“How can you find him, looking at dirt?”
She grinned. “I won’t see dirt in a minute. Neither will you. Watch…” Lifting her hand, she spread it out, palm down, over the square. “Show me.”
The box began to glow. Two bright lights gleamed at the bottom, near the center. “That’s you and me, Robbie.” The glow spread upward from their little bright specks and a few other specks appeared. Then the glow reached just a little up from the middle and the glow stopped.
A fierce, ugly splotch of color bloomed on the ground, a deep, violet-red with a border of green that pulsed as she stared at it. “And dat’s him,” she mused, cocking her head as she studied it.
He felt her searching for him. Leandra smiled coolly, while next to her, Robbie muttered soundlessly under his breath. Before Pierre could reach out though and try to track her, she swiped her hand across the ground, destroying the box, breaking the connection.
Her heart slammed against her ribs and she sucked in air, forcing her body to relax.
“He’s bad,” Robbie whispered, shaking his head.
“Yes, he is.” Leandra reached up and squeezed his arm gently. “Don’t worry, Robbie. He doesn’t know where we are.”
“Can’t he do that, too?” Robbie asked, pointing at the ground.
She smiled slightly. “He could. But I know how to hide myself from prying eyes…and others. And I’m tinking dat his magick isn’t as strong as he wants us to tink it is.”
“His magick is strong.” In a soft whisper, Robbie said, “He does hide—nobody’s ever been able to find him.”
“He’s not as strong as he wants us to tink he is—he uses the magick of others to enhance his.” Leandra shook her head. “And it’s not that no one has ever been able to find him. He casts a spell of negligence—of thoughtlessness. They forget they even should look for him. People lose their purpose, without realizing it. But it’s just illusion. Once ya know what to be prepared for…” her voice trailed off as she realized Robbie was staring at her in confusion. Forcing a smile, she just settled on, “Different kind of hiding, Robbie. He’s hiding, but not the same way I am. I worried, a little, mebbe that he’d remember me if I searched dis way—but I don’t tink he did.”
She turned away, staring out into the night, focusing on the land under her feet, the sky overhead, drawing strength from them. The land hated the taint Pierre had wrought. It rejoiced in her presence, in Rafe’s, although he probably wouldn’t understand that.
Focusing on the serenity, she pulled it inside herself and tried to calm the fear that bubbled in her gut.
“He hurt you.”
Turning on her heel, she met Robbie’s eyes and nodded slightly. “That, he did. But in da end, that is what probably saved me.”
She had a purpose now.
Amazing how that could make all the difference in the world.
Turning away, she never saw the appraising look on Robbie’s face.
A purpose.
Late that night, past late, in truth, nearly dawn, he sat pondering the words he’d heard from the pretty witch. I have a purpose now…
She hadn’t said them aloud. Just in her mind. But he’d heard them all the same.
Sitting on the floor by Ella’s feet, he watched her carefully, making sure she took the blood he’d brought back for her. She didn’t hunt. He had to feed her, but that was okay. She’d taken care of him for years when the bad man had taken him. She still took care of him.
A purpose…he wasn’t sure he knew what that meant. He thought it meant having to do something. But he wasn’t sure.
“Ella, what is a purpose?” he finally asked. She’d explain it to him. And she wouldn’t make him feel like a dummy while she did it. A lot of people had made him feel stupid in his life.
And he knew he was. But Ella never made him feel that way.
“It’s when there is something for you to do,” Ella said as she daintily wiped the blood away from her lips with a napkin. “A goal, a place in life where you want to go. And you know you have to work to get there.” Smiling down at him, she stroked a hand over his hair. “Like we knew we had to get away from him. That was a purpose.”
Lowering his voice, he whispered, “What is a Hunter’s purpose?”
Ella’s eyes turned sad and Robbie wished he hadn’t said anything. “A Hunter’s purpose it to fight against the bad men, Robbie. People like him, who did this to us.”
“Why does that make you sad?”
