The Renegade Hunter

Nicholas laid on the horn the moment he could see the woods at the edge of the enforcer property. He didn't take his hand off it until turning into the driveway at the gate.

As he'd hoped, the enforcers guarding the gate took his horn honking as an announcement of his arrival and had the outer gate open as he turned in. They'd kept the inner gate closed as a precaution, but one of the men was at it, and the moment he recognized Nicholas at the wheel, he grabbed the inner gate and began to run, pulling it open as well.

Nicholas roared through both gates and tore up the driveway, taking the turnoff to the roundabout in front of the house. He slammed to a stop before the front door as it opened, and caught a glimpse of Mortimer hurrying out, followed by Bricker and Anders, but then shifted the van into park and leaped out to hurry around the vehicle to the front passenger door.

Mortimer had reached the van and was grabbing for the door handle as Nicholas got there, but he knocked his hand away with a growl to open it himself. Jo was his. No one else was touching her.

"Ernie and a mortal female named Dee are in the back of the van," Nicholas snapped as he pulled the door open.

"Is this Dee injured?" Mortimer asked with a frown in his voice as he tried to get a look at Jo around Nicholas's shoulder.

"No," he said coldly, undoing the seat belt he'd strapped around Jo. It had managed to keep her in her seat when she'd started to shift and flop about as the pain she was suffering had increased. As the seat belt snapped back into its holder, Nicholas scooped Jo up into his arms, adding bitterly, "She should be hurt, but I didn't have time. I wanted to get Jo here before the turn got too far."

He swung around with her in his arms to see Mortimer's raised eyebrows and bit out, "Her brain's broken, she's on Ernie's side and shot Jo."

"What?"

That high-pitched screech brought his gaze around to a thin, dark-haired woman on the steps. Jo's sister Sam, he guessed. There was a definite resemblance, though the woman was an emaciated version of Jo, all gangling arms and bony legs in the shorts she wore. With a little meat on her, she'd be almost as pretty as his Jo though, Nicholas decided, but then dismissed her from his thoughts and turned to warn Mortimer, "I controlled the mortal all the way here, but released her as I got out of the van. About now, she's probably pulling the arrow out of Ernie's heart."

Mortimer nodded grimly. "Bricker, Anders, take them to the cells. We'll deal with them later."

"On it," Bricker said, already moving to open the van door beside them. Once it was open, he peered inside and shook his head. "Nicholas said you'd probably be doing that. Naughty, naughty," he muttered, and then climbed into the back of the van and pulled the door closed as Anders got in the front.

"Sam, honey," Mortimer said, pulling her away from Nicholas as she tried to get a look at Jo. "Let's get her inside and settled in her room, okay?"

"Yes, of course," Sam muttered, and pulled away to bustle back into the house, leading the way.

"After you," Mortimer said quietly, but Nicholas was already following the woman.

"Did you get what she needs?" he asked as he followed Sam up the stairs inside.

"They're on the way," Mortimer assured him, and then raised his voice to be heard over Jo as the jostling made the volume of her moaning increase. "They should have beat you here, but I suspect you were speeding just a little bit."

"Yes," he muttered, pressing Jo a little tighter and peering worriedly at her face. It was now a mask of pain and she was beginning to writhe in his arms. He'd broken a lot of road laws in his determination to get her here quickly, pushing the van to go as fast as it could, running red lights and stop signs and controlling a cop or two to get them off his tail when they'd come after him.

"They'll be here soon," Mortimer said reassuringly as Sam led them into a bedroom. "In the meantime, I had Bricker bring up rope and we can get her tied down."

"Tied down?" Sam asked with horror, stopping abruptly.

Nicholas moved impatiently around her to get to the bed as Mortimer said soothingly, "It's for her own good, honey. So she doesn't hurt herself."

"Yes, but-"

"Where's the rope," Nicholas snapped as he started to strip Jo's jeans off her. His concern was all for Jo. Mortimer could soothe Sam after they took care of Jo.

