by Amy Sumida
I can’t muster even an ounce of pity for the bastards. Vampires heal far better than humans, and if the Hunters allow it, they’ll be as good as new in a week. Once we secure Eric and Zane, Ash messages for Kent to come back and help us. I wander around the clearing and stumble upon another small patch of wild blackthorn. I force-feed a few leaves to each captive, and within minutes they both succumb to the unnatural slumber it provides.
“Neat trick, Sugar Plum.” Ashton takes a leaf from me and examines it before picking a handful and storing them in a small leather pouch attached to his belt. He reclines against a mossy log and pats the ground beside him. “It’s going to be a bit before anyone shows up. Might as well make yourself comfy.”
I join him on the ground, and he pulls me in tight to his side. “How do you feel, now that you’ve had your first real vamp fight?”
I shrug and nestle more comfortably under his arm. “I’m fine.”
He narrows his eyes, and I sigh. I guess being perceptive is part of what makes them effective Hunters?
“Okay, I’m a little freaked out with how easy it was. I mean, those two terrorized me for years”—I scowl at the prisoners—“and I was able to just take them down? Why now? How come I couldn’t do it earlier? It would’ve saved me from a lot of things I don’t really want to go into.”
Ash leans his head against my own. “What do you mean, Guinnie? What things?”
I don’t want to relive any of it. If I do, I might just get up and finish those bastards off.
Reading my emotions well, he holds me tight and neither of us speaks for several minutes. He crosses his ankles out in front of us and motions for me to do the same.
When it’s clear I won’t elaborate about Eric and Zane, he breaks the silence by changing the subject. “Has anyone told you about how I became a Hunter?”
I lean away to gaze up to his face. “No. I know you were with your Aunt when Phoenix was rescued, and that you and Hawk are twins, but not much more. I tried to ask Kent, but he clammed up.”
His shoulders hunch, tension in his entire being, and I notice blood oozing from a gash across his left arm. Taking the vial of venom that Genji gave me, I apply a drop to Ashton’s skin. I rub it across with my fingertip, and he smiles gently at me.
“Thanks, Guinnie.” His rich baritone softens, and he pulls me back into a hug. “No one’s ever really looked out for me the way you do. If you hadn’t tackled me”—he chuckles at the memory—“I would’ve taken a bullet. You did what needed to be done without eliminating them, which is more than I can say for my dumbass brother. It’s great, actually, because hopefully we’ll be able to get some information about the missing girls.”
I beam at his praise and impulsively take his hand in mine. It pleases me to see his wound healing, and I remind myself to ask Genji to dig the bullet out of my shoulder when we get back. The skin’s already healed over, so it’s not worth worrying over right now. “I was terrified when I noticed Eric sneaking up on you and taking aim.”
I shudder and he cuddles me tighter.
“Thank you for believing in me,” I whisper.
“Of course, Guine, it’s what family does.” He lets his words sink in for a minute before picking up the previous conversation. “Don’t worry about Kent, Sugar Plum. He keeps the past in the past. It’s not a reflection on you, or a sign of him trying to brush you off.” A knot unfurls in my stomach as he explains. “ So, let’s see. My dad left us when my mom was still pregnant with Hawk and me. She was a Hunter, and he couldn’t handle her leaving for missions all the time. She and her twin sister, May, were an ace team, and they helped keep the entire zone safe. When I was born, she cut back on the missions, but still went out when needed.”
Ash loses himself in thought for a moment, but comes back quickly and sighs. “When I was two, she was killed while routing out a nest of rogues who kidnapped a bunch of kids.” A tear trails slowly down his cheek. “I can barely remember her, but Auntie makes sure to keep her memory alive. Auntie May retired from hunting when my mom died. She devoted herself to raising us instead.”
Ash runs his fingers through my hair, pulling out a few leaves. “Guinnie, you’ve got to let me braid this for you when we get back. Remind me, and I’ll show you a few different ways to keep it secure.”
He hands me a twig with two perfectly formed leaves wrapped around one another, and I twirl it between my fingers, waiting for him to continue his story.
