The Shadow Huntress - Shadow Magic Book 2: (An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure) by Melissa Delport & MJ Kraus

Author:Melissa Delport & MJ Kraus [Delport, Melissa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Muonic Press Inc
Published: 2022-09-29T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter

Twenty-Four

“If we’re not here to discuss what happened at Backman’s laboratory and the events leading up to it, why are we here?” Harlan asked. He cast me a warning look for rousing Melissa’s ire. It was obvious the Councilwoman had her mind made up, and we’d have to concede defeat. We would need to get to Maven on our own, another way. I sat slumped back into my chair in hopeless annoyance.

“Yes, about that,” Melissa said, sounding relieved for the abrupt turn in conversation. “We’ve had reports coming in about a high number of disappearances in Seattle over the past few weeks. Given the impressive vampire population in the area – one of the largest in the world, actually – we suspect foul play.”

My pulse rocketed. It was an unspoken fact that the Council had, over centuries, driven vampires into small pockets around the globe, and monitored them more closely than any other species to prevent them from forming large, formidable forces. Vampires were strong enough and powerful enough, to pose a real threat. Clans were allowed, but ultimately they fell under Council law, and the clan leaders were expected to uphold that ethos. The fact that vampires fed off humans also warranted that their interactions with the Untouched be monitored closely. The advent of synth had gone a long way to restoring peace, but regardless of how far the vampire species had come, there were still those who harbored mistrust against them. Knowing what I did about Maven, I couldn’t blame them. The bastard was evil to the core. The Council couldn’t have chosen a worse ambassador to finally hold a seat on the regional council.

“Foul play?” Harlan asked. I could hear the underlying tremor in his voice as he tried to rein in his annoyance.

“Yes. There have been at least eighteen people reported missing, but we suspect that number isn’t accurate.”

“Why?”

“We’ve had intel that at least twice that number have been abducted, only they haven’t been reported because the victims lived out of state or had no family ties to notice they were missing. And,” she paused for effect, “no bodies have been found.”

The muscle in Harlan’s jaw ticked. “You suspect someone is running a bleed farm in Seattle.” Bleed farms encapsulated the very worst of us – the darkest nature of the vampire species. They had been abolished by the Council over a century ago. A few cropped up in larger cities from time to time, but the Council acted swiftly, and the consequences for involvement were dire.

“All evidence points to that, yes,” Melissa said. “And given the number of victims, we suspect it’s an organized operation.”

Implying a large group.

Harlan realized it too. “The Seattle clans have been settled into polite society for a long time,” he said, slowly.

“Yes, and the Council enjoys a good relationship with them all, the Giraeth especially.”

“But?” Harlan asked. I wasn’t surprised – it was clear to both of us that the Councilwoman had more to say.

“But, as you know, we cannot allow for any of the Touched species to draw attention to our kind.

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