A Blood Seduction (Vamp City #1)(66)

The others were rushing back in the door, bending low as they, too, dove for the hatch. Marcus shoved her into line between two of the men. Just as she started down, Jeff slipped into the house, shutting the door a split second before sunlight erupted into the room from the street outside in a blinding, fiery burst.

Quinn scrambled down the ladder, speeding up simply to keep her fingers from being stepped on by the bare feet of the man above. She felt hands at her waist and allowed herself to be pulled aside as the man above her jumped. Someone turned on a flashlight, but she was still sunblind and would probably remain so for several more minutes. Vaguely, she was able to make out Marcus's solid form coming down the ladder.

A shout sounded from above, then a woman's scream.

Quinn's eyes widened, her heart beginning to pound.

Jeff closed the hatch and quickly joined them. "We lost Crystal and Rick."

"How?" one of the women demanded. "You left them up there?"

"Crystal fell over a fallen beam," Jeff said, as if discussing the weather. "Rick stayed to help her. Apparently, they were caught."

Marcus grunted. "Because you closed the door."

Jeff scowled. "And if I hadn't before the light erupted, we might all have been found. We might still be. All it takes is one vamp to ask the right questions, and we're all dead. Let's move."

"Back to the castle?" Quinn asked no one in particular.

Marcus answered. "No. There is a maze of tunnels down here. Jeff and Celeste and I are the only ones who've been down here though none of us are experts. Far from it."

"This way," Jeff said. And now only eight followed.

Quinn.

Quinn started at the sound of Arturo's voice, her heart catching, then racing as she looked around.

"What's the matter?" Marcus grabbed her shoulder.

I do not know who took you, but I'll find you.

Holy shit. Could he really speak to her from this distance, or was he a lot closer than he should be? If he could sense where she was, they were in deep trouble. She wondered if he could read her mind. Vampire, can you hear me?

I will find you. The words sounded as much promise as threat. And they hadn't answered her question.

Marcus squeezed her shoulder. "Quinn?"

"Nothing. I just . . . nothing." Her heart racing as much from Arturo's contact as the near miss, she followed the others. Dammit, it was as if she hadn't escaped him at all.

She had no idea how long they'd walked, or how far, when Jeff finally started up another ladder.

"Do you know where this one goes?" Celeste asked.

"No clue. There's one way to find out." He put his finger to his lips, then slowly lifted the lid as those below doused their lights. As before, the rest of them waited silently, listening.

Quinn felt the change in the air as the hatch lifted and smelled the faint scent of manure. A moment later, the soft telltale click of fingernails gave the all clear, and the others started up the ladder. Quinn scrambled after them, climbing into the dark, her hands landing on a hay-covered wooden floor. A barn? It was hard to tell in the low light though the place did appear big enough. It certainly smelled like a barn - one with animals. Downtown like this, it was probably a stable.

As Marcus closed the trapdoor behind them, Jeff crept toward the large, open doors that were letting in the only light. The other slaves waited behind, ready to make a hasty escape, if needed.

Several minutes later, Jeff returned. "There's a house that way, and it looks lived in. We'll go out the other way. There has to be a back door." He turned on a flashlight, revealing the stable she'd imagined. Jeff motioned them to follow, and he led them around several large piles of wood that appeared to be old building timbers. Finally, they stopped before the back wall. Quinn could just make out the outline of a door in the dark wood. Jeff grabbed the latch and lifted it slowly, but as he pushed the door open, rusty hinges squeaked loudly enough to wake the dead.

Or the undead.

"Look what we have here."

Quinn whirled, along with the others. Not ten feet behind them stood a male vamp dressed in jeans, a red Washington Nationals T-shirt, and muddy boots, his fangs long and deadly, his eyes dotted white.

"My favorite snack." He laughed. "Blood rats."

He moved too fast to track, but a moment later, two of their number were gone. Jeff began pushing people out the door. "Go!"

Quinn grabbed her stake and whirled to Marcus. "We need to kill him."

"He's too fast."

"We can't just leave them!"

Marcus pushed her toward the back door. "Know when to cut your losses."

But they never made it to the door. One moment she was standing by the back door arguing with Jeff, the next she felt herself flying through the air, a hard band around her middle. Then she was being slammed back against something hard.

Her vision swam, her senses tumbled. Slowly, she realized she was standing within one of the stalls, shoulder to shoulder with Marcus as he struggled to free himself. The vamp must have carried them back here with his superhuman strength and speed. He now had them both pinned between his bulk and the wall.

Turning to Marcus first, the vamp gripped her companion's face, forcing him to look into his eyes. Marcus's struggles quickly fell silent. Slowly, the vampire turned those white-centered eyes on her.