A tear fell down her cheek and Robbie wiped it away as she replied softly, “Because I’m not strong enough. And I want to be.”
Robbie rested his head on her knee as he whispered, “You’re strong, Ella.”
“Not strong enough.”
Propping his chin on her knee, he stared up at her and smiled, unaware of how that smile wrapped a fist around her heart. “You’re strong,” he repeated. “You saved me.”
Ella laughed, leaning her head back as she set aside the mug that he had poured the blood into. “We saved each other, Robbie. We did.”
No, Robbie thought, laying his head back down. She had saved him. All there was to it. He might have used the magick, but if she hadn’t told him it would be okay, if she hadn’t held his hand through the whole thing, if she hadn’t given him a reason—a purpose—to even try to escape, he’d still be quivering in fear while Pierre fed off his strength.
Robbie was strong. But he knew he wasn’t smart. He knew that…something that had been done to his mama while she had carried him had hurt his brain. But Ella cared about him anyway.
It was his turn.
His turn to save them all.
Pondering that, he smiled a little as he whispered, “A purpose…”
He had a purpose now.
Sheila rolled her eyes as Rafe bypassed her idea before she even finished speaking.
“Damn it, Rafe. Think. We need bait. Somebody a little stronger than the average human. But he knows Leandra, he knows Ella and Robbie. Dominic isn’t strong enough yet and he’s too new. And you—” she snorted. She skimmed her eyes over his long, lean form and said, “You practically shout Master Vampire. He likes his people a little easier than that.”
“Then how do you explain Leandra?” Rafe drawled, arching a brow at her.
Leandra had that little smirk on her lips, but she met Sheila’s eyes with an understanding smile. “Desperation, mon. He was desperate. He hunts de weak, Rafe. They surround him. Not physically weak, weak in de ways of power, weak up here.” Tapping a red-tipped fingernail to her temple, she shrugged. “Sheila has a good plan, if ya would stop and tink it through.”
“No.”
Normally, when Rafe did that sexy growl thing with his voice, it made Sheila turn to lava inside. But for some reason, this time, she was just pissed off. Propping her hands on her hips, she sneered at him and said, “You got a better idea, slick?”
She watched, and smiled inside, as his eyes sparked with frustration. “No. But I will. One that doesn’t put somebody in harm’s way.”
Sheila laughed. “Darlin’, we’re Hunters. Danger is what we do. I can understand wanting to keep Robbie and Ella safe, although they aren’t unused to being around evil monsters. And they’ve got just as much right to see this ended as we do.” Sauntering up to him, she smiled, laying one hand on his chest, covering his heart, while she used the other hand to cup around the back of his neck.
“Don’t think you’re going to put me in some china hutch where you can keep me safe and secure. Try it…and I’ll go back to Eli. I haven’t sworn myself into your service yet. And I won’t—not until I know you’re not going to turn into some obnoxious, overprotective ass.”
His eyes glowed, gleaming with little flickers of red as he snarled down at her. “You’re not going anywhere,” he growled.
Sheila smiled sweetly at him, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Try and stop me… According to the Council laws, you have no hold on me.”
His ha
nds closed over her arms—Sheila bit back a yelp as he jerked her onto her toes. “You are mine.”
Okay, now that affected her. Sheila felt her legs turn to water and her belly started to heat. She could smell the musk of her own arousal on the air—her cheeks heated as she saw the answering hunger leap into his eyes while they stared at each other.
But fortunately, pride and feminine pique reared their heads and she jerked her head aside before he could slant his mouth over hers. “That may well be. But I will not be coddled. And if you try tucking me up on some shelf where I can sit all pretty and nice until you’re ready to fuck me, I am soooo gone.”
“You leave, I’ll find you again,” he growled.
“But you can’t make me come back here,” she growled back at him, the rage inside her finally catching up with the arousal. “I’ll go to the council, damn it, and you know it.”
