Knight of the Hunted (NSFW Edition) (Born Vampire Book 1)

by Elizabeth Dunlap

They’d found me. I knew it. My stupid plans were for shit and now I’d be captured. I pushed my senses out and caught the scent of leather and steel. Definitely Hunters. They weren’t close enough to be able to smell me as well unless they were paying attention. I drove away in Excalibur and found an unpaved driveway that lead to an empty house with a rundown barn. I parked Excalibur inside the barn and doused the car in a spray that would mask my scent (it was in the duffle bag), then I started running. I ran as fast as I could and my senses widened automatically without me having to use energy. Running was taxing, and my feet stumbled every other step. I couldn’t keep it up much longer. My senses were starting to close back in from my lack of blood. I started tripping and struggled to focus. Blackness came up on the edges of my sight. Then I smelled it.

  Blood.

  Sweet fresh blood flowing in a human’s vulnerable papery veins. I could’ve wept with joy at my discovery. Why did it smell so weird? Humans didn’t smell like that. My need overrode my sense of smell, and a frenzy swept over me. In the days before companions, this kind of frenzy was commonplace, and we did our best to avoid it. There was no stopping me. I would be drinking from this food source whether it fucking liked it or not.

  Closer and closer to my prey, I found myself creeping up on a small alcove carved into a rock formation. The oddly smelling human had made a camp inside the alcove, complete with a fire and a rabbit cooking over it. I had lost most of my control and was behaving with a primal edge. My canines dropped and I growled low in my throat. My prey was instantly alert, somehow hearing me.

  I charged and threw myself onto my prey, snarling with elation. The human tried to pull me off, but I’d sunk my claws into it. Him. The human was male. He smelled so fucking good, I couldn’t control myself. He backed up and slammed both of us into the wall of the cave. Pain crashed into me and my instincts gave me one final push.

  I sank my fangs into his neck and moaned as his essence filled my mouth. Gods above, yes. Finally, blood. Tasting it after so long was almost erotic. He groaned and stopped trying to buck me off, going still under my fangs. His blood didn’t taste normal, but it wasn’t a bad taste. It was like eating venison. If I’d been saner during that precise moment, I’d have been horrified about comparing humans to food. Wild Me didn’t care. I drank four times the amount of blood I normally needed. It was only then I regained enough control to pull away and drop the human on the ground.

  He wasn’t dead, I hadn’t drunk that much. He also wasn’t moving, so that wasn’t a good sign. He had thick black hair almost to his neck and his skin was one shade darker than a really good tan. He definitely had Native blood. My senses returned and my head stopped hurting. It was then I noticed one crucial detail about my prey I’d been too frenzied to notice before.

  He was a Lycan.

  Eight

  Of all the fucking gin caves in all the world, I had to pick one with a fucking Lycan. In my defense, this particular Lycan smelled different than others I’d encountered. I mean, yeah, he had the dog smell. No denying that. But it wasn’t all dog. There was human mixed with it. And the more I studied him, the more human he looked. A very attractive human, ahem. Maybe he’d picked up the smell from someone else. Why did I think he was a Lycan? Maybe the starvation had messed with my head. I should’ve been instantly alerted to his species, even during a frenzy. I’d only been staring at him for a few minutes when he stirred and instantly jumped away from me.

  “Who the fucking hell are you?” he demanded. His hand went up to his neck and he found the puncture wounds. I hadn’t left any blood on him. Call me greedy. “You… fucking bit me!” He lunged at me in anger and slammed me into the wall. “God damn blood sucking harlot, I should kill you right now!” His arm was pressed against my neck, cutting off my air. I slapped at him to get him to lay off, but he refused.

  “Watch with the name calling, fuzzy butt,” I got out between breaths.

  “Shut up, bloodsucker! You have five seconds to tell me why I shouldn’t slit your throat right here.” I lifted my hand again to try and pull his arm off my throat. The bracelet jingled and he went very still when he saw it. “Where’d you get that?”

  My throat was starting to hurt from the abuse. “You take your arm off my neck and I’ll tell you.” He lessened the pressure slightly. “Thank you. I’m Lisbeth by the way. What’s your name?” His dark brown eyes were eyeing me with caution, and I reminded myself that he was a gross Lycan. I was a sucker for brown eyes.

