Hunting Season (Aurora Sky by Nikki Jefford Page B

could from Melcher made perfect sense, but it didn’t mean I was happy to meet with the man. Then there was the immediate dilemma of driving the Jeep.
    My hands shook as I opened the driver’s door. The keys weighed down my hand.
    If only Dante were there to drive me… or Noel.
    Scratch that!
    What kind of assassin feared cars? Self-reliance meant getting from point A to point B without a chauffeur.
    Unless—the dream had been a warning not to get behind the wheel.
    The jagged edges of the keys bit into my palm as I squeezed them. I didn’t have much choice. I’d rather take my chances behind the wheel than call Melcher back and say I required a ride after all. No way.
    I started the Jeep and put it into neutral, the way Fane had taught me. I got it into first gear and eased onto the road.
    No problem , I told myself.
    On the way through town, I watched the cars in front of me carefully. I down shifted and stopped at red lights, which, luckily, weren’t on any hills. When the light turned, I eased up on the clutch and tapped the gas, paying attention to every foot maneuver and shift. Somewhere along the way, I began humming Christmas tunes, stopping briefly to have a one on one conversation with myself about how it was way too early for caroling.
    By the time I reached base, my temples were sweaty.
    Two cars waited in front of me. At my turn, the guard checked my ID then handed it right back, his face expressionless. The gate lifted, and I drove onto Elmendorf Air Force Base toward the top secret compound on the outskirts.
    Melcher certainly knew how to protect himself. If Giselle was correct, and he was a vampire, how had he ever rallied government aid?
    If only I could get some information out of Jared before Giselle offed him.
    Triumph flashed through me as I parked the Jeep. I’d made it on my own—conquered the mountain—all thanks to Fane and his car rehabilitation tactics.
    Suddenly, I wanted to call him and thank him for believing in me all along. For having patience. For giving me my independence back.
    But it would have to wait until after the meeting.
    I walked toward the compound, chin up. As I tromped through the dank halls, the Christmas carols humming inside my head were replaced with positive affirmations.
    I am strong. Superhuman. Vampire. An asset to the agency. They’ll never see me coming.
    Once I turned the final corner, two sets of eyes looked at me. Levi and Mason sat in plastic chairs in the hallway. Levi slouched back, one leg propped over his knee. Mason sat ramrod stiff, at attention like a good solider boy. My nose wrinkled.
    I kept my head up and walked straight over to Levi.
    â€œWhere’s Tommy?”
    Levi sat up straighter. “Well, hello to you, too,” he said, grinning from ear to ear.
    I couldn’t believe I ever compared him to Kurt Cobain. He smiled way too often and with too much teeth.
    â€œYou can go in now.”
    I barely noticed the secretary, and it wasn’t because of her camouflaged uniform.
    I continued glaring down at Levi. “We’re teammates, remember? So, why don’t you play ball and tell me where you took the dog?”
    Levi stood. Our noses were practically level. His smile dropped briefly from his face.
    â€œIf your partner hadn’t gotten himself kidnapped, I wouldn’t have to take care of his mutt.”
    Anger flared through me at the same time hope blossomed. If Levi was taking care of Tommy that meant he was safe, for now.
    Melcher should have let me take care of Tommy from the start. This was probably some sort of punishment for questioning orders. He acted like we were a team, like I mattered, but I knew the truth. Melcher didn’t give a damn about any of his recruits. He didn’t want us to have pets or any kind of relationship that interfered with our commitment to the agency. All that mattered was the mission. Follow orders. Period.
    â€œAgent Melcher is ready for