Dark Hunt

by Richardson, Kim

  Vampires were half-breed demons, part human and part demon with the thirst for blood—the Hunger. It was easy for them to slip past angel-born since they looked human. That was until their eyes went black and out came the fangs. Vamps didn’t mix with other creatures, even other demons, and especially not humans. Warm-bloods were food.

  Jax’s knuckles went white as they gripped the steering wheel. He looked wired. He hadn’t said a word when he punched in the address I gave him as we pulled out of my grandma’s driveway, and I didn’t like the silence. I especially disliked the deep scowl on Jax’s face and the way his shoulders tensed, his aggression emanating from him. I could see it in his eyes. I recognized that look. Hell, I wore it often. He wanted to kill something.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, twisting in my seat. “You look tense.”

  “I’m fine.” His voice was cold.

  My brow rose at his tone. “You don’t look fine. You look pissed.” I watched as he clenched his jaw. “How about you share a little information? I shared some with you… it’s only fair that you share some of whatever’s happening in that head of yours with me.”

  Jax’s face slacked as he looked at me. “I’m just anxious to find Cindy and send that SOB Greater demon back to his hell.” His eyes became distant in thought before he turned around and looked at to the road in front of him.

  “You’re a terrible liar,” I said. The flinch in his brow told me everything I needed to know. “The first rule of a good lie is not to break eye contact. I’ll teach you sometime.” I almost smiled at his refusal to look at me again.

  “It’s something else,” I said, watching his face for more clues as to whatever was bothering him. “I can tell just by looking at you. I can help you if you tell me what it is. We’re going to be partners for a while… at least until we find the Greater demon.” I wasn’t sure if this was just my obsession to know everything, or if I was genuinely concerned since I’d witnessed that moment of true sadness in his eyes.

  “Fine. Keep your secrets. But they better not interfere with this case.” Frustrated, I turned back and stared out the window. I was pissed. I’d shared something with this man, something that I’d kept from everyone, even the Council, and yet he wouldn’t share any of his secrets.

  The sun was long down, and traffic had thickened. The city lights illuminated the sky in blues and silver, making it appear to be on fire.

  “I don’t understand Cindy’s actions,” I said, wanting to change the subject before I lost my temper. “Her reasoning. No mortal, sane person would ally themselves with vampires. It makes no sense. She had called him friend. The only friends vampires have are other vampires.”

  “They tricked her,” said Jax, and the faint worry lines around his eyes deepened. “Making her think they’re keeping her safe until they rip out her throat and have a feast of her blood.”

  I grimaced at the intensity in his voice. “Then we better get there before they start to get hungry.”

  I kept to my cold silence as Jax drove us out of Thornville and headed south toward Manhattan.

  We made it to Greenwich Village in about an hour. I gripped the door handle as Jax made a sharp right turn, pulling up on West Houston Street right before the club and parking at the curb. I opened the door and got out.

  The street was unnaturally dark, and I looked up to find the streetlamps all out. Traffic hummed two streets away, but here it was quiet. Too quiet. Along the street was a row of several cramped buildings, all but one an unremarkable mix of gray stone, metal, and iron. One had a red door. The name V-Lounge was illuminated in red lights above it.

  The only indication that it was a club was the rumble of music and the rhythmic pulsing that came from inside.

  “How did you even know about this place?” Jax stared up and down the quiet street. “Does the Council know?”

  “About the club? I doubt it,” I answered and hitched up my jeans to where they were supposed to be. “The Council doesn’t bother with the few vamp clubs. As long as the vamps play by the rules, the Council leaves them alone.”

  “If they don’t kill any humans.”

  “They don’t have to,” I said as I made my way toward the red door, Jax following me closely. “Trust me. They have more than enough human donors, humans that beg to have their blood sucked out of them. I think it’s sad, but that’s not against the law.”

  I pulled open the door and walked in. The club was hot, like tropical weather hot, full of cigarette smoke and the familiar smell of booze. Yet I could still smell the familiar stench of sour milk mixed with old blood that all vamps gave off. The pull of darkness was strong, and I knew even before I turned the corner that there had to be at least a hundred vamps in the club.

