“You’re a lot stronger than I am,” Analia commented.
“Maybe, but that doesn’t mean you’re weak,” Karma assured her. “You’re the same as I am. You were born a Halfling, just like Dylan and I, and you’ve become a full vampire, just like I have. The difference is, I’ve been training for battle for over three years. I prepared for the worst, and it happened. You never had that opportunity.”
“But you’re getting it now,” Harrison told her. “Nevaeh will not let Crompton hurt you again.”
“None of us will,” Dylan assured her.
“What if he hurts Jackson?” She asked.
“Then I will not rest until he’s dead,” Delanie said from behind them.
“Good answer,” Dylan said and looked back at the Huntresses walking toward the vans. “Looks like we’re ready to get back on the road.”
“Let’s load up,” Karma called out. “Nevaeh, I’ll call when I figure out exactly where we’re going.”
“And what are we going to tell Baxter?” Harrison asked.
“We’ll tell him where we are,” Karma responded.
“Do you think that’s safe?” Dylan asked.
“No,” Karma replied and grinned. “Which is why I’m going to tell him.”
“What’s your plan?” Nevaeh asked with a frown.
“I’ll fill you in once we get there,” Karma responded and opened her door. “For now, just trust that I have one.”
“I’ve never doubted that for a second,” Nevaeh said and walked to the van Harrison was driving.
“Good,” Karma said and winked at her. “Let’s roll out.”
Chapter Five
“Caia?” Jackson said quietly.
“Yes,” she responded immediately.
“Even if you aren’t my sister I will do whatever I can to keep you safe.”
“Why would you risk yourself for someone you don’t know?” She asked.
“Because you’re a person, and all lives matter,” he responded. “No matter what happens, your life is just as important as mine, and I will make sure you’re rescued, too.”
“Do you think your family will see it the same as you?” She asked, unsure.
“Yes,” he responded confidently. “Dylan and Karma both value human life above all else, and they will rescue you.”
“You sound so sure.”
“That’s because I am,” he told her. “I know those two as well as I know myself, and I know they will save every life they can.”
“I hope you’re right,” she said just as the door opened and the three vampire holding them walked in.
“Well, well,” the largest one said with an evil grin. “Seems you two have become pals.”
“We’re just talking,” Jackson said, pulling their gazes from Caia to him.
“I’m surprised you can talk after what we did last night,” one of them said with a chuckle. “That was fun though.”
“Fuck you,” Jackson snapped, remembering what they’d done to him last night. “Do whatever the fuck you want to me, but I’ll never tell that sadistic son of a bitch anything.”
“We will see about that,” the third one said. “Crompton doesn’t want you tonight.”
“Wait,” Jackson said when they looked at Caia. “She’s just a child, and she doesn’t know anything about Karma.”
“Maybe, maybe not, but you two have been talking since you woke up, and the boss thinks you told her something,” the largest said as he pulled a key from his pocket.
“No,” Jackson said as he pressed against the bars. “He’ll kill her.”
“So?”
“She’s just a child, you bastard,” he said and banged on the bars. “Take me, I’ll answer his questions.”
“Oh?” The second one asked. “Why would you answer them now?”
“No, Jackson,” Caia said and looked at him with tears in her eyes. “Don’t tell them anything that will help them. They’ll kill you once you do.”
“They won’t kill me,” Jackson assured her. “They need me alive if they want Karma.”
“Doesn’t matter,” she said and looked at him. “If they want to kill me, I’m ready to die. At least I’ll be out of this hell.”
“No!” Jackson shouted as they unlocked her cell and pulled her out.
“It’ll be okay,” Caia told him and looked him in the eyes as she passed. “I promise, it’ll be okay.”
“She’s just a kid, you bastards!” Jackson shouted as they led her toward the door. “She’s just a kid!”
He kept shouting as they walked through the door, and once it closed behind them, he walked to his cot and sat down.
“I have to find a way out of here,” he said softly. “I cannot let them to do her what they do to me.”
Rising to his feet, he paced his cell as a plan formed in his head.
****
“This place looks as good as any,” Karma said before getting out of the van in front of a cheap motel. “Be right back.”
Once inside, she looked around and smiled. This was not the sort of place they’d normally stay, but after what happened on the road, she needed a good cover place.
“May I help you?” The older woman behind the counter asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” Karma answered. “I need six rooms for a week, please.”
“Six?” The woman asked.
“Yes, please,” Karma answered and pulled her VEB ID from her pocket. “Vampire Enforcement Bureau business, ma’am.”
“Yeah, okay,” the lady replied as she tapped the keys on a very old computer. “I have six together around back. They’re on the first floor. Is that okay?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Karma answered. “And ma’am. If anyone comes in and asks if we’re here, tell them what rooms we rented please.”
“Are you expecting trouble?” She asked, concerned.
“I always expect trouble,” Karma answered honestly. “But it’s nothing we won’t be able to handle, ma’am.”
“We’re a quiet place here,” the woman told her.
“Yes, ma’am,” Karma responded as the woman ran her VEB credit card. “We will be as quiet as possible.”
