The Serpent's Kiss (The Hunter Chronicles Book 4)

by Claire Marta

  Jasmine lay beneath him naked and aroused. He hadn’t even touched her. Yet just his words, his power, his spoken intentions had her wet and ready.

  Throwing the knife across the room in a blur, it embedded in the wall opposite them. Then Asier came to rest over her still wearing his black harem pants.

  “You’re not naked.” Jasmine protested breathlessly. The stroke of her fingers wandered greedily over his firm muscled back. She loved to touch him. It was becoming addictive. Just as his power over her was becoming an addiction. With a hum of appreciation she licked his inked flesh.

  A seductive smile tilted the vampire’s full lips. “I don’t need to be naked to bring you pleasure Jasmine.”

  There was a wonderfully wicked look in his gaze. Pushing her flat he licked her collar bone. The brush of his satiny hair caressed her heated skin as he moved. Staring up at the ceiling Jasmine obey his silent command to stay still. She was becoming used to his demanding ways. Breathing increasing with exhilaration, she dug her fingernails into the matted floor.

  Splaying her thighs, Asier rested himself between them. His lean chiseled body loomed over her, trapping her in place. Jasmine was not afraid. She wanted him god help her. Wanted the things he could do to her. The things he promised.

  “Please Asier. I need you.” She whined with urgency. A throbbing began inside her. A need to feel his cock buried deep again as he bought her to mind numbing ecstasy. A place where she did not need to think about Eric. Somewhere her broken heart soared. The vampire’s power flared around her making her groan with longing.

  “Dove? Where do you need me?” Asier asked as he crawled slowly down her body.

  Taking his hand she guided it between her legs. Carefully she rested it on the dark curls that covered her mound. “Here.” She replied shyly. “I need you inside me.”

  Kissing the spot reverently, his lips teased their way to the glistening folds of her waiting pussy. “Hmm you offer me paradise but I think you need something else don’t you?”

  His hot breath moved abruptly to caress the skin of her inner thigh. Dragging his fangs lightly over the area he drew out the delightful torture. Jasmine closed her eyes. The tip of her tongue wet her dry lips in anticipation. She knew she was a junkie after another fix of bliss. Heart beating fast, she knew she needed this. Fuck, it was all she could think about now.

  Asier’s fangs continued to graze her flesh. God he loved to tease. Clawing at the mat beneath her, Jasmine fought the urge to grab his hair and force him to give her want she needed. What she starved for.

  “You want it bad tonight don’t you Jasmine.” It was a statement not a question.

  A shiver ran over her at the knowing tone in his accented voice. She did. It was so transparent. Jasmine was caught. Trapped in this moment. The Italian took pity on her. Pain, sharp and sweet pierced through her as he sank his fangs in to feed, and then came the pleasure.

  It flooded every cell in her body. Ecstasy hit her so hard that her back arched of the floor. A moan of elation left her throat. It left her legs shuddering in pure rapture. Jasmine let herself fly apart. To a place that she no longer had to think. A place she only had to feel. No more Eric. No more worry. No more pain from the need of a vampire’s bite. How long she drifted on the wave of contentment she did not know. But when she came back to herself Asier was kissing her tenderly.

  With a tiny murmur her mouth parted willingly greet his invasion. Coaxing her tongue, he entwined it lazily with his own. Jasmine remained pliant beneath him allowing herself to enjoy the Italian’s softer side. Breaking off the kiss, Asier raised his head. His hair had fallen to enclose them once more in an intimate curtain of satiny onyx strands. His hand rested around Jasmine’s neck. It didn’t hurt, but the hold was firm. Possessive.

  “Only I can give you what you crave. Only I can satisfy you in the way you need.” He murmured his violet gaze intent on hers.

  “Yes.” Jasmine whispered back not even bothering to deny it. “Oh yes.”

  Triumph blazed in the depth of his stare. Mood changing, they began to deepen to a darker colour with his emotions. He wanted her. Desired her so much he could not hide it. Jasmine felt a strange rush of joy. She watched him kneel up to strip off his trousers. His hungry look raked her body as she remained lying willing and docile. Jasmine’s own gaze feasted on the animal strength of his muscled frame. Beautiful. He took her breath away every time she saw him completely naked.

