Kraven

It’s going to be a long night.

  He left the bedroom every ten minutes, making a security check throughout Bat’s home, before returning to keep close to his mate while she slept. Eventually the sun began to peek over the horizon of buildings. Kraven rolled his shoulders and stretched. It was time to wake her up.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Bat watched Kraven take the lead as they exited the elevator. He waved his hand behind his back, indicating she should stick close and stay behind him. He acted like one of her bodyguards on high alert. He even paused to run a sweeping gaze down both sides of the corridor. It was kind of cute, if a little annoying. She decided to go with being amused. So far they’d avoided an argument, even when he’d informed her to pack. She had done it just to shut him up.

  He hadn’t been happy about her suggestion to take her car. No way would she trust some stranger with their bags while they talked to Dr. Brent, and toting them around a large medical building sounded like a pain in the ass.

  Kraven had examined her car and sniffed at it.

  “I’ll assume you’re worried about a bomb. That would imply blowing someone up. I thought you said my grandfather wants me very much alive.”

  He’d shot her a dirty look. “You have other enemies. We’re around too many humans.”

  “They’d have a really tough time gaining access to the parking area. I’ll say it again. I live in a high-security building for a reason, Kraven. It’s so I know I can park my car without anyone fucking with it. Do you want to talk to Dr. Brent or not? I’d like to get there before he starts seeing patients. The idea of waiting in the reception area for an hour or so doesn’t appeal to me.”

  “Which way?”

  His voice brought her back from her thoughts of earlier that morning to the present. She walked around him and strode left down the hallway. Kraven growled low and lengthened his stride to get ahead of her again. He spun and gripped her hips firmly.

  “Stay behind me.”

  “I’ve been here hundreds of times. It’s not dangerous. Most of his patients are kids and pregnant women. You’re being paranoid. Do you want to talk to Dr. Brent or not?”

  “That’s why we’re here.”

  “Let’s go.”

  He released her and took a step back. “At least stay at my side.” His nose flared. “I smell Vampire.”

  “Okay.” She took a deep breath and continued down the hall to room B2. She opened the door and entered the waiting room. There wasn’t a receptionist at the desk but instead, a sign to push a bell for assistance. No patients had arrived yet. She reached out to put her finger on the bell but Kraven grabbed her wrist.

  “No.”

  “This is how we’re seen. Push and wait. Just like the sign says. Dr. Brent will come out as soon as he’s able.”

  He kept hold of her as he moved to the inner door and tried to open it. It was locked.

  Bat sighed. “That’s also why you push the button.”

  Kraven gripped the handle tighter and the metal creaked, then made a popping noise. He shoved open the door and dragged her into another hallway. He sniffed the air and pulled her forward. He paused at one of the doors and suddenly released her.

  He threw open the door, storming inside.

  Bat peered into Dr. Brent’s personal office. He sat behind his desk doing something on his computer.

  His head snapped up and he stared at Kraven—then his mouth opened and sharp fangs flashed as he loudly hissed.

  A second later his chair clattered to the floor as the older man seemed to leap backward in some crazy acrobatic way that shouldn’t have been possible. He landed feet first on his five-foot-tall file cabinets in the corner.

  Dr. Brent had fangs.

  Bat gawked at them. Their family doctor hissed again, reminding her of a pissed-off cat. He didn’t spare her a glance. His full attention was on Kraven. Some of the shock wore off as long seconds passed and it sank in that Dr. Brent might actually be a Vampire. Her gaze lowered down his body. He was sure tan though for someone who should burn up from the sun.

  “I have questions, and you will answer them,” Kraven snarled.

  His harsh tone caused Dr. Brent to spin on his feet and claw at the wall, as if he wanted to tear through it to get away. Sheer terror showed on his expression as he twisted his head to stare wide-eyed at Kraven, and he did do some damage to the drywall. Small chunks of it rained down onto the file cabinets.

  “Stop it!” Bat had known Dr. Brent most of her life. Whatever he was, she felt bad for him in that second.

  Morton Brent was usually an easygoing man with a good sense of humor. She’d always liked him. It bothered her to see him terror-stricken, almost as much as it bothered her to learn he had sharp fangs.

