Hunting Jessica

by Elizabeth St. John

  My heart racing. “Rayce,” I said panicked and reached for him. He was still half asleep. I pulled the sheet down to inspect his neck.

  “What are you doing, babe.”

  His neck was clear. I sighed in relief, “Nothing, I had a bad dream.” With his eyes still closed with sleep, he pulled the blankets over us.

  “You’re safe here,” he whispered.

  “It’s not my safety I’m worried about,” I said as he began to kiss my neck gently.

  “Shh. Let me help you forget that dream.”

  His lips met mine but only for a moment as his mouth traveled back down to my throat. His teeth nibbled my tender skin. His hot hands set me into a fever. I relished in his touch. His eager mouth found my breast and he took a nipple in between his teeth.

  I wrapped my legs around his hips and his cock pressing into me. I could never get enough of his touch. I always came alive when his skin made contact with mine. He braced himself up with his arms and he looked down at me. His hair had grown a lot more and hung down enough so I could push it behind his ear. I thrust my pelvis up a little and his cock brushed against me. He let his weight rest on me. He moved his hips and as he slid between my wet lips, my need grew even more intense.

  “You’re teasing me, Mr. Tate,” I smiled and raked my fingers through his hair.

  “You know you like it,” he grinned.

  I reached down and gripped his perfect ass, lifted my hips and with a slow thrust, he slid inside me. It was a pleasurable hell with him. “Yes,” I hissed as my eyes rolled back. “I do.”

  He rolled over, pulling me over with him. As I began to ride him, he gripped my hips tightly. “Yeah, babe. Faster,” he said pulling me against him. I placed my hand on his chest for support and reached down between my thighs. My climax was building as I fingered my clit quickly. “So, sexy,” he hissed.

  “I’m going to come,” I moaned as I worked my hips in a circular motion.

  “Oh, fuck,” he growled.

  “Not yet, baby,” I begged. His grip on my hips tightened. I moaned as my orgasm hit.

  He released a deep moan of pleasure as he released inside me. I collapsed against his strong chest as I attempted to catch my breath. I twisted my fingers in his hair as he gently let his fingers move up and down the skin of my back.

  “Do you want to talk about your dream?”

  The memory of the dream played back in my mind, “You let Gage kill you.”

  “What?”

  “I know, it sounds so stupid.” I rested my head back down onto his chest.

  “You don’t know how many times I wished he would have. To get it over with and kill me instead of punishing me the way he did,” he said softly.

  “How could you say that?” I hugged my arms around him tightly. I didn’t want to think about Rayce being harmed. I wish there was some way for him to get out of this, anything instead of fighting.

  “Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”

  “Well, so what’s the plan?” His phone rang on the bedside table, I rolled off of him and handed it to him.

  “Hey what’s up, Jay?” he asked.

  “I’m going to shower,” I whispered. He nodded and kissed the air in my direction.

  I needed a moment to myself. I closed the door and started the shower. After I finished, I used a washrag to wipe the moisture from the mirror to look at myself.

  I didn’t look as amazing as I wanted. My skin was still milky and pale, but it didn’t hold the glow I had grown accustomed to. The blood I had in the city had left my system days ago. I loved drinking the blood but I was so sick of needing it. I didn’t want to be hooked on the hunt anymore. I didn’t want to be like Gage. I want to be a hellhound but Rayce was still fighting me on the subject. There was no reason not to turn me. I was already different. I walked out of the bathroom and took a seat at my vanity. Rayce was gone. I brushed my still damp hair into a ponytail and braided it into a long braid.

  Training with Jay started today. I wondered where they would do it. The gym wasn’t exactly ideal. I figured they would do it in a field somewhere beyond prying eyes.

  I really needed to get back to work. Though he was happy to do it, I couldn’t sit around and let Rayce support me. If my boss was here I decided to talk to him about work.

