Primal Desire (Heart of the Huntress Book 6)

by Terry Spear

  Selena suspected Iconia would not be happy with the arrangement, and worried Iconia might even take her on when she learned she was here with Atreides instead of helping with the mission.

  About half hour into the night while the ladies walked the streets headed for a different vampire club, they saw nothing but buildings and sidewalks glistening with raindrops from an earlier rainstorm and shops with their security lights on, the shops having closed four hours earlier.

  Selena was feeling tired, like she could sleep for weeks. She thought it was from the blood loss after the vampire had bitten her. Or maybe the concussion she might have suffered. Or the trauma from the whole experience. She was definitely off her game.

  The women's pointed heels clicked on the pavement as the vampiresses chatted about what vampire bash they were attending next. Iconia had been quiet the whole while as if she hadn't been interested in vampire bashes or anything else the women had to talk about. But then Iconia said, "If that huntress stays with Atreides for very much longer, she's dead meat."

  Amused at Iconia's comment, Selena smiled. The vampiress could try and kill her, but Selena was really good at taking down vampires. Then she sighed. Maybe not tonight. Maybe not the way she was feeling. She realized she really should say something to Atreides about it. If she couldn't fight hunters well enough, she couldn’t protect the vampiresses and she could get herself killed. And for what? For not being honest about the way she was feeling so under-the-weather?

  Then they saw a couple of hunters on the prowl and immediately, whatever strangeness she was feeling subsided and all her senses were attuned to the potential crisis in front of them. Selena and Atreides stiffened. Atreides immediately wrapped his arm around her waist and she knew he was going to grab her up and deposit her in between the vampiresses and the hunters, should they attack the women. But all they did was stop to talk to them.

  That surprised Selena. Unless they were after a particular vampire and they thought the female vampires might know who he was or where he was. They had an uneasy peace between the vampires and hunters at times. If a rogue vampire was killing innocents, the hunters would deal with it and usually the vampires would turn the rogue over to the hunters if they knew who and where they were. They didn't need a war between both groups just because the vampires were protecting one of their own. Just like the hunters shouldn't have been protecting those who had murdered the vampiresses.

  Atreides still had a hold of Selena though, ready to transport her so she could protect the vampiresses. But if he did transport her there, would he then have to protect Selena from Iconia's wrath to see her there with him? Selena suspected so.

  The vampiresses had all folded their arms and looked at the hunters with disdain. But then they shook their heads and moved around the hunters.

  The hunters watched them for a moment but didn't make a move to attack and continued on their way.

  "If we don't find the rogue vampire soon, the League will give the mission to someone else," one of the hunters said.

  The blond shook his head. "We've had good leads, supposedly, from vampires and humans alike and every time it has turned out to be dead ends. We’ll keep looking, even if the League assigns someone else to the mission."

  "All right by me."

  The men were two of Selena's brother's friends. She was glad they hadn't acted threatening in any way toward the vampiresses. But she and Atreides had to keep after the women and ensure their safety. They sure didn't want the vampires to kill hunters, if Selena could intervene. Though she figured if she killed another hunter, the League would believe she was in with the vampires. Particularly since she was staying with Atreides for a time.

  Though she was glad her brother was helping her and their sister now, she really did wish her sister hadn't gotten involved. What if all three of them perished in this fight? Her brother and her sister and Selena? Their parents would be devastated.

  "They killed her," a voice said in Selena's head and she thought she was hearing things, that her head was giving her issues. That she needed to lie down for a while. That fighting rogue anythings wasn't in the cards for her tonight. "You shouldn't have lived," another voice said to her.

  Okay, so she really was losing it.

  She rubbed her temple and Atreides looked down at her. "Are you all right?" He looked more than a little concerned.

  "I'm tired."

  Atreides was studying her when he should have been worried about the women, especially his girlfriend. "You don't look well. Your skin is flushed. Is your head hurting again?"

