Huntress Clan Saga Complete Series Boxed Set: Books 1-6

by Jamie Davis

  Tadpole grinned so wide, his usually hidden upper tusks showed beneath the larger ones jutting from his lower lip. He bounded around Clark with surprising grace and disappeared into the old Hunter armory.

  “I hope that keeps him busy for more than a few minutes,” Clark said.

  “Did you see his reaction?” Quinn asked. “That was the perfect thing.”

  “We’ll see. Now, enough time spent trying to distract me from the real work that needs doing. Let’s see how far you’ve come on your acrobatic evasion drills.” Clark selected a wooden quarterstaff from the rack on the wall.

  Quinn groaned. She hated these because every time she wasn’t quick enough, he jabbed her in the ribs with the steel-shod end of that staff.

  Clark returned to the mat, spinning the staff in front of him. He counted down from three as Quinn prepared to go through a series of handsprings and somersaults. She focused on the moves that might someday keep her from getting killed.

  In the back of her mind, though, she wanted to be somewhere else, with one specific person.

  Chapter Five

  Avery returned to the van with two steaming bags of fresh pastelitos perched atop the case of bottled water she carried. The giggling from inside brought a tired smile to her lips. The six girls were holding up well so far. Avery hoped hot food would settle them down some. At this late hour, they should all be asleep soon.

  She lifted her foot and tapped it against the van’s sliding door. “Brea, open up. I’ve got dinner.”

  The door’s electric lock clicked and the door slid open. Brea’s freckled face peered out of the van’s darkened interior. The overhead light inside hadn’t worked since they traded the pickup truck for it back in Buenos Aires. That was fine with Avery. It made it easier to stay out of sight when they stopped along the road.

  “It smells good,” Brea said. She grabbed the two paper bags from the top as Avery set the case of water down behind second-row bench seat.

  “They’re called pastelitos. I think they’re sort of Honduran empanadas. I got pork, chicken, and bean versions. Eat up. We’re getting back on the road as soon as we finish and everyone has had a chance to pee.”

  “Do we have to use the bathroom at that gas station?” Ola, the dark-skinned seven-year-old, asked. “The last one was disgusting.”

  “I checked this one while the lady made our food. It’s in much better shape. It’s a lot better than going by the side of the road. I remember that particular adventure too well.”

  Kami, the ever-cheerful six-year-old with the pixie cut brown hair, smiled. She held up a roll of toilet paper. “At least we have this now, Avery. We don’t have to use icky leaves like the last time.”

  All the girls said, “Ewwwww,” at the memory of their first few days on the road up through Brazil before Avery thought it was safe to stop for provisions. She still feared Gemma’s people might find them. The demon-kinder Hunters had almost caught them at the airport’s rental car return. Luckily, Avery’s amulet warned her away in time to avoid being seen. It also shifted her away from flying and on to plan B, driving north to the United States.

  Avery pulled out the burner phone she’d bought at the counter. She’d had to destroy the one she’d been using since arriving in Buenos Aires. She had no idea how Gemma was tracking her or the girls. She couldn’t take any chances, so Avery waited an extra few days to be sure they’d shaken pursuit. This was her first opportunity to contact Quinn since she’d rescued the girls. Avery needed her help if she was going to get the girls the rest of the way to Baltimore.

  “I’ll be right back. I have to make a call. Close the door and lock it. I’ll be right over there in the shadows. Brea, see if you can get the others settled for sleep after they finish eating.”

  Brea nodded. She set her Honduran hot-pocket down, grabbed the door with two hands, and hauled it closed with a grunt. Avery waited to hear the lock click, then walked across the dirt parking lot. It was after dinner time in Baltimore. She dialed the number.

  “Okay, mystery caller,” Quinn said after picking up. “You’ve got two seconds to explain yourself, or I hang up.”

  “Quinn, don’t hang up. It’s me, Avery.”

  “My God, Avery, I’ve been worried sick. Why haven’t you called? It’s been weeks.”

