Vampire Redemption (Heart of the Huntress Book 5)

by Terry Spear

  “I think it had to do with me coming to the realization that all of you were worth loving—my sister, and brother, and you.”

  Zachary smiled.

  “I don’t mean as in mating you.”

  So she wasn’t exactly there yet. But at least, she hadn’t run off screaming and she’d wanted to make love the rest of the way. In the worst way, he’d wanted to bite her. It all had to do with the vampire equation. It was like part of the whole sexual package. He was so attuned to her, listening to her heart beating, her blood pulsing through her veins, the urge so great to bite her overwhelming.

  He’d had to hurry at the end, afraid he couldn’t hold off and not bite her. He hoped she wasn’t afraid to do this again. And he damn sure hoped he could control the urge to bite her if she wanted him to make love to her again.

  She sighed. “This is nice.” She kissed his chest and he kissed the top of her head.

  “Yeah, it is.” More than nice. It just made him all the surer that she should be his mate.

  If only she would feel the same way about him.

  Crichton didn't know what to think when Dennison didn't return to tell him what had happened at the vampire bash, or at least telepathically contact him with some word. He didn't believe it was a good thing for him. He called on Alex, one of Rutherford's newly turned vampires, not wanting to get hold of an ancient who might think he could take over if Crichton was losing his grip on the situation.

  The vampire took about twenty minutes to reach Crichton's condo and Crichton let him in. "I want you to check out Cameron's house, the one that had the bash tonight."

  "I was supposed to be searching for the hunter who is killing our kind."

  Crichton gave him an evil glower that would make the most lionhearted of men cringe, but Alex didn't seem bothered by it at all. Which meant Rutherford's turning him was the problem. "I'm telling you to go to Cameron's house. When you get there, tell me what you see. Telepathically. Don't return here. Dennison's missing and I want to know where he's gone to."

  "I will find out." Alex inclined his head and vanished.

  Crichton knew he had to check into the situation himself if he wanted something done right. He couldn't believe only one hunter had taken out more of the men. He had no patience for this situation either.

  He tried contacting the ancient who went with some hosts to the hotel, but he didn’t get a response from him either. Then he tried calling on the ones that were at another bash, and he couldn't get an answer from any of them.

  Hell, he shouldn’t have sent Dennison. He should have sent someone else who was more…disposable.

  Since Crichton couldn't get hold of some of the vampires to learn what had happened at the hotel, he assumed that the hunter, or more, were staying there. He couldn't even call for fast food delivery so he could turn a deliveryman because it was too late at night and everything was closed. He had to turn some humans to serve as his own minions. Fine. He'd go out on his own and see what was going on.

  First, he went to the hotel. Things were quiet there. No one was in the lobby. Only a night manager was at the front desk. "Do you have hunters staying at the hotel?" he telepathically asked the clerk.

  "No, sir. Not that I know of."

  Of course, the night manager might not have recognized a man, or woman, staying here that was a hunter. They looked just like humans, just like the vampires did, unless they extended their canines. "Did you see a man and five others looking for hunters?"

  "No, sir."

  So the vampire and the hosts never made it here. Crichton wanted to know who the hosts were by name so he could question them, but he didn't have that information. The vampires would have reported back to him, at least he thought so, unless they were plotting his overthrow. "Do you know what I am?"

  "A guest?" the clerk asked.

  Crichton smiled and shook his head. "You will inform me if hunters show up here."

  "Yes, sir."

  "You won't recall that I was asking about the hunters."

  "Yes, sir."

  "You will answer only to me, Crichton."

  "Yes, sir."

  Crichton nodded and vanished, returning to the condo briefly, wondering where the vampires had been hit before they reached the hotel. Alex, the vampire he'd sent to check out Cameron's house, reported back, thankfully. "There's not a soul here, Crichton."

