A Night with a Vampire by Cynthia Cooke Page A

the one you destroyed. One of my sergeants did. That’s how I knew there was a problem. He was one of the first infected. He was the one working with the Alliance. It was his blood the Alliance used to create the virus.”
    Xana turned back to her brother and grabbed hold of his hand. “I never would have found you without him, Cayman. Besides, you are the one who called him and told him to meet you at the warehouse. Why would you have done that if you didn’t think he could help us?”
    â€œI didn’t call him,” Cayman said. “I never would have never done that.”
    Xana’s blood froze. That couldn’t be true. Marius told her Cayman had… She turned back to Marius, expecting an answer. An explanation. But he was gone.
    And so was the cylinder.

Chapter Six
    Marius maneuvered the Jaguar down the lonely predawn streets racing toward his mountain warehouse, wondering if he was going to have enough time to retrieve the antidote, deliver it back to the hospital and get back before sunrise. He’d be cutting it close. Too close.
    He had to wonder why he was doing it. Cayman and his sister had been a thorn in his side for years. Why not let the boy die? Without him, his sister would move on, get married and settle down with two kids and a white picket fence. No more chasing vampires in the middle of the night. No more chasing him.
    But he realized he’d miss her. He’d grown fond of the little hellcat, always hissing and snarling, but when she cuddled up next to him all warm and soft, it gave him a feeling he’d like to explore further. And he couldn’t if he let her brother die. He called Jaz and ordered him to rouse their scientist friend and meet him at the warehouse. He only hoped they would get there in time.
    He drove down the hill and parked as close to the bushes as he could, shining a light where he believed Xana had fallen. As quickly as he could, he searched the area, checking under bushes as the sky lightened on the horizon. Damn. He was running out of time.
    Within minutes he found the case. Inside was a syringe with its barrel full of a gold liquid. He closed the case, jumped back in his car and sped back toward the hospital, calling Jaz once more. “Change of plans, meet me at the VA hospital in the city.”
    â€œHave you seen the sky, Marius?” Jaz said.
    â€œIf I can make it, you can. Call me when you get there.”
    Twenty minutes later, Marius pulled into the hospital parking lot. He’d hoped Jaz would have beat him there, but his car was nowhere in sight. He rushed into the building, past the guard, and hurried down into the basement.
    â€œWhere’s Xana?” Marius asked as he burst into the room. Without waiting for an answer, he took the tip off the syringe and pumped the medicine directly into the catheter already inserted into Cayman’s vein.
    â€œMy uncle took her.”
    Marius looked up from the syringe as the last of the medicine entered into Cayman’s bloodstream. “What? Why?”
    â€œHe wants the formula back. I told him we don’t have it. That we gave it to you, so he took her. Said she was leverage. Though why he thought you’d care enough to exchange the formula for Xana, I don’t know.”
    â€œYou don’t think I would?”
    â€œWhy would you?”
    Why indeed. “How long will it take before you are able to get up out of this bed?”
    â€œI’m not sure. Why?”
    â€œBecause the sun’s coming up. I’m running out of time. I have maybe ten minutes to find your sister before I need to head back to my resting place. And you, my friend, are going to help me.”
    â€œGreat. That’s your idea of a rescue?”
    â€œGot any better ideas?”
    â€œGive him what he wants.”
    â€œAnd have him turn every vampire in this city into a crazed zombie? Think again.”
    Cayman blew out a sigh and flexed his hands. “I think