Page 10 of Huntress Unleashed
Then Jacqueline and Dane walked back to the library on the brick path. “Quick reaction,” Dane said, “and your vanishing act is really great.”
“I’ve been practicing, figuring it could give me an edge.”
“It does. I need to practice at it more.”
“You do. Being able to move like that can be a real benefit to us in the fight against the rogues.”
They saw the woman shaking, crying, sitting in the ambulance and they joined her. Jacqueline gave her a hug and Dane thought the world of her for being so caring.
“They…they say he’s dead,” the woman said, wiping away more tears.
“Yes, and good riddance.” Jaqueline handed the woman her book. “Here. You dropped this.”
“Thanks so much,” she said. “And thanks to both of you for coming to my rescue. I didn’t want to be turned.”
“Which is why the vampire was on our terminal list,” Dane said.
“Thanks again,” she said as a blond-haired woman wearing nurses’ scrubs rushed up to see her and hug her. She looked like a sister.
“Are you okay?” the blond asked her.
“Yeah, the hunters took down a vampire that tried to turn me,” the woman said.
Hunters, Dane was thinking. They were no longer just hunters. How would the woman feel if she had known that they were both vampires also now? That was one of the things he hated. That he wasn’t all hunter any longer. He wondered if Jacqueline felt the same way. In a way, meeting up with her and doing this together with a hunter turned gave him a gratifying feeling—that she didn’t look at him with disdain for using a vampire’s abilities, just like he was glad that she had them and could use them so successfully.
Then Jacqueline’s ex-fiancé showed up and Dane knew he had come for Axel. Dane figured Van wouldn’t have any other reason to be here at this time. Dane didn’t believe in coincidences.
“Ohmigod, don’t look now,” Jacqueline said, and pulled Dane into a hot embrace, the breeze making her silky red hair wrap around him as she lifted her face to him and kissed him like they’d been lovers for months.
Okay, so he could really get into this, though he knew the reason why she’d kissed him like that. And it had nothing to do with really wanting to kiss him, but more to aggravate her ex. Maybe. But truly, he was all for it.
She finally pulled her mouth away from Dane’s, but he wasn’t ready to part company with her yet. He kissed her this time, initiating the delicious mouth-to-mouth contact, wanting to prolong the interaction between them, but not because her ex was here.
Just then her ex got a text message, read it, and frowned at them. “You killed Axel?”
“Yeah, before he turned the woman who is sitting in the ambulance right now,” Jacqueline said.
Van glanced at Dane and then back to Jacqueline. “That was quick.”
Jacqueline shrugged. “Just like you going after my best girlfriend was a fast turnaround for you.” She took hold of Dane’s arm and headed for the parking lot.
Dane wasn’t used to a woman taking charge of him, especially one who had acted disinterested in him when they were at the therapy session. Well, except at the meeting when Stacey grabbed his arm but that hadn’t been welcome. But with Jaqueline, this certainly worked for him.
But Van headed in the same direction, probably to his own vehicle in the parking lot.
“Did you get anything from informant Green last week?” Dane asked him, still wondering if one of the hunters the informant spoke to had anything to do with his being ambushed in that alley with Lucilla and her vampire friends.
“Yeah, about a vampire named Carrel, but someone else got the vampire.”
“Not anything about a Lucilla?”
“No. Green never mentioned anything to me about her. Why?” Van asked, frowning.
Dane shrugged. “I was just wondering. He told me he sometimes worked for you too.”
“Yeah, he does. I…didn’t know he worked for you also. I hope it doesn’t cause any difficulties for you,” Van said, sounding arrogant, like he didn’t care if it did or not.
It made Dane wonder if maybe Van had something to do with Dane being targeted in an ambush. But why? He barely knew Van.