Nevaeh's Secret (Vampire Huntress Saga Book 2)

by Christina Escue

  “Stupid bitch,” Matthews said and frowned. “Crompton will never be found.”

  “Maybe not, but once we have you, Fuller, and Tonya out of the way, we can search for him without any inside information getting out,” Karma said and took a step forward. “Oh, I forgot to mention, we intercepted another of his shipments yesterday in New Jersey. You see, we happened to come across a list containing shipment information and have all the harbors along the East coast on alert.”

  “Fuck!” Matthews spat and took another step backwards.

  “Don’t try it,” Nevaeh warned and grinned when Matthews froze.

  Karma flashed to the window Matthews was creeping toward and grinned when she looked out. “He wouldn’t get far.”

  “The Senate finally arrive?” Harrison asked.

  “Yes, along with the entire VEB. Oh, Fuller, I forgot to tell you. You’re fired,” she said as she grabbed him and shoved him against the wall. “And you’re under arrest for treason.”

  As she cuffed him with silver cuffs, Matthews charged Nevaeh.

  “Going somewhere?” Nevaeh asked as she let her fist connect with Matthews’ face. “Oh, I guess you weren’t paying attention. I’m not human any longer.”

  Flipping him over, Dylan cuffed him and pulled his to his feet.

  “Looks like both of you get to play,” Harrison said and grinned at the two men they had in custody.

  “Oh, please let me have Matthews.” Karma said and grinned when fear shot into the former congressman’s eyes.

  “Gladly,” Nevaeh said and looked at Fuller. “I do believe you will have more fun than me though.”

  “Oh, I think we are both going to enjoy this very much,” Karma said as she led Fuller out of the office. “Let’s find a place where we won’t be interrupted.”

  “I know the perfect place,” Harrison said and grinned.

  “Lead the way,” Dylan said as they followed Karma out of the office.

  Once outside, they loaded Fuller and Matthews into separate SUV’s and Harrison took them to a large boat docked at the pier.

  “Who’s boat?” Dylan asked.

  “Mine,” Harrison answered and grinned. “I bought it last week on a whim.”

  “It’s perfect,” Nevaeh said and kissed him soundly. “Are we staying ashore?”

  “I was thinking we needed a little distance between us and the humans,” he said and Karma grinned.

  “Definitely. We wouldn’t want them to think we were torturing someone, or anything,” Karma said, and they chuckled.

  “Let’s get the Senate on board and then the fun can begin,” Harrison said as he prepared the boat to cast off.

  “We’re here,” Ramsey said.

  “Nice to see you found our old friend, Matthews,” Holbrook commented and grinned at Matthews. “Karma really missed you.”

  Matthews’ face lit up in fear and Karma chuckled. “You were very fun to play with,” she said, and he flinched when she ran her finger down his arm.

  “I think he may be a little scared, Karma,” Constance told her.

  “I can’t imagine why he would be,” Langley added as Harrison steered them away from the pier.

  “There are chairs below deck that someone can bring up to secure them to,” Harrison called out and Nevaeh nodded.

  “Be right back, handsome,” she told Fuller as Karma held him tight. “Don’t miss me too much while I’m gone.”

  He snarled, and her chuckle carried up the stairs she’d just disappeared down. She was back within seconds, and Karma and Dylan secured Fuller and Matthews to the chairs with silver rope.

  A couple minutes later, Harrison stopped the boat and dropped anchor.

  “This should be far enough,” he said and grinned. “Let’s get comfortable and enjoy the show.”

  “Let’s see who breaks first, shall we?” Karma said and grinned at Matthews. “I’ve learned a few new tricks since we were together last. I hope you like them.”

  “Fuck you, bitch!” He spat, and she chuckled.

  “This is going to be fun,” she said as she pulled a small box from her bag. When she opened the box, and pulled out two silver razor blades Matthews’ eyes widened, and he paled.

  “Oh, do I have some of those?” Nevaeh asked and when Karma nodded, Fuller broke down in tears.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  As Matthews’ screams filled the air, Fuller babbled on and on about Crompton, He spilled everything he knew without Nevaeh having to touch him.

