Part 18 (1/2)

She only came after you because of your connection to Abbott and me. You owe me nothing, Eric. I merely wanted you to know you don't have to fear her, anymore. She won't order your capture again.

But her boss is still in control, right?

Yes, but he has enough other things to worry about, without trying to infiltrate the territory for a single human. His territory is a mess, he's lost a lot of people, and his base of operations destroyed. You'll be with either Ranger or myself for a while, to be safe, but I don't think anyone will come after you again.

When can I go back to my yacht?

Soon. Can you come to Abbott's tomorrow afternoon, so I can see you when I rise?

Ranger and I will be in a wilderness area for the next four to six days. I didn't know when I'd hear from you again.

Are you mad at me?

Frustrated with you, and yeah, maybe a little mad. I was worried and didn't hear from you. People told me you were likely taking your time killing her, and it felt like...

After a few seconds of silence, Kendra finished his thought. It felt as if my revenge against her was more important than my feelings for you?

Yeah.

His answer broke her heart, and she wasn't going to make it better talking telepathically. He needed to look into her eyes when she explained.

I need to talk to you in person. Give me an idea of the general area you expect to be in tomorrow night, and I'll find you.

Ranger said I shouldn't tell anyone our location. Not even Abbott.

Your uncle's smart, and very safety minded. I'll speak with you again tomorrow night. Be safe, Eric. I'm sorry you're upset with me, and I hope we can fix it sooner rather than later. You need to hear what I have to say before you decide to be too angry with me.

I'm glad you're okay.

Well, that was something. And I'm glad you've enjoyed this time with Ranger. I'll let you get back to sleep. Enjoy your day.

Chapter Twenty-One.

Eric and Ranger worked to set up their camp for the night after covering nine miles of the Benton MacKaye Trail in one day. They had no intentions of hiking the entire trail, but wanted to cover another twenty five or thirty miles, which should get them into North Carolina, and with a good bit of scenery on the way.

The two had hiked the backcountry together many times, and set up camp without even thinking about it, so within ten minutes the tent was up, bedrolls ready, and they were seated on the ground fixing their dinner over the small camp stove.

Aaron and Nathan were the only people with the number to Ranger's burner phone, and while Ranger had called to check in twice a day, no one knew their location.

”Do I need to pay you, for the time you're taking off work?” Eric asked.

”Aaron tells me I'm getting paid for this week, and I've decided not to argue. Don't know if he'll consider it part of my paid vacation time or not, but I get six weeks a year, and I didn't take them all last year, so...” He shrugged. ”I'm not hurting for money, anyway. The new job pays much better than the old, and I'm still spending money at the old standard of living.”

”You been seeing anyone?”

He shook his head. ”I have lots of s.e.x, and it isn't too hard to find willing submissives in clubs, when I get a hankering to wield a flogger, but my lifestyle isn't conducive to a relations.h.i.+p. A few years ago I was part of a poly group, so they didn't miss me so much when I was gone. I still missed them when I was on a mission, but I didn't have to feel guilty about leaving a woman at home alone.” He shrugged. ”For a variety of reasons, we all broke up, and I got my heart broken, but I survived. If I was going to get serious with someone again, though, I'd like there to be a similar situation. For one thing, you know how much I love double or triple-teaming a girl, but mostly, it wouldn't be fair to get serious with someone when I could be gone months at a time on a.s.signment.”

”I haven't decided what to do about Kendra, yet.”

”I know you care about her, and I know you're freaked by learning what she's capable of, but give her a chance. Maybe it'll work, maybe it won't, but she cares about you enough to risk her life by taking so many of the Media Council's people out in such a spectacular fas.h.i.+on.”

”Two of her friends have basically told me I've given her a reason to live, again. I guess the oldest vampires sometimes get bored with life, and she was there. I don't want that responsibility.”

