by Kelly Hall
Talia hadn’t realized the Huntress wasn’t alone. “Rebekah? Who is this? This is Tal—”
Ignis grabbed the phone back from Talia. “Who is this?” Ignis asked.
“It’s Aziel. Rebekah’s on the floor, holding her head.”
“Oh shit. Does she look like she wants to murder someone?” Ignis hoped that she wasn’t plotting his violent death.
“No, she looks like she might die, though.” He put his arm around her and pulled her into his lap, sending his soothing energy into the Huntress.
Rebekah opened her eyes and looked up at Aziel. She suddenly felt fine, her body vibrating with a hum of energy that had her so mellowed out, she felt like she was floating in the clouds.
“I’m fine,” she said with a soft smile. As soon as Aziel stepped away, the anger took over, furrowing her brow. “Give me that phone!” She held her temple and tried to catch her breath as he did as she asked. She didn’t need to be lulled into a stupor. She had to figure out what happened.
She put the phone to her ear as she sat up. “Who took them?”
“It was shifters. The sisters and I went out to eat and were followed home. They ran me off the road and left me unconscious on the ground. When I woke up, they’d stripped my shoes off and stole everything out of the car, including the daggers.”
“Are you okay?” She hated to only be concerned for her blades, though she knew Ignis was probably okay with Talia there to make him all better.
“Nothing broken yet but my pride, Bex. I’m so sorry. I have been healing, and Tula had my phone playing games, and Talia didn’t want to be the one to call and tell you, though she totally contradicted that logic.”
Rebekah realized her plans were shot. “Shit, I was going to go with the guys to get Delilah and have you meet us somewhere in the middle after. I’ve got to round up my hunters. Going after Kayne isn’t going to be an easy task.”
Ignis couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You’re going through with it?”
“I have to show the Fellowship that I’m not sleeping with the enemy.”
“No, but you’re in love with him! And this is going to get ugly.” Ignis knew this would be bad. Any dealing with Kayne was, especially when it came to his safety and Rebekah’s.
Aziel’s eyes went wide, and Rebekah knew he’d heard. She took a deep breath and knew better than to deny it.
“Rebekah are you there?” He wondered if his stupid phone had dropped the call.
“I’m here. With Aziel, who has better hearing than I do apparently. Look, I’m going to have to meet you, and we’ll get Stella and Luna back. I think that’s the source of my pain.”
“Pain?” Ignis had never liked for her to be in pain.
“Yes, I keep getting this damn pain in my head. I felt it before, the last time they were taken.” She looked over to see Aziel move back to the couch, putting some distance between them. She couldn’t blame him. She didn’t like herself much when it came to Kayne.
“Stella altered your brain when I used it to change you. You have a connection with its magic. Think of it as a distress signal. It’s reaching out to you.”
“It feels like it’s killing me.”
“You’ll be okay, Rebekah. They don’t call you the Immortal Huntress for nothing.”
“Tell Talia I’ll be traveling alone, and you need to start tracking my daggers. Oh, and I’m sending Mace to Ireland with Frankie and Liam. She wanted to talk to you, so make sure you don’t talk her out of it. I need her there.”
“Fine,” said Ignis. “I’ll call her later, but that’s a good idea. Thanks for looking out for her.”
“No problem. You know the Church is going to win over some of the hunters. They are already trying to do damage control. And they’re using a white cross as their emblem instead of my star.”
“Those bastards. They can’t say that’s temporary. They wouldn’t be spending the money.” Ignis knew the way they worked.
“Right. Are you sure your attack wasn’t connected to anything? The attack on Merik? Anything the Church could have orchestrated to get my weapons?”
Ignis shook his head as if she could see him. “No. I think it was totally random. I think they happened by and smelled the naiads’ scent. New Orleans is crawling with vamps and shifters. It truly is a melting pot.”
“Lucky for them, they didn’t try and taste them.” The naiads would have turned them into a putrid pile of oozing flesh and bone. They wouldn’t have been able to steal anything.
“I know. I can’t wait until you’re here, and I’m really sorry I let you down, Bexy.”