  "I'm just tired. And…." She frowned. "I thought I heard someone say, 'They killed her.'" She took a deep breath. "And someone else said I shouldn't have lived." She shook her head. "I'm just tired is all."

  Atreides was frowning. "Did you hear the women talking?"

  “Of course. My hunter hearing is as good as a vampire's, you know. Anyway, Iconia said she plans to kill me if I stay with you much longer. She could try. She wouldn't be successful."

  "Can you hear what I'm saying?"

  "Of course. I'm not deaf. I'm just tired."

  "Hell. I'm not speaking openly to you but telepathically."

  She frowned at him. "No way." She didn't believe it, one iota.

  He looked really concerned about it. "Yeah. I wouldn't lie to you about it."

  Wait, that meant she'd been turned? She was a vampiress? Oh, just great! She couldn't believe it. She wouldn't believe it. "You think I'm one of you?"

  "Yeah, that's about the gist of it." He rubbed her back consolingly.

  "No way. I can't be." Wouldn't she be able to do all the things Atreides could do? She didn't want to think of all the ramifications of that. Or how it would affect her standing with her family. Or the League!

  "The vampire who bit you could have shared his blood with you after he took your blood. You were unconscious for a while, you said. That's possibly why he knocked you out." Atreides sounded sympathetic, but a little worried too.

  She shook her head. "You said he was dead. That I had killed him. I couldn't have killed him if he had turned me."

  "Hell, maybe the rogue vampire dumped ashes and clothes there to cover that he was still alive," he said, “so we wouldn't hunt him down.”

  "And then the rogue just told me I should have died. That he meant to kill me. So it wasn't as we thought, that he was trying to direct me to the vampire club and get help." Telepathically. Ohmigod, she couldn't have heard the two vampires any other way. Unless…unless she just imagined she'd heard them.

  "But you heard two voices? Two distinct voices? Both male?" Atreides asked, his attention focused on the vampiresses again. Where it should have been all along.

  "Yes, they were distinctive. The one who said they killed her—did it mean one of the vampiresses? That the hunters killed his mate?" Selena glanced around the area, looking for anyone else who might be in the area watching them.

  "Now that could be." Atreides didn't say anything more for a moment as the vampiresses continued to walk along the street talking to each other while Selena was lost in her thoughts.

  She kept trying to think of any other time she had heard anyone talking like that—in her head, but she didn't recall any voices like that. Unless someone had talked to her in her sleep and she didn't remember it.

  "Maybe, you're naturally telepathic, Selena. Like Tezra is."

  Tezra was a borderline rogue and she'd had the odd gift of being able to read vampire's minds. They hadn't known it either and that meant they didn't hide their thoughts from her. Fatal mistake on their part. But no way was Selena telepathic. If she had been, she would have heard everything that the vampires were saying in the club that night she went inside looking for Twilight.

  "No."

  "Maybe your concussion has something to do with it."

  “But…if a rogue had turned me and he was still alive, he could control me then, right? Nothing like that has happened,” she said.

  Atreides
was grinding his teeth.

  "What are you doing?" she whispered to him.

  "Controlling my fangs."

  Her lips parted. He immediately looked at her mouth as if checking out the size of her teeth. She ran her tongue over them. "I don't have teeth like yours. Let me see yours."

  Usually, a hunter would not ask to see a vampire's extended teeth. A vampire only showed them to a hunter when he was angry and ready for a fight.

  Okay, so they were darned wicked looking, she thought. "Why are they out?" Because of the hunters talking to the vampiresses?

  "Because I'm furious that the rogue vampire might have turned you."

  "You think he did for sure." There was no "might" about it. At least she thought he felt that way. "All right," she said, "I'm damned angry, ready to bite the bastard and no vampire teeth are coming out." She ran her tongue over them again, just in case she might not feel them unsheathe until she had more experience at this.

  He smiled at her and because of his extended canines, he looked a lot predatory.

