He halted a few feet from her, his spine stiffened, and his lips tightened before he closed his eyes and rolled his head on his neck. “I’d forgotten that reaction,” he murmured, “I’ve gotten so used to your brother.”
Ah, yes. It wasn’t just dragons that felt that overwhelming urge to kill in the presence of the Born. The trigger went both ways and it had been her ignorance of that fact that had caused her to be captured by Rodolfo.
She tensed in preparation for an attack, her dragon still shockingly quiet within, but Kane Fletcher surprised her when he grinned once more and held out his hand. “You must be Sophia. I’m Kane.”
Moving her half-eaten snack to her left hand, she extended her right, waiting for that uncomfortable burn under her skin to take hold. It didn’t come. Perhaps proximity to Morgan had desensitized her, but all she felt was warm, slightly calloused skin against her own as she shook Kane Fletcher’s hand.
“So. You got any more Slim Jims in that bag?” he asked still smiling, and Sophia actually felt a bubble of laughter rise up in her throat – in the presence of a Born – how bizarre.
Kane saw those full lips twitch with amusement and had the urge to pull that ball cap off her head to see the woman before him fully. Currently, he found her adorable, but he was willing to bet she’d be breathtaking once her face was no longer shadowed by the hat’s bill. Not that he’d admit that out loud in the presence of Travis. The dragon had a protective streak at least a mile wide and the woman Kane was admiring was the man’s sister. Kane liked his ass too much to risk having it lit on fire.
He watched as she dug into her bag. “Two more Slim Jims, a bag of mixed nuts, dried blueberries, and some Chex mix.”
Kane let out a dramatic gasp and placed a hand to his chest, stepping closer as if to peer into the hobo to see for himself. “All of that in your bag? You really are a woman after my own heart.”
The statement elicited a warm, rich laugh from Sophia. “I’m always hungry,” she told him.
“Me too.” He shook his head sadly, though his lips were still quirked with amusement. “No one understands how hard it is.”
Another little chuckle from her had him extending his hand. “Come on. I think you’ll appreciate this more than anyone else.”
She hesitated for just a moment before she took his hand and let him lead her into the house. Her head was on a swivel as she took in the brightly lit, tiled foyer, but it was the mammoth kitchen with its marble countertops, six-burner stove, and enormous refrigerator that was his destination. “Do you realize how much food this baby can hold? I want to buy this place just for the kitchen.”
Another delighted chuckle from Sophia before he tugged her through the sliding glass doors to the patio. “And check this out.”
There was a wrought iron patio set that seated eight, a kidney-shaped inground pool with an attached hot tub set into the paving stones, but his destination was the gas grill set into rocks to make it look like it was part of the landscape. He presented it with a flourish. “I’ve already sent the realtor’s assistant off to get some burgers and dogs. We’re going to fire this bad boy up.” And then cupping his hand around his mouth, he whispered, “I think she really wants to make this sale.”
Sophia threw her head back with laughter, enchanting Kane, and left him staring at her with wonder as she told him, “It’s just after nine in the morning. Most people are still eating breakfast.”
His lips twitched with amusement as he teased, “Says the woman who just ate a Slim Jim.”
She raised her free hand in surrender, conceding the point, and it was only then that Kane realized he was still holding her other hand. He also realized, he didn’t want to let it go. Clearing his throat, he asked, “What do you think? Should I buy it?”
Her grin was captivating as she replied pragmatically, “I’ve only seen the kitchen and the entry.”
Giving her hand another tug, an odd excitement bubbling in his blood, he offered, “I’ll give you a tour while we wait for the food to arrive.”
They only made it to the living room before the others joined them and Kane had the urge to shoo them away so he could continue to be alone with the woman that held him so fascinated. He wanted to talk to her privately, ask her questions, learn who she was, what she liked, and disliked. The urge was surprising as he typically kept chats with women to whom he was attracted limited to shallow topics. He’d certainly never experienced this driving need to learn every intimate detail. Yet, with Sophia St. John, that need was growing by the minute.
