“Well damn,” Maxwell said again, and the others chuckled.
“We’re only a few miles from the location,” Baxter said, pulling their attention to him. “We’ll be stopping in a minute and going in on foot.”
“Yes, sir,” Agent Hyde said. He’d been quiet the entire ride, but now he was all business.
“Grayson, you’ve been awfully quiet,” Gina commented.
“I don’t have anything to say,” he responded and smiled at her.
“You’ve been quiet since the battle at the compound,” Agent Norris said, and Hyde looked at her.
“Is something bothering you?” Baxter asked the agent.
“No, sir,” he answered. “When the Huntress compound was attacked, I realized that there isn’t a place we can go that will ever truly be safe. I realized that no matter where we go or what we do, there will always be evil in the world.”
“Yes, which is why we will always work toward eliminating those who wish to harm humans,” Baxter told him. “We will, at some point, encounter evil like we’ve never seen, and I need to know that I have the loyalty off all my agents when that time comes.”
“I will stand beside you as we face whatever comes our way,” Hyde told him. “My life has gotten considerable better since vampire came out of hiding, and I owe that to Karma and the VEB. Without the hard work and dedication of all involved, I know I wouldn’t be the vampire I am right now.”
“None of us would be,” Norris told him. “I would probably be dead like my two best friends.”
Before Baxter could comment, Jensen’s voice came across the radio telling them they were pulling into the mall parking lot and going the rest of the way on foot.
“This is it, ladies and gentlemen,” Gina said with a grin. “Everyone stay safe.”
Once they were out of the SUV, Gina and Nikki walked to where Nevaeh was standing with the other Huntresses.
“We are going in four groups and entering the area from all four sides. Huntresses, divide yourselves among the vampire and stay alert. As always, anyone we encounter will view you as the weak links in the group, and attempt to get at you first.”
“That’s a mistake most don’t live long enough to regret,” Harrison said and grinned at the Huntresses.
“Yes,” Nevaeh said and smiled at him. “Nikki, once we get close, I want you to go high and be ready.”
“Always do,” she said and unhooked her crossbow from her back. She set a bolt and smiled at the others. “I miss having Ash here to help.”
“We all do,” Neveah said and thought of the young Huntress.
“I’ll stick with Nathan,” Gina spoke up, breaking the moment of silence for their fallen sister.
“Yes,” Baxter responded and looked at the groups he’d formed the agents into. “I’ll be leading one group, and Jensen another, but without Johnson and Watson, I will need Karma and Nevaeh to take point on the other two.”
“We will,” Karma responded. “Harrison, you’re with Nevaeh, and Dylan will come with me. Jackson, I want you and Delanie with Jensen. His group will be the ones going in from the back side, and will most likely run into more resistance then the others.”
“Okay,” Jackson said and hugged Karma before stepping to the side to join Jensen with Delanie beside him.
“Watch each other’s backs,” Baxter said and looked at the group with them. He’d left some of his strongest fighters back at the compound, but knew the group with him would fight for their own survival. “If something goes wrong, we will regroup back at the vehicles.”
“Nothing will go wrong,” Karma told him, and he could see the confidence in her eyes. “Last recon showed there were around fifty in this area and that was less than twenty-four hours ago. We got this.”
“We got this,” he repeated her words and looked at Gina. “Stay safe.”
“You too,” she responded and smiled. “Now, let’s do this.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
As they approached the area from the North, Baxter thought about all the raids they’d gone on, and everything that had happened over the past few months. He’d never expected to be leader of the VEB, to have the lives of all the agents in his hands, but now that he was, he found he loved it.
“There it is,” Gina whispered, and he looked in the direction she was pointing. There was a large building sitting in the middle of a clearing with a couple dozen vampire standing just on the edges of the trees. None had spotted them yet, but it was just a matter of time before they did.
“Silently,” he told the group with him, and they all nodded before they started walking again.
When someone stepped on a twig a moment later, one of the vampire in the clearing snapped his head toward them a grinned.
“Here we go,” Gina said and shook her head. She was hoping this would be a peaceful situation, but her hopes were in vain.
As the fight started, Gina pulled her mini Shinai from their sheathes and jumped into the mix.
“A human,” one of the vampire sneered and licked his lips. “A tasty smelling human.”
“A Huntress,” she said and grinned. When he took a step toward her, her grin grew, and she held steady. She wasn’t a novice when it came to battling a vampire, and she knew it was best to let them think her as weak as she appeared.
“A Huntress who will nourish me,” he said and took another step forward. When she held steady, he lunged.
She was ready for him to make his move, and when he did, she came up with one of her Shinai and plunged it straight through his chest and into his heart.
“Not today, asshat,” she said and smiled when his lifeless body landed on the ground with an audible thud.
“Idiot,” Hyde muttered, and grinned at Gina before looking at the dead vampire.
“Never underestimate a Huntress,” Baxter said and grinned at Gina before staking the vampire in front of him.
“Bitch!” Another vampire yelled and charged at Gina. Before she could react, Baxter shoved her out of the way and ripped the head off the vampire.
