“Joking.”
“Not funny.”
“Just trying to take the edge off. I’m not saying things were run right before, but everyone’s a lot more uptight considering we’ve all suddenly been liberated.” Dante made air quotes for “liberated.”
I drew in a long breath and let it out slowly before speaking. “Maybe we’re all on edge because there’s a psycho killer on the loose.”
Dante slid his hands inside his pockets. “We’re vampire hunters. This is what we do.”
Not me, I thought. Not for much longer. My Italian escape, as Dante put it, was within reach. I wanted a one-way ticket to anywhere that wasn’t Alaska.
When I made no comment, Dante frowned. “Well, it’s what some of us do, anyway. We all make our own choices, and I choose to stick with good old American vampires. Can’t trust those foreign ones. Aliens.”
“Alien vampires,” I said and guffawed.
The strap from Dante’s duffel began sliding. He lifted his shoulder to hold it in place then pulled his hands out of his pockets and spread his fingers wide as though waiting to catch a basketball.
“Let’s look at the facts,” Dante said. “Our roster of sneaky, no-good vampires includes a suspicious amount of foreign blood. Melcher, British. Jared, aka Xavier, French. Giselle, French. Diederick, Russian, or was he German? Foreign, anyway. Fane, Francesco Donado, yeah, I can say his name, Italian.”
I didn’t bother answering except to say, “Good night, Dante.” I launched myself forward and resumed walking down the hall with swift steps. This time Dante was smart enough not to try and catch up. Maybe he thought he’d made a point. To try and talk sense into the pigheaded man was useless.
I found Fane alone in the parlor, seated at the desk Noel had occupied earlier. His head was bent, looking over papers that were lifted a few inches off the desk, held loosely in his long, slender fingers. Those fingers would be better placed on me than on parchment.
I moistened my lips and stalked over to Fane. In my head, I was already straddling him in his chair, planting warm kisses along his neck as he lifted me by my hips and sat me on the edge of the desk. Soon my legs would be dangling over the desk like Noel’s, but I wouldn’t be jumping down until Fane took me over the edge.
My heart pumped faster, and warmth spread through me as I continued my approach.
Dante wouldn’t call me uptight if he saw what Fane and I did behind closed doors. From what I’d seen at the tail end of training, Dante was the one who needed to take a chill pill. What he really needed was to start dating again. He was a lot more fun to be around back when he was chasing tail and getting laid.
I shoved thoughts of Dante aside as I pulled Fane’s chair backward and sat in his lap. Fane’s smile reached his eyes. Oh, how I loved my alien vampire. It was fitting, really. Ours was a cosmic love. When we kissed, it wasn’t fireworks that went off overhead, it felt more like meteor showers, comets, and shooting stars.
I grew more attached to Fane with every passing day. At long last, we were together, and no one could keep us apart.
“Alone at last,” I said, brushing my palm over Fane’s shoulder and squeezing gently. I leaned closer, inhaling his musky, clean scent.
Fane’s smile wavered. “Not for long, I’m afraid. I invited Joss over for dinner.”
My body stiffened. Talk about a buzzkill.
“In that case, I better get out the fancy china,” I said with an eye roll.
Fane broke out into a grin. “A mug will do.”
“Porcelain, right?” I asked, sticking my pinky in the air.
Fane snorted.
I eased myself out of his lap and stood with one last longing look at the desktop and what could have been. There was probably a roll of duct tape in one of the drawers. Maybe even some rope. Alas, no Fifty Shades of Grey shenanigans in the parlor tonight. We had company to entertain.
“Are Reinhardt and Gunter coming along as well?” I asked.
Fane stood, the chair creaking as his body lifted.
“I only want it to be the three of us.”
Oh goodie, a threesome, but not the good kind.
Fane walked over to the map and clutched his hands behind his back. His mind and mine clearly weren’t in sync.
“Edwards was a trained soldier. He would have never gone in ahead of our team unless he was ordered to do so. Jared got to him somehow. Somehow he knew about Edwards.”
