“The one who is destined to unite the vampire and human races.”
Chapter Fifteen
“That man is off his rocker. There is no way in hell I’m destined to unite the races. Vampire and humans will never coexist and it’s stupid to think otherwise.”
“Karma, don’t you think, even just a little, that he could be right? Look what you did for me and Harrison.”
“You aren’t human though. Most humans will never accept vampire into their communities. Yes, they live amongst them now, but no one knows what they are. I will be locked up if I go around telling people vampire are real.”
“Karma, you are forgetting that you won’t be alone. I will be by your side through everything life hands you.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’ve been talking to Harrison, and he was telling me about this thing called a copula. It’s sort of a link between two vampire, but can be there for humans, too.”
“So, what are you saying?” Karma asked with a questioning look in her eyes.
“I’m saying maybe that’s what this is. Maybe fate brought you into the diner where we met. Maybe you and I are meant to be together.”
Karma stood there and looked at him in disbelief. She never bought into the fate over free will nonsense, but she did have to agree there was a strong pull between them. “Okay, and if he’s right?”
“Karma, I don’t care if he’s right or not. I feel something for you I can’t explain, and I want to explore it. Once this is over, I want you to come home with me.”
“I’ve already agreed to go home with you. I want to get to know you better. For now, though, we need to work on stopping Vincent and figure out what the hell Demetri was talking about.”
“I agree, but after all of this I want time with you.”
“I want that too.”
“Karma, sorry to interrupt, but you need to see this.” Nevaeh handed her a piece of paper and Karma’s jaw dropped. According to Demetri, Vincent had almost three hundred vampire in his army.
“SHIT!”
“Demetri has called a Senate meeting, and they will be pulling vampire in from across the country to eliminate the threat. He wants you and Dylan at that meeting. He swears you are the one who will unite the races, and he says Dylan was sent to help you. I have no idea what he’s talking about, but he’s certain you are the one.”
“I think he’s crazy, but I want to be at that meeting. When and where?”
“It’s tomorrow at the Hilton in Santa Fe. The elders are flying in right now and they want everyone there at 9am for the meeting.”
“A hotel? Seriously? There is going to be a vampire Senate meeting at a hotel. Now I’ve heard everything,” Dylan said with a chuckle.
“They’re just like everyone else. They want to have their meetings in comfort,” Nevaeh said and grinned when Dylan just shook his head. “I say we get a room somewhere for the night and get some rest. I have a feeling the next few days are going to be hectic.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Karma said and smiled at Dylan. “How about a room at the Hilton?”
Dylan laughed and nodded his agreement.
“Excellent plan.” Nevaeh agreed. “I’ll get the Huntresses and meet you there.”
After she walked off Karma looked at Dylan. “Just one room, right? I don’t want to wake up alone tomorrow.”
“Shit. Tomorrow is your birthday,” Dylan slapped his forehead and shook his head. “I’m sorry. I totally forgot.”
“It’s okay. I just don’t want to be alone tonight.”
“You’ll never be alone again.” Dylan promised and pulled her in for a tight hug. “Now, let’s go get a room at the Hilton.”
****
“Karma, do you want me to sleep with you tonight?” Dylan asked. “Okay, that sounded wrong. Can I lay in the bed and actually sleep beside you tonight?”
“I would love that, and I knew what you meant the first time,” Karma said with a shy smile. “Dylan, can you do more than just sleep? Can you hold me too?”
“I would love to,” Dylan said with a smile. “First though, I need a shower. I can tell we’ve been on the road for two days.”
“Me too, so when you’re done it’s my turn.”
“You could always join me,” Dylan grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.
Karma laughed at his facial expression and threw a towel at him. “Go take your shower.”
After he closed the bathroom door she sat heavily on the bed and sighed. “If only you really meant that,” she said softly and looked at the bathroom door.
