Hunted by the Alien Vampire
Page 1
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Also By A.M. Griffin
Hunted by the Alien Vampire
The Hunt
Hunted by the Alien Vampire
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
About A.M. Griffin
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Also By A.M. Griffin
Hunted by the Alien Vampire
A.M. Griffin
Copyright © 2020 A.M. Griffin
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the copyright owners.
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Thank you for respecting the author’s hard work.
This is a work of fiction and is not a reflection or representation of any person living or dead.
The author respects the copyrights mentioned in this eBook.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to everyone who persevered through 2020. We’ve made it through some very tough times. We went months locked in our homes and without hugging our friends and family. Some of us have lost loved ones to COVID19 and some of us have battled through it ourselves. We are scarred, but never broken.
Acknowledgments
A BIG THANK YOU TO Michelle Howard for being the bestest beta reader ever.
Hi Roman.
The Hunt
The Game Warden’s Mate
Hunted by the Alien Prince
The Alien King’s Desire
Hunted by the Alien Vampire
Hunted by the Alien General
Hunted by the Alien Vampire
He refuses to die...
The Hunter. When Bounty Hunter Fanian Uldri is contracted to hunt a human female for a wealthy client in a game called The Hunt, he believes it will be the easiest credits he’s ever made. An ordinary human wouldn’t stand a chance against him. Easy, right?
Wrong. The human he has in mind is proving to be more than he anticipated. In a game of will and wit, he finds himself enjoying the challenges with the female. Will he be able to turn this worthy adversary over to a male who won’t appreciate her, or will he defy his own rules and keep her for himself?
She refuses to give up...
The Prey. As a struggling single mother of two, Miranda Murphey thought her life couldn’t get any worse. Then she woke on an alien planet trapped in a dangerous game that could mean life or death for her small family. Miranda knows her chances of winning and returning to Earth are slim but she refuses to give up. All she has to do is elude the hunter who intends to sell her and make her way to the finish line.
With their lives on the line and the children’s safety at stake, Miranda has to trust the last person she’d ever thought she would—an alien who refuses to die no matter how many times she kills him.
Prologue
Miranda tucked the sleeping bag around her two children, creating a barrier against any bugs that wanted to crawl inside. The alien jungle was full of creepy things that made her skin crawl. Coupled with the constant moisture in the air, her days and nights were almost unbearable.
Although thin and made from a material she didn’t recognize, the sleeping bag, provided from whoever had stolen them from Earth and brought them to this God-forsaken planet, was a welcome gift. In the morning, the sleeping bag would defy all logic and fold down to the size of an SD card that would fit in a slot on the wristband she wore. Another handy gift from her abductors.
Adam, her four-year-old son, lightly touched the top of her hand, running the tip of his finger across her knuckles. His voice was as soft as a whisper when he said, “Mommy, your hands are shaking.”
Miranda was relieved he’d taken to whispering like their life depended on them being quiet, because their lives did depend on it. They weren’t on Earth anymore, and there were things, aliens, in the jungle who were out to get them. But for what purpose?
“I claim you.” That’s what two aliens had told her yesterday. They’d been two frightful looking things, coming from nowhere. They’d tried to trap her and the children, but at the last second, an alarm rang out, and the aliens dropped into the ground and disappeared. Miranda, and two others stranded on this planet, Ben, and Esme were more confused than ever.
Aliens. Alien planet. Alien technology. Alien bugs.
Her heart tightened and she gritted her teeth. She wanted to forget about all things aliens, but she didn’t have that luxury.
Miranda tucked the last bit of material around Lexi, her six-month-old daughter next. She didn’t try to still her trembling hands for Adam’s sake. There was no point in it. Her hands had been shaking uncontrollably since they’d awakened on this alien planet five days ago.
Five days.
Five days of staring at a sky that was purple and pink instead of blue.
Five days of looking at a pastel-colored planet looming over them instead of the moon.
Five days of wondering how she was going to survive this ordeal with her children.
Five days with a metal collar she couldn’t remove around her n
eck.
The only thing she was grateful for in all of this was that while her children had the same wristband that everyone else had, luckily, they weren’t fitted a collar.
“I’ve got the jitters is all.” She finally told Adam as she smiled down at them both, trying her best to suppress her fears for them.
Pretend everything is fine.
