The Jaded Hunter

by Michelle M. Pillow

  “Torture you?” he questioned in wonder. “I’m only trying to help you and you dare to call it torture?”

  “Yes, torture, by making me…with you and those—those whores,” Jaden pointed at the bed without looking at it. She tried to sink back under the water. Tyr struck out and grabbed her again. The sleeve of his shirt was weighed down with water and stuck to his skin. This time his hold was gentler.

  “You’re jealous,” he grinned. Pleasure spread out over his face. She tried to shake her head, but he continued, “You are. You’re jealous of them.”

  “I am not,” she seethed. “I would have to care about you to be jealous. And I hate you. I hate you. I hate you! I should be dead if not for your meddling. It’s your fault I’m here. You should have let me die.”

  Her words stung with venom, but he could tell she didn’t mean them. Tyr lifted a hand and motioned for the two remaining women to come forward. He pointed at Jaden.

  Before they neared, he leaned down close to her ear. “I did let you die. I killed you, remember?”

  How could she forget? She could still taste the lingering of his blood mixed with hers—possessing her, claiming her, creating her. When he pulled away, she could see the torment in his eyes. The women turned to her before she could respond and reached out to her as they had Tyr. Jaden swatted their searching hands away with a sneer.

  “Ah,” she cried out. “Stop it. Damn you, Tyr, call them off. I want nothing to do with this!”

  “Jaden.” Tyr’s expression cleared and his lips curled in amusement, as he found himself unable to ignore the comical scene of Jaden fighting off her food.

  Jaden disregarded his chuckle, pulling back to the far edge when the women became more persistent. The hands searched blindly for the vampire woman. Their lips parted with bated giggles and pants as if they meant to make love to her.

  “Jaden,” Tyr said in a firmer tone, though his inner laughter still echoed in its depths. Part of him was tempted to keep quiet and watch the ridiculously seductive performance being played out before him. But he knew that eventually Jaden would hurt the women, and he couldn’t allow it. With dark warning in his tone, he tried again, “Jaden.”

  “What?” she demanded in irritation, moving to glare briefly at him. One of the women started crawling in after her. Jaden kicked the woman’s arm out from under her with the heel of her foot. The woman fell, catching herself at the last minute. She pushed up, unhampered in her cause.

  “They are trying to tempt you. If you just let them go and don’t fight them, they will let you drink and go away. If you resist, they’ll think you’ll want to play.” Tyr continued to laugh, the sound growing louder as he tried unsuccessfully to hold it back.

  The sight of Jaden, wet and dripping with perfumed water, being attacked by seductresses, was almost more than his undead body could handle. His blood stirred, his loins pulled heavily between his thighs and he wanted nothing more than to jump in the tub and rip the tattered clothing from Jaden’s body. If the seductresses wanted to stay and watch, he didn’t care, so long as he could possess the aggravating vampiress who fought them.

  “Make them stop,” Jaden said, growing desperate. The women had crawled over the edge and were sinking down into the water. Their wet gossamer gowns floated up around their thighs. As they lowered deeper, the material clung indecently to their skin.

  “Take her wrist firmly,” Tyr ordered Jaden as one of the women passed it by her face.

  Jaden roughly grabbed one of them, ready to fling her out on her backside. Her arm tensed with a throw. Heat filled her chilled hand at the touch.

  “Now bite,” Tyr instructed.

  Jaden opened her mouth, seeing the pulse beat beneath the skin. The woman didn’t struggle. In fact, she moaned loudly and urged Jaden to take her. The woman’s fingers lifted to Jaden’s neck, caressing her. Jaden opened her mouth and adjusted the wrist before her. She tried to clamp down onto the warm flesh, but couldn’t. She heard the woman’s heart with her own, could sense the mortal’s emotions stirring in her blood. The salty tang of perfume wafted her senses, making her body tense with a desire to bite. “I can’t.”

  Tyr sighed. Leaning over, he quickly drew his nail over the woman’s flesh. It split open. Blood pooled above the skin. The mortal didn’t even flinch.

  “Now hurry, before she ruins the water,” Tyr commanded with contrived annoyance.

