Blood Hunt

by Butcher, Shannon K.

  Logan didn’t dare step closer to Eric without permission. Slayers were violent. And quick. Logan had already been injured enough for one night. “May I?” he asked Eric.

  Eric held out a beefy arm. “Knock yourself out. Just don’t make me do the same. Mind your manners. Understand?”

  Logan did. He would take only a little—just enough to answer his question.

  He took Eric’s wrist and brought it to his mouth. The man’s skin was hot, but that was natural. Slayers’ body temperature was above that of humans or Theronai. Their metabolisms burned hot and fast.

  As soon as Logan’s fangs broke the skin, it began to heal. He hurried to finish the job, to prevent him from having to bite Eric a second time.

  As his blood pooled in Logan’s stomach and spread through his system, it combined with Hope’s blood. Logan let go of Eric and closed his eyes, focusing on what was going on inside him.

  Eric’s blood cells sought out Hope’s, merging with them. The two combined, much stronger than the sum of their separate parts. Logan’s body warmed and sparks of power filled his limbs.

  The effect didn’t last long, but it was unmistakable. Hope and Eric would make a powerful couple. Their children would be strong, their blood possibly as strong as a Theronai’s.

  As good as that news was, it rang hollow inside Logan’s chest.

  He looked at Eric, imagining him with Hope, their bodies entwined, creating life.

  Jealousy rose up in Logan so swiftly he didn’t have time to stop it from taking root. It wove its way through his bones, making him writhe with possessive rage. Hope was his. He did not want to share her. Not with Eric. Not with anyone.

  Not that he had a choice. He’d never had a choice.

  Logan swallowed down that jealousy and looked at Alexander. He knew if he so much as glimpsed at Eric, those violent urges would return. “It is as you say. They are a good match.”

  “Excellent,” said Alexander.

  “You’ll have to gain permission from Andreas,” said Eric. “I can’t have a kid with her unless he approves.”

  Logan barely kept the sneer from his voice. “You’ve never even met her, yet you’re willing to create a life with her? What if she doesn’t want it?”

  Eric crossed his thick arms over his chest. “I thought it was your job to see that she did. Isn’t that what you do?”

  “Why are you so willing to help?” asked Logan.

  Eric gave a careless shrug. “I’ll be saddled with a wife as soon as my brother finds one for me. What’s the difference if you do it first?”

  “What about love?”

  “What about it?” asked Eric. “Do I look like a child who believes in such things? I’ve always known I’d marry out of duty to the race. It’s no big surprise, unless you count the fact that I’ve avoided it this long.”

  “And what about Hope? Doesn’t she deserve love?”

  “She’ll be safe. She’ll have family. Children. She’ll have a home and a place she belongs and people who would give their lives for her. If that’s not enough for her, she doesn’t deserve more.”

  Yes, she did. She deserved to be loved for the exquisite creature she was. If Eric couldn’t see that, he didn’t deserve her.

  Alexander put a staying hand on Logan’s arm. “I’m sure Eric will come to care for her in time. Let them meet. We’ll see what comes of that and then go from there.”

  He was right. Logan knew this was the best course of action—or at least the most logical. “There’s only one problem.”

  “What’s that?” asked Eric.

  “Hope is with Nicholas, and there’s no way he’d ever allow a Slayer anywhere near her.”

  “Then get rid of him,” said Alexander. “Send him away and bring her to us.”

  “It’s not that easy,” he told the men. “Nicholas thinks she might be a Theronai. He’s going to take her back to Dabyr.”

  “I could get rid of him,” said Eric. “Make it look like an accident.”

  “Absolutely not,” said Logan. “We’re too close to a truce to do anything to upset it.”

  “So I’ll put on a hat. Cover my ears. Go to meet her. He’ll never know what I am.”

  “No. We need Nicholas. I’ll take care of him. I’ll find some way to separate them. And then I’ll bring her here.”

  “Not here,” said Alexander.

  “You’re right. The risk of a Theronai showing up here is too great. We’ll find another place.”

  “Agreed.”

  Eric grabbed his jacket from the couch. “You boys figure it out and let me know. I’ll show up and marry the girl so we can get on with our lives.”

  “A true romantic,” said Logan.

  Eric looked him in the eye. “Romance is for children and women. I’m not either of those. And neither are you. Do your job and you’ll get what you want. So will I.”

  “What is it you want, Eric? Exactly?”

  “Same as you. To be left the hell alone so I can do my job.”

  Eric walked out. His motorcycle started up, making Logan wonder how he could stand riding it in this weather.

  “You’re having second thoughts, aren’t you?” asked Alexander.

  “About what?”

  “Mating Hope to him. You know they’re a match. I could see it on your face when you fed from him.”

  “They are,” admitted Logan. “At least their blood is.”

  “You say that as if it’s not enough.”

  “It’s not. I want her to be happy.”

  “She will be. So will Eric. He blusters, but we both know what happens to a man when he falls in love. He grows softer, more pliable.”

  “I’m not sure that man is capable of love.”

  “He will be. For her. For their children.”

  Logan could easily see an infant with Eric’s eyes and Hope’s smile. Their children would be beautiful. Strong.

