The Immortal Hunter(93)

Dani heard a curse and glanced around to see that Decker was trying to get to her, and then a thump drew her attention to the hall as Lucian dropped Leonius and came to her aid. He lifted Stephanie as if she were weightless and then turned her in the air to peer at her.

"She's turning," he said grimly, and stepped over her to carry Stephanie into the room.

Dani scrambled to her feet to follow, telling Decker, "I'll be right back. Stay put."

"Unlock and open the door," Lucian ordered, heading for the connecting doors as the earlier knocking resumed in a much calmer fashion.

"Why doesn't he just use the hall and come around?" Dani muttered with exasperation.

"Because I ordered him and Justin to stay in the room," Lucian answered dryly as she moved to do as he asked. "Justin has to keep an eye on Leonius's son to be sure he doesn't come around and slip away, and Mortimer has to keep an eye on the mortals."

"Oh." Dani sighed as she unlocked the door and opened it.

"Everything all-?" Mortimer broke off as Lucian suddenly thrust Stephanie at him. Dani watched long enough to see he had ahold of her and then turned away as Lucian announced, "Decker's been shot and this one's turning. She needs to be taken to the house."

"And Leonius?" Mortimer asked.

Dani didn't catch Lucian's answer. She'd crossed to the entry hall, and on spotting Decker now on his feet, moving slowly up the hall, scowled and rushed to his side.

"I told you to stay put," she muttered, and started to shift under his arm, but paused as she glanced out into the hotel hallway. A woman with long blond hair was picking up Leonius as if he were a small child rather than a full-grown man. When she straightened with him in her arms, Dani opened her mouth to shout a warning to the men, but the woman's head shot around. Fangs and silver-blue eyes flashed, and Dani found herself closing her mouth and simply standing there unable to say a thing as the woman glared at her, concentration on her face.

"Dani?" Decker frowned down at what was probably her blank face, and then it was as if a switch had been thrown in her head. She felt herself falling, and the last thing she saw before darkness claimed her was the woman moving away toward the stairwell at the end of the hall.

"Dani!" Decker managed to catch her with one hand as she started to faint. He then pulled her against his chest as he slumped against the wall. The wound he'd taken to the chest was much worse than those he'd gotten from the peashooter Leonius's son's had been using in the clearing. This one was going to take a lot of blood to heal. Until he got it, Decker was going to be weak and suffering.

"What's wrong with her?" Lucian asked, crossing the room toward them.

"I don't know," he admitted. "She just stopped, looked out in the hall, and..." Decker paused as he glanced over his shoulder and saw that the hallway was empty. Leonius's body was missing.

Decker heard Lucian curse and then his uncle moved past him, rushing out of the room, heading in the direction of the elevators.

"What is it?" Mortimer asked from the connecting door when Decker cursed.

"Dani has fainted and Leonius is gone," he said grimly, and leaned heavily on the wall as he moved the last couple of steps to the end of the entry hall so that he could see the other man.

"How the hell could Leonius be gone?" Mortimer asked with dismay, seeming oblivious to the moaning and restless girl in his arms. "Lucian just finished telling me that he shot an arrow into his heart. That's as good as a stake through the heart. He shouldn't be up and about."

Decker just shook his head and glanced to the door as Lucian hurried past, headed for the door to the stairwell. When he glanced back to Mortimer the other man was holding Stephanie with one arm around her waist as he pulled out his phone to call and warn the men to keep an eye out for Leonius.

Decker was considering setting Dani down and going over to take Stephanie from Mortimer so that the other man could help Lucian search, but a sound behind him made him peer around to see Lucian reentering the room.

"Anything?" Decker asked, already reading the answer in the disgust on his face.

"No," Lucian said as he joined him and then glanced to Mortimer. "Call the-" The order died on his lips as he saw that Mortimer was already on the phone.

"How the hell did he get away?" Decker asked with frustration.

Lucian shook his head, his gaze sliding to Dani. "She might be able to tell us... or not," he added dryly after concentrating on her for a moment. "She has a blank spot in her memory."

Decker frowned and glanced down to Dani, wondering what she'd seen that someone would want to erase, then her eyes flickered.

"Dani?" he said softly.

Her eyes opened, awareness slowly sliding into them, and then she frowned as she realized she was slumped against him, her head on his chest beside his wound.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, straightening to take her own weight. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, of course," he assured her, running his hand soothingly down her arm.

"What happened?" she asked with confusion. "The last thing I remember is coming over to give you hell for getting up and moving around on your own."

"You looked past me, appeared alarmed, and then fainted."