Kraven Read online

  “I was being you.”

  “What?” Bat was confused.

  “He grabbed a little girl and wanted to exchange her for you. The moron thought you were the one in Howl, instead of me. So I played you.” Dusti wiggled out of her hold and straightened her shoulders, lifting her chin, and her expression hardened. “It wasn’t too hard. I just threw some lawyer terms out there and ranted about my messed-up clothing.” Dusti smiled and her body relaxed. “The dumbass bought it right up until I shot him.”

  “You still could have been killed.” Bat tried to remain calm but the thought of Dusti with a gun, facing off against their grandfather, terrified her. She looked at Drantos. “How could you let her do that?”

  He shook his head. “I didn’t. She snuck out—and my mother helped her do it. Don’t blame this on me. I’m still furious.”

  “Hey.” Dusti drew her attention. “Ease up, big sis. This was all on me. My plan. That kid was just a baby. You’d have done the same thing. Not to mention, you know how much I’ve always hated Decker Filmore. I don’t regret shooting him but I’m sorry he’s still alive. He deserves to die for all he did to Mom and us.”

  Bat just gawked at her, stunned.

  “Are you disappointed in me for saying that?” Tears shone in Dusti’s eyes. “I know you think it’s important that we have family but I don’t agree. He’s a piece of shit.”

  “I had a change of heart,” Bat admitted. “I wish the bastard was dead too. He put you in danger. I’ll never forgive him for that.”

  Kraven came up behind Bat. “It’s good to see you, Drantos. Do you have any leads?”

  “He never showed up at the airport, but someone reported a bush pilot missing forty miles from here. We sent an enforcer with one of Aveoth’s men to that location. They picked up VampLycan scents at the man’s home, including Decker’s. They must have forced him to fly them out of the area in his helicopter.”

  “Damn.” Kraven wrapped his fingers around Bat’s hip and tugged her back against him.

  She allowed it, glancing between the brothers as they stared at each other. Both of them showed grim expressions. “What exactly does that mean?”

  Kraven answered. “He could be anywhere. Alaska. Canada. Hell, Russia. It depends on the range of the helicopter or if he just had it fly him to somewhere with other transportation. Trains, buses, or other airports. For all we know, he could have avoided civilization altogether.”

  “He’ll go for the cities,” Drantos predicted. “It’s easier to get lost and we don’t venture there often.”

  “I agree. He had the Vampire Council put a bounty on her head so he’s buddy/buddy with them right now.”

  “Fuck.” Drantos snarled.

  Bat pressed back against Kraven. His brother’s fangs had extended and he looked scary. He wrapped both of his arms firmly around her waist and held her close.

  “He reached out to the Lycan packs too,” Kraven added. “I’m guessing he’s on his way to L.A. That’s why I wanted to get the hell out of there. One of the packs tried to turn Bat over to him. They admitted being in contact with him. The Vamps stopped them and flew us home.”

  “Against council orders?” Drantos frowned.

  “That’s another long story,” Kraven admitted. “I need to talk to Dad.”

  Drantos leaned and placed a kiss on Dusti’s cheek. “You stay here with your sister. Kraven and I are going to see our parents. I asked Maku to keep an eye out for you two. He’s right outside. Stay put…for once.”

  Dusti turned and wrapped her arms around the big Biker Bear, grinning up at him. “Promise.”

  Bat studied the couple. Some of her reservations about their relationship disappeared at observing the loving way they gazed at each other. Drantos hugged her sister close, kissing her again.

  Dusti suddenly laughed. “You’re so bad. Is that my reward if I’m good?”

  Drantos winked at her sister and she laughed again.

  “What am I missing?” Bat looked up at Kraven.

  He held her gaze. “They’ve bonded.”

  “So?”

  He lowered his head, putting his lips close to her ear. “They can think words and hear each other without actually speaking them aloud,” he whispered. “Watch them. They’re having an entire conversation. We just can’t hear it.”

  Bat studied her sister and her Biker Bear again. They were staring into each other’s eyes, and sure enough, their expressions changed, almost as if they were talking. Drantos kissed her sister once more and reached up, brushing her cheek with his fingers. Dusti suddenly placed her hand on his stomach and shoved at him, laughing again. He grinned in response.

  It kind of freaked Bat out. “Dusti?”

  Her sister turned her head, looking at Bat. “Sorry.”

  Kraven eased his hold. “I’ll be back soon.”

  Bat nodded. She waited until the men left and the door closed. She had questions and she wanted answers. “What was that?”

  “It’s called mate bonding. It’s kind of hard to explain.” Dusti smiled. “I have a lot to tell you.”

  “No shit. You have telepathy with Biker Bear?!”

  Dusti took her hand. “This is a conversation best had sitting down.”

  Bat just nodded and turned, taking a seat on the couch. Dusti kept hold of her hand and sat next to her. “Hit me with it.”

  “Drantos is my mate. I was weirded out by that at first but…he’s amazing, Bat. I love him so much. He loves me too.” Dusti smiled wider. “We can send thoughts and words at each other if we’re close. I can feel what he feels too. The sex is amazing when we’re linked.”

  Bat tried to take all that in.

  Dusti squeezed her hand. “I know it sounds crazy. It’s real though. I didn’t believe it until our bond snapped into place. I can feel my hands on him like it’s my own body. You know how we joke about how it sucks sleeping with men who can get off so easily during sex when it’s tougher for us? Not anymore. Drantos getting off gets me off.”

  It was tough for Bat to wrap her mind around.

  “I take it you and Kraven haven’t experienced that yet?” Dusti’s tone softened. “He’s your mate, Bat. Did he tell you that? He is. Drantos shared that information with me.”

  “Kraven told me.”

  Dusti leaned closer. “You’re fighting it, right? Stop. For once in your damn life, listen to what I’m saying. Having a mate is the best thing that ever happened to me. I don’t know Kraven, but I do know Drantos. And they’re brothers, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt that he’s an incredible person too. You’ve always been afraid of being hurt again. These guys aren’t like the ones we’ve known. My marriage was a damn joke. A sad, unfunny one. What I have with Drantos doesn’t even compare. It’s intense and beautiful. He’d never hurt me. He can’t without hurting himself. It will be the same way with Kraven if you stop fighting becoming his mate. He’ll feel what you feel. He hurts you, he does it to himself too. He makes you sad, he’s sad. It’s how it is. Really.”

  “I don’t know what to think,” Bat admitted.

  “I know. I was reluctant to believe until I experienced it firsthand. It seemed too damn weird.” Dusti smiled again. “But you trust me, and I wouldn’t lie to you. I’m not brainwashed or anything either. I’m just in love and really happy.”

  “Doesn’t it bother you that they’re VampLycan?”

  “So are we, to an extent. We just didn’t know it.”

  Dusti had a point. “I talked to Dr. Brent.” Bat shared what she’d learned and everything that had happened in L.A. “So Dad knew about Mom being a VampLycan, and she did try to tell me the truth. I feel like I let her down. She had to erase my memories every time she let me in on our family secret.”

  Dusti released her hand and wiped away tears. “Stop beating yourself up. You were just a teenager, Bat. Hell, I’m an adult and didn’t take it well until the truth was unavoidable. I accused Drantos of being nuts.”

  “I’m