A Hunters Promise (3 page)

“It is, and the money you pay will be well spent.”
On me and everything I deserve.

A check was pushed across the table, and Patrick schooled his face so the shock wouldn’t show. The number of zeroes staggered him. Why was information on his sister worth this much? What did the man want with her? Yeah, as if he cared.

Patrick picked up the check. “You’re quite generous, Mr. Jennings. My family thanks you. This will go a long way in providing for Aislinn. She’s at The Palms Private Treatment Facility.”

“You are so pathetic,” the man said, shaking his head.

“What?” Patrick asked. “How dare you?”

“It takes so little to buy you. So little to get you to turn your sister over to a complete stranger.” He shook his head. “But then again, she’s crazy, right? She has delusions that vampires exist. So, she’s really not worthy of your protection.”

Patrick leaped to his feet. “You can leave now. I will not sit here and allow you to insult me in my own home.”

“But you’re not tossing the money back in my face,” the other man stood, “are you?”

“Get out,” Patrick ordered.

The man laughed. As he did, Patrick noticed there was something wrong with his teeth. In the place of the canines were…fangs? Patrick blinked. That wasn’t right. Maybe he’d had too much to drink and was imagining it. That was it. It had to be. Vampires were something his sister imagined. Not him.

The man calling himself Mr. Jennings smiled, and he indeed sported fangs. Patrick shook his head. The man was as crazy as his sister. No, crazier, since she only imagined she saw vampires. Did this man think he was one?

“I don’t think I’m a vampire. I know I’m one, and in a moment, you will know it too.” The man stepped toward Patrick. “It’s too bad you won’t be able to tell your sister she was right. But then she doesn’t need you, does she?”

In a split second, Patrick was lifted off the ground and began to scream as Mr. Jennings bit into his throat and began to drink.

* * * *

Aislinn stood at the side of her bed, putting her weapon together. For the last three nights, she hadn’t seen her trainer and tried not to think about it. In the months since she’d met him, he had come pretty much every night to work with her. The one time he missed, he’d told her ahead of time he wouldn’t be there. But, this time, he just didn’t show up. At first, she’d been really worried, but had to force that down. He didn’t owe anything to her. He was nothing to her. She couldn’t allow herself,
wouldn’t
allow herself, to care. Anything she’d ever had, had been taken from her. She had no friends, no family, nothing but herself.

Family. Okay, she had family, but she hadn’t seen them in…five years? No, it had been longer than that. Eight? Maybe she was crazy since she really couldn’t remember. The time in the hospital ran together, and she sometimes forgot what day it was. The only time that was truly real to her was the nights. At night, she could hunt the hallways and kill the things that preyed on the only home she knew.

A noise at the doorway interrupted her thoughts, and she tucked the
naginata
out of sight. Turning, she found a nurse leading two men into her room. She didn’t know the men, but a fission of fear raced down her spine. Something wasn’t right. That’s when the smell hit her. It was as if someone had opened a bag of rancid meat. Fear coursed through her; she knew that scent.

“Aislinn,” the nurse smiled vacantly, “these two men are doctors. They want to see you.”

“I don’t want to see them.” She eased her hand over and gripped her weapon. No doctors came at night, ever. And why didn’t the nurse notice the smell? “Besides, I don’t see anyone but Dr. Aikens.”

“Thank you, nurse,” one of the men said. “We’ll take it from here. You can leave now.”

“Okay,” she said and left the room.

“What do you want?” Aislinn demanded.

A tall blond wearing a white lab coat stared at her. “You will come to me. We are leaving this place now.” Without waiting, he turned to the other man. “Go get the car. I’ll bring her out.”

The man nodded and left the room. The blond turned back and looked at Aislinn in puzzlement. “I told you to come to me.”

“I heard you, but that doesn’t work for me.”

