A Blood Seduction (Vamp City #1)(68)

"At least she wasn't caught with you."

The sound he made was heartfelt. "Thank God for that. I was walking home from the gym after work. A drunk bumped into me, then turned and stared at me. The next thing I knew, I was in the slave auction." He glanced at her, his heart in his eyes. "I need to get back to my family."

Quinn touched his arm. "I'll do what I can, Marcus. If I can get you home, I will."

"I believe you. And if we get out of here, I want my wife to meet you. My full name is Marcus Aurelius Washington." He shrugged. "My mom was a history professor. I live on California Street in Kalorama. Look me up?"

"Yes, of course."

They lapsed into silence, taking the back roads and alleyways as much as possible. When a form detached itself from the shadows, they all pulled their stakes, but it was only Jeff. And he was alone.

"The vamp?" he asked, joining them. They told him what happened.

"Where are Tim and Janika?"

Jeff shrugged. "Tim's dead. Janika was captured by a Trader." So matter-of-fact.

Marcus eyed Jeff sharply. "And you, of course, got away."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Not a f**king thing, man."

But Quinn knew exactly what he meant. Jeff was a survivor. He might be their guide, but the only one Jeff was looking out for was Jeff.

"Come on." Jeff took off in a different direction, heading south. Not in the direction of the gladiator camp, damn him.

"Where are we going?" Marcus demanded, as if reading her mind.

"A safe house, where we can get some food and regroup."

As badly as she wanted to get to Zack, she had to admit that food sounded like a good idea. There was still time to go after Zack. And she didn't really expect to manage it with a cast of thousands. Or of seven, for that matter. Hell, she had no idea how she was going to manage it at all. The only thing she knew was that she had to find a way. First, she'd get Marcus home to his wife and baby. As her boss liked to say, you had to count your wins, not just your losses. She'd be glad for any win at this point.

They'd traveled half a dozen blocks when Jeff led them down a narrow alley and motioned them behind a small wooden storage shed. "Wait here. There's a hot spot nearby. I want to make sure it's not being watched."

When he'd gone, Quinn leaned close to Marcus. "What's a hot spot?"

"One of the places where the sunbeams are breaking through. They're multiplying." He grunted. "I'm surprised Jeff didn't take one of us to act as bait."

She'd had the same thought. "Can the vamps smell us?"

Marcus smiled, laughter in his dark eyes. "Fee fi fo fum? I've never heard of one who could, and it's a good thing, or we'd stand no chance against them. They may be as fast as Superman, and damned near as strong, but their senses aren't that much better than human." He frowned. "Other than the night vision. And the fear and pain feeding."

Jeff returned a short time later and motioned them to follow. At the end of the alley, he led them through the back door of a small row house that appeared to have been lived in fairly recently. Maybe in the past four or five years. The windows were still intact, the furniture appeared more 1960s than 1860s, but there was inch-thick dust everywhere and no sign of habitation.

When they were all inside, Jeff closed the door, then motioned to Quinn to follow. He led her to the front window and pointed next door, where there appeared to be yellow crime-scene tape roping off a good section of sidewalk and part of the street.

Quinn looked at Jeff. "What is it?"

"The hot spot. The vamps mark them if they can so they don't accidentally get caught next time it opens. Vamps fry in the sun, in case you were wondering."

She'd gathered as much.

Jeff turned to the group, moving until he stood in the middle of them and could talk quietly. "We're going to be watching out the windows, carefully. Three upstairs and three down while I rotate between you. If the ground shakes, we meet right here. If no one's seen any sign of vamps, we go. Understood?"

All nodded. All but Quinn. "I thought you said we were going to a safe house to get food."

"We are. Later. If the sunbeams don't break through."

She stared at him, her temper firing. "You lying scum."

But Jeff turned away. "Take a window and keep your eyes open."

Her fury should have blazed a hole in his back. Marcus touched her arm, regret in his eyes, along with a healthy dose of excitement and hope. The hope that the sun would blaze through. That he'd finally get home to his wife and baby. And dammit, she couldn't deny him this.

But she was getting so tired of people lying to her!

She and Marcus wound up watching the downstairs front window, one on either side, peering in opposite directions. But Jeff didn't like them to talk - any of them, and she couldn't say she blamed him. The whole game was lost if a vamp wandered by and heard voices within a supposedly deserted house. Of course, if he was a fear-feeder, he'd know humans hid nearby. A pain-feeder probably wouldn't.

There were so many ways they could get caught, but the more careful they were, the more likely they'd remain free. So she stood there, out of sight of anyone who passed by, watching, listening to the sporadic sounds of this dark, dangerous city - a bloodcurdling scream, a horse and carriage.