She needed to reassess, reevaluate because if a five-minute shower snapped him out of her control, she’d never be able to maintain this long-term. She wouldn’t be able to let her guard down for even a second, not even to sleep. No. This was no good. She’d be trapped here, wouldn’t she? Unable to leave his side, and Evangeline would never willingly cage herself again. A better plan would be to put Kane to sleep, she decided. Yes, a quick sleeping spell, and once he was under, she’d remove herself from his memories, obtain the blood she needed for a more potent spell, and return once she was guaranteed the upper hand. And she would return. Kane Fletcher was key to her plans.
Chapter Two
Sophia St. John surveyed the area of the crash with a wince. The area where she and her brother had impacted the ground after a freefall from the sky was a massive gouge in the earth, bare of trees or greenery. From there, their bodies had slid, taking out more trees that the pack had since cleared away, using the lumber to repair cabins that had sustained damage during her awakening and to build a new cabin for her use though she had yet to move in. She preferred, for now, sticking close to her brother Travis for a sense of connection, even if his new mate, Morgan, set her teeth on edge.
She didn’t remember her awakening, her dragon completely in control as she’d emerged from her stone casing. Nor did she remember the crash, only hearing about it after the fact. Her first conscious memory had been coming to, wrapped within the protective confines of her brother’s dragon form. He’d curled that massive scaled body around her to save her from the worst of the impact.
Turning a slow circle, Sophia grimaced. Judging by the damage still evident even after a month, it had been quite an impact. No wonder her brother’s back had taken so long to heal. God, she was a mess and a menace. She was surprised the pack hadn’t descended on her with torches and pitchforks declaring, ‘Kill the dragon!’. Ever since she had woken up, her beast had been far too close to the surface, a writhing presence of seething hostility just under the skin. She hadn’t had this much problem controlling the beast since she was a child.
Unlike the common shifters such as wolves, bears, and big cats who were unable to shift until puberty, dragon shifters went through their first transition around three years of age. Perhaps because their inner beast was so ferocious, they needed the extra span of years to learn control, or perhaps it was because their numbers were so small that evolution had chosen to give them a fighting chance with an extra level of protection early on.
Her brother cleared his throat as he approached, so as not to startle her. That was another thing she’d discovered. She was as jumpy as a cat, which had only increased her level of destruction. Every little noise had her dragon surging to the forefront. She was lucky she hadn’t killed someone. She had, however, set fire to Travis’s living room, destroyed an outbuilding, and collapsed a pier, as well as scared off a group of curious teens that would most likely never approach her again after she belched fire at them. Marguerite, the pack healer said it was most likely post-traumatic stress but whether it had a name or not, it was disconcerting. At the rate she was going, sooner or later she would hurt someone if she didn’t manage to find some control.
“I thought we might go into the city tonight, have a bite to eat. What do you think?”
Oh, yes, let’s bring the dangerous beast out into public and watch her torch a restaurant should a waiter drop something. Turning to face her brother, Sophia knew her attempt at a smile was weak, but at the moment, it was the best she could do. He had changed in the five years she’d been sleeping. His golden-brown hair a bit lighter now thanks to time spent under a Louisiana sun, his skin a deeper tan, but the biggest tells were the new fine lines around his eyes, and the deeper grooves bracketing his mouth from stress because of her. Why hadn’t she listened to him when he’d warned her about coming to New Orleans for Mardi Gras?
“Soph?”
Shaking herself, she tried for a brighter smile. “You and Morgan should go, have a night to yourselves.” Without having to worry about your out of control sister blowing shit up, she mentally added.
Morgan Rhys, her brother’s mate, was another subject Sophia couldn’t seem to wrap her head around. The woman wasn’t just a vampire, she was one of the Born, natural enemies to dragons and somehow, her brother had managed to fall in love with her. It defied the laws of nature.
