DARK MATE
MATE series
By
Natalie Kristen
MATE series
ALPHA MATE
BEAR MATE
VAMPIRE MATE
WOLF MATE
WILD MATE
DARK MATE
Copyright © 2014 Natalie Kristen
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are used fictitiously or are the products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual locales, events, establishments or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
*****
Gabriel King knows the PAC Enforcers are hunting him.
But they can never catch him.
Driven by his thirst for revenge and power, Gabriel bides his time, watching the Enforcers and the city. Cold and ruthless, he takes the weak, disposable humans for food, pleasure and entertainment.
He will not be weak, and he will not be weakened...
A police officer in the New Moon City Police Department (NMPD), Eva Stone serves and protects the human residents of the city. As a law-abiding law enforcement officer, she never imagined that she would come face to face with a dangerous rogue Master vampire. Misting her away from the city, the wicked vampire keeps her with him, toying with her, and tormenting her with his sinful, scorching touch.
Blood never lies.
Eva's blood and body drives Gabriel to the very edge of his reason and restraint. Faced with an impossible choice, will Gabriel succumb to the pain and violence of his past, or will he make the ultimate sacrifice for her?
*****
CHAPTER ONE
Eva wrapped her jacket tighter around her. She had changed out of her police uniform, but she still carried her gun under her jacket. It had been a long night. There had been a ton of paperwork to complete back at the station after two rival teen gangs had been rounded up. Lawyers and angry parents flooded the station. The night had been filled with threats and tears, and violence. A little old grandmother had bulldozed her way past the rows of police officers and whacked her red-faced, heavily tattooed grandson resoundingly over the head with her walking stick the moment she spotted him.
According to her partner, Kirk Onaga, lawyers were much easier to deal with than family members. Eva believed him. Kirk was a veteran, having served the New Moon City Police Department (NMPD) for thirty-five years.
Kirk was due to retire at the end of the year. Eva had been with the NMPD for less than a year. They made quite a team, the retiree and the rookie. Not surprisingly, they had been given the safest, easiest routes to patrol. Eva had spent the last six months on the job patrolling the main streets of New Moon City, near the central business district, where everything ran like clockwork and everyone was well-dressed and law-abiding. Nothing much to do except smile and help little old ladies across the street, drive around in the beat-up police cruiser and gulp down copious amounts of coffee in plastic cups.
On some nights, they got called to sort out some domestic disputes, or some minor altercation. Nothing particularly dangerous or life-threatening. The NMPD dealt with human crimes and human criminals. They didn't police the paranormal community in New Moon City. That was the job of the PAC Enforcers.
The PAC (Paranormal Affairs Council) had its hands full, policing and protecting the paranormal residents of the city. New Moon City was a veritable melting pot, the first city to recognize the existence and rights of paranormal beings. Vampires, witches, demons, weres lived and worked side by side with humans. The PAC Enforcers patrolled the city streets as well, and Eva always acknowledged the Enforcers with a quick nod. They might be from different departments, but they were fellow law enforcers, all working to keep the city safe.
New Moon City's rapidly increasing population was still largely human. The NMPD officers were all human. But not all the PAC Enforcers were paranormals. In fact, the Head of the PAC's Enforcement Unit was a former NMPD legend, Jett Riley.
New Moon City wasn't a safe place. Far from it. It was unpredictable and volatile, with dangers and tensions simmering just below the surface. As a police officer, Eva knew danger and violence, but she had never really come face to face with a truly deadly foe. The paranormals she encountered on the streets going about their daily business were civil and law-abiding. She had once witnessed two Enforcers taking out a rogue werewolf in a dark alleyway. The Enforcers had fought and destroyed the rogue with speed and skill, but the injuries they sustained from that brief but brutal fight had been horrific.
There were shadows everywhere in New Moon City. Some shadows remained where they were, letting you pass unmolested and unharmed. Some shadows had eyes, hungry, angry eyes, watching and waiting for the perfect victim.
Eva hurried on, shivering against the cold. The city was a dark, dangerous place, but Eva had never really stepped off the periphery into the dark heart of the city. Her family was human. All her friends were human. Her colleagues at the NMPD were human. She had never come into close contact with a paranormal. Having a quick chat with the gum-popping vampire who worked the night shift at the convenience store opposite her apartment and greeting her werelion neighbors at the lift lobby didn't exactly count as close contact.
Eva knew that she was just teetering on the edge of a precipice. She didn't want to make the effort, and take the leap. She lived in a city teeming with paranormals, yet she hadn't tried to really get to know them, and love them. All her ex-boyfriends had been human. She didn't have a single paranormal friend. Eva winced at the thought. Why was that? Was she...prejudiced against paranormals? Was she a closet bigot?