”Whether you date a human or vampire, you're going to be capable of hurting the other person if you break up with them. Giving her a reason to live isn't something you do, it's just what's happened by spending time with her. You've reminded her of the joys life can bring, reminded her what it's like to have adventures, and to grab life by the nuts and live it.”

The two talked until well after dark, but neither was ready to go into the tent, yet. Eric was sprawled in his trek-chair, his legs out straight on the ground in front of him, when Ranger was suddenly standing, ready for a fight. Eric had been practicing holding his s.h.i.+eld, and he reinforced it as he, too, jumped to his feet and grabbed his knife from his belt. He didn't know what Ranger had heard or smelled, but he wasn't going down without a fight.

He heard Kendra in his head and with his ears as she landed twenty yards from them. ”It me, Kendra. Relax, guys, we're all safe.”

Eric didn't relax the grip he had on his knife as he asked, ”How the h.e.l.l did you find us?”

”We're linked, Eric. It took me an hour longer than it would've if you'd given me a general location, but I warned you when we created the mind link, it would let me find you.”

She looked at Ranger and asked, ”Do you mind if I fly him to the next mountaintop? There's a rental cabin with no one in it and an easy lock to pick. I'd like to spend some time with him alone, and I'll bring him back in a few hours.”

”You didn't think to ask me if I want to go?” Eric asked. ”Because as of right now, I'm thinking you and I can talk when Ranger and I finish our hike in a few days.”

She shook her head. ”We're going to talk. We can do it here in front of Ranger, or just the two of us, on the next mountain. The two of you can finish your hike afterwards, but you aren't going to go another night thinking I tortured someone for three solid nights when I didn't.”

Eric paused, felt some of the twist in his gut relax, and asked, ”Then why were you gone three nights?”

”So people would think I did.”

Eric looked to Ranger, who told him, ”Many of the oldest vampires take pleasure in torture. Others do it when they must, but it isn't something they relish. The former are feared a whole lot more than the latter. I believe Kendra has tricked the world into thinking she enjoys ripping her enemies apart and making their death last as long as possible, when in reality she doesn't.”

Eric looked back to Kendra, who gave Ranger a grateful look before telling Eric, ”I killed her partway through the second night, because it took that long to hurt her bad enough to get all the information I needed from her. I waited until most of the way through the third night to FedEx pieces of her to Mitroff, with a handwritten note detailing all the ways she'd suffered, and warning him he's next.”

Eric sighed, looked at their little campsite, and s.h.i.+fted his gaze back to Kendra to ask, ”I guess this would be the part where we ride the storm out?” Kendra smiled, and he told her, ”I don't want to leave Ranger alone, but you're welcome to hang out with us until we're ready to turn in for the night.”

Kendra looked at Eric's backcountry trek-chair, and Ranger's Helinox chair, and said, ”I'm gonna borrow one of the chairs off the front porch of that rental cabin. I'll be right back.”

She returned with a heavy wooden rocking chair, and Eric laughed at the incongruity of it, but his heart warmed as she sat and talked to them of the things he and Ranger had been doing over the past days.

Eric gave her a peck on the lips when they said goodbye, not quite ready for more, but he told her, ”I just need a few more days in the woods, and then we can talk.”

Chapter Twenty-Two.

Kendra was staying in a small, rural home in the sticks until the situation with South Carolina was resolved. Abbott had moved most of the vampires out of the coterie house, and the ones still there with an upstairs bedroom were sleeping in the bunker. He didn't want both Gavin and Kendra there at the same time, and Kendra had volunteered to temporarily relocate, as Gavin had more need to be around to handle day-to-day issues.

Abbott didn't just think politically, but also strategically for battle, and he didn't want all of his most important people bedding down in the same place. The house he'd put her in had a secret bunker off the bas.e.m.e.nt for her daytime resting spot, and was situated in the middle of fifteen acres of forest, with various trip wires to alert her if anyone came in on her while she was up.

She'd had to leave her phone at home, and a tech guy had come to her house and done something so no one could trace her online activities to this house.