Riding the Storm

by Candace Blevins

  Eric brushed a hand over his bald head. “I think some of the people at TBC were nice to me because they thought I had cancer or something.”

  Ranger closed his eyes a second, looked away, and looked back, his eyes dark. “Part of me wishes Kendra had left someone alive, so I could personally kill them. I know it’s just hair, and it’ll grow back, but it’s a reminder you had to go through… shit, Eric. I’ve been in enemy hands — I know what it’s like and I never wanted you to have to experience anything like it. I’d gone through training for it, before I was held captive… you were totally unprepared.”

  Eric turned back towards the rock face, adjusted the ropes, and started climbing again. “That helps a little, actually. Knowing you’ve been in a similar situation and you’re okay now. I feel like part of my core being has been altered, like life can never be the same, and yet here we are, conquering this cliff as if nothing’s changed, when it feels as if everything has. I don’t know, I guess I didn’t realize I had innocence still to lose, and I’ve found out I did. They could’ve done worse to me, had Kendra not scheduled the hearing and made it so they weren’t supposed to permanently alter me. I’m grateful I only have to deal with bruises and no hair, and yet… it feels as if part of me died, a part of me I can never get back.”

  “If you need someone to talk to, I have someone to recommend, but so far I think you’re dealing with it okay. And, you know you can always talk to me. Life will go on. All of our experiences change us, some more than others. This was a big one.”

  “Do you know why Kendra didn’t come back last night?”

  He sighed. “Some. Things went sideways, and all of the people with Abbott got out, but it was touch and go for a while. Kendra’s trademark is apparently her joy in ripping people apart. She tore Natalia’s arms and legs off, and stuffed one of her arms — hand first — up Natalia’s ass, and then stuffed her leg — foot first — up her cunt. She left with her, and no one knows for sure where she took her, or what she’s doing to her, but the consensus is she’s likely going to spend a few days torturing the bitch before she finally kills her.”

  “I haven’t heard from her at all, since she left.”

  “I’m not surprised, Eric. She’s likely still in enemy territory, and Mitroff is still at large and in control of the state. Sending out telepathic threads can give away your position, if the right vampire happens to be looking for them. It’s a rare skill, but I doubt Kendra will chance it.”

  “I thought the goal was to take the state from him?”

  “It is, and our side won three of the five battles, with the other two probably being close to a draw, but we’re far from winning the war.”

  “We? You make it sound like you’re part of the war.”

  “I didn’t fight last night, but only because I was on a plane coming home — officially, so my passport was stamped when I returned. It looks like I’ll be your assigned bodyguard for the next couple of days, which is fine with me because I’ve been wanting to spend time with you, anyway. If there’s another battle, though, you’ll likely be back in a safe place while I’m off fighting.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Kendra’s last acts before going home were to use Natalia’s credit card to FedEx a few pieces of her back to Mitroff: one eyeball, an ear, her lips — cut with enough of the skin around them so they still held their shape, sort of — and a good portion of her labia and clit.

  So, both sets of lips, more or less.

  Natalia had suffered greatly, but Kendra hadn’t really had it in her to torture the woman for three nights. She needed Mitroff to think she had, though, so even though she killed the bitch halfway through the second night, Kendra didn’t ship the box to Mitroff until near the end of the third night.

  She took a taxi far enough out of town she could fly with no one seeing her, and contacted Abbott near the edge of the South Carolina border.

  Abbott?

  Yes, Kendra. It’s good to hear from you. Where are you?

  On my way back. There’s plenty of cloud cover, and if I’m fast I should be able to get away with landing on the western side of Lookout Mountain. Do you mind if I stay at your house tonight? I need blood fresh from the source. He’d be happy to see her, glad she was safe, and would want the details of what happened. Plus, she needed to feed, and while she was uncomfortable asking, she’d learned to take advantage of the rules when she returned from battle.

  Of course. Ted is here tonight, if you’d prefer to feed from a male. Eric is camping with his uncle, so I won’t be able to retrieve him for you.

