Page 149 of Hunted

The words drop hard. Both sets of guards brace without moving.

Valentin’s eyes go obsidian. ‘They?’

‘Yes. Three of mine,’ Rafe says. ‘Sired. Unseen for more than eighty years.’

My stomach drops. ‘Sired?’

Rafe’s gaze flicks to me. ‘Yes, hunter. One was favoured. Old. Clever. He disappeared.’ His mouth twists, almost with regret. ‘Last I heard, he fled to Ireland.’

Valentin goes very still.

Rafe nods. ‘Yes. To our brother. I never felt our bond sever but I have wondered if he still lived. At the very least, this answers the question.’

Ireland.

Ciaran O’Rourke.

Even I know that name. Faith, bloodlines, wild magic and a temper notorious enough to make other monsters lower their voices.

Valentin’s voice is quiet. ‘His name.’

Rafe’s smile returns, thin and dangerous. ‘That comes at a price.’

The guards sharpen around us.

I fold my arms. ‘Can someone explain why it takes three old vampires to kill one teleporter? Tezra was strong, sure, but three seems like overkill.’

Rafe studies me, amusement returning by degrees. ‘Those three were close. If they drank from each other recently, they may be muddying the trail. Making it difficult to tell which one struck.’

‘Convenient,’ I mutter.

‘Deliberate,’ Valentin says.

Rafe’s smile widens. ‘I’m prepared to continue this over a drink.’

‘That will not be necessary.’

The world folds again.

Polished stone replaces cold alley filth, and we’re back inside a private salon in the Tower.

Rafe strolls in as if he owns the place. ‘Call O’Rourke. Perhaps he can get to the bottom of this.’

Valentin’s face is a mask, but frustration tightens the corner of his mouth.

‘Don’t expect warmth,’ Rafe adds cheerfully. ‘Or I can parley on your behalf. He has always been… partial to me.’

‘Leaving me in your debt?’

Rafe shrugs. ‘There are worse fates.’

Then his gaze slides to me. ‘One night with her would settle⁠—’

He doesn’t finish.

Valentin is on him in a blur.

Rafe hits the wall with Valentin’s hand locked around his throat, the glass panel behind him spiderwebbing with a crack like a gunshot. The Black Twelve move instantly. Navarro’s guards mirror them.