Granted, she understood the initial attraction. The Born were possessed of preternatural beauty. When Sophia had first laid eyes on Olivier Rodolfo from a distance, she’d been gobsmacked by how handsome he was. However, it had only taken moving into his proximity for her instincts to kick in and find the male repellant. It was akin to someone scrubbing under her flesh with steel wool. Her dragon had writhed within her with the need to kill it, burn it with fire. She had the same overriding urge with Morgan, no matter how nice the woman was to her. How her brother had overcome that need and even gone so far as to want to court the woman for his mate, she had no idea.
Sophia would give the Born vampire credit, however. Morgan was brave, no one could argue that. Sophia had snapped her teeth at her, spit fire at her feet, snarled at her, and could have accidentally crushed her when Sophia had been startled into a full shift had the woman not been preternaturally fast, and still, Morgan wouldn’t give up. Morgan’s Hunter teammate, Jamie, and current mate to the pack alpha hadn’t given up on Sophia either. Jamie was Turned rather than Born, so she didn’t set off Sophia’s instincts as badly as Morgan, but the blonde had made the mistake of coming up behind Sophia without announcing her presence and Sophia had turned on her with a fireball. Another close call that would have ended in disaster had Jamie not had such fast reflexes.
“This isn’t healthy, Soph. You’ve been free of the shell for a month. You don’t leave pack lands, you barely leave the house. You’re not sleeping –”
He held his hand up when she opened her mouth to protest. “Don’t bother to deny it. I hear you tossing and turning in bed and then pacing the floors at night.”
Hm. Perhaps moving into her own place might actually be a good idea after all. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I was keeping you up.”
Travis shook his head. “Don’t apologize. I’m just worried about you.” He made a sweeping gesture, moving his hand up and down. “You’ve lost so much weight.”
She couldn’t deny that. After she’d emerged from stasis, she’d seen herself in a mirror and barely recognized the person staring back at her. Her hair had grown past her shoulders, almost to her waist, the once shiny golden-brown locks, dull and matted, the color, a silver-blonde. Well, she was calling it a silver-blonde since she refused to acknowledge that her hair had turned gray. Dragons didn’t age like that. Once they hit their majority, the aging process slowed to a crawl until they looked roughly the human equivalent of about thirty-five, and there they stayed for the rest of their very long lives.
Before encasing herself, she’d still only looked about the human equivalent of her early twenties. After emerging, well… in addition to the hair color anomaly, her skin had been pasty, almost waxy looking, her eyes hollow, her cheeks sunken, the bones in her shoulders knobby protrusions against skin that looked too fragile. Not to mention that while she’d never had much in the bosom area, her breasts had now shrunk to non-existent, and she could have easily counted her ribs, while her arms and legs looked like twigs.
Lifting the bag of mixed nuts in her hand, she gave it a shake for her brother’s benefit before tossing a handful in her mouth. She was constantly hungry, constantly eating and yet, she’d still only managed to gain a little weight in the weeks since she woke from stasis. Her jumpiness and inadvertent shifts weren’t helping. That shit burned a ton of calories.
Her skin color and texture had improved, so that was a plus, and she’d been ecstatic to notice that the roots of new growth of hair on her head were darker. Brown rather than gray, so whatever had happened to her hair in stasis wasn’t permanent. As soon as she felt more s
table, she had every intention of finding a salon and returning the locks to some semblance of normalcy.
“Come out with us, please. We can get beignets and chicory coffee at Café du Monde. I remember you telling me how much you liked that place.”
Sophia remembered texting her brother that. Remembered sending him pictures of the coffee and powdered sugar-covered treat. She also remembered that she’d barely hit send on that text when she first laid eyes on the man, the vampire, that would lead her to disaster.
He’d been dark-haired, lean, lithely-muscled, and handsome in a subtle way, but that hadn’t been what had attracted her. It had been his bashful smile and awkward approach that had had her inviting him to join her at her table.
A rumbling growl, accompanied by a whiff of sulfur had her quickly squelching those thoughts before her dragon had her destroying the few remaining trees that had survived her and her brother’s crash landing.