“You didn’t let me down. I’m just glad you’re okay. We’ll find the daggers. They should be safe. We’ll talk soon.”
She hung up the phone and noticed how quiet it had gotten. Aziel looked really uncomfortable and didn’t know what to say about what he’d heard.
“Ignis has a big mouth,” she said.
“Is it true? What he said?” Aziel couldn’t believe that the Mother of the Hunters might actually be in love with the Father of the Dead. Stranger things have happened, he thought. Well, maybe not.
Rebekah sighed. “No.” She rolled her eyes and closed them tight. “Anything I try to explain is just going to sound like an excuse.”
“Try me. I haven’t made up my mind about what I heard, and I’m not really in any position to judge you. Only God can do that, but I wouldn’t want to face Him for that indiscretion.”
“Forget what you heard, angel.” She knew he wouldn’t but hoped he knew better than to go running off at the mouth. “If you don’t want to risk anything for me, I’ll understand.”
Aziel didn’t understand her at all, but if she did love the vampire, she was making a great sacrifice in denying herself the pleasure for her hunters. “Now that I see what lengths you’ll go to for your Fellowship, I want to fight beside you even more.”
“It’s nothing any mother wouldn’t do for her children. I died for them. And if I could die again, I’d give my life for them a million times over.”
“And yet, you do. Every day, every hour, you have to deny the love you have in your heart because of who it is for.”
Rebekah turned away, feeling the stray tear that slipped down her cheek.
Aziel respected her even more but knew others wouldn’t. “Don’t worry, Huntress. Your secret is safe with me. If you need any help, with your pain or going after your weapons, let me know. I’d hate for anything to happen to them. I know how important they are to you.”
“They’ll be fine, thanks. They might just be daggers, but they have ways of taking care of themselves.”
Chapter 15
Dip had been driving since dawn, and while they hadn’t left the New Orleans area or found any trace of the scent they’d been after, they had managed to steal a pretty good haul from a few different convenience stores. If nothing else, they’d eat for a few days while they searched for Snoot’s killer.
“Are we going back to the den or not?” he asked Oz, who was sitting beside him looking out the window in a daze. “I can’t drive around town anymore. My ass is falling asleep.”
Oz picked his teeth with a toothpick he’d been chewing on since lunch. “I say we unload some of this loot, pad our pockets, and get laid before we head back.”
“Sounds good to me,” said Duhon, who was munching on beef jerky in the back seat. The man rarely stopped eating, and Dip wondered if he had a tapeworm.
“Let’s get the laptop charged while we’re there and see if we can look up these weapons. Someone might pay handsomely for them.” Oz was all about making the money.
“Did you ever look at them? They’re probably some fake bullshit.” Duhon thought it all too good to be true.
Dip had seen them and shook his head. “No, they looked nice. Bore the mark of the hunters.”
Duhon laughed. “What was that pussy ginger doing with hunters’ weapons?”
“I’ve no idea, but maybe we should have t
aken him after all,” said Oz. “We could have had some fun with him.”
Duhon sifted through the pile of junk in the back seat but couldn’t find the pouch in the dark. “I don’t like your kind of fun,” he said, thinking of the last human they’d picked up. Oz mounted him right in front of the others, taking him down until the miserable man had pissed himself. They’d left the motel hours later after being chased out by housekeeping.
Oz sneered. “You have to show them who’s in charge. Besides, one tight, wet hole is as good as the next.” He belted a laugh and nudged Dip.
Dip looked in the mirror at Duhon. The two had already discussed getting rid of the man who liked to think of himself as their boss. The only reason they’d kept Oz around so far was to use him as bait when the time came to capture whatever had gotten hold of Snoot.
“I can’t find them,” said Duhon, giving up his search.
Dip pulled into the next cheap motel he came to. “We’ll crash here for a while. Let’s make sure and take everything inside. I don’t want our shit stolen. Crime’s a bitch these days.” He and Duhon exchanged a laugh as they all pooled their money.
Oz put in the least, as usual. “I’ll get you next time,” he said, which was his standard excuse.
