Hunting Season (Aurora Sky

by Nikki Jefford

  Fane’s eyes flicked over Diederick as though he were responsible for screwing things up. If my hands weren’t bound, I might have been tempted to applaud Fane’s performance.

  Too bad the informant was listening to every word spoken. On one hand, we needed Diederick and Henry to think I was on their side. On the other, I couldn’t have Melcher’s man running back with stories about me being a double-agent. Somehow we had to smooth all this over.

  At the moment, I was coming up blank.

  There wasn’t much time to brainstorm. Diederick suddenly turned, whipping out his gun as he did. He pulled me against his chest and pressed the cold barrel against my temple.

  I cried out in surprise.

  Fane jumped up from the chair, but the two muscled men were on him before he could make it another step.

  Dressed all in black, Fane and I looked like a pair of matching bookends. It reminded me of Sandy at the end of Grease—good girl gone bad—my Olivia Newton-John to Fane’s John Travolta.

  If only we could break out into song and dance rather than combat.

  “Who killed my employees and guests?” Diederick asked.

  Speaking was difficult with my heart lodged inside my throat.

  “They told me it was a man named Jared,” Henry said. “They claim he killed Marcus, too.”

  Diederick’s grip tightened on me. “One man couldn’t have slaughtered my people single-handedly. Who else did this?” Diederick dug the barrel of the gun into my temple.

  “He had help,” I said, barely above a whisper.

  “Who?”

  “I don’t know,” I lied.

  Diederick’s fingers dug into my arm. The pressure against my temple increased. “Do you value you your life? Because I’m five seconds away from blowing your brains out over this nice hardwood floor.”

  “Wait a minute,” Henry cried.

  Without a doubt it was in concern for the floor, not me.

  Fane struggled against the men gripping his arms. His lips curled back. “Do that, and you’re dead.”

  “I’m the one holding the gun.” Diederick yanked me sideways. “Now give me their names.”

  I couldn’t swallow, let alone speak.

  “I bet it was Valerie,” Joss said.

  The pale husk of a man tapped his finger to his lower lip in thought. Out of everyone in the room, he looked the least stressed.

  I stared at him. Everyone stared at him. In Fane’s case, it was a full on glare. He probably wished Joss had stayed home.

  Diederick’s jaw relaxed as his frown softened. “Who is Valerie?” he asked Joss.

  “No one you need to concern yourself with,” Fane said, glaring harder at Joss.

  The pressure on my temple subsided, though the gun remained beside my head.

  “Tell me more about Valerie,” Diederick said.

  “She’s a dangerous vampire hunter,” Joss said, wrinkling his long, pale nose. “She attempted to attack us in our own home.”

  “How do you know her?” Diederick asked.

  “This wasn’t the first time she targeted Francesco,” Joss said. “They were lovers.”

  “Joss,” Fane said in a warning tone.

  The informant’s head must be spinning. First Jared’s name and now Valerie’s was being bandied about, not to mention Fane claiming I worked for him. Sorting that out wasn’t going to be pretty, but it trumped having my head blown off.

  Diederick leaned forward, his grip on me lessening. “Continue, Josslyn.”

  “She used her feminine charms to draw Francesco in while he was a student at Denali High School.”

  “What about her blood?” Diederick asked Fane. “It didn’t poison you?”

  “She’s not that kind of hunter,” Fane said.

  I was surprised he could speak at all with the way he ground his teeth together.

  “I have to warn Gavin,” Henry said suddenly. “We’ve hardly spoken since he started going out with her. I thought he had fallen in love, but she seduced him, didn’t she? The same way she seduced you?” He looked at Fane, who scowled in response.

  “Valerie Ward did not seduce me.”

  “She most certainly did,” Joss said.

  Diederick looked around the room at everyone. “This is why I stick to wine, not women,” he said. “Much safer and more satisfying.”

  “Tell that to the guests who attended your tasting last night,” Fane said.

  Diederick’s eyes narrowed. The men holding Fane’s arms straightened their backs.

  “You better get your hands off me now,” Fane snarled at them.

