“And are you going to be okay?” Baxter asked. He was worried about Jensen.
“I’ll be fine as long as she lives,” he responded. “She may be pissed at me, and Jackson, but she’ll be alive.”
“I went through that same thing,” Harrison reminded him and looked at Nevaeh. “And it all turned out well.”
“Yes, but Nevaeh was older and was born into this life,” Jensen reminded him. “Caia is only sixteen, and will never get any older. She was taken and this life was forced upon her.”
“She’ll forgive you both,” Nikki told him. “She’s stronger than you’re giving her credit for.”
“We can hope,” Jensen said and walked back out of the room.
“Okay then,” Karma said and shook her head. “While we wait for the change to happen, I need to call Papa and see if he knows anything about the vampire activity around here.”
“Why would he know anything about it?” Dylan asked.
“He owns half the businesses in town,” she answered and sighed. “He and Gram are very wealthy, so was dad. When dad and my brothers were killed, it left me as the sole heir to the family fortune. Gram and Papa can leave everything in their names to whomever they choose, but everything in dad’s name became mine the day I turned eighteen.”
“Oh my God,” Dylan said and looked at her like she’d grown a second head.
“It doesn’t change anything, Dylan,” she told him and rose to her feet. “Just because my bank account is larger than it was, doesn’t make me any different than I’ve always been.”
“We grew up in very different circumstances,” he reminded her. “I never knew you were from a family who had money.”
“So?!” She shouted. “What the fuck does that matter? I was born because my mother had a one-night stand with a charming vampire. Just because my family never wanted for anything doesn’t change who I am. I’m sorry if you cannot accept that.”
She stormed from the room and everyone’s gaze focused on Dylan.
“You’re being a real jerk right now,” Nevaeh told him then followed Karma from the room.
“Ass,” Gina said and followed Nevaeh.
“What the fuck was that about?” Harrison asked Dylan once the ladies were gone.
“Her keeping things from me,” Dylan answered and sighed. “She and I have been together for nearly a year now, and she’s never said anything about any of this.”
“Maybe because these things don’t matter to her,” Baxter said and looked at Dylan. “Think about it for a second then answer this. Has she ever once acted like any of us are beneath her because we didn’t come from privileged backgrounds?”
“No,” Harrison answered for his son. “And she’s done nothing but help the vampire community since I’ve known her. She’s always had money, but I never questioned how because it doesn’t matter.”
“You love her for who she is, not what she has,” Baxter reminded him. “And even if she’d grown up dirt poor, you’d still love her, right?”
“Yes, but that’s not what this is about,” Dylan told them. “I don’t care about her money, but I do care that she’s been keeping things from me, from all of us, this entire time.”
“And there’s nothing about you that she doesn’t know?” Harrison asked with a raised eyebrow. “Have you stopped to think that maybe, just maybe, she hasn’t talked about any of this because remembering her family is too hard? Or maybe she hasn’t mentioned it because since you’ve met it’s been one thing after another, and the past doesn’t matter to her?”
“Yes, there are things about me she doesn’t know. Hell, there are things I probably should have told her that she doesn’t know still,”
“And are you planning on telling her?” Harrison asked.
“I wasn’t,” he answered and covered his face with his hands.
“Some of them she’ll be pissed about, and understandably so,” Harrison reminded him. “But I know for a fact she would never behave the way you did over a couple bucks in the bank.”
“Fuck,” Dylan said and rose to his feet.
“She’s in our bedroom with Nevaeh and Gina,” Baxter told him.
“How could you possibly know that?” Harrison asked.
“Gina sent me a text,” he responded and shrugged.
“Thanks,” Dylan said and walked out of the room.
“What has he not told Karma?” Baxter asked once he was gone.
“Those are his secrets to share,” Harrison answered then rose to her feet. “He’ll share everything when he’s ready.”
“As long as it doesn’t blow up in anyone’s face,” Baxter said, and Harrison shook his head.
“No one’s except his,” Harrison told him then walked from the room.
“Well then,” Baxter said to the empty room.
****
“Why is me having money such a big deal to him?”
“He’s never really had any,” Nevaeh reminded her.
“So?” Karma said and threw up her arms as she paced the small bedroom. “I don’t give a rat’s ass about the fucking money. What I care about is Dylan and what we have together.”
“I know,” Nevaeh said, and grabbed Karma’s shoulders. “He loves you.”
“I know he loves me,” Karma responded. “I also know he’s really upset about what he sees as a deception. I didn’t deceive him though. I really haven’t thought about it. It’s not something that’s ever come up.”
“Karma,” Dylan said from the other side of the door before anyone else could say anything. “Can we talk?”
“I don’t have anything to say to you,” she responded.
“Please,” he said and the pleading sound in his voice pulled at Gina’s heart.
“Go talk to him,” Gina urged her.
“Tell him what you told us,” Nevaeh said and walked to the door.
When she opened it, Dylan peeked inside and immediately spotted Karma. The tears in her eyes nearly dropped him to his knees.
