Pray for Dawn by Jocelynn Drake Page B

saw, only Farkas and Collins were left in the field.”
    “Doing what?” I demanded, an uneasy feeling slipping down into the pit of my stomach. My right hand slipped from my coffee cup to rest on the arm of the chair.
    “Farkas is on a quick scouting mission in Turkey. Something about a shake-up in the dominant werewolf pack in the area. Collins was sent to take care of a vampire hiding out in the Ukraine.” James adjusted his glasses.
    “When was Collins put on vampire duty?” I snapped, my right hand convulsively tightening on the chair so that the wood creaked softly.
    James swallowed audibly and sat up straighter in his chair. “Last month.”
    “He doesn’t have enough experience in the field and should never have been sent alone,” I barked. “Who put him on vampire duty?”
    “I think Ryan did.” James scooted back in his chair so that he could put a little more distance between him and myself. “Collins was told to only pursue the vampire during the day. If he can’t locate its daytime resting spot, he is to call for assistance.”
    “Collins is going to end up dead,” I grumbled. My grip on the chair loosened and I reached for my coffee in an effort to wash the bad taste out of my mouth.
    “I heard it was a young vampire,” James countered, trying to soothe some of my anger. It wasn’t working.
    “That doesn’t make them any less dangerous; just a little more careless. I have the ultimate authority over who is on vampire duty. Ryan knows that.” I sat back in my chair, glaring at my empty coffee mug.
    Why hadn’t I been consulted? Derrick Collins had been with Themis for only a couple years and just served as backup on vampire hunts on a few occasions. He didn’t have enough experience in the field to handle a nightwalker, even a fledgling. I had always had complete authority over those who served on vampire duty. I was the only one who hunted alone. I was also the only one with the skill, speed, and experience to hunt them at night.
    Ryan had overstepped his bounds. The warlock had put an inexperienced hunter in an extremely dangerous situation and a part of me was reluctant to ask why. And this wasn’t the first time. He had also brought James along to Crete, where the naturi were holding one of their sacrifice attempts. In this instance, I had to agree with Mira. The researcher had no business being anywhere near that dangerous situation, and Ryan had brought him along as potential bait.
    Ryan was very wise and very careful, but I didn’t always agree with his methods. His conscience had no problem withholding information or sacrificing a few lives here and there to accomplish his greater schemes. And while I wasn’t a pawn, I had no doubt that I was still a chess piece for him to play with.
    “When is my meeting with Ryan?” I demanded.
    James pushed to his feet, shoving his hands into his trouser pockets. “He said to come down whenever you’re ready. Room 705.”
    I needed a shower, shave, a fresh set of clothes, and then I would be ready to deal with a warlock. “Tell him thirty minutes.”
    James nodded once and wordlessly left the room. I sat for a minute staring at the rumpled sheets on my bed. An uneasiness twisted in my chest. Themis was no longer the home that I needed it to be. When I had joined centuries ago, it was in the pursuit of more knowledge of the creatures that lurked in the darkness and fed off all that was good in humanity. Now I felt as if I were simply a foot soldier for Ryan in his quest for…whatever he was reaching for next. The information now flowed up to him instead of down through the entire collective. Not for the first time in the past few years I wondered if it was time to move on.
    But for now, such thoughts had to be put aside. In thirty minutes, I would discover what had dragged Ryan away from his ivory tower and, hopefully, I would find out how and why he had given Mira the ability to walk around during the day.

SIX
    T he sun had already set