  I’ll contact him in a minute, let him know I’m okay, and make arrangements to see him tomorrow. I wouldn’t expect to feed from him tonight, even if he was close. How is he holding up?

  Ranger is checking in with Aaron, who tells me Eric is processing his feelings, and the two are doing well together. They’ve been mountain climbing, kayaking, hiking, and zip-lining, which apparently involves riding a cable down a mountain as you hold onto something around the cable.

  Okay, I’ll see you within the hour. Thanks, Abbott.

  Anytime.

  Kendra took note of her position and direction, made a slight adjustment, and reached out to Eric.

  Eric?

  Kendra? Are you okay? His mental voice was sleepy, and she wished she could be there, in person to hold him, smell him, hear the sound of his voice. God, she missed him.

  Yes. I’m on my way to Abbott’s, and will bed down there for the day. Abbott tells me you’re with Ranger and have been in the woods having adventures. How are you holding up?

  I was worried about you.

  I’m sorry. Natalia will never bother you again.

  Am I supposed to thank you for torturing and killing her?

  Kendra took a second to consider the tone of his telepathic words, and taste the flavor of his mood before answering.

  She only came after you because of your connection to Abbott and me. You owe me nothing, Eric. I merely wanted you to know you don’t have to fear her, anymore. She won’t order your capture again.

  But her boss is still in control, right?

  Yes, but he has enough other things to worry about, without trying to infiltrate the territory for a single human. His territory is a mess, he’s lost a lot of people, and his base of operations destroyed. You’ll be with either Ranger or myself for a while, to be safe, but I don’t think anyone will come after you again.

  When can I go back to my yacht?

  Soon. Can you come to Abbott’s tomorrow afternoon, so I can see you when I rise?

  Ranger and I will be in a wilderness area for the next four to six days. I didn’t know when I’d hear from you again.

  Are you mad at me?

  Frustrated with you, and yeah, maybe a little mad. I was worried and didn’t hear from you. People told me you were likely taking your time killing her, and it felt like…

  After a few seconds of silence, Kendra finished his thought. It felt as if my revenge against her was more important than my feelings for you?

  Yeah.

  His answer broke her heart, and she wasn’t going to make it better talking telepathically. He needed to look into her eyes when she explained.

  I need to talk to you in person. Give me an idea of the general area you expect to be in tomorrow night, and I’ll find you.

  Ranger said I shouldn’t tell anyone our location. Not even Abbott.

  Your uncle’s smart, and very safety minded. I’ll speak with you again tomorrow night. Be safe, Eric. I’m sorry you’re upset with me, and I hope we can fix it sooner rather than later. You need to hear what I have to say before you decide to be too angry with me.

  I’m glad you’re okay.

  Well, that was something. And I’m glad you’ve enjoyed this time with Ranger. I’ll let you get back to sleep. Enjoy your day.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Eric and Ranger worked to set up their camp for the night after covering nine miles of the Benton Mac
Kaye Trail in one day. They had no intentions of hiking the entire trail, but wanted to cover another twenty five or thirty miles, which should get them into North Carolina, and with a good bit of scenery on the way.

  The two had hiked the backcountry together many times, and set up camp without even thinking about it, so within ten minutes the tent was up, bedrolls ready, and they were seated on the ground fixing their dinner over the small camp stove.

  Aaron and Nathan were the only people with the number to Ranger’s burner phone, and while Ranger had called to check in twice a day, no one knew their location.

  “Do I need to pay you, for the time you’re taking off work?” Eric asked.

  “Aaron tells me I’m getting paid for this week, and I’ve decided not to argue. Don’t know if he’ll consider it part of my paid vacation time or not, but I get six weeks a year, and I didn’t take them all last year, so…” He shrugged. “I’m not hurting for money, anyway. The new job pays much better than the old, and I’m still spending money at the old standard of living.”

  “You been seeing anyone?”