  Frowning, Nevaeh looked over to where Karma was sliding silver razor blades under Matthews’s fingernails and she smiled.

  “Fuller, you really are pathetic. You’d think someone as powerful as Crompton would have people with more balls on his payroll,” she told him, and he looked at her. “Hell, for that matter, you’d think someone with so little courage wouldn’t have been vetted and appointed leader of the VEB. Guess vampire are more gullible than I thought.”

  “Just because I don’t like pain, doesn’t mean I’m weak,” he told her.

  “No? Then please enlighten me as to what it means,” she said and stepped back a little.

  “It means I’m smart. I tell you what I know, and you let me live,” he replied, confidently.

  “Who made that deal with you?” She asked and turned to look at the Senate.

  “The vampire laws tell me that,” he countered.

  “Oh no,” Nevaeh said and grinned. “The vampire laws clearly state that any vampire who commits a treasonous act against the vampire or human government will face immediate execution.”

  “Section fourteen, part twenty, clause four,” Karma said grinned when Fuller’s head snapped toward her. “What? I helped write the laws and that happens to be one I wrote personally.”

  “I really hate you,” Fuller told her and focused back on Nevaeh. “But I have to face trial first.”

  “That is true,” Nevaeh agreed and scratched her head. “Oh, yeah, it’s trail by the Senate, and what do you know, there they are.”

  “Garrett Fuller, you are formally charged with treason against both the vampire and human governments. How do you plea?” Ramsey stated as he rose to his feet.

  “Not guilty,” he responded confidently.

  “Is there evidence to support this charge?” Constance asked, looking at Nevaeh.

  “Yes,” she responded and pulled a folder from her bag. “These are pictures of Fuller with the vampire known only as Crompton. They were pulled off a cell phone we found in a warehouse. We also found surveillance photos of every member of our team, except Fuller, in the same warehouse, as well as a list of ships we believe are being used to transport humans to be used as blood slaves.”

  “We also have Fuller’s cell phone,” Karma added and tossed it to her.

  “Yes, and inside we find repeated calls to and from the same number going back to before he was appointed head of the VEB,” Nevaeh said and handed everything to Eduardo.

  “That is definitely Crompton,” he confirmed and looked at Nevaeh. “Do you have any other evidence?”

  “No, but if you want to wait to give your verdict, I will have another witness very soon,” Nevaeh said and grinned. “A Huntress named Tonya is being held by my Huntresses as we speak.”

  “No, we have enough evidence to vote,” Aleyn said and looked at the other Senators. “Everyone, when I call your name, say yea or nay for executing Fuller immediately.”

  As he called the names one at a time, each Senate member gave a “yea” response.

  “It seems we have an execution to attend,” Aleyn said and looked at Nevaeh. “He’s all yours.”

  “No!” Fuller shouted as Neveah pulled her scimitar from its sheath and pressed it against his heart.

  “I promise to be quick,” she assured.

  “No, I can help you catch Crompton,” Fuller said and looked around hopefully.

  “We don’t need your help. You see, we already know where he is. We just needed to stop you before we
could go to him. We couldn’t have you warning him, now could we?” Nevaeh said and laughed when Fuller broke into tears again.

  “Please,” he begged, pathetically.

  “Have a good afterlife,” Nevaeh said and drove her scimitar into his chest, piercing his heart.

  “Hey, Nevaeh, wanna come help me now?” Karma called out and Nevaeh grinned.

  “Fuck yeah!” She called back and flashed to her side, weapons bag in hand.

  “I think he needs a little encouragement to talk,” Karma said and pulled two, very thin icepicks from her bag. “Here you go. I just made these the other day, and fitted them with wooden handles just for you.”

  “I love you,” Nevaeh said, and they heard chuckles from behind them.

  “Let’s have some fun,” Karma said and pressed the icepick to Matthews’ forearm. “Wanna talk yet?”

