Chapter 6

This was hardly the first time that Scarlett had been here at the estate without Kova. He was not her keeper, but he was her friend. Deep down, she thought of him as her family, the way she imagined a big brother would be.

And with Lux's strange, quiet vampires lurking in the shadows, she felt increasingly uncomfortable in the place that had long been her home.She wished Kova was here so she didn't feel alone.

A few hours after Kova left the house, a black pickup truck rolled down the curving driveway. One of the security systems pinged, and she absently called out to the automation to quiet the alarm as she went to the front window.

Emerging from the truck were two familiar hunters – Marlee Montgomery and Jordan Cole. She hadn't seen Marlee since their attack on Infinity. They'd hunted as a team along with Theo Byrne, but he'd been killed in Atlanta after Scarlett was pulled off the mission.

And it had been more than a year since she last worked with Jordan, though she'd cleaned up his mess in Atlanta after he antagonized Rachel Ryan and left Thomas with orders to kidnap her kid. The Auberon had captured Jordan before she arrived. Sometime later, he was ultimately freed in a trade with the Auberon, but all she'd heard was that he was alive and intended to keep hunting.

Scarlett walked out to greet them, though they shared no jovial recognition or smiles. Both the hunters were dhampir like her, the scent of their blood strong in the air. Marlee carried a huge bag over one shoulder, her springy curls bound back in a headband. "Sorry we're late," she said, her voice flat. "Big accident on 85."

A loud bang startled Scarlett, and she whipped around to see Jordan unlatching the tailgate to grab a black plastic crate. He was thinner than she remembered, his cheeks gaunt over the thick beard that hugged his jaw. Twisted scars snaked over his left cheekbone and his forehead, disappearing into his thick hair. "Where's the witch?" he asked.

"Ms. Voss is inside," she said hesitantly. "You're here to help hunt the Auberon?"

Marlee nodded, but Jordan spoke first, his voice low and rough. "Not just hunt. Destroy." He'd never been particularly personable, but the coldness to his voice unsettled her.

"Good," Scarlett said. But the word felt too large, difficult to spit over her tongue as she led the other hunters into the house.

Brusque introductions were made before Stella ushered them into the living room, where Armina waited to welcome the two hunters. Nestled into an oversized chair with her hair immaculately styled in a twist, she looked like a queen welcoming her subjects rather than a woman who'd just been laid low by magic. She even wore an embroidered shawl that reminded Scarlett of a cape, draped over her narrow shoulders and down to the floor.

"It's good of you to make the drive," Armina said.

"Yes, ma'am," Marlee said, settling onto the long leather couch. "We were?—"

"Eslinger gave orders," Jordan interrupted, planting himself—and his filthy boots—in the middle of the newly vacuumed rug. Brawny arms folded across his chest in a defiant pose. "What's the target?"

"Mind your manners," Armina said archly.

"We didn't come all this way to—" The man's voice cut off, a thin sound whistling through his lips as his eyes went wide. His light green eyes darkened with filaments of oily black, as if Armina's magic was filling his veins.

The antique lamps flickered, casting the room in an unsettling shadow. Armina's eyes glinted as she cocked her head. "I am not one of your redneck hunting companions, nor am I Jack Eslinger. You speak to me with respect, or you will not speak to me at all. Do you understand?"

His eyes narrowed, and one hand twitched toward his thigh as if he intended to draw a weapon. Scarlett shifted in her seat, ready to pounce. But he finally nodded, letting out a quiet sigh when she released her magical hold on him.

"Have a seat, Mr. Cole," Armina said sweetly. Her bracelets tinkled together as she gestured to one of the leather couches.

The dhampir man plopped onto the couch next to Marlee. He drew a deep breath before speaking again. "Please tell us what you need," he said, biting out each word with obvious irritation.

"A few days from now, you'll accompany Scarlett to Atlanta to deal with what remains of the Auberon court. They've undergone a bit of restructuring since you last encountered them, Mr. Cole," Armina said.

"I'm assuming this is a kill mission," Marlee said.

The witch shook her head. "No. There are certain members of the court I want brought back to me."

"I don't take prisoners," Jordan said.

"Then leave and go back to Mr. Eslinger," Armina said. "I'll find someone else who can follow simple instructions."

