Love in Death's Embrace

by Lee, Trina M.

  She broke off the kiss much too soon and stepped out of reach before he could entwine his hands in her hair like he desperately wanted to. Luca stared at her, dumbfounded, while his instincts demanded to know why he was abandoning his cause. She might be the most gorgeous woman he’d ever encountered, but she was a vampire—the enemy. Despite that, he wanted her bad.

  With a nod toward the pile of dust and ash, she whispered, “Thank you.” And then she was gone.

  Luca watched her disappear beyond the surrounding headstones and into the night as if she’d never been there. With a shake of his head, he pushed back his short, dark locks and asked himself what the hell had just happened.

  You just reacted like a horny teenager to a friggin’ vampire; that’s what.

  His conscience taunted him, plaguing him with guilt over his lust for her. His cock throbbed, and he slammed his fist into a nearby tree. It didn’t make him feel any better, but it was satisfying just the same. Though not nearly as satisfying as burying himself inside her would have been. Oh, how he ached to fuck her.

  Who was she anyway? Sure, she was a vampire, but there was no denying she was a woman. An irresistible one at that.

  He could still feel her lips on his, the moist press of her tongue. Sure, he’d had his fair share of women, but none of them had struck him so savagely to the core with just one kiss. She’d quite successfully blown his mind, and Luca wasn’t sure how to feel about that. The edge of guilt was overwhelmed by the desire for more.

  Kat. What a peculiar name. It had to be short for something. No, he didn’t care. She was a goddamn monster! What the hell was wrong with him?

  If what she had told him about Arden’s whereabouts was true, perhaps her effect on him had been worth it. A sacrifice even. Yeah…right.

  Luca carefully surveyed the surroundings. It appeared that the action of the evening was over. He began the long walk back to his car, his mind running on overdrive. He was going home to a cold shower and a strong glass of scotch.

  Chapter Two

  A playful grin adorned Kat’s lips. She couldn’t help but lay that kiss on the vampire hunter. What did he say his name was? Luca. That was it. The look on his face after she’d planted one on him had been priceless. And he’d responded. That alone was enough to make her wish she could do it again. It’d been a hell of a kiss.

  It had also been a long damn time since a man, vampire or human, had kissed her with that kind of feeling. He’d been as hungry for it as she. The temptation to go back to the cemetery to seek him out was strong. She’d been fantasizing about it since leaving, letting the possibilities play out in her mind. There was something so alluring about him. The ease with which he’d killed Jerome had been startling. It had also been an incredible turn-on. The man clearly knew how to hold his own.

  Kat knew better than to put her neck on the line for playtime with a sexy man. She hadn’t survived almost two centuries by being stupid. She was a vampiress who had little reason to fear many people, but a human man who could slay a vampire and barely break a sweat made her hesitate. Whoever Luca Alexander was, she would likely never lay eyes on him again. Too bad…she could still taste him on her lips.

  A glance down at her ruined dress filled Kat with rage. She should have never been at Arden’s new home in the first place. He’d asked her to join him there just to talk. Talking quickly turned to more of Arden’s attempts to coerce her back into the fold. He’d never been able to live with Kat’s choice to fly solo, to embrace her freedom.

  Arden had the fool notion in his head that she belonged with him. He might have been the one who stole her human life away, but she hardly found that to be a good enough reason to waste her time on a man she completely loathed. Eventually he’d have to accept that.

  Kat was a free spirit. Refusing to be bound by the will of another, she had parted ways with Arden just decades after he’d turned her. Yet she could never escape him. He would always be a part of her, and truth be told, Kat had once cared for him. But his growing obsession with her was spiraling out of control. It had to be stopped.

  The twenty city blocks to Kat’s house would have taken a human hours to walk. It took her a mere fifteen minutes. She preferred to be on her own feet as opposed to driving, which was something she’d never been comfortable with.

