Nevaeh's Secret (Vampire Huntress Saga Book 2)

by Christina Escue

  “Why?” Karma asked, slightly shocked.

  “That’s something you’ll have to ask him,” Eduardo answered and frowned. “You’d think he’d want her alive and healthy, though.”

  “That warehouse could be anywhere,” Dylan pointed out. “How do we even know they’re still in Boston?”

  “They’re still here. Crompton wants us to find him,” Langley answered. “That’s why he left the picture. He knew you would show up to protect Jackson, and he knew you would come here.”

  Before anyone could respond, a phone started ringing inside Nevaeh’s bag. Frowning, she pulled it out and looked at it for a second. “This is Fuller’s phone. I forgot I had it in my bag.”

  “Well, answer it,” Karma urged.

  As soon as she accepted the call she knew it was Crompton.

  “Where the fuck have you been?”

  “Dead,” Nevaeh answered and grinned. “I killed him two days ago.”

  “Who the fuck is this?” He asked.

  “Your worst fucking nightmare,” she replied and listened to the silence build.

  “Nevaeh, you are smarter than I gave you credit for, but you will never find me, or Analia,” he told her and ended the call.

  “We have to find that sick son of a bitch before he hurts someone else,” Nevaeh said as she pulled the battery out of Fuller’s phone and crushed it in her hand. “Don’t know if he can GPS coordinate the phone, and I don’t want to take any chances.”

  “Should have gotten his number off the phone first, so we could try that with him,” Baxter said and frowned.

  “I did,” Nevaeh answered and rattled off the phone number.

  “Intelligent and beautiful,” Harrison said and wrapped his arms around her waist.

  Nevaeh rolled her eyes and leaned back against him, letting his love and support surround her for a moment.

  “Okay, I will see if I can pinpoint a location and then we can move from there,” Baxter said and winked at Gina before walking away.

  “Who is that?” Gina asked.

  “His name is Nathan Baxter and he is the new head of the VEB,” Constance replied and grinned. “Gina, in the six months we have worked together, I don’t think I have ever seen you flustered.”

  “He’s very attractive, for a blood sucker and all,” she replied and giggled. “Wow, I never thought I’d be attracted to a vampire.”

  “We’re not all bad,” Nevaeh told her and grinned, flashing her fangs. “But I know what you mean. I’ve had to learn a lot of trust over the past six months, and I’ve had to break a vow I made a decade ago.”

  “What vow was that?” Karma asked.

  “When Analia was taken, I knew it was a vampire who’d taken her, and I vowed to kill every vampire I encountered until I found her,” Nevaeh answered and looked at Karma. “Meeting you changed my mind a little, then I started helping the Senate a bit and I learned more about the vampire law. I realized that not all vampire are bad.”

  “Then you met Harrison and became a vampire,” Gina added and grinned.

  “Yes, but even before I became a vampire, I realized they are much like humans. Some are good, and some are bad, and some are psychotic sociopaths, like Crompton,” she answered.

  “So, what you’re saying is, I should go for it if I want to?” Gina asked and grinned.

  “What I’m saying is, don’t think it can’t happen because you’re human and he’s a vampire. Stranger things have happened,” Nevaeh told her and leaned further into Harrison’s arms.

  “Yes, like you becoming a vampire,” Delanie said as she walked up to the group. “Karma, can we talk for a minute, please?”

  “Sure,” Karma replied and led Delanie outside, away from vampire ears. “What’s up?”

  “Jackson,” Delanie replied and blushed deeply.

  ****

  “Well, well, I just had a little chat with your Mother, Analia. It seems she discovered and killed my informant. I have you to thank for that, I presume,” Crompton said and nudged her foot with his. “Since I’m pretty sure you’re going to die anyway, I may as well tell you, I turned your Father, so I am, in a sense, your Grandfather. Isn’t that kind of funny, considering what we did together? Wanna hear something else? I was hoping you’d become pregnant with my child, so I could send you back to your Mother with a little gift from me, but I’m certain you have not, and if you had, that baby would, most likely, be lost by now.”

