Dark Hunter

by Shannan Albright

  “You didn’t see me die. I was exchanged with another.” He held his hand up to quell her argument. “The sidhe, children of the Tuatha de Danann, stepped in. They froze time for the few moments it took to exchange me for a double.”

  “What? Now you expect me to believe the sidhe have that kind of power?”

  “Yes. I have been in their service until recently.”

  She gave him a suspicious look. “What kind of service could a vampire provide, if they have that much power?”

  Navar’s eyes darkened with regret. “I was a tracker for their queen. They needed someone with a highly advanced sense of smell, and since I’m four thousand years old, they figured a vampire with as much experience as I might have a few additional powers they could put to good use.”

  Mari gave an unladylike snort, fisting her hands on her hips. “And in all that time, you couldn’t come by and let me know you lived?”

  His lips thinned, dark brows lowering in a frown at the scorn in her voice. “I had to take a blood oath not to contact anyone from my past. They didn’t want the…complications of having someone on the outside knowing much about them. They are a very secretive race with powerful enemies within the breed world. If their actual location ever got out…well, they could be destroyed.”

  “Even me?”

  “Yes, even you, especially you.” He breathed out a heavy sigh, running a hand through this thick black hair in agitation. “Look, there were so many times I wanted to let you know. I’ve kept watch over you all these years. It was pure hell being so close and yet not able to touch you, talk to you, or let you know everything would be all right.”

  Confusion and frustration swelled upon a rising tide breaking through the defenses she’d built to hold her emotions at bay. The horror of his death, the struggle to survive and flourish, the isolation and soul deep grief churned through her, making her body tremble at the intensity scalding her insides. The idea he had been so close and she never knew just drove those emotions up a notch. Anger joined the party stewing within her, at being left alone, ignored when she needed his guidance. Stupid, and a bit selfish of her, but there it was.

  “Well, bully for you.” She sneered, her full lip lifting up enough to show a gleaming white fang. “Then you know everything wasn’t all right. I struggled without you, keeping one step ahead of the hunters while trying my damnedest to blend into the human world and make a life for myself. Where in the hell were you a month ago, h

  uh? I could have really used a bit of help then.” She knew she was being irrational, but it seemed the logic train had left the station a long time ago, stranding her at the station where only chaos reigned.

  The sudden silence in the bar made her all too aware she’d lost her temper. Her shout still reverberated in the stillness of the room. Not that there were very many patrons, but as the owner of the establishment, screaming at one of her customers was just bad form.

  With a growl she marched around the bar and grabbed Navar’s hand, doing her best to ignore the tingle racing up her arm at the contact. Gritting her teeth, she tugged him through the hallway where she kept rooms for vampire patrons who wanted a bit more than a quick bite.

  Mari stopped at the end of the hall only long enough to open a door on the left and pull him inside before shutting the door behind her with a loud snick.

  Leaning against the door, she took a calming breath, then did it again and again until she felt the steel bands across her chest loosen and the tight muscles of her neck and shoulders unravel just a bit, all the while she glared murderously at Navar. He crossed his brawny arms over his chest, the movement enhancing the solid bulge of his biceps and pulling his T-shirt tight. Her mind scattered as she licked her suddenly dry lips.

  “I tried for centuries to be released from my service to the queen. I wanted nothing more than to be with you. I, too, felt the torment of not being there for you.”

  “Ha, if you expect me to believe that, you must think I’m a fool. I want you to leave. I can’t do this, not right now.” Pain colored her words and she dropped her gaze to her feet, unable to look at him. Her voice carried to him on a whisper of pain. Her eyes rose to meet his, all the emotions she held churning inside her. “You lied to me, Navar. You promised to never leave me and you did.”

  His body stiffened as her barb hit home. “Call me what you will, but lie to you? That, akasha, I did not do. Ever.”

  “Don’t call me that. I am not your heart. Not anymore. Don’t you remember your words when I woke up as a vampire?” She practically spit the words at him, rage and pain swamping her, threatening to suffocate her with the intensity of her emotions.