  The cozy little bungalow was nestled in a family-friendly neighborhood in a nice part of the city. Though she found most of her meals in the seedy sections of town, she refused to live like an animal. The illusion of being human was fun, and she’d be damned before she would give it up. Designer clothes and the right persona might not hold much genuine meaning, but Kat had lived enough lifetimes to feel she deserved to take joy in them.

  She paused outside the house, sensing the energy in the air all around her. Nothing out of the ordinary. Good. She’d destroy anyone Arden sent to disturb her home, including him. There was no room for compromise when it came to her sanctity and personal space.

  Sweeping through the house to her bedroom, she stripped off the dirty, torn dress. It landed in a heap in the hallway. A quick perusal of her body revealed a few fine lines where the tree branches had scratched her. They were already healing.

  The image reflected back to her in the mirror showed a slender form clad in black panties and a bra that boosted her breasts perfectly. Kat frowned. Her skin looked so pale compared to Luca’s creamy light brown skin. The contrast of her red hair against her skin made her look like a ghost. She couldn’t help the image that flashed through her mind: Luca’s darker skin pressed to her marble white flesh, their limbs entangled.

  She smiled at her reflection, slowly ran her hands over her exposed flesh, and shook her head. She had certainly fallen into his enchanting brown eyes, but he was a killer of her kind. It could never happen.

  She grabbed the hairbrush from the top of her dresser and pulled it gently through her locks. A hot bubble bath would be perfect, but the sudden need to appease her bloodlust demanded her attention.

  “Shit, Kat,” she said aloud. “Maybe it’s been a while, but it hasn’t been that long. One run-in with a sexy, hot-blooded man with a stake in his hand, and you’re panting like a bitch in heat.”

  It was intriguing to her that Luca had been prowling the graveyard in a hunt for Arden, of all people. Luca was gorgeous and strong. She couldn’t help but wonder about him and want to know more. Just what was he up to?

  She was pretty sure that he was Italian, though there was a Caucasian blend to him. How divine he must taste. The thought of his mixed ethnic blood rushing over her tongue brought a sigh to her lips. Shaking the mental image away, she went to the closet and perused her wardrobe.

  A black summer dress with a tight bodice and long skirt that flowed to her ankles suited her mood. It was one of her favorites. It slid over her body like a second skin, and she twirled in front of the mirror for nobody’s pleasure but her own. After slipping her feet into matching black sandals, she strode from the house with only one thing in mind.

  It was never hard to find a worthy victim in a large city. It was almost too easy. The hard part was narrowing down her choices. Kat didn’t have a lot of specifics when it came to hunting. She had only one rule: no true innocents. To her, that meant nobody helpless and no children. She had learned the hard way what it was like to slaughter an innocent.

  It was something most vampires actively sought out. The rush of the kill was often great enough to wash away the guilt. But Kat had started out by having her life stolen by one of those vampires. And her time with Arden was more than enough to convince her that she could never be like him. There was no doubt she was indeed a cold-blooded killer. That didn’t mean she had no choice in her victims.

  More often than not, Kat wandered the streets known for violent crimes, drug deals, and pimps who peddled unwilling or abused women. Call her a man hater, but the majority of her victims were men. And sadly, those types of men just kept coming. She never ran out of options.

  Her pr
esence in the downtrodden neighborhoods always drew an interesting response. Those who had lost their minds long ago looked upon her as an angel, while others believed her to be the devil come at last for them. Either way, they might just be right.

  Kat didn’t feel like playing tonight. She’d had more than enough of that with her visit to Arden’s. Right now she sought instant gratification and little else. The first asshole up to no good was hers. That was one aspect of the human race that worked in her favor. Someone was always up to no good.

  Oakland Avenue was dimly lit. More than half the streetlights were burned-out. Garbage and filth littered the gutter and sidewalks. She stepped carefully to avoid puddles of urine, drug paraphernalia, and other things she didn’t want to consider. Such animals.

