Eternal Prey (20 page)

Utah looked around. It was just Jude and him. Seir was gone. No explanation. Nothing. “No. This wasn’t the way it was supposed to happen.” He grabbed Jude’s arm. “Where the hell is Lia?”

Jude scanned the area. “Christine made me take her down to a small room under the back of the building. There’re a bunch of them down there. Guess that’s where the vampires spend their days. Lia should rise in two or three nights.”

“Do you know where this garden center is?”

Jude shook his head. “After Christine beat the crap out of me when I didn’t jump at the chance to visit with her, she did her teleport thing. I landed inside the building. Guess that was the same way she got you and Lia there.”

Utah nodded. “I wonder why she didn’t just freeze you like she did me? She didn’t have to fight you.”

“I made her chase me all over the city. Guess she was in a shitty mood.”

So Seir was the only one who could tell him where the damn garden center was.

Jude stood beside him in silence.

Utah wondered if Jude sensed how close to death he was. Frustration hammered at Utah. Bloodlust flooded him, urged him to kill everyone, starting with the vampire he’d watched drain Lia. He could almost taste the blood, feel the adrenaline rush as he tore through flesh and bone.

Civil war raged within him. The human part of him fought to be heard above the roar of his beast. He had to use his brain. Find Fin. Tell him what had happened. Get the rest of the Eleven out on the streets searching for Lia.
Don’t lose control.

His beast only knew one word.
Kill.
Utah took deep breaths, trying to drown out the drone of that one word repeated over and over and over in his head. He wanted to clap his hands over his ears, but he knew that wouldn’t help.

And as suddenly as that, Utah knew. This moment, in this spot, would define what he was. He could become raptor and drown his fury, his failure, his fear in blood. Or he could think like the human Fin wanted him to be.

“So have you decided?” Jude sounded a little too casual.

“What?”

“Are you going to take a shot at destroying me?”

Utah turned to look at him. “Not tonight, vampire. I have to talk to Fin.” He didn’t look back as he strode toward the condo entrance.

He thought about Lia all the way up in the elevator. She was safe for the next few days. But he had to find her before she rose as vampire. She’d be confused, hungry, maybe disoriented. What if she attacked Seven?

So what do you care? She’s vampire now. Not your concern.
But Utah knew she was very much his concern. He just wasn’t sure why.

Utah didn’t get a chance to bang on the condo door because Fin flung it open first.

Fin’s quick scan seemed to satisfy him that Utah was in one piece. “Everyone’s in the dining room.” He turned and walked away.

Utah followed him to where the rest of the Eleven along with Kelly and Jenna sat around the large table. They watched silently as Utah took a seat beside his brother. Fin sat at his usual spot, the head of the table.

Tor leaned close. “Was worried about you, bro.”

Something inside Utah uncurled a little. He was with pack again.

“Tell us.” Fin didn’t waste words.

Utah managed to hold his rage in check as he ran through the night’s events. He watched Fin’s face when he told everyone that Seven had taken them and that Seir had set them up. Fin’s expression never changed.

Utah was tempted to brand Fin as a cold bastard—he’d done it a lot before Rap died—but he remembered that even as Fin had sent the soul of his brother to its resting place somewhere in Arizona, he’d mourned. The memory of Fin’s sorrow redeemed him in Utah’s mind. Barely.

When Utah was finished, everyone turned to Fin.

“We haven’t had any luck finding where you were kept. Knowing that it’s a garden center will help. But once Seven discovers that you and Jude have escaped, she’ll move her operation elsewhere.” Fin tapped his finger on the table, his expression thoughtful.

Utah had to find out. “Do you know Seven? I got the feeling you did.”

Fin stared at Utah. Utah tried to meet his gaze, but it was like looking into the heart of chaos—terrifying and overwhelming. Utah had to look away, and he hated himself for his weakness.

“Yes.” Fin’s voice had no inflection, no warmth, no
humanity
.

