Kraven (VLG Series Book 2) (16 page)

“Contact us often to let us know you’re safe, and don’t make me worry.”

“I’ll call friends and have them give you messages in case Decker gets access to your phones and puts a trace on them.”

“Good plan. I love you.”

“Go help our people, Mom. I’d rather Bat not see you and I just heard the water shut off.”

“What is wrong with her? You obviously don’t want to introduce us.”

“Not now, Mom. Please?”

She didn’t look happy. “Fine. Only because your father needs me right now to help deal with the stress everyone is under.”

She left his home, closing the door. Kraven let out a sigh of relief. His mother and Bat wouldn’t get along. He carried the bag into the kitchen and set it inside the sink, opening it. He sniffed and smiled. Elk meat was one of his favorites.

Bat raided Kraven’s closet and dresser drawers. She didn’t feel an ounce of guilt for hacking off the bottoms of his black sweatpants so they fit her better. He’d kidnapped her and could just deal with her needing to do whatever it took to be clothed again. She only wished his feet weren’t huge. There was no way wearing a few pairs of socks were going to make his shoes fit.

The smell of cooking meat had her stomach in knots. She was starving and followed the smell to a nice kitchen. She liked his home. It was rustic but modern at the same time. Almost charming. He still wore just a towel wrapped low around his hips as he stood in front of the cooktop frying meat in a few pans.

His back looked almost healed. She clenched her teeth, studying it. Faint red lines remained of what had been jagged tears in his skin. It was tough to wrap her head around the existence of VampLycans but she wasn’t a fool. She’d seen one of them shifted, and that hadn’t been elaborate makeup on Kraven’s back. He really was healing at a phenomenal rate. No human could do that.

“The food’s almost done.”

His husky voice shouldn’t have startled her. He didn’t have to turn around to know she was there. “What is it? Steak?”

“Elk.”

“Fantastic.”

He glanced at her then and smiled. “It’s good. You enjoyed the rabbit.”

He had to bring that up. The memory of following him to that rock he’d been sitting on flashed through her mind, as well as what they’d done together. She decided to change the subject. “How are you feeling?”

“Good. Almost a hundred percent. I see you found something to wear.”

“Are you going to get mad that I used the scissors in your bathroom to shorten the legs of your sweats?”

“No. I’m glad you didn’t pick my favorite pair to mutilate. I just bought those ones a few weeks ago.”

“That explains why they didn’t seem faded or have any holes in them. Your wardrobe is scary. I’ve never known a man who owns so many pairs of leather pants and dusters before.”

“You’ve never experienced an Alaskan winter. I like the leather, not that we go out much once the snow starts.”

“Do you hibernate or something?”

“Or something.” He turned off the flames under the pan. “We stay indoors when the weather is really bad but we do visit each other when it’s possible.”

“It sounds boring.”

“I catch up on movies I put off seeing, read a lot, and do house projects.”

“How fun.”

He opened cabinets and plated their meal. “I’m ignoring your sarcasm. What do
you
do during the winter?”

“The same thing I do every other time of the year. I work. It’s Southern California. We don’t get snow. It does get scary when it rains. People freak out and a lot of them don’t know how to drive in it. It’s fender-benders all the way to and from work.”

He frowned as he set them up at the bar counter to eat and retrieved sodas from the fridge. “You really love your job?”

She shrugged. “It’s what I do and I’m good at it.”

“Eat. We’ll talk afterward. You need food.”

She was more than happy to do that. It smelled wonderful and he’d made mashed potatoes to go with it. They were instant from a box but she wasn’t about to complain. She hadn’t had to cook. He got them silverware and took a seat next to her
.

Chapter Ten

Bat glared at Kraven. “Say that one more time.”

“Decker’s enforcers took your sister.”

“You waited until now to tell me?” She slid off the barstool and rushed toward the front door. “I have to find her.”

Kraven grabbed her before she could reach it and hauled her to a stop. “Drantos went after her. He’ll find her. Decker doesn’t want
her
, Bat. She told the enforcer who took her that she was you.”

“And you let her?” She wanted to slap him.

“I couldn’t exactly stop it from happening. I was injured. I tried to get up to attack him but I blacked out. I woke up and she was already gone. My brother will find her.”

“How in the hell do you know that?” She jerked out of his hold. “Where’s a phone? I’ll call my grandfather and straighten his ass out. I’ll have him arrested and brought up on charges if he so much as touches a hair on Dusti’s head. Hell, I’ll kill him with my bare hands. No jury will convict me. I can sell temporary insanity in a snap between the plane crash, my harrowing experience in the woods, near drowning in the river, and being attacked by what I’ll claim are dangerous animals.”

“Dangerous animals?”

“I could rant about VampLycans and GarLycans to
really
sell an insanity plea but I want to keep you out of it. I think big-ass bears are enough to get the jury’s sympathy. We’ve all seen grizzlies-gone-bad horror flicks. They would relate to that way better than a mythical-creatures scenario.”