  But they didn’t.

  My heart raced. Good. I might need that adrenaline in a second.

  “I’d say we’ve all had a rough night,” Joss said. He still didn’t appear alarmed in the least. “Wouldn’t it be more sensible if we all worked together?”

  Since when did Joss become the negotiator?

  “My team and I can handle this,” Fane said. “Valerie Ward is none of your concern.”

  Diederick’s fingers left my arm and tightened into a fist. “Oh, but she is. This woman, this Valerie, and this man, Jared, have cost me everything. I want to know where they are right now.”

  I knew exactly where they were, and it didn’t bode well. There was no way in hell I’d put Noel at risk or lose Jared by giving up his current location at my house. Then there was Valerie. Obviously she hadn’t made it yet, which meant she was on her way.

  Let the blood bath begin.

  Out of all the side effects of being a vampire, I was beginning to wonder if breathing, or lack thereof, was one of them. It seemed like I hadn’t taken a breath since walking in, yet I was still standing.

  Diederick lowered his gun. He stared at Fane. “You dated her. You know where she lives.”

  Fane’s jaw tightened. “I told you, my team and I will handle this.”

  “This isn’t open for negotiation. In fact, given your past history with this woman, I think it’s best you stay here.”

  “The hell we will,” Fane said, jaw tightening. He broke away from the men at his side, walked forward and took me gently by the arm. “We’re going.”

  My heart fluttered as his fingers pressed through my coat. Fane shot Joss a look that said, “Get your bony ass off that sofa right now.”

  I walked with him out of the living room, not looking to see if Joss followed.

  The two men who had held Fane circled around us and blocked the entry leading to the front door. Fane dropped my arm. His fingers balled into fists.

  “Move. Now,” he said.

  They held their positions, saying nothing back.

  My breath hitched. Did Diederick really mean to imprison us at the palace? We needed to get out of there—back home to Noel and Jared. If only I could get Diederick, Henry, and their goons to suck my blood.

  As my thoughts circled around my head, searching for a ready solution, Fane pulled his arm back and socked one of the men in the jaw. The big brute grasped his chin in surprise. Fane twisted quickly, aiming his fist at the second guard, but this one had more time to react. He grabbed Fane’s wrist and wrenched his arm around.

  “No!” I screamed.

  What could I do? The informant had bound my hands and confiscated my knife. That didn’t prevent me from beating at the guard nearest me with both hands.

  Fane ground his teeth together. “I am giving you three seconds to unhand me,” he said.

  Diederick walked toward us. “Please understand I mean no disrespect, but your personal involvement with Valerie makes you a loose cannon. I have to look out for my safety and that of my allies here. I am sure we will all feel better once this woman is dealt with.”

  “If you do not release me at once you will regret it,” Fane said. “I promise you that.”

  Diederick’s eyebrows furrowed. “I do apologize, Francesco, but I’m afraid we’re going to have to hold you in the music room.”

  My heart dropped.

 
; The music room. Marcus’ soundproof torture chamber.

  No way. They couldn’t throw him in there, not Fane Donado. He wasn’t some vamp to be snatched and tossed inside a cell.

  My face heated. My entire body shook in outrage.

  “Diederick. How could you suggest such a thing?” Joss cried out. “Francesco has been nothing but forthcoming. He’s been trying to help.”

  Diederick stared at Joss, seeming to consider this. The guards waited with iron grips—at least mine had an iron grip. I couldn’t imagine Fane’s guard was holding on gently.

  Fane quit trying to twist free, focusing a chilling glare on Diederick instead.

  “I truly am sorry,” Diederick said. “But this is for Francesco’s protection as well as our own. I cannot take risks, not after tonight’s massacre.” He nodded at the men.

  The guard gripped me with one hand as his other frisked me from shoulder to ankle. He snatched my phone from my pocket.

  The guard with Fane pushed him from behind past the living room. Fane narrowed his eyes to slits as he passed Diederick.

  “Big mistake,” he said in a low, menacing voice.

