. I do not know what instincts drive her, but I know there is a reason Moreau keeps her close. She is good at her job, and I have to trust that.

"I can come with you," Elle offers when Naomi steps off the kerb again.

The hunter shakes her head and smiles. "Be right back."

Elle lets her go, though I know we are both listening for her heartbeat, making sure that she is safe. Her instincts may be different from ours, but she is having no more success finding Tristan than we are.

Arty and Thistle take the moment for some respite. Naomi returns with a frown and paces back and forth as Thistle lowers themself to sit on the edge of the kerb.

"How powerful can one magic user be?" Naomi mutters, half to herself.

Thistle shrugs. They dig a cereal bar out of their pocket and take a bite. "More than we thought."

Naomi makes a sound of agreement, still frowning into the darkness.

Elle sighs. "What happened to Nora?"

She has joined us for the other hunts but has spoken little, though she does not seem unfriendly. Merely… quiet. Elle has made some effort with all of them, including her; after all, we do not know which hunter will opt to become the clan's liaison.

"She's sick," Naomi says, but Thistle pulls a face.

Naomi catches it. She frowns, hands on her hips. "What happened?"

Thistle looks at Arty for help, but he just shrugs and glances away. They sigh. "Something's going on with her," they say. "I'm sharing a room with her, right? She's on the phone with her boyfriend all the time. He sounds like such a dick."

"Do you think she's okay?" Elle asks, darting a look at me.

"Yeah," Thistle says. They pull a face. "I left her there sleeping. Sorry, Naomi. I should've told you, but…"

Naomi frowns. "Yeah, you should. Not for any other reason, but you need sleep, too. If you're not alert, you're in danger."

Thistle hangs their head. "I know."

"Good. I'll talk to Nora when we get back."

I check the time on my watch, then pull out my phone. Adam has let me know he is on the way to the club, and I expect I will receive another text once he has found Kieran and his flatmate.

The wolves are the only ones not involved in our hunt, and I am beginning to wonder whether that is wise. In all my time in London, Crai Vasile and Alpha Deacon have never had a meeting together.

As far as I know, they have never been in a room together.

Hunter Moreau and the rest of the Council know, and it is probably high time the wolves do, too.

Unless Vasile believes the wolves are hiding them. Uneasiness twists in my stomach. If that is the case, then Kieran could have walked into a trap without even knowing it.

I shake my head. It is fruitless trying to work out what people do or do not know. I will talk to Vasile tonight.

"Where to next?" Naomi asks. She looks at Elle before me, but I do not mind. Elle is the one who has been out with them every night.

"If there's nothing here, we should check with the other chieftains and see—"

Elle is cut off when the radio on Naomi's belt squawks. Naomi snatches it up as Thistle leaps to their feet and Arty shifts closer.

"Spotted the target on Chelsea Bridge. Heading south. Gamma team en route."

"Alpha team en route," Naomi barks, and then she's off, the rest of us close on her heels. We are not far away.

"You two go ahead," Naomi says to me and Elle. "We'll be on your tail."

I glance at Elle. When she nods, so do I.

"All right," Elle says. "If we get him, we'll wait for you."

I run, knowing Elle will be right beside me. She catches up a few seconds later and it is less than five minutes before we find ourselves on the bridge.

"You see him?" Elle murmurs.

I shake my head. The hairs on the back of my neck prickle. This feels like a trap—why else would Tristan have walked slowly enough that a team of hunters would have spotted him?

"Where is the team?" I ask.

Elle shakes her head. Neither of us has a radio, and I cannot remember which vampires are on which team. We cross the bridge slowly. I cannot smell blood, but that does not mean the hunters are safe.

The vampires should have called Vasile by now. Unless—

The south side of the bridge leads into vampire territory. Battersea Park looms on our right, and I exchange a look with Elle, who nods. He could be hiding in the power station, he could have run for the tube, but the park is so close and shadowed that it feels… right.

I am proved correct a few moments after we step inside. The copper tang of blood is overwhelming on a sudden cold breeze and next to me, Elle snarls quietly.

"Lucien…"

"I know. Call Vasile."

Elle nods. She steps back into the shadows, heading for the street. It will not be long before Naomi and the others catch up and at least this way, she can tell them where to go.

I make my way down the path. The first hunter is half-hidden in the bushes, throat mauled as though he was attacked by a wild animal. The second is not in any better shape, though the third, strewn across the path, looks like he was hit over the head first because there is only one bite mark, and it is relatively clean.

Blood pools around them, soaking into the earth.

I hear the alpha team's footsteps on the path behind me as I come across the vampires.

The first is laid out on stone before the bandstand and my stomach lurches at the sight, though I do not recognise him well enough to know his name. His eyes are closed, arms crossed over his torso. He could be sleeping, but I know he is not.

