“Lake?”
Dusti peered around the dark woods behind Drantos’s home. Crayla said the VampLycan would be waiting for her there. Movement to her right drew her attention and the big guy from the store stepped out from behind a massive tree. Enough light showed from the house for her to distinguish his grim expression. He didn’t look happy to see her.
“I’m desperate to save Asha but this goes against my better judgment.”
She could respect that. “Is that your niece’s name? Asha? It’s pretty.”
“She’s a pretty girl.”
“How old is she?”
“Almost two.”
Dusti really hated her grandfather. He’d kidnapped a baby, not a little girl. It made it so much worse. “I know the risks. Let’s do this, okay?”
“I wouldn’t be doing this if Crayla hadn’t ordered me to. She said Velder would agree with her. Your mate is going to want to kill me, isn’t he?”
She decided to change the subject. “Did you call your sister and were you able to reach Decker?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“He gave me a place to meet. I don’t think this is a good plan.”
“Not you too.” She sighed, feeling frustrated. “Focus on your niece. I can handle myself. Just get me there, grab that baby, and haul ass to get her back here. That’s the plan. Crayla said she told you what we had in mind when she came back from talking to you.”
“She did. I just don’t think this is going to work.”
“I can pull off being my sister to a man who hasn’t seen us in twenty years. Give me some credit.”
“Decker could hurt you if he figures out you’re the wrong sister.”
“I’m wearing Drantos’s clothes for a reason. I smell like him, don’t I? It masks my scent. I learned that when I met Aveoth. I can do this. Just get me there and save your niece.”
“I don’t know if you’re brave or stupid.”
“Let’s call it a bit of both. Do you need to tie me up or something? Crayla said you could move faster if you’re carrying me.”
He shifted his stance some, his shadow moving. “Drantos is going to kill me for this.”
“He’ll be too busy yelling at me.”
He snorted.
“Let’s get this show on the road. We don’t have a lot of time.” She glanced back, spotting Crayla watching them from the back porch. “We’re wasting what little time we have.” She faced Lake again. “We need to get going before Drantos and his dad come back to the house and notice I’m gone.”
“I told Decker I couldn’t get a vehicle so he agreed to meet us close to the border of our lands. It might be uncomfortable for you but I can move faster if you’re over my shoulder.”
“I didn’t expect this to be a picnic.” She stepped closer.
He stripped out of his shirt. “I’m going to put this over your back to further hide your scent. There are guards posted that we’ll need to pass. If they scent me, they’ll just think I’m out for a run to rid myself of nervous energy. They’ll contact your mate if they pick up his scent you're carrying, wondering why you’re out in the woods. They know he's with his father right now.”
“Smart.” She reached out and felt the big man’s broad shoulders when he crouched down in front of her. He gripped her hips gently and pulled her closer to his body until she bent, her pelvis against him. He released her hips and hooked one arm over her legs as he stood.
Memories of when Drantos had carried her returned. This time she was willingly letting a man treat her like a sack of laundry. He threw his shirt over her, covering as much of her as he could.
“Be very quiet.” He paused. “What is that pressed against my chest?”
“Gun.”
He sighed.
“I don’t have claws. I stole one of Drantos’s.”
“Do you know how to use it?”
“Of course,” she lied.
“Good.” He spun, moving fast.
Dusti closed her eyes since she couldn’t see anything anyway. All her recent conversations with her sister replayed through her mind. She mentally repeated the way Bat spoke, mimicking her. Her sister could be condescending and bitchy. It extended to her tone of voice.
The practice helped pass the time as Lake ran with her. She had to give him a lot of credit for using his hands to cushion her body from a lot of jostling around. It wasn’t exactly comfy but it wasn’t painful either. His breathing hardly changed. VampLycans were really fit.
Lake finally stopped running and Dusti opened her eyes, lifting her head. He bent and helped her ease away from him but kept close.
“We’re near. I smell strangers,” he whispered.
“Game on,” she whispered back and cleared her throat. “Do you know who I am, you big gorilla?” She raised her voice. “I’ll have you arrested for kidnapping, and hell, offensive groping. I’m an attorney. You chose the wrong woman to fuck with!”
Lake turned his head and she could feel him staring at her. She shrugged, shoving his shirt at him. “Grab the baby and go as fast as you can,” she breathed.