The man's eyes narrowed. Finally, he nodded. "Tell us the job."

Scarlett listened with growing unease as Armina gave the hunters orders to capture Julian Alcott's subordinates, giving Scarlett access to the man himself. Why were they bothering with prisoners? It gave her some small comfort that the other two hunters seemed uneasy; this wasn't the way they usually did things.

But they didn't argue, and Scarlett held back her own questions as they were dismissed for the evening. She played hostess long enough to show the two dhampir to the training gym, then left them in Stella's hands to find guest rooms.

After a grueling training session, she returned to her cottage and checked her phone. She instinctively went to Kova's contact, finding no recent messages. In fact, the last message he'd sent her was months ago. Why would he start now?

Having Marlee and Jordan here should have set her at ease, but she only felt more out of place than ever.

The next eveningLux came to her cottage and told her to report to the training gym. Her stomach churned as she contemplated facing Carrigan Shea, but it was not the brawny vampire that awaited. Instead, an older man with faded tattoos—Adrian—and the glossy-haired woman—Paige—held a snarling younger vampire, her blonde hair wild around her red face. Marlee and Jordan stood together in the corner, watching intently.

"What is this?" Scarlett demanded.

"Experimentation," Lux replied. "The fucking Auberon ruined my experiments with Shea's court."

Marlee shifted uneasily. "Your experiments? According to Jonas Wynn, Shea killed one of our best hunters," she said. Her dark eyes met Scarlett's, then skimmed away.

She'd already left town by that point, and she couldn't help wondering if she'd screwed them over. But when Armina said it was time to go, she followed. Jonas Wynn made some bad calls, her aunt had said dismissively, as if it was a poorly chosen gambit in chess.

"Does Armina know you're doing this?" Scarlett asked.

Lux let out a barking laugh. "She taught me everything about being a Night Weaver, and more beyond. Of course she knows." Then she gestured to Marlee. "I've got him wound up so tight he can't blink without me knowing. If you want a little revenge, just let me know."

Did Lux know he'd tried to take a bite out of her in the woods a few days ago? Hell, maybe Lux had put him up to it as a test.

Strangely, Lux's words seemed to set Marlee at ease. A strange smile unfurled on her face, and she nodded. "I'll think about it. What are you working on?"

The witch handed Scarlett a stake made of dark metal, its surface glowing with silvery-blue runes. It was ice cold to the touch, with a stiletto-sharp point. "Get this into the back of her neck."

"You don't need me for that," she protested. It was light, but it tingled against her skin like it was electrified.

Jordan let out a derisive laugh. "If you don't want to, give it to me."

"No one asked you," Lux snapped. Her eyes snapped to Scarlett. "I want to see if you can get it in her, and if she can get it out. If you're going to kill Julian Alcott, then you should be able to handle a toddler of a vampire in your sleep."

"Fuck you," the blonde shouted. "Let me go!"

Lux chuckled. "Eliza, calm down. If you can get past Scarlett, then I'll let you go."

"What will it do?" Scarlett asked.

"It'll put a leash on her, much faster than the usual way," Lux said. "Imagine if the Shieldsmen could instantly take control of a vampire. Imagine if you could put this on Julian Alcott and kill him before he realized what hit him."

"But—"

"Paige, release her," Lux said, cutting off Scarlett's protests.

Eliza lunged at Scarlett, swiping wildly. Her scent was intense and familiar, with the same bitter bite of Carrigan Shea's blood. Her fist connected with Scarlett's shoulder, sending her reeling.

"I guess we're doing this," Scarlett muttered, neatly dodging the next blow.

The blonde woman was no fool. She lunged for the door, but Adrian stepped in front of it and shoved her back into the ring with Scarlett. She snarled, and he snarled back, baring his teeth at her.

"You go through her to get out," Lux taunted.

Scarlett braced herself as the blonde vampire whirled on her. In a dizzying blur, the woman zig-zagged across the floor and tackled her. She threw up her arms in self-defense, but the woman nailed her in the face with one wild punch.

Scrambling to her feet, Scarlett danced around the circle. Pure instinct took over as she dodged and ducked. Blood streamed from her nose, but she didn't dare slow, didn't dare to turn away from her vampire opponent.