“Do you think Melcher shared the information with anyone outside our circle?” I asked. “Maybe the information was leaked by a source he thought he could trust.”
Fane’s chest expanded. “I wouldn’t put anything past Melcher. For all we know, he’s assembled his own private team and is giving them orders in secret.”
I sniffed derisively. “Melcher likes giving orders.”
“He certainly doesn’t like taking them,” Fane said, “nor is he a team player.”
“If he has assembled his own team, he could end up compromising our search,” I said, eyes darting across the map and the two blackened thumbtacks representing our deceased agents in Willow and Palmer.
“He might have compromised it already,” Fane said. When he turned his back to the map, his lips formed a grim line across his face.
“So what do we do?” I asked. “Keep him out of the loop? Can we do that?”
“That’s why I’ve invited Joss over to discuss strategy. For all we know, it’s not Melcher at all. Maybe Harper leaked the info.”
My head jerked back. “Noel? That’s crazy!”
“Agreed,” Fane answered evenly, “but we have to look at this from every angle.”
“There’s no way,” I said. “She helped me when I drugged Jared. She’s the one who had him stuffed inside the trunk of his car. All along she’s helped—more than anyone else. She’s always chosen friends over the agency.” I pointed a finger at Fane. “You’re the one who always insisted she was the most trustworthy person within the agency. You said that Noel had your back.”
Misunderstandings aside, no one had ever been more loyal to us than Noel.
Fane cleared his throat. “You’re right. That’s why I wanted to say it out loud, to hear how crazy it sounded. And I wanted to bring it up before we meet with Joss.”
I understood why. Fane had told me that Joss had a thing for Noel. As farfetched as it seemed, I couldn’t help noticing his attention to her earlier. Maybe Noel was the reason Joss hadn’t flown the coop.
Perhaps he was holding out in the hopes of building a little love nest with Noel. Poor Josslyn. I actually felt sorry for him. Noel looked like she was enjoying the single life and playing the field way too much to settle down. She should give Dante a pep talk or something. Maybe I’d speak to her about it. Those two were friends, after all. Instead of hunting, they could go clubbing together. Moose and Mouse. Those were the pet names Jared once gave them after Melcher had assigned them on a stakeout in Fairbanks.
The agency was far better off without Jared around as Melcher’s second-in-command.
He could run, and he could hide, he could even kill, but that didn’t change the fact Jared was now the target, the agency’s number-one most wanted.
3
Overlords And Underlings
Fane and I drove into the agency together early the next morning—Fane at the wheel. Although I’d overcome my driving phobia, I still preferred the passenger’s seat. It was a great place to stare out the window and let my mind wander. My morning thoughts were very different from evening thoughts. On the drive in, a.m. thoughts were spent grumbling over Jared and how he’d managed to slip away yet again. On the drive home, p.m. thoughts belonged to Fane.
This morning, we drove in an hour earlier than usual. Lieutenant Pearlman was coming to meet with Fane and Melcher.
“Pearlman’s not going to be happy,” I said.
“I know how he feels,” Fane replied.
“I think we both do.”
Fane eased the SUV around a turn
. Unlike Dante, he didn’t play music or sing while driving. Lately, the car felt like the most private place to talk.
“At least this will give me an opportunity to study Melcher’s face while we go over how this happened.” Fane grunted. “Not that there’s much to read on that ancient vamp’s face. I’d say he’s perfected the poker face, but I think it goes beyond that. I don’t think there’s a shred of humanity left in him.”
“Yeah, I’ve always gotten that feeling too,” I said, a chill skating down my spine despite the heated seat.
“We need to keep Melcher in the dark the next time one of our informants gets so much as a whiff of Jared.”
“Is that even possible?” I asked.
Fane shifted in his seat, sitting up a little taller once he’d resettled. “We can’t prevent Melcher from keeping close tabs on Jared’s whereabouts, but I plan to cut him out of the operation the next time we have a chance to go in. That or give him misinformation so he can’t screw anything up if he is somehow double-crossing us.”
