Page 42 of Hitched to the Vampire King

Aimee stood and turned her attention to Avery. Her eyes creased with concern and her mouth pursed as she studied her pack mate. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m alright, alpha. Thank you. The doctor cleared me despite…everything. She didn’t find anything that could cause permanent damage.” Avery’s voice held a note of relief, but shadows lingered in her eyes.

The doctor might have cleared Avery’s physical health, but I had a feeling her mental health was a whole other ballgame. She’d been held in that cage longer than Gabriel and me. And she’d suffered more at Nash’s hand than I had at Adrian’s. At least Adrian had left me alone. It would take more than one night for her to overcome the memories, the fear, and the trauma she’d sustained.

Aimee, ever the alpha, offered an understanding nod. “Very well. But if you need anything, remember, my door is always open.”

Avery’s smile, though small, was genuine. Then she shifted her gaze to me and it bloomed into a full-blown grin. “You’re still here.”

I couldn’t help but return her smile as warmth spread through my chest. “Promised you I would stay, didn’t I? We’ve got two vampires to hunt down. So I’m all yours until I drive a stake through those bastard’s chests.” Which was the perfect segue to steer the conversation toward the more pressing matter at hand. “Now, how about we all grab a seat? Believe it or not, I have a plan.”

“Hmm,” Aimee hummed while she assessed our numbers. “Looks like we might need to get creative with the seating.”

I chuckled. She wasn’t wrong. This was a fairly large group, although it was lacking two pivotal people. One was asleep upstairs, but the other… My mood took a dark turn when I thought of Chris. The space next to Josh seemed so empty without him here.

Heat pricked my eyes, but I blinked back my tears and gestured to the sofas. “Let’s get this party started. It’s time to strategize.”

As Aimee reclaimed her spot in her recliner, Avery took a seat on the couch with Jaden and Josh. Lucy and Sam opted for the floor, his arm slung around her shoulders. I chose to stand so I could address the entire room without craning my neck about.

“First things first, we have multiple targets on our list, all vampires. But let’s start with Nash,” I said, feeling the weight of leadership settle on my shoulders. “For those who don’t know how vampire slayers work, the first thing we do when given a contract is research the target. We learneverythingwe can about them. Their personal and professional life, who they love, their history, their territory, you name it. When Chris received Gabriel’s contract, we even found out how many guards he had and their schedules. Everything is important when you’re tracking someone.”

“Wait… You guys once had a contract to slay Gabriel?” Avery’s wide gaze bounced between Josh, Jaden, and me. “The same vamp you’re mated to?” When I nodded, a massive grin spread across her face. “I definitely need to hear that story.”

“Maybe another time,” I said, redirecting our focus back to the conversation at hand. “Right now, we need to do the same with Nash and learn everything about him. Who he associates with, his haunts, his hobbies—other than abducting werewolves,” I added darkly. “Avery, were you able to learn anything about him during the year you were tracking him?”

“Very little, unfortunately,” she said with a resigned sigh. “I’m not exactly trained for detective work. I’m more the Hulk Smash type. And those more experienced in this sort of thing weren’t able to recover any information. It’s like this vamp is a ghost. No social media and no other vamps seemed to know him.”

“Or so they claimed,” I said. “Most vamps won’t turn on each other. In fact, when you questioned them, they probably alerted him to your investigation, which is likely how he found you.”

Avery’s mouth tightened.

“It’s okay,” I said. “This is where our expertise comes in handy.” I straightened and turned my attention to my best friends. “Jaden, Josh, you two work on background and profiling.”

“Copy that,” Josh said.

Jaden sat straighter, determination burning in her eyes. She loved digging up dirt on our targets. It was one of her favorite pastimes.

“What about you?” Josh asked.

I drew in a deep, steadying breath. My friends and family werenotgoing to like this part. “I’m going to return to the warehouse.”

As expected, the room erupted into a cacophony of protests and concerns. I gave everyone a moment to express their extreme dislike of my plan, then lifted my hands and called for silence. One by one, they pulled themselves together and quieted down, though they continued to glare at me. A lot.

I brushed off their murderous stares and said, “It sounds insane, I know. But think about it. Nash is building a business there. We suspect he’s selling those cages, and if we’re right, that means…” I let my sentence hang and glanced at Josh and Jaden. Of everyone in the room, Iknewthey would know the answer.

“There’s a paper trail,” Jaden added. “Records, sales, names, addresses, the whole works. He’ll likely have some sort of means of tracking everything. A computer maybe.”

I tapped my nose, then smiled at her. “We need that information. Not only to take Nash down, but perhaps to take down whatever little business he’s creating. If he’s producing and selling these cages, then that means there might be other warehouses out there. Which means other werewolves have likely gone missing.”

“Oh shit,” Lucy breathed, sharing a distressed look with Sam. He pulled her close and squeezed her tightly.

Avery repositioned herself on the edge of the couch, her undivided attention on me. “Maddie, that place…you know it’s a nightmare. You shouldn’t go back.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t, but I have to.” I approached her and perched myself on the edge of the living room table, taking her hands in mine. “And I was hoping you would come with me. You know where the warehouse is located. I don’t. All I remember is swamp and mud and a lot of trees. Well, that’s all of Louisiana pretty much. You were the one that got us out of there. You knew how to navigate the bayou, you knew about the boat, and you know the area. I don’t.”

She paled, fear sparking in her eyes. “I-I could tell Aimee where it is. She could go with you.”

“If that’s what you want to do, I’ll respect your choice.” Because no way in hell would I force her to return there. I had no idea what Nash had done to her, but I remembered the rank stench of old blood and pain. He’d certainly caused some pain, and I was loath to drag her through all that again.

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