by Opal Carew
Her heart tripped. She fought taking a step back, of fleeing from the balcony into the ballroom filled with hunters who would protect her from the likes of one so treacherous. And beautiful. His eyes drew her into their fathomless depths, willing her to drink further, to stay with him forever.
But vampires could not control a hunter with their seductive charms. A look, and a human would bare his or her throat, begging for the vampire’s bite. The vampire could not use their hypnotic seduction on a hunter, or huntress.
So what intrigued her so much about him? Not his chiseled face that looked as though he’d been carved from the finest marble from his square jaw to his distinctive nose and wide cheekbones. Not his dark eyebrows giving his roguish appearance further character. Or the straggles of dark tendrils that had loosened from his long hair tied back in a tail and swept his cheeks, teasing his ivory skin, softening his formidable appearance. Even now she longed to free the rest of his hair, to comb her fingers through the strands, to caress the silkiness as if she were his lover.
A blousy-sleeved, black silk shirt fit over broad shoulders and opened provocatively at the chest. And the lure that caught her attention, a gold medallion encircling a diamond, dangled against his bare skin, now catching the light from the ballroom again. Enticing her to reach out and touch it, to hold the treasure in her hand, to feel the hefty-looking weight of it.
But more than anything, his eyes caught her attention and held her captive.
Until banging on the glass door behind her shattered the spell the vampire held over her, and she jumped a little. The music instantly died, shouts filled the air, and two hunters struggled with the door handles, twisting and cursing, while another pounded on the glass to keep her attention. As if she’d give herself up to the vampire if he didn’t.
“Try to open the door, Rachael!” Gregory shouted, his face flushed, his hands on the glass as if reaching out to give her solace.
Her heart in her throat, she watched as other hunters, from potential suitors to older mated men, rushed to grab their swords, removed earlier while they danced. They yanked the deadly steel from leather sheaths.
Torn with indecision, part of her conscious told her she should try the door handles that the hunters continued to twist back and forth, see if they would work for her when they wouldn’t for them. But another part of her refused to do anything that could mean the vampire’s death.
His voice low and dark, the vampire said, “A special trick of mine.”
She turned to face him.
Everyone in the ballroom suddenly grew deathly silent as if they were swallowed up by a black hole. All that remained was the man in the shadows, the breeze whipping her hair about and plastering her long skirt against her legs, and the distance between them—that wouldn’t be safe enough if he decided to press his advantage.
No smile graced the vampire’s lips. His alluring gaze challenged her again to attempt to break free from his magnetism, or be his.
From the time when the Black Death in 14th Century Europe had sickened humans, some of those who had survived the devastating plague, were found to have special abilities—to see in the dark of night, their hearing enhanced. The hunter kind had been products of the plague, too, stronger than humans also, and like the vampires, they could heal much faster when injured, had increased strength as well, but they couldn’t see in the dark, even though their hearing was just as enhanced, and they were obsessed with keeping the rogue vampire population under control.
The natural trait this vampire exhibited in trying to dominate her using his vampiric charms intrigued her. When she should have been appalled.
“Rachael! Open the door!” her uncle shouted. “Rachael!”
The banging on the glass renewed with gusto. The doorknobs rattled in anger.
She ignored them and took a deep breath and savored the vampire’s scent. How could he smell so heavenly when every inch of him was so deadly? And how could he be daring enough to speak to her without flinching once in front of all the hunters, anyone of whom would end his life in a second, given the opportunity? Ignoring them as if no one existed but the huntress before him.
He stretched his hand out to her, fine strong fingers eager to pull her into the darkness, and then what? Whisk her away to his lair? Away from her people? Free to seduce her without interference?
The uncanny way in which vampires transported themselves from one place to another was their greatest ability of all. No one but the vampires knew what it felt like, or how it was accomplished. One minute they were there, the next, gone. But the idea had always fascinated Rachael.
The banging on the glass doors stopped, her uncle and the other hunters’ words ceased, the door handles quit moving.
She didn’t dare take the vampire’s hand. Although she wanted to—to see where this would lead, to feel his heated touch. To be whisked away to another world. But no way could he be trusted.
When she hesitated, his brow creased. “You want my help, and I need yours. We have to depend on one another.” His voice showed a surety that no matter what her doubts, he’d convince her that his reasoning was sound.
“You’re a vampire.”
His lips lifted just a hint.
The same traitorous warmth that had spread through every fiber of her being did so again. She attempted to ignore her body’s unwarranted reaction to the man. “I’m a huntress. Trusting one another isn’t something we do.”
He bowed his head to her in agreement, then raised his hand slightly as if to dismiss her. But as soon as he did, the doors burst open.
The hunters rushed onto the balcony, swords drawn, but the vampire instantly melted into the shadows and vanished.
If it hadn’t been for the mad dash of hunters swarming about her, some sticking close to her in bodyguard mode, the others looking over the railing at the grounds below or searching the rest of the balcony hidden in shadows, she would have felt the disquieting loss deeper when the vampire vanished. She imagined the sensation was akin to the sudden severance of the intimacy shared between lovers.
