“He’s probably used to dealing with the nut job and just placates him. It’s what you do. How many times have you visited Greg, only to find him wearing his metal helmet so aliens can’t feel his presence or some such nonsense? You actually told him you found an alien-free zone to trick him into going to see his doctor, so they could admit him to the hospital and put him back on his medication until he was stable again. You even wore one of his spare helmets to drive him so he felt secure that they couldn’t read your mind to find him.”
“He wouldn’t get in my car otherwise.”
“But you do it. That’s my point. And he’s just your friend. Kraven and Drantos are brothers. He probably just plays along when Drantos is having an episode of whatever the hell is wrong with him. At least he’s still functional. He helped set up this camp and built a fire pit. I bet Greg would be screaming that aliens were going to kidnap us if he were with us right now, and trying to make another helmet out of the plane wreckage.”
She couldn’t deny that. “I—”
“We have enough wood to last us all night.” Drantos suddenly dropped to his knees on the edge of Dusti’s spread-out blanket. He shot her a warning glance before he turned his full attention on her sister. “The temperatures are going to drop lower tonight but everyone will be fine with the fire burning. What were you two talking about?”
“Dusti is worried about her friend at home. She likes to call him every day to make sure he’s okay, but of course she can’t since we’re here. He’s sickly. I was just telling her someone else would check in on him,” Bat said without missing a beat. “It’s so cold already. Don’t tell me it’ll get worse?” Bat changed the subject and wrapped her arms around her waist, hugging her middle. “The wind is already icy.”
Movement had all of them glancing toward the woods in time to watch Kraven step out of the darkness. He’d gone to clean up after cooking the deer. He strode to the pile of things taken from the destroyed plane, bent, grabbed two blankets, and then approached. He spread one of them on the ground.
“The area is secure. There’s nothing near us that could become a danger.” He winked at his brother. “The bear didn’t enjoy being chased off but he’s far north now.”
“Bear?” Bat’s eyes widened with alarm. “Will it come back and attack? Some of these people are injured. Won’t the smell of blood attract it to come investigate?”
“He won’t return.” Kraven shoved the other blanket under one arm. “I’m wiped out.”
“It’s been a long day,” Drantos agreed. “We’ll get up early and reevaluate the situation.”
Kraven sat down on his blanket and dropped the rolled one next to his lap. He peeled off his leather jacket next. In seconds, he’d bunched it into a ball to shove behind him. He completely ignored the women while he spoke to his brother.
“The search-and-rescue teams will easily spot this mess from above. I tracked back and there’s a lot of damage to the trees. They can’t miss it.”
“We need to make a decision then.” Drantos motioned his head in the direction of the survivors. “Stay or go? You know he’ll have heard the news by now and sent out his enforcers to find them.”
“I was thinking the same.” Kraven sighed. “We’ll leave at dawn before they can find the site. We’ll have to move fast. They’ll be tracking us as soon as they realize some of us are missing.”
Drantos nodded. “It’s going to be rough.”
“What are you talking about?” Bat frowned. “Are you wanted by the police? You’re plotting to take off before the rescue teams arrive, aren’t you?”
Both brothers turned their attention on Bat, silently regarding her. Dusti opened her mouth to tell her sister to shut up. She was afraid Bat would set them off somehow and make the situation worse. Bat spoke again before she could.
She blew out a breath. “I’m a defense attorney. I can help.”
Dusti’s mouth sagged open in surprise, then outrage. “You’re offering to represent them? Really?”
“It’s what I do, and while I didn’t appreciate getting manhandled, they did get banged up in the crash trying to protect us. And the meal was good too. It beat eating those tiny cookie and nut packages we found on the plane.” Bat shrugged.
“I just…” Dusti stopped talking before she blurted out that she’d just informed her sister that Drantos was off his meds. She worried he’d have some kind of meltdown if he realized she’d shared his secret.