Utah had opened his mouth to delve deeper when his thoughts disappeared into that familiar fog. Pain stabbed at his head. He rubbed at his temple while he tried to recapture his line of questioning. He couldn’t remember.

“It looks as though there’s only one person who can give us the information we need.” Fin stood. He walked to the wall of glass to stare out over the city and river.

No one said anything until Tor turned to Utah. “Did I miss something? Seems like half the conversation is missing.”

Utah shrugged.

Fin finally turned back to them. “My brother is getting what he’s wanted for millions of years. He’s forced me to talk to him. Seir will be here in a few minutes. I’d like all of you to stay.”

Y
ou and Seir would be a lot more comfortable if we weren’t here.”

Al’s wife wasn’t speaking for the rest of them. Utah felt the excitement building around the table.

“Shush, Jenna.” Kelly jabbed her sister in the side with her elbow. “We all want to hear.” Ty’s wife still had her tabloid reporter instincts.

“I’d rather you stay. Some of you have met Seir. Those who haven’t, I want you to know him. He’s capable of many things. He’s—”

“Here.” Seir emerged from the room’s shadows. He hadn’t been there a moment ago.

With all those crazy shades of gold in his hair and his icy eyes, Seir would look right at home on any branch of Fin’s family tree. Seir might smile more than Fin, but Utah would bet he could be as cold as his brother.

Seir dropped onto the chair at the opposite end of the table from Fin. “I guess I arrived just in time. Were you getting ready to tell them what a disappointment I was to you, brother?” He grinned, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“I was getting ready to tell them you were powerful, manipulative, self-serving, and a lot more fun to be around than I ever was. Did I miss anything?”

“I think you left out the loving brother part.”

Utah would’ve missed it if he hadn’t been watching Seir. For just a moment, he saw real hurt in Seir’s eyes. Interesting. What had happened between these two?

“I don’t have time for a touching reunion. You set us up.” Purple flooded Fin’s silver eyes.

Seir looked relaxed. He seemed to be enjoying Fin’s anger. “Umm, maybe I got it wrong, but I could’ve sworn the only dead bodies around that bridge belonged to the vampires.”

“Utah and Lia were taken.” Fin’s voice vibrated with power. The table shook.

Now Utah was getting concerned. He wasn’t alone. The rest of the Eleven leaned forward.

“Yes, well, that wasn’t supposed to happen. If you hadn’t spent so much damn time trying to keep me away from the bridge instead of being there with your men, no one would’ve taken them.” Seir’s good humor seemed to be fading.

“So now you’re blaming me?” Fin’s eyes were completely purple. “You haven’t changed. Still trying to shift the blame. Still playing both ends against the middle.”

“You stubborn bastard.” Seir’s eyes freaking glowed. Pale blue ice backlit by cold fury. “This isn’t right. It’s never been right.”

Utah had reached his limit. He slid back his chair and stood. “Could we put a hold on the family feud for a second while I ask a question?”

The silence was complete as everyone turned to stare at him. And within the silence, Utah heard it.
A heartbeat.
Not his own. What the . . . ? There was something wrong with this heartbeat, though. It had a hitch in it.
Thump-hitch-thump, thump-hitch-thump
. Almost as though it was two different beats trying to be one but separated by the strange hitch. Didn’t make any sense, so he dismissed it.

“Where’s the garden center?”

Reluctantly, Seir shifted his attention from his brother. “It’s on Burnside Street just down from the bridge. But Christine moved everyone out as soon as she discovered you and Jude had escaped. I went back to check after I dropped you and the vampire off here.” He shrugged. “I don’t know where she has Lia now.”

Fin nodded at Spin and Q. “Go check. See if you can get a sense of where they went.” He didn’t watch the two men leave as he turned his gaze back to Seir. “Was this whole thing Zero’s idea?”

Fin’s question caught Utah by surprise. He’d assumed that Seir had been working with Seven. He hadn’t thought it went any higher up the chain.

For the first time, Seir seemed to avoid Fin’s gaze. “Yeah, maybe. It’s tough keeping everyone happy.”