Much to his relief, Mortimer was on the other side of the bed almost at once, holding out the rope. Nicholas tossed aside the jeans, but left her T-shirt and the jacket that covered her chest for now as he took the offered rope. They worked together, each taking a wrist, fastening one end of rope to it and then fastening the other end to the metal bed frame, before moving down to do the same with her ankles. The moment they were at the bottom of the bed and out of her way, Sam was beside Jo, pulling away the leather coat that had covered her chest. Nicholas wasn't surprised by her gasp of horror as she saw the hole in Jo's shirt and the blood staining it, but ignored her until he'd finished what he was doing.

"What happened?" she asked with dismay, pulling Jo's shirt up.

"I told you. She was shot," Nicholas growled, straightening and moving back up to the head of the bed. He didn't even glance at the woman on the opposite side of the mattress; his eyes were on the wound in Jo's chest. It was no longer bleeding and looked a little smaller to him, and he supposed the nanos had started repairing it before doing anything else. It meant they'd be using up what little blood she had left to do it though, and they'd be attacking the organs in search of more.

"She needs blood," Mortimer said, his thoughts moving along the same lines as Nicholas's. "I'll get it."

The immortal was out of the room before the last word had left his mouth, moving at speed. A loud thud a heartbeat later told Nicholas Mortimer had probably bypassed the stairs and jumped the hall rail to the main floor below to save time. He'd be back just as quickly, Nicholas knew, and glanced to Sam to see her gaping at the doorway Mortimer had just disappeared through. He raised an eyebrow when she glanced back to him.

"It always startles me to see him move that quickly," she muttered for explanation and then frowned as she peered down at Jo. "What happened to her?"

"I told you, she was shot," he said grimly for the third time. The woman was obviously in shock if she couldn't grasp the concept.

"Yes, but how?" she asked with frustration. "Why did the girl shoot her?"

Nicholas settled on the side of the bed, his eyes fixed on Jo's pale, contorted face as he tried to gather his thoughts.

"Here."

He glanced up with surprise to see Mortimer at his side, several bags of blood caught between his arm and his chest, and another in his hand that he was holding out to Nicholas.

"Start her with that, but only give her one. We'll give her the drugs and set up an IV as soon as the delivery gets here with them."

Nicholas nodded, and muttered, "Open her mouth."

He raised the bag of blood to bite off one corner as Sam immediately bent over Jo from the other side to do as he asked so that he could begin to pour the thick, red liquid in.

Nicholas sat back once he'd finished. Jo had calmed a little, the moaning dropping a bit in volume, but not stopping altogether. He supposed the nanos had left her organs alone and were collecting the blood she'd just ingested to do their thing. But he knew this calm wouldn't last long. They'd use the blood to generate more nanos, start spreading out in her body to cover the more important areas like her brain and heart, and then they'd set to work and she'd be in agony until it was done. At least, until the worst of it was done.

"What happened?" Mortimer asked, echoing the question Sam had asked earlier. "You called and said to come get her at Sam's place, but when the men got there she was gone."

Nicholas sighed unhappily and ran one hand through his hair as he balled up the empty blood bag in his other. That seemed like months ago to him, but had been only a matter of a couple hours, if that.

"I called you from the lobby after I left the apartment," he explained, his words and tone short and emotionless. "Then I went to move the van so your boys wouldn't find it. I was walking back, planning to watch the building until your men got there when Ernie drove past with Jo in the passenger seat. I ran back to the van, jumped in, and followed them to a motel. I parked at the edge of the parking lot while he took her inside and then crept up to the window to listen to see what I was up against. If Leonius or anyone else was inside, I planned to call you, but it didn't take me long to figure out there was only Ernie and a mortal woman inside with Jo and I decided I could handle it on my own."

Nicholas's mouth tightened as he silently berated himself for that decision. He should have called Mortimer at once and gotten some backup. Jo might not have been shot had he done that.

"What happened?" Mortimer repeated.

