David fretted the entire time they were gone. Megan distracted him some, and it was, he had to admit, very good to be able to spend more uninterrupted time with her. He was taking just a little bit from her every night, as she had suggested. It was amazing how much easier that made it. The pressure of need had vanished almost entirely, and he felt energized, with that tingly, electric feeling, all the time. He suspected that it was giving him a little extra edge of speed and strength.

With a certain amount of embarrassment he'd explained this to the others, and Alek and Mack were both taking several times a week, rather than once a month. Jeff insisted that since Megan had proved it was safe, he didn't mind doing it. Megan had smiled and offered to share her iron supplements.

Alek and Mack had been well rested and freshly fed when they departed, so they were both in peak condition to deal with whatever might happen. David still couldn't help but picture all sorts of doomsday scenarios.

But only a week later they returned, unharmed and successful.

"It was hella scary," said Mack. "We went way out the east, like you suggested, and found a den of the things, and there were eight of them there. I don't think we could have taken them, though we'd have given them one hell of a fight, but they didn't suspect a thing. Told us we were crazy for traveling with just the two of us, and the Hunter was going to get us." Mack grinned.

"Are you going to get us, Dave?" said Alek.

David snorted. "I might, if you keep that up."

Megan giggled.

"Anyhow," said Alek, "We picked up a lot of useful stuff. Nothing too wildly exciting about the way they act, most of it was pretty much like we'd expected, but... they're all worked up. And not about the Hunter, for once. Though some of 'em have said they suspect it's him, having found a better way to kill them."

"What do you mean?" said David.

"The south city vampires have all vanished. All of them. There's nobody at all around Delta or Canyon City. And when the vampires from the north sent people down to look, the ones that just went as far as the cities came back, but anybody who went much further south than that didn't."

"That's really odd," said David.

"Yeah," said Alek. "And we know it can't be the Hunter, 'cause you didn't do it!"

"Hmm." Megan looked thoughtful. "This may be bigger than the vampires. Last time we were in Georgetown there was a lot of talk about the salvage expeditions. They'd lost one a couple of months ago, just vanished, never came back. Everybody figured it was vampires, though the salvage groups are pretty big, and prepared for trouble. They lose crew, of course, but I can't think of any cases before this of one being lost completely. So it's possible that whatever it is to the south that's making vampires vanish, it takes humans too."

"Maybe we should go take a look ourselves," said Mack.

David considered. "Whatever it is, it's probably something we need to worry about, but 'we' aren't going. I am."

"And I'll come with," said Mack. "We can leave Alek here to guard." Alek made a rude gesture at Mack's back.

"No," said David. "This isn't just scouting. Everything that's gone south of Delta has vanished. It's very possible that whoever we send will vanish too. If two of us get taken, the Hunters are pretty much over with. But if we only lose one, the other two can probably carry on."

"Well, let me go alone then," said Mack.

David shook his head. "No. Look, we have no idea what this is. It could be anything at all. I'm better equipped to deal with whatever may come up."

"And you're better equipped to be a Hunter too. Alek and I, we can't really carry on without you, we can't hunt alone."

"You can learn. It will take time, but if vampires stop getting killed, eventually they'll stop running in packs and you can start picking them off again. And you could recruit somebody else, too."

"You're just being a martyr," said Mack, heatedly. "All self-sacrificing and noble. There's no reason why I couldn't go instead! I'm plenty able to take care of myself."

"I'm going, and that's that," said David flatly, and he gave Mack a mental shove.

Mack stepped back, startled. David had never before used his mental abilities on either of the others except in practice. "All right," he conceded finally. He knew if he started a fight with David, he'd lose. "But I still think you're just being a goddamn martyr."