Page 61 of Hunted

‘Yes, sir,’ the man wheezes, eyes wide.

‘Six years ago, you met a girl. At the bus terminal, here in New York.’

The man’s eyes bulge. ‘Y-yes. I – I remember a girl. Pretty girl. Sh-she asked me to buy her a ticket. I helped her. But I didn’t do anything else, I swear!’

His face turns puce, limbs trembling uncontrollably. He’s moments from pissing himself.

Without warning, Valentin lowers his mouth to the man’s neck.

This feeding is shorter. Sharper. No seduction. No rapture. Just fear and purpose as Valentin dives into memory.

When he pulls back, his expression is blank.

Then he shoves the man away. ‘Release him. He knows nothing.’

Malachi collars the trembling human.

‘You will receive a private equity placement through Umbra’s venture fund,’ Valentin says dismissively. ‘Discretion is expected.’

The man nods so fast I’m amazed his neck survives it.

When he reaches the door, Valentin adds softly, ‘And next time, I caution you not to look at a woman who belongs to another. You might not survive it.’

I know he means the Port Authority incident.

Not me.

Definitely not me.

Still, something raw slams into my chest, and I shift subtly towards the nearest weapon, ready to carve the feeling out if it persists.

‘Y-yes, Don Moretti,’ the man stammers. ‘I-I’m sorry. I did not know.’

One of the Twelve appears to remove him, and he leaves overflowing with gratitude at not being drained, disembowelled or turned into a cautionary anecdote.

I roll my eyes the second he’s gone, masking the sharp relief twisting in my stomach.

Valentin turns to me. ‘You have something to say?’

I cross my arms. ‘If the spectacle is over, perhaps we could proceed to the database. We might actually get somewhere with that.’

Silence thickens.

Malachi’s head snaps towards me in open outrage. Clearly, no one speaks to his sire that way.

Valentin’s gaze remains locked on mine. For one long moment, I can’t tell whether he’ll punish me or laugh.

Instead, he turns to Malachi. ‘Show her.’

Malachi steps forward, close enough that I feel the shift of air as his hand closes around my arm. Hard enough that I know I’ll bruise.

I look him directly in the eyes. ‘You’re going to have to go harder than that to get my attention, my dude,’ I murmur.

His ink-dark gaze goes darker still.

Then the air shatters.

Valentin is between us in an instant, ripping Malachi’s hand away with enough force to send a shockwave through the chamber.