  "Okay, check the other home and continue to report in to me. Don't walk there, just vanish and reappear there." Crichton had to remind the newly turned vampires about keeping a low profile. They were so used to not having the vampire abilities, they had to be retrained. He went to one of the houses where some of the vampires were hanging out that were not the Cameron family homes and found another bash dying down. Good. He was afraid Alex and he were the only two of them left.

  One of the ancients greeted him with a slight bow, but so slight as not to really be acknowledging Crichton was in charge. Crichton wondered if anyone had witnessed him killing Rutherford. Maybe that was why he was having so much difficulty with the newly turned ones. And even the ancients might feel he could turn on them at any moment. He would too, if he thought they were conspiring against him.

  "Have you seen any hunters about?" he asked one of the ancients, a white-haired, former duke in England, who had been turned into one of his kind by the Black Death. The man had always had airs while Crichton had been a goat herder, so he assumed some of the ancients who were of the aristocracy looked down their noses at him. Rutherford had also been a duke, which was the reason some of the ancients had followed him into this battle.

  "I haven't seen any. You think there are more than just one or two?" Whitefoot asked.

  "Yeah, I think so. We...I can't track down some of the vampires who attended two bashes, nor the ones headed to the hotel where one of the vampires said he thought he'd seen a hunter go inside. Three were at the airport that went missing also."

  "Hmm."

  "Dennison was checking on Cameron's house and I lost contact with him."

  "Hmm." The vampire glanced over at a host who smiled at him, willing him in her own way to feast. Not all humans were totally helpless.

  Crichton should have expected the vampire’s disinterest.

  The ancient suddenly turned to look at him and cast him a sinister smile. "I have heard Rutherford still lives."

  Crichton's heart nearly quit beating. If Rutherford lived, Crichton was a dead man. But if he lived, why hadn't Rutherford already made short work of him? Or he could have sent any of his minions, or even his ancient friends to do the job. He didn't know all of them, but someone like Whitefoot who had aristocratic ties to Rutherford would definitely back him if he learned Crichton had killed him, or...tried to kill him.

  Crichton had to learn the truth. But how? Then he thought of the vampires Rutherford had turned. They must have heard from him, but he had to be so weak, he wasn't giving them orders to kill Crichton. He fought running his hand through his hair, making him look even more guilty than he already felt. "That would be good news." Yet Crichton had taken way too long to say so. He was in trouble now.

  As long as they had all lived, they would notice things like that.

  “I agree.”

  “So the men he turned…”

  “Some say they have heard from him.”

  They couldn’t have. Unless…unless Rutherford was waiting for the hunters to kill Crichton. He wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.

  “Have you tried contacting him?” Crichton asked.

  “I have. Maybe if you tried, he’d communicate with you,” Whitefoot said, his head swiveling around again to look at the female host.

  Oh, yeah, like how Rutherford would want to wipe Crichton off the face of the earth if he heard from him. “I’ll do that.” Not.

  Crichton had to discover Rutherford’s location and destroy him while he was in a weakened condition.

  “What are you doing here? I didn’t think you liked coming to bashes. You prefer
to feed in the privacy of your own quarters,” Whitefoot said.

  Crichton couldn’t reach any of the ancients, that’s why. None of them responded to his queries. Not even Whitefoot and he knew damn well Crichton had tried to get in touch with him. Crichton didn’t know enough of the newly turned vampires by name to get hold of them. Only Alex because Rutherford had made it a point to tell Crichton he was his favorite newly turned vampire.

  That was it! If anyone would know that Rutherford was alive for certain, it would be Alex.

  “I was concerned that so many of our brethren seemed to be out of contact. I thought I’d better check into it myself.”

  Whitefoot gave him a small, conceited smile.

  This was proving to be a disaster. Crichton thought he’d planned it out so well. He could still see the scene in his mind’s eye. The hunter attempting to kill Rutherford and Crichton leaping forward to help him before he stabbed the hunter in the heart. Then Crichton was fighting another hunter and before he was overwhelmed, he managed to kill the hunter. After that, Crichton had conveniently slipped out of the battle and waited in a closet of the master bedroom to ensure he wasn’t killed in the fight for dominance until he heard one of the vampires ask telepathically, “Where’s Crichton?”