“Shut up,” he loudly snarled. He gripped her hand and yanked her none too gently forward. Dusti startled but didn’t stumble.
“Let me go! Did you hear me, you Neanderthal? I know dozens of judges who will throw your ass in the slammer and toss away the key. It doesn’t mean shit that we’re in Alaska. You kidnapped a resident of California. I’ll have your pathetic ass extradited there to stand trial. Get your hands off me!”
He pulled her out into a clearing and the moon helped her see a bit. He stopped there. “Shut up or I’ll knock you out. You’re unpleasant.”
“Fuck off, dickhead. Where’s my grandfather? That poor man is sick and you drag him out here for some ransom scheme? That’s a federal crime. You and that band of thugs are going to be lucky if you don’t get the death penalty for everything you’ve done. And my sister Dusti better be alive! I don’t know what you idiots did with her but I’ll see you in hell if you touched a hair on my baby sister’s head.”
Movement came from the tree lines in at least four directions and Dusti’s heart hammered. Fear rose but she tried to push it down. They could pick it up with their freaky sense of smell. Lake moved behind her and gripped her throat. He didn’t hurt her but was putting on a show. He had sworn to break her neck if Decker didn’t bring him his niece.
“Where is Asha? I brought you Batina. I’d love to kill her if you lied. She’s been insulting me ever since I took her.” Lake forced her head up with his hold on her throat. “My claws are out. I’ll rip her head off.”
She was glad he lied. Just his fingertips pressed against her skin.
“Don’t,” a deep voice ordered. “You can have the brat. I’m sending her out to you. Take her and go. My enforcers said you weren’t followed.”
Dusti got a fix on the voice and shifted her eyes in that direction. Decker Filmore had to be the dark shape across the small clearing, near the trees. A smaller form appeared from the woods.
Lake’s hand on her throat flexed. “Asha! Come to me now. It’s Uncle. Run, baby.”
Dusti pressed her chin against his hand and watched the small body rush at them. She couldn’t get a real good look at her since it was too dark. The child reached them and slammed into her and Lake. The kid sounded upset with her ragged breathing.
Lake leaned in and pressed his lips against Dusti’s ear. “Help will come soon.”
She reached back and surreptitiously patted his leg. He released her throat and gave her a shove forward before snatching up the kid and pulling her into his arms. Dusti turned her head, watching him disappear into the woods. She could hear him running. He wasn’t being quiet.
“Asshole! You better run!” she yelled, then spun. “Grandpa? Are you out there? It’s Batina! You don’t know the hell I’ve been through. Those bastards took Dusti!” She needed to keep him distracted and convinced he had the right sister for as long as possible. It would give Lake a chance to get away. She lifted her hand and placed it on her forehead. “It’s been a nightmare.”
* * * * *
Drantos sat across the desk from his father. Both of them stared at the silent phone. It hadn’t rung to let them know Decker had been captured by the GarLycans or that the girl had been found by the members of Decker’s own clan searching for her.
His father sighed. “I hate waiting. I feel useless.”
“I know what you mean. I should go check on Dusti.” He sat up straighter and gripped the arms of the chair.
“You need to give her time to cool down. It’s something you’ll learn being mated. Sometimes a little space is a good thing. Your mother is with her. We’ll wait for word together here.”
“We don’t sit shit out. We should be out there searching for that child.”
“I agree but Lord Aveoth made a request. For whatever reason, he doesn’t want our clan involved.”
“We already are. Decker stole that child because he thinks we have what he wants.”
“I agree with that too, but he was clear. Stay put and out of it. He must have his reasons.”
Drantos couldn’t remain seated anymore and stood, pacing the floor. “Aveoth must be really pissed at Decker.”
“It’s understandable. Decker is trying to use his weakness against him. And you should call him by his title.”
Drantos paused and stared at his father. “He’ll always just be Aveoth to me.”
“They are very formal, son. It’s their way.”
“We were friends once.”
“I remember. That was before he challenged his father and became the GarLycan ruler.”
“So what?”
“We have Vampire blood running in our veins. Gargoyles are never going to forget that. We might be allies but that doesn’t mean his people would welcome a close association. Some might question his ruthlessness if he showed any favoritism to you or Kraven.”
“That’s such bullshit.”
“You don’t know them the way I do.”
Drantos studied his father. “Right, you had a GarLycan lover before you mated, didn’t you?”
