Blood Hunt by Shannon K. Butcher

cabin had been prepared for disuse, and the furniture was covered with white drop cloths. He motioned toward a small couch for his guests to sit.
    Andreas set his sister down and then donned the pair of borrowed jeans, unselfconscious about his nudity. Lyka was still wrapped up in the sheet, and Joseph was keenly aware of hers.
    “Mind if I get dressed?” she asked Joseph, her tone caustic and belligerent.
    Joseph nodded his head toward the small bathroom behind him. “Feel free. Morgan, untape her.”
    The Theronai flashed a bright smile. “My pleasure.”
    Lyka lifted her chin to look up at him. “I may be unarmed, but that doesn’t mean I won’t find a way to hurt you.”
    Morgan laughed.
    “Behave, Lyka,” scolded her brother. “Show some honor.”
    “If he has his way, I’ll be showing a hell of a lot more than honor. I’d really rather not put myself on display to our enemy.”
    “Enough,” said Andreas. His voice was low, but the menace threaded through his tone was enough to make Joseph’s hand twitch toward his sword.
    Lyka pressed her lips closed and stood there while Morgan ripped the tape from the sheet.
    Joseph wanted to watch him open such a lovely package, but he knew better than to leer. “You wanted to talk. Let’s talk.”
    Lyka gripped the now loose sheet, and went into the bathroom where Nika had dropped a set of borrowed clothing.
    Andreas pulled in a breath, like he was preparing to do something distasteful. “I’ve only recently come into power over the Slayers. Until I was privy to the information our previous leader had, I had no clue how bad things truly were.”
    “What things?”
    “My people are dying—not by the hands of the Synestryn, but by their own decisions. We’ve bred with humans for so many generations that only a few of us still have the power of our ancestors.”
    “You’re weak, so now you want to end the war? Is that it?”
    “No. We’re weak, and because of that, we’re no longer as effective at fighting the Synestryn as we once were. They’re getting stronger every year. Their numbers are growing. You know as well as I do that if we don’t do something, we’re going to lose everything.” He leaned forward, his tawny eyes fixing on Joseph. “I was born into this war. I’ve even done harm to your people in my youth, but I see now that it can’t continue. We can’t keep fighting each other if we’re to have any chance of beating back the demons.”
    “So why not just go on as we are, ignoring each other? It’s been years since I wasted any assets on your people.”
    “I believe that things are changing. We’re at a crossroads. If we don’t join together, I fear that the war with the Synestryn is already lost and we just don’t know it yet.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I mean I’ve seen things. I’ve followed huge hoards of Synestryn in the night, watching them. They’re migrating.”
    “To where?”
    “Here. They’re closing in around you, filling the caves that riddle this area.”
    Joseph had seen proof of that as well, though not as up close as Andreas claimed to have seen. From the corner of his eye, he saw his men shift uncomfortably. Of all the men he had under his command, Madoc had been out fighting the most. He’d nearly run himself into the ground searching out every last living creature that had fed on Nika’s blood.
    Joseph turned to Madoc. “What do you think?”
    Madoc frowned and crossed his thick arms over his chest as he shifted closer to Nika. “I think it would be a dumb-ass move to trust him. This is out of the blue. We don’t know a thing about him.”
    Andreas nodded, not seeming angry. “I understand your lack of trust. That’s why Lyka’s here.”
    She walked out of the bathroom, wearing a pair of loose sweats and a T-shirt. Joseph’s eyes skimmed her body, taking in the athletic curves he could detect beneath the clothes. Her hair was a million shades of yellow and gold and a total mess. It poufed