“Decker doesn’t give a shit about your laws. Do you know what happens if you send someone after him? He’ll wipe their memory and make them forget it all. Or kill them outright. He’s insane, and human law doesn’t apply to him.”

“Fine. Give me keys to your car and a GPS with his address. I’ll go there myself and take care of this mess.
I’m getting my sister back
.”

Kraven scowled. “You’re forgetting he’s not human. What are you going to do to him, Bat? Beat him up? He’s got claws.” He suddenly grabbed her around her waist, hauling her off her feet, lifting her so they were face level. “You couldn’t even get away from me, and
I’d
never hurt you.
He
would. He doesn’t give a shit about you. You’re fodder for this war he wants to start. He’d chain you up and send you to Aveoth.”

“Better me than my baby sister. I’ll deal with this Aveoth. I’m sure he can be reasoned with.”

Kraven shook his head. “No.”

“Fuck you.” She braced her hands on his shoulders. “Put me down!”

He lowered her to the floor and let her go. “Calm down. Drantos will bring your sister back. In the meantime, there’s something we need to do. Do you want Dusti to be safe?”

“Of course.”

“Then let’s lead Decker on a merry chase away from here. Drantos will bring your sister to our village. Decker doesn’t care about Dusti, right? You admitted they don’t get along. He’d think nothing of killing her
and
the people who live here. We want him to come after
you
instead.”

She tried to calm down. “What are you saying?”

“You want the enforcers to stay away from your sister? That means not being anywhere near her. I have a plan, if you’ll listen.”

It was tough to do when she was worried sick about Dusti. “You have my attention.”

“I’m going to pack a bag and borrow a car that’s well known to other clans. I want to drive close enough to Decker’s territory that his scouts will see us. They’ll report it to him and he’ll order his enforcers to go after us. Let’s lead them away from Dusti and my clan. We’ll go to the airport and fly out of Alaska. He’ll be able to find out where we went but we’ll drop from sight once we hit the lower fifty. They’ll start looking for us there instead of here.”

“I’m bait to lure them away.”

He nodded. “I won’t let them capture you. We need to move fast though.”

“How do we know Drantos will get my sister back? I need to do something to save her, Kraven. She’s my entire world. She’s all I have.”

“I’ll keep my cell phone on until we hear word that Dusti is safe, Bat. You don’t know my brother, but he’ll do whatever it takes to get her back. She’s his mate.”

“Excuse me?”

“That’s a discussion for another time.”

“No, what do you mean, she’s his mate?”

He paused, taking a deep breath. “I don’t know how else to say it. But he’ll kill to get her back, tear apart heaven and hell to find her, whatever it takes. Drantos will protect her at all costs. I have absolute faith in that. He loves her and she belongs to him.”

“She can’t be his
mate
. We’re not animals.”

“Do you want to debate that or do something useful, like make Decker come after you instead of your sister, who his enforcers think is
you
right now? We need to get them off Drantos and Dusti’s trail.”

“If he even found her.”

“You don’t know my brother.”

“You’re right, I don’t.”

“You didn’t see him when he found out she’d been taken. He was enraged, and there’s nothing more dangerous than a VampLycan whose mate is in danger. He
will
find her and he’ll bring her home. The best thing we can do is give Decker a big target to go after instead. You’re the one he wants.”

“Fine.”

He grabbed her hand. “Help me pack.”

“No.”

“I’m not letting you out of my sight. You’re upset. Besides, it will go faster if we do this together.”

“You should have told me the truth right off.”

“I’m sorry. I wanted you to shower and eat first. There was nothing you could do but worry, Bat. You’re going to need your strength since we’ll be the ones running. I did what I thought was necessary.”

“Don’t lie to me about my sister ever again. Got it?”

“Yes.” He tugged on her. “Come on. The longer we waste time, the longer Decker’s enforcers are focused on the wrong sister.”

“This better work.”

“Decker is going to come after you. He needs you to make a deal with Aveoth. He knows his plan is out in the open now. He’s got to be desperate.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“It means he pissed off three clans. He’d lose if we all attacked his. He needs the GarLycans on his side or he’s screwed. Understand?” He led her into the bedroom. “Grab a duffle bag out from under my bed.” He crossed to the closet, throwing open the door. He began tossing things on the bed.

Bat dropped to her knees and dragged out the large black bag. She started rolling his clothes and shoving them inside. It made her feel better knowing she was at least doing
something
, anything.

“I don’t have clothes.”

“We’ll buy you some once we hit Washington State. Right now it’s about making a show of leaving the area and giving them something to follow.”

“I need my damn purse. It costs money to travel and I have no ID. They ask for that at the airport. Did you think about that?”

“Of course. We’re avoiding large airports with heavy security and cameras. We’ll only use the smaller airports.”

“They’ll still ask for money and identification.”