I blew a stray strand of hair out of my face.
“Um, yeah. Misdirection has never really worked out for us in the past.” And that was putting it mildly.
“Maybe not. At least now we have our foot in the door. And I do enjoy stepping on his toes.” Fane’s lips broke out into a wide, wicked grin.
I chuckled. “You got more than your foot in the door, Fane Donado. What you pulled off is nothing short of an agency takeover. I still can’t quite believe you managed to bribe an Alaska state senator and force Melcher to work with you and Lieutenant Pearlman. I bet Melcher never saw that one coming.” I grinned.
We might not have Jared yet, but I considered the agency takeover, as I liked to call it, a huge win for all informants and hunters. As far as I was concerned, Fane deserved the Nobel Peace Prize for what he’d done. Who else could have stood up to Melcher and made real change? People with AB positive or negative blood were a minority for sure, but our lives mattered too. Who knew how many lives Fane had saved by putting an end to forced recruitment? How many hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people would have the opportunity to live out a healthy, human life over the coming decades?
I ran my hand through my hair as Fane pulled into a parking spot in front of the agency building. It still looked every bit like an above-ground bunker as it had the first time I walked out after being operated on. Even with Fane helping run things, I hated the place.
The hallway’s fluorescent lighting was as bletcherous as ever. I swore passing through a dank, leaky cave would have been more inviting than the mental-ward vibe the agency had going on.
We reached the open room outside Melcher’s office. A twenty-something woman in a short navy pencil skirt, matching blazer, starched white shirt, and tie stood in front of the secretary’s desk waiting for the young woman seated on the other side to get off the phone. The woman in navy turned as we approached and smiled at Fane.
“Good morning, Mr. Donado,” she said.
“Morning, Corporal,” Fane replied with a ready smile.
The corporal’s greeting didn’t extend to me, nor did her eyes. Fane was clearly the respected authority figure at the agency and me . . . well, the staff around this place had a way of making me feel like the newbie recruit as much now as before.
It didn’t bother me. I wasn’t really part of the team anymore. I was more like Joss at this point. How had Melcher once put it? Free to roam.
I snorted. Fane glanced sideways at me.
The secretary, dressed in her everyday camo, hung up the phone and leaned sideways in order to see past the navy skirt blocking her view of Fane.
“Good morning, Mr. Donado,” she said, echoing the corporal’s greeting. “Lieutenant Pearlman hasn’t arrived yet, but Agent Melcher is just finishing up. You can go in anytime.”
“Thank you, Mandy,” Fane said.
Mandy beamed. I didn’t think I’d ever seen that woman smile, not even when Dante used to flirt with her.
Good thing I wasn’t the jealous type. If I’d been Valerie, I’d be out slashing Mandy’s tires and keying the corporal’s car. Psycho behavior, so not attractive. Unless you were a psycho vamp like Jared and found that kind of thing titillating. Blech!
Fane’s effect on people was actually pretty cool. He made me proud. Besides, if there was any jealousy to be felt it would more likely be directed at me for snagging a sexy, connected, wealthy Italian who made me feel like a goddess rather than an undead girl with a blood addiction.
I placed my hand on Fane’s arm and said, “See you in a bit.”
“Will you be in the parlor or training room?” he asked, facing me.
“Parlor,” I answered.
I was going to walk away, no need to rub in things in front of the two women watching, but as I turned, Fane caught my hand and squeezed it. Our eyes locked. Not even the fluorescent lighting could diminish the spark between us. We leaned forward and kissed. Even the briefest kiss from Fane’s lips sent tidal waves of pleasure rushing through my body.
Okay, so maybe I’d rub it in just a little.
Fane’s eyes were still shining when we pulled apart. He gave my hand a final squeeze and grinned.
The ladies were lucky we didn’t go into a full make-out session. We’d save that for later, hopefully not too much later. It’s not as though we were on the clock. The agency didn’t pay us any kind of salary. Good thing Fane was financially set. I never fancied myself as a kept vampire. I still needed to figure out what to do with my life. First I wanted to travel the world with Fane. That offer was way too good to pass up. And what better opportunity to do some soul-searching?
