“As I was saying, there will be agents here to help y’all keep the children safe. As Gina’s lifemate, Zora is now under my protection, and the protection of the VEB, as are all the children of the Huntresses.”
“Thank you,” a Huntress said from the back. “My daughter is only four, and even though I rarely travel with the others, knowing the VEB are helping to protect her gives me a little peace of mind.”
“What’s your name?” Baxter asked and motioned for her to step forward.
“Michelle,” she answered as she stepped forward.
“Michelle, I can promise you, we will do whatever is necessary to keep your daughter safe.”
“Thank you.”
“Michelle, will you bring Jada over to meet the agents in the morning?” Gina asked.
“She’d like that,” Michelle answered and smiled. “I’d like to meet the agents as well.”
“We will all be meeting just before dawn in the morning,” Nevaeh told them all. “Any Huntress who wants to meet the agents, please be there.”
“Thank you,” Nikki said from the back of the room. “I know most of the agents, and will be happy to stay behind and help everyone else get to know them.”
“I’ll stay behind, too,” a Huntress with long, red hair spoke up and looked at Baxter. “My name is Sabrina.”
“Thank you, Sabrina,” Baxter said and smiled at her.
“I will assign other Huntresses to stay behind, but if anyone else wants to volunteer, please feel free,” Nevaeh told them.
“Thank you all for listening to what I had to say. I hope to see everyone again soon,” Baxter said and took a step back.
“Everyone go home and get some sleep. I need you all alert and ready for anything tomorrow,” Nevaeh told them.
As the Huntresses started filing out, Michelle approached them.
“Agent Baxter,” she greeted him with a smile. “Thank you. I would have never expected us to be working with vampire, so this is a little odd for me. Then, fighting beside a couple of agents when the compound was attacked, I realized you guys are fucking awesome.”
“Please, call me Nathan,” he responded with a grin. “And the Huntresses are fucking awesome, too.”
“That we are,” Gina said from beside Baxter. “Now, I think you and I need to get home. Zora will be waiting for us to tuck her in.”
“Yes,” he said and pulled her against his side. “We will see you tomorrow, Michelle, and I can’t wait to meet your daughter.”
“Goodnight, Nathan, Gina,” she told him, a little less enthusiastic then before.
“Goodnight, Michelle,” Gina said and smiled at the Huntress.
Once Michelle had walked away, Gina looked up at Baxter.
“What was that about?”
“What?” He asked, and held her closer to his side when she tried to pull away. “Michelle?” He asked, and laughed.
“Yes, Michelle,” she said and tried pulling from his arms again.
“Absolutely nothing,” he told her and turned her so he could look in her eyes. “My heart, my soul, my everything is yours. Only yours. Always yours. I love you, Gina. You are the half of me I thought died a long time ago. There will never be another for me.”
“I love you, too,” she responded. “Now, let’s go home. Zora really will be waiting for me to tuck her in.”
“Us,” he said and kissed her forehead. “She’s waiting for us to tuck her in. I am part of her life now, and I think it’s time she got used to me being around.”
“I think she’ll like that.”
“I know I’ll like that,” he told her then released her and stepped back. When he reached out and took her hand, she twined her fingers with his and smiled.
“I’ll like it, too,” she told him. “Let’s go.”
“Lead the way, beautiful.”
As they walked across the compound, Gina thought about everything that had happened since she first laid eyes on Baxter. She never expected to fall for a bloodsucker, but now that she had, she wouldn’t change a thing.
When they reached the front door, Baxter stiffened and pushed her behind him.
“Someone’s inside,” he whispered nearly silently. “A human I don’t recognize.”
“Zora,” she said, panic filling her voice.
“Stay close,” he said and grabbed her hand.
She nodded and he opened the door.
As he moved through the house silently, Gina held her breath. She was terrified for her daughter, but knew Baxter would do whatever necessary to keep her safe.
“Who the fuck are you?” Baxter asked when he entered the kitchen and saw a man sitting at the table.
“I could ask you the same, vampire,” the man said and rose to his feet. “And what the fuck are you doing in the house with my grandchild?”
“Niko?” Gina asked, and Baxter heard the shock in her voice.
“Hello, Regina,” he said, and she shuddered. She had not seen Zora’s grandfather since the day she was born, but she would never forget what he told her that day.
“If you’ve come to try taking my daughter, I swear on my life I will kill you,” she told him, and Baxter growled softly.
“I will take my granddaughter away from the taint that is surrounding you,” he told her.
“I will rip you apart,” Baxter told him.
“Normal blood sucker behavior,” he said with a sneer. “Regina, you must see that working with these animals is wrong. It is unnatural, they are unnatural.”
“Three years ago, hell, a year ago, I would have agreed with you,” she told him as she stepped between him and Baxter. “Maybe even six months ago, but not now. We have been working with these vampire, and they are good. They are working to keep the human population safe. They are working to rid the world of evil vampire, just as we are.”
“Bullshit,” he said and took a step closer to her. When she pulled a knife from her belt, he stopped. “Are you going to kill me?”
“Only if you try taking Zora from me,” she told him. “Nathan won’t have the chance to kill you if you go anywhere near my daughter.”