  The image should have comforted him and given him hope for the future of his race, but all it did was leave a hollow ache in his chest, as if something vital had been removed.

  His feelings for the woman were getting in the way and they were growing stronger by the hour.

  He opened his mouth to demand that Alexander take over her care, but the words would not come out. He couldn’t stand the thought of not seeing her again.

  It was a warning—a screaming siren of doom—but Logan couldn’t bring himself to back away. She’d saved his life. She’d fed him. He was tied to her in a way no other man was. If Alexander took over, he’d feed from her and that bond that Logan shared with her would be diluted. It would no longer be something only he and Hope shared.

  Besides, he needed to prove to himself he was strong enough to do this. She wouldn’t be the only woman he felt a connection to as the years passed. If he walked away before he could overcome his attraction to her enough to do his job, he’d forever wonder if he could. The worry would plague him. He’d question his confidence at a time when there could be no question.

  “I’ll do what must be done,” he told Alexander.

  His friend nodded. “I know you will. You always have.”

  Chapter 15

  A baby in the bathtub?

  Jackie gathered herself and searched the small house until she found the infant. He was wrapped up tight, screaming his little head off. His face was red and his squawking cry was hoarse, as if he’d been screaming for a long time.

  She picked him up and cuddled him to her body. He quieted after a few seconds, sucking in gulping breaths of air.

  She’d seen what the Synestryn did to babies born in those caves. She wasn’t about to let it happen to this one.

  Jackie retrieved her gun from where Iain had set it next to the front door. She checked to make sure the safety was off, then stood with her back to the wall.

  If the people outside didn’t finish off the demons, she was going to have to do it herself.

  Rory crouched on top of a rusting file cabinet to get out of
the water. She was so cold her bones ached. She hugged herself, shivering, trying to stay awake. She hadn’t slept in days. Maybe longer. Time meant nothing down here. Every hour was an endless progression of hunger, thirst, and fear.

  In the murky water below, something slithered just below the surface. Ripples spread out in three places, and she couldn’t tell if there were three different creatures down there, or one really big one. Either way, it wasn’t good.

  She stood, reaching overhead to the tiled ceiling. A lifetime ago, Rory had hung paper snowflakes from fishing line at school to decorate. She remembered the teacher showing her how to lift the ceiling tiles so she could wrap the line around the metal bars that held them up.

  Maybe she could pull one of those metal bars free and use it as a weapon. It was worth a shot.

  Rory slid two dingy tiles aside and wiggled the bars. Dust and insect carcasses rained down on her, but it was better than whatever was in the water below. After what she’d waded through, she wasn’t sure she’d ever be clean again.

  It took some work, but she managed to free a short piece. The end was blunt and the metal was light, but it was better than no weapon at all.

  Rory went back to her crouch, clutching her prize in her hands. If that thing came for her, she was going to kill it.

  Fatigue made Hope’s body sluggish as she climbed the stairs to her room. It was five in the morning, and she had only a couple of hours to sleep before she had to be up for work.

  She flopped back onto her bed, feeling something hard under her. She pulled it out. It was her cell phone, which seemed almost comical.

  Hope entered the phone number Nicholas had given her, which was scrawled in ink on the back of her hand. He’d said he’d stay nearby until dawn, that she’d be safe during the day without him, but insisted she take his number, just in case. Which worked for her. She didn’t like the idea of having a babysitter sleeping on her couch, which was what he said he’d do if she didn’t cooperate.

  She wasn’t used to being bossed around, and she didn’t much care for it, even if she knew Nicholas was right about the danger.

  Hope fell into a fast, hard sleep and when she woke, it was growing light outside. It wasn’t time for her alarm, but something had woken her.

  She blinked her blurry eyes and tried to get her sleepdeprived brain to function. The lights were off. Only a faint slice of streetlights gleamed from the edge of her blinds. The smell of cold, fresh air filled her room, along with a darker, more intoxicating scent.

  Logan.

  Hope reached for her lamp, fumbling to turn it on. The lightweight base rocked as her knuckles slammed into it. Finally, she found the knob and light flared through the room, blinding her for a moment.

  When the stinging eased, she saw Logan. He sat on the foot of her bed, watching her.

  Hope should have been scared. She should have been outraged that he’d slip uninvited into her room. But all she could feel was curiosity and a slow, budding warmth.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked. “It’s not even six in the morning.”

  “I came to see you.”

  “Practicing your stalker technique?”

  He frowned for a second, the action creasing his beautiful face. His hair was damp as if he’d just showered, falling perfectly over his pale brow. There was a healthy glow brightening his cheeks, which made her wonder if he’d taken blood from someone tonight.

  The spike of jealousy that rammed through her was as unexpected as it was unwanted. She didn’t care whose blood he drank so long as it wasn’t hers. It was none of her business.

  Mocking laughter flooded her mind as she tried to get herself to believe the ridiculous lie. She wanted him to need her again—to make her feel that exquisite pleasure only he could give her.

  “I had to come before dawn,” he said. “We need to talk.”

  Not until she’d cleared her head. He was too potent to face so soon after waking up.

