Jadee felt better after showering. The RV had hot water but she wasn’t sure how much longer that would last. She’d have to check the water tanks and batteries. The silence bothered her after Lavos had left her alone. He’d gone to take care of Peggy, Mark, and Brent’s bodies.
She felt the worst for Peggy. She’d never have that garden or meet a man who truly loved her. Mark has been a user. Brent had been a devoted brother but he’d been as addicted to the hunt as her father. It had gotten all of them killed. It just proved to her that life was too short and it shouldn’t be wasted.
She heated up a can of soup and forced it down. She hadn’t eaten since grabbing a microwave burger at some gas station between the airport and her father’s camp. She wore one of his button-down shirts. Her backpack was still tucked behind the passenger seat of the rental, all her spare clothes inside.
“Shit. I should have asked Lavos to grab it for me,” she muttered aloud. It was too late. She’d have to keep borrowing clothes from her dad’s closet or put on her dirty ones. The oversized shirt and the pair of borrowed men’s boxer shorts she currently wore wasn’t something an airline would appreciate.
Depression set in hard and deep. There would be no funeral for her father or his team. It would be easy enough to trace that she’d gone to Alaska. She’d have to talk to the authorities at some point. It would look suspicious if she never reported them missing, especially since she could spend her dad’s money. He had put her on all his accounts. Families and friends of the team would eventually notice they hadn’t heard from them either.
She glanced toward the stove. Lavos had been gone for about forty minutes. She wasn’t even sure when he would come back. He’d demanded she give him the code to open the RV door. That conversation had been short.
“We have trust, remember?” He’d peered deeply into her eyes. “I’d have killed you already if I wanted to.”
He had made a very valid point. He’d saved her ass a few times.
“I don’t have time to waste. I need to leave. Give me the code and please don’t bar the door from inside.”
She rattled off the six digits and nodded, agreeing to his demands. She did have one of her own though. “Just you. I don’t want you to tell Kar or anyone else how to get in.”
“I wouldn’t do that. You’re a smart woman, Jadee. Don’t open that door to anyone. Do you understand?”
Did that mean she was still in danger? Weren’t all those horrific circus acts dead? Was something else lurking out in the woods that would kill her, besides bears? She didn’t voice her concerns, already beyond her limit of stuff she never wanted to know.
“Yes. I understand.”
He’d left then. She’d picked up some of the mess inside the RV that Mitch had caused with his fit of rage when he couldn’t reach her inside the back bedroom. All the broken glass had been disposed of in the trash or vacuumed up. She’d done her best to clean up the bloodstains. The remaining weapons had been returned to their hiding spot in the closet before she took her shower.
Now, every minute seemed to pass at a snail’s pace.
The slight beep startled her when it finally sounded, followed by the bolt inside the door sliding. Lavos entered without knocking. He closed the door behind him and she tried not to stare. He dropped something on the floor, distracting her from his body.
She glanced down. “My backpack.”
“I found it in the truck.”
She studied him again. He still wore just a pair of shorts. They were boxer briefs, made of some satiny material. Dirt coated his hands and almost every other part of his body. It didn’t hide the fact he was all muscle and tight skin. She locked her gaze on his face to avoid staring at his abs.
“I’m going to borrow your shower.”
Don’t look down. “Okay.”
He turned away. She watched his beefy ass as he headed toward the bedroom area. He had a firm one, not some flat bottom like most of the men she knew. She resisted the urge to lean over to watch him walk until he entered the bathroom. The door closed and the water came on within seconds.
She figured he wasn’t going to like the tiny closet of a shower. He was too tall for the showerhead. He probably wouldn’t even be able to bend to scrub his feet in the enclosed space. She’d had a hard time doing that and he was much bigger than her. She got up and passed the bathroom, entering her dad’s bedroom.
Victor hadn’t been nearly as tall as Lavos but her hero would need clean clothes. She found a pair of cotton gray sweatpants that would stretch to fit. The legs might fall a few inches short of his ankles but she knew he couldn’t exactly squeeze into her father’s jeans. She placed them on the bed and returned to the living room area.
The bathroom door opened and Jadee called out to him, “I put something on the bed for you to wear.”
“Thank you.”