  The hallway opened up to a larger room. Red lights played over a small dance floor, turning it into a hellish, blood fest of reds. The music was the loud echoing of drums, like the sound of beating hearts. We passed a bar to our left as we sauntered through, bottles of red wine littering the black granite bar top. Men and women were sprawled on red couches, some in conversation, some entangled in passionate kissing and touching. Their flawless faces were painted in pure bliss, and their black eyes were the only indication they were vampires. My skin tightened at the way they were looking at Jax like he was sex on two legs.

  I saw a door behind the DJ booth toward the back of the club and made for it. A human man in his thirties with face piercings and tribal tattoos eyed us suspiciously as we made our way across the dance floor.

  My skin pricked in warning as a vamp stepped from a recessed nook. I jerked to a halt, startled. He was tall and as thick as two grown men, with ebony skin and a shaved head, and he was standing in our way. He looked more like a werewolf than a vamp.

  “This is a private club,” he said, his voice deep and raw like he didn’t use it often. “No angel-spawn allowed,” he added, looking at Jax, and I wondered why he wasn’t looking at me. “You need to leave.” He crossed his arms over his powerful chest in a show of strength.

  I smiled, moving my hip so he had a clear view of my blades. “We’re not here to join, if that’s what you think, big boy. We have business with Danto. Tell him it’s Council business.”

  The vamp’s black eyes rolled over us, his face frowning as he took in Jax’s hands on the hilt of his weapon before he turned around and disappeared behind the door.

  I turned and looked at Jax. “You need to relax,” I said, seeing his grip tightening as he scowled at any vamp that looked his way.

  “I’m fine. Never been better,” he said, giving a gorgeous female vamp in a short black dress, who’d started to walk his way, a murderous look. She looked put off as though she’d just missed out on a night of passion as she returned to her couch. She crossed her legs very slowly, her eyes still on Jax.

  Jax’s earlier easygoing and sultry demeanor had evaporated into an angry, soldier-like expression of strength, dignity, and menace. It gave me the creeps.

  “What do you know of vampires?” I said, feeling a cold sweat drip down between my breasts. I wondered if Jax had crossed paths with vamps before. It would explain his uptight behavior.

  “Most vampire lore is crap,” said Jax, eyeing a male vamp with a black, racoon-like tattoo across his eyes, who was rolling his tongue in a sexual gesture at him. “Crosses don’t work. They don’t like sunlight, but it won’t kill them. But the Hunger, the bloodlust—that part’s true. They can feed on animal blood, but their preferred meal is fresh human blood.”

  I watched Jax’s face, his features alternating in the shadow and red light. He looked red faced and even angrier than before.

  “Just remember,” I said loudly, over the beating drums, “we're here for Cindy. Nothing else. There are a lot more vamps here than the two of us. Keep your cool. All right?”

  The big black vamp came back moments later and motioned for us to follow him. We entered a loungelike room with red carpets, red sofas with plush black pillows, and long, black velvet
drapes. A large flat TV was mounted over a roaring fireplace. The black vamp closed the door behind him and stood guarding it like a bouncer.

  My heart hammered, and I looked around the room. About twenty vamps sat or lounged comfortably on sofas and chairs. There was no human girl here, no sign of Cindy.

  I calmed my breathing. Vampires had an acute sense of smell. If they smelled fear, we were done for. There were laws, but if no bodies were left or witnesses…

  Their black eyes were narrowed and full of hatred and anger. A male vamp stood up as we entered. He was barefoot, dressed only in black slacks. The red light illuminated his muscular bare chest and porcelain-like skin.

  Everything about the vampire radiated sensual grace. My breath caught. He was mesmerizing—lethal, beautiful, and merciless. But he also had traces of a gentle elegance, like the pale beauty of the snow. He looked to be in his twenties, but I knew vampires had the gift of longevity. While not immortal, I’d heard of a few over eight hundred years old. He could be any age, with his strong jaw and full, very sensuous mouth. His long, black hair gleamed like a raven’s feathers, offsetting his pale skin. And unlike the other vampires, his eyes were gray.