  He shook his head. “I have lots of sex, and it isn’t too hard to find willing submissives in clubs, when I get a hankering to wield a flogger, but my lifestyle isn’t conducive to a relationship. A few years ago I was part of a poly group, so they didn’t miss me so much when I was gone. I still missed them when I was on a mission, but I didn’t have to feel guilty about leaving a woman at home alone.” He shrugged. “For a variety of reasons, we all broke up, and I got my heart broken, but I survived. If I was going to get serious with someone again, though, I’d like there to be a similar situation. For one thing, you know how much I love double or triple-teaming a girl, but mostly, it wouldn’t be fair to get serious with someone when I could be gone months at a time on assignment.”

  “I haven’t decided what to do about Kendra, yet.”

  “I know you care about her, and I know you’re freaked by learning what she’s capable of, but give her a chance. Maybe it’ll work, maybe it won’t, but she cares about you enough to risk her life by taking so many of the Media Council’s people out in such a spectacular fashion.”

  “Two of her friends have basically told me I’ve given her a reason to live, again. I guess the oldest vampires sometimes get bored with life, and she was there. I don’t want that responsibility.”

  “Whether you date a human or vampire, you’re going to be capable of hurting the other person if you break up with them. Giving her a reason to live isn’t something you do, it’s just what’s happened by spending time with her. You’ve reminded her of the joys life can bring, reminded her what it’s like to have adventures, and to grab life by the nuts and live it.”

  The two talked until well after dark, but neither was ready to go into the tent, yet. Eric was sprawled in his trek-chair, his legs out straight on the ground in front of him, when Ranger was suddenly standing, ready for a fight. Eric had been practicing holding his shield, and he reinforced it as he, too, jumped to his feet and grabbed his knife from his belt. He didn’t know what Ranger had heard or smelled, but he wasn’t going down without a fight.

  He heard Kendra in his head and with his ears as she landed twenty yards from them. “It me, Kendra. Relax, guys, we’re all safe.”

  Eric didn’t relax the grip he had on his knife as he asked, “How the hell did you find us?”

  “We’re linked, Eric. It took me an hour longer than it would’ve if you’d given me a general location, but I warned you when we created the mind link, it would let me find you.”

  She looked at Ranger and asked, “Do you mind if I fly him to the next mountaintop? There’s a rental cabin with no one in it and an easy lock to pick. I’d like to spend some time with him alone, and I’ll bring him back in a few hours.”

  “You didn’t think to ask me if I want to go?” Eric asked. “Because as of right now, I’m thinking you and I can talk when Ranger and I finish our hike in a few days.”

  She shook her head. “We’re going to talk. We can do it here in front of Ranger, or just the two of us, on the next mountain. The two of you can finish your hike afterwards, but you aren’t going to go another night thinking I tortured someone for three solid nights when I didn’t.”

  Eric paused, felt some of the twist in his gut relax, and asked, “Then why were you gone three nights?”

  “So people would think I did.”

  Eric looked to Ranger, who told him, “Many of the oldest vampires take pleasure in torture. Others do it when they must, but it isn’t something they relish. The former are feared a whole lot more than the latter. I believe Kendra has tricked the world into thinking she enjoys ripping her enemies apart and making their death last as long as possible, when in reality she doesn’t.”

  Eric looked back to Kendra, who gave Ranger a grateful look before telling Eric, “I killed her partway through the second night, because it took that long to hurt her bad enough to get all the information I needed from her. I waited until most of the way through the third night to FedEx pieces of her to Mitroff, with a handwritten note detailing all the ways she’d suffered, and warning him he’s next.”

  Eric sighed, looked at their little campsite, and shifted his gaze back to Kendra to ask, “I guess this would be the part where we ride the storm out?” Kendra smiled, and he told her, “I don’t want to leave Ranger alone, but you’re welcome to hang out with us until we’re ready to turn in for the night.”

