Nevaeh’s Secret
Vampire Huntress Saga
Book One
Christina Escue
Table of Contents
Copyright
Acknowledgements
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Epilogue
About the Author
Copyright
Copyright © 2018 Christina Escue
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means without prior written permission of the copyright owner. This is a work of fiction.
Acknowledgements
First, I would like to start by thanking each and every one of you who is reading this. If not for readers, authors would have no one to write for.
I’d like to send out a very special thank you to the beta readers for taking the time to read, comment and correct. Y’all are invaluable to me. Thank you all so much for your feedback.
To my wonderful family who always supports me, no matter which road my writing takes, you are my reason for being.
Finally, I want to thank those lovely ladies who continue to support me and my writing no matter what. You know who you are, and you know, I love you all very deeply.
Much love to all!!
Prologue
“Aaren, where is she?” Nevaeh asked, panicked.
“How the hell am I supposed to know? I haven’t seen her since you joined the damn Huntresses. You refused to let her see me, remember?”
“Refused? I never refused to let you two see each other. I simply said you couldn’t visit her here. You’re the one who chose to take off and travel half way around the damn world,” she snapped, then sighed. “She’s an eight-year-old little girl, where could she be?”
“I don’t know, but we will find her. I will not stop until we do,” he promised.
“If anything happens to her…” she started, and stopped, not even wanting to think those thoughts.
“I will find her, even if it’s the last thing I do,” he said, and ended the call.
Walking around her empty house, she vowed to hunt down and kill every vampire she came across until she found Analia.
Chapter One
Ten Years Later
Shaking off thoughts of the past, Nevaeh watched as Karma and Dylan chatted with some of the vampire selected by the Senate to be part of the Vampire Enforcement Bureau. The Bureau was made up of a combination of vampire and hunters, including her own Huntresses, and worked closely with the human government and the vampire Senate. She didn’t trust them, not all of them anyway, and she had good reason not to.
“What are you so lost in thought about?” Ramsey asked as he sat down beside her.
“It’s odd seeing my Huntresses work with, instead of against, vampire,” she responded and frowned. “Especially some of the ones in the Bureau.”
“I thought you liked Agent Fuller,” he mused.
“I tolerate Agent Fuller, but that’s for a different conversation,” she told him and rose to her feet. “You wouldn’t understand.”
As she walked away, he watched her with a curious expression on his face. Even at over eight hundred years old, he would never understand the mind of a women.
“What has your knickers in a twist?” Langley asked as he sat beside Ramsey.
“Nevaeh,” he responded and sighed. “There are some members of the Bureau she isn’t comfortable with, but she won’t tell me why, or who.”
“Maybe it isn’t that she won’t tell you, maybe she can’t. You can’t very well tell someone something if you aren’t sure yourself.”
“I don’t think that’s it. It seems like she knows something about some of them that we don’t. If she thought it would bring harm to Karma or Dylan, she would tell us though, wouldn’t she?”
“Yes, of that I am sure. I feel like she sees Karma as more of a daughter than another Huntress, and I know she would never put that child in harm’s way.”
“Karma puts herself in harm’s way often enough without help from anyone else,” Ramsey said, and Langley smiled.
“Herself, and the rest of us, too. I have done more fighting in the past six months than I have in five hundred years.”
“We all have,” Aleyn said from behind them. “Eduardo needs us all by the docks. He has something to tell us.”
“Okay,” Langley said and rose. “I’ll get Karma and Dylan, and be right there.”
“Thank you,” he replied and headed back to where Eduardo was chatting with Agent Fuller.
“Sounds serious,” Ramsey said as he fell into step beside Aleyn. “Any idea what it’s about?”
“Something to do with Crompton, his creator,” he answered and frowned. “Wasn’t he Demetri’s creator, too?”
“Yes, and that’s why I am so concerned,” Eduardo said, overhearing their conversation.
“Damnit, I hate when he does that,” Constance said as she walked up to Agent Fuller. “I can’t blame him, though, we all do it on occasion.”
“I’ll start once everyone is here,” Eduardo said and grinned when Karma and Dylan darted over. “We still have to wait for Nevaeh and Gina. Humans don’t move at vampire speed.”
“They would if we could carry them,” Karma suggested, her impatience evident in her expression.
“No thank you,” Nevaeh said and looked at Karma fondly. “As much as I like you, if you try carrying me, I’ll stake you.”
“Would not,” Karma said under her breath, and all the vampire laughed.
“I heard that, too, you know,” Nevaeh said and smiled. “Let’s hear what Eduardo has to say so we can see where we’re going from here.”
