The Jaded Hunter

by Michelle M. Pillow

  “You don’t hate me,” he whispered. His hands flexed and faltered before finally reaching to stroke her arms in rough impassioned massages that ran the entire length of her limbs from shoulder to wrist. “You only tell yourself you do. Feel inside yourself. I’ve sensed it in you the first night in the alley. I can feel you, Jade, as sure as I feel myself. Never, in all my years, have I felt such strength in one mortal person. Never have I felt such turmoil as to match my own.”

  Jaden wondered at the quiet, passionate declaration. “You’re wrong. We’re not alike.”

  Jaden tried to deny him. She tried to deny herself. But as she looked into his eyes, free of the coldness, swirling with passion for her, she knew he was right. She swallowed against the strangling closing of her throat. It was the final torment of her suffering. She loved a vampire—not only a vampire, a Dark Knight, a creature bred an eternity to punish and kill.

  As the realization hit her, he nodded. “You can’t run from me any longer. You can’t lie to me. You can’t escape. I won’t let you go.”

  Jaden was trapped against the wall. But even if she could find freedom, she wasn’t sure she would seek it. His hands stopped their reckless course over her skin. His fingers cupped her chin, turning so that her eyes were forced to meet with his. “You are mine. You belong to me. And you’ll never escape me. I’ll never give you your freedom.”

  Jaden trembled. His lips dared her to deny his heated claim as he stole her breath with a deep kiss. She hated the beating of her heart, thudding out his name in a frantic rhythm. She could see the hunger he had for her, the longing his body didn’t try to deny. He wanted her, pure animalistic physical lust. But he said nothing of emotion, nothing of love.

  Jaden’s mind screamed for order, but her body ran its own rampant, wayward route. She was like a vulnerable ship, crashed against the rocks, riding on the whim of a treacherous black ocean. She could no sooner deny him than change her course.

  A weak moan escaped her tight throat. Her resistance faded. She hated herself for the vulnerability, tried her damnedest to deny him. It was no use. Her fingers wound into the silken locks of his blond hair, pulling him fiercely close. She had her future charted, whether the vampire in her arms realized it or not. Her path was sealed. It had been since that night in the alley. He didn’t spare her life, only delayed her death. She knew that now. Jaden poured all of herself into the kiss. Knowing the end was near, she didn’t hold back.

  One last time, she thought, one last surge of feeling before the endlessness of eternal sleep.

  Tyr moaned against her, his body responding to her raw, unfettered response. Grabbing her beneath the buttocks, he lifted her into his embrace. Her back slammed against the stone wall. Her legs wound around him, pulling his hardened erection to her heated core.

  Jaden tore her lips away for breath, eagerly seeking to strip him of his shirt. The dark material ripped beneath her impatient fingers. Tyr growled and moaned, devoured and conquered. His lips found her neck, the sweet base of her pulse. Seizing her to him, he sped with supernatural speed to the bed, laying her softly onto the mattress as he kissed her body.

  Within moments, his deft fingers freed them of their clothing. Jaden shivered at the coolness of his touch. Not taking his lips from her neck, Tyr levitated her from the bed, using his will to direct the heavy silk coverlet down beneath them so she could lie on the satin sheets instead. He lowered her down. Jaden’s thighs rubbed against his muscled hips, intertwining his legs. Tyr let the coverlet slide up his back, offering her warmth with the covering.

  The sensual slide of silk on her skin contrasted with the hair-roughened length of his calves. She tasted his mouth, his neck, his chest. Growing wildly impatient, she rolled him onto his back and sought to devour him with her body. Her hands couldn’t feel enough. If she had one thought that lasted with her into death, she wanted it to be the memory off his flesh, the way he made her soar at this very moment.

  Tyr growled in mild surprise at her complete surrender. He let her explore him, her hands taking in the fields of his body, her mouth trailing behind them. Her tongue flicked over the rigid erection of his nipples as her hand found the matching hardness between his legs. She fondled him, stroking the length, driving him mad with urgent need.