Her uncle shoved his way through the men and grabbed her arm. She gasped at the suddenness.
Uncle Tobias pulled her into the ballroom where the music had stopped and only muffled conversations continued. “What the hell was that all about?”
For an instant, she felt disoriented. But seeing her uncle’s angry expression mixed with concern, she finally snapped out of the indefensible delusions she had about the vampire.
“I would have killed him if I hadn’t been wearing this…this gown. I didn’t have my dagger.” She had reached for her weapon, after all. If anyone had seen her action. But not to strike the vampire... instead, to keep him away from her just in case he’d threatened to harm her.
Uncle Tobias frowned at her. “Why didn’t you call out for help when you first saw him?”
“The hunters already saw him with me. What was the need?”
“They had to arm themselves. And somehow the bloodsucker managed to secure the door.” Her uncle lifted her chin, his stormy eyes peering into hers as if he was trying to read her mind. “Since you had no weapon to protect yourself, why didn’t you try to come back inside? You might have managed to when we were unable to open the door.”
“I was curious as to why he was here. Don’t you think it foolhardy for one to come to a hunter’s ball? Wouldn’t you have wondered what he wanted?”
“Rachael, you’ve always been afraid of bloodsuckers. You’ve told me you want to hunt the rogues down to conquer your fear of them, to overcome the terror you experienced that…night. But your behavior just now…”
“I can do it! Just give me a contract, and—”
“Rachael…I can’t afford to lose you, too.” A deep-seated sadness reflected in his eyes, yet he studied her with more than concern, a crease deepening over his brow.
“I’m fine, Uncle Tobias. If you’d just let me prove I can do it, I’d have no problem. You’ll see.”
He rubbed
his smooth chin, and then gave a slight shake of his head. “Gregory will take you home tonight.”
Her head pounded with frustration. He couldn’t deny her a contract. He just couldn’t. “You promised you’d give me a contract tonight.”
“Not now. It appears a contract is out on you instead. From now on, you can’t venture out at night unless you have a hunter watching over you.”
She felt the walls were closing in on her. “You promised!” she snapped.
She couldn’t control the anger seeping into her voice. More than anything else in the world, she wanted to destroy renegade vampires who threatened the lives of others just as they had destroyed her own family. She wanted to do that living on her own, without her uncle and cousins monitoring her every move. When she was a child, it was one thing. She understood their concern for her. But hell, at this rate she would be ninety years old, and they’d still be watching her every move. Well, by then she might need someone to, but for now, she wanted her independence. She deserved it. And it was past time she had it!
But her uncle’s steely expression said otherwise. “That’s my final word on the matter. Your safety is more important than your need to be self-sufficient, Rachael.” Uncle Tobias turned to the hunter. “Gregory, see that you get my niece home safely.”
Great. Just great.
“Yes, sir.” Gregory bowed slightly. He offered his arm to her, but she stormed off without him and headed outside.
Her blood boiled. If her uncle wouldn’t give her another contract, she’d become a loose cannon.
Gregory rushed to catch up to her in the parking lot, his sword readied. His expression looked so concerned, she felt a twinge of guilt for the anxiety she must have caused. “Don’t worry. The vampire wasn’t going to hurt me. I would have made a fuss if he’d come any closer.”
“You were unarmed. And your uncle was right. You should have at least tried to open the door for us. Unless…” Gregory quit speaking and opened his car door for her.
She climbed in and looked up at him. “Unless what?”
His eyes held a wealth of worry, but he shook his head and shut her door.
Now what was the matter?
When he was seated behind the wheel and was driving out of the parking lot, she said again, “Unless what, Gregory?”
“Nothing. You just should have tried to open the door is all.”
But there was more to what he was thinking, and she wanted to know what it was. “I can handle whatever it is you have to say.”
His jaw tightened, his eyes focused on the road, and he didn’t say another word.
Fine. She clenched and unclenched her hands while she tried to fathom why the vampire seemed to want her and no one else, and why he hadn’t just grabbed her as defenseless as she’d been. It didn’t make any sense.
Halfway to her complex, Gregory finally cleared his throat, but wouldn’t look at her. “I should stay the night with you... sleep on the sofa, of course.”
She laughed. “That’s the first time anyone’s used that line with me before.”
“I’m serious. Your uncle would approve of me doing so, I’m certain.”
She folded her arms. “No. You’d have to have my approval.”
He glanced at the scar on her shoulder.
If she’d had any interest in allowing him to sleep over, that nixed it. She looked out the window.
What had the vampire really wanted of her? Every fiber of her being screamed at her that he couldn’t be trusted. Yet she couldn’t squash the desire to know more about him, to learn what he truly wanted, and a small part of her couldn’t help but fantasize about taking down the cruelest vampire in the region’s history. If she could, wouldn’t that prove to her uncle her worth as a huntress? Wouldn’t that be the ultimate challenge that if she could meet it, she would never fear a bloodsucker or the dark again?
But the look in her uncle’s eyes had warned her she was playing with fire.