  Diederick watched with detachment. If I were him, I’d be a lot more concerned. Fane might not be malicious or cruel, but he was fearless, and pride was a lethal weapon.

  “And the woman?” the guard holding me asked.

  “Put her in with Francesco,” Diederick said. “We’ll question her more later.”

  My stomach churned. On one hand, I was happy to stay with Fane as long as possible. On the other… I was returning to the music room. It’s where Marcus had tried to kill me before I killed him.

  I did not want to go back in there.

  My feet cemented themselves to the stone entry—stones imported from Jerusalem. Henry had given me the lowdown on that when he and Gavin gave me the palace tour the first time I stepped foot at Marcus’.

  Henry looked at me now, searching my face quizzically. He probably still suspected me in Marcus’ murder.

  I stopped resisting and allowed my guard to escort me past the living room. We entered a narrow hallway off the far side of the townhouse. It wasn’t far to the music room. The door was open. Fane’s guard pushed him inside. Mine was right behind them. He gave me a shove in behind Fane, who had whirled around and stood arms crossed tightly over his chest. He glared with venom through the entry. I’d barely regained my footing when my guard closed the door on us. The lock clicked into place from the other side. Fane and I were trapped inside the music room.

  I’d failed Dante yet again. How was I supposed to free him when I was now a prisoner locked securely inside the palace?

  The door of the music room wasn't budging, no matter how hard I stared at the hunk of wood. I pivoted, turning my back in frustration.

  “God, I hate this room.”

  My eyes darted from one wall to the next. I didn’t want to remember what happened here nearly seven months ago. I continued gazing at the door even knowing I couldn’t stare at it all night. Locked inside the music room, wrists bound. How was I supposed to stay calm?

  Fane kicked the wall. “Way to go, Henry.”

  “What happened, anyway?” I asked. “When did he turn on us?”

  Fane pulled on the hair at the top of his head. “Everything was going fine. Joss and I picked Henry up and met his friends here before the party started. I didn’t mention the change in plan. I figured Henry was on edge enough already. In the end it didn’t matter, anyway. Valerie never showed up. We opened the doors and had ourselves a tribute party. Then, about an hour ago, I saw Henry take a call. He started acting funny after that. He went around whispering to his friends. When I confronted him, he said he needed to talk to me in private right away.” Fane flicked his fingers in the air. “We went upstairs into a room. They pulled a gun on me.” Fane snorted. “Like I was going anywhere. They took my phone and here we are.”

  The last place I wanted to be.

  Fane crossed his arms over his chest. “I take it your mission was a success if all Diederick’s guests and associates are now dead.”

  “Getting caught doesn’t quite count as a success. But I did get Jared.” My teeth jammed together when I smiled. Despite being trapped, fooling the mighty vamp still made me smile.

  Fane inclined his head. “What do you mean you ‘got Jared?’”

  My smile widened. “I invited him in for a drink after he drove me home. He came in, and I drugged his rum and Coke.”

  Fane didn’t smile back. If anything, his frown deepened. “That was reckless even for you.”

  My smile dropped. Way to put a damper on my moment of triumph. “Well it worked, didn’t it?”

  Fane’s arms dropped to his sides. “No, it didn’t. Look where we are.” He groaned. His frustration echoed off the walls.

  My eyes narrowed. “You don’t need to remind me. I’m very familiar with this room.”

  I turned away from Fane and looked around. The room was the size of a small office and empty besides one massive stereo system and two giant speakers. The walls were covered in grayish white padding. Nothing had changed. It was exactly as I remembered it.

  My gaze drifted down to the floor, the exact spot where Marcus had fallen to his death after I stabbed him. I stared so long my eyes went out of focus.

  I lifted both hands and pointed at the floor. “There. That’s where Marcus died.”

  Fane glanced down.

  “He bit me first, but it did no good. I mean, he got the shakes, but it didn’t knock him out. He came after me.” I nodded at the speakers. “He played Alice in Chains. 'We Die Young.'”

