“Rest up, everyone, we head out at dawn,” Jensen said and walked off.
“Looks like we’re heading out at dawn,” Baxter said and looked around at everyone. “We will find Caia and bring her home safely.”
“Yes,” Maggie said and laid her hand on her belly. “And we will all be safe while doing so.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
“Gina,” Baxter said as he rolled over and wrapped his arms around her.
“Good morning,” she responded and kissed his chest.
“We’re going to be heading north in less than an hour,” he told her.
“Then I should get up,” she said and tried to pull from his arms.
“We have time,” he said as he tightened his arms around her.
“Time for what?”
“This,” he answered and rolled her to her back. When he covered her with his body, she realized she craved him like she’d never craved another.
“There’s always time for this,” she responded and lifted her head to nip at his bottom lip.
“Woman, you make me crazy,” he muttered then licked the small droplet of blood off his lip. The little nick her fang caused had already healed, but the thoughts of having her drink from him as he slammed into her made his cock jump.
“Nathan,” she whispered at the look in his eyes.
“You make me crazy,” he repeated then rolled off her. He knew if he took what he wanted he’d create an unbreakable link between them.
“What’s wrong?” She asked, following him out of bed. “What did I do wrong?”
He turned and had her pinned against the wall then covered her mouth with his before she could blink. His kiss was like fire and ignited a series of eruptions within her.
Her instinct kicked in, and she reversed their positions before he could react. Pulling her mouth from his, she dropped to her knees in front of him and licked her lips before wrapping her hand around him. When her lips closed around him, he growled and slammed his hands into the wall behind him.
“Fuck!” He cried out when she let her fangs brush against the vein pulsating in his dick.
Taking him deep into her mouth, she released her grip on him and swallowed, letting his head hit the back of her throat.
His fingers dug into the wall, clawing at the plaster as she slid him out of her mouth and rolled her tongue around his head.
“Gina!”
She continued to suck and lick him while his fingers clawed holes into the wall. When his balls tightened and he felt his release coming, he let go of himself and tangled his hands in her hair as he roared and came down her throat.
Panting, he released her hair and pulled her to her feet before he covered her mouth with his and turned so she was pressed against the wall. He lifted her off her feet and she wrapped her legs around him as he slid her down and filled her.
He drove deep, then lifted her off and slammed into her again.
She cried out and dug her nails into his shoulders as he took her hard and fast in a way he never would have had she still been human.
“I want to taste you,” he growled out as he drove deep. “I want to drink from you.”
“Do it.”
“No,” he responded and slammed into her again.
When he felt himself nearing release again, he released her ass with one hand and reached between them. Stroking her clit, he brought her to the edge, then pushed them both over.
****
“Nathan,” Gina said as they drove toward the town Karma grew up in. The Huntresses had been there before, but that was nearly a year ago.
“We’re not going to discuss this right now,” he responded and glanced at her. They’d had this conversation twice already, and he wasn’t ready to have it again. Not with an SUV full of agents.
“Then when, Nathan?” She asked.
They were heading into an unknown situation, a situation that could end with one of them killed, and he wouldn’t even talk about the fact that he wanted to create a blood link with her.
“Just drop it for now, please,” he pleaded and sighed.
“Fine, whatever,” she responded and looked out the window.
“Gina,” he said softly. “Please don’t shut me out. We’ll talk about it, just not here, and not now.”
“Yeah,” she responded, but didn’t look at him.
“God damn it,” he said and pulled to the side of the road. “Look at me.”
“What?” She snapped, and looked at him. “You said we’d talk about it later, and I agreed. Now, we have work to do, and an entire group of vampire and Huntresses who are following you.”
“We’re not moving from this spot until you fucking talk to me,” he snapped back.
“We have nothing to talk about,” she told him and unbuckled her seat belt. “I think I’m going to ride with Karma the rest of the way.”
“No way in hell,” he snapped and grabbed her arm.
“Agent Baxter, if you want to keep that hand, you will let me go now,” she ground out. She was pissed and he was pushing her to the edge.
“Fine,” he said and released her. “I love you, Gina.”
“Yeah,” she responded and got out of the SUV.
“God damn it!” He spat out again and opened his door. “Gina, please don’t walk away from me.”
“Nathan,” she said and turned to look at him. The pleading look in his eyes stopped her in her tracks.
“Please,” he said and reached his hand out to her.
“No,” she said and shook her head. “You’re right. This isn’t the time or place to have this discussion.”
“I love you,” he told her again. “And I will discuss this here if that’s what you want. I just need you to understand.”
“I don’t understand,” she responded. “It’s something we both wanted, yet you wouldn’t.”
“I can’t,” he told her. “Not yet. You’re far too young for that.”
“For what?” She asked.
“You really don’t know?” He asked. He was sure she’d known about the blood link, having been around Karma and Dylan all these months.
“Know what?” She asked, her temper starting to rise again as confusion filled her.
“Gina, if I had drunk from you, or you from me, it would have started a blood link.”