“Okay,” she said and smiled a little. “You’re the young woman who told the world about vampire, aren’t you?”
“Yes ma’am,” Karma answered. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I need to get my team settled so we can get to work on what we’re here for.”
“If you need anything, please just call the desk,” the woman told her.
“We will, and ma’am, don’t forget to tell anyone who may come looking for us, exactly where we are.”
“I will,” the lady said as Karma walked out.
“Well?” Dylan asked.
“We have six rooms in the back,” she said as she pulled the van around.
“Perfect,” he said and grinned.
“Let’s get this set up then get back to the house,” Harrison said and grinned. “Anyone who comes looking for us, will be in for more than they bargained for.”
“Do you think they like surprises?” Karma asked when she unlocked the first door and walked in.
“I guess we’ll see,” Delanie said and grinned. “Thanks for letting me help with this.”
“We needed at least two who could safely handle silver,” Karma reminded her. “And seeing as you’re half in love with Jackson, you were the obvious choice.”
“I’m not,” Delanie said and frowned. “I like him, and I’m pissed he was taken before we had a chance to get to know each other, but that’s it.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” Dylan said. “Now, let’s get this done so we can start searching for my brother.”
“I swear, if they hurt him, I will take them apart piece by piece,” Delanie told them as they got to work.
“You will have to get in line,” Dylan told her.
“He’s going to be okay,” Karma told them all. “And if he’s not, I will stake every fucking vampire within a hundre
d miles until I find the one who hurt him.”
“It won’t come to that,” Harrison assured her. “We will get to him before they can hurt him.”
“We will,” Analia said and looked around the first room. “Do you think this will work?”
“I have never known one of Karma’s plans to fail,” Dylan told her and looked at the only person he loved more than Jackson.
“But you’ve only known her what, about nine months?” Delanie asked.
“About that,” Dylan answered. “But that doesn’t mean anything. Karma is brilliant and has a mind that scares the ever-living fuck out of me.”
“Me too,” Harrison said and grinned. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I’m glad she likes us.”
“I’m glad she’s on our side in this war,” Nevaeh said and chuckled. “Now, let’s get these rooms ready and back to the house before anyone shows up. We don’t want to be in here when shit hits the fan.”
“Right,” Karma said, and they got to work.
An hour later, Karma locked the door to the last room and grinned.
“That should do it,” she said as she looked at the closed doors to all the rooms. The Do Not Disturb signs hanging from the doors would keep housekeeping out but wouldn’t deter the vampire who would come looking for them.
“We will watch in shifts,” Nevaeh said and looked at the others. “And in pairs, at least.”
“Threes,” Karma said and shrugged. “One vampire and two Huntresses.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Delanie said and looked at the group with her. “Who takes first shift?”
“I will,” Harrison said and looked at Delanie. “And since you’re the only Huntress here, looks like you’re with me.”
“I’ll bring Nikki back to stay with you two,” Nevaeh told him. “And you have the vans if you need to leave.”
“Leaving the vans here and renting SUVs was a brilliant idea,” Dylan said and looked at Karma.
“They’d expect the vans here,” she said and shrugged before looking at Harrison. “I’ll be back in six hours to take the second shift. If anything happens before then, call and we will be here as soon as we can be.”
“Will do,” Harrison said and pulled a pack of sunflower seeds from his pocket.
“Delanie,” Dylan said before they walked off. “Do you need anything? We can pick it up and Nevaeh can bring it when she brings Nikki back.”
“Just some water,” Delanie answered. “I have some trail mix and jerky in my bag.”
“I’ll bring a cooler of water, and it can just stay out here,” Nevaeh told her.
“We’ll be right over there,” Harrison said and pointed to the row of bushes directly across from the hotel room doors. “And I’ll have my cell on at all times.”
“I’ll be back as soon as I can get back with Nikki,” Nevaeh told him and kissed him before walking to the SUV.
“Stay safe,” Dylan said and hugged him before following Nevaeh.
“You’d think they thought I couldn’t take care of myself,” Harrison said with a chuckle before hugging Karma and Analia and pulling Delanie toward the bushes.
Once they were hidden, Karma and Analia walked to the SUV.
“They’ll be okay,” Karma said before starting the SUV and heading out.
“They will be,” Dylan agreed, but looked back at his Father one last time. “They will be.”
Chapter Six
As the sky beyond the little windows started to lighten, the door opened and the largest of the vampire from earlier carried Caia in.
“What the fuck did you do to her?”
“She’s fine, just relax,” he answered.
“That doesn’t answer my question,” Jackson growled. “What the fuck did you do to her?”
“I didn’t do a fucking thing to her,” he answered. “But if you don’t calm the fuck down, I will do something to you.”
“Fuck you, asswipe,” Jackson said, and the vampire hissed at him. “I’m not scared of you, fuckface.”
“You outta be,” be responded.
“You won’t hurt me,” Jackson taunted. “Crompton would stake you if you did.”
“If I killed you, yes,” the vampire snarled. “But I can hurt you and walk away without anything happening to me.”