“GINA!” Nikki cried out from where she was perched in a tree and Baxter turned to see Gina laying on the ground in an awkward position.
“NO!” He shouted and darted to her side, as he dropped to his knees beside her, he heard others walking up. She was breathing, but unconscious, and his heart stopped for a second when he realized he’d been the one who’d hurt her. “Gina, baby.”
“What happened?” Nevaeh asked as she stopped beside them. All but one of the vampire had been eliminated, and she was being taken back to the vehicles already.
“I…” Baxter started and shook his head.
“A vampire was charging at her, and Baxter pushed her out of the way to protect her. When he did, she stumbled back and fell. She must have hit her head, and I think she has a broken leg,” Nikki answered, having seen everything from the tree she was in. “From the angle, it looks painful.”
“Call for an ambulance,” Karma said and tossed Nikki her phone. “Carrying her would be faster, but we can’t be sure that wouldn’t cause more injuries.”
“She’s going to be okay,” Dylan told Baxter and placed a hand on his shoulder.
When Baxter growled, Dylan moved his hand and took a step back. He remembered how he was when Karma was injured, and he didn’t want his hand ripped off by this vampire.
“Nathan,” Karma said softly. “Her breathing and heartbeat are strong. I can’t smell any internal injuries, either. The ambulance will take her to the hospital, and the doctors will take care of her. You have to let them, though. You cannot let your fear, your concern, stop them from doing their jobs. If you want her to be okay, you’re going to have to calm down a little.”
“I DID THIS TO HER!” He yelled as tears streamed down his face.
“You were trying to protect her,” Nikki reminded him.
“And look how that turned out,” he commented and shook his head. “I hurt her.”
“Nathan, you sav
ed her life,” Nevaeh told him. “That vampire would have killed her had he gotten to her.”
“Yes, and in the process of saving her, I hurt her,” he said and looked at her unmoving form.
“She will forgive you,” Dylan told him.
“Maybe, but how will I ever forgive myself?” He asked and cringed as sirens filled the air.
“Let the paramedics take care of her,” Karma said and looked up as two paramedics ran up pushing a gurney.
“What happened?” The larger one asked.
“We’re with the Vampire Enforcement Bureau, and these are the Huntresses we work with. We were on a raid, and one of the Huntresses was injured,” Jensen answered and showed the paramedics his badge. “Her name is Regina Whitecloud.”
“Gina,” Baxter said and looked at them. “She’s to be called Gina. It’s the name she prefers.”
“Yes, sir,” the shorter paramedic responded as he knelt beside Gina. “Her pulse is strong, and her breathing is even. Wanna tell us what happened?”
“I think she hit her head when she fell,” Nikki spoke up. “And I’m nearly certain her leg is broken. I will call Malinda and have her meet us at the hospital.”
“Malinda? Why?” Jensen asked.
“Malinda is a doctor, and Jill is her nurse. They both stay at the compound most of the time and take care of the kids, and treat any injuries that happen during training,” Nevaeh answered. “They are both excellent Huntresses, but we cannot risk losing them, so they don’t travel with us often.”
“Okay,” Jensen said and looked at Gina as the paramedics put a neck brace on her, then slid a backboard under her before lifting her onto the stretcher. “Baxter, you ride with her. I’ll see that your SUV gets to the hospital.”
“Yeah,” Baxter responded and followed the paramedics out of the clearing.
Once they were gone, he turned to Karma. “Is he going to be okay?”
“I really don’t know. He injured his copula and I’m sure he’s feeling things none of us can describe. He’ll eventually come to terms with it, hopefully, but it could take a while.”
“Are you ready to step up as temporary head of the VEB?” Nevaeh asked and Jensen shook his head.
“Do you really think it will come to that?”
“I have no idea, but I know that when your copula is injured, or in danger, you aren’t completely yourself,” Nevaeh answered him. “And, seeing as he’s the one who injured her, there’s no telling what he will do.”
“She’s going to be okay though,” Karma assured them all. “At most, she has a concussion and a broken leg.”
“That’s bad enough though,” Harrison said and ran his hand down Nevaeh’s hair. “I’m not sure I could live with myself if I hurt Nevaeh. Especially when she was still human.”
“Let’s get to the hospital so we can keep an eye on him,” Karma said and remembered the broken look in his eyes as he watched Gina breathing. “He’s unstable right now, and I don’t want to take any chances he’ll harm someone.”
“Yeah,” Jensen said and took off running toward the vehicles.
Once they were all there, they split off and sent most of the agents back to the compound with the captured vampire. The Huntresses, along with those closest to Baxter, headed to the hospital. They’d keep him from hurting anyone, and make sure Gina was okay, then they would head back to the compound and question the vampire. They needed answers, and they needed them now.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Nathan,” her small voice cut through the haze surrounding him. It had taken everything inside him not to rip the doctors apart as they examined her, but he knew they were just doing their jobs, and he knew she only needed them because of him.
“Right here,” he said from the chair he was sitting in. They’d just brought her back from imaging a few minutes ago, and it would be a little while before they knew exactly what was going on, but her being awake was a good sign.