  Asier was becoming her favourite sin. A habit. The longer she was in his presence the more she succumbed to his power of lust. The Italian was the devil incarnate. So hard to refuse. Raggedly she released a sigh. Jasmine would take what the Master Vampire offered. His bite and the mind blowing kinky fucking. She wasn’t about to let good sex confuse her heart into thinking she was in love again. Already she had been hurt by one vampire. It was something she wasn’t about to repeat.

  Jasmine was more than confident she could handle what was between them. This was just a bit of fun. Asier might think he had her. The truth was she would only give as much as she was willing. She was not about to become the Master Vampire’s pet.

  Jasmine would submit to his dark pleasures to meet her own needs. Embrace it. And she was going to enjoy it. He was bringing her back. Chasing the shadows from her heart. Pulling her from her aching for Eric and forcing her to live again. Maybe this had been what she had needed all along.

  Asier paced back and forth. His chest was bare and the muscles glistened with sweat. Raising his arm he bought the force of the whip cracking against Kane’s vulnerable naked back. The Viking vampire grunted. He was on his knees, brawny arms stretched out at his sides. Heavy metal chains held them up and in place. He was helpless.

  “Come on, snap out of this.” Asier hissed. They had been at this for hours. Jasmine was asleep and he had forced himself to leave her in his bed. He wanted to go back.

  Flicking the whip back, he lashed it once more against the other vampire’s flesh. It split open. Thick rivulets of blood streamed from the wounds. The silver metal barb at the whip’s tip was doing its job. Yet he was not sure it was going to be enough. Kane’s pain threshold was high. Almost as high as his own.

  Even the trace of the silver’s poison which would be flowing through his bloodstream might not be potent enough. Asier pursed his lips. If he upped the dosage it could permanently damage his second in command. How far was he willing to go to get him back? Intense pain or pleasure was the only way to break the hold of the elf’s potion. Even with Shell dead Kane was still in its grip. Asier had to breach it. This he had learned from Twitch.

  The information had come at a costly price. It strangely did not bother him as much as he thought it would. He glanced down at his smooth forearm where his demonic contract had once been visible. It was bare of the leering inked face. Lexi’s heartbeat was something though he missed. Getting used to not seeing the tattoo there would take some time. Perhaps he would replace it with something else he mused.

  “Fuck that hurts.” Kane suddenly moaned through clenched teeth, his colossal body tensing. The muscles in his back tensed as the wounds began to heal. The skin knitted together seamlessly.

  “Are you finally back with me?” Asier enquired silkily. Tightening his grip on the dark leather handle of his whip he swung it gently across the floor.

  The other vampire’s arms flexed beneath the chains. “Yeah.” Kane grumbled as he tried to tug himself free. “Let me up.”

  Asier smirked. It was not going to be that easy. Swinging back his arm he lashes his captive’s back several more times. New wounds opening temporarily, the blonde male’s skin drenched even more with his precious blood.

  Kane released a torrent of swear words. “What the fuck was that for?”

  Lowering his weapon, Asier stalked around him. Using the handle of the whip he placed it under Kane’s chin and forced his head up.

  “You’re stupidity with Shell.” He told him with a hard cold glare. “You should have kn
own better. You’re lucky I trust you so well.”

  Jerking away Kane groaned. “Shit man. I get it. I’m done with fucking elves believe me.”

  “Good.”

  A whimper drew their attention. The human was crouching in a corner naked. Terror written across his features, the male was shaking. Fear. Alluring to their senses it clogged the room.

  “I bought you something to drink.” Asier told his second as he unlocked the chains that held him.

  Kane rubbed his wrists. His hungry gaze found the offering. James Mayson. The man who had cut up Sally, one of the house slaves while high on drugs. They had kept him captive.

  Claus, the vampire who loved her, had spent his spare time torturing him. No one knew where he was. They had made sure that he had simply disappeared.

