Kraven

  “I was being you.”

  “What?” Bat was confused.

  “He grabbed a little girl and wanted to exchange her for you. The moron thought you were the one in Howl, instead of me. So I played you.” Dusti wiggled out of her hold and straightened her shoulders, lifting her chin, and her expression hardened. “It wasn’t too hard. I just threw some lawyer terms out there and ranted about my messed-up clothing.” Dusti smiled and her body relaxed. “The dumbass bought it right up until I shot him.”

  “You still could have been killed.” Bat tried to remain calm but the thought of Dusti with a gun, facing off against their grandfather, terrified her. She looked at Drantos. “How could you let her do that?”

  He shook his head. “I didn’t. She snuck out—and my mother helped her do it. Don’t blame this on me. I’m still furious.”

  “Hey.” Dusti drew her attention. “Ease up, big sis. This was all on me. My plan. That kid was just a baby. You’d have done the same thing. Not to mention, you know how much I’ve always hated Decker Filmore. I don’t regret shooting him but I’m sorry he’s still alive. He deserves to die for all he did to Mom and us.”

  Bat just gawked at her, stunned.

  “Are you disappointed in me for saying that?” Tears shone in Dusti’s eyes. “I know you think it’s important that we have family but I don’t agree. He’s a piece of shit.”

  “I had a change of heart,” Bat admitted. “I wish the bastard was dead too. He put you in danger. I’ll never forgive him for that.”

  Kraven came up behind Bat. “It’s good to see you, Drantos. Do you have any leads?”

  “He never showed up at the airport, but someone reported a bush pilot missing forty miles from here. We sent an enforcer with one of Aveoth’s men to that location. They picked up VampLycan scents at the man’s home, including Decker’s. They must have forced him to fly them out of the area in his helicopter.”

  “Damn.” Kraven wrapped his fingers around Bat’s hip and tugged her back against him.

  She allowed it, glancing between the brothers as they stared at each other. Both of them showed grim expressions. “What exactly does that mean?”

  Kraven answered. “He could be anywhere. Alaska. Canada. Hell, Russia. It depends on the range of the helicopter or if he just had it fly him to somewhere with other transportation. Trains, buses, or other airports. For all we know, he could have avoided civilization altogether.”

  “He’ll go for the cities,” Drantos predicted. “It’s easier to get lost and we don’t venture there often.”

  “I agree. He had the Vampire Council put a bounty on her head so he’s buddy/buddy with them right now.”

  “Fuck.” Drantos snarled.

  Bat pressed back against Kraven. His brother’s fangs had extended and he looked scary. He wrapped both of his arms firmly around her waist and held her close.

  “He reached out to the Lycan packs too,” Kraven added. “I’m guessing he’s on his way to L.A. That’s why I wanted to get the hell out of there. One of the packs tried to turn Bat over to him. They admitted being in contact with him. The Vamps stopped them and flew us home.”

  “Against council orders?” Drantos frowned.

  “That’s another long story,” Kraven admitted. “I need to talk to Dad.”

  Drantos leaned and placed a kiss on Dusti’s cheek. “You stay here with your sister. Kraven and I are going to see our parents. I asked Maku to keep an eye out for you two. He’s right outside. Stay put…for once.”

  Dusti turned and wrapped her arms around the big Biker Bear, grinning up at him. “Promise.”

  Bat studied the couple. Some of her reservations about their relationship disappeared at observing the loving way they gazed at each other. Drantos hugged her sister close, kissing her again.

  Dusti suddenly laughed. “You’re so bad. Is that my reward if I’m good?”

  Drantos winked at her sister and she laughed again.

  “What am I missing?” Bat looked up at Kraven.

  He held her gaze. “They’ve bonded.”

  “So?”

  He lowered his head, putting his lips close to her ear. “They can think words and hear each other without actually speaking them aloud,” he whispered. “Watch them. They’re having an entire conversation. We just can’t hear it.”

  Bat studied her sister and her Biker Bear again. They were staring into each other’s eyes, and sure enough, their expressions changed, almost as if they were talking. Drantos kissed her sister once more and reached up, brushing her cheek with his fingers. Dusti suddenly placed her hand on his stomach and shoved at him, laughing again. He grinned in response.

