let out an inhuman howl that would surely have the neighbors petrified, and then his malignant presence simply vanished.
I lifted my head and saw Ryder by his bag of weapons, rifle at his side, face stern. He saw me and winked. “Bagged ourselves an immortal. We’re so epic.”
I shrugged off my demon and turned. Stefan supported a limp-but-conscious Jenna, and behind him, out cold on the floor, sporting a tidy bullet-hole in his forehead, sprawled my very human-looking brother. “He’s not dead?”
“No.” Ryder tossed me some nylon rope. “Tie him up with those until we can find some anti-elemental cuffs to slap on him.”
I looked at the white rope and at my brother. “We need more rope. Chains too. And a bunker. Do you have a bazooka in that bag?”
“It’s on my Christmas list.”
I rolled my brother onto his front, cringing. Best not think about how he could be faking. “Should I poke him in the eye?”
Behind me, I heard Ryder chuckle. “The combination of the etched round and P-C-Thirty-Four will keep him out for a while.”
I carefully unhooked Val’s weapons and gave him a quick frisk, revealing half a dozen vicious blades. He didn’t have any power. That was real enough. Fingers trembling, I yanked his arms behind his back and wove the rope around his wrists, making sure to double knot them. Then I did the same again, for luck. Rolling him onto his side, I hooked a finger under his waterfall of white hair and drew it back from his face. Unconscious, the nasty sneer on his lips had softened. Sharp cheekbones didn’t seem so prominent. If it wasn’t for the demon-skin leathers and impractical hair length, he might almost look normal.
“How is she?” Ryder asked Stefan as he emerged from the bedroom.
“Jenna’ll be okay. She just needs to rest for a bit.”
I glanced up and saw Ryder offer up a fist. Stefan bumped his fist against Ryder’s, and his lips hooked into a crooked smile. He watched Ryder disappear into Jenna’s room, his expression warm with fondness. I bowed my head, hiding my smile, and pretended to be busy tying up Val.
“We should mark Jenna,” Stefan said.
I stood over my brother and brushed my hands together then gave him a kick. That was better. Just takin’ out the trash. “Mark her?” I turned to find Stefan inside my personal comfort zone.
“Yeah, like your friend the vet, although maybe not as abundant as his markings. It’ll stop Val ever getting to her again, at least elementally, and give her time to heal.”
It was a good idea. “What are we going to do with him?”
“Interrogate him.” Stefan must have seen me blanch. “You don’t have to watch.”
“Screw that. I’ve been terrified of Val my whole life. I want to be the one asking the questions. I wanna see him squirm…” My words trailed off as I realized Stefan was studying me, not with confusion, but admiration. “We make a good team.” I tucked my thumbs into my pockets. “The three of us.” For a moment, his eyes lit up, and a genuine smile warmed his face, but as soon as hope flared, it fled, and his expression hardened. He turned away, and the cold rushed in. With a sigh, I said, “Let’s tie this bastard to a chair and get on with it. We only have a few hours left until dark.”
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
V al’s eyes weren’t simply gray. Up close, they were a symphony of silver, platinum, and slate, flecked with the occasional filing of crimson. Simply put, his eyes were mesmerizing. Despite being tied to a chair, he still threw off an aura of arrogance. I’d thought he’d wake hissing and spitting like a wet cat, but he’d slid his gaze around Jenna’s living room and accepted the situation with too much composure for my liking.
“How does it feel to be trapped in a human body?” I stood within reach, arms crossed, and looked down my nose at him. Stefan hung back, near the edges of the room where we’d shoved all the furniture, his icy touch like a hand on my shoulder. He wouldn’t leave me alone with Val, citing my tendency to lash out when angry. Ryder was with Jenna, using a permanent marker to color her skin with symbols. It was a temporary fix, but would suffice for now. He’d be back any minute, and then both he and Stefan would interrogate Val.
“You know the answer, sweet sister-mine. You’ve been trapped in human