“Just after my mom died,” he says at last, “my dad showed up out of the blue and insisted one of us was leaving with him. He didn’t give Auntie a choice. He picked Hawk, saying I looked too much like mom, and left without another word. I don’t remember a lot from that time, but I remember my brother being with me one minute and gone the next. It was like half of me was missing.”
My eyes well up, and I cling to him in a tight hug, unable to imagine being separated like that. Hawk’s a jerk, but they’re brothers. Family should matter.
“It was really hard for a while, and I acted out a lot, but Auntie eventually got me under control when she started training me to be a Hunter. It gave me something to focus on, and I threw myself into the work. It was just the two of us for the first couple of years. I didn’t want to forget my brother, though, so Auntie May taught me how to meditate, and it helped me keep him with me. I had a daily ritual of going over my memories of Hawk as soon as I woke in the mornings, as well as just before I went to sleep. It was my prayer. Once my anger calmed down, she turned my training to more practical uses, teaching me everything I now know. It’s because of her I am who I am today.”
A smile graces his lips, and his rich, earthy-brown eyes sparkle. “When I was six, the Hunters contacted her and pulled her back into service in a teaching capacity. They had two orphaned boys, only a little older than me, left with them, and they needed her expertise to train them. She was the ideal tutor because of Genji. Auntie and my mother were on a team with the last hybrid Hunter before she died, and there were no others.”
Ash shakes his head and shifts his weight, gazing up at the dense canopy of leaves. “She moved all four of us into this old run-down manor on the outskirts of town, and declared it part of our training. She made us gut the place and do all the renovations ourselves. Imagine,” he chuckles, “us as little kids doing demolition. It was hilarious. Thank God Doc could heal us!”
I lean back with him.
“Nix joined us not long after the move. About six months into our renovations, Hawk showed up on the doorstep with a chip on his shoulder and a duffel bag in his hand. He was angry at everyone, and refused to tell us how he got there or where he’d come from. I don’t think I ever cried as hard as I did when I saw him standing on our veranda. He looked different, but I just knew who he was. It was like being reunited with my other half. We became a family, and Auntie May taught us how to work as a team. A couple years later, Kent and Hawk were sent with one of the Council Elders out on a mission in Ireland, and when they returned, they brought Declan with them.”
“Wait,” I gasp, reeling from the information, “you didn’t know where Hawk was until you were, what, seven?”
He shakes his head. “Nope. Auntie May tried to find him, but my father kept them off the radar. The bastard never tried to get in contact with us, so I didn’t even know if they were still alive. When Hawk arrived, he was ten times more moody than the brother we all know and love. He wouldn’t interact with anyone, and whenever I said something to him, he’d glare at me and tell me to go to hell.” His eyes get a faraway look. “For the longest time, I thought he was angry with me for not finding him, which made me a moody bastard, too. It was awful.”
When something sparks in my memory, I suck in a deep breath. “But I thought Hawk said, no yelled, that your mom was a blood…donor.”
I can’t imagine the Hunters allowing their members to frequent the centers. It’s the new era of drug addiction. The venom leaves people buzzed if they’re given enough, and the vamps who use the centers
definitely want to get donors hooked. It’s in the vampires’ best interests.
Ashton shakes his head sadly. “He meant his stepmother. Dear, old dad had a girlfriend on the side, and after he broke us apart, she raised him. She was the only mother Hawk knew. I think she was kind to him. It helps.” He plays with my hair some more, and it relaxes me. “One day, when we were about seven, he found a picture of the two of us together, and I guess it’s when he came looking.”
I bite at the inside of my cheek, imagining how that must’ve gone. Hawk isn’t exactly the most even-tempered person.
“Yeah,” he confirms dryly. “It went that well. He wouldn’t stop staring at me for like a week after he returned. I still don’t know how he found us.”
I giggle at the idea of Hawk following Ashton like a shadow.
