“My key is on the dresser. Take it, and let yourself back in,” she told him and closed the door behind her.
He knew there was a lot of shit they had to wade through, but her agreeing to let him stay with her was a damn good sign, and he would cut off his own balls before he did anything to fuck things up again.
Chapter Seven
Gina woke to the feel of strong arms encircling her, and it took her a moment to remember everything that had happened the night before.
“Good morning,” he said and tightened his arms around her when she went to move away from him. “Just lay here a minute.”
“What time is it?” She asked as she snuggled back into his embrace. They still had a lot to talk about, but being in his arms felt more right than anything had in a long time.
“Just shy of six,” he answered before kissing the top of her head softly. “Thank you for letting me stay with you last night.”
“We still have a lot to talk about,” she uttered the words she thought a moment ago.
“We do, and we will,” he responded and kissed her again before moving away a little so he could see her face. “I want to talk to the Senate and see if they can clear a few things up for us, too.”
“Nathan, I’m not sure how I feel about you keeping something like this from me.”
“There’s more I need to tell you about that, too,” he said, and she tensed in his arms.
“I need coffee before dealing with this,” she told him, and he smiled a little. She was a caffeine addict, and coffee was her drug of choice. He’d found that humorous when they’d first started working together because her mother rarely drank coffee, but her grandmother lived off it.
“Go get your coffee, and something to eat, and we can talk in a little while. I need to check in with the others, and make sure everything is going okay with Jensen and Johnson before we hit the road again.”
“I’ll be downstairs when you’re finished,” she told him and got out of bed. He laid there and watched her as she grabbed a hoodie from her bag and threw it on over the tank-top she’d slept in. The leggings she’d paired with the tank hugged her ass and his mouth watered as he watched her walk out the door.
Once she was gone, he laid back against the pillows and inhaled deeply. Her scent surrounded him, and his cock jumped in his pants. He hadn’t slept much last night, but what little he did sleep was the best sleep he’d gotten in months. Being close to her, knowing who she was and what she was to him, and not being with her had been slowly eating away at him for months. Now, having tasted her, having been surrounded by her scent, he knew he would do anything to make her see what she meant to him. But that would have to wait a little while longer.
Sighing, he got out of bed and snagged his phone from where he’d plugged it up last night. Checking it, he saw a text from Jensen, and frowned.
After reading it, he called his second-in-command.
“What’s going on there?” He asked as soon as Jensen answered the phone.
“Karma didn’t fill you in?” Jensen asked, and Baxter heard the stress in his voice.
“She called me, but only told me about y’all being followed,” he answered. “What else is going on?”
“I’m not sure,” Jensen answered honestly. “Something is going on with Johnson, but he isn’t talking. He just keeps telling me he will share everything once Maggie is safe.”
“Yeah, that’s all he’ll tell me, too,” he replied and sighed. “If anything changes call me. We’ll be hitting the road again in a couple of hours.”
“Everything okay there, boss?”
“Not really,” he answered honestly. He may be Jensen’s boss, but they were also friends. “I told Gina about her grandmother being my copula.”
“And how did she take it?”
“She nearly staked me,” Baxter answered, and shuddered when he recalled the rage coming off Gina when she had him on the floor. He could have easily knocked her off him, but he knew he deserved every bit of her anger, and he wasn’t lying when he told her he’d have staked himself for the things he’d done.
“You okay?” Jensen asked, and Baxter heard the concern in his voice.
“I’m fine,” he responded. “She nicked me with one of her daggers, but as soon as she saw the blood, her fury dissipated. I don’t think she expected me not to fight back.”
“Probably not,” Jensen responded. “I’m glad she didn’t stake you, boss.”
“I am too,” he responded. “Call me if you learn anything, or if anything happens.”
“We’re interrogating the vampire we captured last night as soon as Johnson and Maggie get here. I will let you know if we learn anything from him,” Jensen told him. “After talking to Cook and Larson this morning, we know Maggie’s house is being used as a feeding house. We aren’t sure what happened with Maggie’s mother though.”
“Fuck,” Baxter said and ran a hand down his face. “Keep Johnson from breaking any laws.”
“I will do my best,” Jensen responded. “But you know if Maggie’s in danger, he will violate every law we have in order to keep her safe.”
“Yeah,” he said and thought about Gina. He knew exactly how Johnson felt though, and he knew he’d do the same if it were Gina in danger. “Just bring them both home safely.”
“I will do my best,” Jensen repeated and ended the call.
“Fuck,” Baxter said again as he rose to his feet and paced the small hotel room. He may very well lose another agent, and there wasn’t a fucking thing he could do to keep it from happening.
Shaking his head, walked to his small suitcase and grabbed out fresh jeans and one of his customary polo shirts. He’d figure out what to do about Johnson later. Right now, all he wanted was to make sure Gina was okay, then find a donation center. He needed to feed again, and the one he wanted to feed from would never allow it.
****
“What happened last night with Baxter?” Karma asked as she joined Gina at the small table in the breakfast room of the hotel.