Eva blew out a breath, watching the mist curl from her lips. The street was well-lit but deserted. She was passing a row of terrace houses, and there wasn't a single light in the windows.
As she quickened her steps, she caught a sudden movement at the corner of her eye. She spun round, and saw that the front door of the corner house was slightly ajar. She frowned. Had it just creaked open? She didn't remember seeing an open door just now. She was sure she would have noticed it immediately.
Slowly, she walked towards the corner house, watching for any movement in the windows. The windows were covered with plain white curtains, and she couldn't see if there was anyone in the house.
As she neared the front steps leading up to the door, the door seemed to open a little wider. It felt almost like a subtle, silent invitation.
Goose pimples erupted all over her skin. Doors didn't just open on their own. There must be someone behind that door.
Silently, she mounted the steps. A strand of hair had come loose from her braid and the wind whipped it across her face. Impatiently, she tucked the strand behind her ear and saw the door inch open.
She blinked hard. It must have been the wind. The wind was blowing against the door, pushing it open.
And it must be the wind, curling around her legs, insistently pulling her into the dark interior of the house.
Eva hesitated for a heartbeat at the threshold. She peered in cautiously, and saw that the house was completely empty. There was not a single piece of furniture in the spacious living room. All she saw was dust and shadows.
And a pair of eyes.
Eva gasped.
She blinked and they were gone.
Swallowing hard, she stared at the stairs
again. She had seen bright, amber eyes staring straight at her from the top of the stairs. She hadn't imagined them. They had been right there, looking directly at her.
She made a small sound at the back of her throat.
“Who's there?” she whispered.
The house seemed to whisper back to her. She thought she heard a name.
She glanced over her shoulder.
There was no one there. No one behind her.
Were her senses playing tricks on her? She turned back to the house, and started.
She had seen it again. Not eyes this time.
A smile.
She had seen a smile in the dark. A silent, sensual smile.
When she looked again, it was gone.
There was someone at the top of the stairs. She was positive. She had seen his eyes, his smile. And she could sense him. A dark, powerful presence in the shadows. Watching her, smiling at her, taunting her.
She even heard his voice. His name.
Gabriel King.
The wind whispered in her ear like a lover and blew her hair gently across her nape. Eva felt her hair flutter against her neck and her jaw, caressing her face and touching her lips like soft, tentative fingers. Her heart was hamming in her ribcage as she laid a hand on the door and pushed it wide open, allowing the light from the streetlamps to spill into the house.
She saw no footsteps in the thick layer of dust on the floor. She held her breath and listened. There was no creaking from the floorboards upstairs.
Yet she was sure there was someone in the house.
With a steadying breath, Eva drew her gun and stepped soundlessly into the house.
CHAPTER TWO
Eva heard the door close quietly behind her, but she didn't flinch. Her eyes swept quickly across the empty hall, then focused on the flight of narrow stairs at the corner of the living room.
Pointing her gun up, Eva climbed the steps silently. Her gun jerked at a sudden movement above her. Her finger tightened on the trigger as she took aim at a dark hulking shape on the second floor landing.
She swallowed hard and winced when she realized that she was pointing her gun at an old cardboard box.
She held her breath, but the house was utterly silent and still.
But she was sure she had seen someone. Someone with deep, piercing amber eyes and a sinful smile.
She reached the top of the stairs and stepped determinedly forward in the gloom. Her eyes darted in all directions.
Where are you? Who are you?
“Come on out. I know you're here,” she breathed.
She could sense him, feel him.
She didn't know how she knew, but she just knew where he was.
It was as if she was following an invisible string, a string that tethered her to him.
Walking slowly and steadily across the landing, she made her way towards the room at the end of the corridor. The door was open and she slipped in easily. The light from the street lamps streamed through the thin white curtains into the room.
She scanned the four walls, the floor, the ceiling. There was nowhere to hide in the room. It was completely empty, like the rest of the house. In fact, the house looked like it hadn't been occupied in a while. Eva frowned and tried to recall if she had seen a “For Sale” or “For Rent” sign out front. No, she was sure she hadn't.
She took a deep breath. The house was in good condition, just vacant. But she was pretty sure she wasn't alone in the house. And she was sure that whoever was in the house was a paranormal. Strangely, she didn't feel afraid. Which was not only strange, it was stupid. Fear heightened your senses and sharpened your response. Don't be afraid to be afraid, was Kirk's constant refrain. Fear saved my life, kid.
Eva gripped her gun with both hands, and turned in a circle, pointing her weapon at the blank walls.
Nothing moved. The shadows remained where they were.
Yet she could sense him. Him.
Male. Powerful. Dangerous.
She could feel his presence in this very room.
“Show yourself,” she said, her voice low but commanding.
“I won't hurt you.” Much.
She swore she heard a chuckle.
Eva whipped round, and almost lost her balance. She let out a cry.
