FrostBite (The Hunter Chronicles Book 1)

by Claire Marta

  A moan vibrated up from her chest.

  Raising his head, he found her eyes glazed with desire. The scent of her arousal was thick and potent. No trace of fear lingered now. Ever so gently, Eric settled his mouth over hers again. Soft and welcoming, Jasmine lips clung eagerly to his. Her silken limbs rubbed enticingly against his own. A conscious gesture or not, it conveyed her need for fulfilment.

  When she sighed against his mouth, he slipped his tongue into its moist depths. Just as sweet as he remembered. Their tongues danced together— gliding, sucking, sliding.

  He wanted to overwhelm her senses. Rip away the trauma of the past and pleasure her beyond her wildest dreams.

  Jasmine was pliant and yielding against him.

  The urge to bury his cock inside her heat surged through him. He would make Jasmine his. Sate the hunger for physical connection, completion that he craved. He knew he would have to be careful with her. Show her there was nothing to fear.

  “Will you trust me, Jasmine?” he whispered softly against her lips. “I shall not hurt you. All I wish is to give you unimaginable pleasure and wipe away your fears.”

  She replied without hesitation. “Yes, Eric. I will.”

  *

  Eric tasted of warm, hungry male. It was addictive and delicious. Jasmine soaked him in—his scent, the feel of him against her. He was lying half on her. His hard, velvety cock was a pleasurable, unfamiliar pressure against her belly.

  Her hands clutched the spread of his powerful shoulders. Desire spiralled through her, white hot and wild.

  Eric’s lips teased hers. One large hand covered her naked breast. His long fingers began to tease the taut nipple.

  She moaned with pleasure.

  Need roared through her like a raging storm. Any reservation, hesitation, or fear was carried away in its maelstrom. Jasmine wanted this badly. Up until now it had all been foreplay. All of the words, looks, and touches that had passed between them. Everything led up to this moment.

  Eric nipped lightly at her lip. Then his head dipped lower towards her breast.

  Anticipation gripped her. His sensual mouth was inches from her taut, aching peak. The slow swirl of his tongue began to tease it.

  “Jazzy?”

  Jasmine squeaked in surprised. Twitch’s voice was loud and clear, purring in her left ear.

  Eric stilled. Pulling back a few inches from her breast, he searched her face with concern. His features were stretched tight with desire. The look in his eyes was smouldering, sultry.

  “I’m here, Twitch,” she muttered.

  Surprise lit Eric’s eyes. Then a look of resignation settled over him.

  Hands pressed to the vampire’s hard, muscled chest, she pushed him away.

  He went willingly. Rolling to the side smoothly, he sprawled gloriously naked on the mattress. A groan of pained annoyance left his lips. He draped an arm over his eyes for a moment in a gesture of male frustration.

  Yanking up the blankets, she covered her own nakedness in embarrassment. A moan escaped her lips. The tips of her sensitive breasts chafed against the material. Her body was tight with its own frustration. Pressing her thighs together, she tried to alleviate the slightly painful ache.

  Why now? Just when things were about to get oh so interesting, the mage had to interrupt? The universe had obviously decided to play a cruel joke.

  “What’s up, Twitch?” she said, managing not to growl out the words.

  Eric still lulled on the bed. The duvet was no longer covering all of him. He had dropped his arm and was watching her expectantly.

  Twitch was saying something urgently in her ear, but she didn’t hear a word of it.

  Jasmine’s eyes instead feasted on the sight of the male perfection before her. Muscles, firm flesh, powerful chest and shoulders. He had the body of a god.

  A small hum of appreciation left her lips.

  With a knowing, teasing smile, Eric laced his hands behind his head. Stretching out, he seemed happy to let her look her fill.

  Eyes dropping to his groin, her eyes widened with wariness. Holy shit, he was certainly well endowed. His cock was huge. Jasmine felt her mouth go dry.

  Her eyes darted away with nervousness. How was all that supposed to fit? Surely something that big was going to hurt.

