FrostBite (The Hunter Chronicles Book 1)

by Claire Marta

  If she fought back would be hurt her? Did she want to fight back? The question popped into her mind before she could stop it.

  Then reality slapped her in the face. He was going to want sex. He would never just settle for touching. Just like that her body went cold.

  She could feel the sizeable bulge of his erection pressed against her stomach. He was so wrapped up in wanting to touch her. His hands seemed to be everywhere at once. The vamp hadn’t noticed how tense she had become.

  For her part, bad memories were scratching at the back of her skull. Other hands that had once touched her, held her down, hurt her. Jasmine shoved them down. Having a panic attack now was not an option. She had to keep thinking straight.

  Maybe she could somehow work this to her advantage, she thought. There had to be a way to get Twitch and herself out of there. She would not have sex with the vampire, whatever he thought otherwise.

  Letting her body relax, she rubbed herself against him. She didn’t have a clue what she was doing, but this kind of thing seemed to work in films.

  As he drew his head back to look at her, Jasmine gave him a tempting smile. Her body practically hummed from his attention again. She could play along for now. This was just a bit of foreplay. They would not be heading for the main event. She would make sure of that.

  Surprise lit Eric's cold eyes for a moment.

  She ran her hands up his sides slowly in a caress. The hard, well-defined muscles beneath his shirt bunched and coiled. Higher, she explored the expanse of his broad back. He was all male, every last inch of him.

  A smile curved the vampire’s mouth. He seemed pleased with her compliance. His hands abruptly cupped her backside, and the next moment Jasmine was being carried.

  Panic and uncertainty flashed in her eyes. Where the fuck was he taking her?

  A soft, pillowed surface greeted her bottom. She found herself sitting in a comfortable armchair. Jasmine swallowed hard. Panic pushed her heartbeat up another notch. She could feel her heart pounding against her ribcage like a trapped bird.

  Maybe this had not been such a good idea. Do not fall apart, she told herself repeatedly.

  Those blue eyes of his gave nothing away. Calming waves radiated from him, as if he were trying to soothe her. She knew he must be able to smell her fear.

  “Close your eyes.” His voice was huskier now. Persuasion trickled in his words, thick and heavy. They lulled her like an intoxicating drug, demanding she obey.

  The vampire towered above her, his steely eyes intense and almost hypnotic.

  Jasmine felt her eyelids grow weighted as they drifted shut. With her eyes closed, the rest of her senses became a little sharper, more alive.

  The material of the chair was soft beneath her. The room was warm enough that she didn’t feel cold in her thin dress. Snow and pine were the scents that surrounded her. They filled her lungs with each breath she took. She could also sense the force of his power. It pulsed in the air around her, a tightly leashed energy. Her awareness of the vampire somewhere in the room made her heart pound faster and faster.

  “Listen to me now, Jasmine, to my voice.” He was very close. She jumped at the sound. The breath from his words caressed her cheek. “Let any worry slip from your body, your mind, you are safe.”

  The deep, velvety baritone flowed through her like rich hot chocolate. Command vibrated in his every word. She was helpless, unable to not submit. She sank back into the embrace of the chair as her body relaxed. His words poured smoothly into her mind, blowing away her cares and worries, and her heart slowed to a more normal rate.

  A hand closed over her shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze-firm and strong, soothing.

  Sighing, Jasmine leaned further into the chair and rested her head against the back. A sense of well-being was spreading through her with a dreamy languor. Everything suddenly felt surreal.

  “That’s it, my lovely. Let all of it go,” the deep voice insisted softly.

  The hand pulled down the cardigan she was wearing and began to massage her bare shoulders, his fingers flexing and relaxing while gently kneading. So skillful. So delightful.

  A shiver of pleasure darted from his touch and ran down her body and into her belly. Another hand rested on her other shoulder, mimicking the movements of the first.

  Jasmine could not contain the moan that left her lips. This vampire was so good with his hands. In one way his touch was relaxing, in another arousing. She could not stop the shivers of excitement quaking through her. Strange warmth began to spread through her belly.

