Bloodhunter

by Vonna Harper

  Feeling naked without her camera, she concentrated on the differences night brought to the sprawling preserve. By day the human signs were in abundance and, whether she wanted to admit it or not, comforting. But now even with the necessary fences, it wouldn’t take much for her to believe she was in the animals’ environment instead of their having been imprisoned in man’s.

  This was better, primitive and primal, the way it once was.

  Or maybe, she amended, it was she who was feeling primal and primitive.

  Okay, so heading for the big cats who might be wide awake wasn’t the wisest decision she’d ever made, but she wasn’t sure she had all that much of a choice in her destination.

  Aztec. She needed to see Aztec.

  Shrugging off the probability that the jaguar was deep in his turf instead of anywhere near the fencing, she wrapped her fingers around the sturdy wire and willed the shadows to give up their secrets. When a cool finger slid down her spine, she acknowledged that she should have put on something under her robe, but shivering was preferable to going back to her cabin where she might talk herself out of this insanity.

  “Aztec,” she breathed. “Are you out there? Wanting to hunt although that’s been taken from you? Maybe you’re looking for a mate, not one chosen by those who believe they have the right and responsibility to make those decisions for you, but for the one Nature intended. Who have you chosen? Maybe a young, strong female capable of carrying and nourishing all your offspring? Maybe an older and wiser hunter capable of stalking alongside you? What did you decide?”

  Shaking her head at the notion that a male jaguar’s instincts were imprinted with a single female’s, she concentrated. Vegetation capable of providing shelter had been removed from near the fencing as a safety measure, but she wasn’t sure it mattered. If she were a jaguar, she wouldn’t want to be out where people could stare at her. Just the same, shouldn’t Aztec sense her love and fascination for him and come to her?

  Yeah right. Aztec was muscle and instinct, not intellect and emotion.

  She’d been standing there long enough that the wire was starting to press on her fingers when she spotted or thought she spotted movement near the edge of the closest bushes. “Aztec?” She cleared her throat. “Aztec, let me look into your eyes, please.”

  The possible movement became definite, but she still wasn’t sure what she was looking at. Her admittedly limited knowledge of lions and tigers told her it wasn’t one of Aztec’s fellow prisoners, but she couldn’t imagine anything the predators might hunt was within the enclosure. Maybe one of the several dogs that lived on the property?

  No, not anything with four legs.

  Jaw muscles slack, she faced the undeniable reality that she was looking at a man. A naked man.

  Even though she didn’t trust her legs, she slid to the right, which brought her marginally closer to the now unmoving figure. The moon caressed his shoulders and chest with its pale silver and gave him an even more otherworldly appearance. She couldn’t tell how tall he was. He faced her with his arms folded across his too-broad chest, his legs slightly apart as if ready for whatever the night might throw at him. His head was back, alert; the eyes she couldn’t see but felt throughout her had locked onto her. There was a pride about the way he carried his nude form, a raw confidence, challenge.

  Oh yes, every line of that tall and rangy body from wide shoulders to heavily muscled thighs gave out an undeniable challenge. “Can you handle this?” he was asking.

  Handle? Maybe, but maybe not. As for whether she wanted to accept the test, the answer was an unqualified yes.

  He could be a mental case, deranged and dangerous. Anyone with a particle of sense would wrap their mind around that obvious fact, turn tail and head for the high country, but she didn’t need high country. She needed to learn why her body was humming.

  Why his spoke so clearly to hers.

  When he took a long, slow step toward her, instinct moved her back an equal distance. Then she stopped, breathed, waited. The humming showed no sign of letting up, and although she was too distracted by the approaching stranger to give the sensation the attention it deserved, she was fairly sure it was gaining in intensity.

  Not blinking and maybe not breathing either, she watched tall, naked and sexy approach. He walked, not totally like a human, but with an easy sway of his entire body that put her in mind of a big cat. There was a gliding quality to him, a total disregard for where his bare feet were landing, and if he knew there were predators, including a jaguar, in there with him, he certainly wasn’t looking alarmed or even cautious.

  Maybe that was because so much of his attention was focused on her, she acknowledged when he was close enough for the moon to show her his strong jawline and deep eye sockets. Just looking at the way his skin stretched over his collarbone made her fingers burn with the need to caress bone and flesh, and although she’d been looking forward to studying the equipment between his legs, she couldn’t bring herself to lower her gaze.

  His dark hair was long and unkempt as if personal grooming meant little to him. A haze of stubble darkened his cheeks and jaw, making him appear something between mysterious and sinister.

  Sinister? No, she couldn’t buy that. Of course she might change her assessment once she looked into his eyes.

  She expected him to stop once he reached the fence and was wondering whether he’d climb it or go in search of the gate when his image blurred, blinked, faded…something. By the time she’d brought him back into focus, the fence was behind him.

  “How did…” She couldn’t bring herself to try to finish, not with his heat slipping over and around and through her.

  Him! The man who’d shown up on her computer screen and in her disturbing dream.

  One and the same.

  “Don’t question, Dana. Instead, let it happen.”