  “I had to switch phones. I think Gemma’s been tracking my signal and maybe reading my messages somehow.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because I feel like she’s been one step ahead of me since the beginning. Nearly every location I checked from the original list I found came up empty. Everything had been cleaned out.”

  “You think Gemma knew you were coming?”

  “Yes, I picked up the psychic energy of recent pain. Gemma could clean up the physical stuff that might have told me more girls were there, but she couldn’t hide the torment of the girls. They have turned some to demon-kinder. I’m pretty sure any who couldn’t be possessed were killed.”

  “How many do you think there were?” Quinn asked.

  “It’s hard to say,” Avery replied. “I’ve met a few of the demon-kinder on the road. With the Hunter training of the host bodies, they’re damned hard to kill. I’m not sure of the total number either way, but I suspect it’s somewhere around twenty to thirty girls possessed and maybe as many killed outright.”

  “Avery, I’m so sorry. I know you were hoping to save them.”

  “I wasn’t completely unsuccessful. The last place on the list was the most remote, so I left it to the end. Before I got there, I dumped my phone and went dark in hopes it would hide my travel plans from Gemma. It must’ve worked.”

  “Really? That’s great. You found more Huntresses? Ones trained like us?”

  “Not exactly,” Avery said. “I found six girls, and there’s something special about them, but the oldest is just ten.”

  “Years old?” Quinn paused. “You’re bringing them here, aren’t you?”

  “I’m trying. I couldn’t fly with them. I expected one or two women. With six, I couldn’t afford forged passports for all of us. Plus, we were almost jumped in Buenos Aires, and again when we got to Rio. I thought it best to keep going by ground for now.”

  Quinn chuckled on the other end of the phone.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “I’m picturing you driving a carload of schoolgirls through South America by yourself. Are you teaching them road songs to sing?”

  “It’s not funny, Quinn. We’re in actual danger here.”

  “I know. Sorry. I’d come and help you, but I’m tied up with trouble here, too. What if I send Clark?”

  Avery smiled. “That’d be worse than being alone, I think. Look, I’m all right for the drive right now. But I need money for papers, visas, passports, and the rest. I was hoping you could have the Keeper send some more cash to my secure account.”

  “I’ll have Clark call Joshua as soon as I get off the phone. How much?”

  Avery cringed and gave her the estimate. “Eighty thousand U.S. dollars. I have a contact in Mexico City who will provide me with what I need, but he won’t budge on the price.”

  “We’ll make it work. Joshua will complain, but he’ll do what I say. What about getting into Mexico from wherever you are now?”

  “We’re in Honduras. I have enough left to cover the bribes to get us across the border. If I don’t, I’ll figure out a way to get there somehow. I’m trying to stay out of sight.”

  “Be careful. If you run into trouble again, call me. I don’t have much of a network beyond Baltimore yet, but I’ll mobilize what I can as you get closer.”

  “Thanks,” Avery said. “And Quinn…”

  “Yeah?”

  “I miss you.”

  “Me, too. Just get here, then we can carve out some time for the two of us. Promise.”

  “Sounds like a plan. I’ll watch for the deposit to hit. I need to go before the girls get restless and try to leave the van. Bye.”

  “Bye.”


  Avery flipped the cover down and slipped it into her pocket. A tingling sensation on the back of her neck and a sudden chill in her amulet sent her into action.

  Ducking and spinning in a single smooth motion, Avery whipped around and threw the compact phone at the target she sensed behind her.

  The dark-haired woman creeping up on Avery tried to duck the incoming projectile. Surprise slowed her reaction just enough and the plastic phone slammed into her face, smashing the bridge of her nose.

  Black ooze splattered out of her nostrils as both her nose and the plastic phone case shattered from the force of the blow. The woman’s eyes rolled up in her head, and she crumpled to the ground.

  Avery didn’t wait to see what happened. She spotted another woman behind the first, holding a wicked barbed short sword in her hand.

