Page 65 of Bloodhunter

I was afraid to believe him. “How do you know?”

“For one reason, he walked into this house under his ownsteam. If Amias had turned him, he’d be out of commission for at least a coupleof weeks while his master…” He shrugged. “It takes a while for a vampire totransition. And he came in a couple of hours ago, Trin. In the daylight.”

“Oh, my God.” I reached out to clutch his big arm. “That’sgreat. That’s unbelievable.” His muscles rippled under my fingers and Irealized suddenly that I was touching him. I dropped my hand and crossed myarms.

“He was being a pissy little bitch, of course.” Angus gave atiny shiver and stuck his hands into his pockets. “But he and I had a nice longtalk. He’s calmed down.”

I frowned. “I saw his attack. He lost so much blood. How ishe okay?”

“The vampire got to him fast, I guess. Copas is weak, buthe’s stubborn. He’ll be fine.”

“Amias fed him, didn’t he? He had to. Shane lost so muchblood.”

“Most likely, but that’s a secret he’ll carry to his grave.I wouldn’t go asking him about it, if I were you.”

I snorted and dashed away the tears of relief standing in myeyes. “I’m not stupid.”

“Another thing,” he said.

I sighed. “Of course there is.”

“Clayton is downstairs. The man with the Foam of Aphrodite isindeed an incubus. What do you know about these demons?”

I shook my head. “Not a lot. Offspring of a demon and ahuman, sucks out a person’s life force to live.” I shrugged. “Not much else.”

“Get dressed. Come down for breakfast. Clayton will explaineverything he learned and some of what he suspects.” He eyed me. “Your heart istoo soft, Trin.”

I paused on my way to the dresser. “What is that supposed tomean?”

“You can’t change what Clayton Wilder is.”

I pulled open a drawer and rifled through it to keep fromlooking at him. “And what is he?”

“He’s the necromancer’s property. And hewillbeuntil she lets him go back to his grave.”

“What if she never does?” I murmured, surprised at thelittle flare of grief that sparked inside me when I thought of Clayton dying.

“Then he will belong to her forever.”

I grabbed some underwear from the drawer, then slammed itshut, barely noticing when Angus’s stare lingered on my silky panties. “That’snot right. There has to be a way to help him get his freedom.”

“Trinity, he killed her daddy.” He finally looked away frommy undies when I wadded them up inside my fist. “Tortured the man. Miriamwatched the whole thing.”

The blood drained from my face so suddenly I swayed. “What?”

He nodded, solemnly. “She was little more than a kid.Neither man was aware of her. She hid in the kill room, terrified out of hermind, and watched as Clayton tortured and murdered the man she loved most inthe world. That broke her mind, Trin.”

“My God,” I whispered.

I only realized I was crying when Angus slid his thumbthrough the wetness on my cheek. “He’s hers, sweetheart,” he murmured. “And shedeserves to keep him.”

I nodded, then turned abruptly and slipped into thebathroom. The horror of the world was sometimes too overwhelming. Too dark.

I let the hot water rush over my back and did with Miriam’sstory what I did with my own. I beat it, subdued it, and hid it away in as deepa corner of my mind as I could find.

There wasn’t really any other way I could live with it.

By the time I joined Clayton downstairs, I was calm and evenslightly cheerful. But I couldn’t look at him the same way I had.