“He and I talked,” she answered. She wasn’t ready to share what they’d talked about just yet. She as still trying to process it, and she knew there was more he needed to tell her.
“Is that all?”
“We also fought, and kissed,” she responded. She knew if she wasn’t honest Karma would know immediately and call her out on it. “And that’s all I’m willing to share with anyone right now.”
“Fair enough,” Karma responded and looked around the room. Gina was the only one of the Huntresses to come down for breakfast yet, so she knew it would be a little while before they headed out. “What are you going to do until time to leave?”
“After I finish my coffee, I’m going to fix myself another cup, then head back to my room. Nathan and I still have things to discuss, and I have a few questions I need answers to before anything can happen between he and I.”
“Okay,” Karma said and looked at the Huntress she always viewed as an older sister. “Have you told him about Zora yet?”
“No, but I’m not certain he doesn’t already know,” she said and frowned into her cup.
“Gina, Baxter told us he tasted the blood of his copula once,” Karma said, and Gina’s head snapped toward her. “She has some connection to you, doesn’t she?”
“Yes,” Gina answered honestly, but immediately stopped talking when two men walked into the room. The way they moved, she was certain they weren’t human.
“We have company,” Karma said softly as she looked at the two men. She pulled two daggers from her belt and handed them to Gina under the table.
Nodding, Gina took them and gripped one in her hand after she slid the other into her hoodie pocket. She wasn’t sure these were evil vampire, but they weren’t taking any chances.
When the vampire’s eyes landed on Karma, they exchanged glances then grinned and started walking toward where she and Gina were sitting.
Gina knew there was going to be a fight, and after
last night, she was more than ready to kick the shit out of a vampire.
Chapter Eight
“May we help you?” Karma asked, as the two vampire approached the table they were sitting at.
“Are you Karma?” The first one asked.
“Depends,” she answered and grinned.
“On?” The second asked then shifted his gaze to Gina.
“On who’s asking and why,” Karma answered. “And I’d roll my tongue back in if I were you.”
“Why?” He asked, still focused on Gina. “She’s a hot little human.”
“Thank you,” Gina responded and feigned embarrassment for a moment before rising to her feet. “But I’m not a human, I’m a Huntress.”
“Then you are Karma,” the first said and grinned. “Our boss wants to speak with you.”
“Oh? Who is your boss?” Karma asked as she stood quickly and shifted closer to Gina. She smelled more vampire nearby, and wasn’t going to take any chances with Gina. Baxter would kill her if Gina were harmed.
“You know who our boss is,” he answered as six more vampire walked in.
“Then I have nothing to say to him,” Karma responded.
“You’ll come with us, or we will take the human and Jerry here will get to play with her.”
“I bet he wouldn’t like the games I like to play,” Gina responded to his threat. “I don’t always play nice with others.”
“Now!” Karma shouted and Gina threw the dagger in her hand. When it embedded in Jerry’s chest, he flinched before crumbling to the floor.
“Stupid bitch!” One of the females with them shouted.
“I will cop to the bitch part, but I am far from stupid,” Gina responded before throwing the second dagger and taking out the female.
Karma took out three more before the other three turned to flee only to stop in their tracks when Baxter's frame filled the door.
“Going somewhere?” He asked in a calm voice, but Karma could feel the anger rolling off him.
“Fuck,” the first one who spoke said and turned back toward Karma and Gina.
When Gina ripped the dagger from the chest of Jerry, the three vampire in front of her froze.
“You picked the wrong Huntress to fuck with,” she said in a low voice before she let the dagger fly. It embedded in the chest of a large male with enough force she heard his ribs shatter.
When she looked around, Karma had taken out one of the others, and Baxter had the first who spoke pinned to the floor with a stake to his chest.
“Who sent you?” He asked in a soft voice. Gina had been in danger, and he wanted to rip this vampire’s head from his shoulders, but he needed answers first.
“My creator,” he answered without giving a name.
“Who the fuck is your creator?” Karma asked.
“Fuck you, bitch,” he spat and pushed Baxter off him and through the glass door.
He jumped to his feet, and launched for the opening Baxter’s body had made, but didn’t reach it as a dagger embedded itself into his heart from behind.
Karma looked up in time to see Gina run through the door to where Baxter lay on the ground outside.
The cuts on his body were already healing, but Karma could tell he was in a hell of a lot of pain.
“Nathan,” Gina said softly as she knelt beside him.
“I’m okay,” he said and tried to push himself up, but pain shot through his shoulder and he slumped back down. “Seems my shoulder is fucked though.”
“Let me help you up,” Karma said and extended her hand to him.
When he placed his hand in hers, she pulled him to his feet, and Gina immediately wrapped her arms around him.
“I’m covered in blood,” he said and tried to pull away from her.
“I don’t care,” she said as she pulled him closer so he could lean into her. “You can rest in my room while you heal.”
“Let me help him upstairs,” Harrison said from behind her, and she glared at him over Baxter’s shoulder.
“I’ve got him,” she nearly snarled, and Harrison took a step back.