  “Brea, start the van now!”

  Avery hoped the girl was listening. Summoning her katana, Avery charged the second demon-kinder.

  This one’s eyes glowed red and her lips moved, though she couldn’t make out what she said.

  A powerful invisible force punched Avery in the gut, expelling the air from her lungs. Judging by the intense, almost burning cold of her amulet, at least some of the spell’s effect had been absorbed. It could have done a lot more than just knock the wind out of her.

  Avery recovered and brought up her blade to parry the incoming strike from the barbed sword. She struggled to suck air into her oxygen-starved lungs after the spell attack. Gasping, she twisted and drove an overhead slash at her opponent.

  Behind her, the van’s engine roared to life, and Avery smiled. Brea had been listening. She feinted another lunging attack and then kicked out hard with her booted foot.

  She caught the other woman by surprise and connected with her knee, hyper-extending it backward and eliciting a satisfying scream from her. The leg buckled, and she tumbled to the ground.

  The first demon-kinder was stirring at this point. Avery decided this was her chance to disengage and get the girls out of here. She ran for the van.

  The now-crawling demon-kinder yelled behind her, “We’ve found you three times now. We’ll find you again, girl!”

  The van pulled away from the corner of the gravel lot. The sliding door opened as it picked up speed. The eight-year-old blonde twins Jordi and Margie stood in the opening, clutching the door pillars with one hand and reaching out for her with the other.

  Avery could make out Brea kneeling on the driver’s seat behind the wheel. The girl craned her neck to watch Avery.

  Avery shouted, “Go, Brea. More gas, more gas.”

  The van’s rear tires kicked up a spray of gravel and lurched forward. Avery poured every ounce of her remaining strength into a final lunging dive for the open door.

  Surprisingly strong hands grabbed her arms and pulled her to safety as the van surged across the parking lot and onto the narrow two-lane road. The door slammed closed behind her.

  Avery tried to right herself from her awkward position half-under the bench seat behind the driver. She finally got up onto her knees.

  In the driver’s seat, Brea held the wheel in a white-knuckled grip, wide-eyed as she steered the speeding vehicle down the dark and deserted road. Avery reached past the girl’s waist and flicked the switch to turn on the headlights. As she did, she spotted nine-year-old Suko, the second eldest. She was crouched on the floor in front of the driver’s seat and had both hands pressed down on the accelerator while staring up at Brea.

  “Hey, you’re both doing great. Keep it up for a little longer, and then we’ll stop and I’ll take over, all right?”

  The Asian girl on the floor nodded, a slight smile crossing her face. Brea didn’t respond, just kept her fierce gaze on the road ahead.

  Kneeling between the front seats, ready to take the wheel if Brea lost control, Avery said, “Brea, I said start the van, not drive it.”

  Brea stole a quick, angry glance in Avery’s direction, then returned her attention to the road. The look of determination in her eyes held more than a little defiance as well.

  “It’s okay. I shouldn’t joke. I’m not mad at you. It all worked out. You’re a talented driver for a ten-year-old.”

  “The one with the broken nose had gotten up and was right behind you. You didn’t see her and the glow in her eyes. We had to drive.”

  “You did the right thing in a tough situation. I’m proud of you. Let me check to make sure no one is behind us, and then we’ll pull over so I can take the wheel. Just keep us on the road until then.”

  Brea nodded.

  Avery glanced behind them. She didn’t see any headlights, but the demon-kinder were also trained as Hunters. They likely had night-vision abilities like her own.

  “We need to get off this highway and find another route across the border. They have to know we’re headed north for the United States, so they’ll have others watching for us at all the likely crossings.”

  Avery reached into the pocket in the center console and retrieved the old paper map she’d bought when they’d stopped for gas in the morning. It didn’t show all the smaller roads, but it looked like there was another small highway crossing theirs ahead. They’d pull off there and switch drivers.

  “Just a few more miles, then we’ll turn onto another road. Are you two good?”