“I know about the blood link,” she responded.
“It’s an unbreakable link. A link that would have bound our lives. A link that would have ensured we’d both die if one of us died.”
“Yes, and like I’ve told you before, if one of us dies, the other will too,” she said and sank to the ground. “So, why wouldn’t you do it?”
“I want nothing more than to be bound to you in every way, but I hesitate doing so because I don’t want to leave Zora without one of us to take care of her.”
“Why the fuck didn’t you just say that to begin with?” she asked and looked at him.
“Because I didn’t want to upset you before we walk into an unknown situation.”
“Yeah, okay,” she said and shook her head.
“Damnit, Gina,” he said and grabbed her. “I want to create a link with you more than I want my next breath.”
“Yeah,” she said again and shook her head. “I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry for?”
“The way I acted.”
“You acted like a newly turned vampire,” he replied and ran his hand down her hair.
“I’m sorry,” she said again.
“You have nothing to be sorry for.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered and looked up at him. “I didn’t respond before. I was pissed, and didn’t respond.”
“I know you love me,” he told her and pulled her into his lap.
“I always will, blood link or not,” she responded.
“So will I,” he told her.
“Everything okay here?” Johnson asked from the edge of the road.
“Yeah,” Gina responded and looked
up at him.
“Then we should probably get back on the road. Jensen is getting edgy.”
“Yeah, okay,” Baxter said and rose with Gina in his arms. He sat her on her feet and took her hand before looking up at everyone. Some were looking at them in confusion, but the mated couples were looking at them with understanding in their eyes.
“Sorry, everyone,” Gina said and looked at them all.
“It’s all good,” Karma said and looked at Dylan.
“Yep,” Nevaeh added and looked at Harrison.
“Let’s get back on the road,” Jensen nearly snarled, and they all looked at him for a second before loading back into their vehicles.
Once they were on the road again, Gina looked at Baxter and sighed. “I should have thought about Zora the way you did.”
“You think about Zora before everything else in life. It’s okay to lapse once,” he assured her.
“I didn’t know about the blood link,” Agent Norris said and shrugged. “I don’t think many of us do.”
“Then that’s something we should have a meeting about,” Baxter said and looked at Gina. “Everyone needs to know about the blood link before they create one.”
“Yes,” she said and looked at the agents. “But that can wait until we take care of this.”
“Yes,” Baxter said as they passed a sign telling them they were close. “Head in the game now. We have no idea what we’re walking into.”
“Yes,” Gina said and looked straight ahead. They all needed to focus so they’d come out of this alive.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
“Here we go,” Karma said and took a deep breath before she opened the door to The Pit. The last time she was here she’d just graduated high school and her family was still alive.
“Karma?” Her best friend from high school asked as soon as the door closed behind them.
“Hey, Kerri,” Karma greeted the girl she hadn’t thought much about since starting her search for Vincent. “How are things here?”
“Good,” she answered brightly. “Matt and I saw you on TV back in September. It all made sense after what you said.”
“What made sense?” Harrison asked and looked around the small restaurant.
“Karma was always different than the rest of us,” she answered and looked at Karma. “Not a bad different, just different.”
“I couldn’t tell anyone what I was at the time,” Karma told her. “It was too dangerous, and no one would have believed me anyway.”
“I would have,” Kerri told her. “So would Matt.”
“Speaking of, where is Matt?”
“He’s in class this morning. We both go to the community college,” Kerri answered and blushed a little. “We got married last month.”
“Congratulations,” Karma told her and smiled.
“Karma,” Jensen said softly, reminding her they were there on business.
“I know, Zyan,” she responded and rolled her eyes. “Kerri, we’ll catch up later. I have work to do right now.”
“Work? You mean for the Vampire Enforcement Bureau?” Kerri asked and let her eyes land on the agents behind Karma.
“Yes,” Karma answered. “We’re in town looking for a vampire.”
“I can’t tell vampire from humans by looking at them,” Kerri confessed and looked at the group again. “Or maybe I can. You’re all vampire, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” Harrison answered.
“Kerri, can you take a break and answer a few questions for us?” Karma asked and looked around at the nearly empty diner.
“Sure,” Kerri answered and smiled at Dylan, who was standing beside Karma. “But you have to tell me who the hunk is afterwards.”
Karma chuckled as Kerri led them to the back of the diner and sat at a long table.
“Kerri, this is Dylan Collins, my lifemate. Dylan, I’d like you to meet Kerri Brewer, or rather Masters, now. She and Matt were my two closest friends while I was growing up. Other than the Huntresses, of course.”
“Lifemate?” Kerri asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I’ll explain in a little while,” Karma promised. “But, we really do need to ask some questions, and since this is the biggest hang-out in town, I thought coming here would be the place to find the answers.”
“Ask away,” she responded and grinned at Karma before looking at the very large vampire who sat at the table with her. “I should be terrified, knowing what you all are, but I’m not.”