“Then bring it, fuckface,” Jackson said and shrugged when the vampire rolled his eyes. “Unless you’re too much of a little bitch.”
“You asked for it,” the vampire snarled as he set Caia on her cot. Once he was out and had her cell locked back, he unlocked Jackson’s and stood in the open door.
“Ohh,” Jackson said and rolled his eyes. “Are you supposed to be intimidating? Because to me, you just look stupid.”
With a growl, the vampire charged at him, but Jackson was ready for him.
Sidestepping, like Karma had taught him, he came up with his right hand and caught the vampire in the throat with the piece of metal he had in his hand.
The vampire dropped to his knees, and Jackson took the opportunity to snag his keys off his side and was out the door before the vampire could recover.
After locking the vampire in, Jackson quickly unlocked Caia’s door and walked to her cot.
“Caia,” he said softly as the vampire in the cell roared with fury. He knew he only had a couple minutes before he broke free.
“Jackson,” she whispered, and he knew she’d been drugged.
“We’re getting out of here,” he said and picked her up just as the vampire roared again and started rattling the cell door with enough force to shake the wall behind them.
Without looking back, Jackson ran for the door to the building. He knew he didn’t have any time to try to figure out where they were going.
As he reached the door, it opened, and a man he didn’t recognize entered, followed by the other two vampire from last night.
“Well, well, well,” the man said with a grin. “Looks like we have an escape artist on our hands. Get him and the girl back to their cells.”
“Fuck,” Jackson said softly as one of the vampire took Caia from his arms and the other grabbed him tight from behind.
“It was a valiant effort,” the man said, and his grin grew as he let the larger vampire out of the cell. “But, it was in vain. You see, we have this entire facility under surveillance, and everything you just did was caught on camera.”
“Fuck,” Jackson said again.
“Would you stop using such foul language?” The man asked as the vampire forced him into the cell on the other side of Caia.
“What the fuck do you care what I say?” Jackson asked after the cell was locked.
“Because,” he said and looked at Jackson with very familiar gray eyes. “I am your Father.”
****
“What the fuck is that?” Karma asked as she sat between Gina and Sally in the bushes outside the hotel.
“Just something I’ve been crafting,” Sally said and handed Karma the small, wooden dagger she was playing with.
“It’s different,” Karma said as she examined it. “But seems to be weighted well, and very well crafted.”
“Thank you,” Sally said and smiled. “I wanted something a little different than the normal daggers Nevaeh taught us to craft, and I’m not comfortable with most of the other weapons, so I designed this a couple months ago. I haven’t had the chance to use one yet, though.”
“You should get your chance soon,” Gina told her as she pulled her own weapons from their sheaths. “I’ve found these to be most comfortable for me.”
“What are they?” Sally asked.
“Mini Shinai,” Gina answered. “I trained with them a couple of years ago, and loved the feel of them in my hands.”
“I remember that,” Karma commented as she looked at the small swords Gina was holding. “You and Nevaeh both liked them, but Nevaeh decided she liked her scimitar better.”
“That must have been just before I joined,” Sally commented and shrugged a little.
“It was,” Gina affirmed. “Those knives you crafted look sort of like broadhead throwing knives. Did you use them as a model?”
“I did,” Sally said and handed her one of them. “Took me a while to get the weight right, but I can hit a small target with them from about fifty feet now.”
“That’s fantastic,” Karma said and grinned. “I’m sure we will all be getting some battle time in very soon.”
“Do you think Jackson is in Orlando?” Gina asked.
“Honestly, I don’t know, but it’s as good a place to start as any,” Karma answered.
“What if he’s dead?” Sally asked, hating to think like that, but death was a very real part of life for all of them.
“Then I will hunt down every vampire involved and make them suffer,” Karma told them.
“And if he’s not dead, but has been turned?” Gina asked, knowing that was also a concern.
“Then he will have the opportunity to kill them himself,” she answered then held up her hand when she heard a vehicle approaching. “Someone’s coming, and it isn’t time for Dylan to be here yet.”
They watched in silence as a van pulled up to a stop beside the Huntress vans sitting in front of the rooms they’d rented.
When three large vampire got out and started approaching the first door, Karma grinned.
“They seriously only sent three vampire?” Gina asked nearly silently.
“No,” Karma answered and nodded toward another van approaching. “Let’s see what happens now.”
When six vampire got out of the second van, and three more got out of the first, Karma grinned. They’d sent a dozen, which would have still been no match for them, had they been there.
“A dozen,” Karma mouthed. “Two for each room.”
“Idiots,” Gina breathed.
“Yep,” Sally agreed with a grin.
“Let’s see if the traps work,” Karma said as she shifted to her feet, but stayed crouched behind the bushes.
As they watched, one vampire from each pair picked the lock on the door in front of them then rose to their feet. Looking at the others, they opened the doors at the same time, and were each knocked back into the vampire behind them as the bolts from the crossbows embedded in their chests.
Delanie's Fury (Vampire Huntress Saga Book 3) Page 3