Ten minutes later Dylan walked out of the bathroom with a towel slung low on his hips. “I forgot my clothes,” he said in explanation of his state of undress. He grabbed his bag and scurried back into the bathroom within seconds, but Karma had seen enough to make her imagination run wild.
A minute later Dylan was back out of the bathroom fully dressed and grinning. “I’m sorry about that, Karma. I really didn’t mean to leave my clothes out here.”
“It’s okay,” Karma answered and stood from the bed. “I’m going to get my shower now.”
She went to move past him, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her against his broad chest. “Karma, I saw the way you were looking at me when I walked out without my shirt on.”
Karma dropped her head and looked at the floor. “I’m sorry, Dylan.”
“Don’t be. I liked seeing that look in your eyes. It lets me know you feel the same way about me as I feel about you. I don’t fully buy into the copula theory, but I do know this pull we feel is real.”
“It is real. When I look at you, I feel things I’ve never felt before. I’m not afraid to show you how I feel. I just don’t think this is the right time for us to be acting on whatever this is.”
“I agree,” Dylan kissed her softly on the lips before he pulled away. “Now, go get your shower because I want to hold you in my arms. Well, to be honest, I want to do a lot more than that, but I’ll be happy holding you in my arms.”
Karma kissed him quickly, picked her bag up off the floor, and headed into the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later she walked back out, clean and fully dressed. When she sat on the edge of the bed and started brushing her long, dark hair, Dylan crawled up behind her and took the brush from her hand.
“Let me help,” he whispered and started gently brushing her hair. When he was finished, he braided it like she liked it and secured it with a small rubber band. He gently tugged on it when he was finished, and she fell back against his chest.
“Thank you,” she said as his arms encircled her waist.
“Any time,” he whispered against her neck, tickling her with his warm breath. “Ready for bed?”
“Yes,” she answered softly, her breathing uneven.
“Me too,” he gently kissed her neck and she moaned softly.
“Dylan, if you want to sleep then you need to stop that. You have me wound so tight I feel like I may snap.”
“I don’t want to sleep. I want you,” he said, and she turned to look over her shoulder at him.
“I want you, too,” she responded in a raspy whisper.
“Not yet,” he whispered in a voice that let her know he was struggling as bad as she was.
“Not yet,” she agreed, and pulled out of his arms. “Let’s get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a really long day.”
Dylan nodded his agreement and got off the bed. When Karma stood, he flipped the blanket down and crawled into bed. “I promise to behave. I just want to hold you.”
Karma nodded and flicked off the lamp beside the bed before she crawled under the blanket beside Dylan. When his arms wrapped around her, she snuggled into them and sighed deeply. “Goodnight, Dylan,” she whispered and smiled when she felt his lips against her ear.
“Goodnight, Karma.”
Chapter Sixteen
“Happy birthday, beautiful,” Dylan whispered in Karma’s ear as soon as he saw her eyes crack open. He’d been up for about an hour and
had just ordered room service when she started to stir. “I hope you like strawberry pancakes and bacon.”
“Yummy. That sounds wonderful,” Karma said with a smile. “Please tell me you ordered coffee, too.”
“Karma, we have been sharing breakfast every morning for three weeks now. Do you really think I’d forget the coffee?” He grinned, and she shook her head. “I know your addictions.”
“Oh, you think so? I bet I have one addiction you haven’t figured out,” she grinned wickedly at him.
“Hmmm. I’ll have to figure that one out too. But for now, let’s eat then get ready for this meeting.”
Karma didn’t get the chance to respond before there was a knock on the door. Dylan opened it and room service strolled through with a cart loaded down with silver covered dishes.
“Breakfast is served,” Dylan said after he tipped the delivery man.
Karma sat at the small table in their room and Dylan uncovered the plates on the tray. There was strawberry pancakes, bacon, eggs, and a variety of muffins. As well as coffee, milk, and orange juice.
“Wow. Are we feeding an army?” She asked just as another knock sounded on the door.