  Jaden smelled the blood. She couldn’t resist it. She was a vampire, reborn to drink and to live. Hungrily, she pulled the wound to her mouth. The warm nectar of the woman’s life flowed into her, sweeter than anything she had ever tasted. Her meals of rats and fish paled in comparison to the life-giving essence of human blood. A slight moan escaped her hungry lips, echoed loudly by her prey.

  Tyr swallowed, his gaze darting to the tantalizing pull of Jaden’s sucking, crimson lips. Her flesh filled with a pale rose. Veins pulsed and coursed over her face, down her neck, spreading life into her undead limbs. Her muscles once again became firm and her hair regained an unearthly shine. His eyes glowed with celestial threads of dark blue and silver. His lips parted, eager to join to hers.

  The woman Jaden was latched to gasped and moaned. Tyr saw the mortal’s face paling with a dangerous quickness. Gently, he pulled Jaden away from her. Jaden looked at him in surprise, her eyes full of red.

  “Enough,” he ordered huskily. “You don’t want to harm her.”

  Jaden nodded numbly, not realizing she had even been close to such a thing. It was as if she couldn’t stop herself. As Jaden watched, Tyr bit his finger and healed the woman’s wrist with his blood. The woman bobbed her head like a departing servant and moved to leave the chamber. She wobbled slightly on her feet and closed the door behind her. The remaining mortal held out her hand to touch the vampiress’ face. Jaden glanced guiltily at Tyr.

  Tyr hid his smile and nodded at her to drink again. Crossing his arms over his chest, he stood above them, watching. Jaden nodded before dipping her head to drink. Without hesitation, she bit into the woman, sinking her teeth for the first time into human flesh. She was struck by how soft it was compared to fish and rat. It was like moving her fingers through warm butter, taking little effort to pierce. Swallowing thoughtfully, she pulled back. In awe, she whispered, “It tastes different.”

  “Yes,” he said, nodding for her to get on with it. Jaden again drank.

  Full, she pulled her mouth away and looked at Tyr. When he didn’t speak, Jaden bit her finger and rubbed it on the woman. Her previous anger at him subsided with her hunger. The wound on the woman’s wrist tried to heal, but continued to ooze. Jaden looked helplessly at Tyr. She began to bite her finger a second time, when his voice stopped her.

  “It will take time for your body to gain strength,” he said. After healing the mortal with his own blood, he waited for her to leave. When they were alone, Tyr’s eyes dipped over Jaden’s wet clothes. His gaze lit with fire. His movements were slow but she could detect every subtle change in him. The meal had revived her.

  The blood renewed her body with a mysterious force. Suddenly, her skin tingled and her limbs burned. The water became a naughty caress, her clothes felt constrictive and binding. She was sensitive. Every nerve ending inside of her was alive and searching. Wiggling in growing physical distress, she looked at Tyr in astonishment.

  “Here, let me help you,” he whispered. He reached out a hand to touch her neck. It slid with the help of beading moisture to caress over her skin and to delve into her hair. Jaden let loose a soft moan. Her lashes fluttered over her eyes as she arched towards his searching hand. His fingers glided down the base of her neck. “You still need to bathe.”

  Jaden nodded in agreement. “But I thought vampires didn’t need to bathe.”

  “They don’t unless they fall into dirt and blood as you have. Besides, you are newly turned. You must wash off the smell of your human self. The council has ordered you cleaned,” he continued leaning forward over the edge. Again she nodde
d, the motion eager. “And I am your master. I am responsible for making sure you obey the council’s wishes.”

  “I-I—” she tried to protest. She didn’t want to clean up. She wanted to end the torment raging within her flesh. She wanted his fingers to rip through her clothing.

  “Shh,” he said, aroused to the point of explosion. “I am your master. You must obey—”

  “I never listened well,” she broke in breathlessly. She had never given total control over to someone. The closest she had come was when Tyr made tender love to her in his cave, before everything went to hell. The memory only served to inflame her body with a yearning need. Her arms trembled. She wanted him, but she was frightened of him.

  “Then I’ll have to make sure you comply,” Tyr murmured, liking his idea very much. Looking over her flushed, warm skin, he pronounced, “First, we must rid you of these offending clothes.”

  Tyr watched Jaden’s features continue to fill with dazzling beauty. Her lips turned a dark red, her skin a warm pink. Her eyes closed and the black lashes that fanned over her cheeks swept dreamily with little quivers. Even her hair looked as if it grew with added fire. The stunning jade of her eyes glittered with the power of sparkling emeralds. His heart skipped in his chest.