  Tyr returned her enthusiasm tenfold. His large hands cupped her breasts, massaging the tips into aching peaks that taunted his mouth from the distance. He found the softness of her hips, the hardness of her muscled stomach and thighs. His fingers glided over her skin, liking the practice she had of shaving the area smooth.

  Tyr urged her to sit. His hands played with the rise of her breasts, the bottom curve of her swollen globes. He felt her hot wetness on him.

  Leaning over him, she whispered, “Let me taste you.”

  Obeying her request, he drew his nail over his neck in a slow line. Jaden paused slightly to see the blood beading on his flesh. It beckoned her lips like wine. She looked at Tyr’s eyes, ice-blue orbs that watched her closely. With the attention of a worshipper, she lowered her lashes and moved her tongue over the wound. Tyr threw his head back in ecstasy as they connected.

  Having licked her fill, she lifted her face to stare down at him. His blood stained her white chin and puckered her kiss-swollen lips to crimson perfection. His wound healed itself shut. Her eyes glowed with an inner light of their own as she lifted her wrist to his mouth. Tyr watched her, knowing she was offering herself to him, knowing that she was allowing him to taste her passion. The willingness in her was like an acceptance of him and it forced a part of his spirit to surrender to her.

  Tyr grabbed her wrist, keeping his eyes steadily on her face. She watched him in eager anticipation. Adjusting her hips over his groin, she slowly slid his member inside her. Tyr paused in his bite, his teeth grazing the skin as he rose up. The fit of her body, as it took him in, was perfection.

  Jaden moved on top of him with heated abandon. Her head fell back, her hair dipping behind her slender back. Tyr dropped her wrist, leaving it unharmed. He watched her face, enjoying her rough ride. But something inside him pulled.

  Touching her on the side of the face, he ran his fingers behind her ear. Jaden looked at him in surprise. Tyr flipped her beneath him, stopping the wild stroking of her hips. Staying embedded and unmoving within her, he forced her to look into his eyes. She did so shyly, his actions making her uncertain.

  Jaden swallowed nervously, trying to look away but unable to. Slowly, Tyr began to move in deep, measured strokes. Jaden again tried to speed their pace to a frenzied release, but Tyr stayed strong to his purpose. He knew she tried to hide herself in the abandon of her passion. He wouldn’t allow her to. He wanted her to see what she did to him, remember how he felt inside her.

  Soon, the bittersweet pleasure built between them. Jaden lifted her hand to his chest. Her eyes drifted closed in pure pleasure. Tyr took her hand in his, lifting it to his mouth. He kissed her palm, licked the pulse at her wrist. Then, leaning over, he allowed her hand to drape across his shoulder as he leaned to drink from her neck.

  Tyr bit her gently, letting his mouth fulfill the second most urgent need of his body. Her life’s blood, warm and wet, entranced his sense. Jaden gasped in delight, her body brought to a straining pentacle of pain and desire.

  The motion of his hips grew stronger, the gentleness he was capable of like nothing she’d ever known. She arched her back and his lips broke free from her neck. Their bodies strained together, pulling and pushing, pushing and pulling until the tension and primal need took over and they were slaves to their desires.

  Tyr rose up on his arms, delving forward. They cried out in primitive moans and grunts. He pushed her to the edge of sanity, riding them both over the brink until they were falling into a river of pure emotion, pure desertion of reality. Jaden tensed, bucking up against him as he brought her to her peak. The sweet call of her body was too much for him and he soon joined her in earth-shattering release.

  In the immediate afte
rmath, their bodies trembled weakly, their minds joined, showering full of glistening colors. Jaden closed her eyes tightly, blocking out the sight of the handsome vampire. He had been so tender, so sweetly giving that her heart broke with it. He was nothing like she expected, nothing like she was trained to face.

  Tyr withdrew from her body, easing on the bed next to her. Feeling her shiver, he beckoned the coverlet over them. Jaden tried to sit up, but he stopped her and pulled her into his arms. Seeing the wound purpling on her neck, he sighed and bit his finger to rub his blood over the puncture marks left by his teeth. Jaden shivered as the wound healed.

  Jaden drank in the comfort he offered. His lips nestled her neck from behind. What was he doing to her? Closing her eyes, she let him touch her. Her lips parted with a sigh.

