“Be safe,” Nevaeh said and hugged Karma. “We will be right behind you.”
“Better let Harrison drive then,” Karma said as she tossed the keys into the air and caught them. “Because I’m not slowing down for anything.”
Chapter Three
Jackson sat on his cot and looked around the place he was in. From what he could tell, it was a warehouse of sorts, but that’s all he could be sure of. The windows were well off the ground, and too small for a person to fit through, and there was only one door, but the size of the building, and the way the walls were made, made him think it may be an old storage facility of some kind.
As he looked at Caia sleeping on her cot, he let his mind drift back to Delanie. The first time he’d seen her he knew she was someone different than anyone he’d ever met before. When her big blue eyes locked with his gray ones, he was lost to her.
They had agreed to get to know one another before taking any steps into a relationship, but he already knew he wanted it all with her. He wanted what Karma and Dylan had.
Sighing, he thought back to their last conversation;
“Tell me about your family,” he said, and she frowned a little.
“My entire family was killed a little over two years ago,” she told him.
“I’m sorry,” he responded and laid his hand on her leg. “My Mom was killed by a member of the Senate because she and Harrison were together.”
“The vampire Senate?” Delanie asked, and he could hear the shock in her voice.
“Yes,” he replied. “His name was Demetri, and Nevaeh killed him seven months ago.”
“Wow,” she said as she laid her head on his shoulder. “What about your Dad?”
“He left when he found out what Dylan was, and I haven’t seen him since,” he answered. “I don’t have very many memories of him, though.”
“That may not be a bad thing,” she told him.
“Maybe not,” he agreed and smiled a little. “Harrison has always been like a Father to me, though, and when we found out he was Dylan’s Father, it was a slight shock to us both.”
“How did you find out,” she asked.
“Karma,” he responded, and she looked at him in confusion.
“How?” She asked.
But before he could answer, everything went black and his memories from that point until he woke up here were gone.
Sighing, he pulled himself to his feet and started slowly pacing around his small cell. He had to find a way out of here. He had to find a way back to his family.
“Everything okay, Jackson?” Caia asked from her cot.
“I didn’t mean to wake you,” he said and walked to the bars that separated them. “Want me to tell you more about vampire?”
“Not right now,” she answered as she got up and walked to him. When she sat on the floor with her back against the wall, she looked up at him. “Tell me some things about you.”
“Okay,” he said and sat on the floor beside her. “But when I’m finished, I want to hear about you, too.”
“Deal,” she said with a small smile. “I’m glad to finally have someone to talk to.”
“I’m glad,” he told her then started talking about growing up on the farm in Oregon.
****
“Where are you?” Baxter asked as soon as Karma answered the phone.
“Just crossed into South Carolina,” she answered as she looked around at the signs flying past the window. “We’re stopping in a little while though. The humans need food, and the vampire need blood.”
“Okay,” he responded and relayed the information to Jensen. “We’ve just wrapped things up here and will be leaving as soon as we can get things loaded.”
“We have no idea where to begin searching, so we are going to find a hotel then start mapping out different areas to search. You should be there by the time we’re finished and ready to start,” she told him. “We’re stopping in the next town. It has a blood donation facility, and several places with human food. We won’t be more than an hour before we’re back on the road though.”
“I’ll call when we leave,” Baxter told her then ended the call.
“They’ve finished there and will be on their way shortly,” she relayed to Dylan and the Huntresses in their van.
“Good,” he said and called Nevaeh to relay the information and let them know they were stopping in the next town.
Ten minutes later, Karma stopped the van in front of the blood donation center and got out. She hated the fact that she had to drink blood to survive now, but at least she never had to actually bite a human to do it.
“Ten minutes, then we will get you some food,” she said to Dylan and the Huntresses. “And I want some fries.”
“Fries and bacon,” Dylan said and chuckled. “The only two human foods you still crave are fries and bacon.”
“That’s because fries and bacon are the best things ever,” she said and kissed him lightly before opening the door and stepping into the evening light. “Ten minutes.”
“Ten minutes,” he said and chuckled when she blew him a kiss and walked into the center with Harrison, Nevaeh, and Analia.
“You and Karma have something very few ever find,” Delanie said and smiled a little as she thought of Jackson.
“I think most don’t find it because they’re looking for it,” Dylan told her. “Karma and I met under unusual circumstances, and we were drawn to each other from the moment we first laid eyes on the other. We later discovered why, but at the time, it was very new to us both.”
“What’s it like now that she’s a vampire?” Sally, another of the Huntresses asked.
“Mostly the same,” he answered. “As Halflings, she and I have always had the strength and abilities of vampire, but we didn’t have to drink blood to survive. Now, she does, and that’s fine. It’s part of who she is.”
“I’m not sure I could ever be with a vampire,” Delanie said as she thought back to her family being murdered.
“Oh?” Dylan asked with a raised eyebrow. “What if the person you loved was changed? Would you stop loving them because something happened that was beyond their control?”
