“Do you still want to see the sleeping vampires?” Daemon asked, though the question came out more like—are you sure that you want to see the sleeping vampires?
“Uh, to make sure we don’t draw our swords on the wrong vampires,” the one human hunter said.
“Hunters say the ancients are cross when they’re awakened at an ungodly hour. Newly turned vampires can be just as disagreeable,” Ephraim said.
“Yeah, we do still want to see them,” the human hunter said, as if this were a test and if he didn’t show some metal, the mighty ancient vampires with royal titles would think less of them. Which could be true.
Zachary called out to the Crichton vampires. “We have Van Helsing hunters here who are wanting to see you so they don’t mistake you for the enemy later. Do you mind coming out and showing yourselves? Then I promise, you can go back to sleep.”
One by one, the seven vampires came down the hall and into the living room, looking tired and annoyed. None of them bared their teeth at the human hunters, thankfully. But Zachary wouldn’t blame them if they did. They were new at this, and they had to learn to control that side of their new nature.
Three folded their arms across their chest. The other four glanced around the room to see who all was there.
“Did you get enough of a look? Let’s let everyone get back to bed that needs the sleep,” Zachary said.
“Yes, thanks. We’ll be sure to know you, but we also wanted you to know us,” the one man said, surprising Zachary.
So they were afraid the vampires might mistake them for the enemy also?
Now Zachary understood the situation a little better.
The vampires seemed to appreciate the human hunters’ concerns, and they all said goodnight in a conciliatory way, then one by one, they plodded down the hall, but Ephraim and Daemon vanished with a flourish.
“We…” one of the Van Helsing hunters looked at the others, and they all motioned for the spokesman to get on with what he had to say. “We heard some men talking about Rutherford. They had to have been hosts. We figured it couldn’t be anyone but the Rutherford we’re all after.”
“Yeah, so where is he?” Alex asked, sounding eager to find him and eliminate him. Though Alex couldn’t personally eliminate his maker.
“He’s staying at a house in Ferry Pass, north of the Pensacola City limits,” the man said.
Zachary wanted to take a bunch of hunters with him, not human hunters, but since they had the intel, he couldn’t very well exclude them. “All right, we’ll gather some more hunters, and go as a unit.” He knew when they exchanged looks with one another, they weren’t pleased they’d call up hunters to go with them as if they couldn’t do the job. Why then had they told Zachary where Rutherford was supposed to be?
Because, if this was really Rutherford, he had set a trap for them? Drawn his loyal vampires to him and they would have a big fight on their hands? Maybe they intended to turn the men?
Alex looked like he wanted to go, but Zachary shook his head at him. “We need a couple of Gregory’s men to housesit across the street while Victor and his brother are sleeping. You can stay there or here, your choice.” He didn’t want him involved in this, just in case they did meet up with Rutherford and the bastard could control Alex.
“All right,” Alex reluctantly said. “I’ll stay here since someone needs to protect the Crichton vampires.”
“Don’t you need to sleep?” Gregory asked.
“No, I’m good.”
“We’ll leave one of Gregory’s men here,” Zachary said, as if he was in charge of the whole operation.
Gregory nodded, and Zachary was certain as long as Gregory got to fight, he was fine with it. Hell, they might all get to fight. Who knew if this was a ruse? And when they pulled their hunters from other areas, the vampires would go after the ones who weren’t as protected?
Three cars of hunters were going to meet them at the house, coming from different directions now, way before the sun set.
Pasha rode with Zachary, Gregory with Adonis, and Michael with the grandfather, who insisted on going, and Danai. The Van Helsing hunters split up and three rode in each of the vehicles. If Rutherford was truly there, the family wanted to take him down.
Chapter 24
“I was thinking that we could help Alex take out the vampires who murdered his parents when all this is over with here,” Zachary told Pasha on the drive over to the place where Rutherford was supposed to be staying.
“The local hunters didn’t take care of it?” Pasha was shocked.
“No.”
“That’s really awful. It’s like saying that the rogue vampires were justified in murdering a human and his huntress mate. It would serve the hunters right if they had lots more trouble from the rogue vampires.”
Zachary turned onto another road. “I was thinking the same thing.”
“Of course I’m all for helping him out with this, though we don’t go on revenge hunts. But we do take down rogues who have murdered innocents.” Pasha got on her cell phone to look up Alex’s parents’ story. “When did it happen?”
“Thirty-one years old, and it happened when he was seven.”
“So twenty-four years ago, last name Matheson. Here, at Halloween.”
“Figures,” Zachary said.
“All right, so the verdict was that vampires did kill them, but no one ever figured out who the vampires were.”
“Bullshit,” Zachary said. “If they have a viable hunter force there, they’d know. And they’d search the rogues out and destroy them because rogue vampires don’t just murder people on a one-time basis. Alex’s mother wasn’t hunting vampires, was she? And a vampire or group of vampires was out for revenge?”
“No. It says in the news article that she wasn’t. She was a stay-at-home mom, actually, and her husband was a computer programmer. As long as Alex is being truthful about not feeding Rutherford any information about who we are and our numbers, as far as he knows them, then I’m willing to help him take out the rogues.” Pasha pocketed her phone.
“He might not be able to fight Rutherford’s control all the way.”
“Adonis did. Well, to an extent, I guess.”
“Exactly. And your brother is a full hunter. Alex isn’t.”
“True.”
Then Zachary changed the subject on her. “I want to get married and take you on a honeymoon. A vacation. We’ll be due one.”
Pasha smiled, not believing Zachary would be a romantic at heart. “I’d love that. After everything we’ve been through, yeah. Hawaii. I like warm-weather places. We can go swimming at the beach, take in a tour of the lava fields, island hop, just all kinds of things. We’ll have a blast.”
“I’ll make all the arrangements when this is all done.”
They finally reached the house and saw that Adonis and Gregory were already there. They got out of the car and spoke with them.
“We’re waiting on our grandfather, Danai, and Michael, right?” Pasha asked.
Adonis suddenly said, “Danai said they got held up by a marathon run and they’re having to find a different route here.”