“Thank you, Nevaeh,” Eduardo said and looked around at the group. “As I feared, Crompton is, at least in part, behind this trafficking ring. I don’t have too many details, but I can tell you that if he has as many followers as he’s had in the past, he will be a formidable opponent to deal with.”
“But can we stop him?” Dylan asked.
“We can, but it’s not going to be quick, or easy. It will take time and a lot of hard work on everyone’s part to track him down. He is the oldest vampire in existence, and he has many places to hide, throughout the world,” Eduardo told them. “And, he enjoys killing for pleasure. He will not worry about human lives, and he knows we will.”
“So, you’re basically saying, he’s like Vincent, only worse?” Karma said, and Eduardo looked at her blankly.
“Crompton turned Vincent, and in his
over nine hundred years in existence, he has created many, and most will come if he calls.”
“Wonderful,” Gina, Nevaeh’s second in command, said and rolled her eyes. “Why can’t hunting vampire ever be as easy as it is on TV and in books?”
“Because life doesn’t happen on TV and in books,” Holbrook reminded them, and shook his head. “We are going to have to be prepared for anything with Crompton and cannot afford to make any mistakes.”
“Eduardo, let me ask you something,” Karma started and waited for him to look at her. “How can vampire be killed?”
“You could answer that question better than anyone else here,” Eduardo answered and looked at her curiously.
“Then, I can tell each of you, that no vampire is truly immortal. They can all die, it just takes the right person holding the stake.”
“I’m assuming you mean yourself,” Dylan said and rolled his eyes, trying to hide the concern in them.
“Maybe, maybe not, but it will be one of us. If we work together, and don’t let fear stand in the way, we can stop this and potentially save thousands of lives. If Crompton is behind this, it’s probably been going on for years.”
“That’s the other thing I wanted to discuss,” Eduardo said and looked around again. “My source informed me that this has been happening for at least a decade, possibly longer.”
“So, we are going to take on a vampire who is over nine hundred years old, who has an undetermined number of followers, and take down a blood trafficking ring. No problem,” Nevaeh said and grinned.
“There’s one more thing my source told me. Crompton has a Halfling working with him, A young female named Analia.”
Nevaeh’s head snapped up and her heart beat rapidly at the sound of a name she hadn’t heard in ten years.
****
“Nevaeh, is something bothering you?” Karma asked later that evening at the hotel.
“No,” she answered and looked out the window at the melting snow.
“Why are you lying to me?” Karma asked and frowned.
“Leave it alone, Karma,” she replied and turned to face the girl she’d always treated like a daughter. “I’m allowed to have my secrets.”
“Yes, you’re allowed to have your secrets, and I’m allowed to worry about you, just as you worry about me. Deal with it,” Karma snapped and turned to walk away.
“Damnit, Karma,” she said and grabbed Karma’s arm.
“You can have your secrets, and I can walk away in anger,” she said and looked at Nevaeh’s hand on her arm. “Just remember something you told me when I first started training with you, ‘Secrets, no matter how well they’re kept, will always come out to bite you in the ass in the end.’”
With that, Karma shook off Nevaeh’s hand and walked away.
“Fuck,” Nevaeh said, almost to herself, and started after Karma, before stopping herself and taking a step back.
“What was that about?” Harrison said from behind her, causing her to jump a little.
“That, if you must know, was about me pissing off one of the most important people in my life.”
“She’s easily pissed off,” Harrison said and chuckled. “How did you piss her off though? You’re one of the few people she actually likes.”
“By telling her what I’m about to tell you, I’m allowed to have my secrets,” she told him and walked away.
That vampire was starting to grate her nerves, and Dylan’s father or not, she was very close to staking him and following through with the vow she made on the worst day of her life.
“Nevaeh, wait,” Harrison called out and caught up with her quickly.
“What?” She asked and turned to face him.
“Look, I don’t know what happened between you and Karma, but I do know that you’re one of the few people she not only likes, but respects. From someone who has been dealt the hand she has, having her respect is something very special. I know you care about her, but maybe you should trust her a little more,” he told her then walked away, leaving her gaping after him.
“I guess he told me,” she said to herself a moment later. Shaking her head, she walked outside to one of the vans and leaned against it.
As the cool air surrounded her, she let her mind drift back to a time she’d tried very hard to forget. Seeing Aaren for the first time in over twelve years was a little disconcerting, but the memories seeing him stirred, almost dropped her to her knees.
“Analia,” she said, barely a whisper in the wind, and shook her head.
Closing her eyes, she brought Analia’s face to the front of her mind. Her raven dark curls, and emerald eyes were striking, even at eight years old. She was just losing the little kid chubbiness of her face, and starting to develop into her own person.
