Free The Living Night (Book 2) by Jack Conner Page A

were discovered
yesterday by some rebels, but they looked to have been sitting for awhile, over
a week."
    "And the bodies?"
    "They too had been fed from, yes. Just like
the first group. What's worse, I fetched out a map and lined up the coordinates
of the two slayings, and ...”
    "It points right at us."
    "Yes, my lord."
    "Well, it doesn't tell us anything new.
Whatever it is has already arrived, and it's been here for awhile, maybe a
week. All this new report confirms is that, whatever's out there, it's
immortal."
    "It, sir? You don't mean
them?"
    Kharker scowled. "Gavin ... I don't know
what the hell it is."
    The manservant nodded respectively, then added in a quiet voice, "There's more. One of the
retrieval units tonight ...”
    "Damn. Another one's disappeared."
    "Yes."
    Kharker ran a hand across his chin. "From
now on, Gavin—until this thing blows over—we’ll send out no more units. If this
thing attacks, we'll need all the men we have. If it's immortal, our retrieval
units are only serving to feed it. So no more, not for some
time."
    "Yes, Lord. But what about our prey that escape ?"
    "They’ll perish in the jungle or return
here. It's a waste, yes, but it must be done. Oh, I see what you mean. They,
too, will serve to feed whatever's out there."
    "Exactly,
sir."
    "Then we'll only take what we need from now
on. No more large Hunts for awhile."
    "Yes, sir."
    "One more thing. Since this stalker of
mine seems to be a night-dweller—based on the mosquitoes that've been burning up at daylight—I think we should send a scouting party out today.
Say, around noon. Include five immortals in the group."
    "It will be done, sir."
    "Thanks. And Gavin?"
    "Yes, Lord?"
    "At ease." When the manservant
obeyed, Kharker said, "You've served me well for a long time, my good man. For over a century. I want you to know that you've
been indispensable to me."
    "Thank you, my lord."
    "Enough of that for
now. Don't call me Lord. Call me friend. When I first saw you as a young boy, I used
you. You were ... attractive. I've been using you ever since. But from now on,
things are going to be more equal between us. I want you to know now, in case
whatever is out there … well … I love you. You are the only one, ever, that I’ve
always been able to count on."
    "You don't need to say these things, my ...
friend. I know them already."
    Kharker smiled. "Thank you, for everything.
Now go carry out my orders and get some rest."
    Gavin withdrew, leaving Kharker with his music
and his bed. The band played on, and the Hunter closed his eyes. He didn't know
what was out there in the jungle, but he had an idea. It was every bad thing
he'd ever done, waiting for him.
    And it was hungry.

 
 
 
    Chapter 5

 
    The
next evening at sundown, Ruegger woke slowly and rubbed his eyes, then pushed
himself off the floor where he'd slept and stared at the bed. Behind the thick
mosquito netting, the girl still slept, tangled in the cream-colored sheets,
her clothes still on. Well, he thought, at least she'd had one good day's rest,
untouched and peaceful.
    Of course, Kharker would find some meaningful
way to kill her someday, and the only way Ruegger could prevent this was to
either kill her first or kill the Hunter. Since he hadn't the desire to perform
the former and lacked the strength to perform the latter, there wasn't much
else he could do for her but to offer her rest.
    As he began his dusk rituals, including his
first cigarette of the evening, Gavin knocked and announced that breakfast
would be served shortly.
    Ruegger finished his smoke and, without
bothering to button it, threw on a long-sleeved black silk shirt with the
sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He made his way down the corridor to the
breakfast room, where Kharker had already begun eating his huevos rancheros .
He greeted Ruegger warmly as the vampire sat down opposite him. Silently,
Ruegger began shoveling rice and refried beans and guacamole and sour cream and pico de gallo onto a