  “Fuck off, sadistic bitch!”

  “Guess not,” Neveah said and followed Karma’s lead.

  Sliding the picks just under the skin of his arms, both women laughed when he screeched in pain.

  “Does that hurt?” Karma asked.

  “Fuck you!” He said through clenched teeth.

  “You keep offering, but you really aren’t my type,” Karma responded with a wink.

  “Hey, Karma, it seems he wants you to play with his package. Maybe we should oblige,” Nevaeh said and chuckled when Matthews’ eyes widened.

  “Oh, that’s a great idea,” Karma agreed and pulled a long knife from her bag. “Let’s unwrap him first.”

  After carefully slicing his pants away, the ladies looked at him and laughed.

  “You’d think, for someone who talks as much shit as Matthews does, he’d have bigger balls than that,” Nevaeh said through tears.

  “Ladies,” Harrison said from behind them. “Let the man keep at least a small amount of dignity.”

  “Why?” Karma asked and looked at him. “He had a hand in my family and Dylan’s Mother being murdered. He doesn’t deserve any dignity.”

  “I agree,” Nevaeh said. “You didn’t see Karma’s little brothers laying in a pile at the top of the stairs with their throats ripped out. I will never get that image out of my head.”

  “I… I had nothing to do with that,” Matthews stammered.

  “Maybe not directly, but it can all be traced back to Crompton, and, since you work for him, you’re as guilty as the one who killed them,” Karma said and jerked her icepick out of his arm. “Now, let’s see how much you can take before you either talk or pass out.”

  “This is going to be fun,” Nevaeh said as she watched Karma grasp his cock and press the tip of the icepick to the opening at the head.

  When she slid it in, Matthews’ screamed louder than he ever had then passed out.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “I can’t believe you did that,” Dylan said as he carried Matthews below deck.

  “We need to know what he knows, and I will do whatever is necessary to get it from him,” Karma responded.

  “But that was horrible,” he retorted.

  “If you don’t like my methods, you take over,” she snapped and walked back up the stairs.

  Once on deck, she went to the edge of the boat and dove into the water without saying a word to anyone.

  “What was that about?” Nevaeh asked Dylan when he came back up.

  “She’s pissed at me,” he responded and frowned. She’d swam almost half way back to shore already and it didn’t look like she was stopping any time soon.

  “What did you say to her?” Harrison asked.

  “I questioned her methods,” he responded and shrugged. “What she did crossed a line.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Holbrook asked from behind them. “If we don’t get what we need from him, we may never stop Crompton.”

  “Yeah, but even he deserves some dignity,” Dylan shot back.

  “Like the dignity he’s showing the humans he’s helping Crompton smuggle in and sell to the highest bidder? Or like the dignity they showed Karma’s little brothers when they killed their Mother in front of them then ripped their throats out one by one? Or how about the dignity they showed your Mother when they cut the break line on her car, causing her to crash into a tree?” Nevaeh snapped out.

  “That’s enough,” Harrison said and stepped between his son and the woman he loved. “Nevaeh, why don’t you go after Karma and see if you can bring her back. We will keep an eye on Matthews. If he wakes up, I’ll see if I can get him to talk while we wait for you to come back.”

  “Fine, whatever,” she snapped and dove into the water.

  “Dylan, I understand how you feel, but needs must come before personal feelings and what Karma was doing needed to be done,” Aleyn said and walked away.

  “Fuck!” Dylan shouted and headed back down the stairs to watch over Matthews.

  “He’s young and has a very engrained sense of right and wrong,” Ramsey said to no one in particular. “That’s not a bad thing.”

  “No, it isn’t,” Dristen said as he gazed out over the water to where Karma was just reaching shore. “But, in these circumstances, he needs to remember that what we are doing is being done to save many.”

  “Yes, but he was raised by someone who believed that harming anyone, for any reason, was wrong. He’s dealt with a lot and has actually opened up more than I ever thought possible,” Harrison told them. “I’m going to head down and sit with Dylan and Matthews. If he wakes up, I’ll bring him back up and see if I can get him to talk.”