Even though her lips quivered, her smile seemed to work. Lexi giggled and returned her smile with a two-tooth grin. She looked like a cherub with her fat, ruddy cheeks. Her normally pale Irish skin was now marred with red splotches. So was Adam’s. By the way the skin on her forehead and cheeks hurt whenever she touched them, she guessed the red splotches were on her as well.
They’d spent days under the oppressive sun without adequate coverage. Ben, the Marine from America, and Esme, a scientist from Mexico, had taken Miranda and her kids under their protection. Ben kept their small group moving at a grueling pace. Miranda wasn’t complaining. Much. He was the only reason the aliens stalking them hadn’t caught any of them yet. Ben was smart, resourceful, and so kind-hearted for taking on the responsibility of Miranda and her kids.
She was more than grateful he was with them but at some point, when things got hard—or harder—he would realize he was better off without the dead weight.
Miranda let out a sigh and slumped. Her hair, now stringy and wet, swung within Lexi’s reach. Lexi wiggled a hand free and grabbed Miranda’s hair with a grip that seemed too strong for an infant. Miranda peeled each tiny finger off and tucked her hair behind her ears. When Lexi gurgled her complaints, Miranda bent and placed a kiss on her forehead then moved to kiss Adam.
“I really like this camping adventure, mommy.”
She’d lied to Adam about where they were. Telling him they were in a campground on an adventure excursion was easier than the real explanation.
Adam yawned. His breath smelled like the protein bars, their only source of food. Like the sleeping bag, she was grateful food was provided. At the touch of an icon on her alien wristband, a small white ball would spring from the ground, delivering protein bars and water canvases.
“The best adventure a family could ever hope for,” she whispered. “Now, get some sleep. We have another big day tomorrow.”
“I want to tell Esme good night.” Adam yawned again then smacked his lips. His eyelids were slow and heavy as he blinked to stay awake. “Where is she?”
Hm. Good question. Where was Esme?
Miranda sat back on her hunches and glanced toward the tree line. She narrowed her eyes, peering through the overgrown greenery, focusing on the muddy path leading to the lake. That’s where she’d left Esme to finish her bath in privacy. Ben put down the rock he’d been using to sharpen one of his military knives. His intent gaze was pinned on the path as well.
The evening alarm blared. The disruptive sound came from nowhere but was everywhere at once.
“Not to worry. She’ll be back soon.” Miranda tried to convince herself of the words she spoke. She turned to Ben. “She wanted to finish her bath in privacy.”
Ben didn’t spare her a glance or a word. His gaze stayed glued to the path. Miranda wasn’t sure he’d even heard her. She turned back to watching the path and sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and nibbled.
Esme is fine.
I should’ve stayed.
Esme is fine.
She’s the one who’d asked for privacy and sent me away.
Esme is fine.
I should’ve forced the issue and refused to leave.
Esme is fine.
What if an alien got her?
Esme is fine.
Oh, God. Why did I leave her alone?
They’d only come across aliens once. But once was enough to give Miranda nightmares for a lifetime. Since they hadn’t encountered any today, Esme and Miranda had convinced Ben to let them take a bath in the little lake near where they’d decided to make camp for the night. God knew they’d needed it.
After walking all day and sweating, everyone had an odor about them that Lexi’s baby wipes weren’t cutting through anymore. Ben had only agreed after he’d walked the perimeter of the lake and made sure no aliens were around. From his narrowed eyes, deep-set frown, and pursed lips, he now regretted that decision.
“Sh-she’s coming back soon,” Miranda said under her breath, more to herself.
Ben finally pulled his gaze away from the trees and gave Miranda an uneasy look. He’d wanted to stay close while they’d bathed to watch over them, but neither Miranda nor Esme had wanted that and had voiced their concerns.
“No worries. I’ll call to check on her.” He tapped his wristband. “Esme? You should be coming back now.”
Miranda’s teeth broke through the sensitive skin on her inner lip, but she couldn’t stop worrying it. She rolled to her butt then stuffed her shaking hands between her legs.
I screwed up. I shouldn’t have left her alone. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
The only reason she’d relented and left was because Adam and Lexi had been yawning and she’d been so tired herself. It hadn’t taken much convincing for her to go. She’d asked Esme if she was sure, and after her confirmation, Miranda had gathered up her things and the kids and made her way back to camp.
