“Amazon? Like the daughters of Ares and Harmonia from Greek mythology?” Fuller asked, cynically.
“You’re a vampire,” Karma pointed out and looked at him with disdain. “Why is it harder to believe other things seen as myths can’t be real when you are what you are?”
“Fine, whatever. Go on,” he said, glaring at Karma.
Karma hissed at him, before nodding to Nevaeh to continue.
“As an Amazon, I age slower than a normal human, and will live many years longer. Things were going great with Aaren and I until my Mother was killed by the same band of barbarian vampire who killed the others in the village. He became distant and withdrawn and eventually moved out of the house, then I joined the Huntresses, and everything fell apart. I was twenty, the Mother of a toddler, and training for the fight of my life. I wanted the head of the leader of the group who killed my family, and I knew I couldn’t do it alone. Three years after moving out, Aaren took off to Europe, and I was crushed. All I had left was my beautiful little girl, and my anger.”
“This is a lovely story, but what’s the point?” Fuller asked and Karma hissed at him again.
“Maybe if you’d shut your fucking mouth and let her finish, you’d find out,” Harrison snapped and Fuller growled.
“Watch your mouth when speaking to me, Radcliff,” Fuller said though clenched teeth.
“Watch yourself, Fuller,” Karma warned, and glared at him.
Glaring at her, he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.
Shaking her head, Nevaeh looked at Karma and smiled a little before continuing.
“Two years after Aaren left, our daughter was taken out of her bedroom one night. I had tucked her in, then one of the younger Huntresses came to sit with her while we went to eliminate a small cell of rouge vampire. When I came home a few hours later, the Huntress was unconscious, and my little girl was gone.”
Nevaeh paused and wiped the tears from her eyes, before continuing. “I immediately thought Aaren had taken her, but he was as clueless as I was. We both searched and hoped, but we never saw her again. We’d given up on her being alive until yesterday when Eduardo briefed us at the pier.”
“Why then?” Eduardo asked, fearing he already knew.
“My daughter’s name is Analia, she’d be eighteen now, and is a Halfling, sort of. No one could ever tell us what she would be, or how the Amazonian and vampire blood would react together as she got older. I know when she was little, she was a lot like Karma and Dylan. She wanted her meat rare, and hated broccoli.”
“Nevaeh,” Dristen said, pulling her attention to him. “Do you think the girl working with Crompton is your daughter?”
“I know she is. She’s the one who killed Aaren, but it was what happened after that makes me feel the Analia I knew as a child is still in there. The house we were at was the house I lived in with her and Aaren. It was her home for eight years, and when I distracted her enough to make her feel and remember, she fled, but the damage had already been done. Aaren was already dead.”
“If she’s working with Crompton, she may not be the child you remember,” Constance said sadly.
“I know, but I’m not convinced she’s working with him as much as being controlled by him,” Nevaeh said and held up her hand to stop the questions she knew were coming. “Just hear me out. She was taken from her home as a small, impressionable, child. She could have been easily trained to be whatever Crompton wanted her to be. She was as fast as Karma, and almost as lethal.”
“But will we be able to deprogram her?” Alyen asked.
“I don’t know, but I have to try. I can’t give up on her again now that I know she’s alive,” Nevaeh told them.
“And if she can’t be?” Fuller asked.
“We will cross that bridge when we get there,” Karma answered for Nevaeh. “For now, we have to focus on finding her. She’s the key to getting to Crompton.”
“I disagree,” Fuller started, and Karma silenced him with a look.
“Frankly, I don’t give a flying fuck about what you think. We are going to direct our search toward Analia, and you can either help us or go back to Washington. We don’t need a bureaucratic jackass with his head up his ass telling us what to do.” Nevaeh snapped.
“We will see what President Isaac has to say about this,” Fuller threatened and pushed from the table.
“Oh goody, he’s calling Isaac. Let’s see how this goes,” Karma said and rolled her eyes.
“You’re a little bitch,” he spat and walked out of the room.
“I’m offended,” Karma said, feigning being hurt by his words. “I am definitely a big bitch.”
Everyone chuckled at her words and she turned to Nevaeh.
“You take the lead on this one. You know her, and may be able to find her easier than the rest of us.”
“I just hope we find her before she returns to Crompton. She will be impossible to get to if he’s around,” Eduardo stated, and Karma nodded.
“Then I suggest everyone get a good night’s sleep. We head out at first light.”
Chapter Eight
“What now?” Crompton answered on the first ring.
“Why didn’t you tell me that Weldon and Nevaeh were Analia’s parents?”
“Because it wasn’t necessary for the job you’re being paid to do.”
“Wasn’t necessary? It could have gotten me killed!”
“And?” Crompton asked, annoyed.
“You really are a cold-hearted son of a bitch.”
“Thank you, now go do your job. I have something to take care of,” Crompton ended the call and rose from his chair.
Analia had returned several hours before, telling him the job was complete, but if his informant knew about her parentage, that could only mean one of her parents was still alive. The question was, which one?
“Analia,” he said as he walked into the small room he kept her in most days. “We need to talk.”