“What happened?” She asked, and tried raising up. “And, where am I?”
“You’re in the hospital,” he answered her second question.
“What happened?” She asked again. She remembered the fight, remembered killing a vampire, but everything else was foggy.
“I hurt you,” he told her, and his voice cracked a little. “I was trying to protect you, and I hurt you.”
“Nathan, tell me what happened,” she said, and he rose to his feet.
“You had just taken out a vampire, and another one charged at you. I reacted on instinct and pushed you out of his way before he could hurt you. In the process, I hurt you.”
“My leg hurts, and I’m a little woozy, but other than that, I feel fine,” she told him just as the doctor walked in.
“Good to see you awake, Miss Whitecloud,” the doctor said with a soft smile. “You have a small crack in your patella and will need to wear a brace and walk on crutches for a few weeks. It should heal just fine, but you’ll need your doctor to check it again in two weeks.”
“Patella?” She asked, not knowing which bone that was.
“Kneecap,” he answered. “The brace will immobilize it, so you won’t be able to bend it while in the brace. You can remove the brace to shower, but I suggest you don’t even do that for at least a week. Is there someone who can help you with sponge baths, and assist you in changing clothes?”
“Yeah,” she answered and looked at Nathan. He looked very lost at the moment, but she hoped he would snap out of it and help her while she healed. If not, she knew her sisters would.
“Good,” he answered. “We’re just waiting on the MRI to come back, and if that’s clear you can go home. We don’t think there is anything to worry about, but seeing as you were unconscious, we wanted to make sure there was no head trauma.”
“I’m a little woozy, and my leg hurts, but other than that, I feel normal.”
“Normal is good,” the doctor told her. “Your friend, Nikki I believe, said she called your physician. I will send her in when she gets here.”
“Thank you, doctor,” Gina said and smiled at him.
“You’re welcome,” he responded and walked to the door. “I’ll check back in a few minutes. In the meantime, I will have a nurse bring you some pain meds for that knee. Now that you’re alert, I feel safe giving you something to ease the pain.”
Before she could respond, he was out the door and she was alone with Nathan once more.
“Nathan,” she said softly, but he didn’t look at her. “I know you didn’t mean to hurt me. I know you would never intentionally hurt me.”
“Intentional or not, I still harmed you,” he told her in a gruff voice.
“Nathan, baby, look at me,” she said, and the tone of her voice made his head snap up. When his eyes locked on hers, he saw tears in them, and his self-loathing lifted a little.
“Please don’t cry,” he said softly and walked to her.
“Please don’t shut me out,” she countered. “I’m going to be okay, we’re going to be okay, but I am going to need your help. Apparently, I won’t be able to move my leg for a while, so simple things are going to be more difficult. Will you help me?”
“With everything,” he assured her. “I won’t shut you out, but I won’t forgive myself either. I harmed the person who means more to me than my own life does, and for that, I will hate myself for a very long time.”
“I forgive you,” she told him and reached out to touch his hand. “If you hadn’t done what you did, I would probably be dead. I wasn’t ready for that vampire like I was the first, and he would have killed me.”
“I’d have had Jensen change you before I’d have let you die,” he told her and frowned at the thought of Jensen’s blood filling her.
“I want you to change me,” she told him. “I know you said you’ve never changed anyone before, but I trust you, and I hate the idea of another’s blood filling me.”
“We will discuss it,” he told her and touched the IV in her hand. “I hate that
I’m the reason you’re in here.”
“I know you do, but I am okay and will be going home in a little while.”
“Yeah,” he said and touched her arm. “Karma, Nevaeh, and the others are in the waiting room. Do you want me to go tell them you’re awake?”
“No,” she said and slid her fingers into his hand. “I want you to stay with me. The doctor said Malinda was on her way, and once she’s here she can let everyone else know what’s going on. As a human, I don’t heal as fast as you do, and I need you here with me.”
“I can help you heal faster,” he told her as an idea sparked into his mind.
“How?” She asked, and looked at him in confusion.
“I can give you a little of my blood. Not enough to hurt you, but it will increase the rate you heal.”
“How do you know that?”
“I’ve seen it done,” he responded. “I’ve never done it, I’ve never wanted to give my blood to anyone, but I know it will help a bit.”
“Then let’s do it,” she said, and he frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“Before we do, I need to ask the Senate something.”
“What’s that?”
“I’ve had your blood, and before I give you mine, I need to know if a blood link is possible between a human and a vampire.”
“Oh,” she said and thought about that for a second. “Even if it is, I want to taste your blood.”
“You know if it is, and you do, we will be linked. If one of us dies, the other will too.”
“Yes, but that’s true either way. You and I are already linked, maybe not by blood, but we are so deeply linked that the loss of the other would destroy us.”
“Yes,” he said and thought back to her lying on the grass after he pushed her out of harm’s way.
“Nathan, I’m okay. I will heal,” she told him and the confidence in her voice helped him a little.
“You will heal,” he agreed and kissed her forehead. “But I will forever be able to see you lying on that grass not moving.”
“Just remember that you saved my life,” she said and smiled at him.
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