“Yes. I learned a lot about them from her. She feared some of her people would find out about us. It was taboo.”
“GarLycans can take VampLycans as lovers.”
“Their men. Not their women. She feared reprisals for both of us if her clan found out.” His father shrugged. “It only lasted a week but it was memorable. She was very sweet. Her mother was a Lycan and her father a Gargoyle.”
“I take it she took after her mother?”
His father hesitated. “She physically took after her father. She had wings and could shell out her body. Inside she was Lycan. She had to hide it from her father. They see emotions as a defect. I got the impression her life was a struggle because she did feel so much.”
“No wonder she took a VampLycan lover.”
“She said her father had arranged for her to mate someone inside her clan. Daughters don’t get to chose who they’re paired with.”
“That’s depressing. What about finding a true mate?”
“They are expected to ignore the Lycan side.”
“Damn.” Drantos sank back into the chair.
“Yes. She didn’t want her first lover to be a cold one. Those were her words. Their clan is very formal. You should have seen the way she dressed. Every part of her, from the neck down, had to be covered. Mates sleep in separate bedrooms and only share a bed during sex. Afterward the man leaves. They often restrain their women so they can’t touch their men. It’s too intimate otherwise. They have titles and call each other by those, even with family members. It’s a deep show of disrespect not to. The only exceptions are mates, but only in private.”
Drantos tried to imagine that but failed.
“I just told you what sex is like between GarLycan mates. Imagine how distanced they are from the concept of friendship. The fact that you’re VampLycan would have made some of that clan nervous if their leader spent time with you. So far they’ve kept the alliance between us but that doesn’t mean they look at us as equals. I don’t think they ever will.”
“I almost feel sorry for Aveoth.”
“I had dealings with Lord Abotorus when he still ruled.” Velder paused. “Ice cold. He spoke to his son with contempt. He’d bring young Aveoth to meetings to show him how to deal with us. I wasn’t surprised when the boy grew into a man and challenged him. I saw no compassion or love at all when he looked at his son.”
“I’m glad we don’t have that kind of relationship.”
His father snorted. “We don’t see eye to eye on everything.”
“I respect and love you. I’d never challenge you. You’re my father.”
“I love you too. We show our emotions and welcome close bonds in families. GarLycans aren’t like us.”
The door opened and Drantos’s mother entered. He shot to his feet at her forbidding look. “What’s wrong?”
She held his gaze but then averted it to his father. “You need to gather your enforcers quickly and rush to the clearing to the northwest. It’s the small meadow with the yellow flowers in summer. You know the one.” She looked at Drantos. “I agreed to allow Dusti to try to save the girl. Lake and her should be arriving there at any moment. Go quickly. She’s waiting for you to rescue her.”
Drantos lost his mind.
He bellowed, his claws ripping out of his fingertips and his fangs painfully wrenching from his gums.
“She wanted to do it,” his mother stated calmly. “She’s trying to prove she’s worthy of being a VampLycan in this clan. You will respect that, even if you don’t agree. She’s a woman, and one of mine. Have faith in her abilities to survive.”
Drantos refused to hear any more. He started to shift, moving fast toward the door. His father cursed, following.
He needed to get to Dusti before Decker realized he had the wrong sister.
* * * * *
Without warning, someone snuck up behind Dusti and gripped her upper arms. “I have her.”
The voice was new and male. Dusti would have just gasped but she was playing Bat. Her sister would have hated to be touched. She twisted, smacking at the guy. “Get your hands off me, dirtbag! What part of ‘I’m an attorney’ and ‘will see you in hell’ do you not understand? I’m fed up with you assholes groping me.” She smacked him again and he actually released her, stepping back.
“You’re safe now, Batina.”
Dusti clenched her teeth and turned back around. Her grandfather stalked across the clearing, coming right at her.
“I thought Los Angeles was bad.” She reached down and smoothed the shirt, a Bat move if there ever was one. It also put her hands closer to the gun hidden in her underwear. It had shifted so part of the handle or barrel dug into part of her inner thigh. “You need to call the police and the FBI! Dusti’s been kidnapped by a bunch of crazed lumberjacks. I don’t know where they’ve taken her. To add insult to injury, they gave me these horrible clothes, my suit was ruined, I don’t know where my briefcase is…” She huffed. “And those jerks broke my phone too!”
