Bat noticed her sister looked a lot better when they returned to camp five minutes later. Bat dumped her heavy load of dirty branches to the ground. Drantos had already started a fire. The sun lowered quickly, a chilly wind picking up, and Bat spent her time helping some of the passengers get more comfortable.
Her heart went out to an elderly married couple. The woman had a head injury and didn’t look so good. Her husband had a broken wrist. Bat helped him make a sling for his arm with a jacket, wishing she knew more about first aid.
“Thank you, young lady.” The man reached out and took his wife’s hand. “It’s going to be okay, Mary. I’m right here with you.”
“Simon,” the older woman whispered.
“Yes, my love. I’m here.” He scooted closer, snuggling up to his wife. “Help is going to come soon. You just hang in there for me. We’re going to celebrate fifty years of marriage next week. Remember?”
“I do.” Mary smiled. “You’re still the most handsome man I ever met.”
“And you are the most beautiful woman I ever laid eyes on. Remember when Simon Junior was being born and I almost lost you? You swore you’d let me die first because I can’t live without you. Don’t break your promise to me. We’ve been through worse.”
“I’m going to be okay.” Mary’s voice came out stronger. “You just hold my hand like you did in the hospital. We’re going to go see our grandchildren.”
“Yes, we are.” Simon leaned closer and brushed a kiss on her forehead.
Tears filled Bat’s eyes and she had to turn away before the couple noticed. Their love was strong. She couldn’t imagine spending that length of time with someone but it had once been a dream. They reminded her of her parents. They’d had that kind of close connection. It was something she’d always longed for but had given up on finding. Her luck with men turned out to be shit.
She walked away from the fire toward the hulking, dark shape of the crashed plane to compose herself. She didn’t want Dusti to see her fall apart. Her sister knew her too well and would worry. It was important to keep a positive attitude until they were rescued.
A hand clamped down on her shoulder and caused her to gasp.
“Where are you going?” Kraven didn’t sound happy. “It’s dark out there.”
She wasn’t about to admit the truth. She was emotionally drained and just wanted to escape to get herself together. “I saw some cushions on some of the seats in the front of the plane. When you and your brother were helping everyone out, I took some time to do a bit of searching around. It’s not much but it’s better than nothing. That elderly couple needs to be made as comfortable as possible. I’m also going to see if I can find some discarded jackets or clothing. It will help keep people warm.”
“Hell,” he sighed. “That’s a good idea. Take my hand. I’m used to maneuvering in the dark. I’ll lead you there, you wait, and I’ll search the plane. I don’t want you climbing around blind. You could get hurt.”
It surprised her that he’d be so thoughtful. “Thank you.” She reached out and his warm fingers brushed hers. A jolt went up her spine at the contact when he gripped her firmly. He had big hands. A saying drifted through her mind. Big hands, big feet…wonder if everything is big?
She grinned, amused. It beat being depressed.
He stopped minutes later. “Can you see anything?”
“Not really.”
“There’s a tree a few feet to your left. The plane is in front of us. Just stay put and I’ll bring things to you.”
“How can you see so well? It’s so dark.” The shapes of the tree and plane, and his big form, were barely distinguishable.
“Just stay put.” He sounded almost…disgusted, for some reason.
She actually missed Kraven’s warm touch when he let her go. She shivered in the cold as she waited. It didn’t take him long to return. He placed something on the ground near her.
“Those are two intact suitcases. Hopefully something in them will be useful. They don’t weigh much. You carry those and I’ll get the cushions and blankets I piled up. I also found your sister’s purse. I’ll be right back.”
She blindly bent and fumbled for the handles of both cases and lifted them when her fingers located the plastic. Kraven hadn’t lied. They weren’t heavy. He returned and she followed his moving shadow back to the camp. The firelight was more than a welcome sight.
One glance at Dusti had her worried again. Her sister looked nervous and a bit pale. She abandoned the suitcases to head in that direction to check on her. She forced a smile she didn’t feel to put on a brave front.
