“Expand your feelings, vampire. What do you smell?”
“I don’t know how to do that,” Travis retorted, his voice bitter. “The vampire who turned me didn’t see fit to stick around long enough to teach me the ins and outs.”
What might have been regret passed behind Ronan’s eyes and was quickly gone. “It’s easy. Just open your senses. It’s like opening a door.”
Taking several deep breaths, Travis closed his eyes and imagined his senses expanding, reaching outward. An odd sensation came over him, almost as if he was drawing on a power not his own. Sensations slammed into him—not just feelings but the overwhelming emotions of hopelessness and despair, fear, and pain. Old blood. And death.
And over all a stifling air of preternatural power.
Reeling under the assault, he opened his eyes. “What the hell!”
“Now do you see what I mean?” Ronan asked.
“Yeah. Something’s definitely wrong here. But what?”
“I suspect the vampires here are selling humans to other vampires, and they’re keeping them prisoners, either in their homes or in some sort of containment center nearby.”
“That’s horrible!” Shannah exclaimed.
“Why would they do that?” Travis asked. “Prey is easy enough to find.”
“I have no idea.” Ronan took Shannah’s hand in his and gave it a squeeze. Rising, he went to the front window and looked out. “It makes no sense. What do you know about the vampires in town?”
“Nothing. I haven’t met any of them.”
Ronan glanced over his shoulder. “Doesn’t that seem odd to you?”
“I don’t know. Should it?”
“More than one or two vampires in any town is unusual. This many is unheard of unless there’s a master vampire in charge. Someone who can keep the others under control. That’s not the case here. The oldest vampire was turned less than forty years ago.”
“Why are the rest of them hiding?”
“That’s a good question.”
Travis sat on the arm of a chair, his brow furrowed. “Joey Cannon,” he murmured.
“What?”
“Overstreet met some guy named Joey Cannon. The man claimed he’d been held prisoner for a couple of weeks in some little town called Susandale and that he barely escaped with his life. That’s what brought Overstreet here in the first place. He was hoping to get a story out of it.”
“Overstreet, yes,” Ronan murmured. “I remember him well. I thought he’d retired.”
“He did, until the journalist in him suspected Joey might give him one last claim to fame.”
“We don’t need another titillating tale about vampires in America,” Ronan said dryly. “We’ve spent centuries staying under the radar. I’m not going to let some two-bit reporter ruin it for all of us.”
“Well, they’ve been keeping it a secret, so far. Well, except for Cannon.”
“All it takes is one match to set the world on fire.” Ronan paced the floor in front of the window. “We’re going to find out what the hell is going on and shut it down.”
Travis lifted one brow. “We?”
Ronan nodded. “You. Me. and Mr. Overstreet.”
“Shouldn’t that be four?” Shannah asked.
Ronan smiled at his wife. “Only if we run into trouble that I can’t handle, love.”
After agreeing to meet with Ronan and Overstreet the following night, Travis returned to Sara’s house. He found her and the writer at the kitchen table playing Gin Rummy. “Who’s winning?”
“He is!” Sara declared acerbically. “But he cheats!”
Overstreet tossed his cards on the table, then sat back in his chair. “So? Was Shannah happy to see you?”
“Not particularly.”
“You were gone for quite a while. What did you talk about?”
Propping his shoulder against the door jamb, Travis folded his arms over his chest. “It seems there’s a dark undercurrent in Susandale.”
“What are you talking about?” Sara asked.
“Ronan said there’s something shady going on in this town.” Travis glanced at Overstreet. “From what he said, I gather he thinks there’s a master vampire pulling the strings, and that they’re selling people to other vampires. I told him about Joey Cannon. Ronan wants to meet with you and me tomorrow night.”
“Me?” Overstreet squeaked. “Why does he want me there?”
“I have no idea, but I guess you’ll find out.” Travis shifted his gaze to Sara. “He thinks there must be fifty vampires in town.”
“Fifty!” The color drained from her face. “Do you believe him?”
Travis nodded. Now that he knew how to use his preternatural senses, he had no doubt about it.
“He’s very bitter, isn’t he?” Shannah remarked, taking Ronan’s hand as they strolled down the dark, deserted street.
“What did you expect, my love? A hug and a warm welcome?”
“Of course not. But …” She shook her head. “I thought we were friends.”
“Friends? The man was a hunter. He kidnapped you to get to me.”
“I know, but he seemed genuinely concerned about me when I got sick. And he did try to save me from you because he thought I was in danger.”
“That was his biggest mistake.”
“He was only thinking of my safety. He didn’t know you’d turned me.”
“I fear that’s something he’s never going to forgive. Or forget.”
“I think you’re right. And I’m sorry for that. I have so few friends.”
Ronan stopped abruptly, his gaze searching hers. “Are you unhappy, Shannah?”
“No! No. It’s just that …”
“You don’t have to explain. I’ve changed your whole life. I’ve been a vampire for so long, I’ve forgotten what it’s like to have friends you can talk to. People you can trust.”
“I don’t have any regrets, Ronan. I love our life together. I wouldn’t change anything.”
“But?”
She smiled up at him. He knew her so well. “It’s just that he was the last friend I made before you turned me, and even though it was a rocky friendship at best, I guess I was clinging to that. It’s silly, I know, but it hurts that he hates me now. Even though I don’t blame him.”
He drew her into his arms and held her close, one hand lightly stroking her hair. “Do you want to go home?”
“Do you think we should?”
“It’s up to you.”
“I think we should stay and clean