  “It’s okay, Dr. Brent.”

  His gaze turned to her and he stopped trying to dig through the wall. He stilled completely. She wasn’t even sure if he were breathing as she stared back. The fangs were still present and really disturbing.

  Kraven growled.

  She reached his side and threw her arm out, smacking his stomach. “Enough!”

  Dr. Brent turned to face them but kept pressed tight to the wall from his perch on the cabinets. His arms raised in a defensive motion, as if he feared being strangled when he covered his throat with both hands. It looked ridiculous.

  Bat glanced at Kraven. He glared at the doctor, his expression intimidating. She looked back at Dr. Brent.

  “Get him away from me,” Dr. Brent pleaded.

  Bat stepped in front of Kraven, putting her body between him and the doctor. “It’s okay. Nobody is going to hurt you.”

  “He’s a Vampire. Get behind me, Bat!” Kraven gripped her arm.

  She spun on him and tore out of his grasp. “Stop grabbing me! I know Dr. Brent. He’s never hurt me.”

  Kraven refused to stop glaring at the doctor. “Did you see the way he moved? The fangs?”

  “I did, and I’m duly freaked-out by that. Now stop being a bully. He’s scared. Can’t you see that? Back off. Let me handle this.” She turned, took a step closer to the desk, and tried to remain calm. “Hi, Dr. Brent. I’m sorry for showing up without an appointment. This is Kraven. He wants to ask you some questions about my mom. He isn’t going to hurt you. Can you come down from there?”

  Dr. Brent closed his mouth and licked his lips. He didn’t remove his hands from around his throat or climb down though. “He’s going to kill me.”

  “No, he’s not.” Bat motioned with her hand for Kraven to back off. She wasn’t sure if he did it or not, her focus remaining on Dr. Brent. “Please come down.”

  “No.”

  Kraven was a big man. She understood how he could frighten someone much smaller in stature. “You were friends with my mom,” she reminded Dr. Brent. “Dusti and I went to go visit our grandfather in Alaska but then—”

  “What?” Dr. Brent lowered his hands. “You did what? Why didn’t anyone mention that to me?”

  “There was no reason to, unless Dusti was going to be gone for an extended amount of time and would have run out of her shots.”

  Dr. Brent jumped off the file cabinet and landed gracefully on his feet behind his desk. “I feel faint. I need to sit.” He bent, lifted his chair—and surprised Bat when he straightened, holding a gun. It must have been attached to the back of it somehow. He trained it on Kraven. “This will blow a nice hole in your heart and it will take you time to recover, VampLycan. Bat, get away from him right now! Your grandfather’s people are a danger to you.”

  Bat didn’t budge.

  Kraven tensed but he held still. “Don’t shoot. You could hurt Bat by accident.”

  “I’m aiming at you, and I wouldn’t miss, VampLycan.”

  “Kraven is with another clan. He’s not one of my grandfather’s.” Bat managed to keep her voice calm. “Lower the gun. Please? He’s been protecting me.”

  Dr. Brent scowled. “You can’t trust them. They’ll just want to use you. Your mother lived i
n terror that one day her father would send men after you.”

  “Please put down the gun.” She moved over a foot so it was pointed at her instead of Kraven. “Why didn’t my mom tell us the truth?”

  Dr. Brent lowered the weapon slightly but he still appeared scared. “She tried a few times, Bat, but you never took it well.”

  She gaped at him. “She did?”

  The doctor sighed. “Yes. She tried to tell you for the first time when you were twelve, right after your grandfather found you the second time. You thought she’d lost her mind. Your mother had to wipe your memory of the discussion she’d had with you. You’re mostly human, and only inherited a little of her Vampiric bloodlines. You had no natural immunity to mind control. She hated to do it but you left her with no choice.”

  Dr. Brent leaned forward and placed the gun on the desk. He collapsed into the chair. “Your sister is the opposite. Antina couldn’t wipe her memories. She learned that when Dustina was a small child. Antina could stop her from throwing tantrums and make her go to sleep, but your sister remembered us testing different blood substitutes on her. She eventually resisted coming to my office so your mom would put her to sleep and bring her in. Eventually she forgot, as most very young children do. We were mindful of every word and action in front of Dustina. I couldn’t wipe her memories either. I tried but she has a very strong mind. I could make her hold still but she remembered everything.”

