Eternal Prey

by Nina Bangs

  “A human woman leads a bunch of vampires?” Translation: a dust bunny leads the monsters under the bed?

  “A prehistoric pinhead thinks he can save the world?” Fine, so she had a raging case of juvenile one-upmanship.

  “Hmmph.” Gig started to turn away but then paused. He didn’t quite look at Kione. “Impressive weapon you have there. I’d like to talk to you sometime. Maybe find out what else you can do.” Then he walked off, leaving them to trail after him.

  “Amazing.” Utah sounded amused. “Feel honored, Kione. I’ve never heard Gig tell anyone he’d like to talk to them. He’s mad at everyone 24/7, and he walks alone.”

  “He wants something. They all do.”

  His tone didn’t leave much doubt in Lia’s mind what he thought Gig wanted. She was horrified. How could he go through life thinking—?

  Utah touched her arm. “You okay?” He sounded as though the words were being dragged from him.

  She had been until he touched her. The sizzle and burn from that one touch seared a path straight through her confidence. She’d been so sure she could shut down any attraction to him. Uh-huh. That was working well. “Yeah. Fine.”

  She met his gaze. Concern? He was confusing her. She’d had him safely packed inside a box labeled “Murderous Ancient Predator,” complete with a bloodred bow. Had she put him in the wrong box? She hoped not. She had to keep her prejudices strong. Because his one touch had raised a real problem.

  She still thought he was hot. As in I-keep-forgetting-why-I-shouldn’t-want-you hot. She had to fight those feelings. His blue eyes might promise clear skies and happy times for all, a summer picnic scenario, but they lied. Instead, they were the calm waters of a lake just before the monster rose to eat everyone. Picnic canceled. His tangled blond hair framed a face that hid dangerous shadows even on a bright sunny day. He was not your all-American guy. Utah had scary things going on inside him. And to want him was to dance in the fast lane at rush hour. That was a bad thing, right?

  Not that what she thought really mattered, because he sure wouldn’t want anything to do with someone who had “become vampire” penciled into her daily planner.

  Lia watched his smooth stride as he followed Gig. She loved the way he moved, all coiled energy and fluid animal grace. Sexual. She didn’t get a chance to inventory anything else about him before they reached her room.

  She stayed in her room exactly five minutes. That’s how long it took her to decide she didn’t want to be alone with her own thoughts and doubts. Besides, now that her adrenaline had stopped spiking, Lia realized she was starving.

  Pulling on a change of clothes, she headed toward the kitchen . . . where she found Utah rooting around in the fridge. She joined him. “Anything interesting?”

  “Some roast beef. I’ll make us a few sandwiches. Go relax. I’ll bring the stuff to the living room.” His words sounded normal, but tension thrummed beneath them.

  Lia didn’t argue with him. Rubbing shoulders as they’d peered into the fridge had triggered thoughts about creating friction with other body parts. She started to leave.

  “Wait. You never told me how you got that name from the vampire.” He held containers in both hands, so he shoved the door shut with his hip.

  “I pricked my finger with a pin. He followed the blood scent. Then I played a drunk and stupid human who thought meeting a vampire was cool. I wouldn’t get into the car with him until he’d told me his leader’s name. He was so lost to the hunger that he got it out before the pain hit him.”

  “Then?”

  She shrugged. “I warned him to leave town and walked away.”

  He was silent for a heartbeat. “Is this a my-way-is-better-than-your-way thing?”

  “No. It’s about not having just one strategy to solve a problem.” She took a deep breath. May as well say it. “I never knew Katherine. She rejected me right after I was born. Wasn’t vampire enough. I think the idea that she’d given birth to a human horrified her. But I never gave up hoping I’d do something to make her proud, to make her notice me. So I worked twice as hard as everyone else. I learned to shoot and use a sword. But the most valuable thing I learned was to use my mind. I’d never be as powerful as her vampires, but I could be a lot smarter.”

  His gaze softened. “I’ll admit it, I was worried about you tonight. But you saved my butt from Zero and got important info for us. I don’t need any other proof. Your mother missed knowing an amazing daughter. Her loss.”