  “He’s attached it to the top of the Eiffel Tower. It goes off at midnight.” The techno mage’s words snapped her out of her perusal. Tearing her eyes away from temptation, she tried to focus on her friend's words.

  Confusion slapped her in the face. “Sorry, attached what?”

  Twitch gave an irritated sigh. “The bomb, Jazzy! The bomb!”

  “Holy fuck.” Eyes wide, she fixed them on the vampire. “Eric, there’s a bomb on the Eiffel Tower, courtesy of Marcel. It goes off at midnight!”

  Shock registered on his features. When he opened his mouth to speak, Jasmine shushed him.

  “What else do you know, Twitchy?”

  She felt the mattress moved as the vamp beside her sat up. The heat from his body warmed her back. A moment later, he pressed his naked chest against her. Her thoughts scattered before she dragged them back.

  “I have managed to attach a little spell,” Twitch was saying softly. “You should be able to sense. It’s pretty undetectable otherwise. I don’t think…”

  Jasmine waited, but the mage never finished what he was saying. Brows drawing together, she pressed a finger against her ear.

  “Twitch?”

  Silence.

  “Twitch, you there?”

  Nothing. No answer. Tension snaked through her. Had they lost the range with the earpiece again? That had to be it. She couldn’t think about the alternative. Marcel wanted Twitch alive. The fat man was not going to hurt him.

  “We have three hours to stop the device from exploding,” Eric said against her ear. The breath from his words tickled her skin.

  Sighing, she pushed her worry for her friend away. Right now, stopping a bomb from exploding was their priority.

  “Let’s go.”

  Eric nuzzled the side of her neck. When his lips brushed the curve of her shoulder, she shivered. Tipping her head to the side, she granted him greater access to her neck. She couldn’t seem to help it. Having Eric’s lips on her anywhere was becoming addictive.

  Something sharp grazed against her supply flesh. Holy crap. That had to be his fangs. A shudder of desire shot through her. Did he want to bite her again? It was something she had been unable to forget. Jasmine melted back against him.

  “You are to remain here.” His words were soft, but firm. “I do not relish the thought of you in any more danger and you are still recovering from almost freezing to death.”

  Biting her lips, she knew that was not going to be possible.

  “Twitch says the bomb is really hard to find, but he’s attached something I can sense.” Turning her head, she met his glittering blue eyes. His fangs were nowhere in sight. “Eric, I have to come or you might not find it in time.”

  He looked torn for a moment. The concern he was feeling for her was clear. Then resolve darkened his gaze. “Very well. Come, we have not a moment to lose.”

  Eric sprung from the bed. One moment he was beside her—the next he was on his feet. Jasmine was left gaping after him.

  Eric sprinted across the room naked and flung open the door. He didn’t seem to care he was completely nude.

  Jasmine admired his tight buttocks and muscled back for a whole thirty seconds. Then he disappeared into the sitting room.

  She rolled off the bed and moved to the wardrobe. Surprisingly she wasn’t suffering from any aches or pains. After being almost frozen to death, she had kind of expected them. She found some lacy white panties in one of the drawers and quickly pulled them on.

  She could hear the vampires' voices in the other room but only caught snatches of conversation. Whatever was being said was low and urgent. Eric had to be filling Raoul in on what was happening.

  She stabbed her legs int
o her jeans and buttoned them up. Yanking open some more drawers, she began to search through them for a top. She tugged things out along the way, discarding them messily on the floor.

  Jasmine's stomach grumbled in a very unladylike fashion. She hadn’t eaten in hours and her body was now demanding food. Unfortunately, it was still going to have to wait.

  She scooped up a red bra and did up the fastening at the back. Her underwear was mismatched, but she didn’t really care. She had to wonder what Eric was going to do with all these clothes. It had been nice of him to buy them for her. Maybe he could return…

  A squeak left her lips. Her train of thought vanished in a second. The vampire was standing directly behind her. Still wonderfully naked. Eric held a plate of French pastries and pushed it into her hands.

  Fingers curling around the plate, she held it in astonishment. She blinked in confusion while staring down at the food. Then she raised her eyes and stared at his bare, muscled chest.