She wondered if he walked those few feet naked into the bedroom or had a towel wrapped around his waist. It was tempting to peek but she held still. The bedroom pocket door rolled closed and she waited. It opened seconds later and Lavos came striding down the hall.
The light gray color of the sweatpants flattered his tan skin. He had to spend a lot of time outdoors to get that way. His hair was wet. All the dirt had been scrubbed away. He paused in the kitchen.
“Do you mind if I get a drink?”
“Help yourself.”
He yanked open the fridge and took one of her father’s bottled waters. He approached her and took a seat across the table. “It’s done.”
She didn’t want to ask about the bodies. “The truck?”
“A casualty of a ravine. I covered it with brush. I doubt anyone will find it for years, if ever. We get a lot of abandoned vehicles up here. People break down on the highway or have accidents. It’s too expensive to have them towed to a larger city in some cases. I did grab your purse too. It’s outside, since some blood got on it. You can take out the contents but the bag needs to be burned later.”
“Understood, and thanks. Any suggestions on how I explain a missing truck to the rental place at the airport? They frown on that shit.”
He had such striking eyes, and it wasn’t fair that a man got such big, stunning blue eyes. “You tell them it was stolen. I’ll have one of our people grab a state trooper and a report will be filed. Be vague as hell. You weren’t sure where it happened exactly. You had to pee, stopped on the side of the road, and it was gone when you came back.”
“That makes me sound kind of stupid. Did I leave the keys in it?”
He chuckled. “Do you care what they think?”
“No. I left the keys in it but took my backpack because I spilled soda on me, wanting to change clothes. I’ll say I pulled over on the side of the road to change in the woods. How about that rather than I had to pee? It sounds more believable. Nobody wants to keep driving if they soaked themselves with something sticky.”
“Go with that. Say you flagged down a car on the highway and they took you to a state trooper who made the report. I’ll have whoever grabs the official contact the rental company.”
Jadee gave him the name and location of the one she’d used at the airport. Then they quietly studied each other. There was an elephant in the room and both of them knew it. Jadee wasn’t a coward though. She liked to face things head on. The shower and food had helped her recover somewhat.
“So what happens now? How fucked am I when your people come?”
“They don’t trust humans.”
“I got that.”
“You’ve seen a lot. Too much.”
The food in her stomach suddenly made her a bit queasy. “So I’m toast? Is that what you’re trying to say?”
“No.” He sipped the cold water and set it on the table between them. “Lorn owes me.”
“What does that mean?”
“He’s my brother, and he now leads our people. I helped him save a woman once. Now it’s his turn to help me save you. I’m not going to let you die, Jadee. I believe that you won’t repeat anything that happened tonight to anyone.”
“I won’t. No one would believe me anyway. Hell, I don’t even want to believe it. I’d like to just forget.” She forced a smile. “Too bad your eyes don’t work on me.”
He didn’t smile back. “That is unfortunate. You’re the only human I’ve ever tried to wipe who ended up being immune.”
“My dad always said I was the most stubborn woman he ever met.” It made her sad remembering that memory. “I guess he was right.”
“It makes you dangerous to my people.”
“I’m not going to tell, Lavos. You’ll never hear of me ranting about Werewolves.”
He broke eye contact. “Good.”
The silence stretched until Jadee reached out and brushed her fingers against the back of his hand. He looked up, staring at her.
“I won’t, Lavos. You’ve made it clear and so did Kar. I don’t want a target on my back by everything that goes bump in the night or day. My dad had an obsession with proving things like you exist. It got him killed. I’m smart. I also don’t have a death wish. I’m going to return to Washington and put all this behind me. I’ll just be leery of pale people who come into my bar from now on.”
“Bar?”
“I’m a bartender. Mostly we caterer to the blue-collar crowd. It’s a small place.”
“Blue what?”
She grinned. “People who do physical labor. No business suits. A lot of my customers come from the construction sites some blocks away or are locals. It’s a decent area but not touristy. I’ve never seen anyone I thought might be a Vampire come in there. They’d stick out with all those tanned bodies taking up seats.”
“Vamps usually hang out in largely popular spots where they won’t be noticed.”
“I figured. I told you I thought I’d spotted a few in some dance clubs. Do crosses work?”
