Page 47 of Taken By Raider Kings
Oh, God.
“Your phone was probably unlisted, and the address on your driver’s license was that mail drop.”Zach curled away from the bar, spine straightening.He was moving very slowly, for some reason, with infinite care.“You were smart, and hiding probably saved your life.”
“I was over at her place all the time, all they had to do was wait.”The urge to just lie down on the floor and let the world go on without her was overwhelming.If I hadn’t given in, if we hadn’t gone out dancing…
“It’s not your fault,” Cullen said softly.
How the hell did he know whose fault it was?Sophie squeezed her mouth shut.The entire place had gone very quiet.If she had a single dollar she would be betting they were all looking at her and, and shehatedbeing the center of pitying, gossipy attention.
The only thing to do was stare at Zach, who had that vertical line between his eyebrows and a firmness to his mouth, suggesting that he knew what she was thinking.Whether or not it was true, it was comforting.
About the only thing that was,now.
“What do we do?”She hitched her purse-straps higher on her shoulder, then hugged herself, hard, palms cupping her elbows.
“Can we count on the support of the Ursa?”Zach didn’t look away, but she understood the question wasn’t directed at her.
“Well, you’re Carcajou.And they’re trying to kill a shaman.Maybe.”Cullen scratched at his neck and sighed.“At least, the Bear Tribe won’t stand idly by if it gets any worse.But my advice?Take your shaman and run.Train her up and keep her safe.You don’t want to fuck with Armitage.He’s not justupir,he has the means to make a lot of people uncomfortable enough to come looking for you.Weight of numbers—and weight of cash—tells.”
“Huh?”Zach twitched, puzzlement invading his features.He swung around again, eyeing the bear-man.“The Tribes around here, they all feel like this?”
The bear-man shrugged, his forehead wrinkling.“Don’t get cute.The Tribe here have lost two shamans to Armitage.I, for one, don’t want to lose more.”
“Lost two shamans?And you’re justsitting around?” Zach slid off the barstool, rose with that same slow, graceful carefulness.“What the hell is going on here?”
“We’renot Carcajou.”A deep, basso rumble; Cullen reached for the Walker bottle again, visibly realized his shotglass was still full, and sighed.“We’re just Tribe.They have numbers on us and Armitage has cops with long-distance assault rifles.We step out of line and it’s open season in the whole city.”
Zach shook his head.“Jesus.”
“Take my advice, just get her out of town.”Cullen set the bottle on the counter.“Sooner or later Armitage will self-destruct.It’s what they do.He’ll get a batch of bad blood, or one of his little goons—like Harris—will take him out.”
“Excuse me.”Sophie risked piping up.“Marc’s not a vampire.I lived with him.He’s just…” What words could she pick?The old instinct to lie rose under her skin, and she shut her mouth with an effort.Better to just be quiet if she couldn’t tell the truth.
“Harris has been his regular daylight hatchet man for a couple years,” Cullen said, and Sophie’s head whirled, attempting to absorb the implications.“But he just transitioned.He was supposed to offer a sacrifice, but I gather he’s in dutch because he didn’t.”
She was certainly learning a whole new lingo.“A sacrifice?”What does that even mean?
“An oldupirtrick.”Cullen, clearly uncomfortable, finally downed his second shot.“In order to buy transition to bloodsucker, you’ve got to sacrifice a member of your family.”
“Now we get to it.”Zach stood very still, his mouth a tight line and his eyes alight.“Killing two women with one stone.Goddamn,but I hate that type of man.It doesn’t even deserve the name.”
“Wait.”She had to repress the urge to raise a hand, as if in class.“So he was supposed to kill me, so he could get turned into a vampire?”Well, if I can believe in werewolves and vampires, I should have no trouble believing this.
And it’s just like Marc, too.Jesus.
“That’s what a sacrifice is.”Zach took one step, another, moving in her direction.But slowly, as if he expected her to bolt.“I’m just surprised nobody’s done it on this large a scale before, in a city.”
Well, I guess that makes them trendsetters, doesn’t it.Sophie couldn’t decide if she wanted to back for the door or sink down into a heap.Her legs—not to mention the rest of her—were just about reaching their limit.“What do we do now?”Because I don’t have a stinking clue.
“We take you back to the Family and have a discussion about running or staying,” Zach said, steadily.As if it was obvious.“I’m in favor of teaching this Armitage bastard not to mess with Tribe.”His lip lifted in a swift, silent snarl; she was reminded of the lean, graceful lines of the thing he could become.
Andof the way he leaned in close and touched his lips to hers, inhaling as if she were perfume.
Maybe I like you, shaman.
“But.”He stuffed his hands in his pockets, shoulders softening, and though he was much taller than her, he seemed to be trying to make himself smaller, less threatening.Like Brenn, almost.“This is your town, and they’ve killed your friend, and I haven’t made things any easier on you.So I guess it’s up to you what we do.”
Oh, God, not another decision.Who made me responsible for you?Sophie’s knees passed yet another vote, and holding her upright won.But only by a fraction.