  And he slipped back into the battle just like that with no one the wiser.

  “Are you returning to your condo? Before you know it, it will be too late,” Whitefoot said.

  Crichton thought he heard a threat in Whitefoot’s comment. “I will see you at dusk.” He left the bash, truly surprised he’d find anyone still alive, and returned to the safety of his condo. He needed a host and some converts. He needed to rest. All this worrying about what was going on with the hunters and vampires was wearying. Worse, this business with Rutherford was problematic, something he had to deal with soon.

  “Alex, what have you learned?” he asked telepathically.

  Alex didn’t respond.

  Chapter 15

  Later that morning, Pasha woke to being wrapped in Zachary’s arms still, surprised a little that he had wanted to keep her close all night long. "I want you to know I'm there for you, Zachary, as much as my brother and sister are."

  "Thanks. I feel the same way about you. We don't know where this will take us, but we can get through it if we just work together. No undue heroics though."

  "As if you aren't the one to take off and do your own thing without proper backup."

  "I could say the same about you.” He sighed. “On another topic, Rachael told me about an online group that they started up to deal with these issues. It's for those who have been turned and those who are friends and family of hunters turned. We would meet together to discuss issues, but also we would have separate sessions for those who needed to deal with sensitive issues on their own."

  "I...I think that's great." She was amazed at how they wanted to stick together, and she hoped it wouldn’t cause dissension among the hunters not affiliated with this mix of hunters and vampires living together in harmony with one goal: getting rid of the rogues. It made sense. She’d heard that Daemon was all for policing his own vampires who had gone rogue, but now that he had mated a huntress, the situation had changed to a degree. She wondered if the hunter population in Portland went along with it though.

  "We'll begin meetings again once we've resolved this situation with the vampires in the area. Until then, they suspended the meetings, at least for those who are involved in something like this until things are resolved."

  She was really interested in the idea. “I’ll need to join, so I can see what’s going on behind the scenes, so to speak.”

  “I haven’t had a first session,” Zachary said, “so it’s something I look forward to. Let’s get some breakfast and relieve Crystal’s brothers of their watch.”

  After they showered and dressed, they entered the kitchen to find the brothers eating scrambled eggs, ham, and toast.

  “Rachael and Michael went on a food run so we’re not eating the homeowners’ food. Well, except for some of the stuff that might spoil while they’re gone. We’ll replace anything we eat of theirs when we’re done with this business,” Victor said.

  “That sounds like a good idea. I take it was quiet the night through,” Pasha said.

  “Yeah, or you would have heard us yelling. We didn’t see anyone at the house across the street, no lights coming on,” Boniface said, “then again, they can come and go at will by just dropping in, sight unseen, and can see in the dark like we can.”

  “Well, we’re off to sleep.” Victor finished his eggs.

  “We’ll get the dishes.” Zachary began to take them off the table.

  “Thanks. See you in a few hours,” Boniface said.

  Daemon suddenly came out of another guest bedroom and sighed. “While you were sleeping, I came here for some rest. I’ll eat with you and then retire for more of the day.”

  "Who is in charge of your clan for now?" Pasha asked Daemon.

  "My brother, Atreides. So far, he says everything's fine. I have a couple of my loyal men watching the situation also, just in case things get out of hand there and Atreides doesn't want me to know he's losing control. Basil owns a pub and Colt owns a ranch. They’re good friends of his and will keep me informed if anything goes wrong. Atreides is a good leader, but sometimes things happen, and—"

  "You can't let go of being in charge," Pasha said.

  Daemon smiled. "That has been said of me a time or two. Rachael said that Adonis wants to stay here after everything is resolved."

  Pasha nodded. "We will. I've discussed it with Zachary, and I hope he'll stay as well.”

  “I will.” Zachary finished cleaning the dishes. Then he started making eggs and ham for the three of them.

  Really glad for that, she smiled to hear him say so. “Did you have trouble with your people when you turned Tezra?"