  Another jolt of bliss arrowed its way down, this time to the centre between her legs. Gripping the arms of the chair, she pushed her thighs together. A dull ache had begun to throb between them. She could feel the dampness between her legs, now coating her inner thighs. Rubbing them together, she couldn’t seem to alleviate the sensations.

  Strong, firm fingers were playing with one of the strap ties of the dress. Jasmine could feel it being pulled back and forth against her skin. It was teasing and slow, seductive. She felt it brush over the curve of her shoulder and down her arm with infinite care as he unlaced it.

  Now she was exposed. Immediately she felt her nipple pucker and become taut as it was uncovered to the air.

  Panic skittered down her spine. Jasmine’s eyelashes fluttered slightly against her cheeks. They were so heavy though they wouldn’t open. Raising her arms, she moved to cover herself with her eyes still closed.

  “No,” the vamp said in a gruff command. “Do not hide yourself from me. Lay back. Relax.”

  That voice wrapped itself around her again. She had no way to resist its deep, velvety order. The sense of panic that had swept over her melted away, and with a sigh she gave herself up to it.

  Lowering her arms back down, she let them sit on the armrests once more.

  A finger traced its way down her neck, over her shoulder, and across the curve of her naked breast. Jasmine could not help but arch a little when she felt it circle her excited nipple. Another moan slipped from her throat. Her breathing began to grow shallow. She heard movement and then her shaking legs were being gently parted. At the touch of his large hands they opened willingly in surrender.

  A male groan vibrated through the strapping body that had wedged itself between her thighs. Eric was still fully dressed.

  Jasmine could feel the rough material of his trouser-clad hips rubbing against the bare flesh of her quivering inner thighs. She arched her back further just as the clothed heat of a male chest pressed against her front. It warmed her through the thinness of the silk. Again, it was a strangely pleasurable feeling.

  She could smell a hint of soap and the vampire’s own unique scent. It was like pine trees in a snow-covered forest. She drew it in deeply, enjoying how it filled her lungs, intoxicating and rich.

  Something warm and wet touched the peak of her nipple, and then a hot hungry mouth sucked it into its depths. Jasmine gasped as heat engulfed her, burning over her and heightening every touch, every stroke. His tongue swirled around her straining flesh.

  Hands moving restlessly, Jasmine blindly felt her way up the broad shoulders. She wanted to touch him. Moving higher, she caressed his chiseled cheekbones before tangling her fingers in his silky hair.

  No thought to push him away entered her head. The only thing that mattered was having more of what he was doing to her.

  Groaning loudly, she pushed her chest more firmly against his lips. He was suckling greedily. His other hand toyed with her other breast beneath its silken barrier. She began to feel dizzy with need—for what she didn’t know.

  The lick of his tongue suddenly lathered the curve of her breast. She whimpered at the loss of his mouth on her aching nipple.

  And then a pain sharp and fast pierced her flesh. It lasted only seconds before sweet ecstasy rushed in to replace the sting. The sensation was blinding.

  Moaning long and low, Jasmine arched her back up into his face. Each pull of his mouth as he fed from
her body sent another wave of pleasure crashing through her. Clutching his hair, she began to pant, a slave to the sensations rocketing through her. Tension was growing low in her belly. Jasmine could feel it building as every delightful feeling centred in that one place.

  A hand slid slowly down her rib cage. The silkiness of her dress teased her skin with the movement.

  The vampire made a hum of pleasure, which vibrated deliciously against her breast. She mewled softly in response. Jasmine’s breathing grew faster with excitement. Her mind was swamped with every new sensation. She could feel her body tightening further.

  A massive palm glided up her trembling thigh and gently stroked her skin, slowly edging higher. The fingers of his other hand, still playing with her covered breast, tweaked the nipple hard.

