Her Midnight Hunter (Keeper's Kin Book 3) Read online

  “That's how you can tell you're goin' soft,” he muttered to himself as he untied the dusty red bandana from around his neck and stuffed it into a back pocket.

  The entryway was just as he remembered it, no different from the entryway in the Nashville headquarters he'd once called home. A receptionist sat behind a counter to the right and offered a polite but closed-lipped smile. She'd hide her fangs until she knew he belonged there. He did, insofar as that he was a vampire—everyone in the building was, save a few volunteers who came to feed them or contribute blood to the cold stores. Beyond that, he wasn't so sure anymore.

  “They want me here for an interview,” Kade said, holding out the letter he should have opened days ago.

  She reached for it with a nod. “Relocation or quinquennial?”

  “Relocation. Been 'bout a year since the dust settled.” He shifted on his feet as she skimmed the letter and then passed it back.

  “Of course. Glad to have you in the area, Mr. Colton.” A hint of admiration colored her tone.

  Kade raised a brow. “You know me?”

  “A lot of us do. Not many hunters live long enough to retire.”

  “Well, not many hunters know when to quit.” It was part of why they tried to avoid lasting ties. Against his better judgment, Kade had made friends anyway. He dreaded the day he got word of Cole's last contract.

  She slid out from behind the desk. “This way, please.”

  He followed her to a small sitting room down the hall. Despite the cozy country décor, the way it was arranged—one chair in front of a table, multiple chairs and a lamp on the other side—gave him unpleasant flashbacks to his last visit to headquarters. He'd been interviewed then, too. Or, that was what they called it. He struggled not to shudder.

  The receptionist pulled back the lonely chair on the table's closer side, then offered a cheerful smile. “The Keepers will be along to speak with you shortly.”

  “Thank you, ma'am.” Kade tipped his hat before he settled. After the door closed behind her, he rubbed his palms against his thighs. The coarse denim was grounding—reassuring, even. He'd held down a normal job for over a year. There had been one small hangup with the sheriff's son back in the summer, but otherwise, no one else had learned his secret. There was no reason to be concerned about a post-relocation interview. So why did the clammy feeling of his hands make him second-guess whether or not vampires could sweat?

  All right, so maybe it hadn't been a small hangup. He'd gotten out of that by the skin of his fangs, and then only by Felicity's grace. Maybe he should have waited for her to tag along. There were a thousand ways this could go sour. After all, the last time he'd set foot in one of these offices, he'd discovered the warning notes his own Keeper added to his file.

  Potential threat. Suspected level 5. Kade still didn't know what that meant, and while he made a point of not worrying his wife, he turned those words over in his head every bloody day. Those and his Keeper's warning, which haunted him almost as bad as the sorrowful way the old man had looked when he said them.

  That look flooded Kade's thoughts. The way the rail-thin, near-emotionless Keeper's brows had pulled together, his mouth downturned and his dark eyes dull. I cannot protect you. From the other Keepers. From what Kade had become. Those were unspoken, but the old man hadn't needed to voice them.

  Kade already knew.

  “Mr. Colton,” a young man in a black suit said from the door. There was a genuine sparkle in his eyes, making him altogether too pleasant to be a Keeper. His golden hair was brushed back and he carried a folder under one arm. He touched it with his other hand, as if to make sure the pages were all still there. “It's a pleasure to meet you. Our office has heard a lot about your exploits.”

  Kade managed a strained smile. Great.

  “All good things, I promise.” The young Keeper laughed as he drew back a chair across the table from Kade. He put down the folder and sat. “The others will be along in a moment.”

  “Others?” Kade's eyes darted toward the door.

  “I'm guessing this is your first time doing a permanent relocation review? I didn't have time to do much more than glance through your record, so if you relocated prior, I must have missed it.” The Keeper opened to a point halfway through the document inside the folder, neatly skipping the pages with highlighted warnings Kade knew were there. “When a new charge transfers to our region, we typically have them meet with a handful of Keepers so they know who will be at their immediate disposal. You should, of course, consider transferring all your affairs to a local Keeper.”

