Kraven (VLG Series Book 2) (4 page)

Drantos pulled a knife from his boot. “He’s got one of these.”

“But those are illegal to take on planes,” Bat sputtered. Though seeing the weapon
did
help her worry less about the big jerk who’d just foolishly strolled into the dark woods. Only an idiot would do that, in her opinion. “How did you get that past security to smuggle it onboard?”

“We have our ways, and the smaller airports are more lax about rules up here. It’s common to carry weapons when you’re flying in and out of smaller airports. It’s life in Alaska. Don’t worry about it.” He shoved the knife back inside his boot. “He’ll be fine. He’s going to bring back something tasty to eat and then we’ll all get some shuteye.”

Bat wasn’t entirely convinced, but she still wanted to assure Dusti that everything would be alright. “Help will find us tomorrow. I bet they’re already putting together a huge search party to look for us as soon as the sun rises. We’ll be rescued in no time and will arrive at our grandfather’s house by tomorrow night.”

As the minutes passed, the pain at the base of Bat’s skull grew worse. Her sister spoke softly to Drantos. Dusti brought up their grandfather, explaining why she disliked the man. Bat tried to interject; she loathed for strangers to think they had a dysfunctional family. Her sister was certain their grandfather was some kind of pervert, though Bat hadn’t ever gotten those vibes off him. He was an asshole, sure, but she’d dealt with a lot of real sickos in her line of work. She wasn’t about to point out to Dusti that he’d have liked her a little too much if he were into young girls.

Decker Filmore had visited them a few times when they’d been kids. For some reason, he’d taken an instant disliking to Dusti. It might have been that he just wasn’t comfortable with really young kids. Some adults weren’t good with them. Though that didn’t explain why he’d offered Bat a home after their parents had died, but denied the same courtesy to Dusti. They’d been teenagers at that point.

Bat’s opinion of Filmore wasn’t high, but she could forgive him for being an ass in their youth if he left them money in his will. She wanted to make sure her baby sister was well taken care of.

She studied Drantos as he interacted with her sister, relieved to find the uneasy feeling from earlier had dissipated. She must have imagined the tension between the two of them. Bat chalked it up to her naturally suspicious attorney disposition.

Her focus lowered to her skirt, wincing at the damaged, torn material, and wasted dollar signs flashed in her head. The outfit was one of her favorites, and she’d worn it to court often to intimidate a jury. The idea of someone very tailored and well-groomed defending a suspected murderer made some people doubt the prosecution. Most juries assumed violent offenders were poor, couldn’t afford expensive attorneys. They associated wealth with financial crimes, such as fraud or money laundering.

“Your suit is ruined. You can try to smooth out that skirt until your hands fall off but it’s toast. Were you able to find our suitcases?”

Bat looked at her sister. “No. The belly of the plane ripped open so the bags were scattered all over the place. It was too dark to widen the search. We only brought back those few suitcases so people could use whatever clothes were in them to help keep warm tonight. I’ll look again in the morning. Until then, I’m stuck wearing this. I refuse to put on some stranger’s outfits.” Bat buttoned her jacket to ward off some of the cold then smoothed her skirt once more.

“Give it up,” Dusti urged.

“I’m trying to do something, anything. I’m not used to just sitting around, and I’m hungry.”

Drantos stood. “Kraven forgot to pass out the food you salvaged from the plane before he went hunting. I’ll do that now so you can eat something while we wait. Just say my name if you need anything. I have
very
good hearing.”

“Weird guys, huh?” Bat watched the big man walk to the pile of stuff brought from the plane. “I’m totally getting ‘future client’ vibes off both of them but they don’t have dead eyes, so I think we’re safe.” Kraven probably had crossed over some legal line a long time ago, but she wasn’t about to admit that suspicion to Dusti. He likely already
did
need her services, or would in the near future.

“It scares me that you can say shit like that. Dead eyes?”

“You’d know if you saw them. Trust me.”

“Bat, we need to get out of here and away from them.”

“Fuck that! Those guys were raised in Alaska, and look at what they’ve done so far. They handled setting up a camp and built a fire. There’s no way I’m going to go walking into the woods to get lost searching for a cabin or a house that might have a working phone. It would be like finding a needle in a haystack. Our best hope of being rescued is to stay beside the crash site. I’m sure there’re plenty of signs from above that we went down, where the plane took out those trees. It will probably resemble a path from way up there when the search planes fly over. Like it or not, we’re stuck with these guys, and trust me, I’m not happy with that concept. Kraven is a lunatic.”

She lowered her voice to a whisper, her gaze locking with Dusti’s. “But he’s
hot
.” Distracting her sister from worrying was her priority—and she knew admitting her attraction to Kraven would do it.

Sure enough, Dusti’s mouth dropped open. “You’re attracted to Kraven? Do you have a concussion? I realize you were thrown out of your seat and hit your head. You still have a mark on the side of your temple. He’s not your type, Bat. A briefcase isn’t surgically attached to his hand and he doesn’t have news anchor helmet-head hair.”

“I did hit my head, but nothing’s wrong with my eyesight. I see the way Biker Bear there has his eye on
you
, and how you keep watching him when you think he’s not looking.” Bat climbed to her feet. “I have to pee. I’ll be back.”

“But―”

Bat fled before Dusti could protest. She needed a few minutes alone, she really had to go to the bathroom, and, most of all, she wasn’t sure how long she’d be able to put up a strong front for her little sister.

It also shook her up that she was attracted to Kraven. Maybe telling Dusti wasn’t her best idea after all. How was she supposed to explain something to her sister that she couldn’t understand herself?