“No.”
“Holy water?”
He shook his head. “Decapitation is the only way to keep one down, unless you can burn it to ash. That’s tough to do, since I doubt you’d be able to get one to walk inside a crematorium and lay down in the nice fire room for you. They’ll heal otherwise. I once saw one recover from a house fire. He’d been burned badly but he recovered with some fresh blood and time.”
“No wooden stake to the heart, huh?”
“The injury would heal around the wood and the Vamp would get up, completely pissed that you’d hurt it. They don’t recover as fast as soldiers do unless they’ve recently fed. You’d have maybe two minutes to run if you did a lot of damage to it. They have heat-sensory vision and a great sense of smell, especially if you’re bleeding. They’d be able to track you.”
“Fantastic.”
“Ever done any hunting?”
“No. It’s not my thing to kill animals. I’d feel guilty. But I do know how to shoot.”
“I knew that.” He smiled.
She didn’t return his smile, not feeling amused by their conversation. “Why did you ask if I hunt?”
“Learn about hiding your scent in case a scenario like that ever happens. Example? If you’re ever attacked inside your home, grab a strong-smelling cleaning supply while the bastard is down and splash it around. It will fuck up their sense of smell before you run. It would make it tougher for him to track you and give you more time to escape.”
“Thanks for the tip. I do have one more question.”
“Ask.”
Her gaze lowered to his necklace and the silver ring that hung against his chest. “Aren’t you afraid you’ll lose that when you turn into someone with four legs and a snout?”
He grinned. “I usually don’t wear it if I’m expecting trouble but I can shift without the chain breaking. It took a few times to find one with the right length to accommodate my throat, regardless of my shape.”
“Isn’t it the same? I just mean I’d be afraid it would break when you’re running around on all fours.”
“My body thickens a bit more when I’m shifted, including my throat.” He reached up and touched the silver ring. “It hangs here when I’m human but rises up a bit when I’m shifted.” He shoved it up closer to his throat. “So no, it doesn’t bounce around or touch the ground.” He released the ring and placed his hand back on the table.
She glanced around, desperate to think of something to say when the silence grew between them. “Maybe I should see if I can fix whatever they did to the RV and drive this home. I might want to start living in it. It’s reinforced and I’d feel safer sleeping at night here.”
“City Vamps try not to kill when they feed. It draws unwanted attention. They just take blood from their victims and wipe their memories.”
“Yeah. Hello. Immune. They’d kill me, wouldn’t they?”
His mouth pressed into a tight line and anger narrowed his eyes. “Yes. They would.”
“I figured. The whole keep-the-secret thing. So driving this beast home is my best option. It would probably save me more money renting a space for it in an RV park than what I pay for my mobile home. I don’t own it. It’s a rental.”
“Your life is never going to be the same. I’m sorry about that.”
“You didn’t do this. My dad was the one who had to go chasing after paranormal creatures and spooky legends. I was dumb enough to come here to visit him.”
“Why did you?”
She hesitated. “I hadn’t seen him in about a year, plus I missed his birthday a few months ago. I felt guilty about that. He just sounded so stressed and he’d already suffered one heart attack. I looked up where he said his camp was. There weren’t any hospitals nearby. I was hoping I could talk him into retiring.”
“I’m very sorry for your loss.”
She appreciated that. “I kind of lost him a long time ago, but I will miss hearing from him every so often. I know he probably wouldn’t have given this up. He didn’t when I was a teenager. He just drove away and left me with my grandma.”
“No man should leave his child behind.”
“That’s kind of what Grandma and I thought too. It is what it is though. Wishing doesn’t make it so.”
“At least you have her.”
“She died a few years ago.”
Lavos cocked his head, studying her.
“I’m a realist. I could bitch and whine about how unfair life is but what’s a pity party going to do for me? Nada. I’d rather focus on the good stuff. Grandma loved me and she gave me a stable life for the years we had together. I needed that.”
“Where is your mother?”