  A police cruiser slowly crept along the street ahead, and then turned off down one of the many side streets where the nastiness spread further. Kat allowed herself to fantasize about warm and willing victims coming to her for a change. There were places where it was done. Clubs that invited the willing victim into the vampire’s arms. No such place existed in the city of Spring Hills, though. And that was likely a good thing.

  The few businesses brave enough to open shop in this neighborhood were dark and empty. She passed by the buildings without a second glance. In the shadows up ahead, she saw the victim she wanted.

  He was young and so far gone, it was almost sad. He leaned against a bus stop on the next block, tight jeans and a weathered leather jacket making up his attire.

  His greasy coif of hair and drawn, sallow face indicated the streets had aged him far beyond his years.

  Kat didn’t have the ability to read thoughts the way some vampires did. She didn’t need it to tell that he’d been living a drug-lust lifestyle for far too long. She’d done this enough times to know most of them welcomed the easy way out. There was a sense of relief as they sagged lifelessly in her cold embrace.

  Blood tainted with narcotics wasn’t the most delectable. However, the drugs themselves barely affected her. Before she could feel any effect, her system had destroyed them. It was much the same with any form of disease. Kat’s human body was long dead. It couldn’t be touched by that kind of weakness.

  Her chosen for the evening glanced over as she drew closer. There wouldn’t be a bus coming at this time of night. He had to be waiting for someone, likely his dealer. She’d better make it quick, then. Kat found a macabre humor in the fact she and he were not so different, each of them out for a little pick-me-up.

  He opened his mouth as if to speak but stopped, a startled expression on his face as he looked her over. She didn’t look like she belonged in that environment. When it became apparent she was indeed headed his way, he straightened up and faced her directly.

  “Hey, lady, if you’re here for the stuff, you’ll have to come back tomorrow,” he said, his eyes widening in response to her ethereal appearance. “Unless you have some you want to share. What the hell are you on?”

  Kat put a finger to her lips and glanced around playfully. “Hush, my dear. No need to draw attention. I most certainly have something for you.”

  The first trace of fear emanated from her victim as he realized something wasn’t right. Good. If he still feared, he wasn’t entirely numb. She hated it when there was no reaction from them.

  Crooking her finger, she stepped away from the dimly lit street into the shadow of the building behind them. Unable to resist her, he followed like a well-trained pet. She waited for him to draw close. So easily he’d fallen under her spell.

  Would Luca also respond in such a manner? Never. She was certain. How badly she would love to find out, though. It was in her nature to be curious. The man had triggered all her instincts.

  The scent of cheap cologne filled her nostrils, mixing with the tantalizing aroma of fear. She drew him closer with a gesture. She didn’t even have to touch him, and he reacted without question.

  He didn’t start to fight until she revealed razor-sharp fangs. He barely managed a “what the fuck?” before she had him trapped. With superhuman strength, Kat easily held him. A strangled cry broke from him when she plunged her fangs into the pulsing vein in his throat. It mingled with her soft moan to create an all-new sound of pained pleasure.

  The blood flowed like a river bursting forth through a dam. She swallowed hungrily, sucking hard at the wound. It was ecstasy. Kat closed her eyes, falling into the sensations of the life she touched as she stole it away. There was no feeling as good and euphoric as the kill. Oh, how she adored it.

  Kat was lost in him, in the sound of his heartbeat as it progressively slowed. It seemed to echo inside her head. It was enough to send a heat wave of desire to her most intimate place. Perhaps she should have chosen a victim she wanted to bed first.

  An image of Luca Alexander filled her mind, and her eyes snapped open. She’d spent all of five minutes with him, and she couldn’t stop thinking about him. What was it about that man? There was something intriguing, something more than any other human. She couldn’t put her finger on it. Yet as the warm scarlet nectar filled her mouth, it was Luca who filled her thoughts.

  Not only had he staked a vampire right in front of her, he was hunting down one of the most dangerous master vampires walking the earth. It would be foolish to dismiss him as if he were any other human. Just the fact that she was undeniably intrigued by him assured her of that. And perhaps Kat needed to find out what exactly it was that made Luca so different.

