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As her gaze wandered about the room for her panties—ah, there they were, peeking out from under one of the sofas—Cray continued, his tone lightening. “Don’t be scared. He wouldn’t dare set a paw on the ranch.”
“Somehow, that’s not as comforting as you might think,” she said in a dour tone as she finished dressing.
Jude got to his feet and quickly dressed as well. Then he said, “We tracked him to Niagara. He won’t get far from us. Cray and I can handle him ourselves and the pack will stay with you at the ranch.”
Aside from the fear of a vampire slayer getting wind of her existence and tracking her, she hadn’t given much thought to her immortal demise in decades. Slayers were so rare these days and she was so reclusive, she doubted she’d ever been on anyone’s radar screen. But that just might have changed…
“You think Vincent might continue his revenge on you when he finds out about me?” she asked Jude.
He nodded. “But it won’t happen. And, granted, we shouldn’t have come here without taking care of the problem first. I’m sorry, Jane. But when the imprinting nature calls…it’s impossible not to answer.”
“I don’t regret what happened between us or blame you for acting first,” she told him. “I’m not afraid. I can handle myself. What concerns me is that the two of you are considering hunting him alone. Why not leave me here with Drake and take your pack with you to find Vincent?”
This pricked alpha and imprinter nerves. Jude said, “That’s not possible.”
She laughed, despite the intensity of the moment. “You saw how protective Drake is of me. Do you really think he’d let a rogue wolf you’re hunting get within fifty feet of me?”
Jude turned away. He rubbed the back of his neck and she felt the angst ripple through him.
To Cray, she said, “Celine didn’t see the attack coming, did she?” Jane suspected she hadn’t been prepared for the onslaught or she would have had more of a fighting chance. Jude wouldn’t have been so deeply in love with someone who couldn’t take care of herself. Jane was certain of it. He had too much strength and power himself to not require that in a mate.
Cray shook his head. “We expected Vincent to account for his actions and then move on. Instead, he stalked Celine, caught her alone and unawares and showed no mercy.”
A dark chill slithered down Jane’s spine. “Poor thing.” Gripping Jude’s forearm, she said, “If, indeed, he knows anything about me, he’d be taking quite a risk coming after me. He’d pick up Drake’s scent as well. Would he even want to tangle with two vampires at this point?”
“There’s no telling what he’s willing to do now,” Jude told her. “We lost his scent up north, right around the time we picked up yours. For all we know, he’s gone to Nova Scotia to avoid us.”
That put her more at ease. “You’re hunting him and he knows it. Not the other way around.”
“I couldn’t let the slight go, Jane.”
“Of course not. I…” She shook her head. She hadn’t let the one against Sean go either. Though killing a slayer—killing anything or anyone—had not sat well with her. She hadn’t attacked the slayer as a vampire might, per se. She hadn’t bitten him and drained him dry. Rather, she’d used the same tactic he’d employed to murder Sean. She’d staked him and burned him.
Jude and Cray both seemed to pick up on her sudden consternation. Cray asked, “Did you avenge your lover’s death?”
She nodded before turning away, her stomach coiling tight. “How could I not?”
“Then you understand what we must do,” Jude said in a quiet voice that still managed to convey his authority. “And you know we will do anything in our power to keep you out of harm’s way while we do it.”
“I don’t doubt that,” she said as she turned back to the two men. “What I’m saying is…” Her hands shook and she wrung them absently. “I can’t just be left to wonder whether you’re okay. Montana’s so far away. I’d rather be with you, but if that’s not possible, at least let me stay close by. Here in Manhattan.”
She would have insisted on this—absolutely putting her foot down—but she’d already learned Jude’s will was stronger than hers. She had to appeal to him in a different manner. To give him the respect he was due as the alpha, while trying to reason with his rational side.
Cray let out a low growl as he shoved a hand through his messy hair. “She has a point, Jude. We’d be distracted ourselves if she were that far away from us.”
“Then what do you suggest?” Jude demanded as his gaze locked with Cray’s. His frustration was as palpable as his concern for her safety.
“If you don’t trust Drake to protect her, then we have to take her with us.”
“On a hunt?” Jude asked between clenched teeth.
“It’s not like I’d slow you down.” Jane’s soft voice filled the room and both pairs of mesmerizing eyes snapped to her. She didn’t back down. “I can run just as fast as you, I assure you. I can go months without sleeping and I can hunt in rural areas when I need to feed. The two of you would be much saner knowing you were protecting me and I would be able to breathe easier too, knowing you’re close by.”
“And what happens when Vincent catches your scent and decides to prey on you to continue his revenge or to devastate both of us?” This question came from Jude, who simply would not yield.
She lifted her chin a notch and squared her shoulders. “I’m smart and I have good instincts. I killed a slayer, for Christ’s sake. Test me if you must, but have some faith in me.”
Her plea—and the fact that he’d unintentionally insulted her—seemed to drive some of the tension from him. He reached for one of her hands and pulled her to him.
