Luther's Return (Scanguards Vampires Book 10)

A small number pad appeared, and he typed in the same combination as before. A series of clicks confirmed that the code was correct.

“Step back.”

The wall moved toward them, swinging to the side. Blue light flooded into the corridor, making him adjust his focus. Cold air blasted him and the low humming sound of a motor reached his ears.

“Stay close behind me,” he ordered and stepped forward. A cloud of fog built in front of his face as he exhaled.

“It’s a refrigerator,” Katie said in surprise.

“I hope you’re not squeamish.”

“Why would I—” She stopped and let her eyes wander around the large refrigerated storage room. “Oh.”

Luther motioned to the bags of blood that were stacked neatly on stainless steel racks, sorted by blood type and age. “They can’t let the prisoners starve.” Even though some of the guards had surely tried.

“How many prisoners do they keep here?”

He shrugged without looking at her. “The facility is built to hold 480 prisoners.”

“That’s not a lot of blood for that many prisoners.”

Curious, Luther turned to look at her. “Trust me, it’s enough.”

Katie pointed at the bags of blood. “Maybe for one day. Haven says—”

“Whatever your brother told you doesn’t apply here. There are different rules in prison. The daily rations… they are…” He hesitated, not knowing why he even bothered explaining and decided to say no more.

“They’re what?”

The honest curiosity in her gaze made him reconsider. He couldn’t brush her off now, not when she showed concern about men she didn’t even know, convicts, prisoners, vampires.

He reached for a one-pint bag and held it up. “This will feed one prisoner for four days.”

Katie’s chin dropped slowly and her bottom lips quivered from the cold. “That can’t be. I know how much Haven and his mate consume. No adult vampire can survive on so little.”

“It’s a prison, not a country club.” He turned toward the door. “Let’s go, you’re cold.”

Her trembling lips and chattering teeth weren’t the only indication of her sensitivity to the cold environment. Underneath her cardigan, her nipples were hard. And as much as the sight enticed him, this wasn’t the time or the place to act upon it. Nor did he expect a warm reception from Katie should he be so stupid as to touch her again.

Why he’d let his baser instincts rule him twenty-four hours earlier, he didn’t understand. If prison had taught him one thing, it was how to control his emotions and his needs. But then, even the best had the occasional relapse. Didn’t mean it had to happen again.

Luther walked up to the door. A small window was cut into it, allowing him to look into the anteroom, which was equipped with carts and trays used to distribute the blood every day. He knew the schedule well. It never changed. In an hour, four guards would enter the cold storage and divvy up the rations, then distribute them to the ravenous prisoners.

At the thought of the blood, he felt an acute pang of hunger roil through his stomach. He’d gorged himself on a street person just before he’d been arrested by Scanguards, and considering the amount of blood he’d taken—more than he’d had at any one time during his twenty years in prison—he should be thoroughly sated, but he wasn’t.

Katie stood next to him now. Too damn close. He could smell her blood, hear it even as it was rushing through her veins. He could feel the low drum of her heartbeat, the tap-tap-tap of her pulse. Temptation gripped him. He wrenched himself away from it and turned the doorknob.

Luther stepped into the empty prep room. “Close the door to cold storage,” he said over his shoulder as Katie followed him. “If the temperature rises in there, the guards will get an alert and show up.”

Katie pulled the door closed. “Where to now?”

“Just follow me. And stay quiet. A vampire’s hearing is ten times more sensitive than that of a human. Even if you whisper, they’ll hear you.”

“I know that.” And her facial expression told him she didn’t appreciate the lecture.

He decided not to comment and opened the door to the corridor just a sliver. Enough so he could listen for sounds.

Footsteps. Coming closer, not retreating.

Luther put a finger to his lips and focused his ears on the sounds coming closer.

“…could take the time off.” The voice he heard belonged to Dobbs.

“What, and go where?” MacKay replied.

“To some cool place.”

“You mean like Norris? Did he tell you where he was heading?”

“Nope. He was all cryptic about it. He only said that he would leave everybody in his wake.”

“Whatever!” MacKay said.

Both vampires’ voices echoed in the empty corridor. They were almost at the door now.

“So what would you do on your vacation?” MacKay asked.

A chuckle broke from Dobbs’s mouth. “New York City or Chicago. With all those dark alleys at night, hey, that’s the ideal hunting grounds. Lots of chicks and junkies who don’t even see you coming. That’s what I call a vacation!”