“No,” she answered instantly, thinking about Jackson. “I just don’t know how I could be with them. Vampire killed my family.”
“Vampire killed Karma’s family, too,” Dylan reminded her.
“I know, but she killed the one who killed her family,” Delanie told him. “I have no idea who killed mine, or why.”
“Want to find out?” Dylan asked. “After we find Jackson, I’m sure Karma and Nevaeh would help you track them down.”
“I have no idea how,” she told him. “That was over two years ago, and there’s nothing left of them, or the house.”
“If you want to try, we will help you,” he told her. “We are all family, and we will always help each other.”
Before she could respond, a scream came from the other van, and Dylan went on high alert.
“Fuck,” he said as he grabbed some daggers from Karma’s bag and reached for his door handle. “Vampire.”
“Let’s do this,” Delanie said as she pulled her Kunai from their sheaths on her boots.
“Nice,” Dylan said before opening his door and darting from the van.
When they reached the other van, the Huntresses were in battle with a dozen vampire, and it wasn’t going well.
“Hey,” Dylan yelled, and three of the vampire looked up at him, giving the Huntresses the edge they needed to stake them.
“Thanks,” Gina yelled as she pulled a vampire off a fallen Huntress.
“No problem,” Dylan said as he drove a dagger into the vampire’s chest before taking out another one.
“What the fuck?” One of the remaining vampire asked as a Sai embedded itself into the chest of the vampire next to him, and Dylan grinned. Karma and the others were back.
The fight was over in a matter of seconds.
“We have two injured, no one dead,” Gina
called out and Delanie sighed in relief.
“What the fuck happened?” Nevaeh asked.
“We were sitting in the van chatting, when suddenly all the doors were pulled open and most of us were pulled out. Lexie screamed, and the vampire punched her, but Dylan and the others heard her. They showed up just in time to keep anyone from being killed,” Gina told her.
“Glad you move at vampire speed,” Lexie said as she looked at Dylan.
“Me too,” he responded. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” she replied as she wiped the blood from her face with the paper towel Karma handed her.
“How the fuck did they find us?” Karma asked, looking at the faces around her. “The only people who even knew we were stopping was Baxter and Jensen.”
“And probably the entire VEB,” Nevaeh said and frowned.
“Do you think we may have another VEB member working for Crompton?” Delanie asked.
“Maybe,” Karma said and frowned. “Just to be safe, let’s head up a couple more exits before getting food.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” Nevaeh said and looked around. “We need to get rid of these guys first though.”
“Already taken care of,” Dylan replied as three of the blood donation center employees walked out.
“It seems there was a problem here,” one of them said and looked at the dead vampire.
“Yes,” Karma told them and flashed a smile. “Can your clean-up department take care of this? We really need to get out of here. Our location has been compromised.”
“Of course, Miss Black,” the older gentleman answered.
“Thank you,” she responded and smiled again. “Let’s load up and head out then.”
Chapter Four
“My Dad was from Oregon,” Caia said when Jackson stopped talking. “He traveled for work, and Mom told me he didn’t move to be with us full-time until I was almost four. Shortly after that, we moved to Florida. He died when I was ten, and after that it was just me and Mom.”
“My Dad took off when I was seven. He couldn’t deal with what Dylan was, and I haven’t seen him since,” Jackson told her. “Mom and Dylan were my family, and when Mom died it was just me and Dylan.”
“How old were you when your Mom died?”
“Fourteen,” he answered. “Dylan was eighteen and filed for custody of me. He’s always been more than just my big brother.”
“Do you think he will find you?” She asked.
“Between him and Karma, and Nevaeh and Harrison, and the Huntresses and VEB, yeah, they’ll find me,” he answered confidently.
“But how?” She asked, not understanding how he was so confident.
“I don’t really know,” he answered honestly. “I just know they will.”
“I wish I had your confidence,” she said and leaned her he ad against the bars between them. “Maybe I would if I hadn’t been here so long.”
“When they come for me, I’ll make sure they get you out, too,” he assured her. “Then we can find your Mom and you can be with her again.”
“After the things they’ve done to me, and the things I’ve seen here, I doubt she would want me back,” she told him sadly.
“I’m sure she will,” he replied. “It’ll take some adjusting for both of you, but you’re her daughter, and she loves you.”
“Sometimes I wonder,” Caia whispered, almost inaudibly.
“Why?” He asked, not sure why she would think that.
“Because of my Dad,” she replied. “You see, he was married when he met her, and when she got pregnant with me, he wouldn’t leave his wife to be with us because he had two sons. He’d visit us but wouldn’t stay more than a couple of days before he was gone again. Then, suddenly he showed up one day and never left again.”
“None of that is your fault,” Jackson told her as he thought about what she’d just said. “Did he ever tell you why he left his other family?”
“No,” she answered. “He may have told Mom, but I was just happy my Dad was there. Why?”
“I was just wondering,” he answered and laid his head against the wall.
“Jackson,” she said after a few minutes passed.
“Yeah,” he responded, not opening his eyes.
