“Once Adars have the scent of their prey they are capable of casting a spell that will lead them straight to their quarry.”
Oh. That didn’t sound good.
“Then why not just move…” She winced as she glanced toward Sybil. “The body?”
“Because the scent of her will linger. The Adar will know that Sybil was held here for some hours.”
She shivered, struggling to understand what was happening. “Why would the demon be searching for Sybil?”
With a low hiss Cezar began pacing the cell. Like a panther in a cage that was too small.
“They’re what humans would call bounty hunters.”
“Bounty hunters?”
He turned his head to stab her with a dark, smoldering gaze. “The Adar has been hired by someone to find Sybil and nothing will halt him until he has found his prey.”
“Hired by Morgana,” she said, her voice thick.
“That would be my guess.” He deliberately held her gaze. “And very soon she will know just where to find you.”
She squeezed her eyes shut. “God.”
“We have to go.”
“Where?” She forced herself to open her eyes. It was way past the point that she could pretend all of this was some horrible nightmare. “If that demon is after me…”
“So far he is only tracking Sybil, but we must be swift. We can’t take the risk that he has already contacted Morgana.”
“What of Styx and Darcy?” She frowned, belatedly realizing that more than her own life might be threatened by the demon. “Will they be in danger?”
Cezar shook his head, stepping toward her. “Styx is the Anasso, the King. If there is need he can call in the entire vampire nation.”
She managed a strained smile. “Handy.”
Another step and he was close enough to brush the back of his fingers down her cheek.
“Besides, Darcy would kill anything that threatened him.”
Anna widened her eyes. “Darcy? Sweet, tiny, vegetarian Darcy?”
He gave a low laugh. “She might possess the soul of an angel, but her heart is all werewolf.”
Chapter 8
Standing at the mouth of the tunnel, Cezar was wrapped in shadows, his gaze trained on the woman who was restlessly pacing the dirt floor.
It had been less than ten minutes since they had realized she was being hunted, but in that short time Styx had gathered his servants to search the grounds for the Adar, Darcy had brought Anna’s possessions to take with her, and Levet was busy conjuring some spell that would supposedly destroy any scent that Anna might leave behind.
Cezar wanted to be far away from the estate when that particular spell went off. Levet was well-known for creating large-scale disasters when he attempted magic.
Just beyond the tunnel was a narrow path that circled the back of the large estate. Styx had promised he would send a vampire to pick them up, but so far there was nothing to be heard but the sound of the distant frogs and Anna’s soft, nervous footsteps.
He had attempted to give her a sense of privacy as she struggled to collect her shaken courage. If he had learned nothing else in their short time together, it was that she hated for him to see her vulnerable.
At last, however, he was forced to give in to his screaming instincts. He could tangibly feel her bewildered fear. It cloaked around him, stirring a fierce need to do…something.
Something that involved his fangs and blood and death.