  Jaden’s eyes turned wide when she saw that he had no intention of leaving.

  His mouth parted, his eyes fell to her breasts, to the line of her bra beneath the wet, stained material. “Take it off.” He released her, settling back in preparation of a show. When she hesitated, he said, “You cannot deny me—especially in this place.”

  Jaden shyly grabbed her shirt but didn’t take it off. Tyr smiled a dark grin full of wicked intent.

  “Do it,” he ordered, low and dark.

  Jaden sank down into the water. With a tug, she pulled the material over her head then flung it at his arrogant head. He caught it easily, dropping it to the floor without breaking contact with his piercing eyes.

  “Now the rest,” he ordered hoarsely.

  Jaden slowly worked on her jeans. Tyr enjoyed his role of the master, liking that she had to obey him, for Jaden had never obeyed anyone. It made him heady with power. But with that delicate power he knew he couldn’t abuse it. He wasn’t going to give her anything she didn’t already want.

  The jeans flew at his head in the same fashion, followed by a bra. He dodged them with a slight tilt to the side. A smirk lined his features. As underwear soared by, he caught them in his grasp, one arm still resting over his chest. Without looking, he ran his thumb over the wet lacy material in a sensual caress.

  Jaden could just feel the strokes of his fingers as if he touched her most intimate places. “Now go away. I can do the rest myself with no help from you.”

  “Ah,” he began, with a mock sense of sorrow. “It’s my duty to see that you comply. I’ll have to watch just to make sure.”

  Jaden’s cheeks colored, something very rare in a vampire. She met Tyr’s look. Her stomach tensed. Her loins grew hotter beneath the water.

  Tyr greedily licked his lips. His eyes glowed fiercely, as he growled, “Now stand up.”

  Jaden, in all her stubborn pride, ignored the command. Reaching to grab a bar of soap on the edge, she lathered it up and began scrubbing her feet. Tyr feigned a scowl, though it was hard with the heated blood running a fervent course in his body.

  When she finished with her calves and moved the soap underwater to work her way up her legs, Tyr narrowed his eyes and said, “I ordered you to stand up.”

  Jaden smiled to herself, ignoring him again. She pressed her lips together and hummed a solemnly sweet tune. The soap made its way over her arms and neck.

  Tyr leaned forward, crawling to the edge of the tub on all fours. Both of them forgot their troubles as they became immersed in their game. Jaden couldn’t resist and peeked at him from beneath her lashes. Ducking under the water, she rinsed the suds and rewetted her hair. When she emerged, she continued to hum.

  Blinking away water, she broke long enough to say, “Hand me the shampoo.”

  “Are you trying to command me now?” he asked in amusement, his eyes dripping with confidence. He shouldn’t have been surprised or disappointed, though the feelings were there. He knew Jaden wouldn’t take to being ordered about.

  Jaden grimaced. She reached over and grabbed it for herself and began lathering her locks. Again she dunked beneath the surface and rinsed the tresses clean. When she resurfaced, Tyr was leaning close. His hands cupped conditioner in his palms. Leaning over, he pushed his fingers into her hair, rubbing the conditioner through her heavy wet length. Jaden kept her gaze focused on his face. Mischievously, he lowered his gaze past her neck to her breasts bobbing on top of the water.

  “I’ve had enough of your disobedience,” he growled. “Rinse, stand and let me inspect you.”

  Jaden swallowed, a bit nervous, but too excited by his brashness to deny the command another time. She rinsed her hair quickly. Her legs trembled as she stood before him. His eyes hungrily devoured the look of her. His nostrils flared in animalistic potency. She watched his hands flex with tempered control.

  Tyr took in her brilliance. Not even the Norse goddess Freya could’ve been as beautiful as she was to him. His head tilted to the side. His fingers lifted slowly to her cheek. He searched her eyes, trying to find the truth within her, trying to end the questions of his soul. But what his heart asked, his lips couldn’t form.

  His finger grazed beneath the soft skin under her eye with the attention of a sculptor enamored of his stone. He learned her face, taking each curve to memory. His body ached for her; it always ached for her. But there was more. His heart ached for her too. He could no longer deny it.