  Kendra looked at Eric’s backcountry trek-chair, and Ranger’s Helinox chair, and said, “I’m gonna borrow one of the chairs off the front porch of that rental cabin. I’ll be right back.”

  She returned with a heavy wooden rocking chair, and Eric laughed at the incongruity of it, but his heart warmed as she sat and talked to them of the things he and Ranger had been doing over the past days.

  Eric gave her a peck on the lips when they said goodbye, not quite ready for more, but he told her, “I just need a few more days in the woods, and then we can talk.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Kendra was staying in a small, rural home in the sticks until the situation with South Carolina was resolved. Abbott had moved most of the vampires out of the coterie house, and the ones still there with an upstairs bedroom were sleeping in the bunker. He didn’t want both Gavin and Kendra there at the same time, and Kendra had volunteered to temporarily relocate, as Gavin had more need to be around to handle day-to-day issues.

  Abbott didn’t just think politically, but also strategically for battle, and he didn’t want all of his most important people bedding down in the same place. The house he’d put her in had a secret bunker off the basement for her daytime resting spot, and was situated in the middle of fifteen acres of forest, with various trip wires to alert her if anyone came in on her while she was up.

  She’d had to leave her phone at home, and a tech guy had come to her house and done something so no one could trace her online activities to this house.

  Ranger was bringing Eric tonight, as he knew how to be sure they weren’t followed, and Eric would be staying with her as long as he wanted.

  She just hoped he’d want to stay longer than the night.

  The security system warned when they pulled onto the driveway, and then twice more as they made their way down the long graveled path.

  Eric had a backpack and a large duffel, and Ranger unloaded two dirt bikes from the back of his vehicle.

  She hadn’t seen him since the night she’d found them in the forest, and Eric had only given her a peck on the lips as a goodbye. Now, he hugged her as if he was glad to see her, and said, “I’ll put my things in the house. I plan to get a lot of undisturbed work accomplished during sunlight hours, and I’m hoping for some dirt biking once you’re up. There are some jeep trails not too far from here, and judging from the map and terrain, they look promising.”

  His warm arms around her felt like home, and she wanted to cling to him when he let go, but she didn’t.

&n
bsp; Eric went inside, the screen door slamming behind him, and Ranger said, “I kept him safe on my watch, now it’s your turn.”

  “Are you staying in town, or going back overseas?”

  He shook his head. “I can’t abandon the people working on the project I’ve been on. Aaron’s sending me back, and it’ll likely take another couple of months to complete the op.”

  “Aaron sent a computer geek guy out, and he assured me no one will trace the activities coming from here, back to here. He left notes so Eric would know what he did, but it looks like gibberish to me.”

  “Eric can keep ya’ll hidden online, it’s your job to keep him safe in the real world.” His jaw flexed, his eyes sharpened until she could practically see the wolf in them, and his scent also told her the wolf wasn’t far below the surface. “Every instinct screams at me to not leave him alone with a vampire, but I know you care for him, and took great personal and political risk to make the point he’s to be left alone. Aaron says Mitroff appears to be looking for political solutions instead of trying to fight a war he’ll eventually lose, so hopefully the threat to him will be gone, soon.” He shook his head. “I know I can’t hold you responsible for not hurting him emotionally, but I’ll ask you to be kind to him. He’s twisted up inside, and he needs patience and caring. For all of his worldly travels, he’s been sheltered from true evil and cruelty, and he’s coming to terms with it.”

  Eric stepped back onto the large, wrap around porch. The house might be small, but the porch more than made up for the lack of space inside.

  Kendra’s heart warmed as she watched the two men embrace, and Eric told his uncle, “Thanks for everything. It’s been great, and I always hate saying goodbye to you when you’re headed back overseas, but I know you’ll be careful.”

  “Always. Kendra and Abbott will make sure you’re safe, but feel free to let Aaron know if you need anything while I’m gone. Or, if you can reach me, I’ll let him know, but I don’t want you waiting for me if you need help. Okay?”