Grimacing, Nicholas reached out to brush a finger over Jo's cheek. "I wanted to rush in there, but Ernie told the woman to order food for her and Jo, and then said he was going to sleep. I thought it would be better to wait. Ernie would be asleep and the woman would think it was the food delivery. I could take them all by surprise and save the day," he said bitterly, and then ground his teeth and continued, "I waited, I knocked, and as soon as the woman started to open the door, I slammed it into her, and stepped inside. The woman was on the floor, Jo was tied up in a chair, and Ernie just rising up from the bed. I shot Ernie in the heart with my crossbow, heard Jo scream, and turned in time to see..." Nicholas paused and took a breath, forcing down the lump that had risen in his throat as he recalled that moment.

"She was tied up," he said with what even he recognized as bewilderment. "Her wrists were tied behind her back, ankles bound together, but she was throwing herself at the mortal. The woman was lifting a gun to aim at me, and Jo-she was trying to save me, for Christ's sake, like a little bullet would hurt me."

Mortimer placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing in what he supposed was sympathy, and Nicholas finished, "The gun went off as she landed on the mortal."

"So she took a bullet meant for you?" Sam asked, and then added, "Why would that woman even try to shoot you? Did she realize you were there to save them?"

"She didn't want saving," Nicholas said grimly. "She's broken. His pet."

"I'll say she's broken," Bricker said grimly, drawing their attention to the fact that he and Anders had arrived and were crossing the room. "She's a mess, Mortimer. She saw her whole family slaughtered by Leonius and his boys. The father was strung up by his heels from the rafters in the barn the night they stormed the farm. They slit his throat over a pail and then passed the pail around, drinking from it while his whole family watched."

"And that was the kindest thing they did to that family," Anders muttered.

"Christ," Mortimer said on a sigh, moving around to slip his arm around a horrified Sam and draw her against his chest.

"She had a mother and some sisters too," Bricker muttered. "Only she and a younger sister survived to leave the farm. They were raped and fed on by turn until the little sister died. Dee, that's her name," he added, pausing beside the bed to peer down at Jo. "She was pretty near death when Leonius gave her to Ernie to snack on, on the road. He feeds her, hasn't raped her, and bites her rather than cut her up so she's pretty much decided that makes him her hero."

Bricker glanced to Mortimer and added, "She'll need a three-on-one."

"The three-on-one is when three immortals wipe a mortal's mind at once, isn't it?" Sam asked quietly.

Mortimer nodded, but said to Bricker, "That could destroy her mind,"

"There's very little of her mind not destroyed," Anders said dryly. "A three-on-one might be her only chance of anything approaching a normal life now. Wipe her as clean as a slate and let her start over if there's anything to start over with."

"I'll suggest it to Lucian," Mortimer murmured, and then glanced to Nicholas. "I presume you turned Jo after she got shot?"

He nodded.

"Did she consent?" Mortimer asked.

"No. She was unconscious... and dying. I made the choice for her."

Mortimer nodded, but glanced to Sam. Nicholas suspected the other immortal was wishing he'd been given the chance to do that himself with her. Sam would be immortal now as well which was a safer state for her considering the work Mortimer did. Ernie's getting onto the property and attacking Jo must have driven home how fragile his life mate was as long as she refused the turn.

It must be a sort of hell, for the man, Nicholas thought. He couldn't imagine having to have suffered that worry for all the months Mortimer had. After only a couple of days of worrying himself sick over Jo, it was a huge relief to know she was now going to be an immortal... Even if he wouldn't be with her, at least Nicholas would die knowing she would be well... barring a freak accident or murder, he thought grimly, and then glanced to the phone by the bed as it began to ring.

Mortimer answered, listened, and then hung up. "The drugs and IV have arrived. They just passed through the gate."

Jo's first thought as she woke up and opened her eyes was that she felt like she'd been hit by a Mack truck. Her next was to wonder who'd been driving it.

"Jo."