She pulled the
naginata
out and swung it at the man. He leaped back in surprise, staggering over his own feet. As he fell in the hallway, Aislinn ran past him and down the hallway. She knew the building, knew the layout. The basement, she decided, that’s where she would be safe. A small part of her wished her trainer would appear out of nowhere as he was wont to do, but knew she was on her own. She had to depend on herself.

She came around the corner and skidded to a halt. The blond lounged against the wall. How the hell did he do that? She got her answer when he smiled. Fangs glistened in the low light of the hallway. Fangs like the man who had killed her roommate. The years fell away, and she was twelve again, trapped and terrified while horrible slurping sounds filled her ears. She staggered back as a scream filled her throat.

“I think you and I understand one another now,” he said, stepping toward her.

She screamed and screamed again as she lashed out with the blade. It caught him across the chest, scoring him. Blood sprayed out, and he was the one who screamed then. She went to move around him, but he was too fast. He was on her and so was the rotten meat smell. It was coming from him. He ripped the weapon from her hands and threw it down the hall. It clattered and clanged as it hit the linoleum.

“You will pay for that,” he murmured to her.

* * * *

Charon stood next to Reaper in the crowded bar. Grimm had scent-tracked a vampire to the place, and now, the three of them were trying to figure out where it was in the crush of people. A sense of unease rolled over him, and he checked the throng. A group of women saw him looking in their direction, and they all smiled. Normally, he’d wander up and make all of their acquaintances. It was easier to feed while he fucked them. Hell, in the end, they all walked away satisfied with no one the wiser. But he wasn’t in the mood.

In fact, he couldn’t really remember the last time he truly was in the mood. He’d fed, he had to, but you didn’t fuck the donors at the PIA since they worked there. He didn’t want to get mixed up in any way with someone he’d see again.

A nudge on his arm brought his attention around to Reaper. The big redhead rarely hunted with the others, preferring to do his own thing. But Kenshin had requested they start sticking together, especially if they ran across members of the blood cult.

“Do you sense something?” Reaper asked. “I’m ready to fight, not hang out with a bunch of humans all night.”

Charon shook his head. “I don’t know. Something doesn’t feel right.” He scanned the room again, but knew whatever was bugging him wasn’t in the club. “I’ll be back.”

He moved through the crowd toward the door, and as he did, his anxiety increased.
Danger
, he thought,
there’s danger
. He stopped on the sidewalk and searched the darkness. Not here. No danger here. But where?

“What’s doin’?” Reaper called, as he exited the bar.

Charon started to answer when the knowledge hit him. Irish was in danger. Without a second thought, he disappeared.

* * * *

Aislinn put her arms up to shove her attacker away as she kicked out. He easily pinned her to the wall as she struggled to get her legs up between them to force him away. She couldn’t let him get close to her neck. But nothing she did could break the hold he had on her.

He leaned close and whispered in her ear, “When my master is finished with you, I’m going to fuck you and drain you dry. But, right now, I’ll have a taste.” Saying this, he bared his fangs and sank them into her left wrist.

A loud growling filled the hallway, echoing off the walls. Aislinn struggled harder, trying to rip her wrist from his mouth. She didn’t know what new threat was coming, but she didn’t want to be there to see it.

Charon materialized in the hallway of the hospital. A male vampire had Irish pinned against the wall, telling her how he was going to fuck her and drain her. Something snapped in Charon, an animal rage like nothing he’d ever felt before.
Mine
, the beast screamed in his mind, and he was on the other vampire. He put his hands on either side of the other male’s face and pressed into the jaws, forcing them open. Charon felt something pop under his hands, but he didn’t care. This man dared to touch what was his and he would pay.

Aislinn slid to the floor as pain raced through her body. She tried to pull herself up, to crawl away, but she couldn’t get her arms to hold her up. She tucked her injured arm to her body and used her legs to push herself away. Away. Just away. Away from the pain. Away from her life.

Hands held her, turned her, and Aislinn lashed out or tried to. Her reflexes were slow, and she batted at air.