  It kind of freaked Bat out. “Dusti?”

  Her sister turned her head, looking at Bat. “Sorry.”

  Kraven eased his hold. “I’ll be back soon.”

  Bat nodded. She waited until the men left and the door closed. She had questions and she wanted answers. “What was that?”

  “It’s called mate bonding. It’s kind of hard to explain.” Dusti smiled. “I have a lot to tell you.”

  “No shit. You have telepathy with Biker Bear?!”

  Dusti took her hand. “This is a conversation best had sitting down.”

  Bat just nodded and turned, taking a seat on the couch. Dusti kept hold of her hand and sat next to her. “Hit me with it.”

  “Drantos is my mate. I was weirded out by that at first but…he’s amazing, Bat. I love him so much. He loves me too.” Dusti smiled wider. “We can send thoughts and words at each other if we’re close. I can feel what he feels too. The sex is amazing when we’re linked.”

  Bat tried to take all that in.

  Dusti squeezed her hand. “I know it sounds crazy. It’s real though. I didn’t believe it until our bond snapped into place. I can feel my hands on him like it’s my own body. You know how we joke about how it sucks sleeping with men who can get off so easily during sex when it’s tougher for us? Not anymore. Drantos getting off gets me off.”

  It was tough for Bat to wrap her mind around.

  “I take it you and Kraven haven’t experienced that yet?” Dusti’s tone softened. “He’s your mate, Bat. Did he tell you that? He is. Drantos shared that information with me.”

  “Kraven told me.”

  Dusti leaned closer. “You’re fighting it, right? Stop. For once in your damn life, listen to what I’m saying. Having a mate is the best thing that ever happened to me. I don’t know Kraven, but I do know Drantos. And they’re brothers, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt that he’s an incredible person too. You’ve always been afraid of being hurt again. These guys aren’t like the ones we’ve known. My marriage was a damn joke. A sad, unfunny one. What I have with Drantos doesn’t even compare. It’s intense and beautiful. He’d never hurt me. He can’t without hurting himself. It will be the same way with Kraven if you stop fighting becoming his mate. He’ll feel what you feel. He hurts you, he does it to himself too. He makes you sad, he’s sad. It’s how it is. Really.”

  “I don’t know what to think,” Bat admitted.

  “I know. I was reluctant to believe until I experienced it firsthand. It seemed too damn weird.” Dusti smiled again. “But you trust me, and I wouldn’t lie to you. I’m not brainwashed or anything either. I’m just in love and really happy.”

  “Doesn’t it bother you that they’re VampLycan?”

  “So are we, to an extent. We just didn’t know it.”

  Dusti had a point. “I talked to Dr. Brent.” Bat shared what she’d learned and everything that had happened in L.A. “So Dad knew about Mom being a VampLycan, and she did try to tell me the truth. I feel like I let her down. She had to erase my memories every time she let me in on our family secret.”

  Dusti released her hand and wiped away tears. “Stop beating yourself up. You were just a teenager, Bat. Hell, I’m an adult and didn’t take it well until the truth was unavoidable. I accused Drantos of being nuts.”

  “I’m
guilty of doing that to Kraven too.”

  “Drantos understood why I was so resistant to believe. I’m sure Kraven doesn’t hold it against you either.” Dusti pulled her legs up, kicking off her shoes to get more comfortable on the couch. “I’m sorry that one of your bosses tried to set you up, but you knew he was an asshole. You’ve told me about Jacob. He’s the tool.”

  “You’re trying to change the subject.”

  Dusti laughed. “Guilty. I hate seeing you sad. I prefer mad.”

  “I am pissed. Warren Otis admitted he told the firm to hire me. He wanted to keep an eye on me and Jacob was his little yes man, willing to do anything to become a Lycan.”

  “You’re an awesome attorney, Bat. They were lucky to get you. Plenty of law firms offered you jobs. You got where you are on your own merit.”

  Bat blurted out what was on her mind. “Everything is different now. I’m so confused!”