“Stop worrying. I know what I’m doing, Bat. I have a plan.”

“Right.”

He growled and stopped grabbing clothes. “I do. I’m not an idiot. I’m also not poor. I’m old enough to have made some good financial decisions.”

“Right.”

“I’m older than you think.”

“Really? How old are you? Thirty-something? A
young
thirty-something?”

“I’m eighty-one.”

She stopped rolling his duster, glowering at him. “Right. And I’m the Pope.”

“Don’t you dare call me nuts again. I’m eighty-one years old.”

She stared at his face, looking for any indication that he could be that age. “You’re old enough to be someone’s grandfather? That’s disturbing.”

“Goddamn, woman,” he snarled. “Stop picking fights. I’m sorry I told you. The point is, I have money and I know how to get us to Washington.” He stormed over to the wall and grabbed a painting of a forest scene, taking it down. It exposed a wall safe. He’d opened it less than a minute later and began pulling out stacks of cash. He had to move a few weapons to do it.

“Are you a drug dealer?”

He spun, glaring. “What?”

“No one keeps that much cash on hand unless they got it illegally. Hidden safe, weapons, and tons of cash?”

“I don’t trust your banks. And no, I don’t sell frickin’ drugs.”

“What do you do for a living?”

“Lots of shit but nothing illegal. Now let’s go.” He slammed the safe shut and dumped the money into the bag.

“Do you want to get dressed first?”

He looked down and cursed. “You drive me nuts.” He stomped across the room and entered his walk-in closet.

Bat turned around to give him privacy. She glanced at the still open bag, guessing he had at least thirty grand in there. Maybe more. It made her wonder once more how he’d gotten it. In the end, she supposed it didn’t matter. Dusti was her priority, and doing whatever it took to keep her safe. Kraven could bribe airport officials with enough cash. The best thing she could do was get away from her sister.

Kraven came out a few minutes later sporting black jeans, another black tank top, and he had one of his leather dusters over his arm. The kickass black boots were nice. He zipped the bag closed and hoisted the strap over his shoulder. “Let’s go.”

“What about your cell?”

“I’ll grab my spare on the way out.”

“Drug dealer,” she muttered, following him.

“I heard that.”

“You have lots of cash, weapons, and spare burner phones? Give me a break. Who do you think I defend?”

“I lost my personal phone while we were being pursued. This is my work one for clan business.” He had a cell phone plugged in on his counter. He removed it and the charger, shoving both into a side pocket of the bag. “Move your ass, Bat.”

He walked outside and she was stunned to see a bright red classic Nova parked in front of his house. It hadn’t been there when they’d entered. He yanked open the passenger door and tossed the bag over the seat into the back. “Get in.”

“Nice wheels.”

“Thanks. It belongs to my mother.”

That had Bat arching her eyebrows. “Okay.” She took a seat.

Kraven slammed the door and rounded the car, climbing into the driver’s seat. The keys were in the ignition. She opened her mouth to tell him how easy it would be for someone to steal it but changed her mind. He’d just tell her again how VampLycans didn’t steal from each other. He twisted the key and the engine roared to life.

“Seat belt,” he demanded.

She had to put on two. One was a lap belt and she guessed the shoulder strap had been later added to the car. Kraven didn’t put on his before he threw it in drive and punched the gas. She cursed, grabbing hold of the seat.

“Maniac. We’re in town. You’re going to kill someone.”

He laughed. “They know to get out of the way.”

She was glad when he turned away from most of the houses and drove on a dirt road. The ass end of the vehicle slid a bit when he took turns and she clenched her teeth until she couldn’t hold back anymore. “Are you trying to get me killed?”

“It’s been a while since I drove this baby. I want to get a feel for it before we hit Decker’s territory line.”

“Unless you wrap the car around a tree and get me killed first.”

“Can’t you just enjoy this?”

“No. I don’t find it fun to drive at excessive speeds on dirt roads and have my life flash before my eyes.”

He snorted. “Your life sucks, my little hellion. You’re all work and no play. That’s about to change as we spend time together.”

She closed her eyes, gripping tightly to anything she could hold on to. It made it worse when she could feel the car skidding around, her brain imagining them slamming into a tree or going airborne. She opened her eyes and muttered curses.

“Your language is offensive.”

“So is your driving.”

He laughed. “It won’t be long before the scouts spot us. Roll down your window.”

She stared at the crank handle. “Why? So you can choke me on dust? It’s tough to bitch when I’m unable to breathe.”

“Tempting but not the reason.” Kraven accelerated. “I want them to pick up our conversation. I can take a hand off the wheel to roll this one down if you want?”

“Don’t!” She released her death grip on the seat and reached forward, opening the window halfway. “Don’t you guys have real roads out here?”

“Not between our borders. Decker’s is coming up. I’m going to start talking loudly when I spot his scouts.”

“Why?”

“So they can hear your name and report it to their leader. Don’t take it personal.”