Night's Master (Children of The Night 3)

“Yes, indeed,” Edna said, a hint of madness shining in her eyes. “We'll destroy more Vampires and Were-creatures with our formula than all those hunters with their stakes and silver bullets combined.”

Hunters. A school in Texas. I frowned. “You said you'd always lived in Oak Hollow.”

“We've always maintained a residence here, dear, even when we lived in Texas. My grandson took over the family business when Edna and I retired.”

“Retiring,” Edna said. “It was a big mistake.”

Pearl nodded. “Yes, indeed, but they'll remember us now.”

I shook my head again. It didn't make sense. Edna and Pearl had told me about Travis, told me where the Werewolves met…warned me not to be alone with Rafe. Why?

“Travis,” I said with sudden clarity. “He's your grandson, isn't he?”

Pearl beamed at me. “Yes, indeed. Such a good boy.”

“And the best hunter to come along in years, except for my Jeffrey,” Edna added with a grin.

“Let's not have this argument again,” Pearl said with some asperity. “Travis is the best, and he has the kills to prove it.”

I stared at the two of them, unable to believe they were standing there arguing about who was the best hunter while I sat on the floor suffering the aftereffects of being drugged and kidnapped.

“Eat your lunch, dear,” Pearl said, moving toward the door. “It'll be dark in an hour or so, and we have a lot of work to do before the sun goes down.”

Sundown, I thought, and Rafe would be looking for me. He was the only hope I had, but I didn't want him to find me, didn't want his life to be in danger because of me. Closing my eyes, I tried to send him a mental warning to stay away, but I couldn't focus, couldn't think past the growing fear in my heart and the nagging pain in my head.

I stared at the food on the tray. How did they expect me to eat when my life, and Rafe's, were in danger? Still, I forced myself to pick up the sandwich, to take one bite and then another. Even though I wasn't hungry, I had to eat, had to regain my strength for whatever the night might hold.

When I was finished, I pushed the tray away, then curled up on the floor and closed my eyes. All I could do now was rest, wait, and pray.

I lost track of time as I lay there. I dozed and woke and dozed again, and then, as clearly as if I could see him, I knew Rafe was nearby.

Scrambling to my feet, I pressed my ear to the door, hoping to hear what was going on in the next room, but to no avail.

Though my legs still felt like rubber, I paced the floor, all the time wondering what was going on in the other room. Where was Rafe? Were Edna and Pearl still in the building somewhere? What about Travis? And Susie? Was she still with Cagin?

The ache in my head grew worse. Pressing my hands against my temples, I leaned against the wall, quietly cursing Travis Jackson and his crazy grandmother.

I jerked upright when the door opened and Travis sauntered inside, looking smug. Before I could ask what was going on, he cuffed my hands behind my back, grabbed me by the arm, and hustled me outside and into the back of a large, nondescript gray van.

“Where are we going?” I had to ask, even though I knew he wouldn't answer.

My heart skipped a beat when he dropped a black hood over my head. Visions of being shoved against a wall and executed crowded my mind, making it hard to breathe.

I heard the door slam, and then the van lurched forward. I sat on the floor a moment, then lowered my head and shook off the hood. It didn't help much. The inside of the van was dark, the windows painted over so that I couldn't see outside. A sliver of light penetrated the crack in the double doors.

With a sigh, I stretched my legs out in front of me, gasped when my foot hit something. Peering into the darkness, I saw a large cage pushed up against one wall of the van. Looking closer, I realized there was a man locked inside, his hands bound behind his back. His feet were also bound. A thick black hood similar to the one I had shaken off covered his head, and even though I couldn't see his face, I knew it was Rafe.

I took a closer look at the shackles around his ankles. I couldn't be sure, but I thought the restraints were silver. A sense of hopelessness fell over me like a shroud as I recalled Rafe telling me that silver burned a Vampire's flesh and rendered them powerless.

It was creepy, riding in the back of the van, unable to see where I was going. I kept hoping I was having another nightmare, but the ache in my head and the growing ache in my shoulders was all too real. I wondered what time it was.

It seemed we had been driving for hours before Rafe stirred. He lifted his head, as though sniffing the air. “Kathy?”

My spirits rose a little at the sound of his voice. “I'm here.”

“Are you all right?”

“I guess so. For now, at least.”

“Where are we going?”

“I don't know. What happened? How did they get you?”

“Half a dozen hunters, including our old friend, Jackson, were waiting for me at your place. They're good,” he said with grudging admiration. “They blinded me with holy water and had me trussed up in less than a minute. I should have sensed them,” he muttered, “but…”

“You were too busy thinking about me.”

“Yeah, but that's no excuse. Don't worry, I'll get you out of this.”

I clung to his words as the vehicle made a wide right turn and came to an abrupt halt.

Travis Jackson's expression was grim when he took hold of my arm and hauled me out of the back of the van. Night had fallen, though the moon had not yet risen. Gazing into the darkness, I couldn't see much of anything except for a huge two-story building surrounded by a high block wall topped with barbed wire.

Once I was out of the van, four men built like pro line-backers climbed into the vehicle. I tried to hang back so I could see what they were doing to Rafe, but Travis dragged me down a narrow walkway that ran along the side of the building. Up close, I could see that the structure was built of stone and weathered wood. When Travis unlocked the door, two rows of recessed, overhead lights came on. He gave me a little push, and I stumbled inside. Before I could turn around, he was gone.

I glanced at my surroundings. I was in a large, sterile-looking room that was outfitted with two metal examining tables, complete with tie-down straps. The walls were puke green, the floor was gray and black tile. Several glass-fronted cupboards lined the walls; the shelves were filled with test tubes and beakers in varying sizes, along with several nasty-looking instruments that reminded me of the Spanish Inquisition. Two windows, set high in one wall, were covered by iron bars