A Turn of Tides (A Shade of Vampire #13)(6)

“You might want to answer when spoken to, vampire.

Believe me when I say the only thing keeping you from death is my curiosity, which will be quickly spent.” If he was going to kill me anyway, there was no point in me cooperating.

When I still refused to answer, he raised the gun and brought its metal edge smashing down against my skull.

The pain seared through my head, blinding me momentarily.

He knelt down in front of me and gripped my jaw, forcing me to look into his eyes.

“Answer me,” he growled.

Despite the pain in my skull, I tried to force myself to think straight.

Clearly, my identity was more interesting to him than he was letting on.

Otherwise why didn’t he just kill me already? “One bullet from this gun, and it will burn you up inside.

Do you really want to risk that?” A female had just entered the room.

She appeared to be in her late twenties, ash-blonde hair tied up in a bun.

She looked down at me with cold grey eyes as she placed a hand on the shoulder of the man.

I glared at her, refusing to flinch beneath her gaze.

“It seems we need to try a different approach,” she muttered to the man beneath her breath.

The man’s eyes remained glued on me until they both opened the door and exited the room.

I breathed out heavily, rubbing my injured head with my hands.

It was clear that they wanted something from me, and they wanted it enough to not kill me yet.

It was in my best interest to take my time in answering them.

I sank back against the wall, staring at the tinted glass, through which they were likely now staring at me.

Hunters.

My grandfather had gone on a mission almost two decades ago to shut down the order of the hunters.

But so many human kidnappings had happened since, I supposed that it was only a matter of time before they started up their cause again.

But why would they be set up in the middle of this forest? Could they be aware of the gate nearby? If so, how would they have found out? The click of the door interrupted my thoughts.

Three men entered the room, including the man I’d woken up to.

One of them carried a ladder.

He positioned it in the center of the room and began climbing upward.

I stared up at the ceiling for the first time.

The man loosened several hatches at all four corners of the square ceiling, then pushed a button on the side of the wall.

The lights flickered off and the ceiling began to lift.

Sun spilled down into the room as the roof lifted higher and higher.

Eventually it folded out of sight completely, leaving the room completely submerged in sunshine.

The forest sounds that filled the chamber told me that we were still among the trees, likely in the giant tree house I’d spotted.

My skin erupted in agony, as though someone had thrown boiling oil over me.

I felt my skin begin to blister and crackle.

I could barely even see through the brightness.

I squinted, trying to make out the three figures approaching me.

“Perhaps now you’ll be more amenable,” the pockmarked man said, resuming his seat opposite me.

I groaned and thrashed in my seat, trying to position myself so that the sun hit as little of me as possible.

But it was impossible.

“Two simple questions to start with.

Your name, and your coven.” I was in so much pain it was a struggle to even pay attention to his words.

I was about to hiss out a made-up name and place when half a dozen hooded figures leapt through the top of the roof.

And everything that happened next was a blur.

All three hunters leapt back from me and whipped out guns.

They pointed them at the figures, who were moving with speed far too great for humans.

Bullets erupted, ricocheting off the walls.

I had to duck as one came hurtling toward my head, and one only narrowly missed my shoulder.

I knew now what would happen if even one of those bullets hit me.

I’d burn alive within seconds.

I stared as claws shot out from the hooded figures and slashed all three men through the throat, leaving them bleeding on the ground.

Hot blood spilled from their necks, soaking the floor.

There were shouts outside the room as more people attempted to enter.

The hooded figures leapt on them as soon as they approached.

I couldn’t see what was happening on the other side of the glass window, but there were yells, cries of pain, guns going off.

There was a deafening crack as a bullet broke through the tinted window.

Had I been even a few seconds late in ducking, the bullet would have gone right through my brain.

Whoever was on the other side of the wall had attempted to end me.

The gunshots began to get less frequent, and soon the six hooded figures were marching back into the room, three unconscious men in their clutches.

They turned their gaze toward me, and in the blink of an eye, five leapt up to the roof.

I was expecting the sixth to follow, but his masked face remained turned to me.

“Who are you?” I choked, trying to steady my voice amidst the pain.

Ignoring my question, he approached my chair and bent down, staring into my eyes.

Then he backed away again, and I was sure he was about to leave me here to die when, instead of jumping upward, he moved back out through the door.