  Lia was mortified at the moisture gathering in her eyes. She blinked rapidly and turned away. By the time she reached the living room, she had her emotions under control.

  Glancing around, she considered her options. Recliner? Safe. Couch? Unsafe. There was too much room. Dangerous possibilities had acres of space to explore, and a sensual powerhouse could sit down next to her at any moment. She chose the couch. Hey, she prided herself on being fearless. If she was afraid to sit on the same couch with him, what did that say about her bravery? But she did hedge her bets. She slid all the way to one end before turning on the TV.

  She was flipping through the channels when he finally showed up with a tray of sandwiches and drinks. He put the tray down on the coffee table and sat down next to her. Right next to her.

  “Anything special you want to watch?” She forced herself to meet his gaze. With all the craziness going on around them tonight, she hadn’t had time to simply look at him. Oh, she’d recognized the pull he had on her, but now she remembered why.

  “Nope.” He got up and strode to the light switch. He turned off the lights. “Some of my beast’s characteristics have bled into my human form. I’m sensitive to bright lights.”

  Lia decided not to mention that it had a dimmer switch. And dinosaurs with sensitive eyes? Sure. She watched as he walked back to the couch. He blended with the shadows too well. She glanced at the TV screen, now the only light in the room. Nothing of interest there. Everything that was interesting was seated next to her. Lia hit the mute button, picked up a sandwich, and waited for him to say something.

  Lia tried to ride the silence, but it dragged on too long. She blinked first. “So what did you like doing in your previous life?” She figured she already knew, but a conversation had to start somewhere. Besides, she wanted to know more about him.

  “Eating, killing, and mating.”

  Seemed to Lia that he’d had limited life experiences. “What do you like doing in this life?” She took a bite and tried to chew naturally, but when she swallowed, she knew everyone in the condo heard her gulp.

  “Eating, killing, and . . .” He smiled before taking a bite of his sandwich.

  His smile blew her away. No man had a right to look that delicious while still retaining his killer cred. His smile was dark with an undercurrent of just plain bad. She didn’t think she’d ever be attracted to a sunny smile again.

  While the room’s shadows seemed to coalesce around him, and she filled the quiet with breathing that sounded way too loud, Lia searched for something else to say.

  “What were you before you became a raptor?” Where had that question come from? Not from the part of her brain in charge of survival.

  He stilled, his eyes narrowing. “What makes you think I was something else?”

  Lia sensed that not only was she treading on thin ice, but some damn big cracks were opening right under her feet. “Common sense. Even if Fin was able to stuff your raptor soul into a human body, your beast wouldn’t be able to function mentally as a human. You obviously have some higher-level skills. They had to come from somewhere.”

  “Maybe they’re left over from my human donor.”

  There was something in his expression . . . Then it hit her. “You know you were something else.”

  He didn’t answer for a long time. Then he exhaled deeply. “Every once in a while, I get these flashes of memory. Not from my raptor days. Fin is always in them, and he’s not a friend. But as soon as I start remembering, I get a stabbing pain in my head
and the memory goes away.”

  Lia leaned toward him. “Fin must be controlling your memories. He seems to be the only one powerful enough around here to do it.” A few days ago, she would’ve said that was nonsense. But after meeting Fin? Anything was possible. “Have you talked to the others about this?”

  “No. I don’t even know if the memories are real.”

  “Have you talked to Fin about this?”

  He glanced away from her. “Been thinking about it. Haven’t had a chance so far with so much happening.”

  She could almost see him trying to reconcile what she was saying with his own experiences. Everything would’ve been fine if she hadn’t taken that one step too far. “You’re not really the raptor you think you are. You’re something better.”

  Was that a flash of hurt in his eyes? It was hard to tell. Not much light.

  “You’re wrong, sweetheart. I’m exactly that raptor.” He was fierce in defense of his soul.

  Maybe she should try keeping her mouth shut occasionally. Lia felt the crack widen into a chasm, dumping her into icy water. About the same temperature as his voice right now.