  She frowned at him. She was serious about this! If she was angry, why wouldn't the vampire teeth just—appear? "I tell you that nothing is happening. And I am angry. So if I had been turned, they would extend, right?"

  "You're not angry enough. If you were, there's a good chance you would have no control over your fangs."

  Suddenly, Iconia was in their space, realizing Selena and Atreides were nearby and together. "What the hell do you think you're doing here?” Iconia said to Selena, then sliced Atreides a glower. “And with Atreides?" But she was in Selena's face, too close for comfort and her fangs were fully extended!

  "We're protecting you," Selena said, matter-of-factly.

  Iconia sneered at her. "As if one of your kind could actually do that."

  "Well, I did before." Selena wasn't going to allow Iconia to intimidate her.

  "See how well that worked out for her," Iconia said, her tone biting.

  "You're right. I couldn't watch her twenty-four seven. But had I been there when they came for her again, I would have fought any rogue hunter to protect her."

  "Believe me when I say I wouldn't fight a vampire for you to save you," Iconia said.

  Well, that was a given.

  But if Selena were one of them now, why didn't some saber tooth fangs appear? Iconia was in her space, baring her teeth, giving her grief, and when Selena ran her tongue over her teeth again, there were still no vampire-size teeth anywhere.

  "She's here to fight hunters on your behalf, believe it or not," Atreides said, sounding highly annoyed with Iconia. His teeth were still fully extended.

  "Why are you growling at me?" Iconia asked, undoubtedly incensed that Atreides would take a huntress's side over hers.

  Which couldn't help but amuse Selena. Still, she was worried about this other issue though, that she could truly be a vampire. What if she pushed Iconia, and the vampire made a threatening move toward her? Then would fangs finally erupt? Selena was halfway tempted to force the issue, but she didn't want to have to have Atreides break up the fight when they were supposed to be watching out for the vampiresses.

  Selena started thinking more of the consequences of what could have happened to her. Could she fly? Vanish? Transport herself to somewhere else? Would she crave drinking blood? She couldn't do any of those things. Atreides had to be wrong about Selena hearing vampiric conversation in a telepathic way. Iconia had to have been talking aloud to her friends and with her superior hunter hearing, Selena had heard. That was all. And the other? She was tired. The two male voices she'd heard had just been a figment of her imagination.

  Yet Atreides seemed to have believed he had talked to her through telepathic conversation. None of it made any sense.

  Then she realized Atreides and Iconia were having a stare down. Which meant? They were telepathically communicating. Okay, so then why couldn't Selena hear any of it? That proved Atreides was wrong!

  Then she saw trouble ahead. Two hunters were approaching the two vampiresses who had been with Iconia while she was having her meltdown with Atreides. One was Cliff, the brother of the one Selena had killed. She hurried to get into place so that she was close enough to protect the two women, should the hunters threaten them. Atreides had made sure that all the women who were taking part in this manhunt were not rogues and shouldn't be on any hunter's target list.

  That was all the vampires needed was to kill a hunter who was legally hunting a rogue. The two hunters were respectfully asking the vampiresses questions, not hassling them or acting threateningly in any manner.

  Atreides had quickly joined Selena, while Iconia had appeared next to her friends, which she wasn't supposed to do because she could have spooked the hunters and made them believe she was coming in for the attack. But they just eyed her warily, hands on the hilts of their swords, naturally, but no one fought anyone, thankfully.

  Selena heard her name mentioned, which surprised her. "We're looking for Selena Townsend," Cliff said. "We know she has been hanging around vampiresses to protect them."

  Oh, great, so they already knew what she was up to, or maybe, because she'd tried to protect Charlene, they had just assumed it.

  "What do you want with her?" Iconia asked, as if she was protecting her, but Selena suspected if they had a beef with Selena, Iconia would happily just point behind them where Selena and Atreides were lying in wait in case there was any trouble. Which would blow their whole operation.

