I grunted, crossing my arms over my chest.
“You know, I like a woman of few words,” Tristan mentioned conversationally, as we made our way down one of the long hallways of the manor. “You know, most women would be going on and on about where they’d come from or bragging about their latest kill. You, though, you have a bit of mystery to you.” He winked in my direction.
True to my character, I grunted and suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. Mystery, right.
“You have no idea how many of the guys are gossiping about you. Trying to figure out where you came from.” Tristan glanced over at me from the corner of his eye, but I avoided meeting his gaze.
“How much farther?” The anticipation was killing me. I didn’t know who they had, but I knew whoever it ended up being, I wouldn’t be relieved until they were back home safely. Who knew that my going undercover as a vampire hunter would end up like this? I didn’t know how much I could do to help whoever got captured, but I would do my damnedest to get them free.
“We have to go down in the basement,” Tristan explained, as we descended the stairs. “That’s where we keep all the vampires.” His brows furrowed. “It’s in the handbook.”
I didn’t meet his stare, keeping my eyes forward. “I don’t stay in one place long. Prefer to keep moving.”
“Ah, one of those kinds. We have a few like that.” Tristan puffed up his chest with a macho grunt. “I consider myself a lone hunter as well. Nothing beats hunting down bloodsuckers with only yourself for backup. Know what I’m saying?” He nudged me with an elbow and I gave a weak smile.
We rounded the common area and went through the kitchens. My stomach rumbled in protest, so I snatched an apple off a nearby counter. No one called foul, so I bit into it with abandon. When we stopped before a metal door, I swallowed hard. This was it.
“It’s exciting, isn’t it?” Tristan grinned broadly, rubbing his hands together. “The anticipation of seeing a vampire up close and personal. Where we are the predator rather than the prey.” His whole muscled body shuddered. “It’s enough to get a guy hyped up.”
Suddenly, the apple in my stomach fought against me. Hearing Tristan talk about vampires that way, especially my guys, made me question humanity as a whole. He spoke of them like they were just animals without intelligence or feelings. Even though there were some vampires—Boris and Valentine—who deserved what came to them, there were others who hadn’t done anything to cause the hunters to track them down like helpless prey. My vampire knowledge was limited to the guys and the other nasties I’d encountered, so it wasn’t like I knew all vampires were good or bad. But there had to be others like the Durands. I couldn’t believe that they were the only vampires who cared for more than themselves.
Tristan turned the doorknob with a wicked gleam in his eyes. While he was excited about whatever lay down below, I was freaking the fuck out. I didn’t sign up for this. I didn’t want to see one of my guys, one of the people I loved, tortured and maimed. I wasn’t confident I could hold back my reaction when I saw them. That I wouldn’t attack whoever was closest, likely Tristan, to get my guy and get out of there.
The stairway was dark and dank, the only light shining was from the kitchen and what little light was on down below. Each step down the stairs made my heart rate ratchet up a bit. It got to the point where I was holding my breath by time we got to the bottom of the stairs. I blinked into the dimly lit room, my eyes adjusting as I forced myself to breathe so I didn’t pass out.
“Ah, there it is.” Tristan chuckled, his body blocking my view of the vampire who grunted and moaned. The clank of metal told me they’d chained him up, and I feared what else they might have done. I almost didn’t want to see. I was tempted to run back upstairs and keep the image of my loved one hurt and tortured out of my head, but I couldn’t.
Forcing one foot in front of the other, I pushed past Tristan and focused my gaze on the huddled, bloodied figure on the floor. I knew immediately who it was. The buzzed, dark hair on his head, the strong jawline, and muscles bigger than Tristan’s all gave away his identity. The one vampire who, while I hadn’t gotten to know him as well as the others, still squeezed my heart to see him like this.
Marcus.