  “I can't stay with Birch?” Kade had been partnered with the old man since he'd turned. Distance had never been a problem before. Nashville might have been his home base, but he spent most of his time working hundreds of miles away.

  “Well, there's nothing saying you can't, but it's usually easier for everyone if you transfer to a nearby Keeper. I'm Rylan Rhodes, by the way.” The young man extended his hand.

  Kade shook it. “Your mama was fond of the alliteration too, huh?”

  “My dad, actually. I'm looking forward to my first sanctioned name change. My middle name is Richard.”

  Chuckling, Kade leaned back in his chair. “Guess that would be a benefit.”

  The door opened to allow two more Keepers into the room, one short and older—though not as old as Thaddeus—and one middle-aged with copper-colored skin.

  Rylan cleared his throat. “Mr. Colton, this is Keeper Quentin Moretti, and Keeper Lucio Messon.” He gestured toward them in the order they'd entered. “We'll be conducting your interview today. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.”

  “How old are you?” Kade blurted, drawing immediate looks of ire from the two new Keepers. He managed not to cringe at the misstep.

  “I'll be forty-eight in October, so a shade older than you,” Rylan replied without missing a beat. “However, I accepted the Gift when I was twenty-six, which is what I suspect you meant.”

  Beside him, the older man sniffed as he pulled out his chair. “It's inappropriate to ask such a thing of any vampire, much less a Keeper.”

  Keeper Moretti was stuffy, Kade decided. Just like Thaddeus. If he was expected to transfer, he'd had enough of grouchy old men.

  “Well,” Rylan said with a cheerful chuckle, “I did say any question. Let's move on, shall we?”

  The other Keepers, not sharing his demeanor, settled against the table with sour faces.

  The young man cleared his throat. “So. Your record says you're married, and your wife is expecting a child?”

  “Yes, sir,” Kade said. “Due in about two months.”

  “Congrats.” Rylan nodded. “I had one, myself. He was just initiated last fall.”

  “Initiated?”

  “It's not uncommon for children to follow their parents into vampirism,” Keeper Moretti said.

  Kade's lips twitched with a frown before he caught himself. Young as Rylan appeared, it wasn't Keeper's physical age that made Kade think of him by his first name. It was the pleasant openness and cheery demeanor. The other Keepers were cold. Moretti was stiffly formal, and Messon hadn't spoken to him at all. Kade didn't want his file reassigned to another Keeper. If nothing else, he was familiar with Thaddeus and used to the old man's quirks. But if he did have to transfer, for one reason or another, he suspected Rylan would be his choice.

  “We all have our reasons for turning,” the young Keeper said, giving Moretti a sidewise glance. Then he cleared his throat. “Let's jump ahead, shall we? How are your feeding habits?”

  “Normal, I s'pose,” Kade said. “Been on cold rations as a precaution since last summer.”

  Rylan nodded, drew a small, orange spiral notepad from his pocket, and flipped it open. “Usually wise, if you're going to be in one area long-term.” He made a few tidy notes and marked a bullet point on the next line down to begin another. “Any changes in frequency since your arrival?”

  “No. Well, gone down a bit, I guess
. Now that I ain't huntin' and ain't getting roughed up all the time, I don't need much. But no different from when I was between contracts before.”

  “Has there been any change in your mood?”

  That made Kade chuckle. “Yeah, I'm a lot more relaxed.” It was easy to be, knowing he wouldn't be locked in a fight for his life every week or two.

  The young Keeper nodded again, as if it were a given. “And how's your home situation?”

  “Blissful?”

  Both older Keepers cocked an eyebrow.

  “No complaints at all?” Moretti's disbelief made itself evident in the minute elevation of his tone.

  Kade shrugged. “Little short on some conjugal activities, what with Filly bein' tired and sick most of the time, but I made it ten years before meetin' her. I can wait one more. I got a good thing goin'.”