  “I’m in love with you.” Jaden froze, amazed her words had come out. She refused to move. She refused to breathe. She waited for the pits of hell to open up. The admission tore through her like a machete. Sick with herself, she tried to pull away. The emotion brought her no pleasure, for it could never be.

  Tyr stiffened next to her, his lips still affixed to her skin. Gradually, he pulled back to study her face.

  “Jaden…” He sounded like he wanted to believe her, but her actions didn’t back up the words.

  Jaden knew what she had to do. Not meeting his eyes, she turned her face down to the pillow. She let her body soak in one last bit of pleasure before speaking. “Can you please go get my bag? There’s something I have to show you.” Jaden breathed deeply, waiting for his answer, hoping he couldn’t read her intent.

  Tyr turned her face to his. Before he could deny her, she spoke again.

  “Trust me,” she whispered, her eyes begging him. She let him feel her emotion.

  Tyr nodded. “Where is it?”

  “In the prison cell.”

  Tyr rose up on his arms, crawling over her from the bed.

  Jaden was aware of his scar as his forearm passed by her face. She watched the play of his nakedness as he crossed over the bedroom unashamed. Jaden sat up, coming quietly off the mattress. Her feet were softened by the plush carpet as she touched the floor.

  Tyr walked into the stone prison. Going to her bag in the far corner, he leaned over to pick it up.

  “There is no—” His words were cut off by the latching of the iron door behind him.

  Jaden stared at the locked door, panting nervously now it was done. She waited for him to turn to mist and come out. He didn’t. The prison worked. Tears fell silently from her eyes. Her knees weakened and she collapsed on the floor. She’d done it. Tyr was trapped.

  Crawling back on her hands and knees, she didn’t bother to hide her nakedness as she huddled into a corner. Her limbs shook with fear and regret as she wrapped her arms around her legs. She knew what he would find in her bag. She wanted him to find it.

  Jaden waited a breathless eternity for his anger to show itself, worried that he’d somehow escape if she looked away. Her gaze bore into the iron door until her vision blurred. The door didn’t move and inside the cell was dead silence.

  * * *

  Tyr stared at the prison door for what must have been hours, willing her to open it. He narrowed his eyes in disbelief, not even trying to push his way out. He was trapped, naked. He’d suspected she was up to something when she’d asked him to get the bag. There had been something in the back of her jade gaze he couldn’t describe. His instincts had told him to deny her the request but her soft vulnerability confused and elated him. But what harm was there in just retrieving her bag? Looking at the door, he had his answer.

  Inside his mind her words echoed mocked him, Trust me. I’m in love with you. He was a fool to have ever dared to hope.

  * * *

  Island of Delos, Cyclades

  “My queen,” Shiva bowed low to the ground, lying almost prone at Vishnu’s feet. His words were muted and precise. Lifting her hand regally, Vishnu silently bid the knight to stand. He did so easily, showing no effort in his slender, lithe body as he rose to his feet. He stood at attention, his dark gaze steadily forward, not looking Vishnu directly in the eye.

  Vishnu lounged back on the dark blue and green silk trappings of her large rectangle bed. The silk of her robes hugged her skin, blending into the silk of the coverlet. Her look was soft and inviting, not at all like the heartless queen that presided within the council. Leaning absently on her arm, she glanced at Amon in the doorway. She beckoned him in with a brief, sultry smile.

  Amon entered, taking his place at her feet on the bed. He leaned over to hide part of her body from view as he lay in front of her. Vishnu absently patted Amon’s bald head, rubbing her fingernails idly over his flesh, to trail over the breadth of his naked black-gold shoulder. Amon rested comfortably in his white linen loincloth, preferring the simple garb to modern day embellishments and well aware of the aura he put out by showing the sinew in his chest and legs.

  Shiva waited patiently for his orders. He didn’t move. Vishnu sighed, rolling onto her back. Her arms drifted above her in the air as she lazily commanded Shiva, “Speak, my knight.”