Bat smoothed things over. “You know who my clients are, Dusti. It’s what I do. They have the constitutional right of being represented in a court of law, even if they are guilty. I know the justice system is flawed but everyone deserves the best defense possible. Innocent until proven guilty. Ring any bells?” Bat lifted her chin, her gaze narrowing on her sister. “I know you hate my job but I’m damn good at it. I’d defend Greg if he hurt someone.”
She shouldn’t be surprised by her sister offering her services. At least she’d have a good defense for Drantos—insanity. “I know that.” Dusti sighed. “I’m tired. It’s been an awful day and I just want to get some sleep.”
“Good idea.” Drantos suddenly shifted his position and slid to his hands and knees, facing Dusti. “Move over and make room for me on the blanket.”
“What?” She gaped at him.
“The temperature is going to drop more within a few hours. Take off my jacket, we’ll use it for a pillow, and I’ll keep you warm.”
“I’m not sleeping with you!”
Those strangely beautiful eyes of his seemed to glow for a split second again. It startled Dusti and made her realize she hadn’t just imagined seeing it in the woods.
“You are.” His voice deepened. “Lie down on your side after you take off my jacket. My body heat will keep you warm if I spoon with you. My brother and I are going to make sure both of you make it through the night.”
“Hell no,” Kraven groaned. “They can keep their own body heat.”
“They can’t.” Drantos stretched out beside Dusti and literally pushed her over a few inches to make room for him. “You know they need us.”
Kraven clenched his teeth, the muscles in his jaw tensing visibly. “I’ll trade you.”
Drantos seemed to ignore the comment, instead arching an eyebrow at Dusti. “Take the jacket off now and lie down.”
“No.”
The blue of his eyes turned colder. “Now. You and I are going to curl up and get some rest together. You will allow me to hold you to keep you warm.”
A shiver ran down her spine at his raspy, deep tone. Fear had her moving to do as he’d ordered. She removed his warm jacket. She shivered again, this time from the cold, and handed it to him.
“Wait a minute,” Bat protested. She gasped in the next instant.
Dusti swung her head to stare where her sister had been, only to find her gone. She turned her head farther and spotted Bat flat on her back with Kraven stretched out next to her. He had one thigh over her sister’s legs and his hand cupped her face. They seemed to be staring at each other, faces inches apart. She couldn’t be sure though, since she couldn’t see Kraven’s eyes. But he had obviously put her sister in that position and had her pinned.
“He won’t hurt her. He’s just going to keep her warm and quiet until she falls asleep.” Drantos gripped Dusti’s arm to force her to face him. “Don’t make me control you too. You wouldn’t like it, and I wouldn’t either.”
“You’re threatening to hurt me? You said you wouldn’t do that.” Fear shot up her spine.
He suddenly sat up and gripped her head. His long fingers curled around the back of her neck while his face drew closer. She stared into his gaze and saw the blue of his irises seem to lighten, turning a brighter shade. His hot breath fanned her lips when he leaned closer until their noses lightly touched. She couldn’t look away from his incredible eyes. They stunned and frightened her at the same time. Eyes shouldn’t change colors that way.
“I’m strong-blooded a
nd you’re not. I probably won’t be able to take your free will but I can immobilize you. Your body will refuse to move. I’m ordering you to hold still.”
Dusti attempted to lift her arm to push him back but her body didn’t respond. Her limbs hung limply at her sides. Panic set in as she tried to do it again but it was as if she’d been paralyzed.
“Easy.” Drantos’s tone lowered, turning husky. “You’re fine. I don’t want to argue with you but it would be bad if you make a scene. We’re going to cuddle up together nicely without you fighting me. If you resist, I’ll keep you this way. Do you understand?”
She couldn’t even form words to respond but a tiny whimper did manage to squeak past her parted lips. The brilliance of blue in his eyes dulled as suddenly as it had sharpened. Dusti gasped in air and was actually able to move when she jerked back. Drantos released her completely but didn’t look away.
“How did you do that? Bat? Talk to me!”
