Kraven (VLG Series Book 2) (3 page)

“Where’s my purse?” Bat realized she was yelling but she didn’t care. “It’s black. I need it!”

“I’m okay,” Dusti muttered, her voice too weak to believe. “It’s just a dizzy spell.”

My ass
, Bat silently protested. Dusti needed one of her shots. Bat wanted to kick her own butt for not realizing sooner how the trauma of the accident would affect her sister’s frail health. She frantically tried to get around Kraven to search the area by their seats but he blocked her path.

“My purse, you big gorilla! Move out of my way. My sister needs her medication.” She shoved him hard, not caring about anything but finding it, and managed to squeeze around him.

Bat located their seats quickly, dropped to her knees, and searched the floor.

Her purse wasn’t there.

She wanted to burst into tears. Without the shot, Dusti could go into shock. Her body would start to shut down, she’d start to slur her words, and eventually she could die.

A sob caught in her throat. She may have killed her sister regardless of them surviving the crash. Their parents had trusted Bat to care for Dusti when they’d left her guardianship in their will. They’d roll in their graves if they knew how badly she’d screwed it all up.

She suddenly caught a glimpse of a black strap, and shoved her arm under the seat in front of her—dragging her purse out. She furiously blinked back tears, her hands trembling, but she spotted the case inside the folds of her purse, where she kept a few of Dusti’s shots in case of emergency. She hadn’t fucked up.

Her fingers curling around her purse, she shoved her body up and turned.

“I found it!” She elbowed Kraven aside again to reach her sister as she tore out the case. “Hang on, Dusti! I have some of your shots. Here it is. They aren’t broken.”

She’d save Dusti after all. At least in one way. It was a start.

Chapter Two

Worry ate at Bat as she glanced for at least the hundredth time at her sister sitting on the ground. The long-haired biker guy might be a thug but he had taken really good care of Dusti. He’d located a blanket to put on the forest floor, stretched her sister over it, and had even removed his jacket, wrapping it around her to keep her warm while she recovered. Bat felt gratitude toward him for everything he’d done.

A hand brushed her arm to draw her attention.

Kraven’s light blue eyes were narrowed as he glared down at her. “You’re not injured, so follow me. We need to find firewood before the sun goes down. It may be late spring but it still gets pretty cold at night. The injured passengers could die without a fire to help keep their systems from going into shock.”

She clenched her teeth. He’d pissed her off since the moment they’d met. “What did I ever do to you?”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re always so rude. You could say please.”

“
You
could—” His generous lips pressed together in a tight line and he growled low in his throat.

“Yeah. I wouldn’t finish that sentence either. I’m not afraid to remove my shoes again to beat you with them.”

“Follow me,” he barked.

It was the last thing she wanted to do but freezing after dark seemed even less appealing. She glanced at Dusti once more, then at the biker guy who’d helped injured passengers from the plane to the clearing next to it. She figured it would be okay to leave her sister. Drantos may be scary looking but he seemed to have a hero complex. It wasn’t a bad thing in this day and age.

She trudged into the woods after the spiked-headed jerk.

“Too bad you aren’t more like your brother,” she muttered.

Kraven turned. “What did you say?”

“Your brother seems nice. I guess none of that rubbed off on you, huh?”

“You’re one to talk. Your sister is pleasant. You, on the other hand, are obviously more of a bitch in every sense of the word.”

This jerk is unbelievable!
“I told you not to call me that name again,” she fumed as her gaze lowered to the front of his pants to further make her point. “You want to keep your nuts, right?”

He moved faster than she’d ever thought possible. Fear gripped her hard that he’d strike her, but he’d just closed the distance until only a foot separated them.

“Keep it up and I’m going to put you over my knee.”

The threat hung in the air and she studied his eyes. She hadn’t expected him to say that. She’d been threatened by a lot of people over the years but that particular one was new. He looked angry, but not crazy or mean. She’d become a pretty good judge of character, dealing with her clients. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“I would.” He clamped his hand on her upper arm but it didn’t hurt. “I’ll redden your damn ass with my bare palm if you mention my nuts again. I’m not someone you want to piss off. Do you understand me?”

A shiver ran down her spine at his cold tone. He seemed to mean it. “Let me go.”

“Don’t make threats.”

She swallowed hard and nodded. “I understand. Please let me go.”