  “Give me a minute.” Hope pushed herself out of bed and went into the bathroom and shut the door. She took her time washing up, content to make him wait.

  Assuming he was there at all. For all she knew this could be some kind of vivid dream.

  As soon as the thought entered her mind, she dismissed it. If this had been a dream, Logan would have already had her naked and been making love to her while he fed from her neck. And while she’d never admit that to another soul, she had to be honest with herself. Logan excited her, even the scary parts. Perhaps especially the scary parts. She felt drawn to him, connected to him.

  When he’d left her with Nicholas, she’d felt abandoned—like some vital part of herself had been ripped away and held hostage.

  She’d never had fantasies about vampires before. All these wayward thoughts were his fault—no doubt the result of some kind of vampire cooties. Having her blood taken had changed her somehow, and part of her wondered if it wasn’t an improvement.

  While she’d been with other men before, not one of them had made her feel even half of what Logan had. And he hadn’t even taken off her clothes. She could only imagine the kind of pleasure being naked with him could bring, feeling his skin against hers. No clothing to mute the sensation. And now that the thought was in her head, it was going to occupy all free space.

  Hope dried her face and straightened her shoulders to face him. When she opened the bathroom door, he was sitting exactly where she’d left him, so beautiful she forgot to breathe.

  He’d replaced the long leather coat that he’d burned with an identical one. The sweater beneath it was the same pale silvery gray as his eyes, and it clung to muscles she swore hadn’t been there when she’d first seen him. His gaze roamed over her long sleep shirt to the bare legs beneath. Her toes curled under his scrutiny, and she wondered if he liked what he saw.

  A faint shimmer of light glowed in his pale eyes for just a split second before he squeezed them shut. “What I have to say can wait until you’re dressed.”

  “But not until I’m awake?”

  “My apologies for that. I had to come before dawn.”

  “You could have knocked.”

  “No. I didn’t want Nicholas to see me.”

  “Why?” she asked as she gathered up a fresh set of clothing.

  “His kind tend to be a bit . . . possessive.”

  “His kind? You mean men?”

  “I mean Theronai.”

  “How did you get in here?”

  “The window.”

  “It was locked.”

  He shrugged. “That posed no problem.”

  “Did you turn into mist and come in through tiny cracks?”

  “You’ve watched too much TV.” A smile lifted one side of his mouth. Instantly, the need to feel her lips against his exploded inside her. She needed to see if he tasted as good as he smelled, and if that wicked smile was teasing or a promise of more to come.

  “TV?” she asked, all her thoughts dribbling from her ears.

  Logan rose and glided toward her, holding her gaze. Her head tilted up as he came closer so she wouldn’t have to look away. She really didn’t want to look away.

  “I’m not here to discuss myths and fiction. I’m here for more important matters. I want you to come with me.”

  Hope had to blink several times to get the gears in her head to spin again. “I already told you I would, once we find those missing people.”

  “Let the police handle that. You and I can leave now. Together.”

  That sounded nice. “Where will we go?”

  “I know a special place. Secluded. Romantic. Eric is there, waiting for you.”

  Hope jerked, reeling back at the mention of another man’s name. He might as well have thrown ice water down her shirt.

  She turned away, grabbed up her clean clothes, and went into the bathroom.

  It was clear Logan didn’t want her. He kept shoving other men at her, and like a fool, she kept letting him. Not this time. She wasn’t going anywhere with
him. And it didn’t matter how many men he brought around. She was staying put in her life, where she belonged.

  When she came out of the bathroom armored in comfortable clothing, she faced him down. “Tell Eric to find someone else. I’m not interested. I’m done letting you play matchmaker. I don’t care if I never get my memories back. I don’t care if I have to find Rory on my own. You’re using me and I don’t like it. I’m not playing anymore.”

  One second he was a few feet away, and the next he was right in front of her, his strong hands wrapped around her upper arms. “You made me a promise. You can’t escape that, so don’t even try.”

  “I’ll do what I want, and if you try to stop me, I’ll call the police.”

  “Human police. There’s nothing they can do to me.”

  “I’m willing to test that theory,” she shot back.

  “Don’t, Hope. Don’t do this.”

  “I’m not doing anything. You’re the one who keeps trying to foist me off on other people. I don’t understand why. What is it you want with me?”

  His grip loosened as his gaze slid over her face. There was longing in that look. Needful desire that went beyond sex.

  He was into her. He couldn’t hide that. A man didn’t look at her the way he did if he wasn’t at least thinking about getting her naked. And Hope wanted that. Bad. A man like Logan didn’t come by more than once in a lifetime, and she wanted to at least give them a chance. She wasn’t a fool. She knew things would probably end in disaster, like they always did. But for Logan, the risk of heartbreak was worth whatever time they might have together, no matter how fleeting.

  His eyelids lowered, masking his emotions. “The things I want don’t matter. Only the things my people need.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I know. Trust me when I tell you that I would never allow anything bad to happen to you. I want you to be happy. Safe. Loved.”

  “Why? You don’t even know me.”

  “I know enough to realize you’re deserving of only the best.” Pain creased his brow, shimmering in his eyes. “And that’s something I simply cannot give you.”