by Aminta Reily
Table of Contents
Dark Hunger
Kayla Louis has never believed in love at first sight. But from the moment she lays eyes on a dark, handsome stranger in a club named Diamond, she instantly falls for him. From the moment Kayla meets Ian, her life changes quickly. If she learns of his dark secret, she will never accept what he is.
Ian Delancy has always thought that mates were made, not born, but from the moment Kayla walks into his life, he knows that she is to be by his side for all eternity.
Ian quickly learns that he has to save Kayla, not only from himself, but also from a pack of wolves whose main goal is to take away his mate before he has gotten a chance to know her.
Will Kayla accept who Ian is, or will she turn on him and become the one thing he despises most, a werewolf.
The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Dark Hunger
Copyright © 2012 Aminta Reily
ISBN: 978-1-77111-135-5
Cover art by Angela Waters
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
Published by eXtasy Books
Look for us online at:
www.eXtasybooks.com
Dark Hunger
Night Hunters
By
Aminta Reily
Chapter One
Ian Delancy placed the coffee cup on the table and leaned back on the couch, reading the daily news from his new iPad. As he read an article about the new devices of the century, he marveled how times had changed over the millennia. Instead of having to rush out to purchase newspapers, books, and magazines from the corner stands, you could stay home and download them onto almost any electronic device. New technology was a magnificent upgrade from his time, when he didn’t have electricity or running water. When he turned eleven, his father took him out to hunt for their supper. They didn’t have fully loaded grocery stores that provided all their necessities. If you didn’t go out and hunt for your meals, you starved.
Using his finger to turn the page on the device, he thought how he’d debated with his girlfriend when she brought him the iPad for Christmas. He’d told her he didn’t need some portable device to read his paper. He wanted his regular newspaper where the ink smeared his fingertips as he turned the page. He didn’t want to join the technical world that Meagan and the entire human population seemed to be working towards. He liked the way the world was. However, whether he liked it or not, times were changing. Things such as electronic newspapers and digital music were taking over the world, and he could either become accustomed to revolution or let the world pass him by.
Ian could accept those simple changes with ease. He sighed, knowing there were other changes he didn’t want to accept but had no choice about.
Over the past three years, he’d accepted the changes of the world and the new technology, but he couldn’t accept the recent change in his relationship, which had gone from sizzling and intimate to bitter and dreary. Not that Meagan had told him personally their sex life had no sizzle. She seemed to enjoy when they were together sexually more than he did. He couldn’t understand. If she enjoyed it, why did she sleep with human males every chance she could? He didn’t need words to show him she didn’t want to be with him, her actions did.
Seventy years of being together with one person could become tedious. Nevertheless, he wanted to do whatever it took to make their relationship last. He wanted to be like his mother and father and have a long lasting relationship.
His parents loved each other, and they would do anything and everything to make each other happy. In all his life, he never knew of any others who expressed their love as strongly as his parents did.
To have a loving relationship, both he and Meagan would have to change to make it work. Meagan would have to stop having sex with every human male she could manipulate him. They would have to talk to each other and be honest about what they thought had come between them. Once they figured out where the fire had died, they could work on ways to rekindle it.
Talking sounded like a plan, but last month when he’d tried to get Meagan to talk about their problems, she only laughed at the thought of them having that discussion. She quickly told him that some needs were not being met by him. She believed she needed more in life than just a one-on-one relationship. If she felt that he could not satisfy all her sexual needs, why wouldn’t she agree to break up?
He loved her. At one point he’d loved her with all his heart and would have given her the moon if he could snatch if from the sky. Now, he had to accept that she would take other lovers into her life.
Meagan wanted to have her cake and eat it, too. She told him she couldn’t live without him in her life. She only needed to scratch an itch that he couldn’t reach sometimes. An itch? Yeah, right. He didn’t accept being treated like nothing, but he would let her fulfill whatever needs she needed fulfilled. Once she figured out how much he loved her and learned no one else could love her or treat her the way he could, she would come back to him. Until then, he had to just wait and date others. Well, sort of date others.
Why sort of? When he decided to go on a date with one of his friend’s coworkers, Meagan didn’t want him showing other women any sort of affection. Talk about a one-sided relationship. Not that Meagan showed her anger openly, knowing he would throw how many men she had fucked in her face, but the wave of anger flowed from her like a river.
Ian could not prove that Meagan had done anything wrong, but he was certain she had scared the young woman because the next night, she wouldn’t return his calls. After two days of trying to contact her, he received a text stating she didn’t want to see him again. Ever! Why would someone send a text like that when they expressed how much fun they had with you and how much they couldn’t wait for the next time they met? Then, the next day, they didn’t want anything to do with you. He knew it had to be Meagan who’d scared her and nothing would change that thought.
