The way he holds my beating heart even as I’ve fought him at every turn.
It’s dangerous—the way I feel.
Uncharted waters.
A vampire and a hunter. Hell, it’s condemned. As I mentioned before, my entire faction would turn their backs on me—even more so than they already have. We would be hunted to the ends of the earth until they have both our heads on spikes.
And yet, I ache to let him in. To give him a part of me I never realized I possessed. A vise squeezes my heart as my gaze travels over the partially healed injuries covering his body. Blood smears his muscled chest through the shirt shredded by the claws of the shifters, hanging in tatters from his body.
He nearly died tonight.
Came close to sacrificing himself to save me. My breathing is heavy as I stare at him, my chest rising and falling at a rate that’s steadily increasing the longer I stand here pondering my next move. Ice-blue eyes never leave mine as he takes a cautioned step toward me.
I swallow hard.
If I do this, everything will change.
My mission.
My life.
My future.
None of it will be the same, and yet, I know there’s no fucking way I can walk away now. Who knows, maybe everything changed the moment he slid onto that barstool beside me. And damn, doesn’t that feel like lifetimes ago.
I rush toward him, and he moves to me. We clash in the middle. Body against body, heat on heat as his hand grips the back of my neck, tipping my face back and devouring my mouth. His kiss is bruising, the power behind it matched only by my own. Rolling my shoulders back, I shed my jacket, never breaking the kiss.
It falls to the floor, and I bury my hands in his hair, gripping the strands still matted with the blood of our attackers. I can taste it now as his tongue dives into my mouth. The coppery tang invading my senses and bringing to life the primal hunter living within me.
The one that hungers for the blood of battle.
He slams me into the wall, the sheetrock behind me denting with the force of his strength. Elijah grinds his body against mine, perfectly molded to me. His dick is hard, the evidence of his arousal pressing against my belly. Heat envelops me, a flame of desire burning so hot it threatens to leave nothing but a charred corpse behind.
And I don’t fucking care if it kills me.
Elijah’s hands slide down my body lower, lower until he reaches the hem of my tattered shirt and rips. The cotton tears, and he tosses it to the floor in shreds. Frantic to feel his skin, I grip the front of what’s left of his own destroyed shirt and rip it apart. Buttons pop and snap off, falling to the floor. I run both palms up his hard chest, feeling the warm skin beneath my fingertips. It only throws gasoline on the flames.
Too soon, Elijah pulls away, stepping back from me. His pupils dilated, the ice-blue nothing but a slender ring around the black, he swallows hard as he takes in my bared skin. I worry he’s going to change his mind, decide he doesn’t want me. That being with me will be far too dangerous. So before he can say anything, I reach down and unbutton the top of my jeans. Slowly, I lower them, slipping them off my body and stepping out.
He sucks in a breath, and his pupils dilate even further, nearly obliterating all color. I’m unleashing him—the animal I glimpsed earlier, and I can’t wait for him to feed on me.
To devour me.
To fuck me senseless until nothing else matters.
“I want you,” I tell him. “Don’t pull away from me.”
A low growl slips from his throat. I clench my thighs together in an attempt to ease the throbbing between them. He doesn’t move though, so I reach behind me and unsnap my bra before letting it slip down.
Whatever was restraining him snaps, and he’s on me before it hits the floor. His hands are everywhere, all over my body. I barely feel when he rips the cotton underwear from me and grips my ass, lifting me up so I’m straddling him, he slams us into the wall again and I reach down between us, desperation taking over.
“I want to come with you inside of me,” I whisper against his mouth. “Please, Elijah.”
“Fuck,” he whispers against my lips and steps back just enough to put some space between us. My back against the wall, his hands on my thighs, he holds me up as I unsnap the buttons on his slacks and shove them down.
I grip his dick and squeeze gently as I guide it—and him forward. With one thrust, he slams into me, and I cry out, my head resting against the wall as he fucks me—mercilessly—the animal inside of him fully freed as he drives into me. There’s no soft love between us, no calm, collected whispers of promises.
