Stake and Dust (Stake and Dust series, Book I) (7 page)

She tied the robe at her waist and then
padded toward the door that led to the cabin below. "It was most
refreshing," she said, as Gunthorn followed her. "Did you leave
the hunter
where I asked you to put him?" she asked as he
moved toward the bed.

"I did. Only the GOJ didn't find the body,
Tremayne Greer – that's the name he's using now –decided to throw
out the trash and must have picked up the hunter's scent. The
corpse was beginning to smell like rotting fish."

Her gaze riveted to his and her talons
lengthened, but she harnessed in her anger before she lost control.
"Dammit," she hissed. " Her cleverly thought out plan ended up
being flawed. Tremayne always was unpredictable. "What did he do
with the body?"

"Tossed it in the ocean. Took the hunter's
belongings though – mobile and wallet. He called someone, but not
sure who, since I watched him from afar. Didn't want him sniffing
the air and detecting another vampire lurking near.

"Yes, it wouldn't have boded well for you,"
she said. "I thought the hunter's death would propel the GOJ into
looking into Tremayne's affairs and of course lead them to the
other killings. Now we have to try something else."

"Why do you waste your time on Tremayne of
Graystone?"

"It's payback for what he did to me."

"Then why not just kill him and be done with
it?"

She glanced at Gunthorn. "Do you not play
with your victims before you end their lives?"

He harrumphed. "That is different. It's all
about the hunt and capture. I'm a predator. The humans are prey.
It's as simple as that."

"So that is why you keep trophies?"

His gaze riveted to the dresser, where a
secret compartment lay behind.

Lorelei chuckled. "I didn't touch your
prizes. You have quite a collection though."

Gunthorn obviously didn't trust her and went
to inspect if she told the truth. He leaned down and pressed the
button. The latch sprung and the door opened. His irises glowed red
as he feasted his eyes on his trophies, and a hint of a smile
curved his lips as if he were reminiscing on how he'd acquired each
piece.
Pathetic.
Once she had her fill with her victims, she
just moved on, discarded the old and took in the new.

She glanced at the bed where her latest
talented young man lay handcuffed to the headboard. A white silk
gag pressed against Tony Maillard's mouth and kept the young man's
screams from being overheard. It would put a damper on things if
someone came to the rescue. She liked to be alone with her
lovers.

"Do you have another prospect lined up for
me?" she asked Gunthorn.

Gunthorn peeked around the door to his trophy
alcove with a scarf to his nose. He had jewelry of all kinds –
bracelets, rings, necklaces – pieces worth a small fortune, but it
seemed he favored scarves. "Spotted a young man that may fit the
bill," Gunthorn told her. "He plays the guitar."

"Good. Find out if he has family that'll miss
him. We must be bolder if we are to draw the attention of the
GOJ."

"I'll look into it."

"Leave us now," Lorelei said as she undid the
belt of her robe and let it slide over her body to pool at her feet
on the floor. "Once I inspire Tony, we'll go to the hotel where he
can pen his last great piece for the paper."

Gunthorn nodded. "As you wish."

Tony shook his head, his brown eyes wide with
terror as he tried to scoot away. He wouldn't fear her for long.
They never did.

Her hands cupped Tony's face. "Now, now,
don't be afraid. I only want to please you, and make your writing
worthwhile. Haven't your articles moved to the front page of the
paper? It's what you wanted." She removed the gag.

"Untie me," Tony said and he sounded as if he
had a choice in the matter.

Lorelei smiled. "Dear sweet author of words,
what fun would it be if I untied you?" She scooted onto the bed and
straddled him. He squirmed beneath her but not for long. Her smile
widened. "See you're already happy for me to help."

"I don't want to die," Tony choked on his
words, and tried to move, but he realized it only proved her point.
He didn't want her to go. Not really.

"We all die sometime," Lorelei said as her
hand caressed his cheek. "But while we're here," she fell forward
with her hands bracing herself on either side of his head, "we
should leave our mark. I'll give that to you in exchange for this."
She leaned forward and bestowed a kiss, one that would drug him,
bind him to her will. "When she released him, she looked into his
daze-filled eyes. "Will you let me help you, Tony?"

