Primal Desire (Heart of the Huntress Book 6)

by Terry Spear

  “Perry Rochester, Harry Canton, and Lonnie Wilson? All of them are great hunters, as far as their kill ratio. Those who believed Selena was protecting the vampiress—still couldn’t believe a hunter would kill a vampiress unprovoked. Not all hunters agree with what she did. She had turned on one of our own kind—even though he was in the wrong and wouldn’t capitulate. It was kind of a wakeup call for some. Kill innocents and you could be put down for it by one of your own kind. But there are some who feel killing any vampire is justified. And Cliff and his brother and their friends are just arrogant enough to feel they can pull something like that off and get away with it. If they’re responsible for the other vampiresses’ deaths, they’ve done just that. I’ve heard the lies they’ve told about Selena or the others who vouched for her. The bullying, rallying of other hunters to bully and threaten her, only caring about making money off the venture, and not giving a damn about who it could hurt.

  “I’ve heard they’ve even threatened to take over the League and run it right, unless the League changes its way of doing business. More money, fewer vampires, and anyone who stands in their way is coerced to change their thinking or else. I would like to believe I would have stood up to Cliff’s brother and done what Selena had, but I wasn’t there. I can help your cause now, doing whatever you need me to do in regard to ferreting out the murderer or murderers of the vampiresses.”

  “You didn’t believe your sister could be in serious trouble after she killed a hunter?” Atreides would have been there for his brother in a heartbeat every step of the way if something like that had happened to him. He couldn’t believe Selena’s sister would be so insensitive about her sister’s current plight just because Selena did what she knew was right. Hell, Selena wasn’t even supposed to be wearing weapons and anyone who had wanted to take revenge against her meant she’d been at real risk.

  Rosa cleared her throat. “Once her actions were backed by the League, I didn’t worry about her. I guess I should have. But I did approve of what she did and that’s why I offered to help your people learn who the murderer of the vampire women is or are.” She let out her breath in a huff. “I want to see my sister.”

  “Now?” Atreides still was perturbed with Rosa for not watching her sister’s back.

  “Yes, now.”

  “What about your brother? He threw Selena out of a club.”

  “I told you, a lot of hunters aren’t happy with her. She shouldn’t have gone to a club, not right now. She should have waited a bit.”

  Atreides shook his head. “She could have been seriously hurt when he kicked her out of the club when she was on her own. Her car had been stolen even.” He wasn’t going to mention about the fact she was armed with a sword when she went to the hunter club.

  "Her car was stolen also?"

  "Yes. When she was attacked. So she was walking back to her apartment alone." He wasn't going into all the details because he felt guilty enough about just dropping her off at the hunter club. Yet, he had felt she needed to be with her kind. What a mistake that was!

  "Oh, I didn't know. You didn't tell me!"

  “I didn't know that she was your sister, or I would have had you take care of her! I didn't know who her family was. She wouldn't tell me."

  "Oh." Rosa frowned. "Well, as to our brother, he only cares about how this affects his standing with the rest of the hunters. He has an image to keep up. He's one of the good guys, and I would hope that if he had witnessed something like Selena had, he would have stood up for the vampiress and defended her against the hunter. I would think he would have. But since he hadn't been there, he doesn't want the backlash to taint his good name within the hunter community."

  “So he doesn’t care about your sister being in the right and being on her own—subject to humiliation and threats to her life?”

  “I’m sure he’s conflicted. I don’t believe he thought she would be in danger. But it’s easier to be angry with Selena than face his friends’ ridicule.”

  “Then he’s an ass.”

  Rosa smiled, then she frowned. “You don’t have any designs on my sister, do you?”

  “I saved her three times. I never thought I would be put in that position because hunters would want to throw her to the wolves.”

  “Or a sadistic vampire?”

  “Yes. She nearly got herself killed looking for you.”

  "I'm sorry." Tears glimmered in Rosa's eyes.