Here, against this wall, we let it all go and just give in to desire.
Freeing the monsters inside both of us.
“Yes,” I whisper, and he takes my mouth as he thrusts into me again, again. My orgasm builds inside of me, a wave of pleasure rushing over and through me. Stars burst in my vision as I shatter around him.
He pulls back, fangs descended, eyes nearly completely black. His gaze flickers down to my throat, so I tilt my head to the side. “Do it,” I tell him.
He shakes his head, thrusting harder.
“Do it, Elijah. I want you to.” Hell if I know why, but the thought of him owning me that way—it’s something I want more than anything in the world.
Elijah groans and buries his face in my neck. Wet warmth slides over the skin of my throat a moment before the faintest crunch fills my ears, the instant pain replaced with something far more alluring.
Forbidden.
His moan vibrates against my throat, and the steady pull of my blood hums in my ears. As another orgasm builds inside of me, I realize just how fucking deep I’m into this. Into him.
He comes, his dick pulsing inside of me, and he takes one last drink of my blood before pulling back and staring into my eyes, crimson beads falling from his mouth.
Even as I’ve tried to fight it, Elijah owns me.
And based on the way he’s looking at me? I own him too.
41
Rainey
Darkness envelops me, settling around and comforting me like a familiar blanket would a child. For here, I have nothing to fear.
Here, in this place, I am what others are afraid of. The monster beneath the bed. The killer in the dark.
“You found us,” the melodious voice wraps around me, seemingly coming from every direction.
“Who are you?”
“We are you,” it replies. “You are us. We are all one.”
I peer ahead, unable to make out anything beyond the inky tendrils that seem even darker than the pitch black around me. A voice inside me screams, begging for me to leave this home I’ve found.
But I shake it off.
“Come to us, Rainey. We’ve been waiting for you. The others, they thought they’d destroy us, and really, they were our salvation.”
“What do you mean?” I move forward, further into the darkness.
“They freed us from our separate bodies, allowed us to be together. We are stronger together—as one.”
I take another step, followed by another, as the dread is replaced with excitement. This is what I was born for, who I’m supposed to be. Everything I’ve been through, everyone I’ve lost has led me here.
Someone screams, but I barely hear it as the inky black grows larger the closer I get. Before I know it, I’m running through the abyss, pumping my arms and legs as fast as I can.
“Stop,” a layered voice orders, and I obey.
The dark moves toward me now, and the closer it gets, the more I see the shape morphing into that of a silhouette.
“Who are you?” I ask, desperate for answers. “What is this place? What am I?”
The being steps forward and stops just before me. Something snaps, and light floods the space. I’m no longer surrounded by dark. Now I stand in a sea of red.
A woman stands before me, dark brown—nearly black strands of hair covering her face as she looks down. She’s naked save f
or a dagger in her left hand. And when she looks up at me, when her familiar eyes meet mine, I gasp and stumble backward. Three black crows fly down, perching atop her bare shoulder.
“No.” I fall, tripping over something I can’t see until I’m lying on the ground staring into Elijah’s empty blue eyes. His chest is covered in blood, his face bruised and broken. “No!” I scream and reach for him. “Elijah!” I shake his body, but he’s already cold. I scramble to my feet as I stare at myself. Only, she’s not me, though we’re identical. Her smile is far too sinister—too evil—and suddenly, the voice that had been screaming at me, begging for me to turn back, makes sense.
I turn, running as fast as I can in the opposite direction. A hole appears before me, and I slide to a stop but don’t manage to get far before it swallows me whole.
My stomach lurches, my heart pounding as I fall, my descent taking me further and further into the dark.
I shoot up in bed, covers pooling at my waist as I frantically suck in breath after breath. Just a nightmare, I tell myself, though I can’t help but worry if it wasn’t some kind of foretelling. Some hint at what’s to come.