Dip shook his head and tossed the cash to the man. “Then you can go check us in.”
As Oz reluctantly got out of the car, Duhon let out a long sigh. “When can we kill that bastard?”
“His days are numbered. I’m tired of paying his way. Plus, that power trip and that attitude are too much.”
“I feel you, man. But what do we do? He’s our ticket back in the pack.”
“I’m not sure I want to go back. I’m nothing there. Besides, we could form our own pack, make our own laws. We shouldn’t have left that man today. Oz’s beef with the purebreds is his issue. We could have held the ginger and maybe he could have told us where the girls were.”
Duhon watched the man through the window at the counter. “I don’t know. Oz had a point. They probably just used the guy for a ride.”
“Well, he knew something maybe? I’ve never smelled anything like those bitches before. I don’t know whether I want to fuck ‘em, eat ‘em, or kill ‘em.” He groaned in frustration, seeing Oz was already on his way out of the motel, headed back to the car. “Make sure you don’t let that bastard take off with those daggers. I saw them. They’re worth money.”
“No problem,” said Duhon.
Oz opened the door, plopped down in the seat, and slammed it once he was settled. “We’re number thirteen, but I feel lucky.” He laughed loudly, and Dip drove the car around to park in front of the room, which thankfully was on the ground floor in case they needed to make a quick getaway.
They spent the next ten minutes checking out the room and unloading the car.
Dip found the pouch on the back floorboard, and when he brought it in with a pile of other things, an alarm went off. The sound was a sharp shrill hum that filled the room. “What the fuck is that?”
“Must be the smoke alarm. Shut that fucking thing off.” Oz held his ears.
Dip dropped the load of junk on the bed and climbed up on the mattress to reach the alarm. “It’s not coming from this.” He looked down to the bed.
Duhon howled because the noise hurt his ears so badly.
“Stop that goddamn moaning, man!” Oz said. “You’re going to make them think we’ve got a fucking dog in here with that howling!”
Duhon whimpered. “I can’t help it, man. It hurts.”
Dip saw the pile of junk moving on the bed and jumped down to see what it was. The leather pouch vibrated. “Holy shit, this is where it’s coming from.”
“It’s some kind of tracker!” said Oz, wondering if the women had set them up. He reached into the bag and pulled out the dagger. He held it up, and the singing continued. “Where’s the other one? There were two. I’m certain of it!”
Duhon needed to get out of the fucking room and away from the noise. “I’ll go get it. You shut that fucking noise up!” He hurried outside, checking to see if anyone else could hear it, but no one was around. He opened the car door and sifted around the floorboard for the dagger. Sure enough, it was there. He ran back into the room and stopped dead in his tracks.
Oz stared at his hand, sniveling like a fool at the other dagger which was still clutched in his fist. His entire hand was solid black, charred as if it were burned to a crisp. As the blackness crept up his arm, he dropped the dagger. His blackened hand crumbled to the floor. “Well, shit.”
The decay consumed the rest of Oz, taking him over until there was nothing left.
Duhon dropped the other dagger on the floor, and it landed near the other in the pile of ashes. The noise stopped. He looked at his hand, expecting to see the same black stain, but he was fine.
“Shit, do you realize what this means?” asked Dip.
“I’m not going to die, but we got rid of that fucking asshole?” He panted wildly, looking down at the pile of ashes.
“No, the daggers. Do you have any idea who they belong to?” Dip had heard all the legends as a pup.
“No clue, but I don’t want to meet him.” Duhon walked over and sat down on the bed.
“Not a he, my friend. A she. The Immortal Huntress. This is Stella and fucking Luna, brother.”
Duhon looked down in the pile of ash. The one he had held had a small crescent moon, and the other the hunter’s star. “I think you’re right.”
“I fucking know I am.” Dip wasn’t sure what to do with them. “The legends say that Stella will sing to Luna when they are apart. It also says that anyone who touches Stella besides the Huntress will die.”
“I’m not fucking touching either one of them.” Duhon wasn’t ready to die.