  The vampire brushed his long, black hair out of his eyes, and the smile he gave me made my pulse quicken.

  “Rowyn, baby, it’s been a while,” said the vampire, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he beheld me. His sultry voice sent my skin riddling in goose bumps.

  Jax cut me a look. “You know him?” I didn’t like the implication in his tone. Besides, my past life had nothing to do with this job.

  I gave the vampire leader a bob of my head in way of greeting. “Danto.”

  Danto prowled closer, a half smile playing on his lips. “You’ve lost weight. It doesn’t suit you.”

  “Tell me about it,” I said as I shifted on my feet.

  “Who’s this? A gift?” Danto said, his attention on Jax, still smiling a predator’s smile.

  A muscle feathered along Jax’s jaw as I said, “This is Jax. He’s helping me on a case.”

  “Really? I never thought you the type to have a partner,” he mused and began circling us. “Well, at least the years I’ve known you. Hunters are always alone. You’re loners.” I looked up to find all the other vamps as still as statues, waiting for one of us to slip up so they could feast on us. I was good. Hell, I was damn good, but there was nothing I could do against twenty vamps.

  Danto pulled his gaze away from Jax and homed in on me. “And this case, you say… brought you here? I thought you came back because you missed me.”

  I bristled at his arrogance, but I never moved. “Don’t flatter yourself.” I took a breath, and when I flicked my gaze over to Jax, my bowels went watery. His face was strained with emotion, and he looked like he was about to spring into attack mode.

  Shit. We needed to get out of here before the fool did something stupid.

  “Where’s Cindy?” I asked, very aware of Jax’s increasing anger.

  “Cindy?” asked Danto, his smile widening. “Cindy who?”

  “Cut the bull, Danto.” I wiped the sweat from my brow. God. Why is it so hot in here? “I know she’s here. She needs to hear what I have to say. It’s important.”

  Danto paused his circling. He now stood between me and the twenty other vampires.

  “Something happened,” I said quickly, knowing that I had caught his attention now. “Something happened to her parents. She needs to know—”

  The black drapes behind one of the couches across from us flew apart, and a woman stepped through. Her eyes were wide as she looked at me and Jax. I recognized her large, pretty brown eyes and dark, luscious hair.

  “What’s happened! What happened to my parents?” Cindy’s face was flushed as she closed the distance between us.

  Danto was next to her in a flash, and his hand clasped her wrist. For a moment I thought he was going to pull her away, but he stood shielding her from us with his half-naked body.

  “It’s Rowyn, right?” Cindy’s eyes were glimmering. “I recognize you.” Her bottom lip quivered, making me feel worse for what I was about to say.

  I looked away from her big eyes. “I’m so sorry, Cindy. They’ve been killed—”

  “No, no, no, no!” Cindy shook her head, her long, brown hair cascading in waves. She fell into Danto’s arms, and I was surprised at the tenderness on his face. Did this vamp love her? Couldn’t be.

  “I should have stayed with them,” she sobbed. “It’s my fault they’re dead. All my fault.”

  Danto wrapped his arms around her and whispered something in her ear. The sight of his genuine affection was making me uncomfortable.

  I shook the thoughts from my head. “Listen, Cindy.” I waited until she turned her head so I could see she was looking at me, though still cradled against the vampire’s chest. “I’m sorry about your parents. Truly, I am. I know how it feels to lose them both… so suddenly.” I swallowed, my mouth dry. “But you have to listen to me. Whatever killed them, is still looking for you. To kill you. It’s not safe for you here anymore.”

  “You need to come with us.” Jax moved forward, surprising me, his voice cold and commanding. “We can protect you. Let’s go, Cindy.”

  “Are you kidding me?” laughed Cindy as she wiped her eyes with her hand. She moved from Danto’s embrace. With her face flushed and her eyes alight with fire, she was truly beautiful, a mix of Gone-With-the-Wind type old Hollywood beauty. “I’ve been protecting myself just fine without you around. Forget it.”

  Jax opened his mouth but shut it as Danto pulled Cindy behind him. “Cindy is staying right here with me.” He blinked, and the gray of his eyes disappeared to be replaced by black.