  A low growl filled the tiny room as Navar’s jaw tightened. “I did not willingly leave your side. I was taken and given no choice at the time. They called upon an ancient vow I made before I was turned. A vow I was helpless to turn my back on.” He pounded a fist to his chest, eyes narrowing in the heat of his temper. “They knew the only power they held over me was the blood vow I swore when I agreed to be vampire.”

  Her brow furled as she looked up into his gaze, filled with shadows, and as she watched, a door slammed closed, making him unreadable. His face seemed carved from stone. And though he stood only a foot from her, she felt the distance between them was a chasm wider than the Grand Canyon. Obviously, he didn’t wish to discuss the blood vow he’d taken and wouldn’t be forthcoming on any details on whatever it entailed. Unfortunately, his explanation seemed too vague for her liking.

  She glared at the man before her, so like Navar, yet much darker, hard and dangerous. And she was shocked at the realization their time apart took a toll on him. How much of the man she’d fallen in love with existed in the man standing before her?

  Could she trust him? Damn it all, what the hell? There were so many questions swirling in her brain, and yet, so few answers.

  “You expect me to just let you back into my life as if nothing ever happened?”

  He shook his head slowly. “No, of course not. Plenty has happened. I just want to have a second chance, Mari. We can start slowly, get to know one another, and let time take care of the rest.”

  “And what happens if your precious blood vow gets called upon again?” Her voice was shrill with pent-up frustration.

  “I’m here to stay, akasha.”

  “Like you were here for me all these years?” she challenged.

  A low growl came from deep within his chest as his large body tensed and anger sparked in his eyes, the color darkening to the slate gray of storm clouds. “I had no choice. How could you even think I would wish to leave you? Those three brief months we had were the only time I felt complete. You were…are, the only thing in my life that keeps me sane.”

  “The only thing I know is you left me surrounded by hunters. Then you show up here, in my bar, with some bullshit story with enough holes in it to run a semi through. And you once again tell me you won’t leave me?”

  His hands clenched into fists at his side. His voice was harsh with frustration as he spoke in a harsh rasp, “I paid a high price to be released from my responsibilities. To speak of it is to break the agreement and that is not something I am inclined to do. So, for now, yes, I expect you to trust me. If I could say more, I would.”

  For a few moments, only the beat of their hearts could be heard in the confines of the small room as they stared at each other. The air was thick with distrust, frustration, and pain.

  “It’s your call, akasha. I will leave if that is your wish. The decision is yours to make.”

  Mari gasped at the stark despair in his words. Damn him to hell. His anger she could withstand, but not the vulnerability he left bare at her feet. It was too much! Her emotions drained away in one massive surge, leaving her hollowed out and alone…so alone. So much time stood between them, all her experience struggling in a violent world, fending for herself, always one step away from the slayers. If not for Marcus’s friendship, she would never have survived.

&nbs
p; “I wasn’t entirely alone. I had help when I was truly in need.”

  He frowned, eyes devoid of any emotion. “You have someone in your life then?” His words turned wooden as his shoulders tightened. “Then I will leave and you will never hear from me again. I will not stand between you and your man.”

  Mari gave him a bitter smile. “Yeah, well, relax it isn’t anything like that. Marcus is a friend, nothing more. He was the one who saved me when you died…or whatever.” She threw her hands up in the air in frustration.

  His body remained tense, eyes fully trained on her. “Do you wish me to leave?” His words came out on a whisper filling the space between them with a thickening sense of expectation. Whatever she said now would forever change the course of their lives.

  She opened her mouth, ready to ask for time to think. “Please stay.” Her eyes widened in surprise, and yet the truth rang strong in those two words. She did want him, and yes, she did need time to think things through, but right now?

  Now her emotions were raw, scraped from the inside out, and she needed to feel something besides the confusion, the aching loneliness which hammered at her every day. She needed to feel this man against her skin to assuage the fire burning her alive.