Ian sighed. Not reading the paper any longer, he thought about how a vampire’s life could go from being an alpha male to waiting at home and reading a newspaper while his girlfriend was out screwing someone. How could he have let his life become so pathetic?
He’d thought kicking Megan out a year ago would change her and let her see that her ways were ruining their relationship. She’d moved a flight up in their apartment complex, and now her infidelity had become worse. Now she didn’t have to go out and meet the men, as she gladly brought them to her apartment for their meetings.
Meagan didn’t care about who she brought to the apartment, but he did. If he wanted to bring a female companion back for a little one on one, it would be almost impossible to enjoy himself, knowing Meagan could interrupt him at any moment. She often made it known to him that she would come in any time she wanted by barging in unannounced.
Ian’s cell phone vibrated in his pocket only seconds before the music began playing. He placed his iPad on the coffee table, pulled out his cell phone, an
d saw Logan Delancy’s name, his younger brother from Florida, flashing on the screen.
He pondered for a moment, wondering if he should answer it. Logan only called when he needed something. Logan was the slacker in the family. He didn’t believe in working hard. He wanted everything to be handed to him on a silver platter. Unlike their parents who owned several casinos in Vegas, or Ian, who ran a couple of businesses of his own, Logan sat on his ass doing nothing.
Ian also worked part time for the Night Hunters, which had given him enough money to invest millions in the stock market fifty years ago. He had made more than he could count since that time, so his brother thought of Ian as his personal piggy bank.
Ian knew that even if he hadn’t owned the businesses, he could work for the Night Hunters full time and get paid a hefty salary for going out and protecting humans. Logan refused to work for the Night Hunters, stating that he would never work for anyone. Instead of using what money he had made on good investments, he opened a farm, breeding animals in Florida. Not that Ian had anything against raising animals. The fact that Logan wasn’t making the profit that he wanted made him have to ask for money every so many years.
“Hello,” Ian answered on the forth ring.
“Big brother, how are you doing?”
That wasn’t a good sign. Any time Logan started his sentences with big brother, he wanted something or wanted him to do something that Logan knew Ian didn’t want to do. “What is it, and how much will it cost me?”
Logan’s laughter blasted through the speaker.
Ian looked up as Meagan walked into his apartment, not bothering to knock as he kindly did before entering her place. She smiled and waved at him, then flopped down on the couch beside him.
“I need for you to come to Jackson Blue Spring, Ian.”
Ian had almost missed what Logan was saying as Meagan’s stench of sexual release filled his nostrils. Why did she come here after her escapades instead of going home and showering? She knew how sensitive he was to scents, and he could still smell the sex on her even days later. She could at least try to wash some of the scent off her, so it wouldn’t be so strong.
“Who are you talking to?” Meagan finally asked.
Ian didn’t notice that he had been staring at Meagan until he blinked a couple of times. Anger flared and flowed through his body. He clenched his teeth at the itch of his fangs aching to emerge. It took all of his willpower to keep them submerged. Why did he put up with her bullshit? He only had to tell her to leave, and she would have no choice but to go. He would be happier if he did tell her to get out of his life.
“I’m talking to my brother, Meagan,” he snapped.
“Whom you are ignoring!” Logan growled in his ear.
“I’m not ignoring you, brother. I heard what you asked me to do. I’m just wondering why you are asking me to come to Florida.”
“Well, Ian, since I opened up Diamond a couple of months ago, there have been a lot of killings of humans in this area. The police are covering it up due to it being a peaceful area and not wanting to cause panic, but I think that werewolves are doing the killing.”
“I hate to hear of the killings, Logan, but why not get Nicholas or Kyle to help find out who is doing the killing? They are in the area. Why call me?”
“To tell you the truth, Kyle was the one who told me to contact you. They are indisposed at the moment.”
“In other words, they are out of town with random women, fucking, and now that the area is not secured, they want an outsider to come in and fix what they don’t want to deal with.”
There was a long pause from Logan before he responded, “Pretty much.”
Ian would never leave any human in danger by leaving his area. Kyle and Nicholas were being irresponsible. They would rather party instead of taking care of the humans they were supposed to be protecting.
He let out a long breath. He knew that he would be just as irresponsible if he didn’t go help his brother. He didn’t want to go, but he needed to think of a good reason other than telling Logan that there were others much closer who could help him.
As Ian thought of ways to get out of going to Florida, he turned his attention to the woman sitting next to him. As he looked at her, his heart beat faster, and his temperature rose. If possible, he knew his heart would burst from the hurt and pain he experienced when he looked at her, unlike before, when Meagan was around and this butterfly feeling would start in the pit of his stomach. At one point in his life, she made his heart swell with joy when she came around. Now, she only made him sick to the stomach at the thought of even being with her.