  “Knight,” he offered stoically. “Tell me the truth, bloodsucker. Did you kill the Lycan that owned the bracelet?” I shook my head and he pushed off the wall, taking a few steps back so he wouldn’t have to be so close to me. I coughed and felt my throat for a bit, wincing at the pain. “I think I bruised you,” he observed, peering over at me.

  “Yeah, thank you for that.” God. He didn’t have to hurt me. I mean, I did drink without asking. I guess I would’ve done the same.

  “Let me see,” he said quietly and held up his hands to gently probe at my neck. “They’re going away. I’m uhh… sorry.” He stepped back and I observed him cautiously, slightly scared he’d hurt me again.

  “To be fair we are enemies,” I noted, finding a smile despite the pain. He smiled back and I felt the air leave my chest at the sight of it. Before I could contemplate why I was staring at him like he was a bar of chocolate, Knight quickly clamped a hand over my face. Fuck, I knew I shouldn’t have trusted him. His skin was very warm, almost too hot, and dirty. Gross. I made a small noise to complain at the state of his hand, but he shushed me and pulled me further back into the cave, my backside against his front.

  Was that a phone in his pocket? Please be a phone.

  “Answer with a nod,” he whispered into my ear. “Are they here for you?” By ‘they,’ he meant the Hunters that I’d been trying to avoid, who had somehow followed my trail here. Damn it! I’d been so careful! Did I have to spray myself with human sweat? I nodded to him. Knight pushed me onto the floor, covered me with his sleeping bag, and sat on top of me with his probably hairy Lycan ass.

  My voice was muffled by the sleeping bag, but I managed to get out, “I’m going to fucking murder you!”

  “Not with my stolen blood in your veins you’re not!” We both grew silent when the Hunters approached within hearing range. I couldn’t see them from under the sleeping bag so I waited patiently, trusting this wolf with my life. If he betrayed me, I’d have to slice that handsome face open. A shame, really.

  “I didn’t know there were bitches in this neck of the woods,” one of the Hunters remarked as he drew closer.

  “You sure it’s a dog, Mal?” a woman said, her voice jeering and taunting. “He doesn’t smell like a dog.” Speaking of smell, why hadn’t they caught my scent? Hiding under a sleeping bag wasn’t going to stop them from smelling me. Unless Knight’s scent was blocking mine. His sleeping bag was soaked with his odor.

  “He smells delicious,” a third Hunter drawled out. She sounded like she wanted more from Knight than his blood. Good. I wasn’t the only vampire smelling that scent.

  Blood! They’d see the bite mark on his neck! They’d know I was here! I must’ve stiffened because Knight moved his hand to cover my shoulder. I couldn’t tell if he was trying to be reassuring, or didn’t want to blow our cover.

  “What do you want, bloodsuckers?” Knight’s voice was smooth and warm, the opposite of Arthur’s icy blandness.

  The male Hunter spoke with authority and apparently was used to being called a bloodsucker because he didn’t complain. “We’re searching for an outlaw. One of ours. I’m guessing you haven’t seen any of us pass this way?”

  “If I had, your search would be over, and you’d be bringing back a dead body. Well. A dead undead body.”

  Rude.

  “We’re not dead, asswipe,” the second Hunter protested. “That’s the turned.”

  Knight sighed like they were boring him. “I don’t give a rat’s ass. Are you done? Y
our scent is making me feel sick.”

  “Let’s leave this bitch to his humping.” The Hunters left as quickly as they’d come. Knight didn’t move off me until I couldn’t smell them anymore. Once he’d slid off me and onto the floor, I pulled the sleeping bag off my face.

  “Do I look undead?” I asked him moodily. I wasn’t exactly pale anymore.

  He chuckled at me with that gorgeous grin. “Lycan humor.”

  “Hilarious.” I sat up and leaned closer to study his neck. My bite wasn’t there anymore. All traces had already healed. Staring up at him, I realized I owed him my life. A Lycan. “Thanks for that. You umm…saved my skin.”