  “My mom really told me, Dr. Brent?” Bat felt confused and hurt.

  “Yes. Antina had no choice but to make you forget, Bat. She tried to tell you again when you were sixteen and more mature. She shifted in front of you to prove her words.” He paused. “You were hysterical at first. Then you were angry and wanted to confront your grandfather, to end your mother’s fear of what he might one day do. You thought that telling your grandfather you refused to be gifted to a GarLycan would just end the problem. You were raised human, and were already set on becoming a lawyer. You mentioned all the laws he’d be breaking if he attempted to force that kind of life on you, swearing you’d see him in prison… You’re very stubborn, Batina. You always have been. There was no reasoning with you. Antina had to wipe your memory again.”

  Bat remembered her teenage years. She’d definitely been difficult, at best.

  “Antina always believed you’d be ready at some point but she also wanted her daughters to have normal, happy lives for as long as possible. Once she died, I watched out for you both. She would have wanted me too.”

  “You did a shit job.” Kraven stepped close enough to press against Bat. One of his arms wrapped around her middle. “Decker almost got his hands on both of them.”

  Dr. Brent glared at Kraven. “They always tell me when they take trips.” His expression softened when he looked at Bat. “I would have prevented you from going to Alaska if you’d mentioned it.”

  “You wouldn’t have been able to,” she stated simply. “I was set to go. I thought our grandfather might leave us money in his will and I wanted it for Dusti.”

  Dr. Brent tapped his fingers on the desk. “Remember when child services came for Dustina right after your parents’ deaths? Who do you think suggested you sell the house and move where you did until your sister turned eighteen? I arranged it so you’d be safe. You wanted to fight them and stay here, Bat. But that damn case worker had a natural immunity to mind control. It’s rare but it happens with some humans. I realized I couldn’t make her back off the case, and it might land suspicion on you if I just had her killed. So I took you both out of the equation. I sent you into a territory that was out of her jurisdiction but where I had alliances, so you’d both still be safe.”

  Bat let that information sink in. “You fucked with my head?”

  “I did what was best for you and Dustina.”

  She fisted her hands, the urge to slap him strong. “What else did you fuck with my head over?”

  “Nothing, Batina.” Dr. Brent sighed. “I only did it that once, and I would have called that an emergency.”

  She couldn’t deny that. The state had wanted to take her sister away from her. It had worked out well enough in the end. They would have had to sell the house anyway. She calmed down a bit. “So my mom really was a VampLycan.”

  Dr. Brent leaned forward and placed his hands flat on the desk. “Antina came to me four days after Dusti was born. I didn’t even know a VampLycan was in the area. Your sister was very ill and Antina was terrified to take her to a hospital. She’d birthed her at home with the aid of a midwife and controlled the woman’s mind to help her avoid blood tests or anything else that would have revealed the truth. Dusti was lethargic and your mother suspected she’d gained more Vampire traits than Werewolf ones.”

  Bat let that sink in. She opened her mouth but Dr. Brent continued before she could ask questions.

  “I ran my own tests on Dustina and concluded that your mother was right. Your sister was the first baby with Vampire traits I’d ever treated. The last, too. It was hell trying to determine what to do for her. Dusti didn’t develop fangs so she had no way to feed herself. At first your mother would mix blood in with Dusti’s formula, then her drinks, but we later switched to the shots as your sister grew older.”

  “Why would you help a VampLycan?” Kraven eased his tight hold on Bat but kept his arm around her.

  “I felt sorry for her.” Dr. Brent seemed to relax a little. “Antina was on her own with two small children and only a human to help her protect them. She was terrified other VampLycans sent by her father would come after her family.”

  “Who helped her?” Bat asked.

  “Your father.”

  “Dad knew what she was?”