She darted in and scraped her stake across Eliza's chest, prompting a shrill scream. The vampire kicked her in the belly and flung her across the gym. Gasping for air, Scarlett rolled aside and got to her feet.

The woman's red eyes cut to the stake, then back to Scarlett. Her nostrils flared.

Scarlett feinted toward her, and the woman lunged. With a triumphant shout, she kicked the back of the woman's leg out from under her in a sickening crunch of bone. As she toppled, Scarlett tackled her, grabbed a handful of her tangled blonde hair, and smacked her face into the rubber gym floor. The woman bucked wildly, but Scarlett drove the ice-cold stake into the back of her neck, where another vampire might have borne a Covenant mark.

Searing cold burst from the metal as the carved runes ignited in blinding silver-blue. The stake drove through bone and sinew like butter. Eliza convulsed violently and let out a clipped cry. With trembling hands, she tried to stand, but Lux's voice rang out. "Stay down." At the sound of her voice, the runes on the stake glowed.

"Holy shit," Scarlett murmured.

But the vampire woman growled, an animal sound that set Scarlett's nerves on edge. She managed to get one leg under her. Furious red eyes found Lux's. Her lips were bloody, veins standing out on her temples.

"Eliza. Stay down," Lux ordered.

"N– no," the woman bit out. With trembling hands, she reached to the back of her neck, prying at the vicious stake.

"Stop her," Lux said, raising a hand. Without a word, Paige lunged at the woman and stomped on her back, flattening her to the floor. "This is promising. Well done, Scarlett."

Scarlett could only stare at the prone vampire in fascinated horror. This should have felt triumphant, but for some reason, she could only think of Kova lying there like a beaten dog.

"I thought you wanted to undo the vampire transformation," Scarlett said.

For a split second, Lux's face twisted in a look of confusion. "I do, but do you think they want that? I have to get them under control first." Then she glanced at her watch. "Get her to my workshop. I'm on a timer." As her silent vampire lackeys dragged the protesting woman out, Lux glanced at Scarlett. "Thanks for the help. Maybe clean up the blood before it stains." Then she snapped her fingers at Marlee and said, "Come with me."

Marlee's arms folded across her chest. "Let's be very clear. I don't answer to you, and if you snap your fingers at me like that again, I'm going to break them. You can tell Ms. Voss that, too, or I'll inform her myself."

At that, Lux recoiled, eyes going wide. Then she huffed and strolled out of the gym with her two vampire lackeys and guest hunters on her tail.

Scarlett frowned at the blood on the floor. If the witch was going to keep vampires as pets, she could at least make them clean up. Her irritation gave way to anxiety as she mopped the floor, pushing around the mix of vampire and dhampir blood over the rubber mats.The wet pink swirl turned her stomach.

She couldn't get squeamish now. And Lux was only doing what Armina taught her. They were trying to protect people from vampires. That had always been their goal.

So why did it feel so wrong? Why was her skin crawling? The blonde woman had probably been ripping out throats, and she was better off under control.

After scrubbing the floor clean, Scarlett spent the next hour on the treadmill with music blasting, running like Julian was on her heels. In her mind, she tried to imagine knocking him down, driving that cold stake through him so he couldn't kill her like her mother.

But instead she saw that smile from her dreams, even smelled the clean, woody scent of the cozy cabin where they'd…

Absolutely not.

She turned up the speed on the treadmill until the only thoughts she could hold were don't die, don't fall, just breathe.

When she heard the first pained shout, she thought it was her music, a playlist Kova had wryly dubbed her Angry Danish Men Shouting About Dragons playlist. But when she lowered the volume and stopped the spinning belt of the treadmill, she listened and heard another low groan.

Heart pounding, she crept across the gym and opened the heavy door to listen. Muffled voices across the house, and a sharp male voice blurting, I don't know!

That was Kova.

Forgetting that she was a sweaty mess, she bolted across the house, following the sound of his voice and the smell of…the smell of blood. That drew her to the basement.

Her stomach churned as she took in the grisly scene. She had rarely ventured down here; this was the territory of Tante Mina and her apprentices. But it was never locked; she stayed away out of respect, not an inability to get in.

