True North (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 6)

by Nikki Jefford

  “Good. She came to. Time for a photo op.” He disappeared then reappeared, handing Henry a newspaper and phone.

  Jared entered the bunkhouse with heavy footsteps that creaked over the floorboards. They sounded extra loud with my cheek and ear against the ground. He walked around me, his legs disappearing out of view. A moment later, I was lifted off the floor and set back into a seated position. My head jerked as Jared dropped the chair.

  Henry walked forward, forehead wrinkling, a frown across his lips. Jared circled back in place to face me and snatched the paper from Henry’s fingers. He set a copy of the Alaska Dispatch News face up on my lap.

  “Phone,” Jared said, sticking his hand out to Henry.

  Henry handed him the phone. Jared jammed his thumb over the screen then lifted the phone and grinned maliciously.

  “Smile for your boyfriend,” he said.

  I glared at Jared as he took the picture. He lifted the device to his face, grin stretching like tar-flavored taffy up his cheeks.

  “I wish I could see Fane’s face when he gets this,” Jared said, eyes glued to the screen.

  My toes curled inside my boots.

  “Where are we?” I demanded.

  Jared took his time lowering his phone, seeming to relish the photo of me restrained as much as the live version. After one last long gaze, he stuffed it inside his back pocket. Once his hands were free he leaned forward, placing his hands on my shoulders.

  “Sorry, Raven. It’s the end of the line. I would’ve kept you around, but Melcher’s calling the shots now.” He grinned as he straightened up.

  With my arms and legs bound, I couldn’t hit or kick him. I couldn’t even spit in his face with him looming over me. Jared backed up, maintaining eye contact until he reached Henry’s side.

  “I have a plane to meet,” Jared said to Henry. “Don’t leave her side.”

  Jared turned for the door, but before walking out, he swung around, waved, and smiled. All I could do was glare back. Without another word, Jared left the bunkhouse. As soon as he did, Henry moved to the small window beside the door and stared out, back to me.

  An engine rumbled to life. Soon after, it roared then faded away.

  With every ounce of patience I could muster, I waited, counting slowly to fifty in my head, before addressing Henry. I figured I had a better chance of getting an answer out of him now that Jared was out of earshot.

  “Where are we?” I tried again.

  Henry turned. The murky light from outdoors lightened the edges of his dark suit.

  “We’re in Platinum,” he answered.

  “Never heard of it,” I said.

  “Neither had I.”

  “What part of Alaska are we in?” I asked. “North? South? East?”

  “Southwest of Anchorage,” Henry said, “on the Bering Sea coast. Eleven miles off of Goodnews Bay. That’s where we flew in.”

  “Goodnews Bay,” I repeated. “There’s irony for you. Why does Melcher have us way out here?”

  “Platinum is an abandoned mining town,” Henry said, apparently having no qualms over answering my questions—probably because he expected I’d be dead soon. “Mining operations stopped in the late nineties. The only people living here now are the caretaker and his family. Melcher arranged for the family to go offsite for a few days. Told them we’re doing a military exercise.”

  “Back at the hangar he said he wanted it to look like an accident,” I pressed.

  Henry stared over my head. He couldn’t seem to look me in the eyes. As long as he kept answering my questions and feeding me information, I didn’t care where he looked.

  “Melcher will deny any involvement in this operation. The official story is that Jared’s holding you ransom in Goodnews Bay. Fane is to come alone with a million dollars in cash. Once Jared has the money and the plane, he will provide coordinates for your location.”

  “Except he won’t!” Adrenaline rushed through my body when I belted out the words.

  This operation wasn’t about the money or getting away. It was all about luring Fane into a remote area where Jared and Melcher’s men could take him out. No one would be any wiser. They’d have no problem believing Jared had double-crossed Fane.

  My skin burned. The North Star pendant seared against my chest. Fane said he’d always find me. Suddenly, I didn’t want him to find me. I wanted him to stay the hell away.

  I lurched forward in the chair.

  “What about Dante, Noel, and the rest of the crew?” I demanded. “There’s no way they’re going to let Fane come out here alone.”

