by Ella Price
He pulled away and watched me as he ran his fingers down the side of my face. He leaned into me, and I was caught in his gaze. “I have been waiting for this moment,” he whispered.
I smiled. My body was humming from the pleasure of his touch. I leaned into him and pressed my mouth to his as I ran my hands over his perfect chest. He pushed my legs apart and grabbed my ass. He pulled me closer and pushed his body forward at the same time. I cried out in surprise, breaking the kiss, as he filled me with his hard cock. He moaned in my ear, as he began to move against me. I couldn’t believe how good he felt. His mouth found mine again, and he kissed me desperately as he moved. I held onto him and moved my hips, encouraging him. My body felt like it was on fire. Every part of me that he touched was exploding with pleasure.
He sank his fangs into my breast. I cried out as pleasure from his bite came crashing over me. My orgasm was so intense I dug my nails into his back. He pressed his lips to mine, and cried out as he released. I kissed him, clinging to him as I did. He held me tightly, returning my desperate kiss.
He shifted so he I was laying on his chest. He stroked my hair with his hand. I peeked up at him. His eyes were closed, and he looked completely relaxed. It was odd; he looked so human. The thought that he wasn’t bothered me, but I quickly pushed the feeling away. I didn’t want to think about that right now. I wanted to enjoy the moment.
“Have you spoken to your family?” he asked, after a few minutes.
“No. I spoke to Luca briefly, but not my uncle. I am sure he wants nothing to do with me,” I said quietly.
“I don’t believe that. Your family cares for you. Perhaps you should just speak to them instead of assuming they want nothing to do with you,” he said softly, as he ran his fingers up and down my arm.
I sighed. “You saw the way they were looking at me. They looked at me liked I killed a fellow hunter for no reason.”
He scoffed. “They have to know everything you did was to help them,” he said quietly.
I smiled sadly. “Unfortunately, with my people, the why doesn’t matter. All that matters is what actions were taken. My actions were against my people’s laws. They won’t see it any other way.” I sat up as I spoke. Talking about it was putting me in a bad mood.
He gently kissed my shoulder. “Well, if it makes any difference, I am glad you decided to fight for me.”
I closed my eyes and leaned into him. I wasn’t really sure what I was fighting for. I hated to admit that I cared for Aubrey, but I did. The fact that he was a vampire would continually haunt me, and I wasn’t sure what I was going to do about it. I was suddenly very uncomfortable at the thought. I hated it when my heart interfered with my mind. I made irrational decisions because of it. “I should go. I need to check in with a few people,” I said softly as I stood. I was making excuses; I didn’t know what else to say. I didn’t want to upset him, but I had already gone too far with him.
He made no move to get out of the tub. He just watched me as I dried off. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, and it drove me insane. “How many times are you going to run from me before you realize you and I are perfect together?” he asked softly. He didn’t sound angry, but he didn’t sound happy, either.
I looked at him, then quickly looked away. His eyes made me nervous. I felt like he could see right through me. “I’m not running. I just have things to do. Do you have clothes for me?” I wasn’t trying to brush him off. I just didn’t want to argue.
“On the bed,” he said curtly.
I grabbed my guns and walked out, leaving him in the tub. I had a feeling he was in a mood now. I hadn’t intentionally tried to make him angry, but it seemed like I was good at annoying people lately.
***
As I finished up dressing, he walked out wearing nothing but a towel. My eyes skirted his body. I felt myself flush. He was a beautiful creature. His skin was pale, like it was made of marble. His hair and eyes were gorgeous with his complexion. The thought of the feelings he’d given me earlier made my cheeks burn. No one I had ever been with made me feel the way he did. He smiled like he knew I was checking him out. I quickly looked back at what I was doing, a little embarrassed that he caught me staring.
“You know you don’t have to leave. I am more than willing to take you to bed so you can look me over more thoroughly,” he teased, as he poured himself a drink.