Dim lights cast a hazy glow across the acid-stained concrete floor. One wall was occupied by metal shelves laden with black plastic crates, full of supplies for Tante Mina and her apprentices. Along the far wall were three barred cells, each bar glowing with runes of her aunt's magic. At the moment, only one was occupied. In the center cage was Shea,who watched with a look of fascination on his face, crimson-scarred arms crossed over his broad chest. A chill prickled down her spine at the sight of him.

He flashed a look at her, then looked back to the center of the room, where Kova lay across a rough-hewn stone table, stripped to the waist.

Her friend.

Dark bruises marked his bare chest and arms. One eye was swollen shut, and there was a terrible open wound in his side.And Mina was not tending to him; she was hurting him. Her thin bejeweled fingers danced over his chest, igniting those red marks as his whole body jolted in pain.

"Kova?" Scarlett said.

Her aunt's head snapped around, and she could have sworn she felt a winter wind biting at her skin. The older woman's deep black eyes seemed to pull Scarlett in, threatening to drown her in that darkness. "Go upstairs," her aunt's voice rang out, echoing impossibly loud in the concrete basement.

And yet, she hesitated. Kova wouldn't just walk away if she was hurt. "Is he okay?" she asked shakily.

"Go upstairs," Mina hissed.

"Let the apprentice learn," Shea said with a low chuckle. There was a whipcrack sound, and he recoiled, both arms glowing bright with his binding marks. His voice rumbled in his chest, and then he coughed violently before spitting out blood. "My apologies," he bit out.

Unease gripped Scarlett as she stepped closer. It was one thing to wrestle Shea into submission, but why Kova? He had always been their ally."What's wrong with him?"

"I'm taking care of him," Mina said.

Kova let out a bitter laugh, arching against the bindings. Blood pattered to the ground, and it smelled off, somehow, tainted by magic. "Just go, zaika, You can't help me," he said.

"I will not ask you again," Mina said.

The coldness of her aunt's voice sent a chill prickling down her spine. Scarlett backed away, then ran up the stairs. From below she heard Kova laughing again, but it was a terrible, tortured sound that made her think of madness. Then another awful cry, chased by a laugh in a manic song that repeated again and again.

In a mad dash, she ran through the house and out the front door. Her hair whipped in the wind as she sprinted across the dark expanse of the lawn, down to the edge of the property and onto the rocky trail where she often ran with Kova. This time, there was no predatory vampire on her heels, ready to tear out her throat.

Reality was chasing her. Something was very wrong, and seeing Tante Mina hurting Kova was only the most recent mark in the wrong column.

For the last three nights, she'd been dreaming of Julian. That wasn't unusual; for years, she'd dreamed of him hunting her, trying to finish off the one he couldn't kill. But these recent dreams were lovely, making it a disappointment to wake up each day.

One night, they walked hand-in-hand through a field of brilliant red flowers, and he kissed her cheek before telling her to come home. Another night, a bit more mischievous, he'd chased her through a strange house, through winding corridors and spiral stairs, before he caught her. And instead of screaming in terror, she'd giggled in delight as he hiked up her skirts, bent her over a nearby table, and fucked her like both their lives depended on it. She'd woken from that one a sweating, flushed mess, and had no choice but to finish the job herself in the shower while wondering what the hell had gotten into her.

Not a single dream ended with her throat ripped out, and she kept hearing his voice.

Come home.

Come to me.

Come back to me.

Not just that. He called her Brigitte. She didn't know anyone named Brigitte, but it was music on his lips. And stranger still, it felt natural. It felt like home.

Perhaps the other witch had permanently screwed up her brain, because these dreams were beginning to feel right. She was supposed to go to him. Julian was home, not this place that felt more and more like a prison.

Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself harder, her heart thundering in her chest. Maybe Shoshanna York was just that devious and skilled. Her magic felt like warmth and light, leaving a sweet lingering scent that lulled Scarlett into a false sense of peace and complacency.

Real power takes sacrifice, Tante Mina once told her, but those words had never sat well with Scarlett. And watching Kova—her friend, her ally for as long as she could remember—writhing in pain with blood dripping from his fingers…

This wasn't right.

