anything, because if she tried to speak she knew her voice would shake. She wouldn’t give him the opportunity to gloat over her terror.
“I and all my employees are part of a larger organization run by a brilliant man. He’s never shared his name with us, but I understand his desire for anonymity. We simply call him the Collector.” He paused.
“And he collects what?” She was proud that her voice sounded clear and steady. He would never know how much effort she’d put into those four words.
“Nonhumans with extraordinary powers and humans with potential.” He leaned back in his seat again, his expression filled with admiration for the Collector. “He’s an amazing scientist, and he’s found a way to transfer power from nonhumans to very rich humans willing to pay for it. The nonhumans are kept alive while their power is slowly leached from them. Our clients have a lifetime supply as long as they don’t get greedy.”
Cassie knew her horror was written all over her face. She couldn’t put together words to describe her disgust. So it was lucky that Garrity wasn’t expecting a comment.
“Those we choose to sell must be physically beautiful as well as powerful. We package our products in attractive clear glass coffins so that our clients can not only enjoy their new power but also have something aesthetically pleasing to admire.” He raised one brow. “Any questions so far?”
Can I throw up on your desk? She forced words past the boulder lodged in her throat. “Fine, so I understand why you collect beautiful vampires. But why humans?” Other questions pushed and shoved to be next in line.
He looked surprised that she’d ask that question. “Every human has latent power. When the human becomes vampire, that power is freed. Of course, we can’t charge as much for humans we’ve just changed because they don’t have a proven gift yet.” He smiled. “You can think of them as sort of grab bags. The buyer has no guarantee, but sometimes he gets a pleasant surprise.”
Cassie felt as though her eyes were glued open. She couldn’t blink, couldn’t breathe, and her heart was pounding so hard that she wondered if every vampire in the city could hear it. No, he couldn’t be going where she thought he was going.
Garrity’s smile was twisted and evil and happy.
“Will your buyer get a pleasant surprise, Cassie?”
Whatever had been holding her in her seat snapped. She was out of it and running for the door even though she knew it was locked. Reason didn’t enter into the blind terror she felt. She kicked at the door and screamed. And when the human who wasn’t a human grabbed her, she bit and kicked and cursed.
Somewhere deep inside where her reasoning self hid, she wasn’t surprised when she felt the prick of a needle. Cassie fought to stay awake, because to close her eyes was to lose her humanity. The man picked her up and placed her on one of the empty gurneys. He took the cuffs off her and then immobilized her with leather restraints. As her vision began to dim, she was aware of Garrity leaning over her.
“This is your binder, Cassie.” He beckoned the woman closer. “She’s a member of a powerful binder family that works exclusively for the Collector. Fortunately, he’s loaned her to me until I replace Tony.” He frowned. “You’ll have to bring a good price to make up for killing him.
“Once we’ve drained you and replaced your blood with nice fresh vampire blood, we’ll tuck you into your shiny new coffin, bind you there, and then bury you in one of the cemeteries I own until someone purchases you.” His smile returned. “Did I mention that the Collector is brilliant? We can hide our merchandise in ordinary graves where no one would think to look.” He started to turn away, but then glanced back. “I do hope you’re not claustrophobic.”
Cassie couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer. Her lids drifted shut, and surprisingly, the last thing she thought about was Ethan. Now she’d be able to stay with him for the rest of his nine hundred ninety-nine lifetimes. As blackness descended, she screamed and screamed and screamed inside her head.
Chapter Eleven
No one would look at his face. Ethan didn’t blame them. The Second One was strong tonight.
He’d hunted for Cassie alone last night. And when he’d tracked down a group of six of Garrity’s men, he hadn’t hesitated. He’d killed them all along with their two beasts, one