He snickers at my amusement. “I was pissed I wasted all that time feeling alone, when he was able to find us so easily. I spent my formative years being mad at him for leaving me. When he showed up, the jumble of emotions I’d bottled came out as anger, and I gave him the silent treatment for almost a month. Picture it. Hawk hating everyone, me not talking to him. Nix tried to make us get along, and Kent kept ordering us to make up. Doc just observed, fascinated by the strange dynamic. We drove Auntie May to her wit’s end.”
I stare wide-eyed. “Then how’d you two finally start communicating?”
Ash grins. “Auntie tried to teach us how to circle a vamp and about how you needed to work together. It was a disaster, and she lost it. She grabbed each of us by the ear and dragged us over to the pond at the edge of the property. She threw us in, stormed away, and locked us out of the house for the night. It was awful at first, but I’m glad she did it, because it got us to finally open our damn mouths. You should’ve seen Auntie’s face the next morning when we greeted her with muddy-faced grins and bouquets of wildflowers.”
My imagination conjures the ridiculous tableau, and smiling, we lapse into a comfortable silence. We relax together for a while, him drawing random patterns on my arm, and me doodling circles in the dirt. It’s the most carefree I can ever remember being, which is strange, considering who we have bound and gagged ten feet away.
Something off in the distance crackles, and I become instantly alert. I signal to Ashton, who perks up immediately. He nods and taps something into his phone. A moment later it lights up with a response, and with a smile plastered to his face, he tilts the phone for me to read.
Me: Is that you Guine hears?
Kent: I’m two minutes out. Yes, it’s probably me. Wow, she’s incredible.
As I blush, Ash smirks at my reaction. I sign, “We should be on guard in case it wasn’t him.”
He agrees, and we simultaneously climb the same tree for a better vantage point. Right on schedule, Kent steps into the clearing and surveys the situation, spotting the trussed up vampires. “Ash, Guine, you can come out now.”
Ash signs to me, and I grin in response. We flip out of the tree and land on either side of Kent. I can’t hold in my laughter and squeal when he picks me up, swinging me around.
“You have to remember, Violet. I’ve known Ashton for more than ten years. I was expecting him to rope you into something like this. He’s been trying the whole time we’ve known each other to catch me off guard.” He grins and puts me down before he turns to Ash and punches him on the shoulder. “It’s never going to happen, bro.”
We walk over to the prone captives, and Kent winces when he notices their new ‘accessories’. He raises an eyebrow and turns to me. “You know them?” He leaves out any questions about my choice of bodily targets.
“Yes, they work for my old Mistress,” I growl.
Ashton shows Kent the patch of blackthorn, and Kent gives me an approving nod as he collects several leaves for himself. I wouldn’t be surprised if he uses them to make some sort of vampire repellant or something. He’s a genius.
Kent rips Zane’s shirt open and examines his chest and arms. Repeating the action with Eric, he nods in approval.
“As far as I know, she didn’t allow either of them into her bed,” I comment venomously. You’d have to be deaf to miss the loathing that drips from my words. Neither of them would’ve been as vulgar with me if they were her little pets like Lyle. “She liked to lead them on. They’re all relatively young vamps, and she strings them along for ages with promises of bedding them once they prove worthy of her attention. She doesn’t allow anyone in her coven to have relations with other vamps without her consent, which she never gives. Basically, she has a crowd of horny, adolescent vampires at her beck and call.” I shiver at the idea of a group as large as hers becoming infected. “If she’s sick, she’s going to start in on them more and more voraciously. We need to stop them before they all go crazy and terrorize the city.”
“Neither appears to be infected.” Kent squats and hauls Eric over his shoulder without effort. “Good job, both of you, for capturing them. This is excellent work. We’ll be able to question them for details and hopefully find out what the hell is going on. The more information we get from them, the better our chances of success become.”
Ash grabs Zane in the same manner and leads the way back to our vehicle.
Chapter Ten
When we arrive at the cabin, a woman I don’t know stands with my new teammates. Her light-brown hair, pulled tight into an elegant twist, shows hints of grey at the temples, and she wears a feminine, lavender suit. Ash and Kent drop the unconscious bodies of the vamps to the ground by my feet and rush to the older woman, sweeping her into a double hug.