  After dressing, I made my way down the stairs and found Rayce standing at the back door looking outside with a cup of coffee in his hand. His butt looked so nice in his jeans. His shoulders were broad and the way the sun danced across his reddish hair made my heart leap. I was lucky to have him. He made me feel complete. I walked up behind him, wrapped my arms around his waist, and placed my hands on his rock-hard stomach. He has a nice body. I could feel every abdominal muscle flexing under my touch. I could also feel the lifted scars beneath the fabric of his button-down shirt.

  “I love you, Rayce.”

  He turned around and smiled down at me. The setting sun at his back shadowed his face but I could still see his brilliant smile. His sculpted jaw and those fantastic eyes made me shiver. He looked like a Greek God against the sun. He was perfect and all mine.

  “I love you, too.” He pulled me close to his warm body and placed a kiss on the top of my head. “Do you want some coffee? Jay is on his way over. We need to get started on my training today. I have a lot to learn.”

  “Learn? What more do you have to learn? You already know how to fight. I thought you were going to be play fighting so you will be ready.”

  He walked over to the coffee pot and poured me a cup and freshened his. After dressing it the way I like, he placed it on the table and pulled out a chair for me. I walked over and sat down but he didn’t. Then I heard my boss pull up into the driveway.

  Rayce welcomed him in and he headed straight for the coffee on the counter. Once Jay took his seat, Rayce did the same. I was glad Jay was here, not only because of what needed to be done but I also had to find out if we would be hunting anytime soon.

  “Jay, do you have any jobs? I’m running out of money and I need to work,” I expressed.

  Rayce looked over at me in shock.

  Jay cleared his throat, “Jessica, I figured you weren’t…didn’t want to hunt because of the new goings on.”

  “I need money and with you two preparing for the upcoming fight, I figured you would be too busy to hunt. There still is a vampire problem, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, what’s the problem? Do you have others hunting?”

  “No.”

  “Then put me to work. Plus, I’m going to need something to do while you guys are doing your own thing anyway.”

  Rayce didn’t like this idea. He took out a cigarette and lit it, “Babe, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to hunt without me,” he expressed.

  “Why not? I will be fine.” I stated. I could understand the reason why. He wanted to protect me, but not only that. He wanted to protect me from consuming blood again. “Listen, I’m going to keep hunting. You can’t keep me from doing my job because you are afraid of what might happen. I realize I’m becoming hooked on the hunt and I’m trying to control that part of me, but I still have to make money to support myself, I have needs. Now, Jay, do you have any jobs or not?”

  Jay looked at Rayce before answering me. This pissed me off but I kept my mouth shut. Which was probably best for everyone involved, “Yeah, I have a job for you.”

  “Jay,” Rayce snapped.

  “Would it make you feel any better if Marie went with me?”

  “It would ease my mind,” he confessed.

  “It shouldn’t be too difficult for you both to handle. If you want it, it’s yours,” Jay offered.

  “Thanks, Jay,” I reached over and took Rayce’ hand in mine. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Marie will be with me. If I get into any trouble, she is fully capable of taking care of anything that might happen,” I explained with a satisfied smile.

  Jay called Marie. We had about a half an hour before the sun
set completely. I charged upstairs to get ready. I grabbed my bag of extermination equipment, my gun, and strapped my knife to my leg before returning downstairs.

  Rayce stood from his chair and took me in a tight embrace. I could hear a vehicle pulling up into the driveway. Marie tooted the horn once. “Be safe, my love,” Rayce said.

  “I will,” I assured softly. “Thank you.”

  “Anything for you,” he smiled and kissed me before I walked out the back door.

  The night had somewhat of a chill in the air. Spring was upon us. My favorite time of the year, when the flowers bloom and everything turns green. I can do my favorite hobby. I couldn’t wait to begin work in my garden. The endless task of pulling weeds, turning the dirt at the base of the rose bushes, and trimming back the trees was the one thing I enjoyed. I would be able to sit at my window seat in my room and listen to the bird’s sing. It had been too long.

