Page 38 of Hitched to the Vampire King

Lucy and I laughed at the mischievous glint in Aimee’s eyes. Sam merely shook his head, clearly used to his little sister’s antics.

“Where are Fynn and Annalise?” In all the drama yesterday, I hadn’t found the chance to ask about my niece and nephew.

“With Vlad and Anna,” Lucy said. “And Cole during the day. We didn’t want to bring them in case…”

In case somethingverybad happened. Yeah, I could understand that. I would hate it if Gabriel’s and my drama brought harm to the kids.

“Cole’s okay with that? I assume he’s taking care of the pack in your absence too?”

“He’s fine with it. The kids think of him as an uncle, anyway. And the pack pretty much manages itself these days,” Sam said.

I had to bite back a smile. When Sam and Cole first met, they hadn’t exactly gotten along. Cole was Lucy’s second in command, and he’d been determined to teach Lucy how to fight. Which meant she’d suffered some lumps, bumps, and bruises along the way. Sam hadn’t appreciated his methods at the time. It’d caused some tension among Lucy’s mate and second. Now, they were chummier than ever. I would dare say Sam even considered him one of his closest friends, alongside Vlad, which was even stranger, consideringthosetwo had loathed each other before Anna and Lucy ever stepped foot in their lives.

“And what about Avery?” I asked, since she hadn’t joined us at the breakfast table.

“I sent her to the pack doctor last night. I wanted her checked over for any injuries. Last I heard, they’ll be here in a few hours to discuss the game plan.”

“Did the doctor clear her health?” Lucy inquired.

Aimee nodded. “Thankfully, no lasting damage. She needed a good meal and a fair bit of rest, but whatever that vile leech did to her, it thankfully wasn’t permanent.”

The table fell quiet for a moment before Aimee glanced at me. “Avery informed me that you checked all the rooms before leaving the warehouse. And you didn’t find anyone else?”

I shook my head, my mood darkening as I thought about that hellhole of a place. “Once I realized the warehouse was being used to hold werewolves, I checked every room I saw. Now, I won’t deny the possibility that there could have been rooms elsewhere. We hardly had the time for a thorough investigation. But there was no one else in our section of the building.”

If I hadn’t been watching Aimee so closely, I might not have noticed the slight droop of her shoulders. She must have been hoping to find her other three missing pack members.

“Avery told me that Nash went into great detail about what he, uh, did to the other werewolves,” I said. “It sounded…well…” I drew a deep breath and blurted out what she needed to hear. She was the alpha, after all. “It sounded like there weren’t any other survivors.”

Aimee gave a slow nod. “I suppose, in a way, I should be grateful for that. No survivors means no one else is suffering at that lunatic’s hands. Did Avery tell you anything else? We haven’t been able to chat in depth yet. I was more concerned about her wellbeing at the time.”

“She wasn’t able to give me too much information, either. But from what she did divulge, I got the sense that this vampire enjoys what he’s doing. When we were escaping, we came across a storage area filled to the brim with cages exactly like the ones that had held me, Avery, and Gabriel. These cages…”

I shuddered as the memories came over me. But rather than hide from them, I embraced them. I had no reason to fear them anymore.

“Nash designed those cages specifically to hold werewolves. I could shift and stand up in them. I had a little room for maneuverability, but not enough room to do any damage. The reinforced steel bars didn’t budge, no matter how hard I threw myself at them.”

Lucy took my hand and squeezed it. I appreciate the gesture, but I didn’t need it.

“The room we were in was more like a prison cell. Concrete walls and floor. No windows. One door in and out. Gabriel and I only managed to escape because the guards didn’t expect to find him awake when they came to inject him with his next dose of holy water. We surprised them, then managed to free ourselves.”

Aimee listened intently, nodding when appropriate. Her gaze was distant, but I had a feeling she was memorizing every word I said, perhaps even picturing it in her head.

“This vampire has so many of these cages,” I continued. “Too many to count. The only conclusion I could come to was?—”

“He’s selling them,” Aimee murmured. “If every other room already had a cage in it, like you said, then why the stockpile?”

I nodded, silently agreeing with her.

“And if he’s selling them, then who’s he selling them to?” Sam added.

“Other vampires?” I suggested. “Who else would want to hold a werewolf?”

“Hunters,” Lucy said. “Poachers. I bet a werewolf pelt goes for quite a bit on the black market.”

“Transportation too,” Sam said. “If you’re trafficking in a rare commodity like a werewolf, you need to have the means to move them.”

“And the space to keep a few for yourself,” Lucy finished.

---