The quick conversation with her sister eased some of her fears. Dusti seemed to be okay, albeit a bit anxious. It was reasonable under the circumstances. She refused to take another shot and swore she felt better. There were enough to last them for a few days if it took the rescue teams that long to find them. She really hoped they’d be located early the next day.
Bat watched Drantos and Dusti while they seemed to have a staring contest. The sense of something being wrong nagged at her but she dismissed it. It may just be her guilt over bringing her sister to Alaska, the exhaustion, the stress of their situation, or all of the above. She’d feel better once they were back in civilization.
Bat zoned out, answering a few questions from Drantos with her thoughts elsewhere. Her head hurt worse than ever but she didn’t complain about the pain. The earlier dull throbbing of a beginning headache had turned into a loud pounding, but she was pretty certain she didn’t have a concussion. Her vision wasn’t blurry and she didn’t feel as if she would throw up. It was just stress and probably lack of caffeine.
Kraven joined them. Bat silently studied him—and found herself annoyed that he looked so good. She felt like shit, yet he seemed at ease with the great outdoors. And she didn’t want to be attracted to the big ape. He was annoying but hot, the type of guy she loathed most. His brother seemed so polite. It amazed her that they came from the same family.
He announced he was going to go hunt for fresh meat, then flashed her yet another dark look. It was the last straw.
“What are you going to use to hunt with? Your bad manners? Maybe you can just talk to the animals and they’ll commit suicide.”
The enraged glare he directed at her made her feel a little satisfied. “I told you to shut up. We have an agreement, remember? I don’t whip your ass if you keep your lips sealed together.” He turned his head, regarding his brother. “I’ll be back soon. I’m going to scout while I’m out there to see just how fucked things are.”
“I’m sure rescue crews will be searching for the plane at first light. They’re going to have to fly out of Anchorage. The smaller airport won’t have helicopters. And with no place to land, the best the planes will be able to do is help with the air-spotting.” Drantos sighed. “The question is, do we leave on our own or wait for help?” He looked at the survivors near the fire. “They’re helpless if we walk out of here on our own. I’m afraid they won’t be found and will die from exposure. Not one of them has survival skills. I asked.”
“We’ll worry about it later.” Kraven glared at Bat. “I’ll be back.” He turned on his heel to march out into the darkness.
She seethed inside at his response, especially when he said it in front of her baby sister. And he meant every word. She could easily see that, and she’d just managed to curb a rude response. Though she’d been tempted to point out that he’d said he’d spank her if she mentioned his nuts, which she hadn’t. It was almost a relief when Kraven disappeared from sight.
Then she immediately felt worry. What if he was hurt out there?
Bat got Drantos’s attention. “Are you sure it’s safe for him to be traipsing around the woods at night? We didn’t find a flashlight, or anything to use as a weapon. Aren’t there wild animals around here that we should be worried about? The fire is here, not out there. He won’t be able to see them but I’m sure the same can’t be said for anything that might attack him.”
&nbs
p; “We live in Alaska and were raised not too far from here. We know what we’re doing. It’s not unusual for us to hunt at night and nothing out there can hurt Kraven. Trust me on that one. He’ll be back within the hour and have something for us to eat.”
“I couldn’t even find a real knife, just plastic ones.” Bat carefully sat down on a cushion and tucked her skirt neatly around her legs. “How will he skin it? I guess he could try to tear off part of the plane. Some of it is pretty jagged and sharp.”
Drantos pulled a knife from his boot. “He’s got one of these.”
“But those are illegal to take on planes,” Bat sputtered. Though seeing the weapon did help her worry less about the big jerk who’d just foolishly strolled into the dark woods. Only an idiot would do that, in her opinion. “How did you get that past security to smuggle it onboard?”
“We have our ways, and the smaller airports are more lax about rules up here. It’s common to carry weapons when you’re flying in and out of smaller airports. It’s life in Alaska. Don’t worry about it.” He shoved the knife back inside his boot. “He’ll be fine. He’s going to bring back something tasty to eat and then we’ll all get some shuteye.”