  Rylan made another note. “I'm glad to hear it. From one father to another, you'll both be too tired for the first few months. But it's worth every sleepless night.”

  Moretti grunted softly. “What of your abilities, Mr. Colton? With your feeding schedule decreased from when you were an active hunter, have you detected any shifts in your capabilities? It isn't unusual for certain skills to weaken when you are not feeding frequently.”

  For a moment, Kade wasn't sure how to answer. Was he supposed to reassure them everything was fine? Or would it be safer to pretend there were differences? It was tempting, but he didn't know if that was accurate or not—they were Keepers, and he wouldn't be surprised if half the questioning was meant to catch him in a lie. He drew a breath to speak. A twinge of pain behind his eyes made him stop and twitch his head, instead.

  All three Keepers watched him with measured frowns.

  Kade couldn't recall the last time he'd had a headache, but he wouldn't have been surprised if it had been over the nonsense the Keepers threw at him. “I don't know,” he said after a moment, rubbing his temple with his middle finger. He could get himself worked up over their frustrating behavior later. Right now, he needed to breathe deep, stay calm, and give the kind of non-committal responses they deserved. “I don't do much that requires any kind of supernatural ability these days, mind. I do get occasional scrapes and sunburns, but they're so minor I don't pay them much attention. I couldn't tell you if it was any different.”

  “Well, no change is a good thing. It's what we strive for, actually. It indicates a smooth transition.” Rylan offered another smile. He smiled a lot. Too much for a Keeper. “But what about you? Do you have any concerns you'd like to ask us about?”

  The pain sharpened. Kade squeezed his eyes closed.

  “Mr. Colton?” The young Keeper prompted gently.

  Kade cradled his head in his hand and grunted in response.

  As suddenly as it appeared, the pain vanished, leaving Kade blinking at the table. His vision felt muddled and hazy and his eyes refused to focus. He rubbed his eyes to clear them. From across the table, all three Keepers stared at him in concern.

  “Sorry,” he managed, rubbing his brow. “I'm tired. I still work midnights on the ranch. Not used to being up all day like this.”

  Rylan's mouth formed a silent oh. “I apologize. I should have known. We'll be brief, then. If you don't have any questions, there's not much else we're required to cover.” He closed Kade's file and interlaced his fingers as he rested his hands atop the folder. “If I'm being honest, Mr. Colton, the visit is really just to convince you to transfer to a local Keeper. If you'd remained an active hunter, things might be different, but Keeper Birch has indicated he has no intention of leaving Nashville. He can serve you from there, but it is... ah...”

  “Inconvenient,” Moretti finished.

  “And heaven help the fool who inconveniences a Keeper,” Kade said. “Listen, I appreciate what y'all are doin', but I don't think I can make a decision like that on a minute's notice. I've been with Birch for more than ten years.”

  “Of course. We wouldn't expect you to make a decision today. Just...” Rylan slid a trio of black cards across the table. “Just consider it, okay?”

  Kade grabbed the cards and folded them into a stack in the palm of his hand. “Sure. Thank you.”

  The young Keeper half rose from his seat. “Do you need one of us to show you the door?”

  “No, thank you,” Kade replied as he stood and pushed in his chair at the table. He tipped his hat as a show of manners and stuffed the cards into his pocket as he slipped past the trio of vampires.

  He couldn't get out fast enough.

  Chapter Three

  “I don't know, Filly. Somethin' about it was just off.” Kade's voice crackled and cut off.

  Felicity pulled the phone back from her ear to check the strength of the signal before she pinned the slim cell phone against her shoulder with her cheek once more. “I'm not saying I don't believe you, but maybe you only feel that way because you want to keep working with Thaddeus.”

  “Well, what if Birch doesn't want me to transfer?”

  “That'd be a question for him.” She leveled off a cup of flour and added it to the large stand mixer. “It's not like I have any idea what he wants.”