  Jax tightened his grip on his weapon. “She’s coming with us.”

  Crap. This was not going well. “Cindy,” I said, “I don’t know how many are after us. Maybe it’s only one, maybe it’s more, but I do know they want to kill us. And I don’t know why. They’re clever and strong. They’ll come for you, and they’ll kill you. These vampires won’t stand a chance. Not after what I’ve seen. Don’t you think you’ll be safer at Hallow Hall?”

  Cindy gave tiny smile. “You, of all people, should know that the Council doesn’t give a rat’s ass about us.”

  My chest tightened.

  “What are you even doing here? You left, like, five years ago.”

  “The Council hired me to hunt the demon that’s doing this.”

  “Really?” Cindy’s voice had a touch of belligerence. “My parents are dead. Guess you’re not cut out to be a Hunter either.”

  My anger resurfaced. “I didn’t have to come here and try to rescue your sorry ass, but I’m here. Now, are you going to stay here and wait for your death sentence, or are you coming with us.”

  “She is not.” Danto stood like a lethal predator. “She’s staying with me. She’s my mate.”

  I choked on my own spit. “She’s your what?”

  Cindy stood tall, defiance written all over her face. Her large eyes were clear. She wasn’t spelled or glamoured. She loved him. And Danto loved her too.

  I knew vamps mated for life, so this was serious. He would defend her if we tried to take her by force.

  Jax looked at me. “Is that even allowed? I mean… can they… you know?”

  “Yes.” I glanced at Cindy, knowing all too well what would come of this if we didn’t leave now. This was bad, really bad.

  “As my mate,” said Danto, his voice dripping with venom. “She will never leave my side. Besides, she’s safer here with me than she’ll ever be with you. Let me give you fair warning. If you try to take her, I will kill you. And I’ll be well within my rights.”

  I felt the air shift behind me as the vamp bouncer moved closer to us from behind.

  “Fine,” I said, looking at Cindy. I didn’t want to leave her with a bunch of vamps, but we were seriously outnumbered. “It’s your funeral. Come on, Jax. She made her choice. Let’s get out of he
re.”

  I watched in disbelief as Jax pulled out his blade.

  “No,” he said. “We’re not leaving her here. “She’s coming with us.”

  My heart was hammering so hard I felt like I was about to have a heart attack. “Are you mad?” I whispered. “What the hell are you doing? Don’t be an idiot!”

  Glancing over the room quickly, I could see the long, gleaming black claws that had sprouted from what had once been manicured human fingernails on each vampire’s hands. They had turned. They weren’t hiding behind their human shells anymore. They were full-on vamps.

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  My breath came rapidly. The bouncer vampire was so close I could smell the blood he had for dinner on his breath. “Danto,” I said as I met his black eyes and expression of ire while blinking the sweat from my eyes, “call off your dog. We’re leaving—”

  The air shifted behind me again as I felt a hand reach out and grab my arm.

  Ah, crap.

  I went to yank it away, but Jax was already there. I caught a glimpse of his face, a mixture of fury and madness, and then he stabbed the big, black vampire through the heart with his short sword.

  Jax pulled out his sword as the vampire stumbled back. The large vamp looked more shocked than hurt. His black eyes moved past me over to Danto.

  My pulse pounded. I knew what was coming. I took a breath. The adrenaline hurt.

  Danto’s expression was livid as he raised his arms—and snapped his fingers.

  And then a horde of twenty-plus vamps barreled toward us.

  11

  “You idiot!” I yelled at Jax. “Why the hell did you do that?”

  “I thought he was going to bite you. I was wrong.”

  “No shit, Sherlock.” But it didn’t make any difference. Jax had spilled the first blood, which meant we were now fair game.

  We were already at the bottom of the pool of deep doo-doo. We were surrounded by hisses and teeth and death.

  I drew my blade in a rush as a huge, dark shape lunged from behind a chair. The ringing sound of steel was drowned out by horrible screeches and roars. Mouth spread wide, a female vamp dove for me. For an instant, I saw Jax with his sword in his hands, slicing and dicing until he disappeared under a mass of fangs and bodies.