  It wasn't enough, he felt. “I’ll be back soon.”

  Rosa was up on her feet at once, looking hopeful. "I have to tell her how sorry I am. Are you returning with my sister?"

  “Yes.” Atreides disappeared and returned to his house. He found Selena sitting with his friends in the living room having coffee.

  Colt jumped up from his seat where he was sitting too close to Selena, for Atreides’s comfort, and smiled broadly as if he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

  Atreides gave him a growly look. “Selena, you need to come with me.”

  “To go where?” She rose from her seat.

  “Yeah, where are we going?” Colt asked, eager to go with her too.

  “To see her sister, Rosa.”

  Everyone gasped.

  “You have her sister?” Colt asked.

  “Yes, she’s the huntress who was supposed to help us lure the hunter or hunters who are out to take down our female vampires,” Atreides said.

  “My sister? And you didn’t tell me that she was safe?” Selena asked, her voice angry.

  Now Selena was upset with him!

  “You hadn't told us who you were, or who your family was when I wanted them to protect you. Rosa actually came to me to offer her services after you killed the hunter who tried to kill you and Charlene, though she hadn’t said why. I had to talk with her before I told you what was going on. Since you were already involved in this, I was going to tell her that she was being replaced. She hadn’t told me anything about you or the trouble you were in with the hunters. She should have been there to protect you. I didn’t even know the two of you were related. I only learned of it when Twilight mentioned it at the house.”

  “But Rosa is still going to help you?" Selena sounded hopeful that her sister would be on her side in this.

  "Yeah, but she should have been there for you all along."

  Selena frowned at him. "You could have told me that she was helping you before you went to see her and taken me with you then."

  “I didn’t want anyone knowing she was helping us. It could have gotten her killed. Since you are already being targeted, I had the idea you could swap places with her and she could return home, but she still wants to help, and she wants to see you. I’ll take you there to see her now.”

  “Where?” Colt asked.

  Atreides smiled at him. “You never go home. She’s staying at one of your guest houses.” Then Atreides took Selena into his arms and transported her to the guest house at Colt’s ranch.

  His friends soon followed, since they were not done protecting Selena and now they wanted to meet with Rosa too and learn what Atreides had in mind to do.

  When they all arrived at the guest house, they went inside to speak with Rosa. Selena and Rosa hugged each other, tears in their eyes. He was glad the sisters showed real affection toward each other, but he still couldn’t let go of his annoyance that Rosa hadn’t been there for her sister.

  “I can’t believe you’ve been with the vampires all this time. Why didn’t you tell me you had planned to do this?” Selena asked her sister, sounding annoyed.

  “I couldn’t tell anyone, without jeopardizing what we were trying to do. Any of the hunters could be suspect as far as being involved in the vampiress killings."

  “You think I could have been?" Selena asked.

  “No, of course not you.”

  Selena let out her breath. “You didn’t think I would search for you?”

  Rosa sighed. “I’m sorry, Selena. No, I didn't realize you would. I guess I was so bu
sy wanting to help the vampires after what you had done for them, I didn't think of it. I certainly never thought you would be hurt. But a vampire hurt you. Not a hunter.”

  Selena scoffed. “What if, in trying to locate you, Cliff and his friends tried to eliminate me? Or they were involved in hiring a vampire to hurt me?”

  Rosa glanced at Atreides to get his input.

  He shrugged. “We don’t have any idea why he would have hurt her and not killed her then.”

  “Okay, fine. My sister and I will do this together,” Rosa said, determination in her voice.

  “Then Cliff and his friends will have a target on your back too." Selena sounded worried.

  “I should have been there for you all along. So should our brother have been. I’m sure the word will get out before long that I’m working with the vampires to take down the rogue hunters." Rosa gave her another hug.

  “So I’ll stay here with my sister then?” Selena asked Atreides.