"Yeah," he whispered in a choked voice.

"I knew you'd see it my way," she said before
she lengthened her fangs and drove them into his neck.

Chapter Nine

Back at the hotel, Cassandra kicked off her
boots and grabbed her laptop sitting on the small table near the
nook and opened it. As she waited for the screen to light up so she
could enter her password, she grabbed the bread and peanut butter
on the counter behind her. She was glad she thought ahead and
rented a room with a kitchenette and a refrigerator. She didn't
know how long she'd be in town, but she had no desire to hunt down
food every night. She'd pick up a few more groceries tomorrow
morning.

Once she had her sandwich on whole wheat
bread, she grabbed the computer and made herself comfortable on the
bed, leaning against the pillows she had propped against the
headboard.

Tremayne and she were off to a good start in
finding the target or rather targets. They lucked out big time.
Hashasheen demons weren't known to share, but then the one she'd
cornered had been bargaining for his life. Good thing, he'd been
stupid enough to believe she'd let him live, especially after she'd
seen his photo collection in his wallet.

She took a bite of her sandwich as she typed
the word Lamia and hit the return button. She would have never
thought to look for such a creature. She'd only read about them
when she'd been forced to study the different creatures hunters
destroyed through the ages. She had yet to meet one face to face,
and never thought she would since the creatures chose victims on
the open sea. Call it sick curiosity, but she couldn't help but be
a tad excited at the prospect.

A portrait of a Lamia looming over a ship
popped up on her screen. She scanned the information printed below
the print about the myth and lore of the creature as she finished
off her sandwich.

She would have to access maps of the
Hamptons, focusing on the wharf and the buildings close by. The
Lamia may be drawn to the water, but she was finding her victims on
land. If a vamp was helping her out, maybe they owned a place near
the wharf or perhaps a boathouse. She'd have to find out which
boats contained living quarters.

Her phone rang and she reached for it on the
nightstand, wondering which one of her three brothers was calling
her this time. The phone number flashed on the screen and she
smiled. She slid her thumb over the 'accept' icon and pressed
'speaker' so she had her hands free to use the computer and chat
with her brother at the same time. "Hello, Derek," she said as she
typed in a new search.

"Hey, Cass. Wade called me and said you
needed some info on the case you're working on."

"Yep, what did you find out?"

"Still gathering what the
Preternatural
Regulating Bureau
has about the case. It's been a little
sketchy if you ask me. The vamp you're looking for has lived there
for a while and owns a business."

"A name would be great. There are a lot of
businesses."

"Don't have it yet, but you won't be looking
for a new guy. You'll be searching for a vamp that is at ease among
the humans. And Cass, he's working with a Lamia."

"Already up on that too."

"How?"

"Ran into a demon who wagged his tongue."

"Jesus, Cass."

"Don't worry, Tremayne had my back."

"Who?"

"Sorry," she said, realizing her brother
wouldn't know about Gerard Green's undercover situation. "Mr. Green
is Tremayne. He's been relocated to the Hamptons from one of the UK
based
Preternatural Regulating Bureaus
. He's working
undercover at a pub called Eternal Bliss."

"Oh?" Her brother was silent for a moment.
"Not a bad cover. Wouldn't want the locals to become suspicious of
him lurking about as he tries to hunt down preternatural
beings."

"Yeah. He seems…"

"What?"

"I dunno… different than I expected."

He chuckled. "Is that a good thing or
not?"

Her thoughts went to the kiss they'd shared.
Firm lips and yet they were not unresponsive. Passionate. Heck, hot
even. Yep, Tremayne was a damn good kisser.

"Cassandra? Are you still there?"

"Uh… I'm still trying to figure him out."

"As long as he has your back that's all you
need to know about him. Hopefully, you won't be there long. Get rid
of the vamp and the Lamia and say your goodbyes."

She should follow his advice, but what if she
wanted to know Tremayne better… as a man… not just as a hunter. She
should have never kissed him.

"How did Mom and Dad do it?" she asked
Derek.