“Irish,” a low male voice said, “hold still. Fuck, he got you good. Fucker won’t ever hurt you again.”

She blinked, trying to clear her bleary vision. “Bob,” she whispered, "you need to run. He’s here, some…teeth…fangs, bit me. Run. Hurt you.”

“No, Irish, no, he won’t. I killed him. He won’t hurt you anymore.”

Something warm ran over and over her mangled wrist. She tried to pull away, but he held her. “No, let me help you. Heal you.”

“You can’t,” she said. “I’m too broke. Too broke for my family. Too broke, Bob.”

“Charon, my name is Charon.”

“Like the ferryman. Am I dying?”

“No, you’re not dying. I won’t let you.”

Charon gently ran his tongue over her wrist. What was once bleeding out of control had slowed to a trickle, but she still had lost quite a bit. He glanced over to where he’d tossed her attacker’s body or what was left of it. Had he really done all that damage? He didn’t remember, but had to have since no one else was there other than him.

He continued to lick and savor the incredible taste of her blood. Irish was like a fine, rich wine that intoxicated him. He knew he should call for assistance, but her blood was too much to resist. Finally, he forced himself to stop and touch the ear bud he wore. A moment later, a female voice answered.

“Whatcha need?”

“I need a clean-up and a pick-up.”

“Damn, dude, you busy or what? Tell me where and we’ll be there,” the female said as he heard keys clicking away.

Since Joelle Quinn had taken over communications for the Hunters, things worked much smoother. They got sent out on less bullshit calls and it was nice to call in and hear a voice they all knew. In addition, she’d done research and updated all their equipment. They were more tricked out than the military. Also, didn’t hurt that she was Talon’s Liaison, which meant she had intimate knowledge of the Ancients. Of course, thinking like that could get a guy killed, too. Talon was nothing if not utterly possessive and showed it every chance he got. Charon wasn’t sure how the guy had time to go out and work since he seemed to spend most of his time getting his woman naked.

Charon told Joelle where he was, and she didn’t hesitate, which was another positive for her taking over communications. There were no stupid questions or comments; she just got shit done.

“Okay, I have Talon and Styx heading to you and a team on the way. Are you in immediate danger?”

He looked over at the dead vampire on the floor. “Not right at this moment, but I don’t know if there’re more.”

“Got it. Stay on until they get there, which should be in under two minutes.”

A noise brought his head up, and he pulled the Browning Hi Power from his shoulder holster. Though he rarely used guns, he always carried just in case, and with Irish injured, he wasn’t going to take a chance. He relaxed when Talon and Styx came around the corner of the hallway.

“Damn, what happened?” Reaper stopped next to the dead body and crouched. “This guy’s jaw and head are almost torn off. You do this?” He looked over at Charon.

“No,” Charon said, voice filled with sarcasm. “She did it, and I just sat and watched.”

Reaper stared at him for a long moment. “This isn’t like you. You’re usually more controlled.”

“What he’s saying is it’s like me,” Talon said. “But my kills usually have more blood. You were tidy.”

“Fuck both of you,” Reaper said as he stood. “What’s going on? Who’s she? And why is the blood cult hunting here?”

“I found her being pinned to the wall by him.” Charon said, not sure why he didn’t want to share everything. “He was mauling her wrist like a fucking dog. I pulled him off and stopped her bleeding. I don’t know if there’s another, but I’d bet there is.”

Talon nodded. “I’m sure there was, but he’s probably long gone. Wonder what they wanted with her?”

Charon picked Irish up. He didn’t like how shallow she was breathing, and she was pale. Paler than usual. “Let’s hope she can tell us when she comes to.”

“What are you doing?” Reaper asked. “You can’t take her.”

“Why not?” Charon asked. “She can’t stay here.”

“Dude, where do I start?” Reaper shook his head. “She’s human, and she’ll probably be missed. On top of that, if you haven’t noticed, this is an insane asylum. She’s obviously a patient. Yeah, we don’t need more crazy.”