“It’s going to be fine, Batina. I’m here now.”
She turned her head, glaring up at the dark shape of her grandfather’s thug. “Back off, barbarian.”
He did it. Decker came closer. “Let me look at you.”
She faced him. “Don’t you people own flashlights?”
“Get one,” Decker ordered. “She can’t see.” He reached out and took her hand.
She wanted to yank it away but that might let him know she was aware he was a bad guy. She grasped it tight instead. “What in the hell is going on? Who was that kid? Thank you so much for rescuing me.”
He sniffed. She hoped all he picked up was Drantos.
“I smell, don’t I? They forced me to wear some guy’s stuff. My suit was torn in the plane crash and we were dragged through the woods to some backward town.” She tried to sound outraged. “Do you have a phone? I’ll call my legal assistant and have her send me clothing immediately.” She wasn’t sure if Bat could do that but she was willing to bluff. Every second put Lake and that child farther away and out of danger of being captured once the jig was up.
“I’m going to take you to a friend of mine who lives near here. He’ll have a working phone and women’s clothing for you to wear.” He released her hand.
She let him go. He was probably speaking of Aveoth. They weren’t friends and she wasn’t stupid. “But we have to find Dusti! She’s probably terrified. The poor thing gets frightened easily and she’s sick. My law firm will pay whatever they demand if they want money. I just need to contact them.”
“They are cowards. They wouldn’t harm her.” Decker cleared his throat. “You can also bathe once we reach his home.”
“Good.” She peered around, spotting four man shapes close to them. She lowered her voice. “Who are they?”
“My employees,” he lied. “One of them will carry you. I see you don’t have decent shoes.”
“They stole my four hundred dollar Italian pumps! And I don’t want to be touched. I’ve been manhandled enough. I’d actually just like a few minutes to calm down after being toted through the woods like a sack of potatoes over that gorilla’s back. Do you have any idea how traumatic this has been for me?”
He hesitated.
“I’ve been through hell! You have no idea, Grandfather. I don’t trust anyone after the last few days I’ve had. I just want to decompress and not have everyone looming around me. Can I have some breathing room? I need them to back off! What is it with people who live here and invading personal space? It's so damn rude.”
“Of course.”
The shapes moved away. Dusti lifted her hand again and rested it on her forehead. “Thank you.” She dropped her hand and did a little pacing. She glanced around, watching the dark figures blend into the woods, and noted their locations.
“We really should get you to my friend’s home, Batina. It isn’t safe out here. Those criminals could be searching for you.”
“Just give me a moment to meditate.” That sounded totally Californian. She slipped her hands down her body and gave him her back. She dug the gun out of her underwear. “I’m going to throw the book at all the assholes involved with what was done to me.”
“We’ll sort this out later. We need to go,” Decker urged.
She turned her head, peering at him. She wished she could make out his features. It would be nice to know what he looked like. It didn’t really matter though. “Mom never talked about you. Why is that?”
“She was a foolish teenager when she ran away. She didn’t understand about duty and family loyalty. Now isn’t the time to discuss this.”
“I disagree.”
“I’m your grandfather.” He sounded pissed. “That’s all you need to know, and that I’m going to do what is best for you. Right now, that’s taking you far from here.”
“And giving me to Lord Aveoth?” She figured Lake had likely had more than enough time to get a good head start. “Maybe I don’t want to become the lover of a GarLycan. Do you even care?”
He sucked in a breath.
She hid the gun along her hip and slowly turned to face him. Her thumb found the safety and rested there. “I know you have a phone on you. They have these nifty lights on them. Pull yours out and show me your face.”
He didn’t move at all.
“Are you even Decker Filmore?”
“Of course I am.”
“Show me your face, Grandpa. I want to see you.”
“What the hell did Velder say to you?”
“Show me your face and I’ll tell you.”
He moved and she saw his hand fumbling with something. It surprised her when he actually turned on the phone and the faint glow of light lit his face. It had been a long time since she’d seen him but recognition hit. She stepped closer, studying him. He appeared no older than his mid-thirties.
“You look amazingly good for what? Two hundred years old?”
“Give or take a few years.” His tone grew cold. “I’m glad you know what we are. Velder lied to you. They’re a bunch of idiots who are going to get our race killed. They hide from the world like the cowards they are. We’re VampLycans, feared by all! We’re at the top of the food chain.”