  With a startled cry Jasmine’s hips bucked and jerked. Pleasure she had never experienced before exploded through her. Bliss swelled, roaring through every fibre of her being, shooting her upwards into a state of rapture. With her breath fast and irregular, her dazed mind took a while to float back down into her body. When it did she felt boneless.

  The vampire still knelt between her legs. His tongue delicately caressed her breast. Like a cat, he lapped at the puncture marks he had left. All the while, one hand continued to fondle her breast while the other teased the thin lacy barrier guarding her womanhood.

  Jasmine tensed.

  *

  Eric’s fingers grazed the black panties. The heat from her little cunt almost scorched him with its touch. He wanted to touch it, taste it, and most of all bury his aching cock within its hot, moist depths.

  Jasmine’s flesh was now flushed with a pleasing glow from her release.

  Even now the taste of her sweet blood tingled pleasingly on his tongue. He licked his lips. Her little pants and moans had burnt his lust for her higher. Need was blazing through him.

  What he wanted to do now was taste the rest of her, every inch. Eric knew he could do it. It would be easy to bend her to his will and take all of her without a second thought. He wanted to fuck her senseless.

  The fact was he could not do that here.

  The look in her eyes had stopped him. Although they were still heavy with fulfilment, the wary fear still remained. Too many ears and eyes could also be watching. Forgetting himself in the middle of a job had never happened to him before. He had fed and so easily could have been caught doing so if someone had walked in.

  Eric knew he was being foolish. He had never been this close to having his control shattered. It was alarming and exciting, a sense of things being subtly altered, out of control. He was not sure he liked it. It shook him, how easily he had been swayed from his task. It was most unprofessional.

  When the French man’s henchman had looked at her, though, Eric knew he had to intervene. The male’s intent had been clear. He would have hurt her. This was something Eric found he could not allow.

  The little female’s eyes were heavy with a stunned, dazed shock. Tension was creeping back into her body, as the languid lethargy began to ebb.

  Eric realised this was a good thing. He needed to drag things back on track. She had called him a vampire.

  He had heard of rare mortals being able to sense supernatural beings but never had he met one. This, he acknowledged, could be a complication. It made sense that she was the techno mage’s girlfriend.

  With excessive care and almost against his will, Eric pulled his hands away from her delectable body. She was truly stunning when aroused. He had never seen anything more magnificent. Sitting back on his heels, he watched as she pulled up the strap of her dress to cover herself, still seeming to be in a daze.

  He swallowed down the sounds of protest in his throat. This was for the best. At least he had proved to her that she did not have to fear his bite. He had also brought her pleasure, something which pleased him greatly, although again he was not sure why. The look when she had orgasmed had suggested she had not experienced one before. This niggled at him.

  Could she be a virgin? She had trembled enough to alert him of inexperience. But if this was true, how was she the mage’s girlfriend? Had they yet to be intimate? These questions were puzzling. His gaze softened on her innocently confused face.

  Sitting up straighter, she wrapped her arms protectively around her chest. Shoulders hunched defensively, she lowered her head.

  Confusion snaked through Eric. She wouldn’t meet his eyes—again not a good sign.

  He gracefully pushed up onto his feet and observed Jasmine. What was she thinking, he wondered? Had she not enjoyed what he had done?

  “Is your lesson over?” Her voice was quietly angry.

  Eric froze.

  Ah yes, he was playing the part of a villain. Once more he had forgotten himself. Did she think he had pleasured her as punishment? Used his powers to dominate her?

  The thing was the temptation had been too great. He knew very well he could have fed from her neck, but those delicate breasts had looked so inviting. They were perfect. The need to taste her blood had been searing through him from the moment he had set eyes on her. So he had sampled her. Even at this moment, he savoured what he had taken. Now perhaps he could focus on his assignment instead.

  Again, though, he had broken with protocol. What was this girl doing to him?

  “Yes,” he finally answered her, keeping his voice void of emotion. “I think we are done here.”

  Eric took in her face, which was much paler than when he had brought her into the room. Her tiny hands were shaking again. Had he taken too much from her? Concern darkened his eyes. Her slenderness was perhaps from lack of eating properly. Was she on some kind of silly fad diet?