  He leaned closer, invading her space, daring her not to move away from him. “I might not remember some things, but I do remember the life I lived as a Utahraptor. With this soul. Everything else is just guessing. And if an animal soul offends your human sensibilities, too bad.”

  His beast was close to the surface. Excitement rippled through her. Excitement? Whoa, that was not the right response.

  Utah reached out to skim his fingers along her jaw. Suddenly, the epicenter of all possible pleasure relocated to that small patch of skin. She gasped.

  Lia gazed into his eyes, watched them flare with heat, and slowly slid her tongue across her bottom lip. Provocative? Tempting? Guilty. The woman reflected in his eyes wasn’t anyone she recognized.

  She watched his anger become something else. The “something else” caught at her throat and made her heart kick into a frantic drumroll.

  “You know, I was ready to tear Kione’s head off. I thought he was causing all those feelings. I owe him an apology.” His voice was a husky murmur as he slid his hand behind her neck and pulled her to him.

  Utah kissed her. Not a gentle first kiss. It was a kiss filled with tangled emotions he thought he’d need a lifetime to unravel—the savagery of his beast, the need built up over his short human lifetime, the anger at her rejection of his soul, and the desire to please her.

  He wanted it to be only about his anger. His raptor wasn’t good enough for her. But even as he dived into all the sensory pleasure enhanced by his animal nature, he knew it could never be about only one thing with her.

  Tracing her lips with his tongue, he tasted her. He stored the essence of citrus and vanilla away to compare with the rest of her body. And Utah had no doubt he’d get the chance to do exactly that.

  Because as he deepened the kiss, fighting his soul’s demand that he abandon human behavior in favor of ripping her clothes from her luscious body right now, he felt something waken in her. It stretched, flexed its claws, and looked at him.

  She wrapped her arms around him and met his ferocity with her own. Opening her mouth, she welcomed him in. He tangled his tongue with hers, explored her heat, and tasted her building excitement. And all the reasons in the world that he shouldn’t be doing this went to hell. This was what he wanted, what his beast wanted. And neither one would be denied.

  Lia pulled at his shirt, working her fingers underneath it, then splaying her hands across his back. Each point of contact was a searing promise of what was to come.

  He kissed a path down her neck, losing himself in the warmth and smoothness of her skin. And as he lifted her top and pushed her bra out of the way so that he could reach her breasts, she transferred her hands from back to front.

  Lia touched him. She pressed down on his arousal, gently massaging. He was so hard he thought he’d explode, and when she fumbled with his zipper, his beast roared to life. He leaned forward, sliding his tongue over her breast before drawing her nipple into his mouth. Her small moan drove him on.

  But things were starting to spiral out of control. She’d managed to get his zipper down and was reaching for him. She didn’t notice any change in him.

  Utah abandoned her nipple to lay his head between her breasts. He breathed in deeply, trying to stop what was happening. Slow down. His beast ignored him. His control galloped farther down the rutted path leading to complete savagery. God, what would he do to her if his raptor slipped its leash? She thought just because he remained in human form that he’d act human. Not so. Mating for raptors was primitive, brutal, and usually ended with a complete loss of control. He’d hurt her.

  Lia’s hand stilled. She’d finally sensed the wrongness. “What’s the matter?”

  “Losing it.” His voice was a tortured rasp. Need battered his defenses, knocking them down brick, by brick, by brick. Soon there’d be a hole big enough for his beast to crawl through. Damn. He’d been with women during the last few months. Control hadn’t been an issue with them. Why now? “Want this too much. My beast doesn’t understand gentleness, doesn’t realize that humans can break. Might hurt you.” His beast’s frustration was a primal howl, beating at his mind, tightening his muscles into agonized knots.

  Lia didn’t freak out and pull away from him. Thank you. She remained silent for a moment before removing her hand from his cock. No. Touch me. Now. He forced the words back. She was doing the right thing even if the right thing killed him.

  “I’ll take your word for it.” She slid her fingers through his hair, a calming gesture. “But I’m not exactly a delicate flower. I could hold my own.”