  “I’ll lie for you,” he whispered hoarsely, the torment of the admission warring within him. “I’ll lie to save you.”

  His words broke her heart. What was his lie, if he believed it truly to be a lie? He still thought her guilty of crimes she didn’t commit. He didn’t believe in her. She shook her head in denial. “No, let only truths as you know them pass by your lips. Don’t sacrifice your integrity for me. I have enough I must live with. Don’t add that to my regrets.”

  “Jaden—” he began.

  She shook her head, cutting off his words. Her hand lifted to his parted mouth, blocking off any attempt to convince her otherwise. “You have felt inside me. You have all your answers. Nothing I say will change what you should already feel. We both know people lie with words. Of course I’m going to tell you I had nothing to do with it. I’m scared of what will happen tomorrow. I’m scared for Rick. I should have fed off him and killed him. It would have been mercy. I’m terrified of what the council will do. My telling you otherwise now will not change your mind. So, tell the truth as you know it.”

  Tyr didn’t want her to face the judgment of the council. He knew it would be easier for them to just kill her and let that be the end of it. If he pleaded on her behalf or claimed the right of ending her as her maker, then he could ensure that the death was painless and swift. But he didn’t want to end her. He wanted her to live.

  Her jade eyes glistened as they looked at him. For a moment, as she blinked, he felt the whole realm of her pain. Tilting her head, she managed a smile. “Only the truth. Promise me.”

  “Yes,” he agreed against her fingers. Closing his eyes, he said, “I promise.”

  “And Rick? Can I have your promise you’ll do what you can for him? He doesn’t deserve this. He was trying to save me. He’s human so you should be able to read him easily enough. He had nothing to do with Mack’s crimes.”

  “Yes. I’ll do what I can for him.”

  Satisfied, she tried to pull her hand away. His fingers lifted from her face to grab her departing hand. His mouth opened, placing a delicately tender kiss on her palm, dragging his pointed fangs over her skin. Jaden shivered.

  “Cold?” he asked.

  “I’m always cold,” she returned impishly. “It’s part of the charm of being dead.�
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  “No,” he murmured, his hand dipping behind her back to pull her to his chest. He extended her arm to the side in the beginning steps of a dance. Drying beads of moisture on her breasts and stomach soaked into his shirt, heating instantly between their bodies. Leaning to her mouth, he murmured against it, “Not always cold.”

  His kiss was light and exploring as if he had an eternity to execute it. His hands roamed her, stroking her back in unhurried caresses. His grasp found her buttocks and lifted her with ease.

  Jaden wrapped her legs around his waist. She felt his arousal growing to press into her. She moaned in weak encouragement. “Make love to me, Tyr. I want to feel anything besides fear and uncertainty.”

  Tyr groaned to hear her say the words of her own free will. He let her slip to the floor. Within seconds he was stripped of his clothing and had her back into his embrace. Their flesh became a frenzied playground for the senses. Hands rediscovered hidden crevices. Mouths pressed and teased throats and arms.

  Jaden’s fingers twined into his long, dry hair. It felt like silk against her skin. His hard flesh molded her body to him, demanding she yield to his hard muscles. Eagerly, she rubbed against him, unable to feel enough of his potent form. His kiss strayed over her shoulder, glancing down the front hollow of her throat. Jaden felt the power in him, felt the primal beast beneath his surface wanting to come out and play.

  Jaden’s body couldn’t process all of the new sensations of her altered form. Tyr lifted her about his waist and began backing towards the bed, carrying her with him. Jaden wanted him too badly. She angled herself above him as he walked, impaling her body deeply onto his hardened member with a whimper of delight.

  Tyr gasped in mystification as she took instant control. Her long legs wrapped around him, calculating the movements of her hips. Her vampiric strength kept her balanced as she pressed into his shoulders for support. Her fingernails anchored into his flesh to draw blood. He quivered in ecstasy.

  He grabbed her hips, encouraging the desperation of her motions. They crashed together, pumping and writhing in elation and enchantment. Both of them had a need to be filled, a desire that needed to be tamed, and a rawness that needed to be explored and conquered. Too much was unsaid, too much had been done. The world and all its woes fell away, blocked out by the thin veil of pleasure that surrounded them. Nothing else mattered, nothing beyond the touch of a hand, a kiss of a mouth, a thrust of two bodies as they became one.