“Understandable. You going to tell him the truth?”
She laughs darkly and turns away. I can’t help myself. My gaze drops to the perfect ass barely covered by a small piece of black cotton. It’s fucking delicious, and to use her words—I want desperately to sink my teeth into her.
But not to drink.
No, I’m thinking something a hell of a lot less like eating and more like fucking until we’re both too exhausted to worry about the shit storm brewing around us.
She stretches up and grabs a glass from the cabinet near her fridge then pulls down a bottle of whiskey. “Want some?” she asks, turning toward me.
“That’d be great, thanks.” Even if I didn’t want more, I still would have said yes if only to see her stretch up again.
Fuck me. A vampire attracted to a hunter? My ancestors are turning over in their fucking graves right now. But it’s more than that—isn’t it? I crave her, unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. I want her blood, her body, her essence.
I want it all.
She hands me a glass, and I tilt it up, downing the liquid in one gulp. Rainey arches a perfectly shaped dark eyebrow and hands me the bottle. “Help yourself,” she says and moves past me into the living room.
I pour some into the glass, drink it quickly, then refill and follow her into the living room. “I should tell you that when I went to the Gale nest, their leader told me he’d been contacted by someone—a woman—who promised him a seat on their council should he manage to take you out.”
“Which council?”
“No fucking clue. There’s no way the vampires or immortals would give up a seat on the Council for the mere task of killing a hunter.”
“Gee, thanks,” she replies dryly.
“Not what I meant.”
“He couldn’t tell you anything else?”
“No, and I asked one last time before ripping his head off.”
“Thanks for doing that, by the way. Saved me some vengeance on the asshole. I was planning on seeking him out at the club as soon as I got a chance.”
“You’re welcome. What are your plans now that you know you’re being targeted?”
“My captain doesn’t want me to come in. Thinks it’s best for me to lay low until they figure out who’s coming after me.”
“Probably smart,” I agree. Keeping her out of sight is a smart move.
“Except you and I both know they won’t figure it out.”
“If they’re killing people to get to you though—is it not better to follow your captain’s orders?”
She glares at me. “I know she’s right. The man in the trailer, he was used specifically to draw me out. First at the club, then when I went to his home. Then today—I just don’t know why a perfectly happy man would kill himself. And the coincidences? Too many to chock up to sheer chance.”
“What coincidences?” I ask, and she stares over at me. She draws her bottom lip in and bites down. Rainey is not used to talking to people—to including someone else in her thought process. I’m determined to change that. “Look, if we’re going to work together, to try to figure out what’s going on with your sister’s emails and who’s after you, you’re going to have to trust me.”
Her eyes widen. “The emails! I didn’t even check today.” Rainey shoves her glass at me and jumps to her feet. As she rushes into her bedroom, I follow, setting the glasses on the counter as I pass by.
She’s standing inside the dark room, phone in hand. The light from the screen is the only thing illuminating her features, and it somehow makes her appear delicate when Rainey is anything but.
“Anything?” I ask, and she nods.
“But it doesn’t make any sense. What the hell is up with the cryptic emails?”
“May I?” I hold out my hand, and she hesitates only for a second before handing it over. Hey, that’s progress.
R-
By now, I hope you’ve read my last email. It’s important that you read them in order, so if you haven’t, get your ass back and do it now.
There are people out there, people hunting you for what you are. And not just because you’re a hunter. It’s much more complicated than that. To find answers, go to the place we used to pass as kids. The place we said we would never enter.
There, you will find more of what you seek.
-D
“I mean, ‘more of what you seek’? What the hell does that even mean?” Rainey flops back onto her mattress and pinches the bridge of her nose.
“Are you all right?”
“My head hurts. Had my jaw shattered today.”
Anger burns inside me, a slow and steady fire being stoked each time she’s injured. I know there’s nothing I can do to change the past, and even as much as I want to go back and kill the assholes all over again…unfortunately, it’s not possible.
So, I do what I can to help. Reaching over, I set her phone down on the nightstand and stand in front of her. “May I help you?”
Rainey moves her hand to peer up at me in the dark. “Help with what?”
“Your headache.”
“And how are you planning on doing that?”
“Fuck, Rainey. Haven’t we established I mean you no harm?”
“You’ll excuse my hesitation seeing as how every vampire in the city seems to want me dead.”
“The world,” I clarify. “If Day Walkers are here, that must mean you’ve caught the attention of the Council.”
“Well, isn’t that peachy? They’re taking notice.”
“They are. Now, can I help you?”
Rainey sits up and nods slightly. I strip off my jacket and undo the cuffs of my shirt, rolling the sleeves up and climbing onto her mattress. I lean back against her headboard and stretch my legs out. “Come here.”
She raises an eyebrow. “What are you getting at?”
“For fuck’s sake, Rainey, I’m not going to eat you.”
“It’s not eating I’m worried about.” She stares at me, and I groan.
“I’m not going to try and fuck you either.”
She swallows hard, her pulse increasing, and I wonder if she realizes the intense arousal she’s putting off because my fucking body sure does. Finally, she climbs up further and turns, sliding back between my legs, stiff as a statue.