“Karma, come to our room so we can talk, please.”
“We have nothing to talk about,” she told him.
“We have a lot to talk about,” he told her and stepped into the room. “Please come to our bedroom and talk to me, or, at the very least, listen while I talk.”
“Fine,” she responded and walked past him and to their room across the hall.
“Good luck,” Gina said and smiled at him.
“Thanks,” he responded and walked to the open door.
“What do you want to talk to me about?”
“I’m sorry,” he started and walked to her.
“Yeah,” she responded and took a step back.
“Please don’t back away from me,” he said and reached out to touch her face. “I love you, and I am sorry for hurting you. Your money doesn’t matter to me, your past is what matters. I realized in a very short time that I know very little about you from before we met, and I reacted badly.”
“I’m still the same person I’ve always been.”
“You are, and I know that. I wasn’t expecting to find out things from your past this way though, and it all took me by surprise.”
“And just how did you think I was paying for everything like I do?”
“I haven’t really thought about it,” he responded with a shrug. “I reacted badly, and I’ve apologized for that.”
“And I forgive you,” she told him, but didn’t step into his arms like she wanted to. She felt there was more he needed to say.
“Before you forgive me, there is something I need to tell you. Something that may make you change how you feel about me.”
“Nothing ever could,” she told him and looked up into his smokey eyes. “No matter what it is, no matter what you’ve done, the past is the past.”
“I hope you still feel that way after I tell you this,” he told her than took a step back. “When I was still in school, I dated this girl named Katy. I loved her, nowhere near how much I love you, but thought I
was in love with her. Just after my mom died, I was fighting to keep Jackson with me, so Katy and I decided to get married so I would have a better chance of gaining custody of him.”
“You’re married?” She asked, her eyes wide.
“Not anymore,” he answered and ran a hand through his overly long mahogany hair. “Just after I turned twenty, Katy found out she was pregnant. I was terrified because she didn’t know what I was. She went into labor at twenty-nine weeks, and the doctors couldn’t stop it. The baby didn’t survive. When Katy was released from the hospital, I told her everything about me, about what I am, and she blamed me for our baby dying. She left the next day, and I received divorce papers a couple months later.”
“And this isn’t something you thought I should know?”
“It isn’t something I think about,” he responded.
“Did you think it would change how I feel about you?”
“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “I don’t think about Katy or the baby often, and I haven’t at all since meeting you.”
“You should never forget about your child,” she told him. “Was the baby a boy or a girl?”
“A girl,” he answered. “We named her Athena because Katy loved Greek mythology. She lived for four hours and twelve minutes.”
“Then honor Athena by thinking about her, by talking about her, by sharing the love you have for her with your family,” Karma told him. “I wish you’d have told me about her, but I’m not going to walk away from you because you didn’t.”
“You’re not mad?”
“A little, but I’ll get over it. I love you, Dylan, and nothing from your past can change that.”
“I love you, too, Karma,” he said and reached out to her. “And I am so very sorry I didn’t tell you about Katy and Athena sooner.”
“We’re all intitled to our secrets,” she told him and stepped into his arms.
“No more,” he said and kissed the top of her head. “No more secrets between us.”
“Deal,” she said and raised her head enough to kiss the tip of his chin.
“There’s something I want to ask you,” he said and pulled away from her.
“Anything.”
“Karma Black, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” He asked and held out a small, black box.
“Yes,” she answered before he could even open the box.
When he opened it, her eyes landed on a beautiful ruby ring set in white gold and surrounded by diamonds.
“Ruby because we met for the first time in July,” he told her and pulled the ring from the box.
“When did you get this?”
“When we were in DC for Johnson’s trial,” he answered and smiled at her. “I’ve been carrying it with me since, but couldn’t find the perfect time or place to ask. Then I realized I didn’t need the perfect time or place. All I needed was you, so I’m asking now.”
“I would love nothing more than to marry you,” she told him and jumped into his arms.
“I love you, Karma.”
“And I love you, Dylan,” she responded and sighed. “I need to make a phone call. I need to talk to Papa.”
“And I will be right there with you with you do,” he assured her.
Chapter Forty-One
“Karma?” Daniel Price asked when he answered the phone.
“Hello, Papa,” Karma responded.
“Why are you calling me?” He asked, and Karma heard something in his voice that made her frown.
“I’m in town investigating something, and wanted to see how you and Gram are doing.”
“We have nothing to say to you,” he responded, and her frown deepened. “We know what you are, and we know you’re the reason our Brandt was murdered.”
“I see,” Karma responded, and Dylan laid his hand on her shoulder. “I will not bother you again.”
“Good,” he said and ended the call.
“That went as well as expected,” Karma said and shrugged Dylan’s hand off. “I need some air.”
“Take a walk with me,” Dylan said and took her hand in his.
“Yeah, okay,” she agreed and smiled at him. “I told you they weren’t my family.”