  “His instructions are not to tell anyone and to come alone,” Henry said. “If anyone else is on the plane Jared threatened to radio Valerie with orders to slit your throat.”

  No surprise Melcher had Jared playing it off that he and the vixen were still working together. Nice touch. Fane would have no problem believing Valerie wouldn’t hesitate to end my life.

  I used my arms and legs to push against the tape. It felt like trying to lift five-hundred-pound weights.

  “Why is Jared going to the airstrip now? Doesn’t he need to give Fane time to gather the money?” I asked.

  I needed more time. I had to break free of the bindings and get to Goodnews Bay before Fane landed. Henry had said it was eleven miles away. There had to be a four-wheeler or snowmachine sitting around I could take. They would have needed to use something to get me out here.

  Henry tugged at his collar, looking from the door to the window to the legs of the chair where I sat bound.

  “Jared sent the demand before takeoff in Big Delta,” he said. “Fane already had time to gather the money. That picture Jared took of you was to keep him motivated.”

  My body heat was extinguished, replaced by chills that tingled down to my toes. A cold sweat broke out all over me.

  I didn’t have much time. I needed out of these bindings right away.

  Henry turned to look out the window again. His hands tightened into fists at his sides and loosened. Tightened and loosened.

  “Melcher coerced you into working for him, too,” I said, trying to sound understanding.

  Henry turned his head to speak over his shoulder. “I don’t want to be here any more than you do.”

  “Then let’s get out of here,” I said. “I have to warn Fane.”

  “You should try not to panic,” Henry said.

  “Are you shitting me?” My head pounded from all the blood pumping its way up.

  Henry chewed on his lower lip.

  I forced several calming breaths through my lips and changed my tone.

  “I know we’ve never been friends, but if you help me, that million dollars is yours.”

  “This isn’t about the money,” Henry said. “After I do this job I get to go free.”

  “You could have the money AND freedom!” I returned.

  Come on! How was he not jumping on this deal?

  Henry moved from the window to the door.

  “I’ll be right back,” he said.

  “Henry!”

  “Shh!”

  He whipped around and bared his teeth. This time he looked directly at me, his eyes protruding.

  “Do you want to live?” he demanded.

  My heart had seized inside my chest. Eyes locked on Henry’s, I nodded.

  “Then keep quiet and wait here.” With that, Henry left the bunkhouse.

  Wait here. Where else did he think I was going?

  Outdoor light flashed in and out of the bunkhouse as Henry stepped out. The moment the door closed, I began rocking up and down. The side-to-side thing hadn’t worked out so well. Pushing against the restraints did nothing. I jerked my hands up and down instead, as much as the tape allowed. I didn’t care if I rubbed my skin off so long as I got free in time to save Fane. My own life meant nothing without him.

  With every jerk, I only seemed to further inflame the rash burning across my wrists.

  I dipped my head down and began biting at t
he tape. A filmy paste soon formed in my mouth. It leaked down the sides of my lips—drool as murky as the light filtering in through the warped window. I bit harder, clamping down on the edge of the tape, rubbing it between my teeth until my gums ached.

  The door squeaked open partway and a small, dark figure slipped inside. My head jerked up as the figure pressed the door closed and straightened up from a crouched position. She spun around, facing me.

  Noel!

  She looked like a shadow dressed in black Spandex pants and a long-sleeved solid black cotton tee. There was a black belt around her middle with a gun holstered on one hip and a knife on the other. Her hair was swept back in a low ponytail.

  Noel’s eyes widened on me.

  “Henry hasn’t freed you yet?” she asked incredulously, shaking her head. She snatched the knife out of her holster and made quicks steps toward me.

  Noel kneeled in front of me and began cutting away at the tape around my ankles.

  Tears welled in my eyes as she cut my legs loose and stood up to work on my wrists. Getting free of the tape made me want to moan with happiness. I leaped to my feet and rubbed briefly at my wrists. Even light rubbing made them screech in pain.

  “Thanks,” I said. “Want to tell me what’s going on?”

