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to hunt and tear something apart pushed at his civilized veneer. His blood boiled. First, he was informed that they had found a body. Now he was being pulled away from Rose again; this time they’d found two more, all with bite wounds similar to a vampire’s. His fists clenched. The urge to punch something grew by the second. He looked around the room and took in each person gathered around the conference table.
    “I want answers and I want them now. I expect to get a call from the Council any minute demanding some sort of answer. What the fuck am I supposed to tell them? Yeah, I have a rogue vampire on the loose, feeding on humans, and I have no leads whatsoever. That’s just asking for them to send someone to check on me and police this town themselves.” Draven grunted, hating that he felt helpless.
    “Sir, this could be a move against you. Have you thought of that?” Jagger pointed out.
    “Of course. I’ve upped the protection around those I care about.” His thoughts drifted to Rose, wondering if two security officers were enough. The idea that she wouldn’t be safe made him physically ill. Pushing that aside, he focused on the task at hand. “What did the coroner say?”
    “The victims died of exsanguinations via the puncture marks on the neck. They look like bite marks, but he’s not sure. Said the entry wounds were too jagged, not smooth like most vampire bites. Also, the wounds were bleached clean of DNA and the bodies washed of anything that might link them back to the sick freak responsible. The victims are two females and one male. No evidence of sexual activity, either. Witnesses around the areas say they’ve never seen them before. The clothing was all generic; tags were ripped off, but we’re having the fibers analyzed to see if they can tell what social strata they’re from. We’ve checked the in-town database; no pings yet, but we’ll keep looking,” Police Chief and top alpha werewolf, Torger, rattled off.
    Draven clenched his jaw. He didn’t like it. His stomach rolled in disgust. “No leads. Nothing.”
    The shrill ring of the phone filled the air, and he swore. “The fucking Council is summoning me. Why do I feel like I’d rather face an hour of watching television white screen rather than listen to them berate me?”
    With a sigh, he ducked around the desk and answered the call. “Draven, speaking. How may I be of service today, Councilman?”
    The voice on the other end was a graveled one, so deep it was almost hard to hear his words clearly. “Draven, we’ve been informed of three deaths, human to be exact. Explanation?”
    He hated the dry tone to the man’s voice, as if he was talking about the weather instead of the loss of three lives. Clearing his throat, he tried to sound as distant. “It appears to be the work of a rogue vampire, but there is nothing definite. I’ll have the coroner send over her findings.”
    “Fine. We’re looking forward to having this wrapped up quickly. May God bless you. I pray this isn’t the work of a vampire, truly I do.” With that parting, the Councilman hung up, leaving Draven with a bitter taste in his mouth.
    “Asshole. The Council doesn’t want God to bless us. They think we’re all demons from Hell who deserve to be put down.” After slamming the receiver onto the cradle, he turned back to the people assembled in the room. “Move quickly. We need answers before they send a Fixer. Once their person is on the ground, there’ll be more bloodshed. They don’t give a fuck who gets hurt so long as the end justifies the means.”
    With a wave of his hand, he dismissed his people. After digging his cell phone out of his pocket, he hit speed dial and waited for the other end to be picked up. “Did she make it home okay? Any problems?”
    “No, sir. She’s fine,” Flavio murmured.
    “Good, I’ll be over in a few minutes.” The craving to connect with someone outside of politics started in his gut and moved up to his chest. He