Chapter Six
Kane Fletcher was nothing like Sophia had expected. Instead of the pompous ass with an underlying vein of cruelty she had imagined, the Born was almost childlike in his enthusiasm, his happiness written all over that handsome face. He joked, he teased, he laughed with a joie de vivre that was contagious and had little bubbles of joy sparkling through her bloodstream like the first sip of champagne. Her dragon was likewise affected, the beast practically humming with contentment inside, contentment it hadn’t felt since the night she’d been taken.
Sophia actually felt relaxed in his presence, calm, happy, and once he’d finished the tour, she was just as excited for Kane to buy the house as he was. Of course, that thrilled the realtor who immediately pulled out a tablet and stylus for Kane to sign on the dotted line before he could change his mind. Not that Sophia thought he would. While Kane might want to buy the place for the kitchen – which she totally agreed with – Sophia had practically drooled over the closet space and she’d absolutely fallen in love with the master bath, or more specifically, the deep, marble tub in the master bath. She could totally see herself luxuriating in a sea of bubbles while music played and candles flickered around her. Not that she’d be living here, but maybe Kane would be willing to rent her the space for a couple of hours a week.
It was as they all sat down at the patio table while Archer Langley took command of the grill that Sophia’s bubble of contentment burst. Jamie produced a tablet and enlarged a grainy bit of video.
“So, I was able to hack into that bar’s security,” she told Kane before she waved a hand and let out a derisive snort. “Child’s play.” Poking a finger at the screen she added, “This is the woman you left the bar with the other night.”
Sophia swallowed hard as she looked at the still image. She could tell the woman in question was gorgeous even in the poor lighting and less than stellar quality. Then there was the way Kane, in the video, was gazing at her, the body language so obviously that of attraction. And he’d gone home with her.
Her disappointment was keen, though she berated herself for feeling it. She’d just met Kane after all, had no claim on him despite how her dragon suddenly writhed in protest at the thought of him with another woman. Considering how beautiful the man was, he probably had a string of lovers…
“I don’t remember her,” Kane remarked with a disgruntled huff. “Not even a flicker of recognition. Who is she?”
Okay, so that went a long way in brightening her mood. His statement even had her dragon perking up once more as she continued to listen.
“I’m running facial recognition on her, have been since I found the footage, trying to get a name. Nothing.” Jamie told him. “But I recognize her. This was the witch I told you about. The one that helped the vampires when they kidnapped me.”
“So, it was probably a setup and she most likely did something to my memory,” Kane said with a curse.
All eyes were suddenly turned toward Sophia, her brother’s hand rubbing slow circles on her back as he softly murmured, “Easy, there.”
She realized she was growling low in her throat, that her eyes had shifted to that of her beast, and that scent of sulfur in the air? Her internal fire readying itself for battle. That witch had obviously tried to seduce Kane, probably for nefarious reasons, and then had erased herself from his mind so she couldn’t be hunted down for her duplicity.
While everyone else was slowly edging away with m
atching leery looks on their faces, waiting to see what she’d do, Kane leaned closer to her without fear. “Do you recognize her, too? Do you know who she is?”
Closing her eyes, she took a few deep, calming breaths before she shook her head. She had no right to feel this possessive of the man based on an initial attraction and roughly an hour of conversation, and yet, she couldn’t seem to help herself.
“Probably just the reminder of her ordeal,” Jamie offered as an excuse, to which Sophia would ever be grateful, before the blonde vampire added, “Which reminds me. Sophia wanted to look through your files, Kane. Maybe she can identify the men responsible for her abduction.”
“Tell me when and where and we’ll get it done,” Kane said, laying his warm palm over the back of her hand and giving a squeeze. “They won’t get away with it,” he assured her, a little growl of his own deepening his voice. “I’ll personally hand them over for your vengeance.”