“You have no reason to fear us,” Baxter told her and smiled softly. “My name is Nathan Baxter, and I am the leader of the VEB. We work toward keeping the human population safe from those of our kind who wish to harm them.”
“I know all about the VEB,” Kerri told him and grinned. “After Karma’s press conference in September, Matt and I have kept track of everything that’s happened.”
“That’s good,” Karma commented. “Less to explain later.”
“Have any humans gone missing from the area in the last two months?” Jensen asked and Karma could hear the impatience in his voice.
“Not that I know of, and if anyone went missing from Cool, I would have heard about it.”
“What about the surrounding areas? I know Cool is a small town, but there are many others close to the city,” Baxter responded.
“I couldn’t tell you, but I think I know someone who may be able to,” Kerri said and looked at Karma. “But you won’t like it.”
“Who?” Karma asked, narrowing her eyes at her childhood best friend.
“Mr. Price,” she answered, and Karma’s eyes narrowed into slits.
“I haven’t spoken to Papa and Gran since my family’s memorial,” Karma reminded her. “I’m sure after the press conference, they will want nothing to do with me.”
“I wouldn’t be sure about that,” Kerri told her. “I’ll call him and see if he’ll come down. I’m sure they will want to see you.”
“I’ll call him,” Karma said and sighed. She was not looking forward to this conversation, but she knew it needed to happen.
“Karma,” Dylan said softly, and she looked at him. “Who are you talking about?”
“My step-dad’s parents,” she answered.
“I thought all of your family was dead,” Baxter said and looked at her.
“They are!” She snapped. “The day after we had the memorial for my parents and brothers, I joined the Huntresses and never looked back. The Huntresses are my family, the VEB is my family, Dylan and Jackson are my family; Papa and Gran are not, and now that they know I was the reason their son and grandsons were murdered, I am even more certain they’ll want nothing to do with me.”
“Karma,” Dylan said again.
“I’m sorry,” she said and rose to her feet. When she turned to walk out of the diner, Gina laid a hand on her arm and she paused.
“We all have things from our past we don’t wish to talk about. You’re entitled to those things, too.”
“Pretty sure you’re the only one who feels that way,” Karma told her then shrugged her hand off and took off running.
“Fuck,” Dylan said and rose to his feet. “I have to find her.”
“I know where she’s going,” Nevaeh said and looked around at the others. “But before I take anyone there, you have to promise me something.”
“What?” Dylan snapped.
“That you’ll drop it about Brandt’s parents. Yes, they always cared for her, but she’s right. After Barbara, Brandt, and the boys were killed, Mr. and Mrs. Price were there for the first few days, then they were too lost in their own grief to be any kind of a family to Karma. She moved to the compound just after the memorial with nothing but her weapons, a single picture of her parents and brothers, and the clothes the Huntresses had purchased for her. In the weeks she was there before she left to find Vincent, the Prices never even called to check on her. She was as dead as her parents and brothers.”
“Shit,” Dylan said and covered his face with his hands for
a moment. “Where did she go? I have to talk to her.”
“She went home,” Nevaeh answered, and Gina frowned.
“Do you really think so?” Gina asked, thinking of the burned-out plot of land Karma’s house once stood on.
“I know so,” Nevaeh answered. “It’s the only place in this town she’d have any kind of connection to.”
“Take me there, please,” Dylan said, and Nevaeh looked at him for a second before nodding.
“Gina, can you lead the others there? Dylan and I will run. It’ll be faster.”
“Yes,” Gina responded. She was probably the only other Huntress who knew where it was.
“Will Karma be okay?” Kerri asked and Gina could hear the concern in her voice.
“She’ll be fine,” Gina answered her. “She’s incredibly strong, but sometimes she just needs to be reminded that she isn’t alone anymore.”
“And she never will be again,” Dylan responded. “Now, let’s go.”
Nevaeh nodded and walked toward the door. “Kerri, if you think of anything else, anything at all, give Karma a call. Her personal cell number is the same as before.”
“I’ll call if I see or hear anything,” Kerri promised and smiled at Dylan. “Karma was my best friend since kindergarten. Take care of her.”
“You have my word,” Dylan promised then walked out of the diner with Nevaeh on his heels.
“We will all take care of her,” Baxter told the girl.
“Thank you,” Kerri said and rose to her feet. “Karma wasn’t the same after her fifteenth birthday, and we never knew why. It was because of her vampire heritage, wasn’t it?”
“Karma’s vampire father came to see her on her fifteenth birthday. It was the first time she’d met him. A few days later, she started training with us because Brandt knew there would be trouble from Vincent. We lost two Huntresses that night, too. Vincent was at graduation and Karma called Nevaeh. We sent a couple of Huntresses to help protect them, but Vincent brought a horde of new vampire with him. He personally killed her family, though, and I know she still blames herself for that.”
“Damn,” Kerri said and sank back down into her chair.
“Yeah,” Gina said and looked around at the agents. “We have to go. I’ll drive if that’s okay with everyone.”
Gina's Passion (Vampire Huntress Sage Book 4) Page 19