  "She has gone missing and a human reported that she might have been…abducted by a vampire. Then her sister has gone missing too." Cliff acted as though he cared about her safety, when in truth Selena knew he wanted her head on a platter for killing his brother.

  "I've heard she and her sister are together and they’re having a great time. I'll be sure to let them know you want to hear on their status should I ever run into them somewhere, though I highly doubt I will. You might know that hunters and vampires don't generally socialize. I'm sure they'll get in touch with you and let you know they're fine." Iconia sounded arrogant, her arms folded across her chest, looking like she had no intention of "finding" said huntresses or of telling them a hunter wanted to hear about them. Not that Selena blamed her. Under normal circumstances, it would probably never happen.

  Cliff nodded. "Then we'll be on our way."

  "Wait," Iconia said. "Aren't you glad they're together, having a great time?"

  How did Iconia know she and her sister had seen each other and were working together on this? Unless she'd just made it up.

  "Yeah, sure, but I'll really be certain when I find…them. Like you said, you probably won’t be seeing them, but I still need to know for sure that they’re…fine."

  Cliff didn't care anything about finding her sister, unless it led him to Selena, she bet. Then the hunters wandered off into the thickening mist. The fog had started out light, but it was getting to the point where they couldn't see anything very far away. That gave the vampires the advantage because they could still hear the hunters' footfalls even if they were trying to sneak around in the dark. All of them could see well in the dark. But the vampires could move with their vanishing act and keep ahead of the hunters.

  As soon as the hunters left, the vampiresses watched them until they disappeared into the foggy night, and Iconia and her friends continued to walk.

  "Do you often see this many hunters about near the vampire clubs?" Selena asked Atreides. She didn't think this was usual.

  "No. I don't know whether it's because the hunters that we just saw want you dead, or if some of the others are looking into who might be hunting vampiresses. If the hunters truly don't want a war on their hands because of whoever is killing our people, then it would behoove them to help us with this. Or at least help themselves by taking down the rogue hunters."

  "I agree." But about this other business—Selena being a vampire—she knew Atreides was wrong. "I'm not one of you, you know. You are mistaken."

  Chapter 11
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br />   Atreides knew he wasn't mistaken about Selena having been turned. He just didn't want to upset her further about what she'd become while they were trying to safeguard the vampiresses. Unless a huntress had the rare telepathic gift, she couldn't hear vampires' thoughts when they communicated that way with each other. And Iconia had been telepathically speaking to her friends. She hadn't spoken to just them, but for any vampire in the area to hear, which meant she'd been highly perturbed with both him and Selena to air her grievances like that.

  "Your friend is going to get herself killed if she's trying to protect our kind," Iconia said to Atreides in her telepathic way, but she was channeling her thoughts directly to him and no other vampires could hear her, just like she had done earlier with him.

  "She has risked her life already for some of us. She's one of us now."

  Iconia looked sharply back in the direction Atreides and Selena were hidden from their sight. "What? A huntress who is now claiming to be one of our clan?" She scoffed. "That would never happen unless she was bitten and turned. And you better not even think of doing that to her."

  "Unless I'm wildly mistaken, she has already been turned."

  Dead silence. Atreides knew that wouldn't go over well with Iconia. Then yeah, Selena would be a member of their clan, just like the huntress turned vampire Tezra was. It also meant Iconia might have some competition because Selena had already said she wanted to dance with him again. Never in a millennium would he have figured this would come about. His brother would have a fit when he heard all that had happened. Atreides’s only solution was to resolve the issue between the hunters who were out to kill their vampiresses and turn them over to the League for their disposition. He did not want, under any circumstance, for his people to attack the hunters, even if the hunters were in the wrong.

  Forever, their people would stand up and fight and not back down. He'd tried repeatedly—and unsuccessfully—to convince them that they needed to just vanish if confronted by hunters. The problem was the vampires, as a whole, felt they were vastly superior to the hunters and humans. And that was ingrained in them from the time they could vanish and flee a fight, and the hunters taunted them for being cowards and not facing them in battle.