Jadee shrugged. “Honestly? I’m not sure. Dad refused to talk about her. So did Grandma. All I know is she took off when I was a baby after she met a guy. I never looked for her. I figured that was another lost cause. Why chase after someone who didn’t give a damn about me? Who could just walk away from their own child? I wouldn’t waste my time. As I got older, I kind of understood a little better why she left her husband. I couldn’t even stick it out with my dad and his lifestyle. She should have taken me with her but didn’t. Her new boyfriend probably didn’t want to be burdened by me. I stopped being hurt over that a long time ago. It just wasn’t worth carrying that pain around inside.”
“You’re alone now?” Lavos frowned.
“I have friends.”
“What about a special man? I noticed you’re not wearing a ring.”
“Relationships and I don’t seem to work out.”
“I find that hard to believe. You’re beautiful, Jadee.”
The compliment was nice, coming from him. “And then I open my mouth.” She smiled to soften the harsh words. “I’m too direct. I’ve been told that often. I make men uncomfortable or piss them off. I was raised too differently to fit in with most people, with the way I traveled around as a kid. Imagine meeting guys’ families. I’ve been there and done that. They ask about my life and I either have to lie so they don’t think I’m some weirdo or they instantly dislike me because of the truth. They aren’t impressed that I had a mother who abandoned me and a father who spent his life chasing myths and investigating alien sightings. Stress isn’t a great relationship-builder when a man’s getting pressure from his parents to dump someone he’s dating.”
“My parents are still alive but I wouldn’t give a damn if they didn’t approve of a woman in my life. We don’t have a close relationship to begin with.”
“What’s wrong with your parents?” She was curious.
“My mother is old school. My father would say jump and she asked how high. She always sided with him until recently, regardless of whether she knew he was right or wrong. The jury is still out on how this new twist in their relationship will play out, but Mom finally stood up to him. They are together but I’m sure it’s tense. He’s an asshole, always has been and always will be.” He paused. “He was never the most supportive or loving of fathers. He used his sons to get whatever he wanted, regardless of what it cost us. Lorn and I had to stand against him, so we’re not even on speaking terms.”
“I’m sorry. That must be rough.”
“It’s kind of a relief. I don’t have to pretend to give a damn about what he wants anymore. As I said, he’s an asshole. He and my mother just moved to a new location. That’s the only down side. I love and miss her. She’s stuck with him.”
“I’m not really sure what that means.”
“They are linked on a very intimate level for life. She can see good in him where others can’t. She would have a near impossible time cutting those bonds, even though he’s massively flawed.”
“Is he good to her?”
“He usually is. I give him credit for that but he’s lacking a lot when it comes to being a father or a decent person as a whole.”
“Are you close to your brother? I always wanted a sibling. I imagined it would be terrific.”
“Lorn is my best friend. We never fought like most brothers do. I guess you could say we bonded so close since we had to support each other against our father. Dad was tough on us growing up. He’s got this strong belief that weakness of any kind is a flaw.”
“He does sound like an asshole.” She bit her lip. “Was he abusive?”
“He was harsher than most parents.”
She’d take that for a yes. It horrified her. “I’m so sorry.”
“We’re very loving as a people but my father lacked that trait when it came to his sons. It wasn’t as bad as you might imagine, but he treated us as if we were adults instead of children. His expectations were too high for our ages. Most of our men start their training at around ten years old. He had us sparring by the time we could walk.”
“Sparring?”
“Fighting.”
That stunned her.
“I’m not like you, Jadee. You’ve seen me shifted. We need to learn discipline and how to protect ourselves at a younger age than your children do. We don’t play in a safe environment as youths. Our backyard comes with predators.”
“Discipline?”
“Can you remember when you were about ten years old?”
She nodded. “Sure.”
“Ever fight with another child over something trivial?”
“Of course.”
“Now imagine if you’d had the ability to claw or bite into another child, and the kind of damage you could do, not really meaning to, in a fit of anger. Our children can’t fully shift until they hit puberty but we get some of our abilities earlier than that. Like extending our claws and fangs. We need to learn young to control our tempers and think before we act.”
She looked down at his hand. “Can you show me?”
He twisted his wrist until his palm was face up but didn’t do anything else.
She peered into his eyes. “The cut is gone. That was the hand you sliced open last night, wasn’t it?”
“I heal fast. Jadee…I don’t want to frighten you.”
“You won’t. I asked. Can I see your claws? I mean, can you do that?”