  * * * *

  The moon shone especially bright through the open window. The warm night air was refreshing. It would have been comforting if Arden hadn’t been so preoccupied with his thoughts. After several centuries, the moon had long lost its precious appeal. He barely noticed it.

  Kat hadn’t been gone long when he sent Jerome after her, hoping he would convince her to come back. Arden still had far too much pride to chase her down himself. Since Jerome had yet to return, he probably wasn’t having much luck. Katarina DeWitt could be a very difficult woman to reason with.

  There was something about her, though—something lively and dynamic. Something Arden had never encountered in any other woman he’d come face-to-face with. He’d been infatuated with Kat since the beginning of their conflicted relationship. She was gorgeous, but also a hell of a firecracker. Her feisty personality was a challenge, and he loved a good challenge.

  Just over two centuries ago, he’d stopped by a tavern in search of a warm body to appease all of his appetites. She’d been the serving wench who greeted him. And he’d had to make her his. There was no conscious decision involved. Arden had taken one look at that heavenly red hair and her sparkling green eyes, and his choice was made.

  Oh, how she’d hated him. But because he’d stolen her human life and identity away, for a time she’d had no choice but to rely on him. Always the rebellious type, Kat had wasted no time trying to distance herself from him once she’d claimed her new life. And that wild fury only made Arden ache for her more.

  Staring off out the window, Arden was lost in memories from the past. A slight smile graced his lips. Eventually Kat would have to accept that there was nothing and no one else for her. She was a vampire and therefore no longer part of the human world she clung to. If shopping and electronic toys made her feel at home among the mortals, so be it. Sooner or later she’d realize how false the illusion was that she had created for herself. He was sure of it.

  As the hours crawled by, Arden began to grow restless. He paced the length of the large den, pausing occasionally to stir the fireplace. It was with dawn’s approach that the first trace of anxiety set in. Where the hell were Kat and Jerome? It wasn’t like either of them to cut it this close to daybreak. Foolishness.

  “Arden!” a low voice called from the front foyer beyond his door.

  He whirled to find Ryan striding toward him. His facial expression was neutral, but his dark eyes were wide and vibrant.

  “What is it?” Arden snapped, worried by the look on
the young vampire’s face. “Did you find them?”

  Ryan shook his head, fear in his gaze. “No. Kat’s long gone. We found what was left of Jerome, though. Just dust and the barest trace of bone fragment. She must have killed him.”

  “What? That can’t be right.” Arden couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “It’s not her style to bother with something like that. Katarina doesn’t kill her own kind.”

  “Well,” Ryan began nervously. “There was more. Remnants of another. Likely Michael. Looks like your girl is up to no good.”

  “And there was no trace of her anywhere?”

  “None.”

  “All right, then. Thank you.” With a dismissive wave of his hand, Arden turned back to the fire. He stared into the flames until they had hypnotized him with their powerful dance. Was Kat so desperate to be rid of him that she would kill members of his coven?

  Something wasn’t right. Arden could feel it in his bones.

  Running a hand through his fair hair, he swore and lashed out at an ornamental dragon statue on the mantel. Watching it shatter into thousands of little pieces did nothing to soothe him. Kat had never resorted to murdering those she knew and coexisted with. It couldn’t be her, could it?

  Perhaps it was time to tear her away from the human life she’d built for herself, regardless of her wants or desires. She would have been dead centuries ago if it hadn’t been for him. He’d gifted her with a new life; this was how she repaid him?

  Whatever it was that Kat was up to, he would find out. And she would regret it.

  Chapter Three

  Dusk always instilled a sense of vitality in Kat. Every night when her eyes opened with the setting of the sun, it was as if she had just been born to this world. Her senses were on fire, and the commanding strength within her demanded to be used.

  It wasn’t the first time she’d awoken with the need to do more, to feel more. Kat had never felt more alive than after her human life had been stripped away. And yet every night took her further away from what remained of her humanity. Perhaps that’s why she struggled to hold on to that liveliness.