  “We’re here to take out Jared and Melcher’s men if they try to stop us.” Noel’s teeth gleamed when she smiled.

  “You know about Melcher?” I asked.

  “Henry’s been keeping us in the loop.”

  My jaw dropped. “But I thought—”

  “That he was working for Melcher. Yeah, Melcher thinks that, too,” Noel said with a smirk. She thrust the knife into my hand. “Here, you should arm yourself just in case.” Noel strode over to the window and peered out, squinting the more she stared outside the bunkhouse. “We need to move locations. We’re like sitting ducks in here. I can barely see out this window.”

  I joined Noel’s side.

  Either dusk was settling in or the windowpane was tinted a grayish brown. I could just make out a road covered in a light layer of snow, and small, silent buildings lining the street on either side. The structures were spaced out.

  “So this is Platinum,” I said beside Noel.

  She looked at me and grinned. “First time here?”

  “Yeah. You?”

  “Most definitely.”

  Noel leaned away from the window, eyes shimmering. It felt surreal to have her by my side.

  “What’s the plan?” I asked, my fingers tightening around the handle of the knife.

  Noel sidestepped her way to the door and motioned me over. I took careful steps across the floorboards to join her. Noel’s hand hovered over the doorknob.

  “Dante, Ashley, Reinhardt, and Gunter are hiding in two of the outbuildings across town. Jared took four men with him and left four behind. They’re hanging back in the old recreation hall.”

  I did a double take.

  “How did you sneak in without Jared noticing?”

  “Easy,” Noel said. “We arrived before him.”

  It felt like my jaw had dropped halfway to the floor. My expression made her giggle.

  “What? How?”

  “Come on,” Noel said, cracking the door open. “I’ll explain everything, but first, follow me. Stay low.”

  Noel crouched as she slid outside. I mimicked her posture, following her out into the open. A sharp, cold breeze blew over me. It was difficult to guess the time from the dim sky. Either dawn was getting a late start or dusk was descending over us fast.

  The ocean hugged the deserted town from about a mile away—silent shores against the hushed land.

  We stayed close to the outer wall of the bunkhouse, going around back where Henry waited, rubbing his arms.

  “Has Jared arrived at the airstrip yet?” Noel asked.

  Henry patted the pocket on his jacket and shook his head. He avoided eye contact with her the same way he had with me. Guess I shouldn’t take it personally. The vamp looked more skittish than a snow rabbit. I understood the feeling.

  “Where’s Fane?” I asked.

  “Melcher and Jared think he left base to fly directly here,” Noel answered, “but he flew to Togiak. Once Dante fires at the recreation hall, we expect Jared’s men to radio him back. As soon as our team takes that first shot, Henry will contact Fane, and he’ll fly into Goodnews Bay and join us by snowmachine. It’s a quick flight over.”

  “I still don’t understand how you got here before Jared.”

  Noel’s teeth flashed when she smiled. “Henry alerted us as soon as he heard Melcher’s plan. We got our asses out here while Melcher was in Delta Junction ordering your release. Fane and Joss stayed behind and have been pretending they’re in the dark.”

  “Why’s Henry helping us?” I glanced sideways.

  “He’s been acting as Fane’s informant and doing a damn good job of it,” Noel said proudly, sliding an arm over Henry’s shoulder.

  Henry shrugged her off. “I’m nobody’s snitch, but I’d never work for Agent Melcher. His entire life is devoted to killing vampires. Fane and I never had any trouble, not until you came along.” His eyes narrowed on me.

  I stared back, unblinking. As long as he was on Fane’s side, I didn’t care how he felt about me.

  Henry cleared his throat. “After Valerie forced me from Stanton’s place and turned me into the agency, Melcher had me locked up in a cell. Fane’s the one who found me and insisted on my release. He vouched for me as a vampire with ethics. Melcher allowed me to leave . . . or so I thought.” Henry scowled. “I had planned to pack up and get out of Alaska, but not even twelve hours passed before Melcher visited me at my townhouse with a couple of his agents. He said he’d end me on the spot unless I agreed to work for him.”

