Page 44 of Bloodhunter

I raised my eyebrows, glad the anger was helping me combatthe fear. “And I’m it? I’m the sacrificial lamb?” I took another sip of soda,then gasped when I remembered something. “The woman killed behind the bar inNew Gravel. Carrie Alden.”

They both narrowed their eyes and leaned toward me at theexact same moment. “Yes?” Detective Dunne asked. “What about her?”

“She was also killed by a vampire. But the vampire whokilled her was sick—just like the ones six years ago.”

Neither of them looked surprised.

“You knew,” I realized.

“How didyouknow?” he asked.

“I went there afterward,” I admitted, whether that was thesmart thing to do or not. “I killed the vampire who murdered her.”

They looked at each other.

The door opened, abruptly, and a man walked in. He was atall, well dressed bald man with an unmistakable air of command.

The detectives stood when he entered. “Captain?” DetectiveDunne asked.

“Out,” he told them.

“Sir,” Locke said. “Are you—”

“Out,” he said again, softly.

And with a long last look at me, they went.

He didn’t bother to sit down. Without preamble, he put hishands on his hips and stared down at me from tired eyes. “Are you a hunter, Ms.Sinclair?”

Surprised, I nodded. “A baby hunter,” I admitted. “That’swhat they say.”

“Your supernaturals? The group with whom you work and now…”He gestured. “With whom you appear to live?”

“The Bay Town supernaturals,” I said. “Yes.”

He sighed. “We watch them, you know. The supernaturals ofour city. They’re accepted, to a point. The Bay Town supernaturals—at leastsome of them—I consider almost…friends.”

I said nothing, unsure what he was getting at.

“Rhys Graver vouches for you.”

“Okay.” I tilted my head. “That’s…nice of him.”

“We need a hunter,” he said darkly.

He, or the police department, or the city—I wasn’t sure whothe ‘we’ was—needed me. And I was hoping that would be the thing to save me. Tosave the supernaturals, the night, the work we needed to do to end thevampires.

Jail loomed as a frightening possibility, but maybe mystatus and the captain’s need would earn me a get out of jail free card. BeforeI even got there.

“Okay,” I repeated.

“From what little I know, special hunters can track. They’relike bloodhounds.” His stare seemed to darken as he kept his stare pinned to myface. “Certain rare—veryrare—people are more than just hunters. They’recalled bloodhunters. Is that you, Ms. Sinclair?”

I stared at him with wide eyes, and suddenly I knew what thetrails were.

“Rhys Graver seems to think that might be you,” hecontinued, as I could only stare, wide-eyed and a little stunned. “Can you seethe trails?”

I shuddered. “Yes,” I whispered. “Yes, I can see thetrails.”