“What are you thinking about?”
“What you told me about your Dad,” he answered honestly.
“Why?” She asked, confused as to why he would be thinking about her Dad.
“Just thinking about him being from Oregon, and having two sons, and coming to be with you and your Mom all the time just before you turned four,” he said and sighed. “Made me think about my Dad and the timeline of everything. Your Dad went to live with you full-time just after mine disappeared from our lives.”
“Oh,” she said and raised her head up to look at him.
“Just made me wonder a few things,” he said and opened his eyes.
“Like what?” She asked.
“What’s your Dad’s name?” He asked, hoping his thinking was way off.
“Jack Murray,” she answered, and his head snapped toward her.
“Are you serious?” He asked, not believing he was hearing her correctly.
“Yes, why?”
“Because, Caia, Jack Murray was my Father’s name,” he said, and her jaw dropped. “I’m named after him.”
“No way,” she commented after a moment passed.
“My Dad travelled a lot with work,” Jackson told her. “And he left just after I turned seven. The timelines add up.”
“Oh my god,” she said and closed her eyes again. “You’re one of the sons he left.”
“When we get out, I really want to meet your Mom,” he said, and she nodded. “I have a few questions for her.”
“Then let’s hope your brother finds us soon.”
“They’ll find us,” Jackson told her again, as he laid his head against the wall once more.
“Sun’s starting to set,” she told him after a few minutes. “They’ll be here soon.”
“Yes,” he said and opened his eyes again. “But they will not break me.”
****
“Karma,” Dylan said as they crossed the Florida state line just as the sun started setting.
“Yes?” She responded.
“We need to stop for a few minutes,” he said, and she glanced at him.
“Why?”
“For one, the van needs gas,” he replied and nodded toward the gas gauge. “And for two, some of us have to use the restroom.”
“Yeah, okay,” she said and signaled at the next exit. “I’m sorry.”
“No need to be sorry,” Delanie responded. “I don’t really want to stop either but needs must.”
“It’s difficult to think about human needs now that I don’t have them,” Karma explained as she pulled into a gas station and stopped at the pump. “I’ll fill the tank while you take care of what you need to take care of.”
“Want anything?” Dylan asked before he slid from the van.
“Chocolate,” she responded and grinned when the Huntresses chuckled.
“That’s my girl,” Dylan said before shutting the door and jogging toward the building.
“I was about to call and let you know we needed to stop,” Harrison said from the pump behind her. “We needed gas, and the Huntresses needed the restroom.”
“Yeah,” she said as she slid one of the credit cards from her wallet. “Don’t use your own card.”
“Thanks for the reminder,” he grinned as he replaced the card in his hand and pulled out another one from his wallet.
“So,” Nevaeh said as she stepped out of the van with Analia behind her. “According to Google, we are about two and a half hours from Orlando.”
“Driving at normal speed, yeah,” Karma said and grinned.
“Driving at Karma speed, about an hour,” Harrison remarked. “Or less.”
“I don’t think we should stay in Orlando,” Karma said and looked around them. “There are smal
ler areas just on the outskirts of the city itself, and I think we should go for one of those. Less populated, and since it’s March, there will be fewer tourists in the outlying areas.”
“Not a bad idea,” Nevaeh told her. “Where in Orlando are we going to start looking first?”
“Docks,” Analia said and looked at the three of them. “Every place I ever went with Crompton was near the docks. He liked having a water route to escape by if necessary.”
“Docks it is,” Harrison said as Dylan walked up to them and handed Karma a chocolate bar.
“What about the docks?” He asked.
“We’re going to start searching around the docks in Orlando and some of the surrounding areas first,” Karma explained. “Analia thinks that will be the best place to start.”
“Sounds good to me,” Dylan responded. “Huntresses should be out in a couple minutes. As the only guy who had to use the restroom, I didn’t have to wait.”
“I’ll go in and see if I can get them to hurry along,” Nevaeh said and kissed Harrison before walking toward the building. Once she was gone, Analia sighed.
“What’s wrong?” Karma asked the girl, who was technically the same age as her, but seemed so much younger.
“I’m still getting used to everything,” she answered. “I’m trying to remember everything Crompton ever told me, without reacting like his slave, which I was for the past decade.”
“It’ll take a while, but you’ll get there,” Harrison assured her. “Just keep looking toward the end of this and focus on that.”
“I’m trying,” she told them. “It’s just, I look at Nevaeh and I know she’s my Mother, but I can’t seem to see her as such. She’s more of a Mother to Karma than me, and that’s okay, but I am having a hard time adapting to making decisions and helping.”
“You were held captive for over half your life,” Karma reminded her. “You can’t expect yourself to just get over that.”
“You would,” Analia told her.
“Maybe, maybe not,” Karma responded. “I don’t know how I would react because I was never in that situation. I was raised in a loving home, surrounded by people who never expected me to be anything other than who I am.”
Delanie's Fury (Vampire Huntress Saga Book 3) Page 2