  Marie smiled her great smile as I climbed into the truck. I thought it was too much but she had the heat on a low setting in the cab. I could tell I was going to bake tonight. When she pulled onto Main Street I was hopping in my seat. I needed this. Normality. Well, normality for me.

  “Geez Jessica, you’re about to jump out of your skin. Are you okay?” She let out a little giggle so I did the same.

  “Yes, I’m fine. I haven’t worked in so long. I can’t wait.”

  “I thought you hated hunting vampires.”

  “I thought I did, but I can’t imagine my life without it now. Crazy, right?”

  “A little,” she snickered. “Ok, girl, I have to tell you, you are beginning to freak me out a little.”

  “How so?”

  “You have changed so much since the last time we hunted,” she said. I knew exactly what time she was talking about. The last time we hunted was when I got my first taste of the vampire blood. She was the one who drove me home that night, covered in blood and dirt. But I also remember the way I felt after I had done it and I missed that feeling.

  “I know, but I’m excited to get out of the house and work,” I said happily. My body was a live wire with anticipation.

  “Are you sure it’s the job and not the blood?” she asked.

  I sighed as I thought about her question. “I know I’m hooked but I’m trying my hardest to not think about it. Let’s just hunt, alright?”

  “Do you think that’s a good idea?” I looked at her with a wrinkled brow of confusion. I shrugged. “Jessica, you’re acting like some kind of drug addict or something. It scares me,” she confessed.

  I sat back in my seat and thought about her words. My friend was always honest and direct. She had absolutely no filter. She spoke her mind. That was one of the many things I loved about her. She was right. I was acting like some kind of junkie who couldn’t wait for their next fix. I debated my true motive for this job. When I thought about shooting a vampire, my next thought was to drink its delectable blood.

  “You’re right.” I didn’t need to hunt vampires to keep my independence. I could do that with any job. “You and Rayce are both right.”

  “I usually am,” she giggled. “Are you ready to tell Jay to shove this hunt and go home?” she asked with a smile.

  “I am,” I giggled.

  “Good,” she said but didn’t turn around.

  “I have a question for you and I want you to be honest.”

  “I always am,” she said watching the darkening road.

  “Is the blood you drank in the city still in your system?”

  “No way! I flushed my system with tons of water after we got back. I hate being high,” she stated.

  “But you said you felt good when it was in you,” I said.

  “I did feel good, but only because I didn’t hurt anymore.” She stated. “I mean, yeah, I was high as hell but I hate living like that.”

  “I understand. I like what it does to my body, that’s what I’m addicted to.”

  “Yes, it does make you feel a bit like a queen,” she said with a smile. “I was horny as hell when I was on it too.”

  “Me too,” I announced excitedly.

  “It makes sex phenomenal. Not that Jay and I don’t have amazing sex already. But that night when we went home, we wrecked the house,” she laughed as she turned off the highway.

  “I think I’m gonna have to find a different job,” I confessed. My friend bursts into laughter. “Marie, don’t laugh. If I lose my house, I will be living with you and Jay.”

  That made her laugh even more.

  “Jessica, don’t you realize when you and Rayce got together, that you would never have to work again?”

  “I don’t like the thought of a man supporting me. It causes not only money problems but relationship issues as well. I won’t screw up what Rayce and I have,” I declared.

  “I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Trust me,” she said intently.

  “What does that mean?”

  “That man’s money goes back generations. You are set for life,” she looked over at me. “if you want to be.”

  “Marie, I don’t care about his money.”

  “Girl, don’t worry about a thing. Great things are on the horizon for you and Rayce,” she said smiling her great smile.

  We were headed east, “Where are we going?”

  “I’m taking you home.”

  “My house is north.”

  She smiled, “I know.”

  “Then where are we going?”

  “You will see when we get there,” she said happily and turned on the radio. The drive was becoming long when we finally turned down a winding road. “Welcome to Shadow Lake.”

  “Shadow Lake? Why are we out here?”