  Shaking his head, he walked around her and jerked her head off her chest. “I know you’re awake so answer me!”

  “Go to hell,” she responded weakly.

  “I will, eventually,” he replied and bent close to her ear. “But you, my dear, will be there well before I will so keep the bed warm for me.”

  “They will kill you,” she said as her body spazzed.

  “They may, or they may not, but I can promise you that even if they do, they won’t stop what I have set into motion,” he told her and scraped his teeth across her neck. “You see, I didn’t kill all those human women I was with, and over the past few months, I have impregnated at least a dozen who are being cared for in a facility I have in Florida. Once the babies are born, they will be trained by my army and turned into a Halfling army. The VEB won’t know what hit them.”

  “They… stop… you…” she managed to say before passing out again.

  “They’re too focused on getting to you,” he said and grinned. “And that will be their downfall.”

  Laughing loudly, he left the room and went into the small office in the warehouse. Looking out the window at Boston Harbor, he watched the ships pull into port and wondered how much longer he was going to have to wait for them to find him and start the party.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  “What’s going on?” Nevaeh asked as she walked into the small conference room the hotel was letting them use.

  “We have a possible location for Crompton. He’s somewhere in this area,” Baxter said and circled a large area on the map.

  “At least we have an area to search,” Harrison said and looked at Nevaeh.

  “Why such a large area?” Karma asked.

  “Because his signal is bouncing off these two towers,” Baxter pointed to the two towers within the circle. “We can try to narrow it down further, but that will take some time.”

  “Have your techs continue to work on that, and we will start searching the area between the two towers. That’s the most likely place to start, right?” Harrison said, and Baxter nodded.

  “Yes. We can take four teams and spread out, so we can cover more ground, quicker,” Baxter said, and everyone nodded.

  “I want one of us with each team,” Nevaeh said to Karma, Dylan, and Harrison. “We can keep in contact easily and I trust you three with my life, and Analia’s.”

  “I don’t like the idea of splitting up,” Harrison said, and looked at Nevaeh. “If we do, you have to promise not to be careless.”

  “I’m never careless,” Nevaeh said and grinned. “Reckless, maybe, but not careless.”

  “There’s a very fine line between the two,” Harrison stated, and pulled her into his arms. “Please don’t cross it.”

  “I won’t,” she promised him, and kissed the tip of his nose before pulling away and facing the group as a whole. “One of us will go with each team so we can cover the area faster. Analia knows what the four of us look like. Crompton had us followed for the past few months and she’s seen pictures, at least, and I hope she will trust one of us if we’re with the team that finds her.”

  “Finding Crompton is our top priority,” Baxter said and looked at the four of them. “But, Analia is a close second. If we find her alive, we call it in as soon as possible without compromising our target. Understood?”

  All the agents in the room nodded and Baxter dismissed them.

  “We need to leave a few agents and the Huntresses here to keep Jackson safe,” Karma told Baxter once the other agents were gone. “Since it’s a hotel an
d not a private residence, vampire can get in without being invited.”

  “I’ll leave six agents,” Baxter said and frowned. “Do you think Crompton will try to get to Jackson while we’re hunting him?”

  “I think Crompton will use everything he can think of against us, and he’s already tried using Jackson once,” Dylan told them, and frowned. “Maybe we should send him back home, or find a different hotel for him to stay at while we work, or maybe the Senate can stay with him.”

  “Sending him home would put him in even greater danger on the road, and, if we’re being watched by Crompton’s men, they’d just follow Jackson wherever he went. As for the Senate, we need them to help us search. They are the best trackers we have,” Harrison responded and frowned. “I think he will be okay here with some agents and all the Huntresses.”

