Kraven Read online

  Kraven spun away and went to clean up a little before bed. He really wanted to leave the crash site now. They needed to get Bat and Dusti to Howl, their clan’s village, and especially to their father, Velder, the clan leader. But Drantos was determined to get a fresh start in the morning.

  And on top of that, Drantos ordered him to keep Bat warm, claiming she couldn’t regulate her own body heat. That meant he’d have to hold the little hellion in his arms and trust that she wouldn’t attempt to slit his throat while he slept.

  He might have to take orders from his older brother, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

  Returning, he dropped some sleeping gear next to Bat and crouched.

  She gasped. “What are you doing?”

  She wasn’t about to just agree to sleeping with him, so he didn’t give her a choice, attacking before she could react.

  He grabbed Bat after settling next to her and pinned her down. “Shut up,” he hissed.

  “Fuck off, asshole. Get off me,” she ground out.

  Kraven let her know who was in charge by making her look deeply into his eyes. He knew the second she noticed their color change. Fear widened her gaze…

  A curious thing happened then, though. She went lax under him, just staring.

  He frowned, watching her.

  The silence was broken by his brother and Dusti speaking softly, but he ignored their conversation. “Bat?”

  She said nothing.

  It sank in slowly that she was affected by his eyes. Kraven slowly shifted his hold on her and grabbed her breast, figuring that would piss her off enough to react.

  She remained still beneath him, her expression blank.

  Son of a bitch. What the hell? She’s acting completely human. It can’t be… He’d been under the impression when he’d learned of the sisters that they knew exactly who and what their grandfather was. Their mother had obviously mated with a human, for them to smell the way they did, but they should know their heritage.

  He released her breast and trailed his hand lower, over her hip, and shoved his fingers under her ass, firmly gripping.

  She didn’t even blink and her breathing remained shallow. She was totally under his control.

  How is this possible?

  Was Drantos right? Had the sisters inherited so little of their mother’s VampLycan blood that they were literally helpless? All the possibilities filled his mind. Decker Filmore could easily control Bat and take away her will.

  That didn’t sit well with him.

  Kraven released her ass and adjusted his body a little, getting more comfortable. Bat continued to gaze up at him, completely docile—and suddenly he didn’t like seeing her that way. It felt wrong, somehow. She wasn’t totally human so she shouldn’t be responding like one. He cupped her cheek, leaning in closer to stare deeply into her eyes.

  “Are you attracted to me? Answer.”

  “Yes.”

  He scowled. The Bat he was coming to know wouldn’t admit that so easily. But he still felt distrustful. “I’m going to ask you some questions and you are going to answer them all honestly. Do you understand?”

  “Yes.”

  A faint smell filled his nose, and he felt both satisfaction and astonishment. She wasn’t faking it. The little hellion was getting turned-on. A few more breaths, though, and he realized the scent wasn’t coming from the woman under him—but the sister a few feet away.

  He turned his head and saw his brother was on top of Dusti. He sniffed deeply again and cursed, looking back at Bat.

  “Sleep,” he whispered. “Forget everything from the moment I laid down until you wake in the morning. Do you understand?”

  She gave a slight nod of her head and closed her eyes.

  Kraven released her and rolled away, going after Drantos before he fucked Dusti in front of the remaining survivors.

  His brother had clearly lost his damn mind. Kraven had to pull him off and physically restrain him from trying to get back to Dusti.

  Kraven tried to make light of the situation. Of course Drantos wanted to fuck the woman. The blonde sisters were attractive. He was even guilty of wanting to nail Bat. He was just too smart to actually do it.

  It came as a huge shock when Drantos declared Dusti was his mate.

  Oh, hell no. This shit can’t be happening. It’s a nightmare. It has to be.

  They’d leave first thing in the morning and take both sisters to their father. He’d know what to do. Decker couldn’t get his hands on either of them.

  Chapter Three

  Bat opened her eyes to bright sunlight. The headache was less severe but still present. She frowned, blinked a few times, before she realized Kraven was crouched in front of her. He looked concerned.

  She was immediately alarmed. The last thing she remembered clearly was going to the bathroom the night before and sitting back down near her sister. There were a few brief flashes of talking to her sister this morning but it was mostly a blur. The pain in her head had been pretty bad but it alarmed her that her memory was fuzzy.

  “Did I pass out?”

  He leaned in closer. “No. You’ve been sleeping.”

  “I had the weirdest dream. I was in the circus.” She’d been upside down, swaying on a swing, and there had been bears waiting for her to fall. They’d wanted to eat her. She blinked a few times to clear her head.

  “Are you all right?” His concern was evident and a bit touching.

  “Yes. It wasn’t a nightmare or anything,” she lied. Her attention finally turned to their surroundings.

  They weren’t in the clearing anymore.

  Woods totally surrounded them, the plane was gone, and no survivors were spread out around a campfire. Bat currently sat on a rock with a blanket wrapped around her. “Where are we?”

  Kraven suddenly gripped her jaw with a warm, firm hand, drawing her focus. “You were exhausted. You slept so long I actually worried about you.”

  Bat shrugged. “I work a lot of hours. I’ve had one high-profile case after another for the past few months. I’ve gotten behind on my sleep. I guess it must have all caught up with me.” Bat gripped his hand. “Why are you touching me?” She tried pushing it away. “Let go.”

  Kraven released her and stood. “My mistake.”

  “Where is Dusti?” She was warm so she let the blanket drop off her shoulders, pooling behind her.

  He bit his lower lip, staring at her. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

  Fear was instant. “Is she okay?” She jerked to her feet but it was a mistake, as she immediately swayed on her feet. It also made her aware that her shoes were gone. Her bare feet were planted on dirt. She turned her head, again taking in their surroundings. Nothing was familiar.

  He curved his two big hands around her hips. She wanted to push Kraven away but she needed his support while the world still spun a little. “You were utterly worn down to the point of exhaustion. I should have seen it last night but I was too angry to take notice. I’m sorry.”

  She lifted her chin, staring at him with confusion. “For what? Where is the plane? The other survivors? Most importantly, my sister?”

  He hesitated.

  “Oh my God. Is Dusti okay?” Full panic set in.

  “She’s fine.” His tone softened. “She’s with Drantos.”

  “Why aren’t we at the crash site?” It had been years since she’d sleepwalked. And out here, it was a daunting concept. “Did I take off in my sleep?” It would account for a lot, including the loss of her shoes.

  “What’s the last thing you remember?” he asked again.

  “I was sitting next to Dusti and you came up to us. I think we were getting ready to go to sleep.”

  “I carried you out here.”

  Her mouth dropped open. A new fear crept in. “Why? I’ll fight if you’re thinking what I hope you’re not. I’ll totally press charges if you sexually assault me.”

  He slowly shook his head, a look of pure disgust on his face. �