  His deep-throated words made no sense, but then nothing else had since she’d first spotted him and maybe long before that. He was big, too damnable big now that she was seeing him as flesh and blood for her to put his impact into perspective. And although several feet still separated them, her personal space had been invaded; either that or the too-hot-for-human heat was responsible.

  She felt not just small but soft, muscles oozing and mind floating. This man who couldn’t possibly exist did—end of discussion. He wasn’t something her computer had snagged off the Internet or an optical illusion from staring too long at the jaguar she’d photographed. The night had captured both of them and might never let her go.

  Feeling herself start to sway, she locked her knees. Then, although he was too far away to touch her, she held up her arms as if to ward him off. Her fingertips throbbed.

  “Don’t be afraid,” he said.

  Instead of demanding he not try to tell her what or what not to think, she nodded and dropped her arms. “Who are you?”

  “Nacon.”

  Nacon. Foreign and yet triggering something at the back of her mind. “Where did you come from? You couldn’t have been in there, you couldn’t.”

  “Later, Dana. Later.”

  That said, he stepped into her space, and the moon bathed his eyes. Dark and deep, as they’d appeared this afternoon. Dark and shining like a jaguar’s eyes.

  He didn’t try to touch her, did nothing to alarm her and yet she was—only alarm wasn’t right, was it? Her body sparked and snapped, senses alert and attuned to him. Afraid of touching herself because her skin was so sensitive, she held her arms out from her sides and tried—tried and failed—not to think about the fire in her belly.

  Turned on didn’t close in on the truth. Turned on was cliché when there was nothing cliché about the way she felt. She was no longer in control of her reactions. The same might be true of her actions, meaning she should be more cautious than she’d ever been, but the warning never came.

  She didn’t just want to fuck this man, she needed to. She needed his powerful hands on her melting body as he molded her where and when and how
he wanted. Maybe she’d resist, but it would only be a game, a dance, foreplay because she wanted to be thrown to the ground and mounted.

  Wait? What had happened to her fantasy about being the aggressor?

  It was gone, swept away with her dying and hungry muscles.

  Some big cats howled and screamed as they mated; she’d heard the hell-born sound on television. When, not if, this beast-man who called himself Nacon spread her legs and powered his cock deep into her, she’d scream like a bitch in heat; she had no doubt of that. He might have to hold her wrists to keep her from clawing him, might force her head away to prevent her from biting him, but he’d know how to handle her because tonight she wasn’t the only one who was more animal than human.

  Where did you come from? Who are you? Why is this happening?

  Questions. Stupid, useless questions.

  “Feel the heat, Dana. Don’t deny it. Make it yours.”

  “Are you responsible?”

  “Yes, but only as much as you are.”

  Ah, that made some kind of savage sense! About to smile, she lost the thought and dropped her gaze.

  Magnificent. Hard and strong. So big that his erect cock would stretch both her throat and pussy muscles and leave its imprint for the rest of her life.

  Hers. For tonight, hers.

  Shaken by the depth of her hunger, she shut her eyes, but the image of his ready and demanding sex remained to test what little sanity she still held onto. A small, whispered voice ordered her to run, but it was drowned out by something deeper than instinct. This was tonight, now, everything in her world on the edge and about to change. To take her where she’d never been, but needed as much as she did life.

  “What are you afraid of?” he asked.

  “I don’t know if I am,” she said with her eyes still closed and her fingers working the inadequate fabric covering her nudity. “Overwhelmed. Mostly overwhelmed.”

  “Of course you are.” He sounded like a compassionate parent or understanding lover. “Dana, I understand now. You were born for this journey. Only you can take it.”

  Fuck. Don’t say that, fuck. “And if I don’t?”

  “Then you’ll spend the rest of your life in regret.”

  How could he say that when he didn’t know her? But maybe he did. In fact it was possible he understood her far better than she did herself. He’d found her, hadn’t he? Slipped into her thoughts and under her skin, invaded her space. Certainly the promise of what lay between his legs spoke to her in ways she’d never heard before.

  Feeling herself start to sway, she opened her eyes. No, it hadn’t been a delusion; he was still here with his dusky skin marrying him to the night, still waiting.

  A thousand questions crowded around her, but, unable to concentrate on any of them, she looked up at the impossible stranger. Oh yes, he and the creature who’d slipped into her cabin were one and the same. Like earlier today, she was slipping into him and surrendering her separate self to him. Instead of being terrified, she embraced the promise. More than embraced; she acknowledged that she really had no choice but to follow the night’s journey. “I don’t want regret. I couldn’t handle that.”

  “What about learning things about yourself you never expected. Can you handle that?”

  “I don’t know.” Pulling the overlapping terrycloth aside, she pressed her fingers against her belly. “But I have to find out.”

  Chapter Five

  Nacon’s hands rested on her shoulders. When he exhaled, she felt the heat of his spent breath on the top of her head. And when he slid his fingers down her arms, he took her strength with him. With her arms dragging and her head uplifted so she could study his jawline, she trembled. Trembled and waited and wanted.

  Shit, shit, shit ran through her, the chant settling her a little and making it possible for her to squarely face what was happening. She was being seduced—hell, more than seduced because there was nothing shy or tentative about her reaction. Maybe, she thought, the profanity served as a barrier between her and Nacon; otherwise, she’d be begging him to fuck her, now!