The other is on the bandstand, her wounds much more extensive. I crouch next to her body, careful not to disturb any blood. Maisie. I feel dizzy when I see the mess that was her throat, at the reality that hits me when Elle makes a low, broken sound.

There are only two ways to leave a vampire's body behind after their second death; a stake through the heart or exposure to the sun burns us up, turning us to ash. Either we drink from a wolf and are poisoned, or we are drained by another vampire.

Tristan didn't just bite her.

He drained her.

He crossed a line that never should be crossed.

"Lucien," Elle murmurs. When I glance up, the hunters are looking between us, but only Naomi's expression reflects the horror I know is in my own eyes. What Tristan has done… It speaks to a level of cruelty that, until this moment, I would have thought none of my clan capable of.

I stand and take a step away from Maisie's corpse. "He may still be here," I say. "Spread out and search."

Njáll arrives thirty minutes later. There is no sign of Tristan or the magic user, though Thistle has already confirmed that the magic user, at least, was here.

They could be anywhere.

Now, I turn my phone over in my hands, contemplating calling Adam. It is one-thirty, but I do not know how long they will remain at the club. Bite closes at three, I think. I should have checked before I left the clan house.

"I'll kill him," Njáll growls. Maisie's body, as well as that of the other vampire—Cody—has been removed. Both lived in Njáll's district, so there is very little chance Tristan did not know them.

"We need to catch him first," I say with a sigh and ignore Njáll's sharp look. It is not his fault, and that is not the point of my words. I need to call Vasile. We need to tell the wolves and ask for their help, too, instead of breaking off into groups and hoping we catch sight of Tristan before he and his magic user find us.

"There's been no sign of Adelaide," Elle says. "Not since before the escape."

Njáll shakes his head and turns away from the two of us, hands clenched into fists.

"I do not understand," I say quietly. Njáll does not turn back, but I know he is listening. "I do not understand why he would lure them in. Did he know Maisie and Cody well?"

Njáll turns with a scowl. "Not as far as I know," he says. Vampires and hunters mill around us, doing their best to clean up the mess. "The only person I would have said he spent time with before all this was William. After…"

He shakes his head and shoves a hand through his hair. Usually tied back, it now falls around his face.

"What happened after?"

"I should have kept an eye on him. I got so caught up in everything else… I would never have thought him capable of this. Maybe if I had helped—"

Elle shakes her head. "It's still not your fault. Either he was always like this, or someone took advantage. They probably would've managed it even if you'd been watching."

Njáll lets out a heavy breath.

"If he did not know them," I say, "then why lure them here? He could have targeted any of the groups. Why this one?"

Elle frowns, scanning the park. Njáll looks just as confused, but his expression shifts when he looks at me again. "You were the closest team."

"Yes, but he would not—"

"Naomi thought she saw something. A few times," Elle says. "He wanted to get us here, but why? To show he's willing to drain vampires?"

A dark, ugly feeling rears in my chest as I come to a sudden realisation. I suspect it is the same one Njáll had. "No. To get us further away from Bite."

Njáll frowns. "Bite?"

My phone buzzes and my stomach drops. I snatch it out of my pocket, eyes widening when I see Adam's name on the screen.

"Adam, are you—"

"I'm fine," he says quickly, but his words are clipped, and I know he is lying. "We're all fine."

"Who?"

"Me, Kieran, Sam, and Carey."

Carey. I do not know the name, but it does not matter. "What is going on?"

"Tristan was here." Adam sighs at my hiss. "We're okay, we're fine, but, well… I need to pass you over to someone else."

"Adam!"

The phone moves away from Adam, and Njáll and Elle, perfectly able to hear the call, look as confused as I feel. Elle reaches out and squeezes my arm.

"Chieftain Lucien," a deep voice says. "I'm Alpha Deacon. The wolves here took in your turn and his friends after an altercation outside our club."

I close my eyes briefly as relief shudders through me. Yes, this is not ideal, but I do not believe that Alpha Deacon will harm any of them, and better yet, I am certain he can protect them from Tristan, magic user or not.

"My apologies, alpha," I say. Elle lets go of my arm, and Njáll's eyes are wide. "What is it you would like me to do?"

"We're at Bite. You should come here. We need to have a conversation before you pick up your turn."

"Yes, alpha. I will be there soon."

He hangs up before I can, and Elle swears. "You're not just walking in there!"

"Of course I am."

Njáll growls. "You sent a vampire into wolf territory—"

"Adam was at Bite, which is in neutral territory." I swallow a growl. "I am going. I am not asking permission from either of you. Elle, if you could call Vasile and let him know, I would appreciate it."

"Like I'm letting you go alone," she says. She already has her phone in her hand but looks up at Njáll. "I'll get him to send someone here, too."

"Don't bother."

"Not a request."

Njáll meets her gaze and after a second, he nods.

"Come on, then," she says. "Let's go see what the wolves are up to."