  “I know.” Dusti gave her a sympathetic look. “It’s easier for me. I didn’t really care much about my job and I won’t miss my apartment. Drantos needs to live here. The winters are going to suck but he’s assured me I won’t have to go out in the snow unless I want to. I guess a lot of mates just hunker down and spend a lot of time in bed together. I’m kind of looking forward to that. Did I mention the sex between mates is amazing?”

  Bat felt torn. “I’m happy for you, but I hate that we’re going to be living in two different states. Kraven offered to move to L.A.”

  Dusti’s expression sobered. “He’d be miserable, Bat. You realize that, don’t you? He’s a VampLycan. They love the freedom of living in the woods. Where is he going to shift forms and run? And they’re a pack-mentality kind of species. I’ve learned a lot about them over the past few days. He’d be alone, without family and friends. You might as well stick a wild animal in a cage. That’s what you’d be doing to him by making him live in L.A. Drantos loves to climb out of bed and go for a run while shifted in the mornings. They can do that here. It’s a human-free zone, except by the main road. Drantos just steps out the back door, shifts into his other form, and it’s safe for him to do it.”

  “Kraven said he’d live there with me.”

  “Okay.” Dusti nodded. “But when you start feeling really sad and depressed, just know that emotion is actually coming from him. You’ll feel what he does. He might try to shield you by closing the bond, to protect you from his pain. That’s going to hurt too. Right now, I can’t feel Drantos because his parents’ house it too far and I feel like a part of me is missing. You love Kraven, don’t you?”

  “Yes.” Bat had never lied to Dusti about the important things.

  “Is your job worth hurting him? You could always take the bar or whatever you need to do to practice law here. It’s not as if you owe your firm anything after what Jacob tried to do. Do you really want to work with that asshole ever again? And Warren Otis is there. You’ll be stuck defending him or his employees if he stays with your firm, and that’s if he doesn’t try to kill you for what happened. Think about that.”

  “I’m so close to making partner, Dusti.”

  Dusti scooted closer, giving her a look. “It didn’t make you happy, Bat. You’ve been dying inside for years. I watched and said nothing because I didn’t want to be one of the people you pushed away. You’ve done that ever since our parents died. It hurts you to care. I get it. Now things are different. We’re different. You love Kraven and you have something to lose again. What’s more important? That’s what you need to figure out.”

  Bat looked away, battling tears.

  “Hey.”

  She met Dusti’s gaze. “What?”

  “Close your eyes.”

  Bat hesitated but then did as she asked.

  “It’s six months in the future. You’ve made partner and just won a big case that nobody thought you could.” Dusti released her hand. “You go home to your empty condo. Kraven is in Alaska. Put yourself at your table, staring at your wall of accomplishments. What do you really want, sis? That damn wall? Or to be with the man who loves you?”

  The couch cushion shifted and Bat opened her eyes. Dusti stood. “Really think about that. I’m going to raid Kraven’s kitchen and find us something to eat. I’m hungry. This is something only you can decide. Close your eyes and picture your future. I’m going to be fine, whatever you decide. I have Drantos. But I know you can’t be selfish enough to ask Kraven to live in a cage, so you need to let him go if you return to L.A., Bat. That’s the big point I’m trying to make; I’ve told you about the mating bond. It’s not too late. Love him or set him free. Decide what matters most. It’s not fair to expect a relationship to work on just your terms. That’s a dick move, and you’re not a dick.”

  Bat watched Dusti enter the kitchen, opening cupboards and the fridge. Her little sister always had a way of putting things into perspective. And Bat had some thinking to do.

  * * * * *

  Kraven shifted in the seat, wishing he could just go home to Bat. He worried about her. His brother seemed to guess his thoughts.

  “Dusti won’t let her run away.”

  He turned his head, holding Drantos’s stare. “She can be pretty persuasive. What if she talks your mate into leaving with her?”

  Drantos grinned. “Dusti won’t leave me.”

  His brother’s confidence in his mate irritated Kraven. “Fuck you.”

  “Knock it off,” their father ordered. “Maku won’t let either of them leave. He’s protecting them. Get your minds back on the matter at hand.”