“Watch.”
She focused on his hand again. He moved it a few inches from hers and curled his fingers upward. His fingernails began to grow. They got longer, until they were about an inch in length. It amazed her. They had sharp-looking tips and were thick.
“You can touch them if you want but don’t cut yourself.”
She hesitantly used her fingertip to feel the side of one nail. It was smooth, almost like bone. She smiled and looked up at him. “Very cool.”
He smiled and retracted them. “Thank you.”
“What else can you do besides grow claws, fangs, and get your neon eyes on?”
He had a great laugh. She liked hearing it when he chuckled. “I shift. You saw that already.”
“Does it hurt when you do?”
“It’s painful at first but over time, it’s just what it is. It happens faster and you become accustomed to the shape of your body changing without discomfort.”
“Do you ever accidently shift? Like if you’re having a bad dream and then boom, you wake up with a tail?”
He laughed again. “I did that a few times when I first started shifting but then you learn to control it better. There are no accidental transformations now.”
She grew serious. “Thank you for saving me.”
He reached over and gently took her hand in his. “You’re welcome.” He let her go. “You should try to get some sleep. You probably aren’t used to staying up all night. I need to go out there and help with cleanup. Promise me that you won’t go outside. Stay inside where you’re safe. I’ll come back later and we’ll figure out what’s wrong with the vehicle to get you on your way home.”
“My father’s team said they thought the Vampires had torn out the oil pan.”
“That won’t be too difficult to fix.”
“Is your pack going to want to hurt me?”
“I won’t allow it to happen, Jadee. Lorn does owe me a debt. He won’t let me down. We are very close and he’ll know how important this is to me.”
“Thank you. I realize it would be so much easier to kill me, rather than risk your ass.”
“I think the world would be a much less interesting place without you in it.”
The way he looked at her in that moment left her reeling a little. She worked in bars. It was obvious when a man was interested in her—and that intense stare of his indicated he saw her as a woman he wanted.
He suddenly slid out of his seat. “I have to get to work. Sleep. I’ll be back later.”
“Thanks again. There’s plenty of food if you get hungry so help yourself.”
“I appreciate that.” He left fast, closing the door firmly behind him.
Jadee sighed. It figured that she’d finally found a guy she was interested in and he wasn’t a type she could get involved with. He sometimes had a tail, claws, and he turned into some scary beast-looking thing when he shifted. His pack was also anti-human. Life just wasn’t fair.
* * * * *
Lavos located two of the cars in a ravine and managed to push them into the river before assistance arrived. Lorn found him first. His brother strode toward him quickly with a grim expression.
“Kar filled me in. Where is the human?”
“Sleeping inside the motor home. It’s about a mile to the south.”
“She’s a risk. Kar said she’s immune to you. Let me try to wipe her mind.”
Lorn was stronger than him. He debated it. His brother wouldn’t hurt Jadee…but did he want her to forget all about him?
The answer came fast. “No. Leave her be.”
“It’s too dangerous. She knows too much. Kar told me everything, Lavos—including the fact that you seem to be attracted to her. He thinks your reasoning is compromised.”
He felt a little betrayed that Kar had shared that with his brother, but Lorn was their clan leader. Part of Kar’s job was being honest. He couldn’t fault him for that. “She knows enough to keep herself safe when she returns to her normal life.”
“Damn it, Lavos. What are you thinking?”
“She’s different, Lorn. Special. I trust her.”
“I don’t.”
“You owe me.” His temper flared. “I helped you protect Kira.”
“She was raised with us and I love her. This human is irrelevant when it comes to safeguarding our people.”
Lavos stepped closer. “Don’t do this. Don’t be like him. You’re channeling our father. You don’t know Jadee. She’s brave and smart.” He reached up and almost ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, then saw how dirty they’d become. He brushed his palm over the sweatpants he’d borrowed instead. “I like her, Lorn. Yes, I am attracted to her, but I’m not planning on trying to take her to bed. It can’t work out. I just want to see her go free. She’s got spirit and spunk. You’d like her too if you got to know her. She reminds me of Kira.”
“Damn.” Lorn’s expression softened. “That’s low, comparing this human to my mate.”
“But effective.” Lavos relaxed.