  “They will keep him safe,” Nevaeh looked at Karma and Dylan. “You know they will do whatever it takes to keep Jackson safe, even if that’s giving their own lives.”

  “I know,” Dylan said and sighed. “We just have to trust he will be okay, and get back here as quickly as possible.”

  “Let’s get ready to move out,” Baxter said and walked out of the conference room.

  ****

  “What can you tell me?” Crompton asked the vampire he had watching the hotel.

  “It looks like they’re getting ready to leave, boss,” he replied.

  “All of them, or just some?”

  “Looks like most, boss,” he told him, and Crompton smiled.

  “Very good,” he said, his smile growing as he devised a plan. “Call me back when they actually leave and let me know. I have another job I need you to do for me.”

  “Sure thing, boss,” the vampire said and ended the call.

  “Well, well, it looks like they’re coming to find us,” he said to Analia’s nearly lifeless form. “Too bad they’ll be too late to save you.”

  She groaned, but didn’t have the energy to say anything.

  “Aww, what’s that? I didn’t understand you,” he told her and laughed loudly. “Oh, well, doesn’t matter. I do want to tell you something before I leave this area though. I am planning a surprise for the VEB, and an even bigger one for Karma and the rest. You see, I discovered you’re pretty useless as a bargaining chip, but I think I may have a way to get them to do exactly what I want. You won’t be around to share in the joy, but your dear Mother will, and I promise she will suffer as much as you have. As for Karma, she will be mine, willingly or not.”

  Laughing louder, he kicked the chair she was tied to over, and her head bounced off the concrete floor of the warehouse.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Did that hurt?” He asked, his laughter growing even louder as the scent of her blood hit his nose. “I really must go now. I have a trap to lay, and not a lot of time to get it ready before they’re here. Goodbye, Analia. Hope you enjoy what’s left of your miserable existence.”

  Glancing at her once more, he walked out of the warehouse just as his phone rang again.

  “Tell me something good,” he answered.

  “They just left the parking lot, boss. It was most of the VEB, and the Senate, but the Huntresses and a few VEB members stayed behind with the human.”

  “Perfect. This is what I want you to do,” he said and told him exactly what to do.

  “You got it boss,” the vampire replied.

  “Do not fail me,” Crompton told him, the warning clear in his voice.

  “I won’t,” the vampire responded, and Crompton smiled.

  “Very good. Call me when it’s complete and I will tell you where to meet me,” he told him and ended the call. “This is a good day.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  “We will start here and fan out in four directions. Nevaeh and I will go North, Jensen, you and Harrison head East, Martin, you take Karma and go West, and Johnson, you and Dylan head South. We will report in half an hour. If someone doesn’t check in, we will all head to their last checkpoint and search for them. Understood?” Baxter said after they filed out of the SUV’s.

  “Sounds good,” Harrison said and pulled Nevaeh against his chest. “You be safe and come back to me in one piece.”

  “You too,” she replied before kissing him deeply.

  “Don’t take unnecessary risks,” Dylan said to Karma and she grinned.

  “No promises, but I will be as careful as possible,” she said and nipped his bottom lip. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too,” he responded and kissed her quickly before walking over to the team he was with.

  “Move out,” Baxter said, just loud enough for their vampire hearing to hear him.

  “Baxter,” Nevaeh said softly as they headed away from the others. “If I get the opportunity to kill Crompton, I’m taking it.”

  “I’d expect nothing less,” he replied, and she smirked.

  “He tore my world apart ten years ago, and has been playing games with us for months now. He deserves to die, trial or not,” she said, and he nodded.

  “I agree,” he told her and looked behind him at the group of vampire agents following them. “If I get the opportunity, I’ll take it, too.”

  “I’d expect nothing less,” she responded as they entered the first warehouse.

  “He’s not here,” Baxter said as soon as they entered the building.

  “No, but let’s look around a bit, just to see if there’s anything here,” Nevaeh said and turned to look at the agents. “Look for anything that seems out of place.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” they said, almost in unison, and fanned out.