  Not against my beast. “Yeah. Better safe than sorry, though.” He leaned away from her. What the hell had just happened?

  His body screamed its fury. Hunger denied. Deal with it.

  She bit her lower lip before releasing it. He riveted on its damp fullness—a reminder of lost pleasure—even as he tried to force his beast back into its cave. Finally, it went, growling and clawing every inch of the way.

  He watched her pull down her top with fingers that still trembled. She took a deep breath. Then she smiled. “We’ll have to practice. Sort of work up to it slowly. Practice can be fun too.” Her smile faded. “I’m selfish. I want it all now.”

  Time for hard truths. “No matter how human I look, I’m still raptor here.” He tapped his heart. “When my brain shuts down, and my senses take over, the beast runs free. Oh, I might not change forms, but he’s still in control. He doesn’t understand words like ‘gentle’ and ‘foreplay.’ He goes for the kill every time.” As explanations went, that was an epic fail. Sounded like he had zero control.

  She didn’t look disgusted, but he was glad he couldn’t read her mind right now. Let him keep his illusions.

  “Has this happened before when you were . . . ?” The rest of the sentence faded into the obvious.

  “No.”

  “Well, hey, that’s something at least.” For whatever reason, she almost looked pleased. Go figure.

  Suddenly, he froze. What the hell? Someone was in his head. No one he recognized. He pushed against the presence. It didn’t budge.

  “I tried to wait until the main event was over, but since it’s been canceled, I decided now was an okay time to connect. We need to talk. Now. I’ll meet you in the lobby. Bring Lia with you.”

  Utah sent an automatic denial. Not. Now. Who was this?

  “Forgot to introduce myself. Seir, the bad seed. Hurry. Fin’s not paying attention right now. Don’t know how long that will last. Have to strike while the iron is hot and all that crap.”

  “What’s wrong?” Lia frowned. Her lips were slightly parted, swollen from his kisses.

  “Son of a bitch.” He heaved himself from the couch. “We have company down in the lobby.”

  She raked fingers that still shook through her hair, leaving it tousled and beautiful. “Who?”
/>
  “Fin’s brother.”

  Chapter Six

  Fin’s brother?” Lia was still trying to catch her breath after what almost happened, an “almost” that had torn her down to her most basic components. Those basic components had nothing to do with protecting herself or staying safe.

  And now Utah had hit her with Fin’s brother. “Who is he? What is he? Why didn’t I know about him?” She fumbled with her bra, pulling it back into place and smoothing her top down.

  “His name is Seir.”

  “Just Seir? Does he have a last name? Do any of you guys have a last name?” God, she’d almost made love with him, and she didn’t even know his last name. The scariest part? She didn’t care.

  Lia tried to ignore how sensual he looked all mussed and rumpled. Had she missed the part where he pulled up his zipper? Lots of symbolism there, all along the lines of the gates of paradise clanging shut.

  “I don’t know about Seir, but my last name is Endeka. All of us are Endekas. Fin’s creation. It means eleven. Everything comes down to numbers with him.”

  Figured. “So tell me about this Seir?”

  “Let’s go. I’ll tell you what I know on the way down.”

  “Wait.” Lia left him standing there as she raced back to her room. She threw on her coat. Not because she intended to go outside but because she needed to hide her gun and sword. Utah had a prehistoric killer on call. She didn’t.

  He was pacing impatiently when she returned. She kept up with him as he strode toward the door.

  “Some of the other guys have met Seir. I haven’t. Not sure what he is, and Fin isn’t talking. Seir has helped us a few times. He made a cameo appearance during the dustup with Eight in Philly. Helped Jenna stay alive. Guess you missed him there. No one seems to know where his true loyalty lies. We only know two things for sure: Fin won’t make contact with him, and Seir waits outside Fin’s condo in every city we visit. Sort of creepy if you ask me.”

  Memory flash. A tall, blond man standing among the trees. “Is it safe to meet him alone?” Her mind was racing. She thought she’d identified all the variables. Evidently not.