Kraven (VLG Series Book 2) by Laurann Dohner Page A

shocking her with his sudden attack. He’d landed a few punches that had knocked her out cold.
    It had been tempting to kill her but instead Kraven had restrained her, wrapped her in his bloodied bed sheet, and tossed her over his shoulder to carry outside.
    That day had changed a lot of things for him. He’d fought a woman, something he never thought he’d have to do. He’d been embarrassed to have to tote her through his village in front of the gawking eyes of everyone, and humiliated to have to tell his people how Violet had tried to assassinate him.
    His father and brother had returned her alive to Decker’s clan. Of course, Decker had denied sending her there to do his bidding. All his father could do was give Decker a warning that the next assassin would die.
    Kraven had returned to his house, dragged his bed outside, and burned the damn thing. He didn’t want a constant reminder of how close he’d come to death. The bathroom door had also needed to be replaced. His injury completely healed on the outside, but being fooled by a woman had left a lasting scar on the inside.
    Decker had sent for his granddaughter to start a civil war. Bat seemed as innocent as she claimed, but it could all still be a lie. He hesitated to trust her, not willing to give her a chance to kill him in the heat of passion when his guard was down. Been there and almost died doing that .
    He might want Bat, but that didn’t mean he would give in to the lust. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice and I’m a goddamn moron.
    Kraven glanced at Bat and regretted it in an instant. She had a fearful yet confused look on her face. He turned all the way around and sniffed the air. It was slight, but he still picked up her fear. It would make her one hell of an actress if she was deceiving him, to be able to pull off that smell.
    Drantos still believed the sisters were ignorant of their heritage. What if his brother was right? What if Antina Decker had never shared the truth of her bloodlines with her daughters?
    Goddamn. He needed to know for certain, one way or the other.
    He approached Bat and watched as her body stiffened. “We need to talk.”
    “Just tell me where my sister is.”
    He studied her eyes. The fear looked real, the worry and the uncertainty. “She’s with my brother. He’ll keep her safe. What do you know about your family?”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “What did your mother tell you about her father?”
    “Not much. Her mom died, she ran away because I assume her father was overbearing or something, and she started her life fresh in California. She met my dad, they fell in love, and they had us.”
    “Did you ever see her do anything…odd?”
    Her emotions changed and anger narrowed her eyes. “Odd? She was my mom . She wasn’t some weirdo. Just because we lived in California doesn’t mean she was some hippy or something. Not everyone who lives there is odd .”
    “That’s not what I meant. She wasn’t like other people, was she?”
    She just stared at him.
    “Do you know the truth? Just admit if you do. I hate playing games. Your mother was different. So are you. I know that. You know that. No one is around, so you don’t have to keep secrets anymore. I’m more than aware of what you are.”
    Bat blinked a few times and frowned. She said nothing.
    “Stop playing with me, Bat. We need to be completely honest with each other. You don’t want to tick me off.” He closed the distance and gripped her arms so she couldn’t get away from him.
     

 
     
    Chapter Four
     
    “Okay.” Bat wasn’t sure what Kraven was talking about. He wasn’t making much sense. “I’m an attorney. That’s not a lie. I already mentioned that so what’s your problem?”
    His mouth pressed into a tight grimace.
    “Just spit out whatever point you’re trying to make!” She glanced around. “I want you to take me to my sister.” She met his gaze. “Talk, Kraven.” She’d listen to whatever he wanted to