center of the crater at gunpoint. Some of them screamed. Some wailed. Others begged. But a few stood stoically, arms crossed as they glared at the humans who backed away and spun out, leaving the girls alone in the middle of the desert night.
The smell was overwhelming.
The sweet, heady scent of blood washed up the edge of the crater and down the tunnel, carried on the breeze that was growing ever more laden with moisture as the storm approached. He heard a high, whining sound and turned to see Brigid biting her arm. Carwyn stroked her short cap of hair back, soothing his mate as she forced herself to remain still. Carwyn’s eyes met Baojia’s in the darkness. He glanced at Natalie.
“They’re going to know.”
Baojia nodded. There was no question. When the hunt started, the vampires were going to know something was wrong. There was no mistaking the smell of the girls. If anything, they smelled even more appetizing than the ones at Bar El Ruso had.
“What the hell are they putting in that Elixir?” he muttered, trying not to breathe through his nose.
“We have to keep at least a few of them there. Taking away the majority of them will still decrease the distractions we have to deal with and probably some of the bloodlust, especially for Brigid, but we have to have some of them there or they’re going to know.”
Natalie, finally catching on to what they were talking about, butted in. “But those girls are innocent! We have to get them out of there. They’re not bait.”
Carwyn snorted. “That’s exactly what they are, Nat. And you’ve volunteered to take their place, but you don’t smell like them. We need at least a hint of their scent in order for the hunters not to immediately guess that something is wrong.”
Brigid forced her head up, blood staining her mouth. “Keep to the plan. Pick a few of tickt the more defiant girls and give them stun guns. Leave them there with Natalie and Ben. It will be enough to draw the vampires without distracting all of us. The rest need to get as far up this tunnel as possible, or they’re just going to throw us off.”
Baojia nodded. “I was thinking the same thing.” He glanced toward the dark crater. The truck was no more than a retreating rumble in the night. “Let’s start rounding them up. Brigid, pick the girls you want to have stay.”
She forced a nod and started out of the tunnel, Carwyn close on her heels. Baojia stood and Natalie followed him, dogging his steps.
“You can’t let them use these girls as bait, Baojia. It’s not fair. They’ve already been—”
“Abducted. Kidnapped. Poisoned. Probably abused in other ways, too.” He kept walking, watching the girls cry out and run as they saw the shapes in the darkness. But there were two who didn’t run, and he turned toward them. “I realize all that. I’m not even going to mention that you forced me to let you use yourself as bait.”
“It was my choice!”
“And it will be theirs, as well.” He approached one girl who looked vaguely familiar. She was staring at him with furious eyes, chin up and mouth screwed into a sneer. “You!” he called in Spanish. “Is your name Carmen?” She looked like the girl who had come to the church. Enough alike to be sisters.
At the mention of her name, the sneer fell. “Who are you?”
“We’re friends of Father Andrade’s. And we’re trying to save your life.”
She shook her head. “Nothing is going to save my life. I saw what happened to Constantina. I know what’s going to happen to me.”
“Want to give Ivan’s men a surprise?” Baojia grabbed at one of the stun guns on Natalie’s belt and held it out. “You stay, you get a chance to hurt them.”
Carmen grabbed the gun. “I’ll take it.”
“And help us round up the girls.”
She gave him a quick nod and started running toward a group of girls Carwyn was trying to calm. Just then, Tenzin landed on a rock nearby.
“They’re close. Get these girls in the tunnel.”
He cursed under his breath. “That wasn’t an hour.”
“Nope. Looks like someone’s impatient.” She flew off toward Carwyn. Between the two vampires and Carmen, most of the girls headed toward the tunnel, with three others standing with Brigid as she gave them a quick lesson on stun guns, which Ben translated. Baojia turned to Natalie, who had been silent the whole exchange.
“Time for you to get in position,”