Dusti leaned back, her hands clawing at the blanket, and inched farther away from Drantos. Her head turned when her sister didn’t respond, only to find the other couple still frozen in the same position as before. She was suspicious that Kraven had control over her sister the same exact way Drantos had just controlled her.
Her mind refused to acknowledge that though. It was too unreal to be true. She found reasons instead. Her and Bat were tired, they’d had a rough day, and had survived a plane crash. It left them stunned and easily susceptible to wild thoughts and ideas. She latched hard onto that excuse. It sounded reasonable. People who’d survived traumatic events could be convinced of things not real or true. Their minds were messed up. Drantos had just used the power of suggestion. She’d listened subconsciously because he was crazy.
That had to be how psychopaths talked nice, sane people into following them.
His strong hand gripped her inner thigh and gave her a hard enough tug to make her fall flat onto her back. He came down on top of her. His weight pinned her but Drantos was nice enough to keep most of it off her rib cage so she could still pant from terror. His blue eyes began to lighten, brighten, and glow. She squeezed her eyes closed, twisting her head to the side to avoid him doing that to her again.
“Look at me.”
She wanted to. There was something compelling about his husky voice that made her have to fight the command, but she managed to resist. She couldn’t budge him when she pushed on his arms. “Get off me. Stop it!”
“Dusti? Look at me now.” His voice deepened with almost inhuman gruffness.
Her eyes opened of their own accord and she turned her head enough to stare deeply into his brilliant, glowing blue gaze. Her breath caught inside her lungs and her hands stopped pushing to fall limply between them. Her entire body wilted.
“I didn’t want to do this. I can smell your fear.” He blinked. “You’re safe and I won’t harm you. Being able to use my eyes this way is one of the many gifts I inherited.”
She tried to struggle but her body refused to obey, staying totally still under his heavier one. He adjusted his hips, moved one leg to push hers apart, and settled into the cradle of her thighs. Her skirt must have gotten pushed up, and her eyes widened with terror when she felt the hard press of an aroused Drantos against the vee of her panties. The rough denim of his pants brushed against bare skin.
“Easy, sweetheart. I’m not going to do anything to you. Yeah, you turn me on. It’s that simple. But I won’t act on it. You need to calm down and stop looking at me as if I’m going to attack you. I just want your word you’ll stop fighting with me.”
She couldn’t speak. His eyes slowly returned to a dark blue color, the glow fading. She gasped in air the second her entire body turned ridged with alarm. Her hands lifted to fist in the material of his shirt.
“Don’t make me control you again.”
“What are you doing to me?” she whispered, afraid despite what he’d said. “Stop it.”
“Your mother should have explained what she was so I don’t have to. Maybe she thought there would be no reason to have to tell you about your bloodline, since you had a human father and must not have inherited any traits that would betray you to your enemies.”
Dusti could deal with his crazy talk. She relaxed a little to allow her mind to calm down. With it came a sense of comfort she latched onto. “I’m not an alien.”
But he might really be one…
No. That’s nuts. Now he’s making me lose my mind.
It was possible exhaustion and too much stress had taken their toll. That would explain it.
“I’m not either. There’re regular humans but there are also other races. He took a deep breath, pressing against her chest a little while he inhaled. “I’m other—and so was your mom.”
“Other?”
She wondered if Bat could hear them but doubted it, since they were a good five feet away from the other couple. Drantos also had lowered his voice to a soft, husky level that wouldn’t travel. The voices from the survivors were just a murmur but their words weren’t recognizable. Drantos didn’t answer.
“Let me go. Please?”
He turned his head, reached for something, and then pulled the other blanket over their bodies. He met her gaze again but an almost sad expression softened his features. “Not until you know the truth.”
Dusti hesitated. “Okay. Hit me with it. I’m dying to hear this. What was my mother?”
Sincerity softened his gaze further. “We’re VampLycans.”
“Sounds Russian or something.”
“We’re considered blooded wolves.”