  "Some. People don't like change and so we have to learn to deal with it in the best manner possible. Don't give up. Keep up the fight and you'll be the winner for it. Zachary, you’re a good hunter. I've seen you fight. I know what you did to protect Pasha and her family. Pasha, it wouldn't hurt for you to be with a man like that. I know you have reservations about what he's become, but just keep an open mind."

  "I will. If I hadn't been imprisoned and threatened by Piaras and his minions, I might have felt differently, but it's been difficult to let that go."

  "Time will make a difference. Believe me. Tezra was dealing with so much grief relating to her earlier years as a child and teen on her own, but then she and I became mated, knowing that was the only way to actually keep her safe."

  "From the vampire who wanted her?"

  "Correct."

  "Do you ever think that it was the wrong thing to do? To turn her, I mean?" Pasha had wondered if the vampire had regrets or if the hunter turned had any.

  "Never. She would have been turned if I hadn’t stopped the vampire who had claimed her. She was asking anyone to turn her because she didn’t have the strength to fight him on her own. After we were mated, she left me to sort things out between her and her younger sister. All I thought of was Tezra. I knew she'd come back to me."

  "But she didn't." At least that’s what Rachael had told Pasha.

  Daemon smiled. "Yeah, I had to go and see her, convince her she couldn't live without me and she couldn't. Even her sister said she was difficult to live with because she truly longed to be with me. But she also felt she owed it to her sister to get to know her again, to take care of her, to protect her. Tezra is as stubborn as me, but I can be even more so. I wouldn't let her be without me for long. You never know how you will feel about someone until that moment comes when the mate you know should be yours decides to break away."

  Pasha could understand it. She thought she would feel the same way if Zachary returned to the hunt with his Dallas clan and left her behind. And she would have to choose between staying with her decimated family or returning to Dallas with him. She couldn
't help but feel she needed to protect Zachary if any hunter tried to harm him because of what he had become. She couldn't allow it. Not after he had saved her life. Not after she had fallen for the hunter. She wanted this more than anything. To be with him. She couldn't imagine leaving him like Tezra did Daemon, but their situation was different. Everyone's was different. As individuals, they'd have to learn to cope. She could do it, she thought. She hoped she could, and that Zachary would be agreeable.

  "The two of you'll do fine, or not. It's up to you. Both of you. It's a team effort. I'm sure you'll do what's right no matter what. I can't say enough how much this actually helps our kind. The vampire kind and the hunters, finding a balance between us, learning to co-exist."

  They sat down to eat, but then Danai called Pasha and she worried there was trouble. She put the call on speaker. “Is everyone at the hotel okay?”

  “Yes. Crichton came looking for us in the middle of the night. He couldn’t break through the night manager’s defenses, thanks to Zachary making sure he didn’t say anything to Crichton or his followers except that he hadn’t seen any hunters, nor vampires.”

  “That’s good news,” Zachary said. “I guess Crichton’s worried or he wouldn’t be leaving his hidey-hole to check on the situation himself.”

  “I agree with you there. Crichton was already gone before Crystal and I could appear in the lobby,” Danai said. “I’m wondering if he’s about all that’s left.”

  “I sure wish we had an accurate count on them,” Zachary said.

  “I wish we knew exactly where he was now. We could eliminate him and be done with it,” Pasha said.

  “I’m afraid the other ancient vampires may still want to take charge,” Daemon said. “As long as there are ancients in the area who were part of this whole situation, we’ll have a problem. They don’t like to lose. Even some of the newly turned could think they’d stand a chance to take over. They wouldn’t, but some might be arrogant enough to believe so. Another thing to consider. If Rutherford is still alive, he might be doing what Crichton has been doing, staying out of trouble until he can enter the game again. Not for the same reason though. He has to be weakened from an injury, unable to obtain blood to heal, and he has to know Crichton would love to finish him off in his weakened condition. Just like we would.” He finished up his eggs. “I’ve got to lie down again and be ready for tonight.”