At Grave's End

The vampire cocked his head. "Who do you belong to?"

"An asshole," Tate said at once. I wanted to smack him.

A dry laugh escaped the vampire, again at odds with his boyish appearance. "Don't we all? I'm Anthony."

Score!I mentally shouted. Here's hoping Anthony wasn't another mind reader, or we'd be screwed, although Bones assured me that ability was very rare.

"You never answered my question," Anthony said, that pleasant smile still dimpling his face.

Tate rolled his eyes. "Why should I? I'm not hunting, I'm just here with my girlfriend enjoying the festival."

"Let me give you some advice, sonny," Anthony said. To anyone close enough to overhear, it would be comical having someone who looked like a teenager calling Tate sonny. "When you meet one of us, you introduce yourself, and that includes who you belong to. Or one of us might get pissed and decide to teach you manners."

"Bones." Tate let the name hang in the air before muttering, "Asshole," again.

Yes, I knew it was part of the role, but I also knew he meant it, so I really wanted to smack him.

Anthony glanced around, so quickly that if I hadn't been watching his every movement, I would have missed it.

"You'rethat Tate," he murmured.

Tate folded his arms. "Isn't it your turn now?"

Anthony's smile grew challenging. "Patra," he said, waiting for Tate's reaction.

Tate flicked his gaze around in much more of a pronounced manner. I shifted, too, but in apparent confusion.

"What are you guys talking about?" I asked.

"Nothing you need to worry about, baby," Tate replied, giving my shoulders a reassuring squeeze. "Anthony here, uh, works for a competitor of my boss's and they're both fighting over the same contract. If you ask me, I wouldn't mind if his boss wins it."

Anthony raised a brow. "Really? That's a bold statement to make to a stranger about your...boss."

"Let's just say I had a chance to assist your boss before, but I didn't take it, and now I have buyer's remorse over what I could have gone home with instead of what I got," Tate said. His posture straightened from a relaxed stance to open defiance.

Anthony must have heard about the part Tate played back at Mencheres's house right before it went boom, because he nodded.

"What if your mistake could be remedied? I happen to know my boss would be very interested in any information a...corporate spycould provide."

Tate smiled. "How does your boss reimburse? Because I'd want moneyand protection."

Anthony waved a hand. "You can't imagine how handsomely my employer rewards those who serve her."

I'll just bet, I thought cynically.Unless, of course, you're talking about the people who serve Patra because she's threatened to kill their family if they don't.

"Do you have to talk about business now?" I asked, making my voice petulant.

Anthony seemed to notice me for the first time. He gave me a thorough once-over, and there was nothing prepubescent in it. How typical that his first reaction had been to dismiss me because I had a heartbeat.

"Who's your friend, Tate?"

"Kathleen," Tate said, calling me by my middle name. "Isn't she gorgeous?"

"She is," Anthony agreed, moving closer. His eyes glittered. "But with those looks, that red hair, and her heartbeat, she reminds me a lot of someone I've heard of."

There was open challenge in his voice. I gave Anthony my most innocent "who, me?" look.

"I like to role-play," Tate replied with an edge to his tone. "So I had Kathleen change her hair color and wear contacts. You got a problem with that?"

Anthony's arm whipped out, and he yanked my jeans down over my left hip, then my right one. There was nothing on either but smooth, unmarked skin.

Tate bristled even as I hid a smile.That's right, buddy. No tattoo anymore. Hurt like hell when Max sliced it off, not that you would have heard about that, but now its absence is coming in handy.

"You touch her again and we quit talking," Tate growled.

Anthony seemed to relax. "Is she a good likeness of the real Reaper?"

Tate shrugged. "Close enough to count."

I'd had my hair dyed back to its normal crimson shade, all the better to smell like its color wasn't natural, and I was wearing contacts with blue flecks in them. Just enough to change my gaze from clear gray. Plus my skin was freshly darkened, all thanks to a quick rub from a self-tanner that helped hide its normal luminescence. That had been Vlad's idea. Drac was crafty indeed.

