FrostBite (The Hunter Chronicles Book 1)

by Claire Marta

  Jasmine unclipped it and dropped it into his extended palm.

  Holding it up under the light, he began to twiddle with it, taking it apart. Soon there were dozens of tiny wires strewn across his lap. They were a rainbow of colours.

  Lips moving with soundless words, power began to leap from his hands. His fingertips were glowing with florescent blue light. It danced and crackled over the wires like lightning. The hairs on her arms rose from the electricity in the air.

  Jasmine could feel the brush of his magic as it washed across her skin. A rush of power hit her senses. Electric. Charged.

  “I thought you said this place was warded and you couldn’t use your magic?” she questioned with a frown.

  Twitch gave her a guilty sideways glance. “I didn’t know how closely they were listening. Right now we're alone.”

  Surprised inched up her eyebrows. “How do you know that?”

  “I can feel it.” His agile fingers were rearranging and manipulating wires between both devices now. “Technology has a hum I’m attuned to. It makes it easier for me to know when it’s being used.”

  Jasmine guessed that made sense. Twitch was used to working with both mediums. He would have become accustomed to them on another level.

  “So that’s how you know no one is listening to us right now.”

  A smile spread across his face. “Yes.”

  She still felt a bit dizzy and suddenly wished there was something to eat. No doubt her blood sugar was low from where the vamp had fed. Had he enjoyed her taste, she wondered?

  “We are going to need a distraction for the guard,” Twitch said, bringing her thoughts back to the present.

  Jasmine glanced warily towards the closed door. “What do you have in mind?”

  Twitch seemed to have finished what he was doing. The wires were now shimmering with magic. Carefully he tucked them back inside the devices. Both now looked exactly as they had before.

  “Pretend you’re unconscious so we can lure him in?”

  She nodded. “I guess that might work.”

  After handing her back the watch, he slipped the screwdriver back into his hidden pocket. The modified mobile phone, he kept in his hand.

  “You were shaky and pale when you came back, so it should be believable.” His look was sharply questioning. He did seem to want to know what had happened after all.

  Jasmine sighed inwardly. She realised that Twitch was going to have to know about the vampire. He would need to know all the facts if they intended getting out of the building alive. A vamp could be a huge complication.

  “The dark-haired man who took me from the room,” Jasmine whispered softly. “He’s a vamp.”

  Twitch’s eyes sprung wide in surprise. They then darted up to her neck. “What the hell did he do to you?”

  She shifted uncomfortably on the bed for a moment. Jasmine was not about to explain why there were no fang marks there. She was also not going to tell him where they actually were. It was embarrassing enough already. She could feel the throb of the bite against the satin of her dress. It felt like there was a brand on her breast.

  “He knows who you work for,” she continued in a hushed tone, ignoring his question. “He didn’t seem to know about me though.”

  Twitch's lips pressed together in the only sign that he was annoyed she had not answered his question.

  “If Marcel knew, you wouldn’t be sitting here with me now.”

  He had a point. If they had known who she was when they snatched them, they would have left her with a bullet in her brain. Jasmine was certain of that.

  Jasmine nodded. “I think the vamp's keeping secrets.”

  Twitch mulled over her discovery silently for a moment. “If we’re lucky, he won’t sense us when we get out.”

  Vampires had heightened senses, more acute than a human, but that also came with a disadvantage.

  She glanced at her watch. “It’s thirty minutes to sunrise. He should be at his lair by now ready to sleep. We shouldn’t have that problem.”

  Vampires were nocturnal. They had a major aversion to sunlight, one that left them in a pile of dust if they were dumb enough to venture out in the day. Jasmine knew that the sun rose at 8:40 as she was usually up at the same time most winter mornings.

  As she strapped the watch back on, she noticed it felt different. She had grown used to the magic that imbued it but now it prickled against her skin. It wasn't uncomfortable; rather it just made her fully aware of the device around her wrist.

