Primal Desire (Heart of the Huntress Book 6)

by Terry Spear

  When Selena woke, she realized it was time to go to her parents’ home for lunch. She kissed Atreides. "I’m off to my parents' place."

  "You'll have an escort there."

  "I'll be fine. I'll just drive. Your people can't go with me. It's too sunny out."

  He ground his teeth. "Then have your brother or sister join you here and pick you up for lunch. With Cliff out for your blood, I don't trust you being alone."

  She sighed. "All right." She got out of bed and dressed, then left the bedroom so Atreides could sleep further. He needed to be at the top of his game to fight whatever he needed to also.

  "Hey, Daniel," Selena said, calling him on her cell phone.

  "We're already on our way over to Atreides’s place. You're not safe with Cliff wanting to take you down. He could do it at any time, night or day," Daniel said.

  "All right. I'll be waiting here for you." She was glad he was taking the threat to her seriously.

  Within half an hour, Daniel drove up in his Jeep and Selena climbed into the vehicle and saw Rosa sitting in the back seat.

  "I think Mom and Dad might know already," Selena warned them.

  "We were hoping not, but thinking the same thing," Rosa said.

  "Mom sounded upset and she asked if I wanted my favorite dish for lunch."

  "Italian sausage spaghetti? She only fixes that for you for your birthday," Rosa said.

  "Yeah, I think she thought it would be like comfort food for me. I don't know what I was thinking. I just thought she would react the way you two did."

  "We were fine with it since you seemed to be all right with it. Mom hasn't seen you yet," Daniel said. "When she realizes you're not all broken up about it, that will be different."

  "Okay, well, I hope it won't be a tearful reunion."

  No one said anything, and she figured it would be.

  She got on her phone and called the League Council secretary. "This is Selena Townsend. I need to make an appointment to meet with the League Council."

  There was dead silence on the phone. Daniel glanced at her.

  "Hello?" Selena said.

  "Uh, yes, hold a minute."

  Then Selena heard relaxing New Age music playing. "Apparently it's a big thing. The secretary put me on hold."

  "They know then," Daniel said.

  "Maybe. I wonder if they learned of it and talked to our parents about it. I doubt our parents would have learned of it and told the League Council. They would have wanted me to talk to them first, I'm sure." Or maybe not. Maybe her parents had contacted them to learn what they should do. They did have a League psychologist and maybe they even met with her.

  Then the secretary got back on the phone and said, "Would one this afternoon work well for you?"

  Selena's jaw dropped. Never had the League Council convened that quickly for a single hunter unless they thought they had to avert a war.

  "Yeah, sure, one this afternoon would be fine. I'll be there then." She ended the call.

  "Holy hell, they know," Daniel said. "No way would they hurry up and convene that quickly otherwise."

  When they arrived at their parents' two-story, brick home, both their Mom and Dad came out to greet them. Her mom had definitely been crying, and she looked a little hesitant to hug her, as if she was afraid of what Selena had become. She gave her mom a warm hug. "Love you, Mom, Dad." She gave him a hug, both warmly hugging her back.

  And then they all went inside the house. All the surrounding neighbors were hunters, all protecting each other in the event rogue vampires threatened any of the families. Since they were in the business of killing rogues, they were always on the alert should the rogue vampires they were hunting begin hunting them.

  As soon as they walked into the house, they smelled the delicious spaghetti cooking in the kitchen and all the best dishware and silverware were set out as if it were a holiday or other special occasion. Selena guessed it was. She was still alive, after all.

  "We know something of what had happened," her dad said as they sat down to eat. "No sense in pretending we don't. But we only know bits and pieces."

  So Selena ate some of her meal and then proceeded to tell them all that had happened. Daniel had to get a tissue box for Selena and her mother because when her mother cried, it made Selena cry. And then Rosa was crying. She'd held out the longest.

  Daniel and their dad looked on sympathetically.

  She was glad to get all this out in the open. She hadn't realized what a relief it was.

  "When are you going to tell the League?" her dad asked.

  "Right after lunch."

  "You should have seen it, Dad," Daniel said. "As soon as she called them to speak with the Council, they scheduled her for one. That never happens unless there's the threat of a war going on."

  That could either be good news or bad. She suspected it wouldn't be all good. And she hoped they didn't have hunter guards standing by because they were afraid of her.

  Selena smiled. "It has to be good news." She wouldn't let on that she was worried it might not be.

  "They can't kick her out of the League." Daniel ate a slice of bread.

  "They would be foolish to do so. She can telepathically communicate with other vampires," Rosa said. "She made friends with two huntresses who had been turned and are living in one of the border towns."

  "Oh, is that wise?" her mother asked.

  "It's a whole different world now," Selena said. "I don't have a lot of choice. But if I can help both sides, I'm all for it."

  "It's going to take some getting used to. If you get angry with someone, do you show off your canines?" her dad asked.

  "Only once, and they're not very big. Not like the ancients have. I guess it will take some time to work up to that. But I have to admit the transportation and flying leaps sure are fun to use, especially when I need to get to places fast."