I smiled at his suggestion. It actually didn’t sound like such a bad idea, but I was getting antsy. “I should go find out what is going on,” I said, making an excuse.
Before he could respond there was a loud knock on the door. “Come in,” he said, then took a sip of his drink. The female vampire I ran into before came in the room. She saw me and her expression darkened. “Do you need something, Ann Marie?” he growled.
Her gaze shifted to him, and she fidgeted nervously. “There was an attack in the alley. The vampire got away, but we have the man that was attacked in the other room.”
The way she glanced at me made me nervous. I was beginning to think she was leaving something out specifically because I was there. “Who is he?” I asked, before Aubrey could respond.
She glanced at him nervously, and he nodded, as if he was giving her permission to speak. “It’s that FBI agent you were here with the other night.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. I didn’t know why he would have come here again without me being with him. “Take me to him,” I said, trying to keep my tone even. I was worried that he was seriously hurt, and the way she was acting made me think he was.
She glanced at Aubrey again. It annoyed me. He nodded, and she turned and walked out. I followed her down the hall, and Aubrey trailed behind me. She held the door to one of the rooms for me. I walked in, even though I was terrified that what I would see would be horrible.
Nick was lying on the bed, unconscious. There was blood everywhere. Whoever went after him had gone for his throat. There was an older female vampire in the room. She was beautiful and elegantly dressed. His wounds were healing, so I guessed she gave him her blood. For a human, that wasn’t the ideal situation. Vampires could easily sway and manipulate humans, especially when a human took blood from one.
“Do you know who did this?” I asked Ann Marie, as I went to Nick and felt his wrist for a pulse. It was weak, but it was there.
“I believe it was a death marshal. At least, that was what he muttered before he lost consciousness,” the older female vampire said instead of allowing Ann Marie to answer.
“Who are you?” I asked, trying not to sound too rude. I was getting really upset. If another death marshal had already shown up, things were going to get bad fast.
“My name is Victoria, and you should mind your tone. You are in enemy territory,” she growled.
Before I could reply, Aubrey cut in. “She is not, and if anyone attempts to harm her they will find themselves in enemy territory.”
She glared at him as though she wanted to argue, but held her tongue. “Is he going to be okay?” I asked her.
She nodded. “In a few hours.”
“I am going to find whoever did this,” I said angrily, as I walked out of the room. I had my hands clenched again. It was almost an automatic response whenever I felt like my anger was getting the best of me.
“Is your plan to kill every single one of them?” Aubrey asked, as he followed me out into the hall.
I turned around and glared at him. “Do you have a problem with that?” I asked angrily.
He watched me for a minute before speaking. “I have a problem with the fact that you think you are invincible. You are going to get yourself killed.”
I scoffed. “I don’t really care, as long as I kill as many vampires as possible before I’m dead.” I turned to walk away from him. He made me angry. He acted like I was being unreasonable.
He caught me by my wrist and pulled me roughly against him. “I won’t let you kill yourself,” he growled.
“How are you going to stop me?”
I countered.
He watched me for a minute. His expression was cold and blank. “You want the vampire that killed your parents, right?”
I looked at him, startled. “Of course I do.” I had a horrible feeling he’d known who it was all this time, and he hadn’t said anything.
“I am that vampire. So kill me, and stop your suicidal crusade,” he said simply.
I watched him horrified. I felt like I’d had the breath knocked out of me. I couldn’t move or speak.
I stood staring at Aubrey. Normally my first instinct would have been to attack, but I was frozen. I couldn’t even process what he said. “What did you say?” I asked again as my mouth went dry. I felt my anger boiling just below the surface.
“I said if you want someone to blame, blame me. I am the reason your parents are dead,” he said just as smoothly as he had before.
I realized he was still holding my wrist, and yanked it free of his grasp. He didn’t respond; he just watched me. “I don’t believe you,” I said softly. I couldn’t believe him. Part of me refused to believe he had anything to do with my parent’s death.