  Only when she felt cool air on her shoulders did she acknowledge he was stripping her down so she’d join him in his nudity. Good, she thought. Good because waiting would kill me!

  Concentrating on the slow slide of fabric down her arms and back gave her something to focus on. She remembered the delicious teenage anticipation she’d once felt while waiting for whatever boy she had a crush on at the time to show up at the door for an evening of dinner, movie and necking. Back when she hadn’t understood the power of her hormones, she’d simply existed in and for sensation. Just anticipating a kiss could make her sweat, while waiting for the boy to put his fumbling hands on her breasts nearly made her scream.

  This was different. This was adult hormones and a naked stranger touching her in the night and her nerves dancing and her cunt afire.

  Inch by anguished inch, he worked the terrycloth down until it was bunched around her buttocks and wrists. Then, gripping the fabric, he pulled her against him. He’d imprisoned her with her only garment, and unless she fought him, he could do what he wanted with her. The promise of his needs and demands fascinated her; that and the reality of his cock now pressing against her belly and her legs sandwiched between his.

  The night hadn’t cooled his flesh; in fact, he seemed much warmer than her. His quick, deep breathing said he was no robot and the strength of his grip said he needed her as much as she did him. As for how much control he had…

  When he worked the fabric from side to side, she turned in one direction and then the other as he directed, heating both of them even more and sending the blood vessels in her legs to pulsing. By shifting her weight a little, she rubbed her thighs against his. That done, she kicked the challenge up another notch by arching her back until her mons pressed against him. Trusting him to support her, she bent her body even more, offering her newly bared breasts to him. Dimly acknowledging that they were probably more blur than reality to him didn’t diminish her pleasure. He might have trapped and nearly immobilized her with her garment, but she could tease and test him.

  And do the same to herself, she admitted as a wave of need slammed into her. She was on fire, her nipples so hard they hurt, cheeks and throat flushed, belly knotted and her buttocks clenching. Instead of retreating, the wave built upon itself. Fuck, it screamed repeatedly. Fuck, now!

  Propelled by the now, she yanked her arms free so she could lock them around his neck. Anchored by him, she pressed herself against him. Growling low, he dropped her robe. Even before it pooled on the ground, he’d planted his rough hands over her buttocks and forced her even deeper into the cradle his legs provided.

  Both frightened and excited by their forged bodies, she rubbed her breasts over his chest. “There. Take that. Ignore that.” He responded by sliding his hands from her buttocks to between her thighs with his fingers pressing into the soft and sensitive inner flesh and his nails close, so incredibly close to her labia.

  Up until now she didn’t think she’d uttered a sound. But anticipating the intimate touch forced a series of small squeaks from her. Instead of taking advantage of her vulnerability, he encouraged her to widen her stance by pressing on her inner thighs. Surely he’d gift her pussy now!

  But no.

  Yes, he ground his cock against her, and yes, he moved in the opposite direction when she ran her breasts over his chest, and yes, the promise rested in his hands’ close proximity to her twitching core. But even with his raw breathing giving away his hunger, he kept her on the edge with him.

  “You’re making me crazy!”

  “Good.”

  “What do you want from me?”

  “Everything I can get.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Because I must.”

  Someone might see them. Maybe Aztec was watching, the smell of sexual excitement penetrating his primitive system and compelling him to attack. Feeling sorry for the solitary jaguar momentarily di
stracted Dana. By the time everything funneled back down again, he was dropping to his knees and taking her with him. Landing awkwardly, she was forced to grip his arms for support. What in the hell was she doing? The man was a stranger, intense and determined. He might destroy her.

  No, he wouldn’t do that, she told herself. Not this man and not on this night.

  They knelt, looking at each other, hands and arms keeping the contact going, the darkness more pronounced this close to the ground. She stopped thinking of them as two strangers insanely involved in sex’s dance and embraced the contact with the earth she loved so much. This way Nacon and she could become part of the thread that existed from the beginning of time, feeding off the earth for the rest of their lives. When they had sex, their joined juices might soak the short-growing grass and fertilize it.

  Fertilize?

  The word winked out before she could bring it into focus. Acting on another wave of the impulse that had ruled her since she’d first seen Aztec, she brought her face close to Nacon’s chest and licked his sweat. Hot salt coated her tongue and slid down her throat. He responded to her thievery by increasing his hold on her waist. Leaning to the side a little allowed her to run her tongue over the hard, small swell of his nipple. Beneath that he was all muscle, a fascinating complexity of bone and flesh, of veins and nerves.

  Hers. For tonight, hers.

  When her head started throbbing, she briefly feared she was getting a headache, but the sensation was more than that, less easily defined, maybe her own blood vessels swelling in anticipation.

  Why not? After all, the tissues that made up her sex were already swollen and hot, heavy and wet.

  Ready.

  Acting without conscious thought, she took his nub between her lips, but when she started to draw back, her hold slipped. Even using her teeth produced the same result since she was afraid of hurting him if she exerted much pressure. She’d just started to lick away whatever discomfort she might have caused when he roughly pressed her back and down.