As the vampire left with his conquest for the night, Cain walked to the other side of the club which he hadn’t covered yet. There, mirrored partitions separated the dance floor from an area with high tables and bar stools. It was only marginally quieter there, but just as crowded.

Again, Cain walked through the area, watching for any signs of vampires, but he didn’t see the tell-tale aura that surrounded a vampire, something only other preternatural creatures could see. Having completed his sweep of the first floor, he headed for the stairs. When he set his foot on the first step, something in his peripheral vision caught his attention.

He whipped his head in its direction and noticed a door that was ajar. It could easily be overlooked, because it was made of the same material as the shiny black paneling that surrounded it. A dim light came from inside the room.

His heartbeat kicking up a notch, he walked toward the door, his eyes scanning the people around him, but nobody seemed to pay him any attention. With the tip of his finger, he opened the door another inch, then spied inside. From the little he could see from this angle, the room appeared to be a private party room, furnished with a large sectional.

Cain let his senses reach out, but couldn’t sense the presence of a vampire. He inhaled. What he smelled made his gums itch violently: blood.

“Shit!” he cursed and pulled the door open wide enough so he could squeeze inside. He closed it behind him, holding his breath as he did so.

It took his eyes one second to assess the situation, and his stomach an additional one to turn upside down.

***

Zane narrowed his eyes, focusing on a group of youngsters who screamed with the music and danced wildly, when he picked up a scent. Next to him, Amaury growled: he’d smelled the same thing.

Simultaneously, he and Amaury pushed through the crowd and cleared a path to where the smell of blood originated. Zane scanned the area. Beyond the bar, which was of similar size as the one on the first floor, smaller booths were tucked away in a corner, their entrances partially obstructed by mirrored screens. The booths were furnished with plush seating arrangements and low tables for drinks.

As he got closer, Zane sensed the aura of a vampire. He stormed into the booth, Amaury only steps behind him. A vampire was sucking on the neck of a young Asian woman, her struggles evidence that the bite was not a welcome one, and that the vampire wasn’t employing his mind control skills to pacify her. His hand was clamped over her mouth so she couldn’t scream, but her eyes did the screaming instead. He was making her suffer deliberately.

Zane jumped toward him, when the rogue vampire suddenly whirled around and glared at him, his fangs dripping with blood, his eyes red. The stranger pounced instantly and with such ferocity that Zane was thrown back against a wall, shattering the mirrored surface.

He caught himself quickly, but the vampire was wilder than he’d ever seen anyone. Like an animal he attacked again, growling; saliva and blood dripped from his mouth as his claws veered toward Zane’s neck. Zane sidestepped him.

The girl’s screams, which the rogue vampire had muffled before, now came from his victim’s throat. From the corner of his eye, Zane verified that Amaury was taking care of the situation and concentrated on his attacker again.

Zane was no stranger to bloody fights, but this vampire was different—stronger and more dangerous—even though he was only of average size. Bloodlust, he figured. There was no other explanation for it.

Had this been any other fight, Zane would have simply reached for his stake and driven it into the jerk’s heart, but he needed him alive. This was the first time they’d actually come face-to-face with one of the crazies that the mayor had asked them to watch out for. And if they wanted to know what was really going on and what was causing them to go berserk, he needed to catch one alive.

As he dodged another blow by his attacker, Zane swiveled and jumped behind him, then kicked him in the back of his knees. But instead of falling to his knees as Zane would have expected, the vampire jerked his elbows back and slammed them into Zane’s ribcage, knocking the wind out of him.

“Fuck!” Zane ground out as he absorbed the violent jab.

“Chain!” Amaury yelled behind him.

Zane turned his head and saw how Amaury pulled on his gloves in vampire speed, then reached into this pocket. When he pulled the silver chain from it, Zane jumped aside, giving Amaury a straight line-of-sight to the attacker, who’d already turned and was ready to land more kicks and blows.

The hostile vampire’s high leg kicks prevented Amaury from coming close enough to throw the chain around his neck. Flashing his fangs, the rogue snarled like a beast, then jumped toward Amaury. Zane, standing off to the side, saw his opportunity and kicked his leg up, hitting the vampire in the groin in mid-jump. He buckled.