So far, the role-playing act was working. Anthony wasn't running for his life or his weapons.

"Do you have to talk about thatother girl?"

I pouted, which would be expected, considering the topic. Tate kissed the top of my head.

"Not anymore, baby."

"Then can we go home?" With more pouting.

Tate looked down on me with an indulgent smile. "Got a little business to take care of first, then I'm all yours."

Anthony licked his lips. "Splendid. I'll take you to my supervisor, Hykso, who can finalize our transaction. Just let me bring my car around back. Less notice that way."

"I don't think so, friend," Tate said, steel underneath his genial tone. "You might change your mind and decide to involve other people in our business, and I don't want to spend the rest of my night beingdead dead."

Anthony managed to appear offended. "It never crossed my mind."

Tate smiled intractably. "Then we leave now, together."

Anthony chewed his lower lip with normal, flat teeth. The gesture was so boyish, he could have been one of the older kids waiting in line to get a picture with Santa. He surveyed the people around us with indecision, either for the obvious leave-taking, or more sinister regrets.

I wanted a chance to nab Anthony's "supervisor." The higher up we could go on Patra's chain of command, the better this night would turn out to be.

"If we don't go with him, I still want to leave," I whispered, rubbing against Tate in a way that left nothing to the imagination as to what I was offering as incentive.

"You've got five seconds before she changes my mind," Tate told Anthony, kissing me with a hunger that was too raw to be mistaken for anything but real.

"All right, let's go," Anthony said.

Tate dragged his lips from mine. Green swirled in his eyes. My mouth was slightly swollen from the fierceness of his kiss, and I was a little out of breath.

"Let's gotonight," Anthony repeated with annoyance, beginning to shoulder his way through the people with the rudeness of a vampire who had somewhere else to be.

Chapter Seventeen

WE FOLLOWEDANTHONY INTO THE PARKING lot. His ride was a black stretch limousine. As soon as we approached it, I squeezed Tate's hand, but he'd already sensed it.

"Who else is in there?" he demanded, halting a few feet away.

Anthony grabbed Tate just as the doors opened and two vampires streaked out. One helped Anthony hold Tate, and the other yanked me by the arm. That single gesture told me in a split second they didn't know who I was. If they had, this chump would've had me in a bear hug at knifepoint.

"Don't hurt us!" I wailed. There were only four of them, plus Anthony. Two of them were Masters, but not overly strong, so I guessed this was Anthony's guard for when he went out on the town. There were too few of them for it to be a setup.

Tate swung his gaze to me with sudden clarity, then smacked at the hands restraining him.

"I'll get into the car, no need to shove me," he barked.

Anthony didn't let go, but he nodded to the other man, who held the door open with sarcastic flourish. "After you."

Mentally I sent messages to Bones, telling him to back off and let these punks lead us straight to Hykso. It was a step of faith-I didn't how far away he was or if he could hear me. It wasn't like I could check the bars on my cell phone, after all.

I hunched my shoulders and scurried after Tate, letting fear leak out of my pores, a neat trick I'd developed over the years. To a vampire in a controlling position, it was the sweet scent of victory.

"What's going on?"

My voice trembled for effect while I measured each of the five men in the limo, gauging their strengths. They hadn't frisked me for weapons, which was just not smart. I had two throwing knives taped to my upper back, and the heels on my shoes weren't wood.

"We're being kidnapped," Tate answered coolly as the car sped off. "Don't worry, they're only interested in me."

Anthony grinned, elbowing his closest companion. "Can you believe the luck, finding one of Bones's people at the carnival? Patra will be so happy!"

The other vampire didn't share Anthony's giddiness. His gaze traveled over me in a calculated manner.He dies first, was my instant decision.A thinker, didn't need one of those.

"And his gray-eyed, red-haired friend? You haven't mentioned her."

