Upon waking, Gunner sat up. Not sensing Imogen’s heartbeat, he became filled with dread. He flashed through the house, screaming for her, but only silence answered him.

The Thirst rose, slamming into him with a vengeance, showing him that his suffering prior to finding Imogen was merely a precursor to its real power. His fangs dropped, and his eyes flashed with fire, as the mania, the early stages of which he had felt before, sought to envelope his mind. He dropped to his hands and knees, only able to crawl to the kitchen, where he kept his blood stores.

Finally reaching it, he slid it open and grabbed the bags, guzzling them down one after the other. Once he’d depleted his entire reserve, he looked around at the floor that was littered with plastic.

Gunner saw Imogen’s purple phone on the counter, and after a few failed attempts to stand, he made it to his feet and righted himself. He took the device in his hands, grateful that she hadn’t password protected it. Scrolling through her contacts, he found Lee’s number and selected it to call him.

Lee answered, “Hey, Immie! Sorry I forgot to call, but—”

“No, Lee, it’s me!”

“Gunner?”

“Imogen’s gone! Uuuuugh!” he cried, as he tried to fight the pain.

“Wait. What do you mean, gone?”

“Lee, she’s been taken!”

“By whom?

“I don’t know! I need your help!”

“We’re on our way.”

Through a frantic struggle to speak again, he shouted, “Bring blood! Lots of it!”

“I’ll have to get Blaine to do that.”

“Do it! And hurry!”

Shuddering like a drug addict suffering from withdrawals, Gunner dropped to the floor, while his body seized, lurching and arching his back into what should have been an impossible contortion, as he screamed in agony. When the convulsion released him, he sank onto the marble and curled himself inward, grasping his knees tightly to his chest.

More powerful than his vampire strength, the Thirst caused him to shoot up, his arms flinging out to the sides. Filled with desperation and the knowledge that he couldn’t fight what was happening, he gave himself over to it, as visions ran through his mind of Imogen begging him to save her. Then someone slit her veins open, like what had been done to the woman he was unable to help at the warehouse.

A male voice in the distance yelled, “Holy shit! We need an exorcist!”

Hurried footsteps approached where he lay in a puddle of his own bloody vomit.

Another man said, “I’m going to hold him down. Get the blood into him. Don’t stop until he’s back to himself.”

Hearing them, Gunner hissed, as he leaped up and flashed to the body nearest him. He sank his fangs in, tearing into the flesh, crimson flowing over his tongue, while three sets of hands grasped him.

“Gunner!” He recognized the voice of a male shifter he knew but couldn’t name. “Stop! We have the packs!”

“Get the fuck off of him!” a female screeched.

Gunner laughed at her attempt to stop him, as he pressed deeper into the muscle, shaking his head to tear the hole wider.

Massive amounts of blood flowed down his throat, as he ripped into veins, arteries, and capillaries. He lifted his head, fangs elongated, emitting another hiss before striking again, but rather than open flesh, his pointed teeth met plastic, as he was wrestled to the ground.

“Are you okay, Lee? Say something!”

“Uuuhhhh… stop shaking me.”

“You’re going to be fine. You’re almost healed. Motherfucker!”

As Gunner came to himself, he figured that the expletive was aimed at him.

The empty bag was drawn away, and he said, “I’m sorry.”

Another was brought to his mouth, and he drank deeply.

“Someone, contact Jana,” said Blaine, whose voice Gunner recognized through the red haze. “She may want to contain him until we locate Imogen. I’ve never seen anything this raw from a vampire. Not even the younglings.”

“No,” Lee replied, and Piper huffed her disapproval. “I get what he’s going through. Look, he’s already drunk how many bags? All around us is a sea of empty ones.”

“Lee!” Piper shouted.

“He tried to fight it! Just like me! Do you know how many candy bars I ate every single day? I was buying them by the case! I practically cleaned out the entire butcher shop each time I went in there after work! I don’t care how stupid I sound, talking about what I had to do to keep from placing my claim on you, Piper! But it got too hard! When I ran into you that time, I couldn’t stop what was intended, and I’m not sorry about it. So, no, I’m not bringing The Directive down on him for something he can’t control. End of story. Not happening.”

Opening his eyes, Gunner saw Lee wrapped in Piper’s arms, as blood spurted from the gaping wounds he’d inflicted on him, and he pictured himself sitting at Lee’s side with his mouth open, while it landed on his tongue like a fountain.

“No,” he groaned at the vision, as he regained himself, rejecting what the Thirst was doing to him. His eyes were pinned on Lee’s neck, as it healed completely. “Imogen. Save her. Where?”

“For now, drink,” Blaine said, his eyebrows drawn together in worry. “Regardless of Lee’s concerns, I have to make a call to Jana. She must be made aware of your condition.”

“Oh, I told her about Gunner and Immie,” Lee said, scratching the wound. “Healing itches like crazy.”

“Then, she needs to know that Imogen has been taken. This will seriously affect our investigation. We can forget about you or Piper going back to the office. I had suspected you’d been compromised, but now I’m sure of it.”

“Blaine, you’re not accusin’ me, are you?” Piper asked, holding onto Lee tighter.

“Not at all. This points squarely at personnel in charge of District 7 of The Directive.”

Lee said, “Who is that?”

“Ask Jana,” Gunner groaned.