Dylan grinned as he went to open the door. When Nevaeh and the other Huntresses walked in Karma knew Dylan had invited them because it was her birthday.
“Happy birthday, Karma.” Nevaeh said and sat a small box beside Karma’s hand on the table. “It isn’t much, but I hope you like it.”
“Thank you, Nevaeh. You didn’t have to get me a gift though.”
“I didn’t get it, I made it.” She said with a grin.
Karma just shook her head and opened the small box. Inside was a small ring. It was crafted of thin strands of metal with small, multicolored beads intertwined in the strands. It was beautiful. “It’s beautiful.”
“It’s something all Huntresses wear and I know you aren’t a Huntress, but I want you to know you will always have a home with us.”
Karma’s eyes filled with tears as she stood up and hugged Nevaeh tightly. “Thank you, Nevaeh. I will wear it always.” She slipped it on her right hand and clenched her fist around it.
“Here,” Dylan said and sat another gift on the table. “It isn’t up to the standards of that ring, but it’s something I wanted you to have.”
Karma opened the box and pulled out a locket. When she opened it on one side was a picture of Jackson and on the other side was a picture of Dylan.
“Dylan, it’s beautiful. Thank you,” she hugged him tightly and brushed a soft kiss over his lips before she turned to look at everyone in the room. “Thank you, everyone, for being here this morning. I thought this birthday was going to be hell, but you all have made it bearable. Now, let’s eat so we can get to this meeting.”
They chatted about nothing important as they ate and at ten minutes till nine Karma, Dylan, and Nevaeh headed downstairs for the meeting that would change their lives forever.
****
“Karma Black, how nice to finally meet you. My name is Eduardo. Let me introduce everyone to you. Seated on the far left is Constance, next to her is Aleyn, then we have Holbrook, Langley, Ramsey, and Dristen. You’ve already met Demetri. Together, we make up the Senate. Everyone, this is Karma Black. Demetri believes she is the one we have been searching for. The one who will unite the vampire and human races.”
“Before I can even attempt to unite anyone, we have to stop Vincent from taking over the human race,” Karma said as she locked eyes with each member of the Senate.
“She is a spunky one,” Aleyn said with a sparkle in his eyes.
“Demetri told us you had spunk,” Dristen added dryly.
“I like her,” Constance announced with a wide smile.
“Really? You’re going to focus on me when there are bigger issues we need to be discussing?” Karma was irritated, and she didn’t try to hide it from them. “Right now Vincent could be perfecting that serum, and when he does, he is going to figure out how to get it to as many humans as possible. Why we are sitting here discussing me and my spunk when he could be taking over the minds of humans all over the country?”
“Did I mention she has a temper and is straight to the point too?” Demetri asked as the other elders sat slack jawed at Karma’s outburst.
“Well, I guess she told us,” Holbrook grinned at Karma and she couldn’t help but grin back. “She makes a great point though. What are we going to do about Vincent?”
“He must be stopped,” Ramsey said, and everyone nodded in agreement. “But how do we stop him?”
“Kill him,” Karma told them. “The only way to stop a monster is to destroy it. Vincent is a sadistic monster who kills for the thrill of killing. He doesn’t care who gets hurt on his quest for dominance and he doesn’t care if vampire remain in the shadows. All he wants is control and the only way to take that control from him is to destroy him.”
“How do you suggest we do that, child?” Langley asked with a tilt of his head.
“Decapitate him and drive a stake through his heart, then burn the body. How else do you kill a vampire?” Karma answered with a note of sarcasm. She was excessively irritated with these idiots who made up the Senate. “Do I need to go into detail about how one would go about doing that or do you get the picture?”
“Okay, I think it’s time I step in here,” Nevaeh stepped up beside Karma and laid a hand on her shoulder. “Why don’t you take a seat and let me talk to them for a moment?”