“Yes,” he said then pulled her against his side. “But you have a family surrounding you that loves and supports you, no matter what.”
“I know, and that family is all I need.”
“Now, let’s go for that walk before Caia wakes up.”
“I love you, Dylan.”
“And I love you, Karma.”
****
“How’s Caia?” Baxter asked when Jackson walked down the stairs.
“The change seems to be going well,” he answered. “I just hate that she’s going through the pain of it. It burned like I was walking through fire, then my entire body hurt like I’d broken every bone in multiple places.”
“Really?” Gina asked, looking up from whatever she was researching on the computer. “I didn’t feel any pain. I felt a little burning just after the change started, then nothing. It was like I was asleep. I didn’t feel anything.”
“Everyone is different,” Eduardo said from the doorway behind them. “Karma and Dylan said they didn’t feel any pain, and neither did Nevaeh. We all assumed it was because they weren’t completely human though.”
“I was though,” Gina told him.
“Are you sure about that?” He asked, and she cocked her head to the side.
“What do you mean?” Baxter asked.
“I’ve been researching the tribe your father, and Zora’s father, came from, and have found something interesting,” he told them. “It seems they originate from a small island in the Caribbean Sea that has been known to have origins in VooDoo. Some have been said to possess supernatural abilities, and others have been said to have non-human traits. I’m not sure how much is fact and how much is fiction, but I would like to speak with the leader of this tribe if I can.”
“Nevaeh knows how to get in touch with him,” Gina told him. “I would like to speak with him, too.”
“Then I shall speak with Nevaeh,” he responded and walked out of the room, leaving the three of them staring at the space he vacated.
“Well, that was interesting,” Baxter said and walked to the door.
“He’s always interesting,” Jackson commented and shook his head. “We’re hoping Caia can lead us to Crompton when she wakes up, and Jensen sent me down to ask if you can get the agents together and get a tentative plan in place.”
“I have Watson on that already,” Baxter answered. “And Nevaeh has the Huntresses ready to go, too. We’re just waiting for her to wake up, so we know where to go.”
“It shouldn’t be too much longer,” Gina reminded them. “It’s been nearly three days since Jensen started the change.”
“Yeah,” Jackson said and looked out the window. “I just hope she can forgive us for making this decision for her.”
“She will,” Baxter assured him. “You’re her brother, and she loves you. She may be pissed at Jensen, but she’ll forgive you.”
“She will be pissed at me, but I’m okay with that because she’ll be alive to eventually forgive me,” Jensen said from the open door. When Jackson snapped his head toward him, Jensen sighed. “She’s starting to move some, so she’ll be waking up soon. I thought it best if you were with her when she did.”
“Do you really think she’ll be that mad at you?” Gina asked.
“Yes,” Jensen answered. “And like I said, I’m okay with that for now. What I could never live with would be knowing she was no longer alive.”
“I’ll go up and be there when she wakes up,” Jackson said and started for the stairs. “If she asks, do you want me to tell her you’re the one who changed her?”
“Yes,” he answered and sighed again. “She should never be lied to again.”
“I agree,” Jackson said then disappeared up the stairs.
“What makes you think she’s going to be
upset with you?” Baxter asked after Jackson was gone.
“Just a feeling,” he answered and sat heavily on one of the large chairs in the small office they were in. “She doesn’t know what she is to me, and she never expressed any desire to become a vampire. I also don’t think she likes me overly much.”
“That could be because you’ve always been a bit of an abrasive douche toward her,” Karma said from behind him.
“Bite me,” Jensen said and Karma grinned.
“I’ll save my bites for Dylan,” she responded, and Baxter chuckled. “I came in to tell you we found a small lead.”
“How?” Baxter asked, knowing they’d been in the house the entire day.
“You’re not going to like it,” Karma told him and sighed. “Remember the agent you ran into in DC? Agent Lynn?”
“Yes,” he answered and shifted in his seat.
“Well, I talked to Johnson about her because she mentioned to you about running into him here in Cali. You knew that wasn’t true because of where he was around the time of her creation. He verified that he was in Canada around that time, too, so we did a memory recall exercise I read about, and he remembered where he ran into her at.”
“And where was that?” Baxter asked.
“When I worked for Booker,” Johnson answered from the door. “Last time I was in Cali, before now, was when I worked for Booker. I left his organization in December of nineteen-ninety.”
“That means she lied about her background in order to get into the VEB,” Baxter said and rose to his feet.
“I remembered meeting her just before I left him, and it wasn’t how she said we met,” Johnson told him. “She was killing humans as she fed from them, but I didn’t stop her. She was working for one of Booker’s rivals, a vampire named Branwen, and seemed to be happy doing the things she was doing.”
“Branwen is who she has listed as her creator,” Baxter told them. “She may not have lied about that, but she definitely lied about when she was created.”
“But why?” Gina asked. “How would she benefit from lying about her creation date?”
“She’s hiding something,” Baxter said and shook his head. “And we may have to take another trip to DC to find out what.”
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