Raising a finger to signal he needed a moment, he pulled out his cell phone to make a call. “Edward, I need your help,” he said as Archer set a platter of grilled hamburgers and hotdogs on the table.
Sophia had no problem hearing the other end of the conversation, mostly thanks to the other person’s obvious enthusiasm.
“Of course, sire. Does it have to do with the property? The realtor has already called to update me and the transfer of funds is underway. Should I stop it?”
“No. We’re all good there, but I need the files on all the Turned in the territory.”
“Right away, sire. I’ve recently finished updating them. I can send a thumb drive via a currier if you’d like, or I can deliver it to you directly once the sun sets.”
“Edward, my man,” Kane said with a grin. “Always there when I need you. Send it with a currier to the house I just bought.”
Disconnecting the call, he turned to Sophia. “We can go through them here once they arrive, or wait for another day. It’s up to you.”
Sophia considered Kane’s statement. She had no idea what she would find in those files, what horrific memories might bubble to the surface, or how her dragon would react to those memories considering her recent lack of control. She may have been keeping it together remarkably well today, but that could change in a heartbeat, and this place was happy, bright, and she was loathed to sully it with terror. Shaking her head, she said, “I think I’d like to do it today, but not here.”
Kane nodded. “We can go back to your brother’s place in the city, that’s where I’ve been staying.”
“Or, you can find a quiet place on pack lands,” Archer suggested as he fixed a cheeseburger. “Somewhere you feel comfortable.”
“And we’ll be there with you,” Morgan added, while Travis finished with, “So you don’t have to do it alone.”
Inexplicably, Sophia felt her eyes prickle with tears. Before her captivity, she’d known she had her brother’s support, yes, but it had been a distant thing. They’d both been busy with their own lives, he with work, she with her studies and her friends. They’d gotten together on holidays, had fun, a good laugh as they shared stories, but then they’d always gone their separate ways. Dragons weren’t pack creatures like wolves who stayed close to their family throughout their lives, they needed space, but she couldn’t deny that this felt good. Even the friends she’d had, while great to hang out with and gossip with, hadn’t been like this, so quick to drop everything for someone in need. These people barely knew her, had every right to be leery of her, and yet, here they were, circling the wagons so to speak. For her. It was enough to make a dragon want to weep.
∞∞∞
Technically, Kane wasn’t allowed on pack lands. He’d been booted out when some rogue vampires had decided to challenge Kane’s leadership by way of a rather macabre message in the form of dead witches left right on the pack’s doorstep. He agreed with the decision, had willingly left, but should Archer dispute his right to be here now, he’d simply argue that while his files were on pack lands, so too would he be. And it wasn’t like he was planning to move back in.
As it turned out, Archer only gave him a narrow-eyed glare of warning, a gaze clearly stating not to make a habit of visiting, before he verbally welcomed him. Perhaps, before Kane left, he’d attempt to open discussions of a collaboration.
During his time as a Hunter, he’d met most of the Born territory-holders in the country. He had witnessed several different models as to how they ruled, but the strongest territories, the ones with the fewest issues, tended to be those like his father’s territory where the Born firstly, set up their Turned with legitimate careers where they felt useful rather than treating them as slaves. And secondly, those territory-holders also had alliances with any pack alpha’s in the area as well as any coven leaders, working together to nip any problems in the bud before they got out of hand.
His predecessor had been too arrogant to contemplate any such alliance. Rodolfo had seen both shifters and witches as weaker species beneath his notice. Kane didn’t agree.
And speaking of witches, Kane needed to contact Destin Jourdain. Not only did he want to begin talks with the leader of the Order of Witches as well, but the man might recognize the woman in the video from the bar. She might even be the missing Evangeline that Jourdain had been searching for unsuccessfully.
With that in mind, Kane pulled out his phone and searched through his contacts.