  “I don’t know if I can trust you, but I need you, Navar. Whatever this attraction between us is, I just want to feel without thinking about the consequences.”

  With a hoarse growl, Navar dragged her up against his body. A low groan tore from his lips as her body pressed tightly to his. She gasped as a shot of electricity coursed through her arms and down through her body to throb at her core. A small whimper escaped her as need pulsed through her. He felt so good, too good. It took all her strength to summon the words. “I don’t know if this is such a good idea, Navar.” She heard the weak, breathy quality to her voice and knew Navar sensed her arousal, which perfumed the air around them, a silent testament to her need.

  His dark head bent low, warm breath caressing her neck. “You feel the attraction, don’t you, Mari? You want me as much as I want you.”

  The words of denial dried up in her throat as her heart hammered against her ribcage like an enraged beast wanting out. She shook her head in mute denial, shifting her gaze to a point above his head. If she looked at him, she would surely surrender.

  “Oh, no?” he asked in a deceptively soft voice.

  She yelped as he dragged her up his hard muscular body, her feet dangling off the floor, and tilted his head to capture her mouth. Her body quivered at the contact, her lips parting under his onslaught. He wasted no time as she felt the stroke of his tongue against hers. His flavor burst on her taste buds, so hot and sweet she groaned at the sheer pleasure flooding her system.

  Of their own accord, her arms wrapped around his thick neck, holding on as she sank into the kiss with a sigh of surrender. He growled his approval as he pressed her back to the door, holding her up against it as if she weighed nothing. He attacked her mouth with a ruthless hunger. All dominant aggression, a sexual claiming and nothing like the soft passionate care she’d once experienced with him/Her body exploded, sending shards of pleasure through her nerve endings, and her heart sped up and adrenaline pumped through her veins. He devoured her with each slide of his tongue against hers. She could feel the harsh edge of his desire, scent it in the heady musk of his skin. This was a claiming, but the question remained, just who would claim whom?

  When he pulled away, she gasped for breath, gazing at the blatant male possession etched in the plains and hollows of his darkly beautiful face, and knew she was playing with fire.

  For Navar couldn’t be trusted. He would leave her again.

  She’d bet The Asp on it.

  ****

  This is heaven.

  Navar held no doubts about what he wanted from Mari, had always wanted. Through his many years serving the sidhe queen, the only things that kept him sane were thoughts of Mari and a future with her.

  With every mission out behind the veil separating the two different realms, he would seek her out, always staying far enough away to avoid detection, his heart aching with a savage desire. She was his, by all the gods, and he could only stand helpless against the damning tide of longing, relegated to a dismal fate of watching over her from afar.

  It seemed he’d been cursed to just observe her, yet never let her know of his existence for most of his far too long life. He still remembered her as the small gangly child standing defiantly between another child and an angry merchant accusing them of stealing. Her audacity to rebel as a mere slave would have been the end for her. Captivated by the child’s bravery and spirit, he’d controlled the merchant’s mind, wiping the memory of the incident and the children away. Sadly, he could not do the same for himself.

  He couldn’t help being drawn to her time and again, watching through the years as she grew into a beautiful young woman, so lovely she caught Cleopatra’s interest. Once under the queen’s protection, she’d bloomed to become one of three trusted handmaidens. With the death of Alexander, he’d read the writing on the wall and knew Mari would be in danger.

  When the asp sank its fangs into her flesh, pumping a lethal mix of toxins into her system, he'd known her time had just run out and that he needed to act fast. After draining her to the point of death, he’d bitten into his own flesh and forced his blood into her, changing her life forever.

  Their three months together were the happiest of his existence, and he’d lived centuries. He'd never thought to have the kind of connection he experienced with Mari. The loss of such a gift had hollowed him out. If not for his friend Cassie, he would surely have gone mad a long time ago. Like him, Cassie was an outsider, a pure blood lycan who’d begged sanctuary with the sidhe queen for her and the dozen or so females like her. In payment for her protection, Cassie had agreed to be a hunter like him. Often the two worked together tracking those who’d tried to escape the queen’s wrath.