  Kade grunted, a sound that came across harsh through the distorted line. “I tried callin' his office. He said he was busy. He's never been too busy for me before.”

  Trying to soothe him was like trying to pet a growling tomcat when it still saw its rival through a window. “That's because you weren't retired. You were practically his right-hand man.” Or something close to it, Felicity assumed. She still didn't understand the finer workings of the relationship between Keepers and their hunters. Without becoming one, she supposed she never would.

  Her husband didn't say anything else, so she sighed and went on. “I'm sure he'll call you back when he can. He's nothing if not mysterious.”

  “Guess so,” he muttered.

  “Quit worrying about it for now. All you need to worry about is being careful on the range tonight. I know you're tired, being up all day.”

  “I'll be fine.”

  Felicity put the measuring cup aside and planted her hand on her hip. “Promise me.”

  She could almost hear him roll his eyes. “I promise.”

  “Good. I love you, and I'll see you in the morning.”

  “Love you, too,” Kade replied, a hint of warmth finally returning to his tone.

  Allowing herself a smile, Felicity ended the call.

  Beside her, Penny, her assistant baker, smirked. “It's cute how you worry like that, even though nothing at the ranch can hurt him.”

  “Oh, it can hurt him, all right,” Felicity said. “It just can't kill him.”

  Penny was the only other soul in Holly Hill who knew Kade's secret. It had been awkward for all of them at first, but Felicity appreciated having someone to confide in. No matter how hard they played at being normal, Felicity had to admit her union with Kade was unusual.

  “Must be nice,” Penny sighed and pushed the last of the measured ingredients across the counter before she went to wash her hands. “I'd almost prefer someone like that. Holly Hill's not as normal as I always thought it was, and a husband who's practically invulnerable would be reassuring.”

  “It's not as nice as you might think.” Felicity dumped all the ingredients into the bowl and switched on the mixer, then joined her companion at the sink. “Besides, Brady and Joe are the only other weird ones.”

  “That we know of.” Penny dried her hands and tugged the elastic band out of her red hair. It was curled today, shimmering like fire in the last rays of sunlight that spilled through the doorway. The plate glass windows on the front of the store faced south. Felicity hadn't considered the extra sunlight that position would offer before she married a vampire, but it would be too difficult to move the bakery now.

  “True.” Felicity wiped her hands too, then returned to the mixer to pull the bowl off the stand and stretch plastic wrap over the top. She tucked the mixed dough into the fridge for the next day's
sugar cookies. “I'd think Kade would have a rough idea of what else to expect, though. Scouting out the abnormal was his specialty.”

  Penny shook her head. “Well, if he finds it, let me know. I want to find out the latest gossip before Miss Gertie.”

  “Nobody learns gossip before Miss Gertie,” Felicity laughed, dumping the measuring cups and spoons into the sink.

  “Well, I beat her once. I might do it again, someday. Need any help cleaning up?”

  “Nope. You go ahead. I'll see you tomorrow.” Felicity turned on the tap and rinsed each dish before depositing them in the industrial dishwasher.

  Nodding, Penny dragged her purse out from under the counter and slung it over her shoulder. “Have a good night.”

  “You, too.” Felicity waved, then breathed a small sigh when she was alone.

  Before Penny had joined her, she'd run the bakery by herself for months, only receiving occasional help from her father. As nice as it was to have a full-time assistant, there were times she missed managing her dream by herself. Soon, she'd have to consider if she could manage it at all. She studied the kitchen and drew a hand over her stomach.

  Sometimes, everything felt like a whirlwind. A rush had consumed her since she'd met Kade. Hurry to save her home. Hurry to save him. Hurry to marry. Hurry to have a child. Hurry to change.

  That last part still scared her.

  She wanted to be with Kade, there was no question about that. But being with him meant either joining him in undeath, or growing old while he remained the same. Neither was a comfortable choice. But of the two, the latter seemed less palatable, so the former had become the assumption. Sooner or later, Felicity would become a vampire, and Kade would be the one to change her.