I was betting Azriel had a whole lot more to do with that than she was giving him credit for. Every vampire might see him as something different, but reapers had a natural ability to see and take on whatever form a soul would most accept, so it was natural that they could also see what souls feared. Given the reaction of the nearby vamps, I was betting the latter was what he'd been projecting.
Still, being in such close proximity to that many hungry vamps wasn't something I was keen on. "There have to be monitors elsewhere, surely. What about the security area?"
"The security area is not situated on-site—and the cameras in the feeding rooms do not transmit to the main system. We do not wish to risk anyone hacking into them."
I wondered if Stane could, then erased the thought. That would only put him in unnecessary danger, and I refused to do that any more than I already was.
"But surely someone is keeping an eye on what goes on down there. I mean, you haven't got an endless supply of whores—have you?"
"Of course not." Hunter's voice was cool. "That would be absurd—and illegal."
My heart began to pound a little harder. It may have been absurd and illegal, but my intuition was prickling, suggesting that's exactly what they had.
An endless supply of blood whores could mean only one thing—they were being created and farmed. They had to be—how else could the vamps guarantee supply? And it would certainly explain the strange lack of memories in the two whores Azriel had tried to read, and their oddly identical eyes.
Fuck, this situation was getting deeper and shittier by the moment. And the worst thing was, I couldn't do anything about it. I couldn't even tell anyone. We'd all be dead in an instant if I did.
"Surely Marshall has monitors in his office."
"He does not," she replied coolly. "It is either the viewing room or one of the side rooms. Your choice."
If I'd had a real choice, I would have gone back in time and recanted the words that had led me into this impossible situation. I'd known when I'd said them that it was stupid and dangerous, but I'd been so desperate for revenge that I think I would have agreed to enter hell itself if it meant finding Mom's killer.
Working for Hunter, and being under threat from the vampire council, wasn't exactly hell, but it wasn't far off it, either. Especially considering that Hunter and the Cazadors were no closer to finding Mom's killer than we were.
"Tell Marshall we'll take one of the side rooms." We simply couldn't risk staying in the viewing room again. The Rakshasa's hunger might force her to return, but I doubted that she would simply appear like she had the last time. After all, she now knew we were here and, at the very least, would be more cautious.
"That is very brave of you," Hunter said. "The council will be impressed."