Page 15 of Huntress Unleashed

“Uh, no. I thought we would do it sometime when we’re together to try and figure out how to do it.”

“Someone told me to meet him at 75692 Evergreen Drive now. And it sounded like a man, but it was hard to hear, like he was a long way off.”

“Is it the vampire who turned you? Is he forcing you to go? I mean, do you feel compelled?”

“Yeah, like I’ll be in trouble if I don’t go. I don’t know if it’s him. He never spoke to me when we fought, so I don’t know what his voice sounds like.”

“I’m going with you. He won’t be expecting me.”

“What about your brothers?”

Dane was silent for a moment.

She spoke again. “He might know I went on a hunt with you tonight. He might believe I would call on you. He didn’t tell me not to say anything to anyone about going anywhere tonight. What if he’s laying in wait to terminate you? Or maybe he can even force me to do it? What if he has a bunch of vampires at that location and you can’t fight all of them on your own, particularly if he’s controlling me? If your brothers could join us, maybe you and your family could take the vampire down.”

“I’ll call them. I’m coming right over. I don’t want to lose you while I’m getting hold of my brothers.”

“All right. Sorry about this. I’m sure you’re as ready to sleep as I am. The same with your brothers.”

“They’ll be behind this all the way.”

“Well, if you’re wrong, let me know.”

“I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Dane sounded determined to protect her.

She usually felt confident in her own abilities but there were too many unknowns in this case. Particularly with the problem of a vampire potentially being able to control her actions. She had kind of hoped Heskel wouldn’t remember he had turned her. But that had been too much to hope for. She couldn’t imagine it would be anyone else who was directing her to come meet up with him telepathically at this time of morning.

5

Jaqueline didn’t have to tell Dane twice that she could be in trouble before he was at her house. He knocked on the door and he could hear her running to answer it.

As soon as she opened it, he took her into his arms and hugged her in a way that said he was there for her. “We’ll get this done. I promise you. My brothers are going to meet us at the house the rogue vampire told you to go to.”

“Oh, wonderful.” She sounded relieved.

There was no way he was going to let her do this on her own. No telling what the rogue vampire wanted her to do. “They will get there faster if they go from where they are. I’m sure you’ll like Matt, Ryan, and Trey. Matt is the eldest of the bunch of us, and always takes the lead when we’re all together. Ryan and Trey are twins—Ryan is the mischief maker while Trey is the serious one, and then there’s me.”

“Oh, you’re the baby of the bunch.”

Despite the seriousness of the situation, he smiled. “Yeah, I get that all the time from my brothers.”

“Well, I’m the youngest between my brother and me so I hear that all the time too.” Jacqueline and Dane climbed into her car because the vampire might realize that’s what she was driving, so Dane didn’t want to take his pickup truck.

“Is that the reason you were out on the case on your own when you were turned? Because you felt you had something to prove to your brothers?” she asked.

“No. My brothers were all on different jobs, but they were nearby, so we knew if anyone needed help, we could call for it.”

“Yeah, right. Like either of us ever had that opportunity.”

“None of us ever thought of that scenario.” Dane hated to admit that he and his brothers had been arrogant in that regard.

“At least they still back you up.”

“That’s what families should do. Same with our friends, but like you, I’ve lost several of my hunter friends over this.” He turned down another street. He tried not to take the betrayal personally, but it was hard not to do it sometimes.

“Some friends, though I can understand when it comes to me because the vampire who turned me could possibly make me turn on them.”

“True, which makes it more imperative that they took him down. I mean, if they’re truly your friends, they’re there for you through thick and thin, not just when it suits them.”