  “Okay,” Langley said, as he watched Karma walk ashore and take off running. “Damn, she’s fast.”

  “Hope Nevaeh can find her,” Eduardo said and shook his head.

  “We all do,” Ramsey agreed and turned from the edge.

  ****

  “Karma!” Nevaeh shouted for what felt like the thousandth time since reaching shore.

  “I’m not going back to the boat, Nevaeh,” Karma said from behind her. “And stop shouting. There are vampire around here and I’m not sure if they’re friendly or not.”

  “How do you always know that?” Nevaeh asked her almost silently.

  “Vampire have a different smell than a human. It’s not a strong difference, but you can tell if you’re looking for it,” Karma answered and turned when she heard footsteps behind them.

  “You’re very good for one so young,” the largest vampire she’d ever seen said in a deep voice.

  “I was born a vampire and have been fine tuning my senses since I was five,” she told him and grinned at the look of confusion on his face. “I’m a Halfling.”

  “That explains it,” he said and grinned. “You smell different than anything I have ever smelled before.”

  “Not sure if that’s a good thing or not,” Karma comment and grinned. “I’m going to take it as a compliment though.”

  “It was one,” he assured her. “Why are you in our area?”

  “Just passing through, I can assure you,” Nevaeh said, and his head snapped toward her.

  “You also smell different than anyone I have ever encountered before.”

  “I am very new,” she told him, leaving out the rest. “I was injured very badly and someone who cared about me changed me to save my life.”

  “You’re the Huntress leader we have been warned about,” he said and snarled.

  “We aren’t here to hunt you, or any of your family,” Karma told him and held her hands up. “I promise, we are just passing through.”

  “We were told you kill all vampire, no matter what,” he countered.

  “That isn’t true. We only hunt those vampire who aren’t following the new laws and who are harming humans or other vampire,” Nevaeh told him.

  “So, you are the Halfling who helped write the new laws?” He asked, looking at Karma.

  “I am, and we don’t want any trouble. We are just trying to get back to our hotel,” Karma responded.

  “You will find that no one here wil
l try to harm you. Your laws have helped my family find peace after half a century of fighting,” he told them, and Karma relaxed slightly.

  “Thank you,” Nevaeh responded and relaxed a little.

  “But, I must warn you, there are vampire just beyond our area who do not feel the same way we do. They were happy with the way things were,” a young female told them as she appeared beside the large male.

  “My daughter is correct. We do not leave our area for fear they will kill us,” he told them.

  “Then we must get back to our hotel and get the VEB out here at once,” Neveah said.

  “Our area ends at the end of the next alley,” the male said and pointed at the alley straight in front of them. “All I ask is that you keep them away from my family. We are registered and peaceful.”

  “No harm will come to you or your family,” Karma reassured him. “But maybe you should all stay inside when the VEB arrives, just to be on the safe side. Nevaeh and I will be with them, so I can promise we will keep them out of your area unless the ones we hunt try to hide here.”

  “Thank you, Halfling,” he said and moved back into the shadows.

  “My name’s Karma,” she said, knowing he could still hear her. “If you ever need anything, contact the VEB and have them contact me. I will help you in any way I can.”

  “Thank you, Karma,” he said and disappeared deeper into the shadows.

  “Let’s get out of here and contact the others,” Nevaeh said, and Karma shook her head.

  “I want to check it out first,” Karma said and walked into the next alley.

  “Of course, you do,” Nevaeh said and followed her, shaking her head.

  “You’re going to get us killed,” Nevaeh hissed a couple minutes later as they turned down another dark alley.

  “Not if you be quiet,” she hissed back and rolled her eyes. “Go back to the hotel and get back-up. I’ll be okay alone.”

  “Like hell,” Nevaeh responded a little louder and if looks could kill, she’d have dropped right there at the look Karma gave her.

  “Then shut up,” Karma hissed and continued silently down the alley. Stopping abruptly, she held up her hand and motioned for Nevaeh to be completely still.