"Centuries rather than years."
That raised my eyebrows. For some reason I'd been thinking blood whores were a modern phenomenon, but I guess it made sense that they'd been around almost as long as vampires. After all, addictions had been alive as long as humanity—it was just the substances that had changed over time.
"Meaning the Rakshasa could be specifically targeting those who have caused the most suffering."
"It is a possibility." Her tone suggested it was one they'd already thought of.
"So maybe all you have to do is tell longtime addictives to avoid the club until this thing is either caught or goes away."
"That," she said heavily, "is extremely naive thinking."
"Yeah, well, that's what you get when you expect a restaurateur to become a hunter."
Her green eyes flashed again, and Amaya's hissing suddenly sharpened—one bitch wanting to taste another's blood.
I shivered again, suddenly realizing I was beginning to understand the static language of my demon sword. That was almost as scary as the four people who stood so elegantly in front of me.
"You are far more than just a restaurateur, Risa, and we both know it. Although your current level of questioning is more than a little disappointing."
I wasn't so worried about disappointing her right now—which was probably proof of my insanity—but rather the three silent council members. The tightly coiled energy radiating off them seemed to be getting stronger—even the ghosts were reacting to it. The moaning and wailing had sharpened to a continuous shriek that vibrated through every part of my being. Between it and Amaya, I felt like I was being torn apart by sound.
I took a deep breath and tried to ignore the assault on my senses, tried to think more like Aunt Riley. There had to be some similarities in all five murders besides this room and the manner of their deaths. If there was one thing I'd gleaned over the years from hanging around two guardians, it was the fact that most killings had a particular pattern, even if it wasn't immediately evident.
"Okay, then, what about the times of their deaths?"
Hunter paused. "All between the hours of two and three. An exact time of death could not be determined due to the extensive damage done to the bodies."
I frowned. "Does that mean you also have no idea when the inhibitor was introduced via the scratches? Or where it was applied?"