Kes got up, wiped blood from his lip and nodded silently. The others signalled their understanding too, the joking around all over, eyes downcast now.

But Kate realised that Shaun had not reacted to a single word or gesture. All his attention was on the phial of blood in Swagger’s hand. He was practically drooling, picking at his fingers and shuffling his feet around like he needed the bathroom.

Swagger selected another tube from the crate and handed it to Shaun. ‘I guess a little treat from time to time don’t hurt.’

Kate grimaced as Shaun pulled out the cork and held it to his mouth, about to drain it, but Swagger shook his head.

‘Bad manners, man,’ he said. ‘First we drink a toast … to Ms Stacy Stein, the dumbest bitch on the East Coast!’

He raised his tube mockingly at the others, then he and Shaun drank. Kes and the others eyed Shaun balefully now as the sticky red liquid disappeared down his throat. He shuddered and moaned softly as the last of it slipped down. Then he cracked open the glass tube and flicked his tongue over the slivers, determined not to miss a drop.

Kate had never seen any ’wolf get anything like this kick from blood in a tube. It was alien to the whole lupine culture. Their fix was the hunt, the felling of the prey, the opening of veins with scissoring jaws, the tearing of flesh –not just swigging blood from a glass like soda. She jumped as Swagger threw his own empty tube down at Kes’s feet.

‘Now, you take the rest over to Park East right now,’ he commanded. ‘And no more dumb stunts, OK?’ Then he turned and grabbed hold of Kate’s hand so hard it hurt. ‘Come on, baby. No more games.’ His grey eyes were glassy, and he was squinting like he wasn’t quite able to focus. ‘It’s way past time I saw a little more of you.’

She tried to pull away, but his grip was too strong, he only sniggered.

‘What’s the matter, sugar? Don’t you want us to have some fun?’

Kate wanted to puke in his face. ‘Sure I do,’ she whispered, trying to keep herself from shaking, ‘I just wanna go somewhere more private, y’know?’

Swagger nodded, a slow smile of understanding spreading over his ugly face. ‘Chicks,’ he said, giving his generals a long-suffering look. ‘First time’s always gotta be something special. OK, c’mon.’

He dragged her up three flights of crumbling stairs. ‘Where are we going?’ she demanded.

‘My office,’ he said, his words slurring a little now. ‘You’re gonna take some dictation, baby.’