Midnight Predator

Jaguar snapped the whip to disentangle it from Ravyn’s wrist; Ravyn hissed in pain, and from the doorway Turquoise could see blood on the burgundy hunter’s skin.

“Are you in the practice of letting dangerous pets run about like feral dogs?” Jeshickah asked acidly, causing Jaguar to stiffen. “Or are you completely out of control of your own property?”

Audra, out. The command was forceful, inviting no disobedience.

However, one does not leave one’s allies to get slaughtered, even if those allies are the likes of Ravyn Aniketos.

Audra. The second voice rolled through her mind like honeyed blades, a combination of sweetness and threat.Aren’t you going to obey your master?

The words loosed a vivid memory, intentionally Turquoise knew.

Catherine, aren’t you going to obey your master?The vampiress’s voice slipped into Cathy’s mind at the same time that Jeshickah said aloud, “Your pet is rather poorly behaved, Daryl.”

Lord Daryl wrapped an arm around the human’s waist, and attempted to pull her back against himself, saying, “She’s a work in progress.”

Cathy slammed a heel down onto the bridge of Lord Daryl’s foot and wrenched herself out of his grip, asserting, “I amnotyourpet.”

Lord Daryl was trying to impress this Jeshickah, whoever she was. Cathy refused to be a good little slave so he could flaunt his power.

She saw amusement in Jeshickah’s expression, and then fierce rage in Lord Daryl’s, and belatedly realized that making him look like a fool in front of this particular member of his kind had been a really bad idea.

The first blow brought the taste of blood to her mouth. The second was a slug to her gut, and it sent her to the ground, gagging. The third was a kick to her rib cage. Normally, he would stop hurting her once she was down, but normally he wasn’t nearly this furious.

The memory was enough to kick the hunter into action.

Turquoise dove, trusting the vampires to be unprepared; she rolled, grabbing the knife Ravyn had lost, and was almost to her feet by the time Jeshickah reacted.

Jaguar shouted, but Turquoise did not turn her attention to him; instead, she tried to keep Jeshickah’s backhand from striking her across the side of the face. The blow would have been crippling, had it connected.

Every fighter has an instinctual tendency to defend first, then attack; that tendency has ended many a hunter’s life. Only one ineffective defense means death, but only one effective attack means victory. If that attack is fast and hard enough, there is no chance of losing because an opponent has no chance to fight back.

Her left shoulder contacted with the vampiress’s gut, knocking her off balance. In the instant before Jeshickah could recover, Turquoise raised the knife in her right hand.

The crack of a whip echoed dimly in the back of her mind.

Then blackness.

CHAPTER 14

LORDDARYL SHOVED HER AWAY,toward Nathaniel. She couldn’t get up again. Everything was bleeding, bruised, throbbing. She barely heard her master’s voice, shaking with pain and fury, order Nathaniel, “Get her out of here.”

“And where should I take her?” Nathaniel responded, barely glancing at the human who had collapsed at his feet.

Lord Daryl spat another curse, and then disappeared, leaving Turquoise alone with the other vampire. Nathaniel hooked an arm around her waist to help her stand, and wrapped a cloth around her bleeding wrist as he told her, “You have no idea how many people have wanted to do what you just tried. For that alone I’m willing to help you. Can you walk?”

He set her on her feet, and his answer came immediately; her legs buckled, and the world slid into gray oblivion.

Turquoise forced her eyes open, dragging herself out of an unwanted sleep. Despite the agony of the memory, there was a faint smile on her lips as she remembered the feel of the knife slicing open her master’s skin. If only that first, painful attempt had worked.

The smile disappeared as she sat up and became aware of the chain connecting her left wrist to the wall. The back of her head pounded where Jaguar’s whip had hit her. She was chained on one side of a large cell; Ravyn was similarly bound a few feet away.

Arguing voices made her headache worse.

“Hunters,” Jeshickah spat, pacing angrily, and Turquoise winced at the sharp sound the vampire’s boots made as their heels contacted with the cold stone floor. “How could you be so stupid?”

Jaguar did not rise to the bait. “If memory serves, you used to collect hunters. And incidentally, you were the one who bought them.”

Jeshickah tossed her mane of black hair in a dismissive gesture. “There is a difference between keeping a well-caged rattlesnake on the shelf to display and letting it slither between your bedcovers,” she pointed out acidly.

“I doubt the hunter ever posed any great threat to you.”

“Of course not,” Jeshickah answered haughtily, “but it’s the principle of the thing. You can’t allow your pets to go around attacking the guests.”

“They were well behaved with me. What exactly did you do to her?” Jaguar leaned back against the wall. He glanced in Turquoise’s direction once, but did not acknowledge if he had noticed she was awake.

“Nothing unexpected.” With a frosty look at Ravyn’s slumped form, Jeshickah added, “Though I suppose your lapdogs don’t expect their masters to hit them, do they? Not when you shower them with praises and treats all day long.”

Ravyn moaned as she woke, her hands flying to massage her temples, the chain from the wall to her wrist scratching loudly over the stone floor. She raised a brazen, garnet glare toward the two vampires, who returned it with twin expressions of distaste.

“Either deal with that,” Jeshickah drawled lazily, “or give it to me and I will.”

“I’ll deal with her. I don’t prefer your methods,” Jaguar answered.

Jeshickah replied glibly, “Oh? And what do you think would be appropriate? A hug and a lollipop?”

Jaguar started to respond, but Jeshickah interrupted him.

“Deal with it, Jaguar,” she ordered. “If you don’t, I will. I know a few people who would pay dearly for them, after I break them.”

“I’ll take Catherine back.” That voice belonged to Lord Daryl. He had been standing in the corner, so silent that Turquoise hadn’t noticed him.

“They’re mine,” Jaguar argued, barely sparing a glance for Lord Daryl. “I’ll deal with the two however I like, and that is not going to involve turning them over to either of you.”

Jeshickah’s black gaze smoldered. “They are yours, little cat, butyouare mine. Blood and body, mind and soul, you belong to me and always will.” Jaguar took a step back from her. “You’ve had long enough with them.” Jaguar started to argue, but Jeshickah interrupted him. “You aren’t the girl’s nursemaid. Daryl’s incompetent, but at least he isn’t a softhearted baby-sitter.”

Lord Daryl’s insulted protest was ignored.

Turquoise could see Jaguar thinking quickly, trying to come up with a way to keep her from Jeshickah and Daryl. “Give me three weeks with them,” he bargained.

“I don’t think you could handle the both of them,” Jeshickah argued.

“Let him keep the red-haired one,” Lord Daryl suggested. “I want Catherine.”

“Did I tell you to speak?” Jeshickah snapped, before turning back to Jaguar. “A few hundred years ago, a couple days would have been more than enough for you.”