“She is my blood,” he said through clenched teeth.
“And she is my flesh,” Gina retorted.
“She is all I have left of my son.”
“And if you ever want to get to know her, you will leave now and come back when you’re ready to accept that the Huntresses are working with the VEB.”
“From the looks of things, you are doing more than working with them,” he said and looked at Baxter.
“That is none of your business,” she told him.
“What happens around my granddaughter is my business.”
“You’ve never even met her,” Gina reminded him. “You left just after she was born, after you made your threat.”
“She is still my granddaughter.”
“Yes, but she is my daughter, and I will see you dead before you take her.”
“Gina,” Baxter said softly and laid a hand on her arm just before Zora entered the room.
“Mommy,” Zora said softly.
“Hey baby,” Gina said and looked at her daughter. “Come here.”
“Who are you?” Zora asked Niko as she walked to Gina.
“I am your grandfather,” he answered her, and she frowned.
“You are not a nice man,” Zora said and scooted between Gina and Baxter. “Nathan, he is not a nice man.”
“I know, sweetheart,” he responded and scooped her into his arms. “I won’t let him hurt you.”
“He wants to hurt mommy,” she whispered.
“I won’t let him hurt her either,” Baxter assured her.
“You won’t be with them forever,” Niko told him.
“Wanna bet?” Baxter asked. “Are you forgetting, I am immortal?”
“Vampire can be killed,” Niko reminded him.
“Yes, but you will never harm my girls,” Baxter told him. “Even if you kill me, my girls will be protected
by the full force of the VEB. Now leave, before I throw you out.”
“I will leave, but this isn’t over.’’
“Niko, if you ever come back here, I will personally see to it that you face the full force of the Huntresses,” Gina told him.
“And if I ever see you again, I will see to it that you are arrested for threatening a federal agent,” Baxter added. “I may be a vampire, but I am also an agent of the United States of America. Remember that.”
“If you kill me, you will be violating the law you’re sworn to uphold.”
“If I kill you, it will be because I am protecting my girls,” Baxter retorted. “Now get out.”
“This isn’t over,” Niko said and left through the back door.
Once he was gone, Baxter shifted Zora and pulled Gina to his side.
“He will never harm either of you,” he told them, then kissed both of their foreheads. “Not as long as I’m breathing.”
“I love you, Nathan,” Zora said and laid her head on his shoulder.
“I love you, too, sweetheart,” he told her then looked at Gina. “And I love your mommy, too.”
“And I love you both,” Gina responded. “Now, why don’t we get ready for bed, and Nathan and I will tuck you in.”
“Mommy,” Zora said and looked at her with all-knowing eyes.
“Yes, baby?”
“Was that man really my grandfather?”
“He is.”
“He’s not a nice man,” she repeated what she’d said when she first looked at him.
“He never was,” Gina told her. “Someday I will tell you some of the things your dad told me about him, but for now, it’s bedtime.”
“Okay mommy,” Zora said and smiled. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, baby.”
“And I love you both,” Baxter told them.
Zora yawned and snuggled closer to Baxter.
“Let’s get some sleep, and we can talk more tomorrow.”
“Okay,” Zora said and yawned again.
By the time they got to her bedroom, she was already asleep, so Baxter laid her on her bed, and Gina covered her up before they stepped back and just watched her for a second.
“I meant what I said,” he told her softly. “If he tries hurting either of you, I will rip him apart.”
“You won’t get the chance,” she responded. “Now, tomorrow is going to be a very long day, and we will have a lot of questions to answer once we’re back.”
“I’m sure,” he responded and smiled as he looked at Zora. “I’m ready for them.”
“As long as we’re together, we can handle them.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Good morning, everyone,” Nevaeh said and looked at the group of Huntresses filling the cafeteria.
“When are we heading out?” Nikki asked.
“Half an hour,” Baxter answered. “I’m leaving agents Larson, Cook, Harrington, and Watson here, with whatever agents Watson chooses. Watson will be in charge of the agents, but whomever Nevaeh leaves in charge will be the one Watson answers to. Is there any questions?”
“Which one is Watson?” Michelle asked, and looked around the room at the agents lining the walls.
“I am,” Watson answered and stepped forward.
When Michelle’s eyes landed on the petite woman with dark skin who looked younger than any of the Huntresses, her mouth nearly dropped.
“Well,” Michelle said and Baxter grinned.
“Agent Watson is fourth in command of the VEB, so please don’t let her appearance fool you.”
“I’m sorry,” Michelle said and stepped back.
“No need to be sorry,” Watson told her with a grin. “One of my roles in the VEB is to make people think I am as weak and young as I appear. I was seventeen when I was turned, but that was a long time ago.”
“How long?” Sabrina asked.
“I may tell you someday,” Watson responded. “But right now, the agents and Huntresses who are going need to get ready. There’s no way of knowing what they will be walking into.”
“Yes,” Nevaeh said and smiled at Watson. “I will be leaving Malinda in charge, as always. If anyone, agent or Huntress, has an issue with that, they can suck it up and deal with it. Malinda is third in command of the Huntresses, and has been here nearly as long as Gina and I have. Also, if any of my Huntresses have an issue working with the VEB, please remember that I am a vampire now, and am the lifemate of an agent. We will all work together, or you will be removed from your post as a Huntress.”