  Drantos broke eye contact first. “We need to reach out to Decker’s clan and get a feel for what’s going on there. He didn’t make friends by kidnapping one of the children. That pissed some of them off. They also suffered grief from the deaths his orders caused.”

  “Have we heard from anyone in that clan?” Kraven shifted in his seat again.

  “We’ve had some people reach out to family.” Their father leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk. “Lake’s sister and her mate are furious that their daughter was taken. They asked to join our clan and I accepted. Decker took most of his enforcers with him when he fled. It’s a good time for some of them to flee without repercussions. I made it clear we’d welcome any families who wish to join us. I’ve ordered some of our men to start building temporary cabins to house them.”

  “What if most of their clan wants to leave Decker’s?” It could become a headache to house a bunch of families, and there was the issue of where to put them. Kraven decided he’d help any way he could, even if that meant chopping down a lot of trees for building materials and sharing some of his land with newcomers.

  “I’ve spoken to the other two clans. They’ll take in families if we get a lot coming to us.” Their father shrugged. “It means fewer numbers we’ll have to fight if Decker starts his war. They’ll swear their allegiance to their new clans.”

  “What about Lorn?” Kraven would hate like hell to have to switch clans, if he were in their shoes. “That kid I spoke to said he might be strong enough to challenge and take over the clan. He spoke of Lorn in terms that made me believe he isn’t anything like Decker. It might be better to support leadership change in their clan instead of expecting families to start over.”

  “It’s risky.” Drantos shrugged. “We don’t know him. What if Lorn is worse?”

  Kraven snorted. “As if that’s possible.”

  “He could be an option. I’d prefer we not break up clans.” Their father glanced at both of them. “We buy up any land that becomes available or lease it from the state, but spacing is going to become an issue if we take in large numbers. It could cause friction between new neighbors. I’d like to avoid that.”

  “I agree.” Drantos stood. “We should reach out to this Lorn, then, and talk to him. I could go there.”

  “No. I’ll call him. They could see it as an act of aggression if we show up unannounced. I’ll offer Lorn support.” Their father glanced at the phone. “I’ll send
him some of our enforcers to help him deal with any of the hard-core Decker supporters, but only if he agrees. Who knows how many were poisoned in their minds by that bastard’s lack of integrity?”

  “Decker encouraged them to break laws.” Kraven guessed some were beyond caring about honor. “They won’t want someone new stepping up.”

  Drantos sat back down. “But you’re both right, taking a chance on this Lorn is better than having to move a bunch of people and completely uproot their lives. Most of them might be willing to throw their support behind him if it will keep their clan together.”

  Their father picked up the phone and dialed.

  “Are you calling Lorn right now?” Kraven asked.

  “No. I’m calling Lake. He knows more about the people in that clan than I do, since he visited his sister often. I want his opinion.” He quickly asked the enforcer to come to his home and hung up. “He’s on his way.”

  It didn’t take long. Lake entered, giving Drantos a wide berth. It made Kraven curious but he didn’t ask what the problem was between the two. He’d find out later. His father spoke first.

  “Do you know a Lorn, from Decker’s clan?”

  Lake nodded. “He’s a big bastard, keeps to himself, and not real popular with Decker’s enforcers. May I ask why you’re asking about him?”

  “I spoke to a kid who said Lorn might make a good candidate to take over Decker’s clan,” Kraven shared. “We’re discussing it but we don’t know much about him. Relax and take a seat. You look tense. Tell us everything you know about Lorn.”

  Lake gave a wary glance to Drantos, who nodded and pointed to a chair. Lake sat. It made Kraven even more interested in what had transpired while he’d been gone.

  “I like Lorn. He’s the first son of Ladius.”

  “Decker’s advisor?” Their father’s tone implied he didn’t like the VampLycan.

  Lake nodded. “It’s no secret that Lorn and his brother Lavos are distanced from their father. Both refused to become personal enforcers for Decker but they have the strength for it.”

  “What else can you tell us?” Drantos crossed his ankles. “Give us your best impression of Lorn.”