Kraven was an asshole but it had been a long time since she’d even wanted a man. The fact that she might want
him
made her walk faster into the cold, dark night.

Maybe she had hit her head too hard. It would account for the headache from hell and how distracted she seemed to be.

* * * * *

Kraven just wanted the night to end. He’d brought a deer back to the camp that would feed the survivors well. His brother had also sought him out with everything he’d learned from the sisters while he’d been hunting. The news wasn’t what he wanted to hear. The only thing he and Drantos currently agreed upon was what Decker Filmore most likely wanted to do with his granddaughters.

Aveoth, the powerful GarLycan clan leader, had recently lost his lover, which meant he’d be seeking a new one. And rumor had it that Aveoth was addicted to a particular bloodline—the one the sisters carried in their veins.

By using Dusti or Bat, Decker Filmore could secure Aveoth’s help in his bid to take over the VampLycan clans.

Drantos believed the sisters were ignorant to their grandfather’s plans. Worse, his brother was convinced the sisters didn’t know VampLycans even existed.

That’s where they’d disagreed.

How in the hell is that possible?

Kraven wasn’t buying it. He refused. The sisters had been captured by him and Drantos, VampLycans from another clan, who they’d consider enemies if they were in league with Decker. They were lying.

His brother might be older, but that didn’t make him wiser. He also seemed to be attracted to Dusti. It had to have affected his judgment.

Kraven needed to be the vigilant one.

As he’d cooked the deer and passed it out to the passengers, his gaze kept drifting to Drantos. He was spending too much time with the younger sister. He wouldn’t take it well if the sisters turned out to be onboard with Decker’s plans.

His mood darkened as the night wore on. One of the survivors was becoming a pain in his ass. The human seemed determined to panic the others. Kraven finally pulled him aside.

“Knock your shit off. These people have been through enough without you telling them animals will eat them while they sleep and no one is going to find the downed plane.”

“I can say whatever the hell I want. Fuck off, man.”

Kraven grabbed him by the front of his shirt and yanked him off balance. “You didn’t get too hurt in the crash.” He lowered his voice. “I can fix that. Do you understand me? Don’t fuck with these people. Shut the hell up or I’ll break your jaw. Try talking shit then.”

“You can’t threaten me!”

“I just did. You’re one of those assholes who love to instill fear in others. It probably makes you feel like a big, important man. It actually just makes you an asshole I want to deck.
Stop.
This is the only warning you’re going to get.” Kraven lifted him off his feet to make a point, but quickly lowered him, aware that others might witness what was going on.

Instead, he let down his guard and allowed his true nature to show in his eyes. He wasn’t going to waste any more time arguing with the moron. “Go sit your ass down and don’t talk to the others until after you’re rescued. You’re allowed to nod and shake your head to answer anyone who asks questions. That’s it. Am I clear?”

The guy nodded.

Kraven felt no guilt as the guy stumbled away and found a place to sit. He didn’t speak to the others, the command set in his mind.

Kraven spun away and went to clean up a little before bed. He really wanted to leave the crash site
now
. They needed to get Bat and Dusti to Howl, their clan’s village, and especially to their father, Velder, the clan leader. But Drantos was determined to get a fresh start in the morning.

And on top of that, Drantos ordered him to keep Bat warm, claiming she couldn’t regulate her own body heat. That meant he’d have to hold the little hellion in his arms and trust that she wouldn’t attempt to slit his throat while he slept.

He might have to take orders from his older brother, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

Returning, he dropped some sleeping gear next to Bat and crouched.

She gasped. “What are you doing?”

She wasn’t about to just agree to sleeping with him, so he didn’t give her a choice, attacking before she could react.

He grabbed Bat after settling next to her and pinned her down. “Shut up,” he hissed.

“Fuck off, asshole. Get off me,” she ground out.

Kraven let her know who was in charge by making her look deeply into his eyes. He knew the second she noticed their color change. Fear widened her gaze…

A curious thing happened then, though. She went lax under him, just staring.

He frowned, watching her.

The silence was broken by his brother and Dusti speaking softly, but he ignored their conversation. “Bat?”

She said nothing.

It sank in slowly that she was affected by his eyes. Kraven slowly shifted his hold on her and grabbed her breast, figuring that would piss her off enough to react.

She remained still beneath him, her expression blank.

Son of a bitch.
What the hell? She’s acting completely human. It can’t be…
He’d been under the impression when he’d learned of the sisters that they knew exactly who and what their grandfather was. Their mother had obviously mated with a human, for them to smell the way they did, but they should know their heritage.

He released her breast and trailed his hand lower, over her hip, and shoved his fingers under her ass, firmly gripping.

She didn’t even blink and her breathing remained shallow. She was totally under his control.

How is this possible?

Was Drantos right? Had the sisters inherited so little of their mother’s VampLycan blood that they were literally helpless? All the possibilities filled his mind. Decker Filmore could easily control Bat and take away her will.

That didn’t sit well with him.

Kraven released her ass and adjusted his body a little, getting more comfortable. Bat continued to gaze up at him, completely docile—and suddenly he didn’t like seeing her that way. It felt wrong, somehow. She wasn’t totally human so she shouldn’t be responding like one. He cupped her cheek, leaning in closer to stare deeply into her eyes.

“Are you attracted to me? Answer.”

“Yes.”

He scowled. The Bat he was coming to know wouldn’t admit that so easily. But he still felt distrustful. “I’m going to ask you some questions and you are going to answer them all honestly. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

A faint smell filled his nose, and he felt both satisfaction and astonishment. She
wasn’t
faking it. The little hellion was getting turned-on. A few more breaths, though, and he realized the scent wasn’t coming from the woman under him—but the sister a few feet away.