Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress, #1)

by Jeaniene Frost

Have I killed any innocents in my time? Yeah, I have. When you’ve lived as long as I have, you make mistakes. You try to learn from them. And you shouldn’t be so quick to judge me on that. No doubt you’ve killed innocents as well.”

You play the hand you’re dealt just like everyone else in this bloody world. You have gifts people would kill for, no matter that you scorn them. You have a mum who loves you and a nice house to go home to. Sod your backwoods neighbors who look down their ignorant noses at you for your lack of a father. This world is a big place and you’ve got an important role to play in it. Think everyone goes around whistling about the life they lead? Think everyone is given the power to choose the way their fate goes? Sorry, luv, it doesn’t work that way. You hold the ones you love close and fight the battles you can win, and that, Kitten, is how it is.”

A tall skinny man climbed down from the trailer and gave a grinning reply. “I’m missin’ my shows because of you, buddy. Hope I didn’t interrupt nothin’ between you and that gal. Two of you looked awful cozy.” “No!” It escaped me with all the denial of a condemned soul. “Nothing going on here!” Ted laughed and walked around to the damaged side of the car, poking his head inside and wrinkling his nose at the sight of the blood. “Sure…I can see that.”

“Your share.” Huh? I stared at the multiple hundreds in his hand with disbelief that turned to suspicion. “What’s this?” He shook his head. “Blimey, but you’re a difficult chit! Fellow can’t even give you money without you arguing. This, luv, is twenty percent of the bounty Sergio had on his head. It’s for your part in him losing his head. See, I reckon since I don’t pay anything to the IRS, I may as well give their cut to you. Death and taxes. They go hand in hand.” Stupefied, I stared at the money. This was more than I could earn in six months of waitressing or working the orchards. And to think I had been worried about draining my savings on gas! Before he changed his mind, I shoved the cash in my glove box. “Umm, thanks.” What did one say? Words left me at the moment. He grinned. “You earned it, pet.” “You just got a big chunk of change yourself. Are you finally moving out of the cave?” Bones chuckled. “Is that why you think I stay there? Out of lack of funds?” His clear amusement made me defensive. “Why else? It’s not a Hilton. You have to pirate electricity and you wash in an ice-cold river. I didn’t think you did that just because you liked seeing your parts shrink!” That really made him laugh.

“A friend gave you the cave? How do you give someone a cave?” “His people found it hundreds of years ago, so that makes it theirs as much as anyone can claim anything they don’t walk around in. Used to be a winter residence of the Mingoes. They were a small tribe of the Iroquois nation, and they were one of the last Iroquois still in the state when the Indian Removal Act of 1831 was put into effect. Tanacharisson was a mate of mine, and he chose not to go to the reservation. He hid at the cave after the last of his tribe was forcibly removed. Time went by, he saw his people and culture being irrevocably destroyed, and he decided he’d had enough. He painted his body for battle and went off on a suicide mission against Fort Meigs. Before he did, though, he asked me to look out for his home. Make sure no one disturbed it. There are bones of some of his ancestors back in the far part of it. He didn’t want the whites desecrating them.” “How terrible,” I said softly, thinking of that lonely Indian making his last stand after seeing everything he loved disappear. He studied my face. “It was his choice. He had no control over anything except how he died, and the Mingoes were very proud. To him, it was a good death. One befitting the legacy of his people.” “Maybe. But when death is all you have left, it’s sad no matter how you cut it. It’s late, Bones. I’m leaving.”

“I’ve faced death more times than I can count, Kitten, and this instance with Hennessey is no different—do you really think the wrath of your mum is going to scare me away?” “It would if you were smart.” Also muttered. “Then consider me the stupidest man in the world.” He leaned over and kissed me. A long, deep kiss filled with promise and passion. I loved the way he kissed me. Like he was drinking in the taste of me and still coming back thirsty.