Bat wasn’t entirely convinced, but she still wanted to assure Dusti that everything would be alright. “Help will find us tomorrow. I bet they’re already putting together a huge search party to look for us as soon as the sun rises. We’ll be rescued in no time and will arrive at our grandfather’s house by tomorrow night.”
As the minutes passed, the pain at the base of Bat’s skull grew worse. Her sister spoke softly to Drantos. Dusti brought up their grandfather, explaining why she disliked the man. Bat tried to interject; she loathed for strangers to think they had a dysfunctional family. Her sister was certain their grandfather was some kind of pervert, though Bat hadn’t ever gotten those vibes off him. He was an asshole, sure, but she’d dealt with a lot of real sickos in her line of work. She wasn’t about to point out to Dusti that he’d have liked her a little too much if he were into young girls.
Decker Filmore had visited them a few times when they’d been kids. For some reason, he’d taken an instant disliking to Dusti. It might have been that he just wasn’t comfortable with really young kids. Some adults weren’t good with them. Though that didn’t explain why he’d offered Bat a home after their parents had died, but denied the same courtesy to Dusti. They’d been teenagers at that point.
Bat’s opinion of Filmore wasn’t high, but she could forgive him for being an ass in their youth if he left them money in his will. She wanted to make sure her baby sister was well taken care of.
She studied Drantos as he interacted with her sister, relieved to find the uneasy feeling from earlier had dissipated. She must have imagined the tension between the two of them. Bat chalked it up to her naturally suspicious attorney disposition.
Her focus lowered to her skirt, wincing at the damaged, torn material, and wasted dollar signs flashed in her head. The outfit was one of her favorites, and she’d worn it to court often to intimidate a jury. The idea of someone very tailored and well-groomed defending a suspected murderer made some people doubt the prosecution. Most juries assumed violent offenders were poor, couldn’t afford expensive attorneys. They associated wealth with financial crimes, such as fraud or money laundering.
“Your suit is ruined. You can try to smooth out that skirt until your hands fall off but it’s toast. Were you able to find our suitcases?”
Bat looked at her sister. “No. The belly of the plane ripped open so the bags were scattered all over the place. It was too dark to widen the search. We only brought back those few suitcases so people could use whatever clothes were in them to help keep warm tonight. I’ll look again in the morning. Until then, I’m stuck wearing this. I refuse to put on some stranger’s outfits.” Bat buttoned her jacket to ward off some of the cold then smoothed her skirt once more.
“Give it up,” Dusti urged.
“I’m trying to do something, anything. I’m not used to just sitting around, and I’m hungry.”
Drantos stood. “Kraven forgot to pass out the food you salvaged from the plane before he went hunting. I’ll do that now so you can eat something while we wait. Just say my name if you need anything. I have very good hearing.”
“Weird guys, huh?” Bat watched the big man walk to the pile of stuff brought from the plane. “I’m totally getting ‘future client’ vibes off both of them but they don’t have dead eyes, so I think we’re safe.” Kraven probably had crossed over some legal line a long time ago, but she wasn’t about to admit that suspicion to Dusti. He likely already did need her services, or would in the near future.
“It scares me that you can say shit like that. Dead eyes?”
“You’d know if you saw them. Trust me.”
“Bat, we need to get out of here and away from them.”
“Fuck that! Those guys were raised in Alaska, and look at what they’ve done so far. They handled setting up a camp and built a fire. There’s no way I’m going to go walking into the woods to get lost searching for a cabin or a house that might have a working phone. It would be like finding a needle in a haystack. Our best hope of being rescued is to stay beside the crash site. I’m sure there’re plenty of signs from above that we went down, where the plane took out those trees. It will probably resemble a path from way up there when the search planes fly over. Like it or not, we’re stuck with these guys, and trust me, I’m not happy with that concept. Kraven is a lunatic.”