  Suko nodded.

  Brea said, “We can drive as long as you want. I’m letting Suko see through my eyes so she can judge our speed and be ready to brake if we need to stop or slow down.”

  “Wait, what?” Avery asked. “She can see through your eyes?”

  “Miss Gemma did something to us when we were very young. We are all connected mind to mind. What one sees, we all see.”

  “Well, that explains why you all always finish each other’s sentences when you talk to me.”

  “We usually know what we will say before we say it,” Brea said. “But we can’t read each other’s minds for real. Just send mind-messages to each other.”

  A lot of the odd things about the girls fell into place for Avery, like when they’d all start laughing at the same time, or one would point out the window at something interesting and the others would just nod without looking up to see it.

  “You’re sort of like very special sisters, then,” Avery said. “Just remember to tell me when there’s something important going on. I’m not in your mind with the others.”

  “We will.”

  Behind Avery, the other four girls nodded in perfect unison. For some, it might seem creepy. Avery, though, wondered what Gemma had planned for a group with special talents like these. It might explain why she was sending the demon-kinder after them with such zeal. She would have to be even more careful with their travel plans moving forward. She couldn’t afford to take them anywhere near major border crossings.

  She settled into the passenger seat, letting Brea and Suko drive a bit longer while she pulled out the map and started adjusting their route north to Mexico City. It looked like it would add nearly three days to their trip, but it would bring them into the city from the northeast instead of the south, hopefully avoiding prying eyes working for Gemma. It would have to do.

  Avery returned her attention to the road ahead. They were close to the turnoff. She prepared to take over the driving as soon as they were off this road. They’d be driving on dirt roads before long. With thick brush and forest in the way, it was no place for two little girls to be behind the wheel.

  Chapter Six

  Quinn pulled out her phone and checked once again for any messages or even a text from Avery. It had been two days since she’d heard from the woman. She was worried about the other Huntress.

  Clark had reached out to the Keeper, Joshua Dalton. He took care of the clan records and their limited finances. They’d become a little more financially stable since the addition of the vampire John Handon’s substantial fortune. Running a growing clan like theirs wasn’t cheap, though. Joshua cautioned Quinn that it was no time to go
on a spending spree. He often reminded her the funds weren’t bottomless.

  After his cautionary speech a week before, Quinn had assumed there’d be pushback from the Keeper about sending Avery the funds.

  To her surprise, he didn’t even blink. He wired the funds to Avery’s international account minutes after the request was made. When Quinn questioned the lack of resistance, Joshua said, “This is an emergency. We’re not talking about frivolous expenses here.”

  Quinn bristled a little at the inference about her other requests for money, but she let it drop. The important thing was to get Avery the money.

  That was two days ago. Quinn had expected a text to say Avery had received the money, but to date, there was nothing.

  Quinn glanced one last time at the blank screen and slid the phone back into her pocket.

  “Eeeep?” Sylvie’s long neck extended from her perch on Quinn’s shoulder. She stared into Quinn’s eyes.

  “I’m all right. Just worried, that’s all.” Quinn scratched the dragon’s brow ridges. “Come on, let’s see if they’re ready for this thing tonight.”

  She stopped in the hall and rapped on the newly repaired wooden door. The stout new oak door stood open, so she entered Taylor’s workshop. Clark and Miranda were there with the tech witch.

  “Hey, Quinn, I’ll be right with you. I’m just finishing a quick update of the software prototype for the presentation. Once this compiles, I’ll be ready to go to the summit.”

  “I hope this app of yours works,” Clark said. “There’s never been anything like this in our community. I pulled the relevant leaders together for tonight’s summit. It’ll be up to you to convince them this program of hers will work.”

  Quinn said, “The way Taylor explained it, this thing’s an emergency phone app for the city’s supernaturals. They’ll be able to tell us when something bad is going down in real-time.”

  Clark shook his head. “I have my doubts. This whole ‘app for everything’ has gotten out of hand.”