  I never wanted to hear that song again. I circled the center of the room. “He grabbed me by the neck. He squeezed so hard I thought the end had come, but then I took out my knife and stabbed him in the thigh. After that, the heart. Then he went down. There,” I said nodding once more at the spot on the floor. “Strangulation isn’t pleasant,” I continued. “I had to strangle a vampire to death for my final test at boot camp.”

  I looked at Fane, searching his face for a reaction. His eyebrows furrowed. He frowned.

  “Your hand was forced,” Fane said.

  “Not anymore,” I said. “I completed Melcher’s mission like he wanted. He said we’d get Dante back afterwards. I’m making sure that happens. I called Noel before I left the house. She was on her way. She’ll secure Jared.” I nodded my head. “She will.”

  Fane’s eyes flicked toward the door. “Why didn’t you tell Diederick you had Jared?”

  I inclined my head. “The man you saw with him is an agency informant.”

  Fane’s eyes expanded. “Oh, shit.”

  I nodded. “When he showed up at my house he wanted to know where Jared was. They followed his car to my place from the hillside. I said he’d escaped out back.”

  “Good thinking,” Fane said.

  And good to hear he agreed with one thing I’d done that night.

  “It was at the time, but God knows what he’s thinking now.” My wrists chaffed where the informant had bound them. First duct tape, and now zip ties. The glamorous life of a vampire hunter.

  Fane looked paler than usual. “What’s he going to think of my story about hiring you to spy at parties?”

  A calm wave washed over me. “It doesn’t matter what he thinks. Valerie’s on her way to the palace to get Henry as we speak. If he attempts to stop her, he’s dead. And in order to maintain his cover, he’ll have to take action.”

  “How do you know Valerie’s coming?” Fane asked, taking a step toward me.

  “She made an unscheduled appearance at the lodge. She’s already shot two agents tonight. She would have shot Jared, but then he told her she’s a vampire.”

  Fane sucked in a breath. “Valerie knows she’s undead?”

  I met his eye. “She does now.”

  “Porca vacca! Cazzo!” Fane yelled, suddenly sounding very Italian… and very angry. His jaw tightened, and his shoulders ten
sed. Fane rushed to the door and pounded on it.

  “What are you doing?” I cried, coming up behind him.

  “We have to warn them. She could kill Joss.” Fane beat at the door with his fist.

  I fought to free my own wrists, straining against the ties. They cut into my skin and stung. How could such a thin piece of plastic hold firm?

  When no one answered Fane’s incessant pounding, he threw his shoulder into the door. It smacked hard, but still no one came.

  “Dammit,” Fane said, jamming his back against the door. “Why didn’t you say something earlier?”

  I frowned. “Everything happened so quickly. I had no idea they’d throw us in here.”

  Everything had happened so fast and now, thanks to me, we were locked inside the music room. No, not me, the agency. Once more they’d screwed me over. They’d been screwing with Fane before I was ever turned into a vampire hunter.

  Valerie never would have set her sights on Fane if Melcher hadn’t assigned her to get close to him. I hadn’t required any such instruction. I’d been drawn to Fane’s darkness all on my own. The more I got to know him, the more I saw his dark exterior for what it was: a disguise hiding the goodness inside.

  “She has no reason to kill him,” I said, hoping to ease Fane’s mind. “Those other two agents tried to attack her. Somehow I have trouble picturing Joss charging her.”

  “No, he wouldn’t,” Fane said. “But if she sees Joss, she’ll know I’m here somewhere, and she’ll want to know where.”

  My heart jerked like a football being dropkicked. I hadn’t thought about that part. Joss might hold out, but Henry wouldn’t. He had no loyalty toward us. And when Valerie found us, we’d be like sitting ducks.

  15

  The Chewing Dead

  I fought the plastic tie, attempting to pull my wrists apart and break it in the process. It bit into my wrists. The right one stung. A trickle of blood inked its way down the inside of my arm. With a cry of pain, I stopped. The only thing I’d broken through was skin.

  Fane moved to me swiftly. He lifted my hands and inspected the tie. “It’s not coming off without scissors or a knife.”