She knew that tone, and knew she was in trouble. He’d somehow found out she hadn’t completed the task he’d assigned her, and he was mad.
“Is something wrong, Master?” She asked.
“Yes,” he responded, and she flinched at his tone.
“I’m sorry, Master,” she responded quietly.
“Sorry for what, Analia?” He asked as he grabbed her by the throat, and she knew better than to lie again.
“I did not complete the task you assigned me, Master,” she told him, and he threw her against the wall.
“You lied to me!” He yelled and picked her up by her hair. “Why didn’t you complete it?”
“I killed the vampire, but then was overwhelmed by a familiarity to them both,” she began and cried out as he picked her up and held her at eye level.
“What kind of familiarity?” He bellowed.
“Did you know they are my Mother and Father?” She asked, tears streaming down her face.
“Yes, and if you remember, they sold you to me a long time ago. You are mine! Never forget that!” He shouted at her and tossed her back into her room, hearing her back crack as she hit the edge of the bed and bounced to the floor. “Think about where your loyalties lie while you heal, and we will talk again tomorrow.”
After slamming the door shut, he walked out of the house and into the afternoon sun. It was time to hunt.
****
“I don’t trust Fuller,” Nevaeh told Karma as they walked to the diner near the hotel for dinner.
“I don’t trust him either, but I’m not sure if that’s because he’s done something, or because he’s a douche,” Karma confessed. “I know I don’t like him because he’s a douche and I’m probably going to stake him before I can stop myself one day.”
“He does have a knack for making steam come out of your ears,” Harrison said, and grinned.
“He needs to pull his head out of his ass. I know I’m nothing special, but both the Senate and the human government believe I’m the one destined to unite everyone.
I still don’t know if I believe them, but the changes being made have made things easier on vampire, and humans alike,” Karma said as they opened the diner door and walked inside.
After they found a table and sat, Nevaeh looked at Dylan. “What’s your impression of Fuller?”
“He’s a conceited jerk who is over-confident in his own abilities, but he was checked out by the Senate and President Isaac, and was deemed worthy of the position he was assigned. I’m not saying I trust him. What I’m saying is, if he was able to deceive them, then he’s really good,” Dylan said, and Karma nodded.
“So, let’s keep an eye on him and see if we can catch him doing whatever he’s doing that’s making us all not trust him,” Harrison suggested and Nevaeh grinned.
“I’ll talk to a couple of my Huntresses and see if they can watch him during patrols. When they aren’t on patrol, we can watch him in shifts,” Nevaeh said.
“And if anyone sees him do anything, or act out of the ordinary, we will immediately notify the others,” Karma suggested.
“Agreed,” Dylan said and grinned.
Harrison nodded his agreement, and picked up the menu. “Now that we have that settled, let’s order some dinner.”
“Why do you put on the façade of eating food when you don’t have to anymore?” Karma asked and grinned.
“Because I like the taste,” Harrison said and shrugged.
“You are the weirdest vampire I have ever met,” Nevaeh mused with a slight grin.
“You have to admit, though, I keep things interesting,” Harrison countered, and Dylan snickered.
“Interesting, annoying, same difference,” Nevaeh said, and Harrison let out a loud laugh, causing several heads to turn toward them.
“If I was any different, you’d get bored with me,” he told her, and she shrugged.
“Maybe, maybe not, but we will never find out. You’re too old and too stubborn to change.”
“I’m stubborn?” He asked and laughed loudly again.
“Okay, kids,” Karma said, and grinned. “You’re both stubborn, and neither of you will ever change. Now, if you don’t mind, I need food.”
Dylan grinned at his lifemate, and motioned the waitress over.
“We’re ready to order,” he said, and the young waitress looked at him like she wanted something that wasn’t on the menu.
“Sure,” she said in her bubbly voice. “What will it be, handsome?”
Sneering at the waitress, Karma cleared her throat. “I’ll have a burger, rare, with lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, and mayo, fries, and a Coke,” she ordered and flashed a full-fang grin when the waitress finally looked at her.
After fumbling for a second, the waitress wrote the order down, then took everyone else’s before walking back to the counter and disappearing into the back.
“You are so mean,” Harrison said and smiled.
“You almost made that girl pee her pants,” Nevaeh added with a chuckle. “She needed it, though. She was oblivious to anyone except Dylan.”
“It’s my animal magnetism,” he joked and looked at Karma. “My girl is very protective, even where humans are concerned.”
“She was undressing you with her eyes. I just intervened before she mentally had you in her bed,” Karma told them and shrugged. “Maybe if she’d have actually looked around the table instead of homing in on Dylan, I wouldn’t have had to flash her.”
“When you put it like that, it sounds like you showed her something other than your fangs,” Dylan said and chuckled.
“My fangs are more impressive,” Karma responded and grinned. “You like both.”
“Very much so,” he replied and leaned over to scrape his teeth across her neck. “But at the moment, we need to focus on tracking down Analia. Nevaeh, do you have any possible ideas where she may be?”
“I’ve been thinking about that, and I don’t, but I think I know a way we could track her,” she responded and looked at Karma. “Remember when the Senate taught you how to track Vincent?”