  After finding nothing in the first warehouse, they moved on. The second and third was much like the first, and void of anything useful.

  When they reached the forth, Nevaeh held up her hand to stop them from entering.

  “Do you smell that?” She asked Baxter.

  “Vampire,” he responded and looked back at his men. “There are vampire near, stay alert.”

  “Let’s go,” Nevaeh said, and they moved into the building.

  Inside were at least a dozen vampire, and all their heads snapped toward Nevaeh and the team as they walked in.

  “Well, hello there,” Nevaeh greeted them with a smile. “Mind if we look around a little?”

  “Who the fuck are you?” One asked, flashing his fangs.

  “Name’s Nevaeh, and I have a set of those too,” she replied and flashed her fangs at him. “We’re with the VEB and are searching for someone.”

  “Stupid Feds,” another one said and snarled. “You got no business here.”

  “Actually, we have a lot of business here,” Baxter told them. “You see, we are supposed to oversee all vampire businesses, and from what I see here, this is definitely a business of sorts. What do you think, Nevaeh? Should we search the place for anything illegal?”

  “I think so, yes,” she responded and grinned. “You see, boys, the VEB can go anywhere vampire work or live if they think there may be an issue. Baxter, do you smell that? It smells like blood to me. Agents, find it.”

  “Now wait just a blasted minute. I ain’t got no blood in here anywhere. I’m just tryin’ make a livin’,” a vampire who appeared to have been turned when he in was in mid-fifties, said.

  “Then tell us if you’ve seen anything strange or unusual around here lately,” Baxter said, and the older vampire sighed.

  “Couple three nights ago, a truck came by. It was late, after midnight. It stopped about a mile north from here and that’s all I know,” he told them. “Now let my boys get back ta work, please.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Nevaeh said and waved for the agents to follow her out of the building.

  “Do you believe him?” Baxter asked, not sure what to think.

  “I don’t know. I wish Karma were here. She’d know for sure,” Nevaeh replied.

  “How does she do that, anyway?”

  “No idea, but since she hit maturity, you can’t lie to her,” she replied and looked a
round. “Let’s head North and see what we find.”

  ****

  “What is that smell?” Jensen asked as they neared what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse.

  “Rotting flesh,” Harrison answered and cringed. “We’ve either stumbled upon a container that was never emptied, or a dumping ground and I’m not sure which would be worse.”

  “I guess we need to check it out,” Jensen said and scrunched his nose. “This is one part I hate about being a vampire. The smells will kill ya.”

  Harrison chuckled as he opened the door to the warehouse. His laughter instantly died when his eyes landed on the pile of human bodies in various states of decay.

  “Someone around here has a healthy appetite,” Jensen commented, and Harrison grunted.

  “Probably more than one someone,” Harrison said, and he stepped closer to the bodies. “Two different fang shapes.”

  “Well hell,” Jensen said and nodded toward the other side of the warehouse. “Looks like someone got to them before we could though.”

  Harrison looked up and saw two vampire suspended by ropes from the rafters, wooden stakes protruding from their chests.

  “Let’s move on, and we can come back and clean this up later,” Harrison told them and motioned for them to follow him.

  Once outside, they moved through the next three warehouses without incident. When they reached the last one in their area, Harrison knew something wasn’t right.

  “Do not open that door!” He shouted and grabbed Jensen by the collar before he could. “Everyone, behind that building, now.”

  Just as they rounded the corner, the warehouse exploded, and Harrison fell to his knees.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  “Fuck,” Karma yelled when the Earth shook. “Martin, call and make sure everyone’s okay and see where the fuck that explosion came from.”

  “On it,” he said and looked to the East. “But I think it’s over in Harrison and Jensen’s area.”

  “Fuck,” Karma said and pulled her phone from her pocket. When Harrison answered she sighed in relief. “Everyone okay?”