  Twitch glanced nervously towards the door. “How long can you hold your breath for?”

  Jasmine blinked in confusion. She did not answer him straight away. It had to be a joke or a trick question. Meeting the gleam in his peridot eyes, she realised he was serious. She sighed. No joke then.

  “I don’t know. It’s not something I have ever timed. Why?”

  Twitch shrugged. “It will be more convincing if he thinks you’ve stopped breathing. They need you alive to keep threatening me.”

  Jasmine rolled her eyes. That would probably be a little over dramatic for what they needed. “I’m not holding my breath until I bloody well pass out. Me laying on the bed will have to do.”

  He was palming the mobile phone tensely. “OK, but you have to make it look good.”

  “Twitch, just get on with it, will you?” Jasmine said under her breath. She was starting to lose her patience. A headache was thumping through her skull, probably because of tiredness and lack of food. Two things she was not getting any time soon.

  He stood up, allowing her to scoot fully onto the bed. Jasmine sprawled across the mattress, her limbs akimbo. She knew this position would probably look more convincing.

  Eyes fluttering shut, she pretended to be unconscious. It was easy enough to do as fatigue had worn her down.

  When a hand tugged up the skirt of her dress, she gasped. Her eyes snapped open and she gave her friend an astounded look. “What the fuck are you doing?”

  A red flush had crept into Twitch's pale cheeks. He was standing awkwardly beside the bed.

  “It’s more enticing if he sees a bit of thigh,” Twitch purred softly, not meeting her look. “Both the guards were eyeing you. He might be tempted to give you mouth to mouth.”

  Jasmine really did not need that visualised in her head. Would it be Pierre outside?

  “God, I hope not,” she muttered, fighting down the urge to pull the material back down. “Just hurry up, will you?”

  Twitch scuttled over to the door. Banging on it loudly, he started shouting out in French.

  She only had a moment to be impressed that he spoke the language. Her knowledge of French was non-existent.

  Seconds later, there was the sound of the bolt being drawn back. Then a voice was answering her friend. She tried not to tense up.

  Jasmine peeked through the veil of her thick lashes. The guard loomed in the doorway. It was not Pierre, but the other big goon. Relief poured through her.

  Twitch was pointing at her, playing the role of a frantic, concerned friend. Then he began tugging wildly on his hair. He was going for full-on drama and manic gestures. She doubted the mage could pretend to panic normally. Twitch was unique, in his own weird kind of way.

  The mobile phone he had been holding was nowhere to be seen.

  The guard gestured for him to back up near the bed and stand against the wall. Without a second thought, the mage obeyed.

  Jasmine made sure to close her eyes properly. If the guard realized their plan, it would land them in a whole lot more shit. They had to make sure this worked. She had to look believable.

  A heavy breath blew over her cheek. She could feel the large man’s face inches from her own. Jasmine stamped down the urge to recoil.

  He said something harsh in French. A hand touched her arm. She took a chance and peeped through her thick eyelashes. The man’s face was tightened with annoyance. As he raised his hand, she realized he was preparing to slap her. What the fuck?

&
nbsp; With almost feline grace, Twitch was suddenly behind him. His green eyes were fixed with intent.

  He jammed one end on the mobile into the big man’s neck. The guy didn’t even have time to make a noise. A sinister crackle and pop filled the air. Then his eyes rolled back up in his head. As the whole weight of his body landed heavily on top of Jasmine, the air left her lungs in an oomph. She found herself pinned.

  Trying not to panic, Jasmine struggled and thrashed. She was being crushed and struggled to breathe.

  “Get…him…off…me,” she managed to hiss.

  “Hold on, Jazzy,” Twitch called to her before going over to heave the unconscious guard off her.

  She sat up and while panting from the exertion scrambled off the bed. A full body shudder rolled through her. Just the feel of him on top of her had made her skin crawl. Panic was still trying to take hold. Taking a deep breath, she tried to relax.

