Hunting Season (Aurora Sky by Nikki Jefford Page A

dream.
    Real or not, it didn’t bode well. Call it a premonition, an omen, instinct… It could mean only one thing. Jared was back in town.

    I half expected to find a dusting of snow on the ground when I looked out the window later that morning, but the sidewalks were clear.
    As I organized my backpack, my phone rang, displaying a blocked number.
    â€œHello?”
    â€œHello, Agent Sky,” Melcher said.
    My breath caught inside my throat. A queasy sensation, similar to the one I’d experienced in the dream, roiled around my stomach.
    I wanted to scream, to shout—to tell Melcher I knew what he’d done to me. Instead, I swallowed my anger down like a lump of coal and replied, “Good morning, Agent Melcher.”
    â€œI need you on base in an hour.”
    â€œBut I have class in twenty minutes.” I’d blown it off the day before, but I wanted to give college a fair shot. Fane was right. I should live in the moment, experience life. The agency had no right to take away my college experience.
    â€œSchool can wait,” Melcher said. “This can’t. Do you need me to send someone to pick you up?”
    My jaw tightened. “I can get there myself,” I informed him.
    â€œGood.”
    â€œBy the way, how’s Valerie doing?” I asked.
    â€œMiss Ward lost a lot of blood, but no vital organs were damaged. Once her transfusion was complete, she was cleared to go home.”
    Uh-huh. Home. Hers. Not mine. Not Fane’s.
    â€œSee you soon, Agent Sky,” Melcher said.
    â€œYeah.”
    I hung up the phone and immediately dialed Fane.
    â€œI’ve been called on base for a meeting.”
    â€œDid they say why?” Fane asked.
    â€œNo, but that’s normal.” I sucked in a breath. “What if he called in Valerie, too? What if Jared shows up?” Rage sparked across my body. “This is my chance. I should do something with it. If Valerie was called in, she could take Jared and I could take Melcher.”
    â€œAurora, stop and think a moment. Even if everyone was there and even if you could convince Valerie to cooperate in a split second, how would you clear the building, let alone the base, with hostages?”
    My shoulders sagged. Man, reality checks sucked. “I don’t know. I guess it was more wishful thinking than anything else.”
    â€œGo in and stay calm. Find out what they’re planning. Remember, we have the upper hand.”
    I liked the sound of that even though it wasn’t true. Melcher had an army of hunters at his beck and call, including a particularly nasty vampire. He had backing from the government and his own team of scientists. How were we supposed to go up against that?
    â€œWe’ll get Jared,” Fane assured me. “But we have to be smart about it. Get him where we want him. So play along today and find out what you can.”
    I should have been grateful for Fane’s level head. But he sounded like someone else. Someone who hadn’t kissed me yesterday. His actions indicated that he cared for me, maybe even loved me. But until he said the words, I wouldn’t know for sure.
    Fine, Fane wanted to be all business, I would, too.
    â€œYou’re right,” I said. “This is my chance to find out what Melcher’s up to.”
    â€œJust remember to keep cool while you’re on his turf,” Fane said. “Once we lure them into the open, they’re fair game.”
    Fair game? More like bargaining chips.
    Jared ought to be thrown into oncoming traffic for what he’d done to me.
    Patience, Aurora . Let Giselle rip his heart out. I didn’t care who did the honors so long as it was done and Jared—The Recruiter, The Killer—was no more, followed by Melcher. With those two out of the picture, maybe I could finally begin living a normal undead life with a decent undead guy.

    Fane’s voice provided only temporary relief. Finding out as much as I