Page 72 of Bloodhunter

He would have screamed if he’d had the strength. “I don’tknow,” he said, finally, wheezing. “I would tell you if I did. Ask the countryvampires.”

I stared at him, silent, considering.

“I swear I don’t know,” he said, into my silence. “I couldhave lied but you’d know, wouldn’t you? Being ahunter.”

And hurt as he was, young as he was, there was still hatredand resentment in his tortured voice.

I wouldn’t have known, but I nodded. Maybe being able totell the difference between a vampire’s lie and his truth would come withexperience. The young vampire wasn’t the only baby there that night. “GordonGray, then,” I threw in. “He’s in the woods off Raeven’s Road?”

“Yes. Different spots every day.”

“What do you know about him?” I asked, not sure where I wasgoing with the questioning. Gray was guilty of killing Lucy. The captain wantedhim. I didn’t need to know anything else.

“He’s worried.” His voice was croaky and broken butdetermined. “He’s knows he’s being blamed for her.”

“Shouldn’t he be?” I asked. “He killed her, after all.”

He hesitated. Then, “I guess.”

I glanced at Clayton, who stood like a watchful statue.There was nothing else to ask. I dropped my stare reluctantly to the vampire.

“Let me go now?” But he was only a little hopeful. Deepdown, he knew I wouldn’t let him go.

“No,” I murmured. “I can’t do that.”

Crawford wanted him, and if it came down to a choice betweenthe vampire and the supernaturals, I was choosing the supernaturals.

But I could ease his pain.

The chain had seared its way deep into his flesh, and I dugit out, almost unable to bear it. But at the same time, I took a grimsatisfaction from my pain, because Ishouldhave pain. I was sympathizingwith a vampire. After everything they’d done, I was feeling sorry for one. Whatdid that make me?

Still, I was about to hand him over to people who would hurthim even more than I had.

And that was saying something.

When I’d finally dug the chain free, I slipped it into thevampire’s pocket. With his current damage, the power of the silver would renderhim too weak to fight or escape, but it wouldn’t burn holes in his body.

He’d heal, but it wouldn’t do him a lot of good, because hewouldn’t heal until after Crawford had him in a place from which he couldn’tescape.

“I don’t want to die,” he said.

“They won’t kill you,” I told him. “But they might make youwish you were dead.” And I turned away, because I couldn’t continue to look athim.

It was Clayton who called the station and requested a car.

It came too soon.

Clayton dragged the vampire to his feet, then slung him overhis shoulder and carried him to the police car.

“Get in the front seat,” he told me. “I’ll ride in the backwith the vampire.”

The ride to the station took only six minutes, and in thattime, no one spoke. Something hung in the air, something heavy, and I finallyrealized I was the only one who felt it. There wasn’t anything in the air.There was something inside me.

I’d changed. Not that night, but earlier, when I’d thrownmyself in front of Amias Sato to protect him from the silver of Shane’s gun.

What a laugh. I was a vampire hunter who sympathized withthe vampires. That should make for some interesting hunts.

I was fine with killing them. I was not fine with torture. Iwould never be—but there’d be a lot of times when I had to hand the vampiresover to people who were going to hurt them. There’d be times when I hurt them.And I would harden. I didn’t have to enjoy torture to do my job.