  “I think it would be better if you are separated in case anyone learns about one of you. Then you both won’t come under attack.” Atreides didn't want the women together. If hunters, or vampires, were out to get one of them, they would have both of them in the same location and could try to kill them then.

  Rosa agreed, but Selena looked like she wanted to object.

  Rosa said, “He’s right, Selena. Atreides is in charge. I think his plan is the best.”

  Selena folded her arms and looked crossly at Atreides. He gave her a small smile. He suspected she was still annoyed he’d been in her bed last night, but he wouldn’t go there again. Now he knew just who she was and what she’d done to anger the hunters in her League. Unless she needed his protection, he was staying out of her room.

  “We’ll go tonight, both huntresses stationed at different locations, armed, ready, a couple of vampiresses walking down the street to a vampire pub, talking, not paying attention to their surroundings, male vampires on the rooftops ready to swoop down, but we want the huntresses to initiate the fight, or the hunters can say rogue vampires attacked them. We need to record that vampiresses are being attacked for no reason," Atreides said.

  Then Atreides had a telepathic communication and he wondered what had gone wrong now.

  "A hunter and a couple of his hunter friends are here at the vampire club looking for Selena. The one is named Daniel and he said a hunter had arrived at the hunter club when Selena was just going inside while carrying a sword. The newly arrived hunter saw Daniel throw her out of the club and then a vampire showed up and then others came to speak with her, took her in a van and drove off. He recognized you, Atreides. Daniel is Selena's brother, and he wants to see Selena at once or he'll bring the whole League down on you."

  "He didn't care anything about her when he threw her out of the club," Atreides said, annoyed.

  "She was armed and shouldn't have been in the club. She knew better, the brother said."

  "That still doesn't excuse him for abandoning her. At the very least, he should have taken her home.” Atreides paused. “Put him on the phone."

  "Yes, sir."

  "This is Daniel Townsend. Who am I speaking to?" The hunter sounded arrogant and pissed off!

  "Atreides. I find it odd that you would kick your sister out of the club after she looked like she'd been hurt, and you realized her car wasn't even there so she had no safe way to transport herself back home, yet you did nothing for her. What did you think would become of her?"

  "A vampire like you would take advantage of her?"

  Atreides hadn't changed his opinion of the hunter. He was still an ass. "Take care of her, you mean, when your own kind won't watch her back. She's here with us, under our protection for now."

  "Put her on the phone."

  "Since you ask so nicely"—Atreides didn't want to make a worse situation out of this than it already was—"here she is."

  "You have some nerve hassling the vampires who protected me when you didn't give a damn about me. I was injured! And they took me in. So get lost. I don't need your 'help,'" Selena said, putting the phone on speaker, to Atreides’s surprise.

  "You know what Mom and Dad would say about this?"

  "They've already said enough. Besides, do you know where Rosa is?" Selena glanced at Rosa who arched a brow.

  "Off with a hunter friend, I imagine, like usual."

  "That's who I was looking for, if you even gave a damn about that. Family is supposed to mean something. Family is supposed to take care of family, but that doesn't work in your book." Selena was angry and Atreides was glad she was letting it all out and not trying to hide how she felt. With a sibling treating her like a pariah, it had to hurt.

  "I can't believe you're putting all the blame on me." Either Daniel just didn't get it, or he was in denial that he'd done anything wrong.

  "Did you know Cliff plans to kill me?"

  Daniel didn't say anything. Which bothered Atreides. Did he know or not?

  "Well, he does. So just think on that. You have a hit out on your own sister for doing what was right and it's coming from your own hunter friends."

  "I'll look into it, but you can't stay with a vampire." Daniel acted like he was still fully in charge of the situation, like he was her second dad, and she would have to do what he expected of her or else. Atreides hoped she didn't cave.

  "Why? Will it hurt my reputation?" She scoffed. "And what do you care about it anyway?"

  "You're my sister."