  He nodded. “Yes. Antina took blood from him but she wouldn’t give him hers. It helped her smell human. She’d wear a lot of his shirts to mask her scent as well. He came in with her the first few years you were my patients, until he learned to trust that I wouldn’t harm his family. He amused me. He carried holy water and a stake, as if they could ward me off if I attacked.” He smiled slightly. “Your mother asked me to pretend to fear them. She was very protective of his feelings, and particularly his desire to believe he could protect her. Your father was a brave human.”

  Tears filled Bat’s eyes, memories of her parents surfacing. Her father had known, yet he’d loved his family, despite them being different. He’d been a wonderful dad. Now she tried to picture him facing off against a Vampire because he loved his wife and kids. It didn’t surprise her.

  Dr. Brent’s expression softened even more. “I know this sounds wrong but I’m glad they died together. I doubt either would have survived long without the other. They couldn’t complete a formal blooded mating bond because your mother feared it would put a target on his back if he carried her scent, but you wouldn’t know it from the way they loved each other. Antina planned to seal the blood bond with him once both you girls were out of the house. She feared losing him to old age if she didn’t. He was my patient too. Vampire blood can heal. She’d rush him to me anytime he was ill.”

  “Dad was sick?”

  “Nothing serious. She’d panic every time he caught a cold. Both you and Dustina inherited her immunity traits but he had none. He’d run a fever and she’d bring him to me. Humans can receive small amounts of blood from my kind without it doing them any lasting harm or staying in their system beyond a few hours. It heals them though. He’d be cured within minutes.”

  “So those shots you give Dusti are blood?”

  “It’s a special plasma mix I created just for her. I had to adjust it over the years as she grew. It’s also laced with a light sedative. It was pure hell inventing something she wouldn’t have to keep refrigerated that could last weeks without spoiling. That’s why I insist on seeing her at least once a month. It’s a powder substance, and the liquid I use is the sedative and a preservative.” He paused. “Where is Dustina?”

  “She’s safe.” Kraven’s tone softened, as if his anger had edged b
ack. “My brother is her mate.”

  “I see. He’ll be sharing his blood with her then. That’s good. It will keep her stabilized.” Dr. Brent pulled his chair closer to the desk. “Would you mind taking a seat? You’re making me nervous, VampLycan.”

  Kraven actually released Bat and pulled two chairs closer to the desk. He sat, and Bat took the other seat. “You may call me Kraven.”

  “I’d rather not.” Dr. Brent studied Bat. “You never physically needed my help to survive. I mean, I’d give you checkups. You’re remarkably human unless your blood is spilled. You faintly carry the Werewolf scent.”

  “Lycan,” Kraven interjected. “We hate that term. Why didn’t any of the packs or your kind attack Bat?”

  “Antina made bargains with the local pack masters, and she held the gratitude of my nest. We’re the dominant nest in this city. The smaller ones knew they’d face retribution from us if the girls were harmed in any way.”

  Bat leaned back in her chair, confused.

  Kraven didn’t seem to be. “Grateful for what?”

  “At first Antina kept herself and her babies hidden but she couldn’t keep them housebound forever. They needed to go to school and that put them out in the open. She knew she could trust me to help her find a solution. I became a doctor because I believe in saving lives, not taking them.”

  “Why are you a suckhead?” Kraven’s tone became rude.

  Dr. Brent hesitated. “My nest master was a fourteenth-century Vampire. He turned anyone he found useful, willing or not. I wasn’t asked if I wanted to become a Vampire. He needed a doctor, so he grabbed me thirty-six years ago after I ended my shift at the hospital. My old master lost his arm during a sword fight and believed I could find a way to get him a new one. His had turned to ash seconds after it was severed.”

  “Did you?” Kraven asked.

  He nodded. “I was horrified. He killed people and chopped off their arms, forcing me to try to attach them to him. It took me months but one finally took. I mastered attaching the nerves. His blood did the rest. I thought he’d kill me at that point but he loaned me out to the Werewolves. I would set bones so they didn’t heal wrong, and remove bullets so they didn’t walk around with them inside their bodies. Especially after metal detectors began to be used more frequently by humans. The packs like to keep a low profile, not trigger alarms and be subjected to body searches. I made my old master money and earned him favors from various packs.”