His expression darkened. “Why do you not believe me? If a vampire said he killed your parents I would expect you to do something about it,” he said angrily.
I backed away from him. I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t tell if he was telling the truth or not. I didn’t really know why it even mattered. The old me wouldn’t have even questioned him.
He watched me, and I could tell he was confused. He’d expected me to attack. “What are you waiting for?” he growled, stepping toward me.
I didn’t speak. I couldn’t. I didn’t know what I was waiting for.
He shoved me back against the wall and glared at me. His face was inches from my own. “I should kill you, just like I killed them,” he said angrily.
I looked into his brilliant turquoise eyes. I’d never felt so lost. I didn’t believe him. I refused to believe he had any part in my parent’s deaths. I didn’t know why I was so determined to believe he hadn’t done what he was claiming.
“Damn it, say something to me,” he growled, as he pressed his body to mine. He was inches from my face. I fought the urge to kiss him.
“You’re a liar,” I said softly.
His expression changed to relief. He pressed his lips to mine, kissing me aggressively. I was confused, but I returned his kiss. I didn’t understand why he would claim my parent’s murder. “Why would you say something like that to me?” I asked, after I broke the kiss.
He looked at me for a moment, then looked away. “I wanted to know if you trusted me.”
I ran my fingers down his cheek. “I trust you too much,” I said softly. I gave him a quick, chaste kiss on the lips, and slipped out of his arms. I hoped I wasn’t misjudging him; it would be a huge mistake. “Please keep Nick safe,” I said quietly, then walked down the hall toward the exit.
***
Normally I felt better once I left Aubrey’s club, but for some reason I didn’t feel as safe as I had when I was with him. I knew there was a death marshal somewhere, and I guessed he was looking for me. I saw blood on the ground not far from the clubs entrance. I knew it was Nick’s blood. The marshal was watching the club. He knew I was here, and he had to be waiting for me. A scuffling noise to my right caught my attention. I turned and pinned a hooded figure to the brick wall.
“Rayne, it’s me!” Tanner squeaked, startled by my sudden movement.
I yanked his hood back, and he smiled apologetically. “Why are you running around when there is a marshal somewhere?” I asked angrily. Sometimes Tanner didn’t think, and it was annoying.
He shrugged. “I was just trying to find you. I wanted to make sure you were okay,” he said quietly.
I released him and scanned the area. There was no one in sight, but I still had the odd feeling that someone was watching me. “It’s not safe,” I growled.
He shoved his hands in his pockets and shifted nervously. “I know, but I wanted to come thank you. I know my parents wouldn’t save me over protecting our people.”
I watched him for a minute, not sure what to say. He was right. My uncle was all about the survival of his people. The people I loved, like Tanner and, as much as I hated to admit it, Aubrey, were the most important peopl to me. “You should go back home,” I said softly and turned away.
Tanner caught my arm, and I looked at him. “Rayne…” he started, but trailed off.
“What is it?” I asked as I watched him. He looked like he was trying to decide whether he should speak. He obviously wanted to say something.
He dropped his hand and shook his head. “Just don’t trust anyone,” he said softly.
Before I could ask him what he meant he turned and hurried toward the alley opening. I turned to look back at the club. Before I completely turned I was being thrown against the wall. The impact knocked the air from my lungs. I slid to the ground, disoriented. A figure appeared in front of me, and I knew it was the marshal. He had the same necklace as the last one. He was also handsome, just like every other male vampire I’d met. His hair was dark brown and curly. It was short, and went well with his green eyes. He was wearing a black leather trench coat and black leather pants. Like most vampires, his clothing was expensive.
“Well, this is disappointing. I thought you would put up more of a fight,” he said, amused.
I smiled as I climbed slowly to my feet. “You know what the difference between a hunter and a vampire is?”
He looked slightly intrigued by my sudden question. “Do tell.”
