Page 29 of Hunting for Redemption

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

JEFF

I wake up slowly,reaching out for Axel instinctively and frowning when my hand comes up empty. I open my eyes, finding the morning sun already streaming in through the windows of my RV. I blurrily blink the morning dust away, trying to shake myself fully awake.

What I wouldn’t give for a hot cup of blood coffee this morning.

With a final yawn, I get myself up and out of bed. I change out of my pajamas and into my day clothes quickly before heading outside. I take a deep breath, letting the cool morning air further wake me up.

Martin is already out here, starting up the fire so we can cook some breakfast. I give him a small smile, pulling up a chair and sinking into it with a sigh. I’m not sure why but I feel like I’m in a funk this morning. There’s a pit gnawing its way into my belly.

My eyes dart all around the forest around us, wondering if there’s something out there putting me on guard. Are these my instincts? Or is this just a weird feeling after waking up without my mate in bed with me?

I shift in my seat, clearing my throat. “Have you seen Axel this morning?”

Martin shakes his head. “I think he went for a walk with Carlos.” My brows wrinkle and there’s something rising up inside my chest, something close to panic. What the fuck is going on? “What’s up? Is something wrong?”

“I’m--” I start to say, shaking my head, trying to clear it. “I’m not sure. Just, something feels off.”

Martin sets his supplies down, standing up. “Do you wanna go look for them? Just to be sure?”

I think about it for a moment. “I’m not sure,” I confess softly, feeling somewhat out of my league at the moment. How do you explain to someone your insides are welling up with panic without any reason? I stand up, running my fingers through my hair. “Okay, yeah. There’s nothing wrong with bothering them, just to make sure they’re okay.”

“You’re not bothering them,” Martin says, reaching over and patting my shoulder when I make my way over to him. “You’re checking in on your true mate. From what I’ve gathered, having one of those is a huge deal.” He gives a shrug. “Nothing wrong with making sure they’re okay.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” I say, giving him a little smile.

Just as we’re stepping onto the path leading up to the campground office, the smell of blood hits my nose. My body goes cold all over and tense with panic. “I smell blood,” I blurt out, preparing myself to run full speed ahead. But before I can, I see Carlos running towards us.

“What the fuck,” Martin murmurs, stepping ahead of me and catching Carlos in his arms. “What the fuck happened, kid?”

Carlos is clutching the side of his throat, blood still sluggishly pouring from what I can clearly see is a bite. Thank gods I don’t need to breathe because right now I don’t think I could even if I needed it. My head is throbbing with panic and my vision is starting to blur. Where’s Axel? Where the fuck is my mate?

“Vampire,” Carlos grits out, holding his throat. “She got the jump on me. I’m so sorry,” he says, his voice filled with anguish. “She took Axel.”

That sparks me into action. “We have to tell the others.” I shake my head. “No, you two get back to camp, have Ronny track Axel’s phone. Maybe she’s sloppy and left it on him. I’ll start tracking his scent.” I take out my ear piece, thankful I grabbed it this morning and slipped it into my pocket.

“You can’t go alone,” Martin says, looking worried. “Who knows what she has planned. You need backup.”

I shake my head, putting my ear piece into place. “I’m a vampire, Martin. You won’t be able to keep up with me. Once Ronny’s located the place Axel is being held, you’re free to come join. But right now I’m going to run after Axel’s scent.” I give him the smallest smile, “if you want we can race and see who finds him first.”

It has the wanted effect, sparking a tiny bit of hope in Martin. I pretend to feel it too instead of the overwhelming rage that’s taking over. Someone’s taken my mate. Someone is trying to hurt my mate and my baby, and I won’t let them get away with this.

My instincts want blood. And as a hunter, I’m inclined to follow that instinct wholeheartedly.

“Go,” I tell Martin. “And don’t beat yourself up, kid,” I say to Carlos, not liking the look he’s giving me. “It wasn’t your fault. We’ll get Axel back.”

He nods back. Once I know they’re on their way back, I stop holding myself back. An animalist hiss leaves my chest as I run down the pavement. I find the spot Axel was taken, can smell Carlos’ blood thick in the air. If he wasn’t my family, I know the scent would be distracting me, make my mouth water and my fangs drop. But his blood has too much wet dog to it to be appealing.

I take a deep breath and close my eyes, parsing out the scents around me. There’s the smell of forest and moss, of Carlos’ blood, but there, that’s solely Axel’s scent. I hold onto it, finding the thread of it and chasing it.

Before I even realize what’s happening, my feet are moving, chasing after the smell of fresh rain. The path feels incredibly straightforward, like this woman didn’t care about covering up their tracks. Was she too focused on finally having Axel to care about me following her?

“Bossman?” comes in through my earpiece.

“I hear you loud and clear,” I say back to Ronny.

“The phone is still,” he tells me before rattling off an address. My stomach sinks. It’s the same place I killed her mate. Fuck.

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