by D. D. Chance
“Yeah,” I agreed, stepping a tiny bit closer to Tyler, letting his warmth soothe away any last, nervous chill. “There’s not much I wouldn’t do.”
Thank you again for reading and reviewing THE HUNTER’S CALL! For a sneak peek of what’s coming next for Nina and the hunters of Wellington Academy, read on—Zach can’t wait to meet you!
THE HUNTER’S CURSE
Prologue
Zach
She should never have come here.
I lifted my hands to test the cool morning air. Today’s demonstration was supposed to be something simple, easy. I’d done this demon sunrise ceremony a half dozen times now, though the ones in the late spring were always better than the ones in the fall. Demons weren’t afraid of sunshine, in the right circumstances. They liked showing off.
They weren’t the only ones. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to the rush I got from watching the faces of students move from skepticism to belief to awe. Not so much of a rush that I craved my own group of followers like my dad, but enough that I enjoyed impressing people.
Especially certain people—like a brand-new monster hunter I had no business even looking at twice, even if she was now technically a part of our team. Hell, especially because of that. I should treat her with care, respect. Let alone the fact that she was Tyler’s girl—a guy who’d been nothing but awesome to me since I showed up on campus, a fish out of water flopping up on the banks of Boston Harbor.
But I couldn’t help myself. Nina Cross had a certain attitude in the way she carried herself, a power that called out to me like nothing I’d ever experienced before. She has a fierce, relentless need to find her family, and even though I know she should be careful what she wished her, I wanted her to succeed. To be happy. To shine. Simple enough, right?
Only, nothing about Nina was simple. When she looked at me, it’s like she could actually see me, deep inside. Where no one else even thought to look. And though she’s warded against my psychic pushes, I can’t stop thinking about pushing her more. Harder. In ways I shouldn’t even be considering. The moment Tyler, Liam, Grim, and I had all worked together to bring her into our monster hunting collective, it got a million times worse. Something had seemed to crack wide open inside me, dark and forbidden. Something that poked at the well of crazy hidden inside me, one I thought I’d emptied long ago. Instead, it’s apparently been lurking, waiting for a girl I could never claim.
I blew out a harsh breath. She shouldn’t have come here.
Setting aside my personal issues, we had a job to do. We were on the brink of a full-on monster outbreak, if the former head of our department was to be believed. Nina wasn’t just a hunter, she was a harbinger…and that meant monsters would be following hard behind her.
I could handle that. Darkness shouldn’t be feared or even respected, necessarily, but it did need to be understood. Right before it was blasted back into the bowels of hell. I was good at doing the last bit, though I tried to keep that particular skill under wraps, at least as far as the academy was concerned. These once-a-semester demonstrations for Wellington Academy’s demonology 101 class were the only time I tried to tempt the demons out of the shadows.
The demons didn’t always play along, of course, but part of me really wanted them to put on a show this time. Which was stupid. I needed to stay focused.
All I wanted to do was focus on her.
A light moan reached my ears, followed by a low, haunting laugh, as if someone was watching me from the decrepit old chapel that served as the stage for this sunrise ceremony. Bellamy Chapel had always bugged me, though it had long since been abandoned, its doors hammered shut and sealed off from idle eyes. Now the old chapel served little purpose other than to look spooky on the edge of a monster hunter academy, but that moan strangely heartened me. The demons were going to show up today. I could already feel them.
Like I could feel her, never mind the bracelet she wore to keep me from getting too close. That first moment we’d met, I’d touched Nina’s mind, and my heart had nearly exploded. Liam had given her the bracelet to shield her, and she was clearly Tyler’s girl, so I’d tamped down my emotions, hard. But then, there was something about that collective run that did me in. She’s so fierce, determined, and fantastic…
The scornful laugh rolled over the cemetery, making my skin crawl. There was definitely something there. The soft sneer was unmistakable, taunting me from the shadows. Your time with her will come, boy. Enjoy it. Because then she’s going to die.
I rolled my eyes. Demons had been my father’s stock-in-trade for as long as I could remember, but he feared them more than I did. And he respected them far too much.
Fuck you, I thought back just as succinctly.
Fuck me too. Because what I felt for Nina Cross wasn’t care or concern for her safety. It definitely wasn’t respect. It was far more dangerous—for everyone.
“Mine,” I whispered.
She should never have come here.
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About D.D. Chance
D.D. Chance is the pen name of Jenn Stark, an award-winning author of paranormal romance, urban fantasy and contemporary romance. Whether she’s writing as Jenn or D.D., she loves writing, magic and unconditional love. Thank you for taking this adventure with her.
www.ddchance.com
Copyright © 2020 by D.D. Chance
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Cover design by B Rose Designz.
This book is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locations are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity, and are used fictitiously. All other characters, and all incidents and dialogue, are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.
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