  Pushing up onto his feet Kane rolled his shoulders and neck until they clicked. “Glad to see you still care.”

  Asier grinned. “If I didn’t care you would be dust by now. When you’re finished, clean up and get upstairs on the club floor. Your presence should be seen. Its business like usual.”

  Kane did not answer. Instead he strode with deadly purpose towards his prey.

  Turning swiftly, Asier left him to feed. There were other things that needed his attention before he could retire to his bed.

  Moving down the brightly lit corridor, he headed for a part of the basement rarely used. This was off limits to everyone, including Kane. No one but Asier knew what secrets were hidden there. It was his private place. He ran his hand across the wall. When he found the slight indentation he was looking for, he pressed it inwards. The whole area shuddered. Then in a faultless motion a secret door slid open.

  Asier padded barefoot into the hidden chambers. The first one held cherished memories. His knife collection spanned the wall. It consisted of over a thousand different types of blades from around the world and throughout the centuries.

  Twenty glass cases stood dotted around the room. Each one illuminated with a narrow spot light which showed off the items inside.

  Asier trailed his fingers over the nearest. It held an original copy of a book written by Marquis de Sade. A human Asier had known well. The Frenchman had enjoyed the art of giving pain to his lovers.

  The next stand held a scarf. Asier smiled fondly at the garment. The perfume which had lingered on it had long ago faded. Yet he still remembered the smell of Mata Hari’s favourite scent. She had been an intriguing woman. A female spy back in the Second World War who had used her feminine wiles to extract information. They’d been lovers for a short time. Before she had been caught.

  Asier’s gaze drifted across the room to the newest display. Inside it held a dagger. It was the one Jasmine had given him in Prague. One day perhaps he would share this room with her. It was a thought he found pleasing. Very few had ever set eyes on his treasures. It was something though he would like to show the girl.

  Asier shook of the reminiscence’s. This was not what he had come here for. Stride becoming brisk, he made his way through the displays and through another door. The chamber it led to was much bigger than the first. Tanks and vivariums filled the walls. The occupants watched him with interest. Asier took a moment to let pride swell through his chest.

  Snakes of every kind were coiled behind the glass. It was a unique collection. He owned the most deadly varieties. Their poisons were a rarity. Something he studied and used in certain pursuits he enjoyed. Each serpent was well cared for. He treasured them as much as the trinkets in his other exhibit room. Biting on his lip he eagerly hurried to his new additions.

  The two large green eggs lay beneath a heat light in a tank he’d had specially prepared for them. Sliding back the lid he carefully examined one. They were yet to hatch. Once they did he would nurture them like any loving parent until they reached full maturity. They would be his pride and joy. Asier already had plans to send them to his compound in South America. There they would have space to grow and thrive.

  He was certain their mother who he had been forced to destroy in the subway had still been young. How big would these ones become in time? Would they be as intelligent? It was an exciting prospect. One he was going to enjoy. Finding the right combination for the ‘Serpent’s kiss’ drug was also something he intended to learn.

  Lips tilting up at the corners, Asier smirked. He always got what he wanted in the end. There was no exception. Both the drug and the serpents were now in his hands. And he had all the time in the world to perfect them.

  Jasmine had no idea he taken them. It had been easy enough to hide them during the fire somewhere they would be left untouched. Going back for them had also not been a task. Now it was all under his control. Something for the future. Making sure the egg was back in place, he closed the tank.

  A new enemy had been exposed. This Doctor who lurked in the shadows though would be no match for him. If Asier did not end him first, then Eric surely would. It seemed they had a common foe.

  Rising gracefully from his stool he took one last look around. He had no more time to waste. Things were in order. His world was once more firmly under his rule.

  Leaving behind the secrecy of his personal chambers he made sure the wall sealed shut behind him. Jogging up the stairs he felt the vibration of music. It thumped against the floor, the walls. The club tonight was packed as ever. Yet Asier had no interest in entertaining. All that he wanted was already waiting in his very own bed.

