Page 39 of A Hunter Turned
Archer’s head snapped up with a growl and he focused with narrowed eyes on Marceline who had spoken and was currently surrounded by a few other women, each of them with mutinous looks on their faces. He was willing to bet these were the females that had driven Jamie off earlier. He’d deal with that later, right now, he had to face a blatant and public challenge to his authority.
“Why should we?” Marceline demanded before she turned to address the rest of the pack, her voice raised. “Why should we lift a finger to help one of those creatures? She’s not one of us. None of them are pack. Why should we endanger ourselves for them?”
Archer was just about to snarl a ‘Because I said so’ when another voice was heard.
“Maybe so you don’t all look like hypocrites.”
Efrem, with a stark white bandage around his head and one arm in a sling, limped forward, favoring his injured side, the pack healer keeping pace with him. His voice was strained, laced with pain, but still, that voice carried with power. “All my life I’ve heard you bitch about the vamps judging us by what we are instead of who we are, and here you are doing the exact same thing. What happened to we need to do what’s right and we need to protect the vulnerable?Jamie,” Efrem stressed, “has been nothing but nice and she’s out there right now injured and probably scared. Where is all your righteous fury now?”
The boy sent a look of disgust toward several of the dissenting females before he spat on the ground. “You’re all hypocrites.” With that, he looked at Archer and stiffened his spine despite the pain the movement must have caused him. “I’m with Alpha Langley.”
Murmurs of assent followed that declaration and Archer felt several hands on his shoulders and back as his pack tightened ranks around him but Archer couldn’t tear his eyes away from Efrem as pride swelled in his chest. The juvenile shot him that familiar cocky grin, “The noggin may have taken a hit, but the nose still works. Tell me where you need me.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Morgan and Kane scanned the area around Jackson Square. “Do you think he’ll show?”
It had been a stroke of genius on Kane’s part to loop Destin Jourdain into their plans. If he was going to survive as a territory-holder, he needed to be smart and build strong alliances. Unlike others of his kind, he wasn’t so narrow-minded as to exclude the witches and shifters from those ranks. So, while Travis was scanning from the skies, and Archer Langley had his best trackers searching the cemeteries for Jamie, he, Morgan, and hopefully, Jourdain – if he showed – would be setting a trap for the rogues.
“He’ll show,” Morgan murmured. “He wants those vampires eliminated even more than you. Vengeance is one hell of a motivator.”
“You are absolutely correct,” was drawled in a deep, accented voice behind them.
“Jourdain,” Kane said with a nod of welcome and extended his hand. “It’s good to see you.”
The leader of the Order of Witches, who had eschewed his usual wardrobe of three-piece suits for a light-weight tunic and linen pants, looked down at that hand for a moment before taking it in a strong grip. Kane’s overriding thought was that, man, the guy was juiced with power. The air around him was practically electrified, causing the hairs on Kane’s arm to stand up. It only confirmed his belief that this man was so much better as an ally than an enemy, and his predecessor had been a fool to underestimate the witch.
A few pleasantries were exchanged between Jourdain and Morgan and then Kane cleared his throat. “The wolves confirmed that two of the scents found near the SUV where our teammate was taken match scents left behind on your people’s bodies found near the bayou.”
“And these vampires, these killers, they want you in exchange for her?”
“In exchange for information on her whereabouts,” Morgan corrected. “It’s a trap.”
A considering look from those shrewd, hawk-like features. “Indeed.”
“They won’t be expecting you. With your help, we can turn the tables on them, make them tell us where Jamie is. Once we have that, and Jamie’s safe, they’re yours to do whatever you want with,” Kane promised.
Jourdain dipped his chin in agreement. “The families of the lost will appreciate the gift.”
Once a plan of action was devised, Kane checked his watch. “A little over fifteen minutes left but I’d be surprised if they aren’t early.”
“Or late,” Morgan grumbled, “just to be assholes and keep us waiting.”
Jourdain grunted. “I can protect you from gunfire, but it won’t last long. Disarm them and do it quickly.”
With a nod of agreement, Kane and Morgan left Jourdain and strode toward the statue to bait the trap.
At four-thirty on the dot, a vampire emerged from the trees and Morgan held her breath as her eyes scanned the darkness for others. No one else came forward. Just one? No way. There had to be others, hidden from view with weapons trained on them. Only a fool would come alone against two armed Hunters.
The vampire raised his arm, leveling a gun at them. His round face, misshapen nose that had taken one too many hits when he’d been a human, combined with a prominent, jutting jaw reminded Morgan suddenly of a grumpy bulldog. “Nice and easy, now. Drop your weapons and kick them away, and don’t even think about pulling a fast one. If I don’t check in on time, your girl dies.”
They’d been prepared for this, disarming themselves all part of the show. Morgan moved slowly, seeing Kane do the same out of the corner of her eye. Her matching set of SIGs were pulled from their holsters under her arms, and holding them up so the vampire could see, she disengaged the magazine and then ejected the cartridge before she carefully placed the set on the ground and kicked them away. She then moved on to the blade visibly strapped to her thigh.
She still had a knife tucked into her boot of course, and was willing to bet Kane still had a weapon hidden away somewhere as well. What their enemy didn’t know, as the saying went… well, in this case,wouldhurt him.
The shot fired as soon as they straightened up was unexpected and had Morgan letting out a shout and diving for cover. Looking back, she actually saw the bullet. It was suspended in the air right about where Kane’s knee had been before he too had gone all duck and roll. A shot meant to incapacitate before Kane was taken to the others or assassinated outright.
The bulldog’s eyes widened as realization hit and, in a panic, he let loose a barrage of bullets. Whatever Jourdain was doing, it was working, the bullets stopping harmlessly before falling to the ground but heeding the man’s advice that it wouldn’t last for long, Morgan grabbed her blade and let it fly. The impact in the vampire’s shoulder had his next shot going wild before his body just froze and Jourdain emerged from the trees, arms extended outward, lips moving soundlessly as he approached.