The people around them seemed to fall away and Sheila forgot they weren’t alone as Rafe whirled them around and pinned her against the wall. Her feet dangled in the air—against her chest, she could feel his heart. Hard, faster than it should beat, while twins flags of color appeared high on his cheekbones.
His voice was low and rough as he rasped, “You think they could keep you away from me? Death wouldn’t stop me. Hell and all the demons in it can’t keep me away from you.”
Lifting her chin, she said coolly, “I can. If I don’t want to be with you, then I won’t be with you, Rafe. And I’ll only be here if I get treated as something more than your pretty little fuck toy.”
Shock, followed by anger, bloomed through his eyes. Her feet hit the floor as his fingers uncurled from her arms and he let go. “I don’t think of you like that! Damn it, I just want to keep you safe.”
Sheila whispered, “I want you safe, too. But if I tried to make you stay here all the time, hell, even once, you’d blow me off quicker than you can blink.”
“It’s not the same.”
Sheila narrowed her eyes at him, and bared her teeth. “Why not? I’m a Hunter. You’re a Hunter. I love you. You say you love me. Of course, you don’t want me being who I am. You want a pet.”
“I don’t want a pet!” Rafe roared. The fury tore through him as he spun away and found himself staring into a pair of mild, amber-colored eyes. Leandra arched a brow at him, a cool smile on her lips. That smile…it was like somebody had turned a light on and he heard how he sounded to them. Turning back around, he stared into Sheila’s icy eyes and said quietly, “I just want you.”
“Then let me be me.”
Rafe felt as though a fist had been closed around his throat as he looked into her eyes and saw the anger, the pain there. “Sheila… Belle, you don’t understand. It kills me inside to think you being anywhere near him.”
Sheila shrugged, her eyes dark, a bitter smile on her lips. “Do you think it’s any easier on me when I see you leave? Hell, all I ever do is patrol. You get sent after the nasties out there—facing danger every time Eli sends you out on a job. Every night I worried you might not come back, that the sun would rise and you’d be gone, leaving me alone.”
Shit.
He’d done the same, worried the same…even though her patrols were almost always quiet. And the nights that weren’t—well, she may not be the strongest Hunter around, and she’d never be a Master, but she handled herself well.
Sheila was a careful fighter—one who picked her battles well. He couldn’t say the same for himself. A fight came, and he plunged headlong into it. She planned, she paced herself…and she knew when she couldn’t win, she knew when to walk away. Or run.
And if it was anybody but Sheila, he just might be willing to go along with the plan.
Which meant he was doing exactly what she had accused him of.
Overprotecting, coddling her. And that would drive her away as surely as his negligence of her months ago had led to her leaving
“I don’t like it, Belle,” he whispered, shaking his head.
Sheila arched a brow at him. “You think I do? But what else are we to do? He’s here, Rafe, and he’ll stay for as long as we allow it. This is your land. You have to protect it.” As he watched, she shivered and her hands came up to rub at her arms. “The bastard’s done enough damage here.”
All the while, in the corner, Robbie stood watching.
Not one of them was aware of the thoughts circling through his mind.
Chapter Seven
Pierre saw the woman walking the streets.
A vampire…he hadn’t realized another one had come into his lands. Oh, he’d felt the strong one, but this woman wasn’t the one he’d sensed.
Odd—if another vampire had entered his lands, wouldn’t he know?
Hmmm…she was quite delicious.
Long blonde curls, ripe curves under the long, glowing dress she wore. A young vampire—he loved the young ones. Especially the ones who walked all by themselves.
Of course, he was a little worried.
There were several new vampires in his hunting grounds.
That was never good. It too often meant Hunters were around.
Not this one though. She looked too soft. Too sweet.
Licking his lips, he watched her from the shadows as she moved up to the bar, smiling at the young man behind it.
Oh, yes. She was sweet.
Hungry, too, he imagined, from the way her eyes slid to the man’s neck.
He’d let her feed.
After she fed, while she was still a little high, he’d move in on her then.
Sheila could feel him.