  All thoughts of the queen and Cassie fled as he held his woman in his arms once again. Her small body pressed against his, so soft and yielding that he groaned with the pure bliss of the contact. He wanted her like no other. Wanted to sink his cock deep into the tight, wet folds of her core, bury his fangs in her delectable throat while he pumped into her, needed to hear her moans of pleasure turn into screams of release, his name on her lips.

  By the gods, he would have her now.

  He nipped at her lips before swirling his tongue between her teeth, gently stroking the sharp points of her fangs. Her sweet taste of spice and woman burst through him on a frothing wave of lust. She met him with the heady demand of her own desire and he reveled in it…her. He deepened the kiss, demanding more, and she gave it to him with wild abandon. With her legs wrapped tightly around his waist, he could feel her hot core even through the denim they both wore. She rubbed slowly against his erection, sending sparks of pleasure through him clear to his balls. He gripped her tight, round ass with one hand while the other moved to cup her full breast, his thumb strumming the hard nub of her nipple through her shirt.

  She gave a small whimper as she broke the kiss, leaning her head against the door. Her dark bronze eyes were glazed with passion, her lips pink and swollen from his kisses. “Bed, behind you.” She panted.

  He turned toward the bed, noticing the room for the first time. Done in green and tan, a large bed dominated the small space, leaving only enough room for an old Victorian mirrored vanity of dark gleaming cherry wood with matching chair. It took only two steps to gently place her down on the chocolate brown bedspread. She looked so tempting lying there with long braids flowing around her, the little glass beads glinting off the soft light.

  “You’re wearing too damn many clothes,” he growled, yanking off her shirt with an impatient tug.

  He flung it behind him, his entire focus narrowed in on the unblemished expanse of smooth dark cocoa skin swelling into perfect twin mounds covered by a pink bra. His mouth watered at the sight of her nipples peaking above the lace trim li
ke dark berries. Ripe for the plucking, they taunted him to taste them.

  Her small delicate hands reached for him, trailing over his zipper in a soft maddening stroke. He groaned as he pictured those hands holding his cock while she slid her mouth over it. He gritted his teeth against the urge to climax, wrestling it under his control while he gently removed her hands.

  “You keep touching him, I’m going to come before I even get started.”

  She smiled slightly, a mere lift of her lips, her dark eyes shadowed and a twinge of sadness lurked in their depths. “You still talk about your cock as if it’s a person?”

  He smiled gently down at her. “I seem to remember you gave him a name.”

  “Oh, yeah, I remember now. I called him Asaa Min. The hammer of the god.” Her laugh was soft and touched with a note of regret. He suddenly wanted to hear her laughter as it used to be, light and carefree, to be the one to elicit the response.

  “I want you, Mari. Anything you can give, I’ll take and work to gain your trust.”

  Her lips parted in protest, but he put a finger to his lips and shook his head. She closed her mouth, her dark eyes shimmering up at him with unshed tears. “I just want to take this time to love you. Let me do that and the rest we can deal with later.”

  Mari nodded in agreement and let her gaze drift to his hands, watching as he unzipped her jeans with quick nimble fingers. With one firm pull, he pushed the denim down around her ankles. In only seconds, she was bare except for the bra and matching lacy thong covering delectable skin.

  Standing at the foot of the bed, he bent, his knees on each side of her legs, and slowly crawled up her body, eyes closing in utter bliss at the softness and warmth of her flesh against his. Bracing his weight on his forearms, he gazed down at her face and drank in the play of light on her cheekbones and the arched dark brows above her large almond eyes fringed in dark lashes. Her small nose, straight and regal, tilted up at the end. Her lips parted in a surprised gasp when he lowered his head to land a gentle kiss at its tip before finding her lips again in a heated kiss she returned with fervor of her own.