I should’ve stayed with her.
“Esme?” Ben’s voice was tight with concern.
No answer.
Fear blanketed Miranda like a heavy weight. “I should...I should go back for her. Watch the kids, please.”
Before Miranda could stand, Esme came running up the path. Her brown eyes were opened wide, her mouth agape. Esme’s dripping dark hair clung to the sides of her face and her wet clothes stuck to her body. Something had scared her.
“I just had a conversation with one of the aliens!” Esme dropped to her knees in front of Miranda, clutching her chest as her breaths came out in hard pants.
Talked to an alien? Miranda’s jaw dropped.
Ben, who usually kept a straight-faced, military look about him, grimaced. “What the hell?”
Esme swiped back the hair from her forehead and cheeks. “It’s okay. I’m fine.”
“Are you serious? Those aliens are after us! They’ll probably kill us if given a chance!” Ben stepped over Miranda and pulled back the kids’ sleeping bag. “We have to go. Now!”
Esme held up her hand. “We already know the ending to this story. He didn’t capture me.”
The memory of yesterday’s encounter flashed in Miranda’s mind, and with it, bile rose to the back of her throat.
One of the aliens had stepped from behind a tree. He’d been dark gray from head to toe, including his hair and eyes. His chin had four sections that hung from his face. His nose was broad and flat and had extra cartilage on the sides. His forehead protruded over his deep-set eyes. The alien hadn’t wanted to talk to them.
Miranda finally snapped out of her stupor. “But he could’ve! What were you thinking of talking to one of them?”
Esme turned toward Miranda. “Well, I was thinking that I didn’t want him to leave me and come looking for you and the kids.”
And that was the problem, wasn’t it? Instead of worrying about their own safety, Esme and Ben were busy protecting Miranda and her kids. Admitting that her family was a liability to them was getting harder to ignore every minute of the day. If something happened to Ben or Esme, it would be on her shoulders. Guilt suffocated her and she turned away from Esme’s sympathetic gaze.
Esme let out a sigh and squeezed Miranda’s shoulder gently. Esme had risked getting taken by an alien to keep Miranda and her kids safe. Because Ben was nice too, his fate would ultimately be the same. All because they were thinking of Miranda and not themselves.
Her kids weren’t Esme and Ben’s concern. Miranda had known from the beginning when Ben had told her they were heading out as a group she should’ve stood her ground and told him no. A firm no. Instead, the fear of surviving alone with two small kids on an alien planet had ma
de her agree.
Miranda dropped her head and closed her eyes briefly. Esme and Ben deserved a chance to survive this hellhole. That wouldn’t happen if they were saddled with her.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to say it like that,” Esme said softly. “I wanted to run, I did. But I didn’t want him to find you guys. Besides, he didn’t try to take me away or anything.”
“Is he coming for us?” Ben demanded. He clutched a very sleepy Adam and Lexi tightly in his arms, his focus back on the path.
Esme shook her head. “No, he left.”
Ben pulled his gaze from the trees and glared at Esme. His thick eyebrows drew together. “So, what did he do?”
Esme sat back on her heels and let out a deep sigh. “He talked. He told me what the hell is going on here.”
“Really?” Miranda and Ben asked simultaneously.
Esme nodded. “And it’s totally bonkers.”
Ben cursed under his breath and handed the sleepy kids back to Miranda. “Wait. I think the others should hear this too.”
When Miranda had awakened on this planet, she’d found there were nine other adults who were just as confused as she was. None of them had any answers or plausible ideas about where they were or how they’d ended up here. They’d spent the first three days confined to a small area, trying to learn how to work the new wristbands that delivered food and medical supplies at the touch of a button and also called on a pod-like transportation system.
Of course, they had tried to leave their confinement without success. Thanks to the metal collars secured to their necks, anyone who’d attempted to breach the markers surrounding the camp received a nasty shock down their spine.
The group hadn’t agreed on much of anything, but it was easy to see when they eyed Miranda’s kids that they viewed them as a burden. The fact struck home after the first-morning alarm had sounded, releasing them from their small prison. The others had opted to go their separate ways. They hadn’t wanted to take their chances with Miranda and her children. They’d left so fast that one hadn’t even said her goodbyes.