  “You OK?” Twitch asked with concern.

  She nodded, straightening her clothes. “Yes, let’s just get the hell out of here.”

  The quicker they left, the better chance they would not be discovered. Later she could deal with the bottled up memories and emotions clawing to get out. She had no time to fall apart now.

  Twitch took her hand and gave it a squeeze before leading her to the door. It was friendly, reassuring, and just what she needed. He really did seem to be in a touchy-feely mood today. Maybe it was fearing for their lives that was doing it.

  Cautiously he poked his head out. When he seemed certain all was clear, he stepped out with her in tow.

  Jasmine did not even bother to look back at the guard. He had been breathing when they had rolled him off. That was good enough for her. They guy worked for an arms dealer. She would not waste any sympathy on him.

  Twitch seemed as jumpy as a cat on burning coals. Every so often, she could feel the jerky movements of his muscles through his hand. They both kept silent, both fearing their luck wouldn’t hold if they made a noise.

  He seemed to know where he was going, so Jasmine followed, no questions asked. If he could get them out of the building, she was more than happy to follow him anywhere.

  They paused by a door. A green exit sign flashed above it. Testing it gingerly with his hand, he discovered it unlocked. He stilled for only a moment, then practically dived through the door and yanked her inside a brightly lit stairwell. Were they in some kind of office building? This had to be Marcel’s place of work.

  Twitch had let go of her arm and was crouched on some steps. His head was swivelling up and down as he checked for people. He reminded her of a meerkat looking for predators.

  There didn’t seem to be anyone about. He focused his shrewd green eyes on the ceiling and then above the door. Checking for cameras, she realised, but for whatever reason, there were none she could see on this floor.

  A silence stretched around them.

  “We have to get downstairs and out,” Twitch whispered after a second and glanced her way as he beckoned with a finger. Silently as they could, they crept down the stairwell.

  “How are we going to get out of the building?” Jasmine whispered.

  It was one thing to get all the way down without being spotted, but she very much doubted they could just stroll out of the main doors. The arms dealer would have been careful to make sure that never happened.

  Twitch placed a finger to his lips to silence her. Eyes flashing downwards, he alerted her to a camera. It was directly above a door on the next landing. If they made a move down, they would be spotted.

  He placed his hand flat against the wall and closed his eyes.

  Jasmine felt the flurry of magic as it leapt up at his command. His lips moved silently while weaving his spell. A crackle of electricity leapt and spread like tiny bone fingers across the wall. They raced, dancing like neon streaking flashes. When they hit the camera, nothing happened. Then the little red light turned blue.

  Twitch’s face relaxed. He pushed the hair that had fallen into his eyes away and started down the stairs.

  Jasmine hesitated, not sure what he had done exactly. He seemed happy with the results though, so it must have worked. She took his offered hand and followed him on the descent.

  “All the cameras on the stairs are now on a loop,” he said as they turned a corner in the stairwell. “Getting out has been sorted already with your watch and the phone you gave me.”

  She frowned and her hand absently rubbed the watch on her wrist. “What do you mean?”

  “A magical hologram,” Twitch explained patiently. “It settles over our features. Anyone looking at us will see that instead of our actual faces. But doesn’t last long. Maybe ten minutes at the most. Possibly less. It’s unstable so we need to move fast.”

  Why did she not like the use of the word ‘unstable’? What exactly did that mean? Unease swirled through her.

  They had stealthily made it down four flights of stairs. Not much longer and she knew they would hit the bottom.

  “Unstable?” she queried uneasily. They could not afford for anything to go wrong.

  “It means it might suddenly stop working or there’s a risk it might explode.” He sent her an apologetic smile. “It’s the best I could do with what I had and with the limited time.”

  She stared at him in disbelief. What the fuck did he mean by 'explode'? But she knew it was their only hope. His gadgets had never failed them in the past so she pushed aside her worry and doubts and nodded.

