One Grave at a Time (Night Huntress #6)(37)

“We were looking for ghosts, just like they said,” he rasped, being vague.

Madigan moved closer to him. “And did you find any?”

This time, Chris’s gaze skidded in our direction before he spoke. “Had some interesting EMF readings and found some cold spots, but nothing like what the client described.”

“Ah.” Madigan took his glasses off and cleaned them almost leisurely on his jacket. “So we’re back to the ‘there’s no such thing as intelligent ghosts’ claim, hmm? What’s with all the marijuana and garlic everywhere in your old house, Cat?”

I gave him a breezy smile. “Love to get my weed on, and garlic is great for the blood.”

“Do you even know how to tell the truth?” Madigan asked sharply.

“You’re one to talk,” Don muttered.

I said nothing. Madigan continued to stare at me, his guards holding their position even though a few of them were beginning to think that if they weren’t going to shoot us anytime soon, they’d like to lower their heavy guns. I didn’t think it was an accident that all these men were strangers to me. For this occasion, Madigan had left all my friends from the team behind.

“Donovan,” Madigan called out, with a victorious little smirk. “Take Proctor and Hamilton and sniff out the spectre trap that the folks at the RV were talking about. Then we’ll see about there being no such thing as sentient ghosts.”

Fuck! If the trap was successful, we’d intended to erase the team’s memories to prevent them from revealing any incriminating information like this, but too late now. Still, we might be able to brazen it out. It would take these guys weeks to find the trap if they succeeded at all.

My relief at that lasted only long enough for the three soldiers to take their helmets off and come toward Bones and me, sniffing deeply. They were human, why would they do such a thing?

The reason hit me even before Madigan’s smug words.

“These men have had their senses heightened by vampire blood. Now that they have your scent, they can follow its trail right to that big stone device we’re told is in there.”

Double f*ck! Imbibing enough vampire blood would indeed give them the ability to sniff out our path to the trap, plus make them immune to mind control. By finding the cave from old mission reports and showing up with supernaturally enhanced soldiers, Madigan had proven smarter than I’d given him credit for.

Bones folded his arms, his gaze like a laser beam as he stared at Madigan.

“Whose blood are they on? Every vampire on your team owes their fealty to me, and I did not give them permission to turn over their blood for such purposes.”

Madigan’s smile was cold. “Don’t worry. I didn’t get it from them.”

My eyes widened before I could control myself, but this news stunned me. If Madigan hadn’t tapped Tate’s or Juan’s veins in order to juice up his select guard, then what other vampire—or vampires?—was he in collusion with?

Then I met my uncle’s gaze, and another realization bolted through me. Don didn’t look the least bit surprised. With all his slurs about Madigan, he hadn’t once mentioned a connection to vampires. How could he have left something that important out?

Bones’s eyes turned green, and power crackled through the air—icy, lethal, and expanding so rapidly it soon surrounded everyone in the vicinity. I tensed for what felt like an imminent explosion. Tyler must’ve also sensed that a switch had been flipped. He moved away, thinking, That guy done f*cked up now.

Madigan must’ve sensed that, too. He took a step back, his smile faltering. “See those visors my men are wearing? Not only do they block out the effect from your eyes, they also contain recorders streaming live images to a secure location. Even if you manage to kill all of us, others in the government will know who did it. You’ll be hunted for the rest of your lives.”

For a second, I wondered if Bones cared. Madigan had no idea that one did not taunt a Master vampire with the notion that he was using other vampires against him. But while the thought of Bones’s killing Madigan didn’t bother me, killing his guards for no reason other than they would feel duty-bound to strike back was repellent. Plus, then our claims that vampire prejudice was unfounded would be pretty hollow if we massacred an elite government operative like Madigan and some of his protective guard on video.

My fingers curled around Bones’s hand, his power sizzling up my arm like I’d just been electrocuted.

“No,” I said quietly.

For several seconds, I didn’t know if he’d listen. That dangerous power didn’t abate, and the glare he had fixed on Madigan said that the operations consultant was only moments away from death.

Then something hazy zoomed out of the cave, too fast for me to make out what it was. Icy needles scraped along my skin, and Dexter’s bark was swallowed up by Tyler’s muttered, “This isn’t good.”

“You try to trap me, Hexe?” a familiar voice hissed.

Kramer. From his accusation, the f*cker must’ve figured out what the large mineral cylinder was for. Tyler had sealed the Ouija board, but not before the ghost managed to slip through.

I reached for the sage in my pants only to have a dozen weapons level in my direction.

“Don’t move another inch!” someone barked.

My hands froze. I didn’t want to get riddled with silver bullets because I’d have to be in good shape to protect these idiots.