“Be useful and collect some firewood. We need to return to camp fast.” His voice still held a gruff tone that affected her. He let go of her arm as quickly as he’d grabbed it, spinning away.

She blew out a relieved breath as soon as the tense moment passed. He hadn’t hurt her. That was the important part. They’d been in a plane crash, were stuck in the woods, and rescue teams hadn’t arrived yet. The sun was nearly down. It meant spending the night in the woods. He would know the dangers they faced more so they she would.

She glanced over her shoulder at him; he’d bent to reveal a nice ass. He had a meaty one encased in snug denim. He grabbed broken branches from the ground.

Bat could silently admit she had a weakness for aggressive, dangerous bad-boy types. They were kind of sexy. He hadn’t threatened to punch or kill her. Instead his mind had gone straight to spanking her ass.

Her mind went there too, imagining him putting her over his knee. He probably knew how to turn a woman on, considering his looks and the size of him. She wouldn’t like him striking her in any way, but the thought of him caressing her skin didn’t exactly disturb her. It had the opposite effect.

What the hell is wrong with me?

Oh yeah. I probably have a concussion. That’s got to be it.

She glanced around, located some broken branches, and moved toward them.
He’d better be a great fuck with that shitty personality of his. Otherwise he’ll never get laid
, she decided. One more glance and she was certain women probably flocked to him in droves.
If he keeps his mouth shut. Otherwise all bets are off.

Bat noticed her sister looked a lot better when they returned to camp five minutes later. Bat dumped her heavy load of dirty branches to the ground. Drantos had already started a fire. The sun lowered quickly, a chilly wind picking up, and Bat spent her time helping some of the passengers get more comfortable.

Her heart went out to an elderly married couple. The woman had a head injury and didn’t look so good. Her husband had a broken wrist. Bat helped him make a sling for his arm with a jacket, wishing she knew more about first aid.

“Thank you, young lady.” The man reached out and took his wife’s hand. “It’s going to be okay, Mary. I’m right here with you.”

“Simon,” the older woman whispered.

“Yes, my love. I’m here.” He scooted closer, snuggling up to his wife. “Help is going to come soon. You just hang in there for me. We’re going to celebrate fifty years of marriage next week. Remember?”

“I do.” Mary smiled. “You’re still the most handsome man I ever met.”

“And you are the most beautiful woman I ever laid eyes on. Remember when Simon Junior was being born and I almost lost you? You swore you’d let me die first because I can’t live without you. Don’t break your promise to me. We’ve been through worse.”

“I’m going to be okay.” Mary’s voice came out stronger. “You just hold my hand like you did in the hospital. We’re going to go see our grandchildren.”

“Yes, we are.” Simon leaned closer and brushed a kiss on her forehead.

Tears filled Bat’s eyes and she had to turn away before the couple noticed. Their love was strong. She couldn’t imagine spending that length of time with someone but it had once been a dream. They reminded her of her parents. They’d had that kind of close connection. It was something she’d always longed for but had given up on finding. Her luck with men turned out to be shit.

She walked away from the fire toward the hulking, dark shape of the crashed plane to compose herself. She didn’t want Dusti to see her fall apart. Her sister knew her too well and would worry. It was important to keep a positive attitude until they were rescued.

A hand clamped down on her shoulder and caused her to gasp.

“Where are you going?” Kraven didn’t sound happy. “It’s dark out there.”

She wasn’t about to admit the truth. She was emotionally drained and just wanted to escape to get herself together. “I saw some cushions on some of the seats in the front of the plane. When you and your brother were helping everyone out, I took some time to do a bit of searching around. It’s not much but it’s better than nothing. That elderly couple needs to be made as comfortable as possible. I’m also going to see if I can find some discarded jackets or clothing. It will help keep people warm.”

“Hell,” he sighed. “That’s a good idea. Take my hand. I’m used to maneuvering in the dark. I’ll lead you there, you wait, and I’ll search the plane. I don’t want you climbing around blind. You could get hurt.”

It surprised her that he’d be so thoughtful. “Thank you.” She reached out and his warm fingers brushed hers. A jolt went up her spine at the contact when he gripped her firmly. He had big hands. A saying drifted through her mind.
Big hands, big feet…wonder if everything is big?

She grinned, amused. It beat being depressed.

He stopped minutes later. “Can you see anything?”

“Not really.”

“There’s a tree a few feet to your left. The plane is in front of us. Just stay put and I’ll bring things to you.”