Losing her was like losing a piece of her soul, but after a decade, she’d all but given up on ever seeing Analia’s sweet face again. Now, knowing she was alive, and working with the very vampire they were hunting, made Nevaeh both thrilled and concerned at the same time.
“Hello, Nevaeh,” a voice she’d recognize anywhere, pulled her from her thoughts.
“What do you want, Aaren?”
“You’ve been avoiding me since the day I was brought into the Bureau,” he said, stating the obvious.
“I have? Hmm… I didn’t realize,” she responded, sarcasm lacing her words.
“I can see you haven’t changed a bit,” he said and leaned beside her.
“What do you want?” She asked again, pushing off the van. “I don’t really have time for this, or for you.”
“Fuller just debriefed us, and Analia’s name was mentioned.”
“Yes, Eduardo mentioned it to us earlier today,” she acknowledged and took a step away from him.
“We should talk,” he said again and grabbed her arm.
“Unless you want to be staked, you will remove your hand from my arm,” she hissed.
“Always one to resort to violence,” he mused and grinned when she growled.
“What do you want?” She asked for the third time, looking at him this time.
“I want you to know that I have never stopped looking for her.”
“Well good for you,” she snapped and turned away again. “And I want you to know that I have always blamed you for her disappearing.”
“That isn’t fair, and you know it,” he snapped.
“Fair or not, you are, at least, partly responsible for her disappearance,” she retorted with tears in her eyes. “If you hadn’t left like you did because you were pissed off at me, maybe you’d have been around to help protect her.”
“I left because you and your people hunt my kind,” he said in a cold tone.
“You would have never been targeted, and you know it. You’re not a killer, Aaren, and you never have been.”
Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair and looked at her. “I never stopped loving you, Nevaeh. You and Analia were my everything.”
“You had a hell of a way of showing it, Aaren,” she told him and walked away.
“God damnit,” he said and ran a hand through his hair again. Watching her walk away, kinda like he did all those years ago, was almost as painful as going through the change again. And now, like then, all he could do was suffer in silence, because there was no way to stop the inevitable from happening.
Shaking his head, he followed her with his eyes until she was safely inside, before turning and heading back to his own hotel room.
Chapter Two
“Stupid son of a bitch,” Nevaeh said as she punched the bag in the hotel gym. “Stupid, egotistical, blood sucking, son of a bitch.”
“I resemble that,” Harrison said and grinned when she spun around in shock.
“If you stupid ass, male vampire don’t stop sneaking the fuck up on me, I’m going to accidently stake one of you,” she snapped out and went back to punching her bag.
His chuckle only made her punch the bag harder.
“What’s crawled up your ass
?” He asked, walking over to hold the bag steady for her.
“Nothing good,” she retorted as she hit the bag with all her strength, not moving it an inch. “Why do men, vampire men especially, think they know everything?”
“I’m not sure who you’ve been chatting with, but as a male vampire, I will be the first to tell you, I know I don’t know everything. For example, I don’t know why you’re in here instead of talking to Karma. I also don’t know why you’re so testy this evening. Most importantly, I don’t know why I unnerve you like I do. It’s a bit endearing, really, seeing a woman such as yourself rattled.”
“You don’t unnerve me, you irritate me,” she responded and continued to punch the bag, imagining it was his face. She wanted nothing more than to knock that smug look off it.
“Your nostrils flare when you’re irritated. It’s quite cute,” he teased and chuckled when she growled. “I wonder if they flare when you’re aroused, too.”
His comment caused her focus to falter, and instead of hitting the bag, her fist connected with his nose. The crunching sound it made, and the spewing blood, let them both know she’d broken it.
“Serves you right, jackass,” she said and turned to walk away.
“I may have deserved that, but you definitely deserve this,” he said as he darted around her and kissed her hard and fast.
The kiss happened so fast, she didn’t have time to react before he released her lips and was gone.
“Stupid, egotistical, blood-sucking, son of a bitch,” she said again, only this time it was about a vampire who ignited her instead of infuriated her.
****
“What the fuck was I thinking?” Harrison asked himself as he walked along Baltimore harbor. “I wasn’t thinking with the right head, that’s the problem.”
“Do you make a habit of talking to yourself?” Delanie, one of Nevaeh’s Huntresses, asked from behind him.
“Only when I need a good berating,” he responded and smiled. “What are you doing out here alone?”
“I’m on patrol with Gina and Fuller. We’ve been working in groups of at least three for safety reasons,” she explained. “You have blood on your shirt.”
Nevaeh's Secret (Vampire Huntress Saga Book 2) Page 1