“Auntie May!” Ash puts her down. “When did you get here?”
She smiles fondly at him and squeezes Kent’s cheek as one would a little kid.
“Look at how much you’ve grown in only six months! Kent, you must be at least three inches taller than before.” She turns and fingers a lock of Ash’s long, sun-kissed hair. “And, sweetheart, this is getting out of control. Why don’t you let me cut it for you?”
He playfully swats her hand away and growls, “Hands off, woman!”
With a shake of her head, she straightens her now rumpled jacket. She carries a mantle of authority with these guys, and my stomach clenches. She raised them; I need her approval if they plan to keep me with them.
Her gaze meets mine for the first time. For a brief moment, her eyes widen with recognition that vanishes as quickly as it came. Her cheeks pale, and her mouth presses into a firm, calculating line. Laughter gone, she’s nothing but business now.
“I came for the blood slave.” Her harsh declaration echoes through my head and not even the trees rustle in response.
My hopes die when she calls me a slave; I literally poisoned myself to escape that mantle. I should have expected that some would never see me as anything different.
The smile drops from Ashton’s face, and all six guys step forward, placing themselves between me and her.
“I’m sorry you wasted your time, Auntie,” Kent says coolly. “But Guine”—he emphasizes my name—“won’t be going anywhere.”
Her eyes narrow, and Declan’s biceps flex as if ready for a fight. Hawk reaches behind his back and takes my hand in his large fist as Phoenix swears under his breath.
“No, Auntie May.” Ash steps forward. “Guine’s part of our family now, and you can’t take her from us.”
She scoffs. “Don’t be ridiculous, boys. She’s hardly been here two days. Family takes more time than that.”
The warmth that filled me at their instant defense flees at her derisive tone, and I resign myself to not ever being a part of anything. Why did I let myself get attached to this team? History taught me that hope is nothing more than a four-letter word, but I fell for this family anyway.
Genji steps up beside Ash, and my eyes nearly bug out of my head when I realize their hands all hover over their weapons.
“Is that why you came after me when I ran away, Auntie?” Genji demands with an edge unusual to his calm personality. �
�I was only in your charge for about two hours when I decided to chase after my mom. If I recall correctly, you told me I was ‘your little one now’ when you caught up to me, and that I’d find a new family with you and your boys.”
Even the clearing holds its breath, waiting for the fallout. When Auntie May bursts out into side-splitting laughter, no one moves, and Hawk’s grip on me tightens to the point of pain.
She eyeballs everyone, landing on me last, and smiles. I finally see the family resemblance. She has the same eyes as the twins, and they’re filled with warmth toward me now. “I’m sorry, hon. I had to test their resolve before I could recommend to the Council that you stay here.” She easily sidesteps the guys, who stand gaping at her, and reaches out to me. “Since my boys have forgotten the manners I spent years drilling into them, let me introduce myself.” She offers me her hand. “I’m May Winters, or Auntie May.” I hesitate a moment before accepting her greeting. “Was that ‘Guine’ I heard Kent call you? It’s an unusual name.”
I glance to the guys and then back at Auntie May. I flip my arm over to let her read the tattoo forever printed in my skin. “When I met Ash, my shirt covered the top half of the tattoo, and he thought I seemed the type to brand myself with my own name.” I roll my eyes, and Ashton pinks in embarrassment. “Since I didn’t have a name, it stuck.”
She pulls me forward, startling me into action, and I spin around, flipping her over my shoulder before I register her intentions. I turn in horror as she lands lightly on her feet before me and chuckles.
“Ooh! I like her.” She brushes dirt off of her sleeve and steps close to me again.
This time, she moves slowly and gives me time to process her actions. This time, I let her fold me into a tight hug without any displays of martial arts. I close my eyes, afraid to show how much the move means to me. She’s only a couple inches taller than me; it’s different, being held by a woman. She smells like roses.
Is this what it would have been like to have a mother?