Something in her wanted to cut through the dense woods, find the road, and keep running until her legs gave out. And she knew that if she did, her legs would take her south, toward Atlanta, toward him.

She had to get this uncertainty out of her head, and the only way to do that was to deal with Julian Alcott. He was the thundercloud on the horizon, the question mark hanging in her future for nearly thirty years. But sometimes she felt as if Julian stood at the edge of a cliff, and she had been running toward him for her entire life. When she finally struck him down, she would tumble over the edge and into the abyss. The path ended there, and even Kova couldn't tell her what they might do when it was finally done.

And what if…what if she didn't kill him? What if she met him and didn't hate him?

What if she saw him and her body ignited? What if he smiled and kissed her and took over her mind like he did in her dreams? One touch and?—

Pain rattled her as she barreled into a tree. She crumpled to the ground, breathing raggedly, trying not to vomit. Lying on the wet carpet of leaves, she stared up at the canopy and looked for slivers of moonlight between the branches.

As her heart thrummed against her breastbone, she thought of Tante Mina, eyes black as night. She thought of that terrible stake, and the growing number of vampires slinking through the house under the guise of Lux's experiments.

And Kova, telling her to run, to get away while she could.

Was this all a grand conspiracy to mess with her head? As if she'd heard the doubts rattling around Scarlett's mind, Mina's voice rang out. "Scarlett? Dear? Where are you? Come back to the house."

Her voice was far away, but Scarlett's dhampir hearing picked it up even deep in the woods. And as she called, Scarlett thought, I won't. I'm going to run.

But instead, she trudged up the trail and back toward the house. Her legs ached, and an acidic burn pooled in her lungs from the exertion. When she reached the house, she found her aunt standing on the back patio with a frown on her face.

"Where have you been?" she scolded.

"Out running," Scarlett said. "I needed some air."

"You should be resting."

Always the doting, maternal figure, as if she was still a child. Suddenly, the overbearing attention felt stifling, rather than comforting. "I needed some air," Scarlett repeated.

The older woman's eyebrow arched, and there was a hint of something dark on the wind, an unpleasant scent of magic. Then she nodded and said, "Come into my workshop. We need to discuss our plans."

Reluctantly, Scarlett followed her into the house. It was quiet, but thick smell of Kova's blood made her uneasy. "Is Kova all right?" she asked.

"He's fine," Mina said absently. When they reached the workshop, she closed the door firmly behind her. Her spacious workshop, always neat as a pin, adjoined a sitting room and library. She followed her aunt into the sitting room, watching as she slowly settled onto the couch.

"Are you feeling all right?" Scarlett asked.

The other woman glanced up and smiled. "I'm fine. Dealing with this witch is taking a toll on me."

And it had; Scarlett hadn't said anything, since her aunt was vain about her looks. Her dark hair and elegant clothes made her look much younger than she was, her face not showing the lines of an older woman. But now there were dark circles under her eyes, and a faint tremor occasionally gripped her hands. She moved stiffly, as if her joints were grinding down to bone.

"Did Kova kill her?" Scarlett asked.

Mina shook her head. "He failed." She sighed. "No, he chose to fail."

"What do you mean?"

"He took one look at her big brown eyes and decided he couldn't bring himself to kill her," Mina said bitterly.

"Maybe he had his reasons," she said.

"His reasons are being a wretched, sentimental coward," Mina snapped.

The heat in her tone felt like a slap in the face, and Scarlett shrank back. "So what will you do?"

"I gave him a simple task and he failed it, and I must trust that my apprentices will do better," Mina seethed. "Lux will go to Atlanta soon, along with Mr. Shea. They will deal with her. "

Her stomach twisted into a knot. "Why don't I go?"

"Because it is not time for you to go," Mina said.

"But I'm ready. I could deal with Julian now, and?—"

Mina surged to her feet, and cold wind billowed from her. "What do you not understand? You are not ready. I decide when you go!"

For a split second, black, shadowy tendrils spiraled around her and squeezed her painfully tight. A cool voice whispered in her head. Listen to your auntie. She knows best.

It was not the magic that alarmed her; Tante Mina had used it many times to make a point. What frightened her was the heat in her aunt's voice, the raw anger that Scarlett had never seen directed her way. Her eyes stung, and she bowed her head. "I'm sorry," she murmured.

