Lavos Read online

  Jadee straightened and opened her mouth wide. She stuck out her tongue after she’d given him a few seconds to see that she didn’t have fangs. “You’re such a dipshit, Mark. No fangs.” She approached them, her hands out to her sides. She paused in front of him and slowly lifted her arm. She pushed a fingertip against the wood.

  “See? Not a Vampire. I know I don’t get a lot of sunbathing in with my night job, but do I look pasty-ass white like the freak outside?”

  The woman was the first to lower her cross. She burst into tears and grabbed Jadee, hugging her. “We were so worried. We heard the gunfire and the tablet went dead. We thought they’d killed you.”

  Jadee hugged her back. “It’s okay, Peggy. We’re safe now. These guys are going to take us to the truck I rented and I’ll drive us out of here.” She untangled herself from the woman and backed up, glaring at the man with the accent. “You can lower the cross. You look ridiculous.” She glanced at the other man. “It’s okay, Brent. These guys killed a few Vampires but are just holding on to that one until they find the master.”

  “Where’s your dad?” the older woman asked.

  “He’s in a better place now,” Jadee answered.

  “I need to gather our hard drives and samples.” Mark lowered the cross.

  “You do that.” Jadee glanced at Lavos and winked.

  He managed to hide his surprise. She was smart. The man named Mark began to collect things off a desk. That would save Lavos time. The second man, Brent, dropped the cross on the floor. He turned, helping the other one gather their evidence.

  “I’m going to take the important data and then lock up the trailer. We’ll have to come back in the morning.” Mark seemed to be the one in charge. “We’ll document everything. We’ll bring in Richard Smith and his team. They’ll help salvage as much as possible.” The guy suddenly turned, staring at Kar. “Could we keep that one? I mean, as evidence? To turn over a live Vampire would prove to everyone they exist.”

  Kar looked at Lavos. “Um…”

  Lavos took control of the situation. He wasn’t sure how to respond either. No way would they ever allow that to happen but he needed the humans to relax. “Maybe. We might be able to work out a deal. Vampire hunting can be expensive.” Humans liked greed. They understood it.

  Mark smiled. “Jadee will pay.”

  “Excuse me?” Jadee gasped.

  Mark glared at her. “Your father is dead and he funded our trips. That means you’re in control of the money now. I know he has you on all his accounts and listed as half owner of everything. Pay them whatever they want for that Vampire. Do you know how important this is?”

  “Yes.” Jadee didn’t look happy. “I do.” She glanced at Lavos. “But he needs to talk to you first. You know, about the other Vampire on the loose and what happened here.”

  That was his cue. “I’ll talk to them one at a time,” he hinted. “So I can get each of their stories. It will help us track the missing one if we get as many details as possible.”

  “Good plan.” Jadee nodded.

  Mitch struggled in Kar’s hold. “We already broke free from them once. I’ll do it again!”

  “Shut up,” Kar muttered. “You’re an idiot.”

  Lavos hid a smile. He shouldn’t be so amused with the situation but he couldn’t help it. He watched as the human team collected their belongings. Jadee walked to the back of the trailer and he realized she planned to climb down. He advanced and reached up, holding her gaze.

  “Let me.”

  She only hesitated for a second before she leaned over, placing her hands on his shoulders. He gripped her hips, easily lifting her and placing her on her feet. She didn’t seem afraid of him anymore.

  “They’re all yours,” she whispered. “Please don’t hurt them. I’m trusting you.” She backed away, letting him go.

  He waited until the older woman tried to leave the trailer. It stood a good four feet from the ground. He stepped forward, offering to help her out too. She smiled at him and allowed it.

  “You’re a strong one.” She blushed a little when he set her on her feet after lifting her down. “I have a hundred questions to ask you.”

  “Okay.”

  “Is it like a family business or did something happen to make you hunt Vampires?”

  He hesitated. “Family business.”

  She looked excited. “How many generations?”

  “A few.”

  “You’re like the books!” She grinned. “I want to interview you at length. Can we do that?”

  “Sure,” he lied. “Do you mind moving so I’m not staring at those bright lights? They’re giving me a headache after tracking Vampires in the dark for the past few hours.”

  “Sure.” She stepped around so she faced the trailer instead of him. He turned with her, putting his back to the two humans still moving around inside it. He held her gaze, allowing his power to surge. Her eyes widened in surprise as she watched the blue of his eyes begin to glow.

  “Shush,” he murmured. “Relax.” He was going to have to kill her if he couldn’t get inside her mind.

  Her features slackened and she didn’t make a sound.

  “You’re safe,” he assured her. “Repeat that and speak in a very soft tone.”

  “I’m safe,” she whispered.

  Someone stepped closer and he inhaled Jadee’s scent. She surprised him when she spoke.

  “Is it working on her?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. I’ll watch them and give a warning when they’re ready to leave.”

  She kept close to him, making it appear the three of them were having a discussion. He appreciated it. He needed to focus on Peggy. Kar had his hands full with the soldier.

  “You came here to look for Vampires, right?”

  “Yes.” Peggy suddenly looked frightened. “There were four of them.”

  He executed a little more force and deepened his voice. “No, there weren’t. You arrived here and didn’t find anything.” He held his breath, waiting to see how she’d respond.

  The fear vanished. “We didn’t.”

  “You saw a few bears. A storm came and you parked too close to the river. That’s the most frightening thing that happened. The water started to rise and you couldn’t get your vehicles out in time.” He paused, needing to build a memory for her that would make sense. He’d take care of the trailer and any other evidence in the area.

  Jadee put her hand on his arm. “There is a tow car and a rig around here that pulled the trailer, plus the two smaller RVs and the larger one that belonged to my dad. They were all messed with. Maybe you could say she caught a cold and slept a lot. It’s best if she thinks she was out of it most of the time from a high fever.”

  He nodded, letting her know he heard what she’d said.

  Not only did Jadee help him do his job but she gave him helpful suggestions about what to put in the human’s mind. His admiration for her grew.

  Chapter Six

  It amazed Jadee how easily Lavos manipulated Peggy. His eyes glowed that neon blue and Peggy ate up everything he said as if it were gospel. It left her feeling a little uneasy but it would save the team’s lives. She could live with Lavos messing with their memories.

  So far he’d kept his word. He said he’d wipe their minds and that’s what he was doing. He wouldn’t waste his time if he planned to just kill them after all. She gave him more details to help him fill in any gaps she could think of. He was good, coming up with a story to explain how they’d lost their vehicles and the trailer. She cringed a little on the inside. All that money her father had spent would end up at the bottom of the river.

  She watched Mark and Brent making extra copies of the videos they must have taken. They put the USB flash drives into their pockets. She’d have to tell Lavos about that. Her father would be disappointed in her for not helping to protect his research, but it had gotten him killed. She didn’t want to see that happen to the rest of his team.