  "Or leave places fast," her mother said. "You know how we always say the vampires would rule the world if they weren't so arrogant. If they were getting overwhelmed in battle, they need to just vanish, and gather more of their people."

  "I know, Mom. I promise that I'll vanish if I get overwhelmed by the bad guys—whether they're hunters or vampires." At least in theory she would. She wasn't sure if it might just be in their genetic makeup that made them feel the need to finish a battle against the hunters. Maybe, now that she was one, she would feel the same way.

  "What do you think they're going to say to Selena?" Rosa asked.

  "If they know what's good for us, they'll keep her employed as a hunter and give her a special job that she's going to be well-trained for," her dad said.

  As long as they didn't expect her to spy on good vampires and just learn what she could about rogues. She could see herself getting killed quickly if she was just serving as a spy for the League. Besides, she wanted to help the vampires with dealing with hunters who didn't respect that some vampires were the good guys.

  They finished lunch and then they gave each other hugs. To her surprise, her whole family wanted to go to the Council meeting. They might not be permitted inside the Council chambers, but she appreciated that they wanted to give her moral support in any event.

  "Thanks, I appreciate you all being there for me," Selena said, getting into the car.

  "If they hassle you in any way, we'll all jump in to make sure they understand what a bad mistake that would be," her mother said.

  Both her parents were excellent fighters, so were her brother and sister. She was certain the Council wouldn't want to lose all five of them as hunters in one fell swoop.

  Then they drove over to the League's office building and she thought there was a little more security there than usual. Maybe she was mistaken. She knew there had been when she went to testify concerning why she had killed the hunter. Otherwise, she rarely visited the Council headquarters.

  She was glad to have her family with her when here she thought she would be going it alone. Maybe Daniel would have dropped her off f
or the meeting and picked her up when it was done, but all of them actually coming in with her?

  When they reached the third floor where the Council chambers were, the secretary rose from his seat and inclined his head to her, but he looked surprised to see all the family members there.

  "Let me ask the president of the League if you can all go in or if they want just you to go in, Selena," the secretary said.

  "All of us, if we can," her dad said.

  She was proud of him for speaking up and not just leaving things to chance.

  "Right."

  "The family needs to hear what's being said, in case there's any doubt," her dad added.

  "Uh, yes, sir." The secretary disappeared into an office behind him and quickly shut the door. Normally, he would have just called back to the president's office.

  She figured he was afraid of how they might react if they didn't have their way.

  He ought to know them better than that. They weren't going to make a scene. At least she didn't think so.

  A few minutes later, the secretary reemerged. "Sorry for the delay. Yes, you can all go in." The secretary was perspiring.

  She hoped that he hadn't been afraid of how she would react.

  Then he said, "You may proceed."

  Selena was going to lead the way since this was all about her, but her dad and mom did instead, as if they were protecting her. And her brother and sister followed her in. The conference room was huge, thirteen Council members presiding, one the president, and an uneven number so they couldn't have a tie vote. They had decided long ago, no one Council member had any power over the rest of them. The president just gathered the collective votes, made the final decisions based on the voting of each Council member, so he wasn't a president who dictated to the others.

  "We understand your situation, Selena. We've gotten several reports from various groups, fringe hunters, fringe vampires, the regular clan vampires, and our own League hunters," the president said, motioning for them to take seats at the table across from them.

  She couldn't believe they'd been gathering information on her all this time. At least she didn't have to explain everything that had happened to her. It seemed they already knew.

  But then the president said, "Tell us in your own words what had happened."

  She again explained everything that had gone on, but this time her mother didn't cry, and Selena felt better about that. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to have a daughter of her own and know she'd been brutalized by a vampire.

  "Okay, well, based on your testimony and the reports we've received," the president said, "We have a proposition to make."

  She was going to ask to see the reports. After all, she should have those so she knew exactly what people had reported. But she would wait until after she heard the Council members' verdict.

  "We had thought of having you join the Council. One of our Council members would retire. This was acceptable to all within."

  Becoming a Council member could help both sides, Selena thought, but she wanted to fight still and take down the rogues. When she was older, maybe when she was ready to retire from hunting, then she could do that.

  "But then we believed you would be more useful in the field. We've never had anyone reach out to the fringe hunters before. We would like it if you would continue to do that. Maybe with your brother and sister helping you, so that you're protected should you need to be. We are prepared to pay a considerable sum to have you serve as special agents working with the fringe hunters. It doesn't mean you're required to recruit them. Just let them know we're on their side if they need our help with anything. We need the rapport like what Atreides has built with the fringe vampires.

  "But we also would like you to work directly with the vampires, as their representative, with the fringe huntresses who have been turned, and anyone else who ends up like them, male or female, Selena. Also, you will get special pay for this work. It's something none of us can do, which makes you highly qualified in the scheme of things."

  Wow, she couldn't believe it.

