Page 21 of A Hunter Turned
Cady, he could hear, was already in the living room introducing Jamie to Rueben who was most likely wrapped around his favorite tree branch. Leaving the bag of food on the kitchen table cluttered with knick-knacks, trays of seedlings, and potted plants, he was turning to join them when he was ambushed by Nedra.
“Another one?” she asked, with a grunt. “I hope this one at least has some gumption.”
Archer swallowed the snarl that had risen at the implied derision toward his deceased wife. Nedra would whack him with her cane before he could blink if he got growly with her. “Jamie’s just a friend,” he said calmly, though the words now tasted wrong. The vampire had become a friend of late, yes, but she also felt like so much more. “She recently suffered some injuries and is staying with the pack until she recovers.”
Nedra considered him through narrowed eyes, the pearls dangling from her ears bobbing as she moved her head from side to side. As if coming to a decision, the woman closed her eyes and announced, “I must speak with her. Alone. Feed your daughter.”
The alpha in Archer didn’t like taking orders, but as this was Nedra’s house, she was alpha here. Raising his voice to get Cady’s attention, he called out, “Come eat, munchkin.”
Having no desire to stay in such proximity to a snake – a massive snake, by the way, its thick body marbled in pale yellow on white – Jamie went to follow Cady back into the kitchen for some food. Her way was blocked by the small old woman that owned the house.
Her wizened face was set in determined lines, her cane planted before her, and Jamie was suddenly reminded of Gandalf and his staff, declaring,“You shall not pass.”Of course, that would make Jamie the fire demon that needed to be abolished in this scenario, wouldn’t it?
Feeling suddenly extremely uncomfortable under the old woman’s regard, Jamie tried not to shift her weight nervously. Witches were unpredictable, and depending on their level of strength, completely capable of doing a great bit of damage. Destin Jourdain had recently proven that. A single powerful witch against an army of vampires armed with automatic weapons and according to Morgan, Jourdain was the one who had walked away from the battle without a scratch, while the bodies of the Turned vampires he’d taken out had littered the grounds of Rodolfo’s property.
“Let’s sit.”
The words may have seemed like a request but Jamie knew they were anything but. Settling into a seat that allowed her to keep an eye on the snake as well as the witch, Jamie pasted on a bright smile and glanced around the room that sported crocheted doilies and assorted knick-knacks on every surface. “You have a lovely home.”
Nedra acknowledged the compliment with a slight dip of her chin before she said matter-of-factly, “Vamps around these parts don’t cotton to shifters. What’s your angle, vampire?” A quick thump of the cane. “And don’t give me none of that injured and recovering business like the boy tried. That don’t explain why you’re out in a boat with Archer and his girl. You spying for Rodolfo?”
Jamie’s lip curled at the very suggestion that she might be affiliated in any way with that bastard Olivier Rodolfo. “Rodolfo’s dead,” she said, her words bitten out in a harsh tone she couldn’t seem to contain. “And I’m not one of his. I’m not from around here at all.”
“So that Yankee accent tells me.” Nedra’s eyes suddenly glittered with delighted malice as she leaned forward in her seat, her hands cupping the head of her cane. “Tell me. Rodolfo. Did you kill him, vampire?”
Jamie shook her head. “But I would have, had I had the chance.”
“She’s a Hunter, Aunty,” was said in a small voice from the doorway and Jamie’s head jerked around to see Cady with Archer just behind her, his large hands on his daughter’s tiny shoulders. The look on Cady’s face had Jamie wishing she could call back the blood-thirsty words that had obviously upset the girl.
“She wanted to bring Jamie some food,” Archer said by way of explanation to Nedra but his eyes on Jamie were assessing, a protective glint as he looked her over to determine for himself if she was faring well in the witch’s company. She gave him a quick nod of acknowledgment as well as appreciation.
Cady suddenly shrugged Archer’s hands away and came to stand in front of Jamie as if to protect her from Nedra. “Jamie’s nice, Aunty. She’s not one of the bad ones.”
Nedra’s eyes widened before she cackled and settled back into her seat. “It appears you have a champion, vampire.”
“Her name isJamie. Not vampire,” Cady scolded, her arms crossed over her chest.
Ah. So that was what had upset the girl. Not Jamie’s words as she had first assumed. Reaching out, she rubbed her hand in a soothing gesture over Cady’s back. “You go ahead and finish eating,” Jamie whispered to the girl. “Your Aunty Nedra is just making sure I’m not looking to hurt you or your dad. It’s all good,” she added with a soft smile, her adoration for this fierce child shining through.
Nedra waited until Cady and Archer had once more retreated before uttering with a shake of her head, “My, oh my. A Hunter in Louisiana. I never thought I’d see the day Rodolfo allowed anyone to play on his playground. How’d that come about?”
“We were hired to do a job.”
Nedra looked taken aback. “By Rodolfo?”
“Destin Jourdain hired us.”
If Jamie thought Nedra had looked surprised before, it was nothing compared to what she was currently seeing from the old woman. “And you accepted?”
Before Jamie could answer, the woman shook her head and muttered, “Lord Almighty,” followed by a humming sound. “Vampires helping witches, shifters helping vamps, Rodolfo finally dethroned, what’s next?”
The wordwaralmost slipped past Jamie’s lips but she managed to contain it as Nedra let out a loud sigh and then quietly stated, “Destin’s a good boy. His mama raised him right.” Nodding, her eyes caught on Jamie’s before she added with a nostalgic smile, “Did you know that I held his position before I chose to retire?” She didn’t wait for a response, continuing with, “I nominated him. Would have nominated his mama but those kinds of politics are best managed by the young and the boy was bursting with potential. Looks like I was right. My old brain never would have thought of hiring vampires to dethrone a vampire.” Another shake of her head.
Jamie was about to clarify that they hadn’t been hired specifically to dethrone Rodolfo but rather to infiltrate his stronghold to figure out which vampires were killing witches, but before she could utter a word, she was dismissed. Nedra raised her arm and motioned with her hand toward the kitchen, nearly dislodging the wad of tissues tucked into her sleeve. “Go on and join them, Jamie. Eat. These old bones of mine need a moment to process all of this.”
Chapter Fourteen
Apparently, Nedra’s remark of needing a moment had meantonlya moment. Jamie had barely sat down at the kitchen table when the old woman was up, a determined set to her slightly stooped shoulders as she bustled into the kitchen and began collecting things without a word. A potted plant from the window ledge, a mason jar from the cupboard that looked to contain some dried black twigs, a bright blue glass vile from another cupboard were all added to a little cloth-lined basket that was looped over Nedra’s arm before the woman moved behind Jamie. There was a little snipping sound, and Jamie glanced over her shoulder, pulling her tail of hair to the front. Did Nedra just cut her hair? She couldn’t find any sign of damage, no obvious chunks missing, and before she could ask, the woman disappeared down a hallway.