When the Huntresses all nodded, Nevaeh smiled at them and stepped back.
“How long have you been a vampire?” Gina asked Watson when she joined them a moment later.
“I was changed in nineteen oh six,” Watson answered, and Gina’s jaw dropped. “Yes, that was a long time ago.”
“With the way you’ve adapted, I’d have guess closer to when Nathan was changed,” Gina commented.
“As a woman of color, I’ve had to adapt with the times. Things were really difficult for me for a while, and I did the typical vampire thing and stayed in the shadows and only ventured out at night.”
“Wow,” Gina commented and Baxter grinned.
“Like I told the Huntresses, don’t let her age and size fool you.”
“I’ve seen her fight, so I would never,” Gina responded and grinned at Watson.
“You’re a damn good fighter, yourself,” Watson told her.
“We’ve been trained well,” Gina commented and looked at Nevaeh. “The Huntress leaders would have never let any of us go into battle without the proper training.”
“I know,” Baxter told her. “Now, I need to discuss something with Watson before we leave.”
“Niko?” Gina asked, and Nevaeh’s head snapped up.
“What about Niko?” Nevaeh asked.
“He was at my house last night after we met with the Huntresses,” Gina told her. “He said he was going to act upon his threat from when Zora was born.”
When the words left her mouth, Baxter growled softly. “What exactly did he threaten when she was born?”
When Gina didn’t answer, Nevaeh did. “On the day Zora was born, he told Gina that he didn’t want any claim on her, but if he felt Gina wasn’t raising her in a way his son would approve, he would take her away and Gina would never see her again.”
“That will never fucking happen,” Baxter snarled, and Gina could feel the fury rolling off him. “I will rip his arms off and shove them up his ass first.”
“You’ll have to get in line,” Nevaeh snarled. “Just after Zora was born, he left the hunters we’d been working with. He hasn’t been seen more than a few times over the past seven years, but from what I’ve heard, he’s been working with a hunter group that doesn’t always follow the rules.”
“We don’t always follow the rules,” Gina reminded her.
“We never harm humans, and we never kill a vampire who hasn’t harmed a human,” Nevaeh reminded her. “These hunters kill vampire just to kill vampire, or at least that’s what I was told.”
“We will check that out after this,” Baxter said and looked at Watson. “What I wanted to talk to you about was Zora. I want her and the other children protected at all costs. I don’t give a fuck what you have to do, but they are to be kept safe.”
“Boss, you know I would without you giving the order,” Watson told him.
“I do, but now you can tell the others I gave the order,” he said, and she smiled. “If anyone, and I mean anyone, who isn’t VEB or a Huntress goes near Zora, I want them detained and we will deal with them when we get back.”
“Yes, sir,” she said and looked around. “Now, you better get going. The sun will be up in less than ten minutes.”
“Yes,” he responded and looked around the room once more. “Let’s go.”
Once they were out of the building and in the vans and SUVs, Baxter looked at Gina. “Watson and my agents will keep Zora safe.”
“So will the Huntresses,” she responded. “I’m not too worried about her. I know she will be fine. I’m worried about us. If something happens to us, what will happen to her?”
“Nothing will happen to us,” he told her. “I will make sure you return to Zora.”
“And what about you?”
“I will make sure I do whatever it takes to return to both my girls.”
“Good,” she said and glanced at the vampire riding with them. “Because I would hate to kick your ass.”
“Don’t threaten me with a good time,” he responded and winked, causing the vampire to chuckle.
“Men,” she said and rolled her eyes.
“Seriously, though, I will be cautious,” he assured her. “And I will keep you safe, too.”
“Okay,” she responded. She knew it was pointless to reminded him that she could take care of herself. He knew that, but that wouldn’t stop him from keeping her safe.
“You know she can take care of herself, right?” Nikki asked from behind him.
“He knows,” Gina answered her before Baxter could. “Doesn’t mean he won’t do whatever is necessary to keep me safe.”
“Just as she will do whatever is necessary to keep me safe,” Baxter told her. “It’s what Nevaeh and Harrison, Karma and Dylan, and Jackson and Delanie will do, too. It’s what all who have met their copula will do.”
“I’m beginning to realize that,” Agent Norris said and looked out the window. “Did you know what Gina was to you when you first met her?”
“Yes and no,” he answered, and Nikki snorted. “What? It’s true.”
“You knew what she was, but didn’t want to admit it,” Nikki answered. “She didn’t want to admit it either, though.”
“Nikola!” Gina said, using Nikki’s full name. “You are NOT supposed to talk about the secrets shared between us sisters.”
“Oops,” Agent Maxwell said with a chuckle. “What other secrets have been shared?”
“There’s another Huntress attracted to a vampire,” Gina said and grinned. “But I’ll never tell which Huntress or vampire.”
“Well damn,” Maxwell said and grinned at Nikki.
“It isn’t you,” Nikki told him and winked before turning her attention to the window.
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