The answer was out there. But first I needed to find it.
My feet were temporarily rooted to the spot as I watched him walk away. Fane from behind was just as pleasing as Fane from up front. My eyes followed his ass. He opened the door to Melcher’s office and disappeared inside. Three seconds later, Selene strode out, tugging at her fuzzy cowl-neck sweater. She wore a pair of tailored blush-toned pants and maroon pumps with pointed toes. The heals clicked harshly over the laminate floor.
The clicking stopped as soon as Selene caught sight of me.
I gave her a weak wave. “Hi.”
Uh-oh, awkward. The last time I’d seen Selene was in her partner Randall’s house . . . right after I’d killed him. I wasn’t exactly the best houseguest. Vampires tended to end up dead when I came over.
She didn’t look any worse for wear, but she did look out of place at the agency’s barrack. Her nails were lacquered the same color maroon as her pumps. Her pale pink pants contrasted with the corporal’s navies and the secretary’s army green and brown.
As I gawked at Selene, a fog seemed to clear from her face. Though noticeably delayed, she smiled and walked up to me, no hesitation in her steps.
“Hi, Aurora. It’s good to see you’re all right.”
“Um, yeah,” I said, shrugging.
“We were worried after you disappeared with Dante.”
“Well, I’m back . . . for now. Sooo,” I said, my eyebrows raising. “You’re still with the agency? Did Melcher forget to share the memo about free will and vampire rights? He can’t force you to work for him anymore.”
Selene’s face froze. The way she kept staring at me you’d think I was the one who’d missed a memo. Her shoulders sagged.
“I don’t have anywhere else to go at the moment.”
I tried to hide my grimace by rubbing my lips. “I’m sorry, Selene.”
She took a step closer and sighed. “You have nothing to be sorry about.”
“But Randall and your family—” My words stopped abruptly. How could she not want to slap me across the face right now? I’d killed her partner and let two psychopaths into her home to make threats against her and, worse, against her family.
Selene batted the comment away with a swish of her manicured nails. “None of that was your fault.”
Was she really letting me
off that easy? It was nice Selene understood I wasn’t behind any of that stuff. Don’t kill the messenger and all that jazz.
“No hard feelings? Really?” I asked.
Selene glanced at the corporal and Mandy, who were having their own conversation over the secretary’s desk. When her eyes returned to me I thought I caught her chin tremble. It must have been a trick of the eye because she leaned into me the next moment with a confidence that reminded me of the first time we met at Diederick’s wine tasting.
Selene ran a hand through her hair lazily.
“Sweetie, I’m well acquainted with the way of the world. You didn’t threaten my family, Melcher and Jared did. They’re the overlords, and we’re the underlings. C’est la vie.”
“Not anymore,” I corrected her.
“Sure,” Selene said, her face turning blank. She shook it off a second later as the corporal walked by us in her navy pumps. Selene gave the woman’s footwear a steady stare. Her eyes remained on the floor even after the corporal disappeared down the hall, the steady clack of her heels fading with her.
I cleared my throat. “I understand the fear,” I said. “I worried for my mom and Gran when Giselle Morrel tracked them down in Anchorage. She posed as their new French instructor.” I shivered. “I worried about them after Dante and I defected. I worry about them with Jared loose. I’d do anything for my family.”
Selene looked up and stared at me for several beats before nodding solemnly. “They grow up so quickly, our parents.”
The reversal sounded so odd, I would have laughed if Selene didn’t look so forlorn.
Even when I’d been around as long as my mom had, in terms of years on this planet, I couldn’t imagine feeling anything other than eighteen. Fane had once told me that, psychologically, our young bodies kept us young at heart.
“Are you living on base?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Me too.”
“The accommodations aren’t bad,” Selene said. “I have a duplex to myself. It’s actually bigger than Randall’s place. Nicer too.”
True North (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 6) Page 3