  Shiva nodded curtly one time before answering, “The hunter Alan MacNaughton’s men have been seen wandering in Mykonos. It’s possible they’re looking for the entrance to council chamber. My bound one has reported their presence during the human day tour here on Delos.”

  This brought Vishnu back up. She shared a humorless glance with Amon.

  Composedly, Amon asked, “And MacNaughton himself?”

  “I have not seen him,” Shiva responded. “But I follow his men in hopes of locating him. If he is on Mykonos, I’ll find him.”

  Amon nodded. Turning his eyes to Vishnu, he said, “Tyr has not yet arrived with the dhampir. And he has not sent word of her.”

  “Do you suspect—” Vishnu began, only to finish through their minds, Ragnhild?

  “No,” Amon answered aloud. He turned his eyes back to Shiva. “Not yet. There is no reason to believe he would betray us.”

  Are the rumors true then? Vishnu thought to Amon. Has Tyr marked the dhampir? Has he slipped?

  He would be a fool, Amon answered.

  “Shiva,” Vishnu said aloud so the knight could hear her. Her face became pouty, her lips pursing seductively. Her hand found its way back to Amon’s head. “Leave the others to look for MacNaughton. Go to the homeland of your old friend. Gather him back to us and make sure he has the bloodstalker with him.”

  “Yes, my queen.” Shiva bowed, leaving immediately amidst a flash of his ghostly skin.

  When they were alone, Vishnu pulled herself to a sitting position and clipped out, “I do not trust Ragnhild. Bid Osiris to find this Alan MacNaughton and discover who has been helping him. We cannot allow this insolence to go unpunished. We must know who is betraying the council.”

  Amon nodded in agreement. Resting his head in Vishnu’s lap, he said, “Aleksander and Hades are near. I’ll send orders to all three. Tyr is a good knight. He has never betrayed us before. If he has not come it is because it is not safe to do so. I’ll have the knights watch the docks and report as soon as he arrives.”

  “So be it,” Vishnu said quietly as she leaned over to press her lips to Amon’s. Her hands slid over his cool cheeks in a tender caress. Before she kissed him, she whispered, “But don’t speak of it to the others. Not until we know more. I have a feeling the truce of this council is about to run its course.”

  * * *

  Island of Mykonos, Cyclades

  “Where is she, Mack?” Rick sat forward in his chair. The bright sun bounced off the walls of the whitewashed hotel and the blue waters of the swimming pool, stinging his sleep-deprived eyes. His sockets were sunken into his face from a night spent watching the water for signs of a boatman. The boatman hadn’t come—again. “Are you sure your source can be trusted? I fear we may be getting set up for a trap.”

  “Yes.” Mack did not feel as confident as his word sounded. He too was beginning to
have doubts, though Pietro assured him it was only a small delay. Thinking of the old vampire, he scratched the scab forming on his arm beneath his white hotel robe. Pietro had nearly drained him last night, leaving him weak and dizzy. Taking his drink off the table next to him, he finished the straight scotch with one gulp. “Trust me, Rick. I have it on the highest of vampire authorities.”

  “But how can you know?” the man persisted, his voice rising slightly in his ire.

  “Because I know,” Mack hissed, leaning forward to the young man with a scowl. “Listen to me. This goes nowhere. The vampire council is on the verge of restructuring. They are falling apart.”

  “What does this have to do with Jade?” Rick questioned sharply.

  “Nothing.” Mack twisted his fingers wildly into his hair in frustration.

  Rick was taken aback by Mack’s nervousness. His eyes narrowed, watching him carefully.

  Mack continued, “It’s just that everyone is backstabbing everyone. Take my word for it, the information is correct. Tyr and Jaden will come here. When they arrive, we must be waiting. We will only have one shot at this. If we fail, Jaden dies.”

  Rick leaned forward, placing a hand on Mack’s arm briefly before letting go. Under his breath, he whispered, “We’ll be ready.”

  “Good, good,” Mack whispered, returning to his old calm. Rubbing the back of his neck, he leaned into the lounge seat. “But if something should go wrong and she can’t be rescued. You know what you have to do. We can’t allow the council to take her alive. It would be hell for her.”

  Rick couldn’t answer. He refused to conceive of the possibility.