  “I had these sent up earlier for you,” he explained with a flash of a seductive smile. “Eat quickly. You will need all your strength.”

  Jasmine was a little shocked by the sweet gesture. She couldn’t stop staring at him. Why the heck was he still naked?

  “Thanks.” Her reply sounded husky.

  Without a word the vampire moved away.

  She snagged a pain au chocolat and bit into the puffy pastry. It was cold, but she still made a hum of pleasure when she reached the dark chocolate centre.

  Eric was gathering his own clothes. He shrugged into a black jumper and a pair of black jeans. She noted he didn’t bother with boxers. Did he always go commando?

  She placed the plate down on the bedside table but not before grabbing a croissant and popping it into her mouth. Turning, she went in search of a jumper.

  “Raoul is contacting the French police. The tower will be evacuated as quickly as possible,” the vampire informed her from behind.

  She glanced his way as she slid a green, woolly jumper over her head.

  “Will it be open?”

  He was sitting on the edge of the bed. A pair of black socks was already on his feet as he pulled on a pair of trainers.

  “Yes. I believe it is open until eleven at night in the winter.”

  Jasmine grabbed her own trainers and shoved her feet into them. “Marcel is going to get suspicious if he sees what’s happening.”

  Eric had a dark wooden trunk open now and was rummaging through the contents.

  She was pretty certain it was something she had never seen before. When had they brought it in here and where was it from?

  The clink of metal on metal met her ears. Curious and intrigued she moved closer.

  “If you planted a bomb, Jasmine, would you truly hang around waiting for it to explode?” the vampire asked over his shoulder.

  Jasmine pulled a face at his back. “Point taken.”

  Standing right behind him, she peered eagerly over his shoulder. Weapons filled the inside of the trunk.

  Not guns or grenades. Just knives, swords, maces, and crossbows. Positively medieval.

  He turned to meet her gaze and flashed a gleeful grin—the kind of smile a small boy had with his favourite toys.

  With almost feline grace, Eric rose to his feet. Two of the many weapons were gripped in his hands. He laid the daggers carefully on the bed.

  “Why are you going armed if you don’t think anyone is going to be up there?” Jasmine asked, watching as he collected a short, leather jacket from the wardrobe.

  He flipped the jacket down on the mattress and opened up the inside. Two sheaths had been woven into the silky, black interior. Both were lying crossways so they would fall just above his lower back.

  “Never underestimate an enemy.” His voice was deep and smooth.

  Eric tucked the two double-edged daggers in the coverings within his coat.

  “What about me?”

  One dark eyebrow rose slightly at her question. “I will protect you, Jasmine. You will have no need of a weapon.”

  Jasmine glanced longingly at the trunk. He could at least give her a knife or something. Maybe she wouldn't need it, but she would feel safer.

  “Do not pout.” Amusement was threaded in his words.

  When she looked up to meet his eyes, he was smiling. Was this sexy vamp teasing her?

  Jasmine stuck her bottom lip out a little further. Then she pinned him with big pleading eyes. Something that never failed on her boss, Mark.

  “Just one little blade or something? Please, Eric.” She raised her hand up and held two fingers a few inches apart.

  The vampire’s deep rumbling laughter rippled over like a velvety caress. “Very well, my lovely.”

  Turning swiftly, he knelt and began to rummage once again through the chest. He seemed to be considering every small piece of weaponry. After a moment Eric rocked back on his knees. A small, sheathed knife was in his hand.

  “Here.” He held it out towards her.

  Jasmine carefully took hold of it. Taking it in both hands, she gently pulled the blade from its plain leather covering. The metal glinted lustrous silver in the light. It seemed much brighter than normal knives. This made her wonder if it was really coated in silver.

  She couldn’t help but grin. “Thank you.”

  He quickly showed her how to clip the scabbard to her jeans–on her hip, any easy place where she could access it if needed. The weight of it was strangely exciting.