She took a deep breath to ease her disquiet. No matter how much she told herself how wrong it was, she wanted to see the vampire again. Insane... the whole notion was insane. Maybe that’s why most huntresses married young. If they didn’t, they’d go mad and want to mate vampires. Right. Her skin crawled with apprehension, and she touched the scar on her shoulder. Was he the one who had marked her?
The whole way back to her place, she couldn’t shake loose of the eerie thought. That the mark was his claim to her. That he wanted her and she had no choice in the matter. Give herself to him, or else.
Barely aware they’d arrived at her complex and were now standing before her apartment door, she realized Gregory had asked her for her keys, a second time. Again, she noted his concerned expression—probably because she seemed so spaced out. She had to snap out of the fog she was in. She was certain everything about her behavior would be duly noted and reported to her uncle.
Gregory unlocked her apartment door for her. “I should check your place out first.”
She grabbed her apartment key from him. “No. You’ve done my uncle’s bidding. And I thank you, but it’s late and I’ll retire now, alone.”
“But he said you couldn’t be alone and although Zachary’s bringing your car home, he’s not here yet and you need protection. Your uncle said.”
“Listen,” she said poking her finger into Gregory’s chest, “tell me what you were going to say earlier, and you can stay for an hour or so.” She hoped she didn’t regret the suggestion.
Gregory swallowed hard and bowed. “I’m sorry, Rachael. I shouldn’t have spoken out of turn. I’ll see you again, when you’re not quite so... upset. I’ll wait in the parking area for Zachary.”
Upset? Annoyed was more like it. Whatever he was holding back from her, she wondered if the other hunters felt the same way. Did her uncle? She hated the secrets. And they always seemed to revolve around her—the sympathetic looks, the whispered words, the conversations that abruptly died when those speaking caught sight of her. She hated all the secrets.
She closed the door on Gregory’s retreating backside and locked it. On the surface, he was the perfect gentleman, but most hunters changed their attitude toward huntresses once they were theirs. Bossy, controlling, domineering. Or at least that’s the way it seemed to her.
Someday she’d have to marry. There were too few females not to and truly, she owed it to her kind. With the right hunter, it could work. But for now, she wanted to prove to the males she was more than just a breeder.
As soon as she reached the bedroom, she flipped on the light switch at the same time that she smelled the scent of spice. His scent of spice.
Her heart nearly quit, but the perceived threat forced adrenaline to flood her body. He couldn’t be here, not unless someone had invited him in. Which did nothing to explain why she smelled him in her room. She bolted around the bed for her sword leaning against the opposite wall, but stopped dead as the vampire appeared between her and the weapon.
“You shouldn’t handle weapons when you’re upset, Rachael. You might hurt yourself.”
The vampire’s dark eyes sparkled with amusement while his mouth curved up slightly.
“How... how did you get in?” She took a step back.
This was an entirely different scenario. On the balcony, the hunters were there, watching her, trying to come to her aid in an unprotected area that was really open to any vampire who might want to drop in, although she was sure none had ever been so bold. Additionally, she went out to meet him. Here? She was alone, no one to come to her aid, and he had invaded her home, where no vampire should have ever intruded.
He didn’t advance, yet, although that didn’t make her feel any more secure.
“Your manager had an extra key. The dear lady was totally agreeable to letting your cousin in who’d locked himself out of your apartment.”
Heart thundering, Rachael quickly assessed her options, took another step back, hoping if she turned swiftly enough, and she was close enough to her chest of dr
awers, she could reach one of her daggers.
But as soon as she whipped around and jerked a drawer open, his hand clasped over hers. Her heart skipped a couple of beats. He twisted her around. Before she could free herself, scream, or react in any other way, he leaned down and nuzzled his smooth as satin face against her cheek. His warm breath and skin sent her hormones raging at an all-time high. Why couldn’t Gregory or any of the other hunters make her feel this way?
She chided herself for being so damned different from other huntresses. If the females of their kind weren’t in such short supply, she imagined none of the bride-hungry males would bother with her. And for good reason.
The vampire leaned against her, forcing her to shut the drawer with her backside. He held her wrists firmly at her waist and ran his mouth over her neck while his hard body pressed against hers. “You’re shivering. Are you cold, or afraid of me?”
Terrified. But not of his hurting her. Instead the feelings she had for him were all wrong. Her whole body thrilled with his touch, and she fought against wanting more. Just his male scent stirred her interest in him, and his warmth heated her up. How could he be so hot, when he was a bloodsucker? Ice ran through their veins, didn’t it?
At once she realized how little she knew about vampires. She thought she’d read everything there was about them. It was her job to end their lives before they fed on the innocents of the city, and she felt it important to know her enemy. Yet, this one made her crave succumbing to his innermost needs, allowing him to drink every drop of her blood coursing through her veins like a racecar zipped along the speedway. Nothing in the literature she studied said this would happen to a huntress in the presence—very close presence—of a vampire.
The way he held her, possessively and with determination excited her to no end. She should have resented his manhandling of her, but she craved more. When he shifted his weight next to her, his arousal rubbed against her waist, and she blinked to know she’d brought it on. Not once did she push him away. Instead, she brazenly welcomed his attentions. Leaned against him even, wanting to feel his arousal throbbing with need. She had to be insane.
