Page 64 of The Vampire’s Prey

"What makes you think I did anything?"

My eyes narrow as I clench my fists next to me. I am in his territory, as such, I can’t make waves, but if I'm being honest with myself, I want to punch him in his smug face. No. That's not true. What I really want to do is find Evangeline and wear her ass out and fuck her senseless until all she can think, speak, and breathe is me. Sighing, I sit down in a chair opposite of him.

"I haven't done anything to her, but she is going to do something to us."

Lucius' hand stops halfway to the bottle. "The mortal? What could she possibly do?"

"She's a hunter."

"A hunter. Here? How did she slip past us?" Lucius hisses standing up and smacking his palms against the desk. "She was downstairs. She saw everything. You said she was an immune. What are we going to do about this?”

“I kept her blindfolded the whole time I fed. Nothing in the club seemed like anything other than a typical BDSM night. I made sure to keep an eye on things and shield her from anything that could be misconstrued.”

I rub my hand across my forehead then down the back of my neck.

“She offered to let me drink from her the other night, so she for sure knows about me, but I don't know what else she knows. But that's not even the worst of it."

Groaning, he picks up the decanter and pours another drink. After a few gulps, he looks at me warily. "What else is there? A hunter isn't bad enough?"

"There's been a death outside the club. Barbara, your bartender."

Lucius' eyes frantically look from me to the door. "Then why are we standing up here!"

"I have some men on it. Evangeline thinks it was me.” I motion to the dried silver on my shirt. "She tried to kill me with silver of all things. I don't know where she got her information, but it's obviously flawed. We can certainly use that to our advantage."

"Did you kill her? I don't know you that well. You're certainly not part of my nest, so I have to ask you these questions. Hell, I'd still ask it of those I sired.”

Lucius' voice is quiet and deadly, as he stares me down. I squirm slightly under his unnerving gaze. Though I'm completely innocent, it still feels like I'm being called into the principal's office. At least it's not completely personal.

Sighing, I dropped my head into my hands. "No, I didn't kill her. What's problematic is whoever did this tried to make it look like a vampire did. There are puncture marks in her neck, but they were done after she was dead. I can't wrap my head around it, but it feels like I'm being framed. I just happened to be standing over her when Evangeline came to me, saying I wanted to see her. But who would want to frame me? Who would care?"

Lucius' finger circles the rim of his glass deep in thought. "What makes you think they're framing you specifically and not vampires in general."

Grimacing, I pull out a hank of rope, the same one I always keep on hand and toss it on the desk in front of Lucius.

"This rope is a special blend. To my knowledge, only a handful of people have it. Barbara was tied in it."

He grabs the rope and runs his fingers over it, his brow furrowed in thought. "Who's taking care of her right now?"

"I have no clue. My mind isn’t where it should be right now. I know Tiberius at least."

Nodding, Lucius tosses the rope back to me. "I trust him with my life. If his report doesn't match yours, that will not look good for you."

"I understand."

"Where is Evangeline now?"

I shrug, feeling hopeless for the first time in decades. "After she realized I wasn't dead, she ran for her life."

"Damn it. It's too close to sunrise to properly take care of this. But I want her here at sunset."

Lucius rises from his seat and storms out his office leaving me there with my thoughts. I have no idea what hurts worse—the fact that she tried to kill me or the fact that she's gone. If I still had a heart, it would be breaking right now. As it were, I didn’t have that luxury. Right now, there’s nothing more I can do. If I search for her, I could get caught in the sun. Perhaps that will still be an option after all of this. Shaking my head to clear the morose thoughts, I grab my rope and head home.

13

Evangeline

I am stupid. I am so stupid. As I run from Adrian, I duck into the club and grab my purse, phone, and backup keys. Thankfully I have enough wits sometimes to think ahead. Running for the door, I glance back towards the back of the building, my panic rising up into my throat. I almost choke on bile as I see his figure rounding the corner.