Elijah sleeps softly beside me, his head propped up on one of his arms. I take a deep breath, focusing on the peaceful expression reflected on his handsome face.
But when I turn back toward the end of my bed, that peace vanishes as I stare directly at myself. The dagger in her—my—hand is covered in blood and I can hear it drip onto my floor even though it should have been silent. The three crows sit on top of my footboard, staring at me with black, beady eyes.
“Who are you?” I demand. Elijah stirs beside me.
She—or I—grins, and crimson spills from her mouth just before she answers, her response filling me with terror, unlike anything I’ve ever felt. “Didn’t we tell you?” she asks, her layered voice full of malice. “We are you. We are one.”
She opens her mouth and screams, black smoke pouring from her. Inky black tendrils reach for me. They claw at my ankles, and I reach for Elijah.
“Elijah! Elijah!” I scream his name, but as I’m dragged toward the edge of the bed—into the black abyss waiting for me—I know there is no one who can help me now.
The series continues in Blood Captive, releasing October 22nd! Click here to pre-order! As always, if I meet my pre-order goal, I’ll release the book earlier than the scheduled date!
Did you enjoy? Please help me meet my review goal for this release! Click here to leave an honest review!
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Also By Jessica Wayne
Vampire Huntress Chronicles
She’s spent her entire life eradicating the immortals. Now, she finds herself protecting one.
Blood Hunt
Blood Captive
Blood Cure
Cambrexian Realm : The Complete Series
The realm’s deadliest assassin has met her match.
The Last Ward: FREE READ
Warrior Of Magick
Guardian Of Magick
Shades Of Magick
The Tethered Saga: The Complete Series
A two hundred year old curse and love that spans centuries.
Tethered Souls
Broken Tether: FREE READ
Collateral Damage
The Prophecy Series: The Complete Series
Ana has spent her entire life at the clutches of her enemy. Now, it’s time for war.
Phoenix
Fighter
Sorceress
The Gypsy’s Curse: The Complete Series
An ancient curse. A headstrong detective. A gypsy seer cursed with visions of death. And a bloodthirsty druid determined to kill them all.
Visions Of Death
Visions Of Vengeance
Visions Of Triumph
For more information, visit www.jessicawayne.com
About the Author
Photo Credit Mandi Rose Photography
Jessica Wayne is the author of over twenty fantasy and contemporary romance novels. The latter of which she writes as J.W. Ashley. During the day, she slays laundry and dishes as a homeschooling stay at home mom of three, and at night her worlds come to life on paper.
She runs on coffee and wine (as well as the occasional whiskey!) and if you ever catch her wearing matching socks, it’s probably because she grabbed them in the dark.
She is a believer of dragons, unicorns, and the power of love, so each of her stories contain one of those elements (and in some cases all three).
Jessica lives in Texas with her husband, kids, their two German Shepherds who think they’re both cats, and a fluffy orange cat named Leo who thinks he’s a dog.
You can usually find her in her Facebook group, The Wayne-O’s, or keep in touch by subscribing to her newsletter where she shares updates as well as shenanigans she finds herself in.
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Contemporary Romance by J.W. Ashley
The Corrupted Trilogy
They’re being hunted and the only way to come out of it alive, is to put their badges aside.
Rescuing Norah
Shielding Jemma
Targeting Celeste
Olive You: Six best friends and their hunt for true love (or something like it anyway).
Long Road Home: Coming home was always part of the plan. He was not.
Home For Summer: He thinks she’s a spoiled brat. She thinks he’s a stick in the mud. Turns out, they’re both wrong.
The Lumberjack Effect: Facing your past is always the hardest part of moving forward. Especially when you’ve kept a secret for five years.
The Whiskey Effect: Rule #1: Never get tied down. Leo smashed through that like it was a pane of sugar glass and he’s an action star whose mission is to take me down…repeatedly.
Blood Hunt Page 26