And then a cool hand closed on hers, the other tipping her chin up. She opened her eyes to see Tante Mina staring at her with concern in her eyes. They were warm brown again, the same ones she'd seen a thousand times. "No, I'm the one who should be sorry, my love. I'm angry at Kova for letting me down, and I lashed out at you. I'm very sorry."

"It's okay," she breathed.

"You have never let me down," Mina said gently. "I appreciate your eagerness to help, but it's not the right time to attack Julian. Lux knows the city and has been watching the Auberon for some time. She will gather intelligence, and she will let us know when it's right to move."

Scarlett nodded. "Okay.I guess I'll keep practicing until it's time."

"That's my girl. Such a hard worker," Mina said.

Scarlett hesitated. "And you know what Lux is doing? With the special stakes?"

Her aunt's nose wrinkled. "It's rather inelegant, but I'm pleased she finally managed it. It took me many days of work to bind Kova and control that murderous nature. Lux has taken my work and accelerated it. If she can get this right, we can break them far quicker."

"Break them?"

"Like a wild horse," Mina said. "This would give our allies a great advantage in protecting humanity." Her gaze grew distant. "So many hunters lost over the centuries. This will save lives, my love."

And how could she argue with that?

Mina glanced at her watch. "You have work to do, don't you?"

"Yes, ma'am," she said. "Good evening."

Her daily routine was strict. For the last few years, she'd kept a mostly nocturnal schedule so she was prepared to hunt. It also allowed her to get up and work with Kova while he was at his strongest. After eating breakfast, she had three to four hoursof exercise, split between running, weightlifting, and weapons training. At least two hours of reading old Shieldsmen journals, learning about vampires and how to fight them. At this point, she'd read nearly all of Mina's journals, and sometimes just stared blankly while she imagined herself in those pages.

There was a bit of time for leisure, and she had been quite interested in learning languages for the last few years. Kova spoke German and Russian, and had been teaching her Russian each day. With him out of commission, her day was thoroughly disrupted.

She spent her hours in the gym as expected, including an exhilarating sparring session with Marlee. It was a relief that Jordan had excused himself to find a shooting range; she wasn't sure she could trust him to hold back. There was something deeply unsettling about him, a strange look in his eyes like he was always listening to something she couldn't hear.

While taking a break for water, they had a terse conversation about the last few months. Marlee reported that she'd been hunting in Indianapolis, where a small cluster of Shea's former followers had gathered. According to Marlee, dealing with the Auberon vampires under Julian's leadership was one of the top priorities for the Shieldsmen.

"Killing them," Marlee had said pointedly. "Or so I thought. Of course, I'll follow orders," she added quickly, as if afraid Tante Mina was listening.

They'd quickly gotten back to sparring before parting ways for the night. Around two, when she normally started winding down for the night, she found herself wandering the house. Lux was in her workshop, and Stella was out running errands. Mina was asleep, and Scarlett found herself at the older woman's door, listening to her steady heartbeat and slow breathing.

Good.

What the hell was she doing?

She checked again, then crept to the basement door and tiptoed down the stairs. The smell of blood was still strong in the air, though the smell of cleaning products hinted that someone—one of the apprentices, probably—had tried to cover it up.

Kova lay on the floor in the far cell. He wore only a pair of loose pajama pants, leaving his bare back on the concrete floor. Her belly twinged in sympathy. He had his own room. Why was he sleeping down here?

Because she's not taking care of him. She's punishing him.

Holding her breath, she tiptoed across the basement to kneel outside the tiny cell. After checking over her shoulder one more time, she reached through and tapped Kova's hand. He stirred, then buried his head in his arm. Dirt and blood streaked the lean muscle of his back.

"Kova," she whispered.

No answer.

Damn vampires. They slept like the dead during the day. Good for hunting, but not so good for clandestine conversation. She reached through and gave him a sharp pinch.

Right. He didn't feel pain normally.

She frowned, then hurried across the basement to the small refrigerator that held perishable supplies. In addition to some herbs and other ingredients, there were several bags of blood. She took one, twisted off the cap, then dripped some of it onto her hand before thrusting it between the bars and under Kova's nose.