  “Seeing you armed, even in such a small way is quite arousing,” Eric confessed huskily. Shrugging into his leather jacket, he was surveying her from head to toe. Approval was shining in his eyes.

  Jasmine felt her heart skip a beat. Why she felt ridiculously proud and happy about his opinion, she wasn’t sure. But it left a warm glow inside.

  Hurrying to the wardrobe, she hooked out her own small, black leather jacket. It came to her waist and fit comfortably. She zipped it up and hurried back to Eric’s side.

  He dropped a swift, hard kiss on her parted lips. A moment later, his long legs were striding towards the bedroom door.

  “Come, let us make haste.” He threw the words over his shoulder.

  After snatching two more croissants from the plate on the table, Jasmine jogged after him.

  God knows what awaited them. At least she wasn’t going to face it hungry.

  Chapter 22

  The Porsche roared like an untamed beast along the busy road. They were fighting with late evening traffic but making some headway. Jasmine sat, hands clenched tightly in her lap. She still couldn’t get over the way they drove here. She doubted she would ever get used to it.

  Eric had been right about it snowing. The air had turned crisper, lighter. A soft flurry was falling softly from the sky like a thousand unblemished white feathers. It did not seem to be melting when it reached the ground. Instead it was creating an ever-growing carpet of pure white.

  Eric, seemingly preoccupied, hadn’t said a word since leaving the hotel. Jasmine was feeling a little shy and awkward. They had been in bed naked less than half an hour ago. If Twitch hadn’t interrupted them, they would still be there. An erotic image of their sweaty, sated, and tangled bodies swirled through her mind. She swallowed down a groan as her body clenched with need. Sexual frustration, she was learning, was a bitch. Her whole being was screaming for release. Was she ever going to get it?

  The Eiffel Tower lit the darkness in a glow of golden lights shining in the darkness like little beacons beckoning them closer.

  “I just realised it's Christmas Eve,” Jasmine murmured to herself.

  Being so swept up with everything that had happened, she had barely been aware of the days. It felt like she had lived whole weeks in such a short time.

  “Were you planning something special?” Eric asked, glancing briefly in her direction.

  The car had picked up speed now. They seemed to be leaving most of the choking traffic behind. The light flurry of snow continued to fall around
them outside the car.

  “Just lunch at a friend’s house. That was all.” She shifted a little in her seat. “What about you?”

  Jasmine didn’t even know if he celebrated Christmas. If he had never been human, did he do that sort of thing? She had so many questions she wanted to ask him. So much she wanted to know. Yet she was holding back. She had no idea if he would answer them. Up until now, he had been very secretive.

  “I never have time to celebrate.” His eyes were dark and fathomless when he looked her way once again.

  A frown marred her brow. “Why not?”

  The car growled throatily as they slowed when another car pulled out in front of them. Eric was quick to react to avoid an accident.

  “I am usually on assignment,” the vampire explained softly with a sigh. “It makes something like that very difficult.”

  Her eyes widened slightly at that. “I’m sorry.”

  Manoeuvring with precision, he made the car roar again as he sped up once more. The sound vibrated beneath her, making her body tighten with excitement.

  His expression was suddenly perplexed. “For what?”

  “That you don’t get to celebrate.”

  An amused smile tilted his lips. “It is of no consequence to me.”

  So what he was saying was he didn’t care. Like his job was more important to him.

  Turning her head, she watched the snow drifting outside her window.

  “Where did Raoul go?”

  The other vampire had not been in the suite when they had emerged from the bedroom.

  “He has gone with some of the French police to raid Marcel’s premises. His house and the building we first met in.”

  That jerked her head around again with interest. “He might find Twitch.”

  The headlights of the car shone brightly, cutting through the blur of motion before them. Eric kept his eyes on the road when he answered her.

  “Do not worry. His orders are to bring your friend back to the hotel. You will be reunited with your co-worker soon.”

  The landmark they were travelling towards was situated in the Parc du Champs de Mars, a large sprawling open public space.

  Jasmine knew it was normally full of greenery, but tonight the snow coated everything in a pristine, white blanket.