“I’ll get the door,” Nevaeh said and looked at Karma over Gina’s head. She had never seen her second-in-command like this, but she knew exactly what was going on, even if Gina didn’t yet.
Once Gina disappeared into an elevator with Baxter, Karma turned to Nevaeh and frowned.
“When that vampire threw Baxter through the door, I thought Gina was going to rip his head off. I have never seen her like this.”
“It’s the bond,” Dylan told her. “When your lifemate is in danger, unexpected things can happen.”
“I know, but Gina is human and should not have been able to move that fast,” Karma told them all. “She was nearly as fast as a vampire when she killed that last one, and she threw that dagger with enough force it went through his back and pierced his heart. I know she’s had years of training, but that shouldn’t have been possible considering that dagger had already killed one vampire.”
“What are you thinking?” Nevaeh asked.
“I’m not sure yet,” she answered honestly. “But we need to watch her, and maybe talk to the Senate. She’s always been fast for a human, and unbelievably strong, but this was more than I’ve ever seen from her, or any human for that matter.”
“We’ll keep an eye on her,” Nevaeh said and sighed. “But right now, we need to let the other agents know what happened and get this mess taken care of. We need to be on the road as soon as Baxter is healed. Our location has been compromised.”
****
“Are you okay?” Baxter asked after they were in Gina’s room.
“I’m fine,” she told him. “How about you? Are you okay?”
“Nothing I won’t heal from,” he assured her. “But I think I need a shower.”
“Do you need any help?” She asked, knowing his shoulder was trashed.
“Yes,” he responded. His shoulder was already healing, but he would never pass up the chance to have her hands on his body.
“Come on,” she said and let him lean on her while they walked into the bathroom.
When she let him go to start the shower, he groaned at the loss of contact with her, and she looked at him over her shoulder.
“I’m okay,” he assured her again.
Once the water was set, she walked back to him and tugged gently on his shirt.
“This thing is trashed,” she commented as she tugged on it.
“I have others,” he responded.
“Yeah,” she said and pulled the ripped pieces away from his already healed skin. “Let me help you get it off that shoulder. I know you’re already healing, but it’s going to take a little while, and I remember Karma telling me the healing process sometimes hurts worse than the injury itself.”
“It does,” he responded, and hissed a little when her hand brushed his skin.
“Did I hurt you?” She asked and went to pull her hand away.
“No,” he responded and laid his hand over hers on his shoulder. “Please don’t be afraid of hurting me.”
“When he threw you through that door, I was so scared,” she admitted as she moved her hand from under his, grabbed the tattered edge of his shirt, and ripped it so it would fall away from his shoulder.
“Hey, it’ll take more than being tossed through a glass door to hurt me,” he told her and turned so he could look into her eyes. “Thank you for helping me get my shirt off.”
“I’ll leave you to shower,” she said and went to walk away, but he grabbed her arm with his good hand and tugged her back to him.
“Shower with me,” he said then kissed the tip of her nose. “You have my blood on you.”
“Your blood,” she responded and looked at her hoodie and leggings. There were smudges of his blood on both and she frowned.
“Shower with me,” he said again.
“Okay,” she responded. “But nothing is going to happen except showering.”
“Yes, ma’am,” h
e said with a grin before he released her and unbuttoned his jeans. When he lowered the zipper and tugged them down his legs with one hand, her mouth went dry.
Shaking herself, she shifted the direction of her thoughts and stepped closer to help him.
“Let me help,” she said softly then grabbed the waistband of his jeans and pulled them over his hips and down his thighs.
His black briefs pulled tight across his ass, and it took everything inside her not to rub her hand across it.
“Gina,” he breathed when her fingers brushed against his skin again. Her touch was sending jolts through him, and if not for his shoulder, he would have her against the wall and be buried balls deep inside her.
“Nathan,” she responded and looked away from his ass. “Let’s get you cleaned up so you can rest a little before we head out.”
“Yeah,” he responded and stepped into the shower with his underwear on. If he took them off, he didn’t think he’d be able to stop himself from having her against the shower wall, and that was not how he wanted their first time together to go.
“Here,” she said when she stepped in behind him a moment later. “Let me help you.”
He stood stock still as she ran her hands over his back and uninjured shoulder. Her touch was leaving trails of heat across his skin, but he didn’t dare move for fear she’d stop touching him.
When she ran her hands gingerly across his injured shoulder, she sucked in a breath as she felt one of the breaks heal beneath her gentle touch.
Not being able to take it anymore, he turned to face her, and his breath fled his lungs. She had taken off her hoodie, but was still wearing her tank-top and leggings. She didn’t have a bra on, and her nipples were visible through the thin material covering them. The sight of her made his mouth water and go dry at the same time.
“You are so beautiful,” he told her and shifted closer. “And you smell delicious.”
He hadn’t realized he’d lost as much blood as he had until he smelled her. Her scent was like the sweetest ambrosia, and he wanted nothing more than to sink his fangs into the vein in her neck and drink his fill.
Gina's Passion (Vampire Huntress Sage Book 4) Page 4