  "Now, we’ve learned for certain that Cliff has a contract on you and intends to take you out. He is on a rogue list for termination, and so are three of his hunter friends. We can't have hunters killing vampires indiscriminately. If you need an additional bodyguard to watch your back, we'll pay for it."

  "I am mating a vampire. When I have night work, he and his people will be there for me." She might as well let the truth come out about that too.

  "Well," the president said, rubbing his head, "we had hoped to find an acceptable hunter mate for you, but I suppose that will work as well."

  "He's Atreides, prince of the vampire clans and their sub-leader," Rosa said as if she was proud of Selena's choice of mate.

  Everyone just stared at Selena, then a few of the Council members smiled at her.

  "Well," the president said, "that is great. Just great. Does Daemon know?"

  They'd lost Tezra to the vampire clan, though she still helped the League when she could, but she had immersed herself in vampire issues, being Daemon's mate. But Selena was different, and she had a mission to do. She hadn't been a borderline rogue, not really, and she was happy to be with the League, as long as they policed their own hunters.

  But Daemon was an unknown.

  "He doesn't. He has been off on a vacation with Tezra. When he returns, Atreides will tell him what has gone on."

  The president gave a small smile. "Atreides is in charge and he doesn't want his brother to know about all the problems we're having because he'll return and take charge."

  "His brother deserves a vacation after all the hard work he puts in while taking care of his people. And Atreides can handle things," Selena said, speaking on Atreides’s behalf.

  "With your help," the president said.

  "Yes," Selena said.

  "And with ours," her dad said, and the president looked over at him as if he'd forgotten he was sitting there with the rest of her family.

  "All of ours," her mother said.

  The president nodded. "If the conditions of your new employment are acceptable, we'll have the contracts written up and you can sign them. All of you. We look forward to working with you and hopefully making better choices in the future."

  Selena sure hoped so. Maybe the hunters needed better training. She said, "Maybe we could have sensitivity training for the hunters—I'm not sure it would work for vampires, but the hunters might need it to understand the vampires better."

  "That sounds like something you could entertain also, once we locate the rogue hunters causing all the trouble right now," the president said, glancing at the other Council members.

  They all inclined their heads in agreement.

  Then the president adjourned the meeting. Selena and her family left the Council chambers.

  The secretary said, "I have the contract drawn up, if you'll read it over and sign it, please."

  Each of Selena's family members read over the agreement and then she said, "Do you have the reports that were filed concerning what had happened to me?"

  "Uh, yes, here's a copy of all the transcripts, should you wish to see them. The president and other Council members approved it."

  She and her family members signed the contract, then she looked through the signed reports from: the two huntress turned vampiresses in the border town, from King even, the vampire in charge of those on the fringe, from Atreides and all his close friends, Colt, Renault, Basil, from Tara Green and Twilight, from Iconia also, and one of Iconia’s friends who Selena didn't remember meeting. And from a vampire named Quail. She didn't recognize the name as being anyone she had met.

  But when she read his affidavit, it said, You are the one who will change everything, the light in the darkness, good against evil.

  "That was the last one that came in. A young hunter boy delivered it. He said he saw a wolf and it dropped the envelope, pawed at it, barked at him, and then ran off. That's when the boy picked
up the envelope, saw it was addressed to the president of the League and brought it right here," the secretary said.

  "A wolf," Selena said. The wolf? She couldn't imagine it was from anyone else. "Thank you."

  Then she and her family left, and they all hugged each other.

  "Man, we didn't know you would be famous, and we would have special positions because of you," Daniel said.

  "Just remember that if you get mad at me over something dumb," Selena said, patting his shoulder.

  "What can you turn into?" Her sister sounded intrigued. "I never thought of that."

  "I don't know, but I'm curious too."

  Selena didn't know what vampires could shift into. Some said crows, some wolves, some bats. Maybe other creatures? She just didn't know. But a crow would be neat if she wanted to learn what was going on and be inconspicuous. Particularly during the day. A wolf at night. A bat didn't especially appeal, but at night, they could fly and could be a little stealthier. Though both the hunters and vampires could see what was going on at night, so maybe not so inconspicuous.

  "A wolf, that's what I'd want to be," Daniel said.

  "Yeah, me too," Selena said.

  "What if you shifted and couldn't shift back?" her mother said.

  Everyone was quiet in the car for a few minutes, then Rosa said, "Yeah, that would be the pits. I was thinking of a crow for daytime sleuthing, but I wouldn’t want to be one always."

  "I wonder if you have a choice. I've never been on friendly terms with vampires, so I don’t have a clue," their father said. "You'll have to let us know what you find out, Selena."

  She realized she was going to be the premier connection to the vampire world for the hunters. It did make her feel special. When they reached her parents' home, she said, "I've got to go. But I think we're all in agreement things could be better for the hunters and vampires if we could work more closely together."

  "I agree," her mother said, giving her a hug. "Does he, I mean, Atreides, ever want to meet us?"

  "Of course. We wanted to make sure you knew what had become of me first, and then we'll have everyone get together with him to welcome him to the family," Selena said.