“Francesca,” Bones said, going to her and giving her a kiss on the cheek. “I’m glad you’ve come.” And that was all I needed to see to decide right then and there that I hated her guts. “Bones…” She drew his name out like it was candy, and when she kissed his cheek, leaving a bright red lipstick imprint, her eyes met mine in open challenge. Spade’s hand on my shoulder shook me from my state of murderous contemplation. I’d just been fantasizing about whipping two of the knives out of my jacket and flinging them into her double-Ds. “Francesca, this is Cat,” Bones said next, gesturing to me. “She’s with me, so you need not hesitate about speaking freely with her present.” I advanced with something stretching my face that may or may not have been a smile. “Hi. We’re sleeping together.” I heard it come out of my mouth in a detached sort of way, only mildly noticing Spade mutter something about this not being a wise idea and that both of Bones’s eyebrows shot into his hairline. Francesca shared neither of their reactions. Full, pouty lips curled. “But of course, niña. Who could resist him?” Spoken while her fingers trailed down the side of his shirt, and I almost lost it right there. “Kitten.” Bones caught my hand that shot out and tucked it casually in his arm, as if I hadn’t been about to knock her on her well-shaped ass. “Let’s sit, shall we?” I didn’t know what was wrong with me. Some small, rational part was screaming that this was a person who could help bring down Hennesse...

She leaned forward. It opened up her cleavage even more. I tried not to look, but my God! They were so bouncy.

“He enjoys keeping me, knowing how much I despise being his. Vampires can only leave their sire’s domination if they win in a duel against them, get ransomed by another Master, or are released as a gesture of goodwill. Hennessey is too strong for me to beat, there is no goodwill in him, and he will never let another vampire ransom me. Yet not for a moment does he believe I’ll betray him. He thinks I fear too much what he would do to me if I were caught.” The purr of her voice made it all the more chilling. She knew firsthand what he was capable of, and despite that, she hated him enough to risk it anyway. Maybe I shouldn’t be so quick to disparage her. You had to admire that kind of determination. Whether or not it came with under-pants.

you are a man or a woman with no country, who do you appeal to when you’re in need? Who defends you?” “That’s a damn brutal system you people operate under,” I said, glad to have a heartbeat. “Don’t be so naïve,” she said sharply. “It’s a far kinder structure than the one you’re in. How many humans starve to death each day because your nations refuse to care for their own? Even still, how many Americans die from illnesses when treatment is readily available but withheld if they can’t afford it? Vampires would never allow any of their people to go about hungry or in poverty. Even Hennessey, who is a beast, would consider it a personal insult to have anyone belonging to him in such a condition. Consider that. The worst of our kind treats his people better than your countries treat their citizens.”

“You’re right, my mum’s dead. I’ll never know what she would have thought of the man I’ve become. If she’d be proud…or despise me for the choices I’ve made. I will tell you this, though. If she were alive, I’d show her what I was. All of it. She wouldn’t deserve any less, and quite frankly, neither would I. But this isn’t about me. Look, I’m not insisting to meet your mum. All I’m saying is that sooner or later, you’ll have to come to terms with yourself. You can’t wish away the vampire in you, and you shouldn’t keep atoning for it. You should figure out who you are and what you need, and then don’t apologize for it. Not to me, to your mum, or to anyone.”

“Bones, when I called you before—before I found out about Francesca…it was to tell you that I’d finally figured out who I was and what I needed. You told me that once I did, I shouldn’t apologize to anyone for it. So I’m not going to.” He drew back, and his gaze was clouded with caution. “What are you saying?” “I’m saying I’m a moody, insecure, narrow-minded, jealous, borderline-homicidal bitch, and I want you to promise me that you’re okay with that, because it’s who I am and you’re what I need. I missed you every minute this week and I don’t want to spend another day without you. If my mother disowns me for being with a vampire, then that’s her decision, but I’ve made mine, and I won’t apologize or back down from it.”