She'd glimpsed those eyes again. Just for a fraction of a second.
The eyes of a predator.
Eva's finger tightened on the trigger. She tried to take aim, but there was nothing in front of her, nothing but mist.
She stared at the swirling mist, and narrowed her eyes. Very slowly, she lowered her gun. Then she fired.
There was a low, guttural sound, and the mist began to churn and shimmer before her. As she stared, she saw the mist solidify into the shape of a man. A tall, broad-shouldered, masculine shape began to materialize from the mist and tower over her.
Eva leveled her gun at the tall, shadowy figure in front of her. Amber eyes glared down at her, and she saw his mouth twist in a grimace, the same mouth she had glimpsed smiling seductively at her in the dark. The mist faded, leaving a tall, darkly handsome and visibly furious stranger standing before her.
The man had wavy dark hair, mesmerizing amber eyes and a strong jaw that was now tightly clenched in pain. He was in a dark shirt and slacks, and Eva saw a bullet wound in his right thigh.
Her eyes widened. Her aim had been perfect. Her instincts had been spot on.
Eva flicked her gun at him, and took a step back.
“Put your hands up where I can see them!”
His eyes glowed and he advanced menacingly towards her. Eva refused to back away, even when she saw his canines lengthen into fangs.
A vampire.
She pressed the barrel of her gun against his chest as he towered over her.
“Step back, and put your hands behind your head,” she warned.
She saw a flicker of surprise and amusement in his eyes. She wasn't scared of him, and it seemed to impress and amuse him.
“Or what.” His voice was deep and seductive, almost hypnotic.
“Or I'll shoot you. Again.”
He laughed and glanced down at her shaking gun. “You can't kill me with that.”
“No. But I can hurt you with it.” She narrowed her eyes and glanced down at his wound.
She inhaled sharply when she saw that he had stopped bleeding and his wound looked like it had already begun to heal. Shit.
“You're a police officer.” The vampire cocked his head at her, studying her with apparent interest.
“Who are you?” she demanded, fighting to keep calm under his smoldering gaze. “What is your name?”
She didn't expect him to answer, but he did. “King,” he said. “Gabriel King.”
“Gabriel King,” she repeated softly before her voice hardened. “What are you doing here? This house is empty. No one lives here, and you don't look like a homeless person.” She looked him up and down, noting his well-tailored clothes and expensive leather shoes. He was no squatter. It was obvious that he was pretty wealthy, and she could sense a dark, dangerous power emanating from him.
A Master vampire, she thought. She knew enough about vampires to know that Master vampires were infinitely more powerful, and therefore much more dangerous, than ordinary vampires.
“No, I don't live here,” he confirmed with a smile. “What is your name?”
She bit her lip.
He raised a brow. I told you mine. Plus, you shot me.
“Eva.”
The vampire smiled, and took a step towards her. Without thinking, Eva fired.
The bullet tore through the vampire's chest, and he let out a shout of pain and frustration.
“You!”
The vampire lunged towards her and Eva instinctively squeezed the trigger again. But before she could exert enough pressure to fire the shot, he had plucked the gun from her hand and crushed it in his fist.
She staggered back in shock. His movements had been so swift and silent she didn't ev
en have time to react. Her gun was now just a crumpled lump of metal in his hand.
The vampire had made his point. He could have easily crushed her skull.
“Eva,” he growled.
She backed away as he stalked towards her. His eyes were like two golden orbs, and she saw his fangs glint threateningly in the dark.
Her hands scrabbled frantically through her pockets, trying to find her keys. She could hold her keys between her fingers and aim her punch at his eyes. Even if he could regenerate, it would take some time for his eye to grow back. Hopefully.
Blind him, and run. That was the plan.
Eva gasped, as her back hit the wall. She balled her fists and prepared to fight the vampire with her bare hands.
The vampire was charging towards her, but his outline seemed to be blurring. Eva shook her head hard and blinked. He seemed to be coming towards her, but at the same time, he seemed to be receding from her. His body was fading into mist, his golden eyes locked on her.
In another blink, he was nothing but a swirling column of mist.
Eva's fists trembled. How do you fight an intangible enemy? This wasn't fair. He could scoot just about everywhere in an instant, wind around her and hurt her, and she couldn't strike back. Her fist would just smash right through him into the wall. She couldn't hurt him. She would just end up hurting herself.
Not. Fair.
But she finally understood why the NMPD didn't police the paranormals. They couldn't.
The rogue paranormals would just run circles around them. The human police officers would just be chasing mist and shadows, endangering their lives and the lives of the city's residents.
Eva felt a sudden, momentary spike of terror as she realized what she was up against. But the feeling passed, and her fear turned to anger.
Mist or not, she would not let him get the better of her.
Dark Mate (MATE series) Page 1