  After sliding to her feet she swayed for a moment. Body tense, he stood poised to catch her if she fainted. As she straightened up without assistance, she tossed him a withering look. He caught a flash of green, defiant fire. Eric bit back a smile. She had not lost her spark, which pleased him.

  But now it was time to get back to the game.

  Chapter 4

  Jasmine felt shaky and a little light-headed as she was led back to the cell. Experiencing her first ever orgasm had left her confused with a strange sense of lethargy. It had been fucking mind-blowing, especially when he had bitten her. The bite still tingled pleasurably.

  Now she knew what all the fuss was about over a vampire's bite—why so many people offered themselves as blood donors. It was a bigger business than prostitution nowadays.

  The walk back gave her time to regain her equilibrium. This vampire knew who Twitch worked for. Did that mean Marcel knew, too? She had a feeling the arms dealer did not know his buddy was a vamp. Why, she wondered, was this a secret?

  “Jasmine, are you OK?” Twitch practically raced across the room when he saw her. His face was stricken, his green eyes searching her for signs of abuse.

  She could tell he was worried sick. He had probably spent all that time beating himself up about it.

  Taking her by the arm gently, he led her towards the bed. She was grateful for the assistance. Her limbs felt heavy and she couldn’t stop trembling.

  Jasmine sank down onto the mattress with a shaky sigh. She could not tell him what happened. She did not want him blaming himself more than he already was.

  “What happened?” he muttered anxiously.

  “It was nothing for you to worry about.” She assured him with a weak smile. “Really I’m fine. He didn’t hurt me.”

  Twitch frowned as if not convinced. “You’re telling me that guy did nothing to you?”

  She nodded. “Yup.”

  A glimpse of cerulean blue eyes flashed through Jasmine’s tired mind. A shiver that had nothing to do with the cold ran through her. She’d only had one boyfriend in all her 22 years of life: Dan. And only one sexual experience, if that’s what you could call it.

  Nothing had prepared her for the pleasure she had experienced at the hands of the vampire. She had never imagined it could feel that way. His bite. His touch. I
t had been shocking at how enjoyable it had been. The way he had caressed her, arousing her body from its state of limbo. A sense of shame welled up inside her. She couldn’t let herself remember how good he had made her feel.

  He was a bad guy—an arms dealer whose weapons killed millions of people. The only reason he had done it was to prove a point, and that was to show she was helpless against what he wanted. She had actually been surprised he hadn’t taken things further. Not that she had wanted it to, she assured herself quickly.

  Only one good thing had come from the event.

  Fumbling in her cardigan pocket, she fished out a slim phone. Jasmine had managed to nab it when she had been fondling his sides. The fact he had not noticed was a miracle, though that did not mean he wouldn’t notice soon.

  “What can you do with this?” she said, handing it to Twitch.

  Twitch stared down at the mobile phone in astonishment. He took it from her outstretched palm and slipped off its back. Nimble, long fingers began to fiddle with the device.

  She was glad he did not ask how she had gotten it.

  Reaching down to his knee, he unzipped a hidden compartment. A moment later he had a tiny screwdriver in his hand.

  Jasmine blinked in confusion. No visible zippers were anywhere on his clothes. Where had that pocket come from, and more importantly how about the screwdriver? There had been nothing bulky to show it had even been there. It was impossible.

  “Are you still wearing your watch?” Twitch muttered, still playing with the phone. His green eyes never wavered from his work. The dishevelled locks of his long hair partly hid his face.

  Tugging up the sleeve of her cardigan, Jasmine bared the watch. No one had taken it from her. Luckily it also didn’t seem to have been damaged in the crash. In fact, she had forgotten she was wearing it.

  He did not even look up, yet somehow was aware it was there. “Give it to me.”

  It was something Twitch had created himself. Although it now looked like a harmless mechanical wristwatch, it was filled with wires. A press of a knob on its side and the screen became a sleek touch screen.