Her name was a soft, relieved sigh, and she turned her head and managed a smile as she found herself peering at Nicholas. He'd been sitting in a chair beside the bed, but now stood to bend over her, and he looked like he hadn't slept in days. He was gray-faced with big bags under his eyes and looked a good ten years older than normal, which was kind of encouraging, Jo decided. It seemed these immortals weren't always pretty people. They too could look like hell.

"Hi stud," she whispered, and frowned when the words came out a dry croak that actually hurt her throat.

"Here." Nicholas picked up a glass off the bedside table and sat on the bed to slip an arm under her back. He lifted her up and pressed a glass to her lips. "Drink."

Jo obeyed the quiet order and drank the water he tipped into her mouth. He gave her only a sip, and then lowered the glass and asked, "More?"

When she swallowed and nodded, Nicholas tipped the glass up again.

"Better?" he asked, lowering the glass when she gestured that she'd had enough.

"Yes. Thank you," Jo murmured on a little sigh as he twisted slightly to set the glass on the bedside table again. When he turned back, she asked, "What happened?"

A concerned frown immediately claimed his lips, but he asked, "What do you remember?"

Jo dropped her gaze, peering down as she did a quick search of her memory. She grimaced as she found the pertinent memories.

"Dee shot me," she said with disgust, and then added, "Or maybe it would be more fair to say I got myself shot. She was aiming for you."

Jo smiled with wry amusement, but Nicholas wasn't smiling back. His expression was solemn as he nodded. His voice was equally solemn as he said, "I appreciate what you were trying to do, Jo, but it was a foolish risk. I could have taken a bullet or two with little problem, but you..." He shook his head and closed his eyes briefly as he finished, "You could have died and nearly did."

"That explains why I feel like crap," she murmured, and then turned her face into his chest to nuzzle him as she added, "But I didn't, and we're both safe and well, and you can't dump me with Mortimer and those guys while I'm healing, so it's all good."

When he didn't say anything, Jo raised her head and peered at him solemnly as she said, "I know you were trying to keep me safe by leaving me in the apartment, but bad things happen when you aren't around. Maybe it's a sign we're supposed to stay together."

"Ernie won't be a problem anymore," Nicholas said quietly.

"And Dee?"

"Mortimer is taking care of both of them," he assured her.

She considered that and then asked, "What will they do to Dee?"

"They'll probably wipe her memories and then have her be found somewhere public. The mortal authorities will think her lack of memories is due to the trauma she went through when she was taken by the people who killed her family. They'll help her start a new life. She'll be fine."

"Good," Jo decided. The girl had probably been a perfectly normal nineteen- or twenty-year-old before Ernie's family had happened on them and subjected her to countless horrors. Hopefully, without the memories of that time, Dee could have something resembling a happy life. Jo didn't bother to ask what Mortimer would do with Ernie. She already knew the punishment for rogues. He'd no doubt be executed, with or without a stake and bake depending on whether they still did those or not. And while Jo didn't really want to think about that, the knowledge that he wouldn't be a problem again, crashing into her life and trying to take her to his rather horrible-sounding father, was a relief. Besides, it meant they only had one problem left to worry about, she thought, and said, "Then we can concentrate on finding out who really killed that woman all those years ago."

Nicholas hesitated, but then said, "Jo, you were hit pretty bad."

"Yes, I know," she murmured. Recalling watching her own blood gushing from the hole between her breasts, Jo glanced curiously down at her blanket-covered chest. "It doesn't hurt at all. I ache all over, but my chest doesn't hurt any more than the rest of me. Weird, huh?"

"No. Actually, it's to be expected," he murmured, and then scooped her into his arms. Once he had them settled more comfortably on the bed with her in his lap, Nicholas said, "Jo, honey, it was a mortal wound."

Jo tilted her head back to peer at him blankly, the hair on the back of her neck rising as she noted the way he was avoiding meeting her gaze, and pointed out, "But I'm alive."

Nicholas lowered his gaze to meet hers and nodded solemnly. "Because I turned you."

Her eyebrows flew up, and Jo stared at him for a moment and then asked, "Turned me? You mean you gave me nanos and now I'm like you?"