  He shrugged to seem non-committal, but I could tell he hadn’t done it out of the goodness of his heart. “One last question. Did you steal that?” He pointed at the bracelet. I shook my head, and he waited a few seconds to discern if I was lying. It’s not like I’d willingly have vampire teeth as a fashion accessory. “You have an Alpha’s bracelet, and therefore his protection,” he continued, and I remembered that the Alpha had said as much. “I’m honor bound to see that no harm comes to you. Though, I’m not in a pack, so technically I don’t have to.”

  “You’re a puddle of goodness.” He flipped me off. “You’re not in a pack? Why not? No girls wanted you?” I smiled sweetly at him and he glared at me.

  “You’re a bit of an ass, you know that?”

  “I don’t know what you mean,” I sassed. Standing up, I was about to start inching my way out of the cave when it occurred to me that this might be the perfect opportunity to protect Olivier. She’d never, not in a million years, predict me grouping up with a Lycan. And as a bonus, his scent seemed to mask mine from other vampires. “So…” I began timidly. I searched for the right words that wouldn’t earn an automatic ‘no’ from him. I needed him to say yes. “Want a travel partner?” was what came out. Damn it.

  He slowly brought his eyes up and stared at me like I’d just offered to give him a lap dance. Meaning he wouldn’t want the lap dance, which was a shame because I gave great lap dances.

  “You want to travel. With me. A Lycan.” I smiled in an attempt to sell my enthusiasm at tagging along, despite the look on his face that said he thought I was two steps from insanity. I’d say maybe 1.5 steps. “No wonder your people are hunting you. They don’t want a psycho around.”

  I wondered how fast his ribs would heal if I kicked him really hard. “For your information, dog, it’s because-” I stopped myself and squished my lips together. If I told him the reason, he might think I was bragging or saved the pup for brownie points, or worst case scenario: lying. It didn’t matter that I was on the run for what I’d done. He didn’t know how our laws worked. I could be running from a pissed off ex-boyfriend for all he knew.

  He studied me, trying to figure out what I was hiding, but then he gave up and looked back at the roasting rabbit. “I don’t want to be around a bloodsucker. I should’ve killed you for feeding off me, but that bracelet protected you. So, happy trails and whatnot. Go fuck with someone else.” Unphased, I walked back to the fire and sat down on the rock floor. He stared at me again and I could tell he wanted to pick me up and throw me as far as he could. “Well, you must be deaf and stupid.”

  I ignored him and leaned over the rabbit to smell it. The succulent scent of well-cooked meat curled into my nose. My stomach growled. “It’s done. Can I have some?”

  “You eat food?” he asked in sincere disbelief. His ignorance was starting to annoy me. Next he’ll ask if I sleep in a coffin.

  I didn’t wait for permission before I extended my nails to rip off a large chunk of meat. It could’ve used some salt, but he’d tended it well and the meat was so juicy and tender I moaned out loud. He made a face and hogged the rest, over half the animal.

  I stopped eating to study him. Despite being a Lycan, Knight looked almost normal. His muscles were large and his teeth pointed, but other than that, normal. His features were smooth and round, and they looked soft to the touch.

  “Stop staring at me, crazy.”

  I looked down at my meat and finished it. When he was done eating, the meat as well as the bones, he slipped into his sleeping bag and turned his back to me.

  I woke up curled against his back for warmth. Oddly enough, I’d fallen asleep several feet away from him, on the other side of the fire. I cursed leaving my duffle bag in Excalibur. Now I smelled like dog. Though, admittedly, Knight didn’t smell that bad. Then I realized what I was doing, i.e. snuggling the enemy.

  But he smelled so good.

  Fuck. I hurriedly pushed away from him, waking him up.

  “Shit, you were actually serious,” he grumbled out. I narrowly missed his swinging arm as he got up and stretched. “Bracelet or no bracelet, you’re not staying here.” He popped his enormous shoulders. “Don’t let the cave hit your ass on the way out.”

  I pretended he hadn’t spoken. “I have a car parked about a mile away if the Hunters haven’t stolen it. There’s water and snacks and blankets.” He stood up and looked down at me from his enormous height, then he gestured to his large unzipped army bag, that had everything I’d just mentioned in it. “Umm. I have Twinkies?” He rolled his eyes and started gathering his stuff. “With my car, you don’t have to walk! And it has air conditioning and plenty of space for your long legs. I have long legs, and all I have to do is push the seat-”

  “If I go with you, will you shut the hell up?”