“Yes,” Karma answered and grinned. “You think you could do something like that through your Amazonian bond?”
“Won’t know till we try,” Nevaeh answered. “And I will try anything to find my daughter again.”
Chapter Nine
“Here’s Fuller’s file,” Constance told Ramsey as she turned the computer screen toward him.
“Just as I expected,” he said and sighed. “His creator is listed at unknown.”
“Yes, but we suspected he didn’t remember, or didn’t know, because he was created and left on his own,” Eduardo said and frowned. “Do you think he lied?”
“I don’t know,” Ramsey said and thought for a moment. “Most vampire know their creator because we either stay with them for the first few years, or because we encounter them at some point and know through the bond. It’s not a common thing for one not to at least know who took their human life.”
“It is rare, but not unheard of,” Langley said and looked around the room. “What would he gain from lying to us?”
“Power,” Holbrook responded. “He’s the leader of the Vampire Enforcement Bureau, and as such, he has free roam of most government buildings, and has inside knowledge of the vampire laws and gets a vote on punishments.”
“Is that worth his life, though?” Ramsey mused and frowned. “If he isn’t hiding something, then why the animosity toward Karma?”
“That’s what has me concerned, as well. Karma will not tolerate his attitude much longer, and has tolerated it far longer than I would have expected from her. That shows she is maturing, but she is still young, and despite her abilities, she will reach her snapping point with him. When she does, she will stake him,” Dristen said.
“Then we must find out what he’s hiding before that happens,” Constance told them and they all nodded.
“Then it’s agreed. We will quietly investigate Fuller, while trying to keep him away from Karma as much as possible. Any questions?” Aleyn asked.
After they all shook their heads, Ramsey picked up his phone and sent Nevaeh a text, asking her to meet him later so they could discuss what was going to happen next.
Before he was able to lay his phone on the table, there was a knock at the door, and he grinned.
“Come in, Nevaeh,” Ramsey said and shook his head when he heard her cell phone announce a new text message.
“You needed to see me?” She asked, grinning and holding up her phone.
“Unless you’re suddenly psychic, I do believe you needed to see me as well,” he replied, his grin shifting to a frown. “What is on your mind?”
“Two things. First one is Fuller. There’s something off about him and none of us trust him,” she stated and looked around at the vampire surrounding her. “And the second one is Analia.”
“We will discuss Analia in a moment, but tell us why you don’t trust Fuller,” Dristen said.
“He’s hiding something,” Nevaeh stated, matter-of-factly. “I don’t know what, but it’s something that could get us all killed.”
“Funny you should say that,” Aleyn said and smiled. “We were just discussing the exact same thing.”
“When we started the Bureau, Fuller was not like he is now. He was cooperative and worked well with everyone. Since we found that cargo ship earlier this week, he changed,” Langley said and shook his head.
“No, it wasn’t when we found the ship,” Eduardo said and rolled up his sleeve. “It was when we identified Crompton’s mark.”
“What do you mean?” Karma asked, instantly alert.
“He was fine at the ship until that lady mentioned the eyes,” Nevaeh said and frowned. “Then when Eduardo said Crompton’s name, his demeanor shifted.”
“Do you think Crompton could be his creator?” Ramsey asked.
“It’s possible, but we can’t know for sure without either him or Crompton telling us,” Eduardo answered.
“Then I guess that brings us to Analia,” Nevaeh said
. “We were talking, and we think I may be able to track her through our shared Amazonian blood, like Karma did with Vincent.”
“Will it work?” Constance asked.
“I have no idea, but it’s worth a shot, and it’s the best plan we can think of right now,” Nevaeh answered. “We also think we should limit how much we tell Fuller.”
“On that, we agree,” Ramsey said and rose from his chair. “I don’t know about anyone else, but I need to feed.”
“We all do,” Constance said. “There is a donation center just around the corner. I think that was one of the best ideas in the new laws. Hunting was tiresome.”
“Yes, after this long, hunting a couple times a week was getting to be mundane,” Aleyn agreed.
“While you all go feed, we will see what we can find out about the Amazons and if they have blood bonds like vampire do,” Nevaeh said and pushed Harrison toward the Senate. “And take him with you, please. I know he hasn’t fed since he’s been here.”
“I didn’t know you were concerned,” Harrison said and cocked his head at her. “It’s very sweet that you’re worried about me.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. I’m worried you’ll be hungry and violate one of the rules, forcing Karma to kill you. It’d rip her apart if she had to stake you.”
“Oh, straight to my unbeating heart,” Harrison teased and dropped to his knees. “Your words hurt more than her Sai would.”
“Then maybe my scimitar would be a better option,” she said and walked out of the room.
“What did I do now?” Harrison asked as the door closed behind her.
“She likes you, but doesn’t want to, so she gets pissy when she’s too close to allowing herself to really fall,” Karma said and sighed. “Give her some time, Harrison. We just buried her husband, remember?”
Harrison rose to his feet and sighed. “Yeah, I remember all too well.”
“Others are allowed to have a past, Harrison,” Dylan told him. “You have one, too.”
“What is going on?” Eduardo asked, confused by the conversation.
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