"Do what?"

"Have a marriage, raise the four of us…"

"How should I know? I can't juggle having a
girlfriend and working."

"Not even when you escaped to high
school?"

Her brother choked on a laugh. "No one
escapes to high school, Cass."

"You did. Mom and Dad wouldn't let me go,
even when I begged. I hated being schooled at the hunters' academy.
I had a hunch attending a real high school was out because of you.
What happened there?"

"Nothing happened." He sighed. "I went for
the experience. When it was over I came home."

She didn't believe him. She'd hear him sneak
out of the house in the middle of the night when he thought
everyone was asleep. She'd thought he was meeting someone, but she
spied him in the backyard, chatting on the phone. Instinct told her
he was speaking to a girl. His voice had changed when he talked and
he laughed and joked with whoever was on the other line. The real
cincher was when he said: I love you, too.

When their parents forced him to leave
school, he moped for months and no matter how she tried to find out
what went down, he wouldn't open up to her.

"I should let you get some sleep," Derek
interrupted her thoughts.

"Yeah, sure."

"Stay safe," he said.

"Stay safe." She placed her phone back on the
end table. She stared at the computer not in the mood now to read
about the evil doings of the Lamia, but forced herself to do so
anyway.

Eventually her thoughts returned to Tremayne
and the kiss. She'd liked the feel of his lips. Then again the man
had been banished to the States because he knew how to seduce a
woman. "I'm a fool," she reprimanded herself. Tremayne may be a
hunter, but he was a man first and foremost.

"But you initiated the kiss, not him," she
reminded herself. "Yeah, I'm a fool. Play with fire and you're
bound to get burned." She'd never been one to listen to reason. No,
she had to touch the flame to make sure it was truly hot.

Chapter Ten

Tremayne had been thinking about Sheerin's
suggestion. All he had to do is take one of Sheerin's experimental
drugs and he would be able to walk in the sun. "Or I could fry,"
Tremayne murmured. But if anyone could come up with a way for
vampires to walk in the sun, Sheerin was the mad scientist for the
job.

He entered his house and Shakespeare came
bounding toward him with two quick barks for a greeting. His lips
curved as he waited for him. The big hound dog didn't disappoint
him. Seventy-five pounds of loveable beast came barreling toward
him at full speed. He braced himself for the impact.

"Rrrruff-ruff"
, Shakespeare added as
he slobbered all over him. Yeah, he loved this big guy. Black, tan
and white fur marked his hound, making him a beautiful dog in all
respects, but then he could be biased.

"Missed you, too," he said with a chuckle as
Shakespeare showered him with more doggie kisses. "Are you ready to
go for your walk, lad?"

Shakespeare's tail wagged with enthusiasm,
the thump-thump against the hardwood floor for his answer. Yep, he
was ready. He opened the door and Shakespeare bounded outside
toward the beach. He followed his hound at a leisurely pace toward
the waterfront. This was his land, his part of the beach, which had
been deemed private property when he purchased the estate decades
ago. Beachfront property represented his front yard and a forest
lined the back.

His house had large paned windows and all
were tinted to keep the sun out without hampering his beautiful
view. Another invention Sheerin perfected for the sept. The vampire
genius had many inventions, and he hadn't dried up on ideas
yet.

Steel panels were installed on each of the
windows also, just in case of an emergency. Access buttons were on
the wall next to the light switches in every room, and one at his
desk in the study. He believed on being cautious especially when
the sun's rays could prove detrimental to his welfare.

His gaze followed Shakespeare as he ran up
and down the beach, chasing the water as if he could catch the
waves. Tremayne loved the Hamptons. He had his pub, his home, and
his dog. What else did he need? He sighed, knowing exactly what was
missing.

It had been a long time since he had a
serious relationship, but he'd given up hoping for one. They never
lasted. Something was always missing.

Once he'd been in love with a human. Or at
least he believed it to be true. It was centuries ago when he'd
been a youth and on the verge of going through his change. The
ritual required the male to drink their mate's blood to mature into
adulthood. Without the blood, they would wither away and die.