Nicholas nodded grimly, and then blurted, "I'm sorry, Jo. I know I should have asked you first, but you were unconscious, and dying, and I couldn't-"

He broke off as Jo suddenly began to struggle in his arms. Nicholas released his hold on her at once, muttering, "You hate me now. I knew you'd be upset at the choice being taken away, but I couldn't see you die."

The moment she was free, Jo rose up and tossed away the blankets he'd scooped up with her. She was completely naked and peered down at her chest, noting with some wonder that the gunshot wound was now a scar that looked a couple of years old. Jo glanced at Nicholas. His expression was apologetic, and he said, "I'm sorry."

"Are you kidding?" Jo snapped, and then crawled to straddle his hips. Once there, she leaned back, spreading her arms wide. "Look at me. No nasty, blood-gushing hole in my chest."

Expression uncertain now, Nicholas slid his gaze down her body, but then returned his eyes to hers and asked, "You aren't angry?"

"You must be joking," she said dryly. "I'm alive, Nicholas. And I'm immortal like you. This rocks!"

Laughing, she threw her arms around his head and hugged him to her breasts, then just as quickly released him and sat back on his legs. "Let's make love and see if it feels different now that I'm an immortal too."

"Jo, no," Nicholas said quietly, catching at her hands as she reached for his belt buckle. "Honey, we have to talk."

"Later," she said, grabbing his shirt and tugging it up his chest instead. "Enough talk for now. I'm immortal and want to celebrate."

"But-"

"No buts," she said firmly, pausing to peer into his face. "I thought I was a goner, Nicholas. I thought I was missing the chance to be with you and off to meet my Maker. But I'm alive. We still have a chance. Celebrate with me. Make love to me and make me feel alive. We can talk about all our worries and what we have to do later. But for now, make love to me... Please."

"God, Jo. You don't know how much I wish I could," he said sadly. Eyes closing, he bowed his head to rest his forehead against her chest. "You don't know how much I wish for that, but..."

"But?" she asked with a frown, and then stiffened at the sound of a door opening behind her. Twisting in his lap, she glanced over her shoulder, her eyes widening in shock when she saw Sam standing in the open doorway.

"You're awake," Sam said with relief.

Jo tore her gaze from her sister to finally take note of the room she was in. Her eyes widened with horror as she recognized the guest bedroom.

"We're at the house," she said weakly, turning back to Nicholas. "What are we doing here?"

Nicholas lifted his head and swallowed. "You were turning. It can be dangerous without the drugs to help you through it. Others have been known to go mad or die. And to make it worse, you'd suffered a gunshot wound. I didn't know if that would cause problems, weaken you enough that the turn might finish what the gunshot had started. I needed to get you help."

Jo stared at him blankly, and then asked, "But why are you here? Why didn't you just have Mortimer and those guys come and get me? You-"

"I didn't know how long I had to get you to the drugs before the turn could do you damage, Jo. Besides," he added with a sigh, "like you said, bad things happened every time I left you alone. I couldn't risk that Leonius hadn't followed Ernie north and might grab you, or some other damned thing might happen. I had to get you here and see you through it myself and be sure you were going to be all right."

"Leonius is laying low in South America," she said furiously. "And how the hell am I going to be all right now? They have you here. They'll judge you and execute you and I'll be all alone."

"Jo," Sam said gently, approaching the bed. "He did what he thought best."

Jo turned on her sharply. "Sam, you have to help me get him out of here. He didn't do it. He didn't kill that woman. We have to-"

"She can't help you get him out of here. There are guards on the door and the balcony outside the window."

Jo peered to the door where Mortimer stood, and then glanced down as Nicholas grabbed the sheet and pulled it up to cover her.

"I'm sorry, Jo," Mortimer continued, moving into the room. "But there is no getting him out of here. We'll be checking every vehicle that leaves the house, and the men have orders to call the house and have someone check to be sure Nicholas is present before any vehicle is allowed to leave. He isn't leaving here."