  Taking the private back route he prowled up the stairs to his flat. The place was in darkness. Not bothering to turn on any lights he padded quickly towards the bedroom. Pausing in the doorway he stared at the beauty. Jasmine lay snuggled beneath the blankets laying on her front. From her slow even breathing he knew she was asleep. She looked so innocent there. So perfect.

  The girl had survived the scorch of his fire. Come through its blister unscathed. She had not wielded it though as he had hoped, like she had with Eric’s coldness, but still it was a start. Asier released a sigh. Maybe in time it would be possible. It was something he would like to see.

  Stripping off his clothes, Asier slipped naked back in beside her. Jasmine did not stir. He was not surprised. She was exhausted and sated after their long bout of kinky sex. He had taken her hard and savagely tonight leaving, bruises and his teeth marks on her thighs.

  It had heightened her pleasure. She had climaxed so many times that he knew it had been unbearable in the end. The girl though had given herself up willingly to him. A slave to his seductive power. He had also taken her blood. It still warmed his skin even now. A sweet taste still lingering in his mouth.

  Asier ghosted his fingertips down her spine. The fine sheen of sweat on her body had long ago cooled. She sighed, murmuring softly in her sleep. Leaning forwards he placed a kiss to her shoulder. He let his lips remain for a moment. Jasmine’s heartbeat was a soothing rhythm to his ears.

  The softness of his long black hair spilled across the paleness of her back. Asier admired the contrast. Jasmine would look good in black. The colour suited her. Something feminine that would show of her youthful figure.

  He was no longer interested in her just for the sake of riling Eric. This female had spirit and heart. She was eager to learn. Jasmine would become his Protégé. His pupil. What she needed was a firm hand to mould her. Train her. Asier was more than willing to be her tutor in all things. He would teach her the discipline she so lacked. How to fight. Show her the true meaning of sexual desire. Build up her strength and confidence. She would be as deadly as she was beautiful. A force to be reckoned with.

  Still Jasmine held part of herself back. Asier could see this clearly. The heartache that Eric had left made her guarded wary. It was something he would erase over time. With coaxing and seducing he could make her truly his. He had never wanted a female so completely before. Being Jasmine’s only source of pleasure was something he would achieve with ease. Asier would become the core of her addiction.

  He would spend many nights plunging into her. Fuck
ing her again and again. Letting her lose herself in his embrace. Filling her with his essence. Drenching her with it. The smell of his scent was already over her body. He would keep it that way. This was how he would mark her. Brand her.

  Jasmine was his now. His favourite possession. Asier was greedy though. It would be all or nothing. Trust. Devotion. Loyalty. He would also have her heart. Pressing another kiss to her skin, he savoured the taste. He was playing for keeps. It was a game he intended to win. Asier would do everything in his power ensure it.

  “Mine.” He whispered the word with a smirk.

  The End

  Thank you for reading

  The Serpent’s Kiss by Claire Marta

  If you enjoyed my story please let me know in a way of a review. Writing them means more to an author than you know. I would very much like to hear from my readers. Below are links to my fan pages and other social Media if you wish to follow me.

  Twitch’s book is next in the series and if you loved him in my third book you will love him in this one.

  Sincerely,

  Claire Marta

  Playlist

  Mercy – Shawn Mendes

  My Way – Calvin Harris

  S&M – Rihanna

  Cockiness (Love it) – Rihanna

  Toxic – Britney Spears

  Slut Like You – Pink

  Walk of Shame – Pink

  In the Name of Love – Martin Garrix, Bebe Rexha

  Core of my Addiction – FireFlight

  Warrior (Remix) – Beth Crowley

  About the Author

  Claire Marta has a passion for writing and finally took the plunge being published with her first book, Frostbite, the first novel in The Hunter Chronicles.

  She has always been a fan of everything paranormal, especially romance books.

  A native Brit, she lives in Italy with her husband and daughter. When she is not writing, and drinking copious amounts of tea, she enjoys taking photos of her adoptive country, trying to stay fit with running, reading amazing books and being a stay at home mother.