“You don’t look red to me and you hide your tail really well in those tight jeans.”
He ignored her smartass comment. “A long time ago, Lycans and Vampires banned together and had formed an alliance. The Vampires usually hired humans to protect them during the day, but they’d been betrayed too often and suffered heavy losses. They were desperate enough to turn to their enemies, the Lycans. It worked for a while. The Vampires got their protection and the Lycans enjoyed the lifestyle the Vampires could provide.”
Dusti let that settle into her mind. She decided to humor him. “They had good parties, huh?”
Drantos’s features tensed. “This isn’t a joke. I’m attempting to inform you of your heritage.”
Irritation arose inside her at having to listen to his insane garbage. “Two words for you: Take. Meds. Vampires and Werewolves aren’t real. You’ve watched too many movies.”
A soft growl burst from his parted lips. “Vampires have abilities that Lycans don’t. They can control minds and make humans do as they wish, and can even erase some of their memories. Lycans found that really helpful since they were forced to live nomadic lives. It meant keeping their numbers low and never staying in one area to build homes. It was a dream of theirs to settle in one place. The Vampires gave them that luxury. They suddenly could live without fear of being hunted. If a human happened upon a Lycan in a compromising situation, the Vampires could make the humans forget.”
“What did these Lycans do that gave them away?”
“They lose their skin if they’re highly emotional. Rage. Fear. Grief. Humans panicked when they caught sight of claws, fangs, sudden hair growth…and they told others about the ‘monsters’. They’d hunt and kill entire families of Lycans.”
“Why not just take out the person who saw something?” Her fingers relaxed their hold on his shirt since he wasn’t causing her pain. “That would protect them.”
“It wasn’t the way it is now. In the past, towns were smaller and they tended to be very superstitious when people just disappeared. They totally believed in monsters and they’d gather in large groups to hunt and murder anything they feared. Ever hear of the witch trials? Try a bunch of angry villagers with weapons willing to kill anyone they didn’t like or didn’t know well. They didn’t even bother to hold a trial for someone they suspected of being a monster. They’d just lynch them.”
“According to your Va
mpire and Werewolf tale, they would have been justified in trying to kill them.”
“Exactly, if you were to see us in that light. But we’re not really monsters. We’re just different. You asked why Lycans didn’t end the lives humans who discovered the truth. Lycans didn’t want to harm innocent people, period. Vampires don’t have to kill to obtain blood from their prey. I was able to control you with my eyes. I gained that ability from my Vampire ancestors. Their abilities to control human minds and wipe memories protected them but it was a constant fear they’d be discovered while they slept. They had Lycan protectors to prevent that from happening, to stand guard when they were vulnerable after the sun rose.”
“You didn’t burn up in the sun,” she pointed out. “Your teeth aren’t sharp either. Everyone knows Vampires are allergic to sunlight and have fangs.”
“I said I’m half. The sun doesn’t bother me at all. ” Drantos paused to glance toward the fire, then looked back at her. “The Vampires began to gorge on blood, feasting on humans after they formed the alliance with Lycans. They grew bolder with powerful guards to protect them when they were vulnerable. It made it safer for them to feed more often. They—”
“Started killing everyone?”
“No. They just overfed on them.”
“Wow. Do Vampires gain weight? Wouldn’t it make it kind of hard for them to turn into bats and fly? I’m imagining a big, bloated flying rat with little tiny wings now.”
He growled again. “You aren’t taking this seriously.”
“And you’re nuts. I’m trapped under you and you seem determined to share your dementia with me so forgive me for the snarky comments.”
“Stop it.”
“Ditto.”
He shifted his chest, pinned her tighter under his body. “No, they didn’t gain weight. But all the blood fooled their bodies into believing they were more human than Vampire. No one realized the consequences—until a few of the female Lycans who had Vampire lovers ended up pregnant. It only happened with Vampire males and female Lycans. Vampires aren’t able to breed with each other, but when they realized they could impregnate the Lycan women—”