Dark, ugly, malicious…his essence permeated the air, and it was foul.
She could feel his eyes on her and she couldn’t help but grin. Damn. He knew nothing of caution. At all.
But she wasn’t ready to be taken. Not at all.
They had a plan…they knew what they needed to do.
She, on the other hand, needed to feed. But something told her this wasn’t the safest place to do that. Sipping from the rum and coke she’d ordered, she tried to figure out the best way out of here without drawing too much notice to herself.
One that wouldn’t involve Rafe roaring into town and drawing attention to himself.
There was no way this vampire Pierre was unaware of Rafe’s presence, but being aware of his presence, and knowing what he was were two different thing. One look and Pierre would know a Hunter had come to town, and a Master at that.
Her mind worked furiously as she focused on Pierre, feeling him shifting around the room, still watching her.
A couple argued, a few feet away. Though they were screaming, through the din of the music and crowd, not many people had noticed them yet. Sheila heard, though. The guy had slid her a look when she came in, just like he’d been checking out every other female in the bar.
His date, apparently, was sick of it.
With a smile, Sheila leaned on the bar and focused a little on her own power. Her call was minor yet, but stronger since that night she’d taken blood from that man in the alley a few miles away. Just a week ago. It seemed so much longer…
It swelled within her, and rolled from her body like heat waves, unseen by everybody, but felt by all. Suddenly, many eyes were focused on her, including the man who was trying to defend himself against his girlfriend.
When he looked at her involuntarily, Sheila dropped her lid in a quick wink, making sure the girlfriend saw it.
When the girl threw herself at her boyfriend, chaos ensued.
With a pleased smile, Sheila faded into the shadows. She didn’t disappear. She doubted she’d ever have the power to shift to mist, to wolf, to anything. But she could use shadows, and use them well.
And the coolest part was…it was almost innate, and required no magick, no focus, nothing. It could, for a little while, even obscure her presence from other vampires…providing they weren’t her Master or her sire.
She slid out of the bar without Pierre even realizing she had left as people gathered aro
und the tussling couple on the ground. By the time the woman was pulled off her date, still kicking and cussing, Sheila was gone.
Sheila sat in the corner, curled up on the cot where Dominic slept during the day, watching Rafe as he paced and brooded and growled under his breath. “Damn it, what in the hell were you thinking, going out alone?” he demanded. For the third time.
Repeating herself, she said, “I was thinking I was hungry. I haven’t fed in two days, Rafe. I can’t go days without feeding, babe.”
Dominic sat by the fire, his arms looped around his knees. “I’m kind of hungry, too,” he whispered, his eyes dropping to the ground as he spoke.
Sheila smiled angelically. “See? He’s hungry, too, Daddy,” she said cheekily. “The only person who fed last night was Ella. Well, Robbie…but he has a different diet.”
Rafe’s brows dropped low over his eyes, a threatening growl rumbling out of his chest as he glared at her.
Sheila threw her hair out of her eyes and rose from the bed. “Damn it, Rafe, stop growling at me,” she snapped. “You keep it up and I’m going to think you’re trying to turn me on. I am hungry. If I don’t feed soon, I’m not going to be worth a damn thing. And if Dominic doesn’t feed, then he’s going to be in very bad shape. What do you want us to do, sit around and starve while you figure out what we are going to do?”
Leandra chortled in the background and Rafe’s eyes cut to her. “What, you want to join in, witch?” he rasped.
Leandra smiled angelically. “I’m fine, thanks. Fed on me way in,” she drawled. “I’m good for a day or so. I can tap into the land if I start feeling low.”
Sheila muttered, “That’s cheating.”
Leandra just shrugged.
Rafe spun away and Sheila’s gaze dropped down to study his butt, the way the jeans clung to that hard, muscled curve. Damn, what she wouldn’t give to sink her teeth into that ass, feel the muscles of his back while she knelt astride him, rubbing her hands up and down the dips and planes of his back.
The Hunters 6: Rafe and Sheila Page 12