  “Doing what?” I asked.

  “Nothing at first. He said he’d keep me appraised on a need-to-know basis and not to tell anyone about our arrangement if I valued my life.” Henry rubbed the bridge of his nose. “The next day Fane came by to check on me. He wanted to make sure I was okay and apologize for all the stress I’d been through.” Henry straightened. “That’s when I told Fane about Melcher’s visit and everything he’d said. Fane told me to go along with it—to report back to him the next time Melcher contacted me. I received my first set of orders last week. Melcher told me he had you smuggled off base and delivered to Jared with a tracking device implanted in your skin. I was to follow your movements from a safe distance.”

  “If you knew where I was, how come Fane didn’t come for me sooner?” I asked, my gut twisting. I knew Fane wanted to get Jared as much as I did, but I never would have believed he’d hold back with my life at risk. The whole time I was trapped with Jared he could have been raping or torturing me. I shuddered.

  It was getting harder to see Henry’s face. This had to be dusk. Night was coming. Was Fane?

  Henry swallowed. “Fane didn’t know what was happening until your capture in Delta Junction. I never contacted him while tracking you.”

  “Why not?” I demanded.

  “One of Melcher’s agents was with me at all times.”

  “All times,” I scoffed. “Like you weren’t ever alone in the bathroom. You could have turned on the shower and called Fane or texted him.”

  “What if the agent checked my phone history?” Henry asked. “I couldn’t risk it. When I heard Melcher’s plan to lure Fane out to Platinum, I knew I had to act.”

  Sure, my life wasn’t worth the risk, but Fane’s was.

  “There you have it,” Noel said, flicking her ponytail. “You’re safe, we’re all here, and Jared’s about to eat lead.”

  Static crackled from Henry’s pocket a second before Jared’s voice came on. It was uncanny timing and slightly alarming—like he could sense us talking about him.

  “We’re in position at the airstrip. I’ll radio again when target is down. Over.”

  The radio crackled and another male voice came on.

 
; “Roger that. We are holding position. Over.”

  Henry looked at Noel, who nodded. She pulled a small radio attached to her belt behind the gun.

  “Time to radio Dante,” she said.

  “Won’t they hear you?” I asked in alarm.

  Noel shook her head. “We have our own secure channel and even if they could somehow hear us, they’d have no idea what we’re talking about.” She lifted the radio to her smirking lips and pressed the speaker button. “’Twas the night before Christmas. Over.”

  I gaped at Noel, who winked at me.

  Her radio crackled to life.

  “Not a creature was stirring,” came Dante’s voice through the speaker. “Not yet anyway. Over.”

  Another voice came on the moment Dante was finished.

  “Is the package secure? Over.”

  My heart melted at the sound of Fane’s voice. I felt a strong urge to rip the radio from Noel’s fingers and cry into the speaker that I was all right and I couldn’t wait to see him again.

  “Package secured. Over,” Noel said. She rolled her eyes. “Man, he’s crazy about you. He knows ‘’Twas the night before Christmas’ means you’re secure and Jared’s at the airstrip.”

  Verifying my safety . . . now there was the Fane I knew.

  His voice returned a moment later, making my heart surge. I could listen to him all day, but it was quickly turning to night and I’d rather listen to Fane in person.

  “Santa’s sleigh is taking off. I repeat. Santa’s sleigh is taking off. Over and out.”

  Over, I thought with mounting excitement. Fane was coming over. He was on his way.

  Noel strapped her radio back onto her belt.

  “Get ready. The fireworks are about to begin,” she said, rubbing her hands together.

  Sure enough, a shot rang out, popping like a Chinese firecracker, followed by a second and third. Henry pulled the radio out of his pocket. We all stared at it. A brief silence ensued before the radio crackled to life.

  “Team leader, this is Rivera at basecamp. Three shots fired from the east. I’m sending Montgomery and Banks to check it out. Over.”

  Jared jumped on soon after.

  “Is the prisoner still secured?” he demanded, forgetting to say “over.”