Page 46 of A Hunter Turned
When Jamie shook her head, Nedra smiled fondly, a far off look in her eyes. “I used to babysit his mama, stayed friends as she grew, and that friendship continued after she’d married and had her pup. She’d bring him here to play sometimes.”
Her gaze cleared and she focused once more on Jamie. “In all the years I’ve known him, Archer has only brought one other woman to meet me and that was his first mate, Kelsey. Him bringing you here? That spoke volumes.”
Pointing a slightly crooked finger at Jamie’s chest, Nedra told her, “I made that for her when I heard what had happened to the girl.” Nedra shook her head, her lips pinching. “Never got the chance to give it to her though. Shame.”
The woman let out a long stream of air, the program she had been so determined Jamie not interrupt, momentarily forgotten. “The tales say that the wolves are creatures of the night, controlled by the moon, but you and I both know that’s not the truth. They will seek out the sun, spend most of their time under its rays, especially when they have a child like Cady. A human turned vampire, on the other hand, has little choice in the matter. A pairing between the two won’t work long-term without magical intervention.”
Jamie’s breath caught in her chest at what the woman was implying, too afraid to hope, yet the words tumbled out in a rush, “Did you make this so a vampire can be out in the sun?”
“Didn’t I tell you that?” Nedra asked, before letting out a humph and waving a hand in dismissal. “I gave it a little extra oomph in your case. Once I learned you were a Hunter, I knew you’d eventually put yourself in a dangerous situation, especially if Archer ever told you what happened to Kelsey. I assumed you’d go after the ones responsible. Did you?”
Jamie’s lips twisted in a grimace. “I wish. Unfortunately, they found me first.”
“And yet you’re here. They’ve been dealt with?”
“They’re dead. Archer killed the one who hurt his mate.”
Nedra nodded. “Good. That’s good. He can now put those demons to rest.”
Another long sigh from the woman as she closed her eyes, her fingers lacing together over her chest and Jamie took a moment to think of the possibilities Nedra was handing her. As a Hunter, time was always of the essence and they couldn’t always wait until nightfall to travel. While the SUV had been specially built to accommodate Jamie, she’d always hated being trapped in the back. And now, with the new training facility, if forced to only contribute during nights, when would she even see Archer? Add to that the few meager hours available to spend time with Cady. So much of her life was dictated by the sun and thanks to Nedra, she could be free. She’d be able to go outside and play with Cady, take her on Fluffernutter picnics, walk hand-in-hand by Archer’s side…
“Tell me how it happened, how the amulet worked. What did you feel?”
Shaking herself from her musings, Jamie had to think about what she’s been asked. “Um, I wasn’t sure what I was feeling at first, but I was trapped with the sun rising and I felt this heat in my chest and then noticed I was glowing. The higher the sun rose, the hotter the amulet got until it was almost burning.”
Nedra frowned. “Burning?” She shook her head. “That’s not right. Too much saltpeter in the mix.” Leaning heavily on her cane for support, Nedra rose. “Let me tweak the ingredients a bit and you can try again. We’ll get it right.”
Jamie stood, pulling the necklace free. “Nedra, you saved my life. I don’t know how to thank you enough.”
Nedra took the amulet and patted Jamie’s hand with a fond smile. “And you’ve saved him. Be good to each other, be happy. That’s all I need.”
Chapter Thirty-One
“I’m still trying to wrap my head around it,” Jamie said, fiddling with the newly tweaked talisman under her shirt. “I mean, we could go to pool parties, and barbecues, attend daytime events, have a birthday party for Cady outside!”
Archer chuckled and extended his hand to help Jamie from the boat. “I think we better test it out before you start filling the calendar.”
Jamie nodded. “Tomorrow morning.”
“It’s a date.”
As Jamie stepped onto the pier, her knees shook and she shot her free hand out for balance. “Damn. How’d I end up with sea legs after such a short time on the water?”
“That wasn’t just you,” Archer said with a frown, hustling them off the little wooden structure onto solid ground. Turning back to eye the thing, he said, “I’ll come back and check the supports first thing tomorrow morning.”
The next bout of quaking struck when they reached the circle of cabins and several pack members came out to investigate. Okay, not the pier then. “Earthquake?” Jamie suggested.
Archer frowned, shaking his head before he lifted his nose to smell the air. “Sulfur.”
“Travis?”
The next quake was enough to rattle Jamie’s teeth. It was followed by an explosive crash and then a prehistoric screech. “Jesus Christ!”
A massive winged form lifted into the air, a spray of fire emerging from its gaping jaws, creating an S pattern in the night sky as it seemed to weave drunkenly in the air.
“What’s he doing?” Jamie screamed to be heard above the panicked shouts of the pack.
“I don’t think that’s him.”