  “Now you’re catching on!” I gave him my best smile and he sighed like I was a fly he couldn’t shoo away. Excalibur was still parked in the old barn. Knight gave it a look I might give to someone wearing Crocs, but he tossed his bag in the trunk and got in. He barely fit into the tiny passenger seat. His head bumped the roof and his legs didn’t have enough space to straighten out, even with the seat pulled back as far as it could go.

  “What was that you said about space for my legs?” He moved his arm and bumped me on accident.

  I sighed and rested my head against the steering wheel. “Looks like our run is over, Excalibur.”

  He didn’t comment on the name of my tiny car and didn’t make any smug remarks when I had to trade it in for something else. I let him choose since I knew nothing about cars. The car he picked was a two-door Impala from the sixties, and it rumbled loudly when he started it up. I had some trepidation, but I paid for the car and got into the passenger seat (he wouldn’t let me drive).

  “Kind of an old car,” I commented. “Will it run smoothly?”

  “Old cars are like women…”

  I rolled my eyes. “Are you sure you want to finish that analogy?”

  He snickered. “Probably not.” As he drove, he touched the steering wheel reverently and fingered the Impala symbol like it would bring him luck. We pulled out of the parking lot and drove away.

  On the road, my old life at the Order seemed so far away. I leaned against my door and tried to get comfortable. Today would be companion selections. We gave the turned a companion so they could get used to being around humans again. The companions would know exactly what they were getting into, and after being chosen, they would sign a binding contract. The contract was slightly different than the one a Born companion signed. A companion of the turned had a trial period, an accident clause, and the contract lasted for one year, as opposed to the ten years of a Born companion. The turned were not in charge of their companions like we were, a fact they sometimes resented.

  Knight and I didn’t speak for hours. I could tell he didn’t want to be traveling with me, but I had money and had bought the car, so he was tolerating it. Until I brought out my daily blood ration.

  “Shit,” he swore, and pulled the car over. “I’m not watching you drink that. That is disgusting.” He turned the car off and left with the keys to walk it off. When he came back, I was finished and the blood bag was safely tucked in my cooler.

  “Sorry if my dietary needs offend you,” I mumbled when he started the car.

&nbs
p; He sighed and pulled back onto the road. “I hate to sound like a judgmental parent whose kid just came out, but have you, you know, tried not drinking blood?”

  What. The fuck.

  I leveled him with a glare. “I’m a vam-pi-re,” I growled, sounding it out slowly for him. “Also, spoiler alert, I was dangerously low on blood when I attacked you. That is what happens when we don’t drink blood. I don’t do this shit for shiggles. Didn’t they fucking teach you that in Lycan daycare? Jesus Christ.”

  He got very quiet and focused on the road while I stewed beside him. After several hours I was almost asleep from the rhythmic sounds of the car engine, and he broke the silence, snapping me awake.

  “No.”

  I rubbed my eye and sat up. “No what?”

  “The Lycans didn’t teach me that.” He was very intently looking at the road to hide his face from me. “I’m sorry. I was being judgmental. I didn’t understand.”

  “I’m sorry too.” I hadn’t said anything bad to him, but I’d thought several things. I supposed I was as prejudice as he was. We’d both been raised to hate the other.

  Nighttime arrived and we rented a hotel room, something I hadn’t dared do before now, but we could only get one with a single bed. He might’ve been disgusted with my species as a whole, but he was still chivalrous enough to volunteer to sleep on the floor, something I didn’t expect from him at all. Maybe he was older than he looked?

  He showered first and left the bathroom smelling like wet fur and a large dose of his uhh… scent. As I said, he smelled amazing. You know, for a Lycan. Lying in the tub surrounded by his scent, I allowed myself to forget who that smell belonged to, and I basked in the pleasure it brought. When I dressed and left the bathroom, Knight was lounging on the bed watching- wait for it -Animal Planet. He tossed back a soda, completely engrossed while dogs ran around on the screen.

  I couldn’t help it. I choked back a laugh.

  He tossed his empty soda can in my direction. “Shut up.”