Clearing her throat, she gave a sad negative shake of her head. “I’m too dangerous to be out in public.”
“You’ve gotten better. It’s been at least a week –”
Sophia snorted at her brother’s attempt to make her feel better. “It’s been three days and only because I’ve been avoiding everyone.” Another shake of her head, this one with a sigh. “You and Morgan go and have fun. I need more time.”
Throwing him a weak smile, she tacked on, “Besides, Jamie has all the episodes of Supernatural I’ve missed. I think maybe I should start with that. If she survives a marathon with me, I promise I’ll attempt dinner out the next time.”
Travis grimaced, the expression only highlighting those new lines around his mouth, but he accepted her excuse with a nod. “All right, then. But make sure you eat.”
Another handful of nuts went into her mouth as she gave him a closed-lip smile and a thumbs up.
Chapter Three
Jamie arrived at the house bearing calorie-dense comfort food in the form of a big pan of macaroni and cheese. "Just like Mom used to make," she quipped. "I admit, I used more cheese than the recipe called for. You can never have too much cheese."
Sophia drew the scent in with a groan of pleasure. “That smells amazing.”
“I had to make two pans, or I would have had to fight Archer and Cady to smuggle it out of the house,” Jamie said with a grin.
“I could probably eat that whole pan by myself I’m so hungry.” No lie. She’d already demolished the bag of nuts, half a loaf of bread with peanut butter, and a box of cereal, yet her stomach was still growling at the thought of mac and cheese.
“And I will let you,” was said with another grin as Jamie set the pan on the counter.
The blonde vampire was dressed similarly to Sophia in comfy sweatpants and a t-shirt, though the other woman had also thrown on a zip-front hoody in light of the chilly weather. Perfect clothes for a food-fest and TV marathon.
Sophia had been surprised and touched that all her clothes from before her abduction had been brought here. The room she was sleeping in, her brother had confessed, had been built for her on the slim chance he found her alive. But even when he'd given up, convinced himself she had to be dead, he couldn't bring himself to dispose of her things. Being surrounded by familiar items and scents had helped her reconnect. Soothed her in an alien environment. Reminded her of who she had been before the trauma and who she still was.
Handing over a plate heaped with steaming, cheesy goodness, Jamie held up the remote. “Shall we?”
“Yes, please. I’ve missed my boys.”
Three episodes in, the macaroni and cheese was gone, and Sophia was working her way through a carton of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream when Jamie’s phone rang. Pausing the show, she saw the other woman frown as she answered the call.
“Hey, Edward. What’s up?”
Despite her enhanced hearing, Sophia couldn’t make out much on the other end of the conversation, not that whatever it was, was any of her business.
“I’m sure he just got distracted. It happens. Reschedule the appointment and send him a text.”
A beat of silence on Jamie’s end as she listened and then, “Trust me, it’s probably just Kane being Kane, but he’ll get it done. Don’t worry.”
Kane. As in Kane Fletcher, the Born vampire who Sophia had learned had taken over this territory after her brother had crispy-fried Olivier Rodolfo. How she wished she’d been the one to do that. Her dragon roiled just under her skin in agreement. The things the Born had done to her…
“Sorry,” Jamie said as she disconnected the call. “Kane’s new clerk is a bit high-strung. I guess Kane was supposed to call him back last night and didn’t and now the guy’s in a tizzy of worry since Kane also didn’t show up to an appointment to meet with a realtor.”
Jamie shrugged. “Whatever. He’s probably gaming and lost track of time. Give me a sec to call him and we can get back to the Winchesters.”
Except, apparently, Edward the clerk’s calls weren’t the only calls Kane was ignoring.
“Hm,” Jamie frowned. “Okay. I’m calling Morgan. She and Travis can go check on him since they’re in the city and smack him upside the head for flaking.”