  Without answering me, Marie turned down a dirt road that had trees growing tall on both sides. The dim headlights didn’t hit much, only the road and the base of the trees. If anything came darting out in front of the truck it would be creamed before it even knew what happened.

  The truck slowed down to a crawl. We turned right onto a narrow dirt road. It angled downhill toward the water. She hit a curve that turned left before we plummeted into the lake. “We are almost there,” she declared happily.

  “Almost where?” Darkness tried to swallow us. She followed the narrow road until it turned into a paved surface.

  I gasped when we finally entered a glowing yellow light. The light was coming from tiki-torches lining each side of the road. What I saw in the distance was a grand home. The truck crawled to a stop and I unbuckled my seatbelt and opened my door. I stepped out slowly as I took in the gorgeous sight before me.

  It was the house of my dreams. It had a wraparound porch on the first and second story. It was an old plantation home with a red door. I was in love with it immediately. It was the kind of house I wanted when I was a child. The large pillars were painted white and lush bushes lined the front porch.

  The thick grass of the front lawn hugged my feet. Someone took pride in this house and the lawn. Whoever they were worked hard to keep it in its original state. Marie walked around the truck and looked up at the big house with a smile on her face. I was in such awe, I couldn’t speak.

  “I told you that you didn’t have anything to worry about.”

  I took my eyes off of the magnificent home and looked at my friend, confused by her words. “What do you mean?”

  “I told you, you didn’t have anything to worry about when it came down to income or your home for that matter.” She took my hand and pulled me from the spot where my feet had rooted themselves into the ground. I followed her to the side of the great house.

  “Marie, I’m so confused. What are we doing out here?”

  She smiled at me as we came to the back yard of the old house. I could see the movement of two figures in the distance. Rayce and Jay were practicing.

  Marie and I got closer and took a seat on the ground about fifty feet away from the massive hellhounds. We watched them flashing their teeth and growling at each other.


  “Come at me again. This time, slash at me,” I heard Jay instruct in my head.

  Rayce lunged at him. Jay jumped out of the way but Rayce managed to bat at him with his huge paw and knock him from the air. He was careful not to hit him with his claws. Of course, I could hear them in their hellhound forms, which I still found fascinating. They were amazing creatures.

  “They look great, don’t they?” Marie asked.

  They didn’t seem to tire at all, though I know they did. Almost as if they had all the energy in the world. “Does seeing them make you want to change and join in on the play?” I asked laughing.

  She giggled and smiled in the direction of Jay, “Actually, it does. Sometimes we do play. It helps to stay loose. Plus, it is a great aphrodisiac,” she giggled.

  I laughed. Marie liked her sex and wasn’t afraid or embarrassed to say it. Then a question popped into my head and I wasn’t sure how to ask it. “Do you guys ever…you know…um,” I paused.

  “What?” she grinned.

  “What I mean is,” I was embarrassed to even say it. “Is it possible to do the deed in that form?” I finally asked.

  “Well, if you must know. It is possible, but I don’t like to do it that way. There isn’t anything intimate about it, ya know?”

  “True,’ I said nodding.

  “We can’t feel each other’s skin and it makes me feel like a dog. I would rather have doggy style as a human,” she giggled.

  Once the heat faded from my cheeks, I looked back up at Rayce. He was right in my face in his hellhound form. He was a quiet hunter. If I were a vampire, I would be fucked. I jumped back because he was so close to my face. I laughed and pushed him back playfully. Rayce and Jay ran toward the house. Moments later, they both came out of a side door dressed. I stood from the ground and brushed off my butt. Rayce took out a cigarette and lit it before he walked down the steps, leading off the porch. I wanted to rip those buttons off his shirt and touch his hot skin. This man drove my body senseless. I wanted him every minute of every day.

  “Marie, where are we?” I asked confused.

  “Come on, Jessica. This house belongs to Rayce.” I was choking. I couldn’t get anything out. Marie grabbed me by my shoulders and shook the air from my lungs. “Jessica, get a grip.”