If Utah wasn’t so mad at Seir, he might think that was a weird thing to say. He growled low in his throat. He should’ve tried to tear the bastard apart when he had the chance.

Fin actually smiled. “And so you make no one happy.”

Seir didn’t answer.

“I think you know more about Seven than you’re telling us, brother.”

“Not half as much as you know,
brother
.”

Utah was busy trying to put it all together. What secret messages were Fin and Seir sending each other? It was definitely in code, because Utah didn’t have a clue what they were talking about.

Ty stepped into the conversation. “What’s going on? I was there when Seir helped us in Houston and Philly, so now you’re saying he’s working for Zero? How can he be connected to both of you?”

Utah felt the collective intake of breath.
Connected?
He barely had a moment to consider the thought when the fog and pain rolled in. But for the first time, Utah fought it. And when the pain finally ebbed, he retained one thought. Fin was hiding something important from them. Utah had no proof. He couldn’t even remember what Fin and Seir had said a few seconds ago. But he
knew
. A quick glance around told him he was the only one. The rest of the faces around him showed no shock, no confusion, only ordinary interest.

When Utah’s gaze reached Seir, he found that Fin’s brother was watching him with narrow-eyed intensity.

“Perhaps you should’ve made our talk private, Fin. You missed one. Careless, careless.” Then he smiled at Utah, a smile that promised he’d be Utah’s best bud forever.

Utah knew that smile lied. Something was going on he didn’t understand, and he hated the feeling.

Fin glanced at Utah before transferring his attention to the rest of the Eleven. “I wanted you to meet my brother because he’s going to be here for a while.”

“No.” Seir straightened in his seat.

“Yes.” Fin smiled. An honest smile. “You’ll be my guest, and we can have long brotherly talks. You might remember things about Seven that could help us find her.” He shrugged. “And you won’t be able to get into any trouble here.”

“I wouldn’t count on that.” Seir looked outraged. “You can’t keep me here.”

Fin raised one brow. “Oh, but I can. I’m still your older brother.”

Utah saw the moment when Seir decided to test his limits. He locked gazes with his brother. The condo shook. Books flew off shelves, paintings fell from the walls, and the power filling the room made Utah feel as though a giant hand was pressing him down, and down, and down until he couldn’t breathe. Smoke detectors went off, and in the distance he could hear the sound of breaking glass.

Then it was over, and Seir slumped in his chair. He glared at Fin. “Jerk. Where’s my room?”

Fin looked more self-satisfied than Utah had ever seen him look. He glanced at Utah. “Take him to one of the guest rooms. Oh, and it’s almost dawn, so you won’t need to report back to Adam until evening. I’ll call him and explain what happened.”

Utah nodded. The rest of the Eleven got up to leave. Tor lingered.

“You okay?” Utah’s brother looked concerned.

“Yeah.” No. He had to find Lia. It was a compulsion, and he didn’t trust compulsions. But he wouldn’t involve his brother.

Tor nodded, but he didn’t look like he believed Utah. “If you decide you need me, call. I’ll be ready.”

Utah clapped him on the shoulder. No words were necessary. This was what having a brother should mean. A small part of him pitied Fin and Seir.

“You’re supposed to show me to my prison cell.” Seir stopped beside Utah. “Will you chain me to my bed?” A wicked little smile worked at the corners of his mouth. “The kink calls to me. Maybe you . . . or your brother could entertain me there.”

Crap. Tor broke all kinds of speed limits getting away from them. Utah turned on Seir. “Follow me. And no entertainment packages come with your room. Shit, I’m surprised Fin didn’t kill you years ago.”

“If he had, there’d be a hole in his heart he could never fill.” Seir poked at his chest. “Seriously. A real hole.”

If Utah didn’t distrust everything Seir said, he’d almost believe Fin’s brother meant it. “Where do you think Seven will take Lia?” That’s all he cared about, not Fin’s and Seir’s family drama.