She lowered her voice to a whisper, her gaze locking with Dusti’s. “But he’s hot.” Distracting her sister from worrying was her priority—and she knew admitting her attraction to Kraven would do it.
Sure enough, Dusti’s mouth dropped open. “You’re attracted to Kraven? Do you have a concussion? I realize you were thrown out of your seat and hit your head. You still have a mark on the side of your temple. He’s not your type, Bat. A briefcase isn’t surgically attached to his hand and he doesn’t have news anchor helmet-head hair.”
“I did hit my head, but nothing’s wrong with my eyesight. I see the way Biker Bear there has his eye on you, and how you keep watching him when you think he’s not looking.” Bat climbed to her feet. “I have to pee. I’ll be back.”
“But―”
Bat fled before Dusti could protest. She needed a few minutes alone, she really had to go to the bathroom, and, most of all, she wasn’t sure how long she’d be able to put up a strong front for her little sister.
It also shook her up that she was attracted to Kraven. Maybe telling Dusti wasn’t her best idea after all. How was she supposed to explain something to her sister that she couldn’t understand herself?
Kraven was an asshole but it had been a long time since she’d even wanted a man. The fact that she might want him made her walk faster into the cold, dark night.
Maybe she had hit her head too hard. It would account for the headache from hell and how distracted she seemed to be.
* * * * *
Kraven just wanted the night to end. He’d brought a deer back to the camp that would feed the survivors well. His brother had also sought him out with everything he’d learned from the sisters while he’d been hunting. The news wasn’t what he wanted to hear. The only thing he and Drantos currently agreed upon was what Decker Filmore most likely wanted to do with his granddaughters.
Aveoth, the powerful GarLycan clan leader, had recently lost his lover, which meant he’d be seeking a new one. And rumor had it that Aveoth was addicted to a particular bloodline—the one the sisters carried in their veins.
By using Dusti or Bat, Decker Filmore could secure Aveoth’s help in his bid to take over the VampLycan clans.
Drantos believed the sisters were ignorant to their grandfather’s plans. Worse, his brother was convinced the sisters didn’t know VampLycans even existed.
That’s where they’d disagreed.
How in the hell is that possible?
Kraven wasn’
t buying it. He refused. The sisters had been captured by him and Drantos, VampLycans from another clan, who they’d consider enemies if they were in league with Decker. They were lying.
His brother might be older, but that didn’t make him wiser. He also seemed to be attracted to Dusti. It had to have affected his judgment.
Kraven needed to be the vigilant one.
As he’d cooked the deer and passed it out to the passengers, his gaze kept drifting to Drantos. He was spending too much time with the younger sister. He wouldn’t take it well if the sisters turned out to be onboard with Decker’s plans.
His mood darkened as the night wore on. One of the survivors was becoming a pain in his ass. The human seemed determined to panic the others. Kraven finally pulled him aside.
“Knock your shit off. These people have been through enough without you telling them animals will eat them while they sleep and no one is going to find the downed plane.”
“I can say whatever the hell I want. Fuck off, man.”
Kraven grabbed him by the front of his shirt and yanked him off balance. “You didn’t get too hurt in the crash.” He lowered his voice. “I can fix that. Do you understand me? Don’t fuck with these people. Shut the hell up or I’ll break your jaw. Try talking shit then.”
“You can’t threaten me!”
“I just did. You’re one of those assholes who love to instill fear in others. It probably makes you feel like a big, important man. It actually just makes you an asshole I want to deck. Stop. This is the only warning you’re going to get.” Kraven lifted him off his feet to make a point, but quickly lowered him, aware that others might witness what was going on.
Instead, he let down his guard and allowed his true nature to show in his eyes. He wasn’t going to waste any more time arguing with the moron. “Go sit your ass down and don’t talk to the others until after you’re rescued. You’re allowed to nod and shake your head to answer anyone who asks questions. That’s it. Am I clear?”
The guy nodded.
Kraven felt no guilt as the guy stumbled away and found a place to sit. He didn’t speak to the others, the command set in his mind.