Worry creased Lorn’s features. “Is she…you know?”
He masked his features to hide his emotions. “My mate? I’m not testing her blood to see. I won’t even kiss her.”
“It’s just that—”
Lavos cut him off. “I already know. Let me save you the trouble. I’m not Veso. He’d already made enemies as soon as they realized he wasn’t loyal to Decker, so him taking a human mate wasn’t much worse in the clan’s eyes. He’s also antisocial. I’m your lead enforcer. Having a human mate would stir the shit with the clan in a massive way because they’d have to deal with her all the time. I doubt Veso will even allow Glen out of his cabin unless he’s ordered by you to bring her in.”
“Our people need more time. I’m balancing a fine line of trying to ease them into a new way of living but I don’t want to break their minds in the process.”
“You’re a good leader, Lorn. You’re thinking about your clan. Don’t look so torn up. I just like her. I do have to tell you that she thinks we’re Werewolves. I didn’t correct her.”
“Do you honestly believe she won’t reveal anything?”
“She’s not going to tell anyone what happened. She’s seen too much. That’s why I’m so certain I can trust her. She never wants to cross paths with anything nonhuman again. It will help keep her safe if anything ever goes after her. I want her to live, damn it.”
“Fine. I’m surprised you didn’t hustle her out of here before we arrived.”
“I tried. She came to visit her father in a rental but it was in a wreck when that last soldier attacked. Can you have Digger come out here to get the motor home up and running? There’s oil all over the ground under it. It looks as if the soldiers tore open the oil pan and probably fucked up some wiring. She can drive that home.”
“Sure.”
“Thank you.”
Lorn glanced around. “What a mess. Kar said the master wasn’t found.”
“He already fled. We have a description of him though.”
“I’m going to have to assign some enforcers to track him down. He’s long gone from this area if he’s intelligent and not totally insane.”
“I agree. You could send me.”
Lorn scowled. “No.”
“You don’t think I can handle one moron? I’ve been out in the human world before.”
“I think it would give you an excuse to spend more time with this human you’ve grown an attachment to. I’ll call a council meeting between the clans to give them an amended version of what happened and they can decide who to send after this son of a bitch, to make certain it never happens again. It affects us all.”
“Don’t tell them the truth about Jadee.”
“Like I’m a moron.” Lorn snorted. “That’s why I said amended. They might assign someone to go silence her for good if I told them everything.”
“I knew I could count on you.”
“You knew comparing her to Kira would work.”
“Guilty.”
“Are you sure you can trust her?”
Lavos didn’t have to think about it. “Stop worrying so much. Yes.”
“Fine. I’m going to want to meet her though, and I’ll tell everyone that I was able to wipe her mind. Kar might slip up at some point. He’s got a mouth on him when he wants to impress women. This way our bases are covered. She’ll be safe from reprisals.”
“Thank you—but don’t mess with her head.”
“I give you my word.”
“I appreciate it.”
Lorn glanced around again. “What a damn headache. We have the death toll at almost three dozen in all. I brought ten of our clan with me and we located a few cars that they probably lured into pulling off the highway to attack the drivers.”
“Son of a bitch.”
“I know. We’re still looking.” Lorn withdrew his satellite phone when it rang, answering it. “Yes?” He paused, listening. “Great. Clean it up.” He ended the call. “They just found another car with a body. It happened about two days ago. At least they didn’t leave the vehicles within sight of the road.”
“Damn.”
“I think this master is trying to start a war by leaving this mess on our doorstep. It’s as if he’s trying to push the blame on us for these murders. The idiot. If the humans discover what we are, they’ll be hunting Vampires next.”
“Jadee is the least of our worries.”
“I hope so.” Lorn glanced down at his phone. “I’ll call Digger. He can fix anything on four wheels. Take me to your human and we’ll keep her out of sight when Digger arrives, or tell her to pretend to be under my control. He tends to gossip. The last thing I need is anyone doubting my leadership. She’d better be worth this, bro.”
“She is.”
Lorn didn’t look convinced but Lavos had no doubts. Jadee was innocent and needed to be protected. He couldn’t stand the thought of any harm coming to her. He wanted her to live. Even if that meant never seeing her again.