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look at her. “Then what? Off to pancakes at Denny’s?”
    His expression went still and concentrated. She recognized that telepathic communication was going on between Piper and the others in the front of the house. After a few seconds Piper gave a decisive nod.
    Time to roll.
    “Harry’s certain everybody’s in the basement. He and Laurent are going in through basement windows in the front. You and I will go through the kitchen to the basement stairs. Stay well behind me.”
    She nodded.
    He took off his jacket, wrapped it around his hand and arm. Piper punched a hole in the glass near the door handle, flipped the lock and let them in. Dee watched Piper closely as he took several steps into the house, guarding his back even if she was unarmed and he had fangs, claws, and superhuman strength and speed as well as telepathy in his natural armory.
    It wasn’t surprising, if you thought about it, that vampires imagined themselves superior to mortals.
    He stopped briefly, took a sharp, deep breath as he absorbed the resistant shock of the magical wards. He gave a glance back, and Dee followed him into the house. A flash of pain ripped through her head, but it wasn’t so strong that she missed the movement to the left. She’d picked up a large shard of glass on the way in. She threw it.
    The glass left a line of blood across the attacker’s cheek. A quick kick from Piper put the attacker completely down. Piper licked his lips at the sight of the blood.
    “Hey,” she complained.
    “I’m hungry, all right?” he countered.
    Screams and shouts erupted from the basement. Piper was through the door and down the stairs in a blink of an eye. Dee hurtled down the stairs a second after, but far behind.
    The basement walls were painted black. The place was lit by more candles than a cathedral, and about as much chokingly sweet incense smoke hazed the air.
    All the mortals in the room were naked. Most of them were covered in blood. Their own, Dee hoped as she took in the sight. She stood at the bottom of the stairs and watched as a huge black wolf tore out a man’s throat. If you were mortal, you didn’t want to go up against a werewolf; they always went for the kill.
    She gasped when she saw Piper holding one of the mortals, his fangs fully extended as he stared at the woman’s throat.
    “Hey!” Laurent yelled at Piper. “You took the pledge!”
    “Fuck you!” Piper yelled back, but he didn’t bite the woman. He dropped her unconscious body on the floor.
    His gaze scraped across Dee’s as he turned to a man attacking him with an elaborate silver dagger.
    For some reason Dee gave Piper a thumbs up, encouragement for his keeping ‘the pledge’.
    The werewolf morphed to his mortal form. He shook his head hard. “This place reeks of vampire. Other than you two,” he added.
    Laurent held up one of the Burners by the hair. “This one told me a vampire brought the sacrifice to them.”
    “Brought, or sold?” Piper asked.
    “Let you know in a moment,” Laurent said, and went back to his telepathic interrogation of the Burner.
    “I don’t suppose you can find this vampire?” Piper asked the werewolf.
    “Not a chance,” he was answered. Vampire psychic energy messed up werewolf psychic energy.
    Laurent dropped the man whose mind he’d been searching. The prisoner dropped bonelessly at the Prime’s feet, unconscious. “I think all of the mortals’ minds have been messed with. I don’t think they really know what their ritual was meant for—not that they aren’t all happy participants in the chance to rape and murder.”
    “Charming,” Piper said.
    Dee moved to the woman they’d come to rescue while the boys continued mopping up the opposition. The victim was naked and bound on an altar in the center of the room. Let the boys take care of the bad guys, she’d look after the girl. The young woman’s pale skin almost glowed against the black satin altar covering. Her body was splayed out, wrists and ankles