Page 48 of Grayson’s Challenge

He motioned for John to approach. “That’s excellent news.”

“I’m sending you his file and photo right now. He was incarcerated at the Grass Valley prison, but he’s originally from Louisiana.”

Grayson wasn’t surprised to hear that, not after the attack on David and Zach. “We’ll check him out. And FYI, David and Zach are safe and on their way back from Switzerland. They were attacked but killed the vampires who attacked them. Just keep it to yourself for now. I don’t want Faye to worry even more. Monique will talk to her.”

“Understood. Talk later,” Isabelle said and disconnected the call.

A moment later, his cell phone chimed with a message. Isabelle had sent the file of the ex-VCON. Monique disconnected her call at the same time and looked at him and John.

“Mom said the palace hasn’t sent her the database I requested. She’s asking William to call them again.” Her lips twisted in displeasure. “I don’t like it. It’s as if they don’t want us to look at the database because we might find the kidnappers in it.”

John grunted. “It only amplifies my suspicion about a takeover.”

Grayson could only echo that sentiment. “Let’s see who this guy is.” He pointed to his cell phone and looked at Monique. “Your mom and mine identified an ex-VCON from the prison database. He’s originally from Louisiana.”

Monique sidled up to him, and John stood to his other side as he clicked on the file and opened it.

The photo of a man with short blond hair, light-brown eyes, and a goatee appeared on the screen. He wasn’t smiling. Rather, he looked pissed off, maybe because the photo was taken when he was arrested by the vampire council and incarcerated.

“Cheerful looking fellow,” Grayson said.

“I know him,” John said.

Grayson turned his head to look at him. “You do?”

John nodded slowly, his facial expression more serious now than when he’d entered the loft.

“Who is he?” Monique asked.

“His name is Rufus. I don’t remember his last name, but what I do remember is that he was tight with Abel. Very tight.”

Shock charged through Grayson. He knew about Abel, about the evil things he’d done in the past.

Monique’s chin dropped. “Abel? My uncle?”

“Yes. Rufus was Abel’s right hand before Baltimore showed up and became indispensable to him. I never knew what happened to him. But him showing up here, being among the kidnappers who took Cain, can only mean one thing.”

“Abel is behind the kidnapping,” Grayson guessed. “He’s going to finish the job he couldn’t complete over three decades ago.”

John nodded again. “He’s here to seize Cain’s kingdom and take revenge on Scanguards, because they helped Cain defeat Abel back then. And he’ll hurt Faye for rejecting him.”

21

Cain groaned. It felt as if battery acid was running through his veins. He was in and out of consciousness, barely aware of his surroundings. The silver shackles around his hands and feet burned into his flesh, leaving angry bleeding sores that, without receiving human blood, had no chance of healing. He tried to push away the pain, willing himself to ignore it. But he was weak from whatever they were injecting him with every couple of hours.

He was held in a dark, musty-smelling place that appeared to be a warehouse of some sort. The walls were concrete. He wasn’t alone in the large space. On the opposite wall, Samson was chained in the same fashion, his body convulsing in painful spasms. Their jailors hadn’t injected Samson with whatever they were giving Cain. Instead, they were force-feeding him human blood every couple of hours. Cain could smell it, and was hungering for it so he could heal and become strong again. But the blood they were giving Samson did the opposite to his friend. Cain understood why: as a vampire blood-bonded to a human, Samson could only drink his mate’s blood. Blood from any other human made him sick, and, if continued long enough, would eventually kill him.

Cain didn’t have that particular kind of vulnerability, because his mate was a vampire. He could live on any human’s blood. The kidnappers clearly knew that, and therefore gave him something else to keep him subdued. But his senses were too dulled to figure out what it was. Just as his senses were too weak to use the telepathic bond he shared with Faye to communicate with her.

Was Faye alive? He’d seen her collapse to the floor when they’d dragged him out of the house and tossed him in a dark van. He’d fought as hard as he could, but there’d been too many assailants.

“Samson?” Cain called out, his voice hoarse and low.

A grunt came from Samson, but no words rolled over his lips. He was curled up in the fetal position in obvious physical pain. At least he knew that Delilah was still alive. Were she dead, the human blood they were feeding him would make him strong, rather than sick. Only her death would break the bond and release him. At least this knowledge gave Cain hope that the kidnappers hadn’t killed Faye either.

The sound of a heavy door opening, its hinges creaking from decades of rust, alerted him to somebody entering. Cain focused his eyes on the door, the action exhausting and painful. There was light behind the person standing in the doorframe now. Like a halo it surrounded the vampire.

“Hello, Cain. Long time no see.”