“Sure, fine, whatever. Maybe you can make them see the real problem,” Karma flopped into the chair furthest from the elders and listened as Nevaeh told them everything Vincent had been doing. While she listened, she felt a blinding heat course though her body and an overwhelming urge to flee the room filled her. She wasn’t sure what was happening, but she knew if she didn’t get out of here she was going to go crazy.
“Karma, are you alright?” Dylan asked, concern shining out of his eyes.
“No. I need some air,” she answered and fled from the room. Once in the hall she took three deep breaths before she walked through the lobby and out the doors. She needed to run, to get away from all of this for a while.
“Karma, you’ve reached maturity,” a voice behind her said, causing her to turn around quickly.
“Demetri,” she recognized the person speaking just as she collapsed, and blackness overtook her.
Chapter Seventeen
“What the hell did you do to her?” Dylan shouted and ran to Demetri when he walked back into the meeting carrying Karma.
“She’s reached maturity,” Demetri answered calmly. “I don’t think her body was quite ready for it though.”
“Give her to me,” Dylan gingerly took Karma from Demetri’s arms and cradled her to his chest.
“I’m here, Karma. I’ve got you,” he whispered to her in a calm voice.
“Dylan,” Karma said softly into Dylan’s chest.
“I’m here, baby. I’ve got you. You’re going to be okay,” Dylan sat on the small sofa in the conference room and cradled her in his lap. As his hand stroked down her braid, he whispered to her, reassuring her he was there.
After a few minutes she started to raise up, but Dylan held her tighter. “Just relax, baby. I got you.”
“What happened?” She asked in a breathless whisper. “Last thing I remember was a blinding heat surging through my body.”
“You reached maturity. You have full vampire capabilities now. You will be able to face any vampire that stands in your way,” Demetri told her with a sparkle in his eyes. “Karma, you are the one. You may not believe it, but you are the one and you will unite the races.”
“Can it with all this the one bullshit,” Dylan snapped when he felt Karma stiffen in his arms. “Karma, the heat you felt was natural when you reach maturity. It happened to me, but that’s all I remember from that day. Like you, I passed out. How are you feeling now, baby?”
“Better,” Karma answered, but snuggled deeper into his arms. “
I think I just want to stay right here for a bit longer though.”
“You can stay here for as long as you want,” Dylan held her closer and breathed in her scent. He caught a whiff of the slight change Demetri was talking about and he discovered he liked it a lot.
“Demetri, can you tell me why you think I’m the one who will unite the vampire and humans?”
“There have been stories for many Millennium that speak of a Halfling who will show great strength being born. It is said this Halfling will unite the humans and vampire. Karma, you are that Halfling.”
“How do you know that though?”
“Because I have been watching the signs. The time has come for humans to learn about us, and who better to tell them than a Halfling?”
“Two Halflings,” Dylan said and looked at Karma. “That is if Karma wants me there.”
“Always,” Karma said quietly. “I don’t just want you there, I need you there.”
“You two need to get a room,” Nevaeh said with a laugh.
“We have one upstairs.” Dylan grinned and wiggled his eyebrows at her.
“We have work to do,” Karma informed them all. “If we’re going to stop Vincent, we need to get a plan in place. I have an idea, but I know Dylan isn’t going to like it.”
“No way in hell you are going to pretend to join him,” Dylan said before Karma could even begin to explain her plan.
“Dylan, what other choice do we have? We all know he wants me to join him.”
“Karma, after the last time you met him, I think he knows you aren’t going to join him. He would suspect something if you just suddenly changed your mind. He’d know, and he’d kill you,” Dylan told her.
“Dylan’s right. Vincent is too smart for that,” Dristen pointed out. “I think we should use Karma to track him. They are Father and Daughter and have a blood link that will allow her to track him.”
“I thought Demetri said he knew where Vincent was,” Karma said in confusion.
“He does, but Vincent could move at any time, and if he does then we will need to be able to find him fast,” Langley explained.
Karma's Vengeance (Vampire Huntress Saga Book 1) Page 7