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let s get this meeting over with so we can get back to bed.
Once down the stairs, they marched side by side to the kitchen and
took their places around the table without a word. When Onyx was
seated, he waved a hand at Hex and blinked sleepily at him.  Athena
says we re being deceived, and Craze is a rat bastard. She also said
we re asking the wrong questions. There s my two cents, so what s
going on?
 I told you! Echo yelled as he paced back and forth between the
kitchen counter and the center island.  Don t you find it just a little
too coincidental that Lorcan called when he did? Why didn t he call
as soon as Jet and Pax arrived? And Craze is a lying sack of shit!
 Don t hold back, babe. Fiero chuckled under his breath.  Tell us
how you really feel.
 I feel like you better start taking this seriously, or I m going to
cram my fist up your ass and make your mouth work like a puppet.
Fiero continued to laugh.  Duly noted.
 I think we re looking at this all wrong. Syx frowned down at the
glossy wood of the tabletop.  We ve completed every task laid before
us so far. Ares has to be getting desperate. What if this is just to
distract us from the next test? If we re concentrating on finding all our
missing houseguests, we re not focusing on preparing for what s
coming.
 I can see that, Echo said slowly.  It doesn t matter, though. We
can t just leave them.
 What if they re not really missing?
Onyx snorted.  Are you listening to yourself? He waved his hand
around the kitchen.  Do you see them anywhere? They re not here.
56 Gabrielle Evans
We don t know where they are. In my book, that s the epitome of
missing.
 That s not what I meant, and your shitty attitude isn t helping.
 Stop, Echo said quietly.  This is exactly what Ares wants. Us
fighting each other and running around chasing our asses. Let s just
take one thing at a time and go from there.
Onyx sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Echo was
right.  Come here. The relief was instant when Echo hurried across
the room and crawled up in his lap. Onyx wrapped his arms around
the man and kissed the top of his head, allowing the scent of his mate
calm and soothe him.  I m sorry.
Echo patted his chest and nuzzled against his throat for a moment
before sitting up straight to address everyone in the room.  Okay, so
let s start over. We know that seven members of this house are
missing. We know that there are bad-guy vampires in town running
amok.
 Amok, huh? Vapre smiled brightly, his eyes shining with
amusement.
Echo growled at him, and Onyx had to bite the inside of his cheek
to keep from laughing.  Go on, Echo.
 Well, that s really all we know. We assume Jinx and Syn are
with these vampires because of what Craze said, but his story had a
lot of holes in it.
 We know that Jet and Pax are with Lorcan, Myst offered.
Echo shook his head slowly.  Don t you find it odd that Lorcan
called right at the exact time that we were going to call him?
 You re saying Lorcan is lying? Hex frowned and rubbed more
insistently at his temples.
 Not exactly, Echo hedged.  Someone convinced this Lexi
person they were you and to transfer all that money.
 So, maybe this conveniently timed phone call came from
someone other than Lorcan? Syx bobbed his head thoughtfully.
 Well, we can clear that up easily enough.
The Hunger 57
 On it, Eyce said, rising from the table and pulling his cell phone
from his pocket.  Keep talking. I ll be right back.
 What did you mean about them not being missing? Onyx asked
again, though much calmer than the first time.
 I didn t mean that exactly. We think they all left around the same
time, right? But we assume they all went in different directions. That
doesn t really seem plausible.
 I m still not following you. Onyx was beginning to understand
why Hex had so many headaches.
 What if they didn t leave? What if they were taken? I mean, yes,
they re still technically missing, but if they re all in the same place,
we have a better idea of where to find them, Vapre tried to explain.
 And where would that be? Fiero asked.
Before anyone could offer an answer, Eyce walked back into the
kitchen from the living room, and the back door swung open.
Everyone was on their feet at once, Myst pushing Mac behind him,
while Onyx shifted to stand in front of Echo.
Craze looked at them all with wide eyes and held his hands up in
surrender.  I just went for a walk to clear my head.
 Sit your ass down and start talking, Hex ordered.  You re lying,
and I want to know why.
Onyx eyed Craze warily as the man came further into the room
and sat down in the seat Fiero had recently vacated. He wasn t the
only one either. They had no way to know if they could trust their ex-
lover, and it made him twitchy. He didn t want Echo anywhere near
the man.
Very slowly, everyone resumed their seats, Fiero snagging the
chair beside Onyx and leaving Hex to pace.  If something happens to
my friends because you re a lying fuckwad, I will gut you like a fish,
Echo said calmly.  I promise you won t be able to heal from what I
do to you. So, you have about two minutes to make this right and
prove to me why I shouldn t do exactly that.
58 Gabrielle Evans
 I don t have a reason why you shouldn t, and to be honest, I
wouldn t fight back.
 Explain, Eyce growled.
Onyx had never heard so much hostility in one word before. If
Craze didn t start giving them some answers soon, things were going
to turn ugly fast.
 Your story doesn t add up. Echo paced right alongside Hex.  If
it s so dangerous for us to get to Jinx and Syn, then how did you talk
to them?
 I just talked to a member of Lorcan s pack, Eyce added.
 Lorcan is missing as well, so it definitely wasn t him who called
earlier. None of the pack have seen Jet and Pax either.
Craze propped his elbows on the table and dropped his forehead to
his hands. He spoke without looking up.  I don t know about Lorcan,
or any of the others. I swear, I don t.
 Then where are Jinx and Syn? Myst asked icily.
 Exactly where I said they were. Craze finally lifted his head to
look at them. His eyes were red-rimmed, and he swallowed several
times before he spoke again.  I told Jinx and Syn about the vampire
clan that moved into the area. I wanted them to be on their guard and
understand why they couldn t go off on their own.
 So why did they? Onyx asked.
 They were feeling guilty about attacking Echo. I should have just
kept my stupid mouth shut! Craze shook his head and pulled at his
spiky blond hair.  I wasn t even thinking. I made some stupid
comment about how it would be nice if we had someone inside the
coven that could feed information to us. I was just thinking out loud,
ya know? I fell asleep and when I woke up they were gone.
 When was this? Hex paused in his pacing to face Craze.
 The same night as the new moon. Craze sighed.  I knew exactly
where they d gone, but by the time I got there it was too late. They d
already been initiated into the coven.
The Hunger 59
 Why didn t you just tell us that? Mac fidgeted in his seat as he
spoke.
 Because I fucking ran like a coward! Craze yelled.  First I plant
the idea into their heads, then I get there just in time to watch them
being beaten and fed the blood of the coven leader, and I did nothing
to stop it!
 You didn t try to save them? Echo asked incredulously.
 They were surrounded by thirty goddamn vampires! If I da made
a move, Jinx and Syn woulda been dead before I could reach  em.
The man s southern accent slipped in the more agitated he became. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]