"Not alive," she said bitterly, and then climbed off Nicholas, Dragging the sheet with her, she stomped over to sway before Mortimer, glaring. "He didn't kill that woman. If you kill him, it will be murder."

"I just catch rogues," Mortimer said quietly. "The Council will judge him. If he's innocent, they'll find out."

"Forgive me if I don't put my faith in them," she snapped, and then asked. "How long?"

"How long?" Mortimer asked uncertainly.

"How long until he's judged and executed?" she asked impatiently.

"Oh." Mortimer grimaced. "I promised him he could see you through the turn and have one night with you before I call Lucian."

Jo glanced out the window to see bright sunlight shining in. They had until tomorrow morning. Less than twenty-four hours, she thought, and turned to peer at Sam. "Where are my clothes?"

"Jo?" Nicholas stood up and moved to take her arm. "Come back to bed. You need to rest."

"I don't have time to rest," she muttered, shaking off his hand and glancing around. "You saved my life, now I have to save yours. I'm going to find Carol and find out what Annie wanted to tell you and prove you didn't kill that woman."

Spotting her jeans lying in a heap beside the bed, she moved to collect them.

"Jo," he said wearily. "Carol was mortal. She was in her forties. She'll be dead by now. She can't help us."

Jo paused abruptly and turned to stare at him. "What?"

Sighing, he shook his head. "It's true. You were so hopeful that we could get to the bottom of things that I didn't want to tell you at the apartment, but Carol will be long dead. There's no way to find out what Annie was up to now."

Jo stared at him silently for a moment and then straightened her shoulders and turned to continue to collect her jeans. "Then I'll have to ask others in your lives at that time. She must have talked to someone else. I'll find out what it was."

"Dammit, Jo. Get in bed. You-What the hell!" Nicholas cursed and grabbed up the sheet she'd just dropped to don her jeans. He quickly held it up, blocking Mortimer's view of her as he snapped, "Put those down and get into bed. You're still going through the turning."

"I feel fine," she assured him, tugging the jeans on and doing them up before glancing around for her T-shirt. Spotting it on the floor on the other side of the room, Jo started to move around the bed, but paused when Nicholas shifted to block her. Frowning, she perched her hands on her hips and snapped, "Move."

"No. I love you, Jo."

Jo's face softened and she reached out to touch his cheek. "And I love you. That's why I have to do this," she added, turning and climbing onto the bed to walk over it.

Cursing, Nicholas hurried to follow, the sheet held out, trying to block her from Mortimer's view.

"Goddammit, Mortimer. Get out of here," he said with frustration as Jo leaped off the other side of the bed a step in front of the sheet he was trying so desperately to hide her with.

"You're kidding, right? I'm not missing this," Mortimer said with amusement, and then grunted.

Jo glanced over to see him doubled over, clutching his stomach and Sam glaring at him, rubbing her fist.

Grimacing as he straightened, Mortimer muttered, "I meant the argument. Not seeing Jo naked, babe. She's not you."

"Oh." Sam bit her lip and moved closer, her expression turning apologetic. "I'm sorry, honey. Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. You got quite a punch there though, sweetie."

"You're just being kind," Sam murmured, leaning up to kiss him. "You probably didn't even feel that."

Shaking her head, Jo bent to pick up the T-shirt. She grimaced when she saw the blood on it, but it was all she had, so she tugged it on.

"Jo, please," Nicholas said quietly, tossing the sheet aside as she tucked the top into her jeans. Taking her arm, he turned her toward him and clasped her face in his hands. "Please just get back into bed... Don't take these precious hours away from me. I traded my life to be sure you'd be all right and for the promise of one last night with you."

Jo peered into his tortured face. He looked so sad and desperate she could have wept, and she almost weakened, but then she leaned up to kiss him gently. Before he could deepen the kiss, she pulled back.

"I'm all right," she assured him, and then stepped around him and headed for the door, adding, "and I'm trading that night for a lifetime."