  "You should have thought of that when you threw me out of the club and didn't make sure I got home all right. Atreides not only wanted to make sure I got home safely, he realized I didn't have any hunters to watch my back and wouldn't leave me alone." Good. Selena was standing her ground.

  “I’ll…I’ll be in touch.” Daniel hung up on her.

  "I'm so sorry," Rosa said to Selena. "Hearing more of the story, I am really angry with Daniel."

  "I was carrying a sword," Selena conceded.

  "But you'd been injured, and you didn't have your car to leave it in. You couldn't have just parked the sword outside the club. I would have taken you out of the hunter club and talked to you and learned what had happened, and then I would have called Mom and Dad and taken you home to stay with them. I never would have thrown you out of the club and made you fend for yourself like that. I'm glad Atreides and his friends protected you when your own family should have. For that, I'll forever be grateful. But you shouldn't have felt you couldn't give out your name or solicited our parents' help either. You could have died!" Rosa said.

  Finally, the gravity of the situation was sinking in!

  It didn’t take long before Daniel called back. “I’m helping you to find the hunters and turn them over to the League for disposition.”

  Atreides was really surprised, but glad her brother was finally willing to help them out. He still felt Daniel needed to make amends to Selena. Still, it was better if more of the hunters sided with them in this effort than if they did it alone. As long as the word didn't reach the hunters' ears who were killing the vampiresses. Then what? They would lay low until everyone got complacent again?

  He explained the plan to Daniel and the others who volunteered to help and then it was time to set up the traps.

  Set up strategically around town, they would start searching for the rogue hunters who would attempt to kill the vampiresses. The women would be in pairs, for the most part. A hunter, or two, would be waiting in the wings, watching for trouble, stepping out to protect the vampiresses. The vampiresses would telepathically communicate they were in trouble, the hunters helping Atreides would identify the rogue hunters, while others were transported to the scene of the battle if there was a fight and to apprehend the rogues. The hunters couldn't move easily like the vampires, and that meant they would have to aid the hunters, so the killers couldn't easily escape.

  At least that was the plan, and Atreides prayed it would work out to everyone's benefit—the rogue hunters taken into custody and no othe
r hunters or vampires injured or killed in the process.

  Daniel and his friends were helping in a cause that neither Selena nor Rosa thought they would.

  Selena said to her sister before they parted company, “Be safe, Rosa.”

  Renault and Colt were taking care of her while she did her part.

  “Be safe, Rosa,” Atreides said.

  "You be safe, Selena. You're the one some of the hunters want to take down, and there could still be a vicious vampire after you," Rosa said.

  "I know. But maybe the wolf was there to help me, to guide me, not to hurt me. And besides, you put yourself in harm's way all the time."

  "When it comes to a broken heart, yes, but when it comes to real danger, the kind you put yourself in, no. But you have a good heart and I'm proud to be your sister." Rosa gave her a hug and she hugged her back, then Atreides whisked Selena away to her place in the city to watch for the rogue hunters who were in this game.

  Chapter 10

  Glad Daniel and his friends were now helping them to catch the hunter rogues before they killed again, Selena was watching for the vampiresses to arrive, Atreides at her side. And she was glad he was here for her. But she wasn't feeling quite herself and she didn't know what was wrong.

  Sometimes hunters came down with common colds or the flu, but they healed twice as fast as humans, so it was no big deal. But she was just feeling off as she and Atreides moved again, making their way to where they would monitor the vampiresses and ensure they would be safe. They couldn't always do this or be everywhere either. And the vampiresses would feel they could just take down the hunters if they so much as threatened them, instead of calling on Atreides and leaving the area in the vampire way. It was ludicrous, but they were as arrogant as the vampires when it came to fleeing in the sight of danger.

  She took a deep breath and saw the three vampiresses they were supposed to watch, including Iconia. Selena sighed. She wished they were protecting another vampiress other than Iconia, but she should have realized Atreides would have wanted to protect his girlfriend and yet he still wanted to take care of Selena.