Night's Master (Children of The Night 3)

“Afternoon, Kathy,” he said cheerfully.

“Hi.” I had to force myself to be civil to the man. I didn't want him wondering why my attitude toward him had changed, didn't want him asking questions I didn't want to answer. “What brings you out on a day like this?”

“I figured you wouldn't have much business, and I thought maybe you'd like to go out for a cup of coffee.”

“I don't think so.” I had no desire to spend time with a man who had cheerfully offered to kill Susie if her husband wasn't up to the job.

“Come on,” Travis coaxed. “It's just a cup of coffee.”

Since I couldn't tell him why I didn't want to have coffee with him, I needed a good excuse. I just wished I had one. “I'm sorry, I can't,” I said. “I'm…I'm expecting an important phone call from…from one of the major book distributors back east.”

He didn't believe me; I could see it in the sudden narrowing of his eyes.

“There was a mix-up in one of my orders,” I said, making things up as I went along. “I need to get it resolved right away, you know, and with the time difference between here and New York…” I shrugged. “You know how it is.”

He grunted softly. “Yeah, sure, maybe I'll see you later.”

The tone of his voice sent an icy chill down my spine.

I breathed a sigh of relief when he left, bemused by the realization that if it came to a choice between spending time with Travis Jackson or with the Supernatural community, I felt safer on the dark side with the Vampires and the Werewolves.

I finished reading my mail, then moved through the stacks, straightening a book here, turning a couple of the newer ones face out. With nothing else to do, I swept the floor, dusted the shelves, watered the plants.

I was thinking about going out for a late lunch, or maybe just closing up for the day, when Jackson showed up again.

“I figured since you wouldn't go out for coffee with me, I'd bring it to you.”

I didn't want to take anything from the man, but it smelled divine. “Thank you.”

He handed me one of the cups. “Careful, it's hot.” He rested an elbow on the counter. “So, how do you like Oak Hollow, now that you're settled in?”

I shrugged. “It's a nice place.”

He grunted softly, then sipped his coffee.

Removing the lid from my cup, I took a drink and then frowned. “What kind of coffee is this? It tastes kind of…of…” I blinked, then rubbed a hand over my eyes as everything seemed to go kind of gray and hazy.

Travis smiled an odd little smile as he took the cup from my hand, and then everything went black.

Cold, so cold.

Hard floor beneath me.

Bad taste in my mouth.

I opened one eye, closed it, and opened both eyes. The scene didn't change. Bare walls, a naked bulb overhead. I was dreaming, I thought, having a nightmare. I closed my eyes, waiting for it to end.

I got colder, the floor beneath me seemed to get harder, and I had to go to the bathroom.

I wasn't dreaming.

I opened my eyes again and sat up. What the hell? In the faint light cast by the low-watt bulb dangling by a cord, I could see that I was in a room of some kind, but a very strange room. The walls were silver, the floor was silver, the ceiling was silver. I ran my fingers over the floor, thinking it was just paint, but when I tapped my fingernails on it, it sounded like metal, not concrete.

I tried standing, but my legs refused to support me, so I crawled toward the door, which was also coated with silver.

I frowned, trying to think why silver was important, but my mind was fuzzy, and I couldn't concentrate. Reaching up, I tried to open the door. It was locked, of course.

I wrapped my arms around my waist and closed my eyes. This had to be a nightmare. It just had to be, but when I pinched myself, it hurt. It wasn't supposed to hurt in a dream, so where was I and how had I gotten here?

The last thing I remembered was talking to Travis Jackson. He had brought me a cup of coffee. It hit me, then. Travis had drugged me, but why?

Rising to my knees, I pounded my fist on the door. “Travis? Travis, are you out there?” I pounded on the door until my fist ached. “Travis! Dammit, let me out of here!”

Sinking down on the floor, I blinked back the tears that stung my eyes. Crying wouldn't help me now.

Closing my eyes again, I tried to focus. Travis had drugged me and brought me here, but why, and where was here?

I guess I dozed off, because the sound of the door opening woke me. Blinking, I stared at the figure hovering over me.

Now I knew I was dreaming.

“Hello, dear,” Pearl said. “We thought you might like something to eat.” She placed a tray on the floor in front of me. “I hope you like chicken salad sandwiches.”

“What are you doing here?” I asked. “What am I doing here?”

Pearl make a little tsking sound. “I'm afraid you're the bait, dear.”

“The bait?”

She nodded.

“What are you hoping to catch?”

“Why, a Vampire, of course,” Edna said from the doorway. “We're sorry it had to be you, but…” She blew out a sigh of regret. “Rafe chose you.”

“You want to catch Rafe?” I shook my head, hoping to clear it. “But why? And why do you need me? You know where he lives….”

“It's not wise to go to a Vampire's lair,” Pearl said. “We told you that, but you didn't listen.”

“Why do you want Rafe?”

“We need another Vampire guinea pig, one with power. Now that all the other Vamps have left town, he'll have to do.” Edna glanced at Pearl. “We'd hoped to get Rafe's grandfather, or maybe Mara herself, although I'm not sure we could have held her.”

“We'll get her, dear,” Pearl said reassuringly. “Sooner or later, we'll get them all.”

I glanced from Edna to Pearl. “You're hunters?” I looked at their colorful skirts, their outrageous hats and comfortable shoes, and found it inconceivable that these two women, both grandmothers well into their seventies, went around staking Vampires and lopping the heads off Werewolves.

“Of course, dear.”

“We used to run a school down in Texas,” Edna said wistfully. “Those were the days!”

Texas, I thought. Travis Jackson was from Texas.

Pearl smiled. “We were important then! People looked up to us, respected us.” She sighed wistfully. “Now, when the new hunters look at us, all they see are a couple of has-beens, but we'll show them!”