Sophia tried to imagine the male that Jamie had just described, a gamer who lost track of time and ignored calls – flaking, as the other woman had put it. “Is it a good idea to have someone like him in charge of a territory?”
“I rag on him, but Kane’s a good guy. Smart, tough, and yes, he can get distracted, but he also knows when to step up.” Jamie pursed her lips, her head bobbing a little side to side. “It’s tough to explain Kane, but it’s like he has some weird priority system.” She raised one hand, creating a shelf by her forehead, “A hunt, his team, and mass quantities of food are up here,” lowering that palm slightly she added, “gaming,” and then dropping the hand to her lap, “meetings with realtors and calls to remind him of said meetings.”
Sophia couldn’t help but grin, “Ah, got it.”
Picking up her spoon with one hand to resume her ice cream consumption and the remote with the other, Sophia was just about to hit play when Jamie placed a staying hand on her arm. She didn’t jump – bonus – but the cautious look on Jamie’s face had Sophia’s instincts firing with a warning that whatever subject the vampire was thinking of broaching was one she wasn’t going to like.
“Listen. I don’t know if you want to talk about it, and you definitely don’t have to,” Jamie tacked on quickly, “But Kane has extensive files on all of Rodolfo’s men, including pictures. If you want to look through them, say the word. Any that hurt you, you tell us – Kane, me, Archer, Morgan, your brother, we’ll hunt them down for you.”
Sophia closed her eyes, an image in her head of a shy smile as Nate put his arm around her, his voice laced with excitement. “Please. I want you to meet my boss. I’ve told him all about you, and he can’t wait to meet you. He’s a great guy, you’ll see.”
She probably should try to find Nate, give herself some closure on her terms rather than running into him somewhere unexpected, unprepared. Considering her current lack of control, surprises like that were best avoided. Opening her eyes, Sophia shot Jamie a grateful smile. “I think I’ll take you up on that, but not tonight.”
Jamie’s smile was huge. “That’s right. Tonight, we’re all about catching up with our boys, and hey, look at you, I thought for sure you’d go all raptor eye on me, and here you are cool as a cucumber. I think you’re getting better.” Raising her hand above her head, palm out, Jamie added, “High five!”
∞∞∞
Kane came awake with a lurch and a grunt to see Morgan and Travis both staring down at him with matching looks of concern. Frowning, he glanced around. He’d fallen asleep on the couch though he couldn’t remember coming home last night. Pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes, his frown only intensified as he felt a fine grit on his skin like he’d been to the beach. What the fuck?
“What the hell time is it?” Levering himse
lf up so he was standing, he saw Morgan quickly turn her back.
Travis cleared his throat. “You need to keep that shit covered, my man.”
Glancing down in confusion, he saw a towel pooled around his ankles and realized he was naked. Shrugging a shoulder, he grinned at Travis. “It’s only fair, big guy. I seem to remember you flashing me your junk.”
The dragon shifter snorted. “Couldn’t be helped.”
Bending down to retrieve the towel he heard Morgan say, “And in answer to your question, it’s almost ten.”
“At night?” Glancing at the closed blinds, the lack of sun behind the slats was answer enough. “Shit. Where’s my phone? How the fuck did I sleep an entire day away?”
“That’s why we’re here. Your clerk is apparently close to a conniption that he can’t reach you.”
Moving to his leather jacket draped over the back of the recliner, Kane found his cell phone still tucked in the breast pocket. “Why is this turned off? I never turn it off.”
As he waited for the device to power back on, he tried to think. He remembered making a round of the clubs and bars, showing Kevin Thompson’s picture to bouncers and bartenders, then, nothing. He didn’t remember coming home, much less stripping off his clothes and sitting on the couch in nothing but a towel to fall asleep.
He grimaced as he saw the number of missed calls from Edward, a missed call from Jamie, and finally, a rather long text from Edward informing him that the man had rescheduled a meet with the realtor Kane had requested be set up.
A Hunter Found: A Paranormal Vampire Romance (Hired Hunters Series Book 3) Page 2
