THE HUNT

CHAPTER- TWENTY NINE

Adam left Kate's house well before dawn, and now the Mustang's headlights cut through the night as he maneuvered the curving road.
He wished he could have stayed-he would have liked to have made love to her again-but he needed to be home during the daylight hours. He might not be able to hunt for Dagon, but he could work the phone and the computer, and by the time night fell again, Adam would hopefully, have a lead on the sorry bastard.

It was not over yet.

His phone rang, and he hit the button for the speaker, then listened as Vice's deep voice filled the car.

"Nothing yet," Vice said, " but I've got a bead on a couple of werewolves, the staff at hypnotic said a vampire that fits your guy's specs used to come in there.
Stone and I are going to track them down, see what they know."

"Get back to me as soon as you do."

"You got it. Something else, though, my friend. Remember when Mackay was murdered?" Vice asked.

"Yeah, go on," Adam said.

"Well, apparently, there was a witness."

"No, shit?"

Vice laughed. "I thought that might perk you up. I'll keep you posted," Vice said, then clicked off as Adam absorbed the news.

Mills. There was no other explanation. He was Dagon's little pawn.

It was not, however, a problem, at the moment since Mills was still locked up at PSI. Now, he just had to wait on Vice and his partner, to hear what the agents had found out.
He put it out of his mind, focusing instead on sliding the car into the garage, and then stepping inside his home.

Not as convenient as a place in the city, but he relished the peace and quietness of country life. More, he had no desire to spend his days or nights surrounded by vehicle fumes and boisterous people.

No lights shone in the house, the moment Adam opened the door, he knew that someone had been there.

Dagon.

Keep the demon at bay.
This wasn't the time, he told himself. Not the time to lose control. Not when so much was riding on him remaining calm. On him thinking rather than acting.

Adam tensed, nostrils flared, shoulders rolling into a fighting stance as his temper surged.

"Dagon!" he called. "I know you're here. I can smell your stench!"

No answer

"Dammit, no more games. We do this now. Show yourself, you coward!"

Silence echoed in return. The house was empty.

~~•~~

The sun had dipped beneath the horizon, and the world was painted in shades of gray.

"Here," Vice's partner said, pointing out the window of the Dodge Charger. "That's the cutoff to the mansion.

Vice peered down the dusty road, pretty sure no one had taken a car down there in decades. "You sure?"

"I've been here before," Stone said.

Vice shot him a sideways glance. "Let me guess because you're a werewolf?"

Stone grinned. "On a case, once. I had to interrogate some werewolves," he added, then sat up straighter in his seat. "And to answer your question, yes. The mansion has been used as a gathering place by werewolves for centuries."

"Is that a fact?" Vice made the turn and kept the car slow. The road was rough. The dirt path was a far cry from the paved roads in the city. This was backwoods all the way.