  “So we need to use it sparingly?”

  Reaching back, Twitch gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. “Exactly.”

  “Why are you so touchy feely all of a sudden?”

  Surprised flashed in his eyes. He shrugged. “I thought it would help calm you down.”

  Jasmine frowned in confusion. “But I thought you didn’t like being touched.”

  He seemed so casual about it. Two months of knowing him and she had never seen him touch anyone. It was something he just did not do.

  A smile touched his lips. “I do in the right circumstances—being kidnapped and held at gunpoint is up there on my list of times. There’s nothing wrong with it.”

  “I thought you had aphenphosmphobia or something,” she admitted awkwardly as they turned another corner.

  She had googled the condition and everything. It had seemed important to put him at ease on her first week of work. That was before they had become firm friends. Best friends.

  They were just three floors up from the bottom now. All the cameras were still showing a blue light as the spell laced through them.

  “That sounds contagious,” Twitch purred back softly. Laughter danced in his gaze.

  Jasmine rolled her eyes. “It’s the phobia of being touched or touching dumb arse.”

  Twitch gave a raspy chuckle. He looked damn well like he knew what she was talking about.

  They both froze at the sound of a door opening above them. Eyes wide, they stared at each other. Both of them were mirroring the same look of dread and fear.

  Voices filtered softly down. The echo of footsteps descending had them flattening themselves against the wall. A male and a female voice chatted away. The woman laughed. Then there was the sound of another door opening. Then silence.

  Jasmine sagged with relief. She knew their luck would run out eventually and their escape would be discovered. She just hoped they were out of the building first.

  Twitch looked just as relieved. A fine tremor was in his hand when he pushed his hair away from his face.

  He was scared, but he was trying not to show it. They were both trying to be brave. Usually he was the guy in the van or back at base giving out helpful advice through the earpieces. He had never been a proper field agent. This was probably a little too much real life even for him.

  In unison they moved a little more quickly down the steps. A pressing urgency was now beating down on them.

  Finally, they reached the bottom. Jasmine was certain they would find at least one secur
ity guard. Time would tell if that was going to be a problem.

  “Ready?” Twitch asked in a smooth purr. His eyes kept darting back up the stairs. She could tell he was worried they were going to get caught.

  Grabbing his hand, she gave it a squeeze. Twitch met her trusting eyes. “Let’s get the fuck out of here,” she whispered with a nervous smile. All she could hope was that everything went as planned.

  *

  Eric frowned when he was unable to locate his mobile. It was not like him to be careless with such a device. Running a hand through his black tousled hair, he sighed.

  He was also still a little preoccupied with his encounter with the girl. Her blood had been so deliciously potent. That petite body of hers had been so warm and pliant. He now regretted not taking things further. Lust shot through him and he felt his cock rise.

  Damnation! This was not the time to be distracted. He needed to find that blasted phone.

  Racking his brain, he tried to remember when he’d had it last. Searching the meeting room had come up with nothing. It had not slipped down any of the sofa cushions. The room where he had taken the girl had also come up empty. Yet it could not have simply disappeared. That was most unlikely.

  Eric stilled.

  Eyes narrowing, an astonished smile curved his lips. That coy, enticing smile she had given him. The way her hands had caressed his sides, his back. And he had never noticed! So far gone with the need to touch and taste, he had let his guard down. How easy he had made it for her. That little minx must have lifted it from him when he’d had her pinned to the wall. It was the only explanation.

  Eric knew in the hands of the techno mage, even a small thing like a phone could be used with cunning. He had no doubt in his mind they would try to escape.

  If they succeeded Marcel would hunt them. If they failed, the girl would feel the Frenchman’s wrath. She would be the one to pay the price.

  Eric sighed in annoyance. If he followed his instincts and helped them, he could well blow his cover. Years of infiltration would be wasted. His conscience, though, wouldn't let him just stand by. When, he wondered, had he suddenly grown one of those?