“How can you see so well? It’s so dark.” The shapes of the tree and plane, and his big form, were barely distinguishable.

“Just stay put.” He sounded almost…disgusted, for some reason.

She actually missed Kraven’s warm touch when he let her go. She shivered in the cold as she waited. It didn’t take him long to return. He placed something on the ground near her.

“Those are two intact suitcases. Hopefully something in them will be useful. They don’t weigh much. You carry those and I’ll get the cushions and blankets I piled up. I also found your sister’s purse. I’ll be right back.”

She blindly bent and fumbled for the handles of both cases and lifted them when her fingers located the plastic. Kraven hadn’t lied. They weren’t heavy. He returned and she followed his moving shadow back to the camp. The firelight was more than a welcome sight.

One glance at Dusti had her worried again. Her sister looked nervous and a bit pale. She abandoned the suitcases to head in that direction to check on her. She forced a smile she didn’t feel to put on a brave front.

The quick conversation with her sister eased some of her fears. Dusti seemed to be okay, albeit a bit anxious. It was reasonable under the circumstances. She refused to take another shot and swore she felt better. There were enough to last them for a few days if it took the rescue teams that long to find them. She really hoped they’d be located early the next day.

Bat watched Drantos and Dusti while they seemed to have a staring contest. The sense of something being wrong nagged at her but she dismissed it. It may just be her guilt over bringing her sister to Alaska, the exhaustion, the stress of their situation, or all of the above. She’d feel better once they were back in civilization.

Bat zoned out, answering a few questions from Drantos with her thoughts elsewhere. Her head hurt worse than ever but she didn’t complain about the pain. The earlier dull throbbing of a beginning headache had turned into a loud pounding, but she was pretty certain she didn’t have a concussion. Her vision wasn’t blurry and she didn’t feel as if she would throw up. It was just stress and probably lack of caffeine.

Kraven joined them. Bat silently studied him—and found herself annoyed that he looked so good. She felt like shit, yet he seemed at ease with the great outdoors. And she didn’t want to be attracted to the big ape. He was annoying but hot, the type of guy she loathed most. His brother seemed so polite. It amazed her that they came from the same family.

He announced he was going to go hunt for fresh meat, then flashed her yet another dark look. It was the last straw.

“What are you going to use to hunt with? Your bad manners? Maybe you can just talk to the animals and they’ll commit suicide.”

The enraged glare he directed at her made her feel a little satisfied. “I told you to shut up. We have an agreement, remember? I don’t whip your ass if you keep your lips sealed together.” He turned his head, regarding his brother. “I’ll be back soon. I’m going to scout while I’m out there to see just how fucked things are.”

“I’m sure rescue crews will be searching for the plane at first light. They’re going to have to fly out of Anchorage. The smaller airport won’t have helicopters. And with no place to land, the best the planes will be able to do is help with the air-spotting.” Drantos sighed. “The question is, do we leave on our own or wait for help?” He looked at the survivors near the fire. “They’re helpless if we walk out of here on our own. I’m afraid they won’t be found and will die from exposure. Not one of them has survival skills. I asked.”

“We’ll worry about it later.” Kraven glared at Bat. “I’ll be back.” He turned on his heel to march out into the darkness.

She seethed inside at his response, especially when he said it in front of her baby sister. And he meant every word. She could easily see that, and she’d just managed to curb a rude response. Though she’d been tempted to point out that he’d said he’d spank her if she mentioned his nuts, which she hadn’t. It was almost a relief when Kraven disappeared from sight.

Then she immediately felt worry. What if he was hurt out there?

Bat got Drantos’s attention. “Are you sure it’s safe for him to be traipsing around the woods at night? We didn’t find a flashlight, or anything to use as a weapon. Aren’t there wild animals around here that we should be worried about? The fire is here, not out there. He won’t be able to see them but I’m sure the same can’t be said for anything that might attack him.”

“We live in Alaska and were raised not too far from here. We know what we’re doing. It’s not unusual for us to hunt at night and nothing out there can hurt Kraven. Trust me on that one. He’ll be back within the hour and have something for us to eat.”

“I couldn’t even find a real knife, just plastic ones.” Bat carefully sat down on a cushion and tucked her skirt neatly around her legs. “How will he skin it? I guess he could try to tear off part of the plane. Some of it is pretty jagged and sharp.”