His nose wrinkled, and he grabbed at her hand, licking her fingers clean as he sat up. Then his eyes widened, and he released her like she'd burned him. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked, his voice rough.

He was far too pale, and long, deep cuts lined the inside of his arms and along his ribs, as if they'd filleted him. The sight of it turned her stomach. At least he didn't feel it.

"I want to know what happened with the witch," she said.

His eyes widened. "I got my ass kicked. Obviously."

But those wounds were fresh, the work of Mina and her apprentices. That was a punishment for his failure.

"Did you choose not to kill her?" she asked. When he nodded, she leaned in. "Why?"

"Because she—" He winced, clearly unable to get out the words. Without his shirt, she could see the tapestry of markings across his chest igniting like embers. He tried several more times, then finally growled in frustration. "She gave me hope that things could be better."

"I don't understand," she said.

His red eyes met hers. "I know where Julian Alcott is."

"Where?" she whispered.

"You have to be careful," he said.

"Because of Julian? Or because of Tante Mina?"

His head tilted, a curious expression in his eyes. "Why do you ask that?"

"Things don't make sense to me," she said. "She's hiding things from me."

He tried to speak, then groaned.Those marks were brighter than ever now.

"Why can't you tell me? She doesn't want you to talk to me about certain things. She's making you keep secrets," she said. He met her eyes and nodded. "Where is Julian?"

"Underground," Kova bit out. "Underground Atlanta."

"Underground? What does that mean?"

But Kova began coughing violently, and the markings on his body glowed angrier and brighter than ever. A low chuckle rumbled from the next cell, and Scarlett startled to see Shea kneeling at the edge, watching her intently.

"What are you up to, little hunter?" he asked.

"Go back to sleep," she snapped.

"Give me some of that blood, and I'll tell you what he means," he said. His voice was low and soft, but she'd seen the vicious predator behind the purr.

"I don't want any help from you," she said.

His hands curled around the bars, and there was a distinct sizzle as the runes ignited against his palms. But he just grinned. "You are one foolish little girl."

"I'm not a little girl. I'm twenty-eight," she said. "And currently I'm not the one locked in a cage."

"Aren't you?" he asked. One dark brow arched. "Don't you want to know where he is? Wouldn't you like to get the kill and impress the witch?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," she said.

He barked a laugh. "I ruled Atlanta."

"Past tense. How'd that work out for you?" she asked. "I heard you got a building dropped on your face."

His smile evaporated, leaving a cold, hungry expression. She was suddenly very glad for the bars between them. "Give me the blood. I'll tell you exactly where to find him."

It was tempting. But she knew without a doubt he'd rip her throat out at the first opportunity.

She took out her phone and searched Underground Atlanta. The first result, and dozens after it, described a now-defunct tourist attraction of shops and restaurants downtown. She put away her phone and stuck up her middle finger. "You can rot in that cell for all I care," she said.

But he just grinned. "I think I'll still be standing long after you're gone, little girl."

She held the blood bag close to the bars. His nostrils flared, but he didn't make a move for it. Holding his gaze, she backed away, then offered the bag through the bars to Kova. He grabbed it as Shea shouted.

"You bitch," he swore, slamming his fist against the bars.The smell of his vampiric blood was powerful, sending a chill shuddering down her spine.

"Quiet," she snapped at him.

Kova let out a long sigh of relief as he dropped the empty bag. His eyes were haunted as he met her gaze again.

"Can you come with me?" she asked.

"Armina's the only one who can open the cell," he said mournfully.

"Should I go anyway?"

He nodded. "I'll be okay here. Take my wallet and keys if you need them."

She nodded eagerly and said, "I'll be back."

"Little Red Riding Hood, off to fight the wolf," Shea called in a singsong voice.

She ignored his call, then briefly contemplated fetching one of her guns to fill his ugly skull full of wooden shrapnel. That would shut him up. But the gunshots would wake Mina and the others and?—

Was she really doing this? Was she going to take off on her own?

As she froze in the hall upstairs, she heard Julian's voice, warm and inviting:

Come home to me. Come find me.

She crept through the house, found Kova's keys with his discarded jacket in his room, and bolted out into the night.