A slow look of certainty dawned on Dip’s face. “The ginger. He must have stolen them and was carrying them in the fucking pouch to keep himself safe from them. We have to get them back in that bag and take them to the pack leader.”
“Do we have to?”
“Yes, do you have any idea what this means?” Of course, he didn’t. Duhon wasn’t the smartest wolf in the pack. “Whoever killed Snoot either knows the Immortal Huntress or took her weapons. Either way, we can’t handle this shit alone.”
Dip carefully picked up the leather pouch and then scooped Stella into the bag, unable to miss gathering a bit of Oz’s ashes in the process. Then he did the same with Luna until he had them both safely tucked away. “Are you okay?”
Duhon looked down at his hand. “So far so good.” He kept waiting for the thing to turn black and rot off, but there wasn’t even a speck.
“You’re all right, man. It’s Stella no one can touch. But we’ll be safe just in case.” He walked the bag over to the bedside table. “Let’s go get wasted. I could use a few beers after all of that.” He gestured to the floor, where what was left of Oz looked like the remnants of a campfire.
“I guess we should drink to his honor,” said Duhon, still glad he didn’t have the same fate.
“Ah, fuck him. Ginger-hating bastard.” The two laughed and slapped hands. “This calls for a celebration, my friend. When we get back to the pack with those daggers and what we know about Snoot, we’ll be heroes.”
Chapter 16
After a private dinner designed to make sure Commander Fisk didn’t miss anyone at the mess hall, Rebekah decided to go ahead and have a shower while she could. It was stressful knowing Stella and Luna were in the enemies’ hands, and with still so much time and distance between her and Ignis, she couldn’t help but feel anxious. She let the water wash over her, wishing it could wash away all that had happened and make everything new and how it was before her arrest.
She couldn’t stop thinking about Jarreth and Canter. The two had been so determined to go after Delilah that they had talked her into joining them on the way to see Ignis and retrieve her weapons, but now that she knew what had happened and how he was attacked, she had changed plans. Azi
el was going to tell them at dinner what happened.
She shut off the water and stepped out, wrapping herself in a towel. And when she was dressed comfortably, with her hair wrapped up tight to dry, she opened the door. Before she stepped out of the steamy room, she heard dishes clanking together in the kitchen.
She stepped out slowly, peeking around the corner to see Lulu cleaning off the table where she’d had her dinner. She stacked the few dishes onto a small rolling cart.
“Are you going to sneak up on me and kill my ticker, or are you going to come out and say hello?” She wiped the table.
“Sorry,” said Rebekah as she walked into the room. “I wanted to make sure it wasn’t Commander Fisk snooping around.”
“That jackass doesn’t know how to sneak,” said Lulu, rolling her eyes. Her gray hair was pinned back away from her face, and she wore house slippers with her scrubs and apron. “He stomps around here like he owns the place. Coming in here making changes, passing out new gear like he’s some kind of savior, the blowhard bastard.”
Rebekah had missed the woman and her eloquent way of speaking. “Tell me how you really feel, Lulu.”
Lulu looked up from her rag and continued to wipe. “You want to know what I think? I’ll tell you, Huntress. This place is falling apart. The morale is low since you were taken out of here, and while I think Father Timms and the knocked-up nun are doing okay, this new guy is walking all over them. Of course, it doesn’t help that they go around mooning over one another. I’m surprised he hasn’t figured out you’re here.”
“Wait, Father Timms and Frankie are mooning over one another?” She had thought she’d seen a little hint of their affections but wasn’t sure.
Lulu tossed her rag over her shoulder. “Sure. I can’t believe she’s into much older men, although I have to say that Father Timms is a very handsome man for his age.”
Rebekah smiled. “You should have seen him when he was younger. One of the more handsome hunters of his time.”
Lulu laughed. “It’s hard to remember that a young-looking thing like you has been around longer than me.” She held up her arm and waved, wiggling the loose skin on her arm. “I used to be a looker myself before I had all of this extra skin. Had an ass you could bounce a quarter off of. It sure doesn’t seem fair.” She chuckled. She wouldn’t resent the Huntress for her calling.