Page 2 of The Vampire's Seduction

You remember everything I told you?Marek asked.

Her eyes turned up as she grinned.Yes, boss. Always stay behind Rowan.

Then let’s go.If he said more or showed regret in bringing her, it would only offend her and waste precious time.

Halfway to the right wing’s entrance, Marek halted as a tantalizing scent teased his nostrils. A light floral smell with an undercurrent of vanilla. His nostrils flared as every cell in his body snapped to sharp awareness. His vampire froze like a hunter scenting prey, its senses alert. A wave of dizzying desire crashed through him.

What the fuck?

What’s wrong?Rowan asked.

Nothing.But the scent clung to him. His vampire screeched to chase after the scent, to find its source.

Marek ignored his needy vampire and focused on the task at hand. He couldn’t afford any distractions.

The double glass doors were locked, as they’d expected. Marek and Rowan stood guard while Sascha connected her tablet to the fingerprint pad beside the door. In the distance, he picked up sounds of fighting. Marek busied himself counting the seconds and averting his gaze from the doors to the other wing of the building, where the floral scent emitted from.

We’re in!Sascha said fifteen seconds later—an interminable amount of time when they only had five minutes before the backup alarm sounded.

The doors hissed open, followed by another set of semi-opaque doors. Marek had heard the Hunter patrolling the other side, but the Hunter hadn’t known they were coming. His gun was only half-lifted when Marek sprinted through the gap between the doors. Marek knocked the gun away and buried his claws in the Hunter’s neck. The man gurgled, shock widening his eyes as blood gushed from his injuries.

Marek beat back the urge to feed at the scent of fresh blood and struggled to comb the layers of scents until he located the vampire blood beneath the scents of humans, sweat, ammonia, and other chemicals.

They’re here. He cut a glance at Rowan and Sascha. Sascha’s expression was pinched. Being the youngest, she had a difficult time resisting the bloodlust.This way.

They sprinted down the empty hallway at breakneck speed even for vampires, killing another Hunter along the way. As they stopped before the metal gate where the kidnapped vampires’ scent emanated from, Sascha took out her tablet to hack the lock.

The fluorescent lights flicked off, replaced a second later with dim red lights along the edges of the ceiling and the floor.

A siren-like alarm blared from the ceiling. Marek grimaced at the shrill sound and tuned down his hearing.

“Intruder alert. Intruder alert,” a toneless, female robotic voice announced, her warning echoing along the hallway. “Initiating lockdown procedures.”

Throughout the building, gears groaned and shifted as the building shut down against intruders.

“Shit,” Sascha muttered, voicing all their thoughts without taking her eyes off her screen.

Marek checked on the others. Everyone was still alive.What happened?

A Hunter activated the alarm,Darren replied.

Marek heard increased gunfire and screams in other parts of the building. His muscles were tense, ready for action. He wanted to join the others in their fight. It was easier than standing here and waiting.

Sascha, time to hurry up.Marek glanced at the woman, whose jaw clenched while her eyes narrowed in concentration.

Almost there.

Get ready,Marek said to Rowan as heavy footsteps stamped down the hall in their direction.

Leaving Sascha to her task, Marek and Rowan sprinted to the end of the corridor. The second the Hunters sighted them, they fired.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

There was no cover in the sterile hallway. Marek ducked, avoided the first shot, and grunted when the other two hit him. His breath rushed out of him as pain reverberated over his shoulder.

Silver bullets, his nose told him. Standard issue for the Hunters. Silver was poisonous to vampires and burned through their bloodstream like acid. Lucky for him, he’d had the foresight to wear a bulletproof vest. While silver wouldn’t kill vampires, it slowed them down and could even immobilize them at high enough concentrations, allowing Hunters to strike the fatal blow.

You take the left one. I’ll take the right,he instructed Rowan.