Something was in his hand, and I made a bleat of terror as a normal person would when it pointed at me. A gun, well, getting shot hurt less than getting burned, that was for damn sure. As long as he didn't blow a hole in my head or heart, any other area could get fixed.

Anthony giggled like a joke had been told. "Kratas, why Patra assigned you to me, I'll never know. She's a fake, of course. Tate's into role-playing. He's got a thing for the real Reaper, it's common knowledge. Maybe I'll keep the redhead for a while. She's not important, so Patra won't need her."

Kratas sent Anthony such a jaded look that the other vampires were suddenly at attention.

"None of you can think past your cocks,that's why Patra assigned me. Can I imagine the luck? No, I can't."

Anthony seemed a little sobered by that. He considered me more objectively. Then he shook his head.

"Her hair smells dyed, her eyes have some blue in them, and her skin...it doesn't have a hint of glow, and she's got no tat. Plus, you didn't see the two of them when I came into the carnival. They were all over each other. Bones wouldn't let his wife fool around with the youngest member of his line."

Kratas gave me another hard stare. "Waste of time to mesmerize her and ask," he muttered, almost more to himself. "If she's not the Reaper, she'll claim innocence, and if sheis, she'll still claim innocence, since they say vampire powers don't work on her."

A brunette vampire shrugged. "Then kill her, it's not worth the risk."

I let out a frightened squeak for effect while I mentally readied myself for a fight. But Kratas was already shaking his head.

"And risk losing our most valuable hostage ever? I think not."

"I have an idea," one of the other vamps piped up. "Have them fuck. He wouldn't risk the death sentence if that's the Reaper, and neither would the real Reaper do it."

Tate let out a disbelieving chuckle even as my hand tightened over his.

"Come on, guys, you expect me to get it on now, when the poor girl's shaking in fear? No thanks, I'm not into rape."

Kratas, to my dismay, seemed to like the idea. He cocked his gun. "You into death? Because this gun's filled with silver bullets, and that's what you and your girlfriend are gonna get unless you do it. Here, we'll even give you some space."

With questionable helpfulness, the other vampires cleared off our seat and scrunched next to each other on the opposite one. Tate and I had their undivided attention. Great. Now what? They were all too alert for us to make a move. No, they had to be off their guard first.

Tate looked as rattled as I felt. I had to do something, fast, before he ruined it. The bottom line was, we needed them to lead us to Hykso. If we just started the mayhem now, there were too many of them for us to try and take a few alive. Sure, Bones would jump in on the fight, but what if before then, Tate or I happened to kill the only person who knew where Hykso was? We couldn't risk it.

"I don't want to die," I quavered, rustling up some crocodile tears. "We shouldn't have gone out tonight, I told you I wanted to stay home!"

Tate only took a second to fling off his unease. My act was saying to play the game-for now. Just long enough to get us a little closer to Hykso.

Tate took me in his arms. "It's all right, baby. Everything will be fine." Then he glared at them.

"You can forget about using a stopwatch, because I'm taking as long as it needs to get her in more of a mood."

"Just glare her into the mood," one of them snapped impatiently.

Tate gave a disgusted grunt. "That may be how you get chicks to want to f**k you, but I find a little something called foreplay works, too."

"Fine, do it your way," Anthony said. "As long as it's in the next twenty minutes, because we'll be at Hykso's plane by then."

Mentally I smiled.Good, tell us how far away we are, that'll make it easier to coordinate an attack.

Kratas waved the gun. "Get on with it."

I eyed Tate, wishing he had Bones's mind-reading skills.Less than twenty minutes, okay, if we drag out the kissing and such, we can be almost there. Then Bones and the others will be close enough to find Hykso, if we end up killing whoever knows, we'll finish up here, and drinks will be on me. But first...

Tate kissed me, brushing away my fake tears.

"It's okay, baby," he murmured. "Just pretend we're alone. Don't look at them. Think about how much you love to be touched like this."