“Is that what you told my grandmother before you killed her?” She expected him to deny it.
“That stupid bitch was always making me appear weak in front of my clan, with her nagging ways and sympathy for those who broke the laws,” he snarled. “She went behind my back one time too many. I have no use for anyone who stands in my way. She didn’t deserve to live.”
Dusti stepped closer to him. “I guess I take after you in at least one way. I don’t think you deserve to live, either. You’re a piece of shit.”
His nose flared and she saw his eyes narrow.
“You were always an asshole to me, Grandpa.” She flipped off the safety of the gun. “You shouldn’t call other people idiots when you can’t even tell your own granddaughters apart. I’m Dusti—and I’m not going to let you hurt Bat.”
Rage registered on his face and his mouth opened. His fangs grew as he snarled.
“You know what else you were wrong about? I’m not totally human. I smell like it but I take after the woman you mated and killed. I’m not sick. I just needed some blood.”
Another growl came from him.
“You could have used either of us to give to Aveoth,” she went on. “I met him, by the way. He really hates your ass. That’s one scary guy. I already have a mate, so he let me go. I guess I should thank you for luring Bat and I here. Drantos is the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
“I’ll kill him and Aveoth will accept you then!”
“No, you won’t. You’ve hurt enough people. I always knew you were an asshole but you’re actually a monster. Bat defends criminals for a living because she feels some people might actually be innocent. You’re not. You just like to hurt people and step on them to get your way. Someone needs to stop you.”
His arm shot out and he grabbed her throat. “No one can. You think those cowards from Velder’s clan are capable of taking me out? I’ll slaughter them all and make you watch!”
“It’s never going to happen.”
“It will. And Aveoth will help me.”
“You’re delusional. Aveoth wants you dead.”
“He’s addicted to the blood. I’ll bleed you in front of him and he’ll agree to anything to have you. He has a weakness—and I intend to use it against him.”
“He was told about Bat, and do you know what he said? ‘Keep her away from me.’ He doesn’t want her either. It’s over. He knows what you’re up to and he’s a badass son of a bitch. I watched him kill one of your men. He didn’t even break a sweat. Boom. It was over that fast. He moves like the wind.”
“Smelling the blood will change his mind. I’ll own him.”
“You’re a moron.” She actually leaned closer, glaring into his eyes. “People say I’m the sweet one but they’re wrong. Go to hell, Grandpa.”
She lifted the gun and shoved it against the front of his shirt over his heart. He looked down right as she pulled the trigger.
She fired at least four bullets into him as he staggered back, releasing her and dropping the phone in his hand. She could still make out his shape when he hit the ground from the dim light of the moon. She targeted his chest and fired two more bullets, striking him again.
A loud snarl came from the woods. She turned and pointed the gun in that direction. “He’s dead! It’s over! You can kill me for that but if I were you, I’d save my own ass. Look up. Incoming GarLycans, assholes! That was the signal,” she bluffed. “Here they come.”
She heard something crash through the woods in a few different directions but nothing came out into the clearing. She did a fast turn, expecting one of them to attack from behind, but nothing did. Her pounding heart slowed after long moments passed and none of her grandfather’s men attacked. She walked over to the phone and bent, picking it up. A touch of the screen lit it up brighter and she turned it, getting closer to the man on the ground. She pointed the gun at Decker Filmore, ready to fire again if he tried to grab her.
Blood soaked the blue dress shirt he wore. It looked as if she’d shot him in the stomach at least twice and he’d taken four to the chest. He wasn’t moving and his eyes were closed. She couldn’t detect him breathing.
Decker Filmore was dead.
Dusti wasn’t sure what to feel about that. She backed away and turned, holding up the phone for the limited amount of light it put off. She was alone with her dead grandfather in the clearing. The men working for him had taken off.
“Now I wait,” she surmised. The wind blew and the gun in her hand felt heavy. She wondered how long it would take Drantos to arrive.
She turned around, staring at the body on the ground. “I don’t feel guilty. You killed my grandma and made my mother so afraid she left everything she knew. I bet that was terrifying for her.” Emotion choked her. “You would have used my sister without caring how miserable she would have been. That Aveoth guy would have ended up killing her at some point. You didn’t care about us, so why should I care that you’re dead? I don’t. Never fuck with a Dawson.”
Em's EORD