“You need to relax,” I tell her as I reach up and run my fingers down the back of her neck. Slowly, I brush her hair to the side.
“That’s easier said than done.”
“This won’t work unless you do.”
She reaches over beside us, slipping her hand beneath the pillow and leaving it there. I know what she’s grabbed, and while I don’t blame her, I hate that she still doesn’t trust me.
I need her to trust me. And not just because of what we may be facing. But for my own sanity as well.
One hand drops lower on her back, applying firm pressure to the center of her spine. With my other hand, I cup the back of her neck, pressing the tips of my fingers at the joints of her jaw. My hand is large enough that I can reach both at the same time, so I begin to knead the skin. Applying pressure and massaging at the same time.
Within seconds, Rainey is relaxing into my touch. A sigh leaves her lips, a fucking aphrodisiac that goes straight to my cock. I take a deep breath, attempting to slow my already racing heart. Typically, it beats so damned fast I can barely feel it, but right now, sitting here with Rainey? It’s hammering, and I wonder if it won’t burst straight out of my ribs.
“That feels good,” she says, leaning back into me.
I clear my throat. “Easing some of your pain?”
“Yes. All of it. How are you doing that?”
“Pressure points. Tip your head up.” She does what I ask, putty in my hands, and I slip my hand around to the front of her throat then up over her face, applying pressure to the spots right in front of her ears. I have to move my other hand as she leans back, her body molding perfectly to my chest.
“Your heart, it sounds diffe
rent.”
Because I’m fighting the urge to keep my promise when all I want to do is bury myself inside of you. “I’m fine.”
She arches against me, face tipped toward the ceiling so I can see her relaxed expression.
“The pain is gone,” she slurs as she yawns. Her body took a beating today—not quite like it did in the alley but enough that she still has some healing to do. Which explains her exhaustion. But before I can move and let her get to sleep, her head lulls to the side, and she drifts, her breathing becoming steady, her heart slowing down.
I drop my hand to her waist, draping my arm around her and leaning my head back against her headboard. I hold onto her, gripping her to my chest as though she may disappear. The feel of her pressed against me, it’s doing more to me than I could ever have imagined.
But I won’t do shit to change it. Rainey makes me feel alive when for so long I’ve felt like the walking corpse my kind has been portrayed as in movies for decades.
And this path that led me here, to this moment, is one I will forever cherish. Even if what I’m feeling will mean a death sentence for us both.
28
Rainey
Sunlight pouring in through my window warms my face. I open my eyes, squinting as I glance around my room. Someone shifts behind me, and I stiffen, tilting my head up and taking in Elijah’s face bathed in warm light.
Holy shit. I slept with a vampire last night.
I mean, no sex, obviously, but we shared a bed. More than that, you dumbass. I’m pressed against his chest, situated right between his legs, wearing nothing but a pair of underwear and a damned tank top.
What the hell was I thinking? In less than a week, my carefully planned life has turned into one crazy-ass experience after the other.
And let’s not even talk about the murder of crows determined to watch me die. Carefully, I reach down and grab his hand, lifting it off my waist. He shifts, but his eyes remain closed, so I move forward onto my knees to crawl off my bed.
“That’s a hell of a sight to wake up to,” he grumbles, his accent even thicker first thing in the morning.
“Don’t get used to it,” I snap back and get all the way off my bed, no longer worried about waking him.
“How do you feel?”
I roll my neck, grateful my headache is completely gone. “Fine.” Then, I step into the closet to pull out a pair of pants.
Dressing quickly, I grab my silver dagger currently sheathed in leather and stick it down into the back of my leggings. By the time I’m done, Elijah is already out of my bedroom, the door shut.
Since he’s not here, I take a minute to breathe, trying to forgive myself for sleeping so soundly despite there being a vampire in my room. Because, damn, I haven’t slept that good in years. Surrounded by his strength—his warmth—I’d slept dreamlessly and without worry.
I’m in trouble here, aren’t I?
With one last deep breath, I open the door and step into my living room. Elijah is standing in front of my coffee pot, dumping grounds into the basket and pressing brew. “Making you coffee,” he says as if it’s a totally normal thing for him to do.
“Why?”
He glances over his shoulder, ice-blue eyes narrowed curiously on my face. “Why what?”
“Why are you doing this—being this way toward me?”
“I told you.”
“You were friends with my sister, not me. So why do you keep popping up?”
He considers my question. “Because I think you deserve to live, and I worry if I don’t, you’ll die.”
His words are a massive hit to my pride. “I’ve been taking care of myself just fine for the last few years.”
“You pissed off the Vampire Council who already deemed you such a threat they sent Day Walkers after you.”
“I can take care of—”
“I didn’t finish.” Elijah turns to face me, leaning against the counter and crossing both arms over his muscled chest.
“Then please, do go on.”
“You aren’t fully aware of what you’re capable of, and that makes you a liability.”
“I’m a hunter. I’m pretty damn sure I know what that means.”