I brushed myself off and looked at him. “A hunter wouldn’t take a cheap shot when a vampire’s back was turned.”
His smile widened. “That rule doesn’t apply to all hunters. I did, however, hear that you are one of the more honorable ones, as some would call it.”
“What would you call it?” I asked, trying to distract him with conversation. I slowly moved my hand behind my back and grasped the wooden stake I had hidden there.
“I call it gullible and weak. You are going to end up dead because of your so-called honor,” he growled.
I looked at him, confused. I didn’t understand why he was talking to me like he was warning me. I was under the impression he was here to kill me. “Try; you will find I am not as gullible and weak as you think.”
“I’m not here to kill you, Lillian. If I were, you would be dead,” he said, amused.
I scoffed. “Well, I’ll kill you regardless. You are a marshal, and you are in my territory.”
He tilted his head and watched me as if he was contemplating something. He was extremely odd, for a marshal. “Your father wasn’t so quick to kill. Maybe you are not as honorable as you think.”
“You attacked my friend,” I countered, as I stepped forward.
He looked a little confused. “I just got here. I didn’t harm anyone.”
“What the hell do you want?” I asked, brushing him off. It wasn’t like I could prove he did it. If he had, he would have been gloating, not denying it.
“I want an agreement between us,” he said, watching me.
I scowled. “I will never agree with anything the vampire council or the marshals have to say.”
He crossed his arms like he was getting annoyed with me. “I want a truce between you and the marshals. The marshals are working on revolting against the council. You are stirring things up and causing chaos. The marshals cannot focus on fighting the council if we are worried about being taken out by an over-eager hunter.”
I laughed. “The marshals are suddenly worried about the council? Why? The council gives you free reign.”
His expression darkened. “It is vampire business, not hunter business. All I need from you is to lay low. Let me make the council think you died. The alert will go down, and we can get back to our plans.”
“Why would I want the marshals in charge? The council keeps you in line. Even though it isn’t much, it is still something,”
I said.
He stepped forward, and I saw annoyance glint in his eyes, like he trying to decide whether he wanted to kill me or not. “Like you, I am sworn to a higher power. My higher power has lost its way, as yours has, of late. I refuse to ignore it. The council will fall whether you cooperate or not. If you do not cooperate, more people will die - I can promise you that.”
I watched him for a minute. I didn’t know what to say. I was afraid he was being honest, and I didn’t want to get my people hurt. I also didn’t trust a death marshal to keep his word. “What guarantee do I have that you are not lying?”
“You don’t get a guarantee. There are no guarantees,” he said angrily, as he stepped forward again.
“I wouldn’t,” Drake said from behind the marshal. I hadn’t even heard him approach. I was too distracted by the marshal’s presence; caught off guard, he was obviously distracted by mine.
The marshal turned so he was able to keep his eyes on me and Drake. “You have no business here, wolf,” the vampire growled. He was clearly used to dealing with werewolves.
Several other werewolves stepped out of the shadows. There had to be at least twenty of them, and I hadn’t heard any of them approach. The thought was a little unnerving. “Who are you to say what wolf business is, and what isn’t?” Drake asked, amused.
The marshal glanced at me, then looked around. He was in a tight spot. “So this is how it works now? Hunters in league with werewolves.”
“First off, I am no longer a hunter, so you will not get a truce with the hunters through me. Second, is it really so hard to believe that werewolves and hunters can coexist?” I asked, feeling a little braver now that I had backup.
The marshal glared at me. “Why are you even a concern if you are not part of the hunters? They said you killed a marshal on hunter’s orders,” he said, annoyed.
I laughed. “You know better than that. The hunters are scared of marshals. I killed that marshal because I wanted him dead. He threatened someone I love, so he paid. You will, too, if you do not leave my city now.”
He watched me for a minute as his expression darkened. “You are a renegade, like your father,” he growled.