“Mister Fletcher,” Jourdain drawled in that booming bass voice of his. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I have a bit of video I thought you might be interested in seeing. Jamie has confirmed that the woman in it is the same witch that helped the vampires with her abduction, but we’ve yet to get an identity on her.”
Jourdain let out a rather nasty sounding growl before he said, “Send it to me,” and immediately disconnected the call.
All righty then. So much for potentially setting up a meet while he had the guy on the line, but Kane would do as Jourdain bid, and hope that the man would at least be forthcoming with the witch’s identity.
Chapter Seven
Sophia chose the clearing created by her and her brother’s crash landing to look at the files. Mostly because, should she inadvertently shift, triggered by a memory, there wasn’t much left to destroy in this section.
She could feel the others close by. There if she needed them, but giving her space to do this which she appreciated. Settling herself cross-legged on a blanket she’d spread on the ground, she opened her laptop and inserted the thumb drive.
The files she opened were way more detailed than what she’d expected. Each one included an image, date of birth as well as immediate family, where they grew up, what jobs they held as a human, and what skills they possessed that qualified them to be Turned. Following that, there was the date they were Turned, the date their contract would be complete, what job they held within the Born’s territory and any promotions received as well as punishments earned. Also included, was the date of death if applicable, and by what means, as well as a link to view the complete contract the person had signed before the transition.
Handily, all the files were alphabetized, so Sophia was able to begin with the one name she knew, assuming it hadn’t been an alias. Taking a deep breath, she scrolled down until she found Nathaniel King and clicked on his file.
The memories hit her hard as soon as his image appeared. She had been at Café du Monde with her friends, laughing and having a good time as they tried their first sip of chicory coffee and ate beignets. She’d just sent a text off to her brother when one of her friends nudged her. “You have an admirer.”
Sophia had looked up and just caught the man’s eye before he’d shyly glanced away. The man had been nice looking. Not gorgeous or beautiful, but his face had had a quiet handsomeness that had appealed to her, so the next time he glanced up, she’d made sure she was looking at him with a smile of encouragement. Her friends had teased her unmercifully when the man stood up and approached, but they’d also
taken their cue and had given Sophia some privacy.
His smile had been a bit bashful, and he’d stuttered slightly when he’d asked if he could join her. Sophia had found him absolutely adorable. They’d spent the entire night simply walking around the city, talking, getting to know each other as much as two supernaturals could without admitting what they were, and before Nate had left her at her hotel just prior to dawn, they’d arranged to meet again that evening. The nights that followed, were more of the same.
Sophia had thought she was in love, and maybe she had been, maybe they both had. She had told Nate that she was just visiting New Orleans, would be returning home to Washington soon, and that she’d miss him when she was gone. Nate had admitted that he wanted to keep seeing her, that he might even be able to get a transfer. “I don’t want this to end,” he’d told her. “You’re special. This, between us, it’s special.”
Hope had bloomed in her chest. She’d even considered telling him what she was, admitting that she knew what he was, but lessons drilled into her brain as a child were hard to break, so she’d kept silent. They weren’t there yet, but someday…
Her final night in New Orleans, Nate had been excited when they’d met up, gripping both of her hands in his. “I talked to my boss and he’s willing to consider a transfer for me,” he’d told her enthusiastically. “He wants to meet you.”
The suggestion had made Sophia leery. She didn’t know exactly how the hierarchy within vampire society worked, but she knew that the Born were at the very top. Of course, that didn’t mean that Nate didn’t report to a vampire further down the chain. He’d told her he worked in the kitchens, so perhaps his boss was the head chef. Surely, someone who worked as a lowly dishwasher wouldn’t have the ear of someone who ruled an entire territory, right? A head chef, she could deal with, a Born? No. She’d never met one of the Born, but she’d heard stories as a child, had been told that if she ever found herself around one, she should run away as fast as she could. “I don’t know about that,” she’d said with a little shake of her head.
A Hunter Found: A Paranormal Vampire Romance (Hired Hunters Series Book 3) Page 4