“You’re not a hunter, Rainey. You’re The Hunter. As in the last in The Bloodline.”
“I know all that.”
“But do you know what it means?”
I cross my arms, mimicking his stance. “It means I carry my family’s complete legacy within my blood. All their strength, their abilities.”
“Yes, but it’s so much more than that.” He smiles, and I get the impression he’s almost excited about this revelation he’s choosing to share with me.
“Care to elaborate?”
“I will.” The coffee pot beeps, so he turns and pulls my mug from beneath the drip spout and turns to set it on the counter in front of me. “In time.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“We have more pressing matters to deal with. That email your sister sent you. Have you figured out what it means?”
“You mean since I passed out last night and only just woke up?” Sarcasm drips from my voice, and the way his lips quirk up in a half-smile tells me he gathered it too.
“May I see it again?”
“Sure. My phone is on the nightstand.”
He moves past me and disappears into my bedroom, only to return less than a minute later, my cell in hand. “I assume you don’t wish for me to go searching for it.”
“You assume correctly.” Glaring, I hold out my hand. As soon as he hands it to me, I go into my emails and open the last one Delaney sent me.
My eyes travel over the email again, taking in every single word as I review it as though it’s my first time reading it.
R-
By now, I hope you’ve read my last email. It’s important that you read them in order, so if you haven’t, get your ass back and do it now.
There are people out there, people hunting you for what you are. And not just because you’re a hunter. It’s much more complicated than that. To find answers, go to the place we used to pass as kids. The place we said we’d never enter.
There, you will find more of what you seek.
-D
“Go to the place we used to pass as kids. The place we said we’d never enter.” I say the words out loud, hoping they might make more sense if I do as I rack my brain for the location she’s referring to.
“You have no idea where that is?” he asks and holds out his hand.
I place my cell in his palm, shivering when my fingertips brush his. My heart rate increases as I meet his intense gaze. Whatever the hell this is that I’m feeling? He’s feeling it too—I can see it.
Swallowing hard, I turn away and lift the mug to my lips.
Elijah clears his throat and studies the screen. “That place we used to pass as kids,” Elijah reads. “Any particular route you used to take?”
“No, for the most part we—” I trail off as a memory takes root, an afternoon in the rain, staring at a bright green garden shed my parents had just disappeared into. “Salem,” I say, looking up at him.
“Salem? As in Massachusetts? Salem Witch Trials?”
I nod. “We used to go there nearly every weekend with my parents and spent every summer until they died at our grandmother’s estate house.”
He arches an eyebrow. “Your family has an estate in Salem?”
“Yes.”
“Well then, I suppose we’re going to Salem.”
“Seriously? You’re going with me?”
“Yes. And I’ll tell you a bit more on the way. Get dressed, I’ll get the travel scheduled.” He pulls out his cell and turns away from me.
I should argue, should tell him those emails were meant for me, but as my heart begins to pound, and I stare down at the email, I realize I really don’t want to do this alone. I haven’t been back to Salem since the summer I turned twelve. My family’s estate was transferred into my name upon the deat
h of my sister, but I never wanted to go back and walk those haunted halls.
Seems my sister had other plans.
29
Elijah
“Well, that was the easiest time I’ve ever had in an airport,” Rainey jokes as we step off my jet and onto the tarmac of a private airport just outside of Salem.
“Glad to hear it. Thanks,” I add to the pilot.
“No problem. We’ll be ready whenever you are.”
“Sounds good.” I lift my bag and reach for Rainey’s, but she pulls it out of reach.
“I can carry my own bag.”
“Just trying to offer you full service of Hawthorne Airlines,” I joke despite my bruised pride. I have no fucking clue what else I have to do to get her to trust me. Obviously, I don’t plan on killing her, or I would have already.
We walk toward the car, and I pop open the trunk, tossing my bag inside and stepping away so Rainey could drop hers in. As soon as she does, I close it and walk around to the side of the car. When I open the door and move to the side, she just stares at me.
“Shit, Rainey, I know you can open the damned door by yourself, but would you just get the hell in?”
She grins at me. “I just wanted to see what you’d do. The whole fake joke thing to try and please me? Not interested.”
“Noted.”
She slides in, and I follow.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Hawthorne. Where are we headed?”
Rainey leans forward and hands the driver a piece of paper. “Here,” she says, and he takes it, nodding.
“I know the place well. It holds a bit of history for us.”
“Your family’s estate?” I ask, and Rainey turns toward me, all earlier humor gone from her beautiful face.
She nods.
A hunter’s estate.
The car pulls off the tarmac, and I watch Rainey as she stares out the window, studying the scenery as we pass.
Salem is beautiful. One of the most historically relevant locations for supernaturals, due to its bloodied history. Most humans don’t realize it, but the Salem Witch Trials weren’t the start of the revolution against us.
No, the bloody war goes back much further than that, centuries even if you take in the rest of the world. The ground here is so full of energy I can feel it in my bones, and I’m sure Rainey can as well, given her heritage.
Blood Hunt Page 19