He didn’t know how long it had been, but he was sure it’d been over three months since they had fucked, which suited him just fine. Not that he had a high sexual urge to be with her or any woman to be exact. Oh, he used to want to make love to Meagan every moment of the day. He wanted to spend every waking moment with her. Yet, after the years of being hurt, this woman had sucked his life source out of him, and now he was pathetic.
Turning away, he decided that he wanted to get away from her, and to be free from her infidelity and the pain she caused. Maybe this could be a little vacation for him to get his thoughts together to make sure he wanted to make it work with her.
“Fine, I’ll pack and be in Florida by tomorrow night,” Ian answered.
“Great—”
Logan was cut off by Meagan’s loud squeal.
“Oh my God! A trip to Florida! I know I would enjoy the nighttime life there. It has been years since I’ve been to Florida. I’ve heard that it’s a much better place to vacation since the last time I visited.”
Did Ian say he would be there by tomorrow, or we? The reason for the trip was to get away from her.
“She can’t come! I will not have that witch in my home, brother.”
Logan hadn’t liked Meagan for a long time now, ever since Ian told him of their recent arrangements, or more like her arrangement to go out and fuck anyone while he stayed home looking out the window like a little lost puppy. Logan told him to dump her before it got worse. He doubted it could get any worse. It took two to make a relationship work and so far, he was the only one trying. They had problems. More problems than he could name.
There were couples who had been together for many years and didn’t have the problems they had. The rumor was that couples who were together for so long were soul mates. There are two types of mates. Mates you create and mates who are born.
Not that he believed that anyone could be born to be your other half. In fact, he hadn’t met anyone who had found his or her born mate. It took a lot of hard work and patience to make any relationship work, which was what he wanted to do with Meagan.
Work hard and make the relationship work. In a couple of years, they would forget about her cheating and be happy for the rest of their lives. They could work on it later, but for now, he wanted to get away from her.
Ian looked into Meagan’s blue eyes, hoping she hadn’t heard Logan’s outburst. “You can’t go, Meagan,” he said softly.
Meagan frowned and let out a low growl. “Why not?”
“Logan said there are werewolves running around the area where I’m staying and I don’t want you in a situation where you could get hurt. Why don’t you stay here and once it’s clear, I’ll send for you to come and we can spend a mini vacation together. We can visit my brother’s new club.”
“Fuck no. I don’t want to visit that bit-witch,” he heard Logan whisper.
When Meagan took a deep breath, he was sure that she would fight him about going. No matter what, she couldn’t go and that was that. Finally, he was being the man-uh-vampire he was supposed to be.
Meagan looked at him, her blue eyes shining mysteriously. Hmmm, he wondered what she had on her mind. She had that gleam in her eyes when she wanted to get away with something.
“Fine, I’ll stay, but you promised me a vacation.” She smiled.
“I always deliver what I promise.”
> “Yes, you do, but know that this vacation will cost you something else.”
Ian frowned. “What else would it cost me?”
Meagan’s grinned widened. “Don’t worry, lover, it’s only something that I think it’s time to do. Go, take care of what you need to, and I will come later.”
When Meagan leaned over to kiss him on the lips, he turned his head, letting her lips touch his cheek instead. There was no way he would kiss her mouth after another man’s cock had been there not too long ago.
Meagan’s eyes widened, and she stared at him for a moment, probably wondering why he pulled away from her, which should have been obvious to even an idiot.
“Well, I’ll let you finish up your call with your brother. Maybe we can go to dinner tonight before you are off to Florida. Is that a good idea?”
Ian almost told her to go to dinner with the man she just had sex with. The need to scream at her about how she was a whore and he didn’t want to be with her burned his insides, but instead of following his heart, he smiled and nodded. “That sounds great.”
Meagan rose from her seat and left his apartment.
“Why do you put up with her?” Logan asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Do you still love her?”
Did he love her? How could he love someone who had taken his heart and stomped all over it? Did he really love someone who didn’t take love seriously? He believed that Meagan had truly loved him at one point in their relationship, but now she was using him. She used him for his money because she didn’t have any, and she didn’t want to work to earn some. He paid for both apartments. He gave her money to go shopping. To be honest, if he left right now, she would have nothing. She would be nothing. Leaving her would be the right thing to do, but he couldn’t make her suffer like that.
“I don’t love her like I used to, brother. I think it’s more of convenience than anything.”
“Convenience? Well for her it’s convenient. She gets to go out and fuck whom she wants while my brother sits at home waiting on her to return. You pay all of her fucking bills and give her the freedom to shop at will. The only person it’s convenient for is her.”
