Blood Hunt

by Butcher, Shannon K.

  Hope’s fingers slid into his hair and she tugged him to her. He let her have her way, kissing her open mouth to claim the space for his own.

  Ravenous need that had nothing to do with blood swelled inside him. His cock throbbed against her belly, demanding entrance into the slick heat of her body. The rub of her swimsuit angered him, so he took control of the dream long enough to rid them both of their clothing.

  Her hot, naked skin against his felt better than any he’d ever touched. Her nipples rubbed over his chest until she was arching into him for more. The smooth skin of her stomach, made slick by his need, stroked his erection, teasing it with a promise of more. She set his nerve endings alight, sending shivers of desire coursing through him.

  “I want you,” she whispered, breaking their kiss. Her thighs opened, giving him room to settle between.

  A deep groan rumbled in his chest as he tried to resist her invitation. It was too soon. He hadn’t loved her enough yet for her to be ready.

  Her hips thrust up, trying to mate them together. She grabbed his hair and forced his mouth to her throat. “Here,” she said.

  She was asking for his bite? The idea made his entire body clench in need. He’d never fed on a woman while he took her. The risk of losing control was too great.

  But not here. Not in this dream where nothing was real.

  Her fervent request couldn’t be right, and his immediate reaction was to seek out the truth. He dove deeper into her mind, searching for some sign that he’d misinterpreted.

  All he found was an image of him through her eyes—one too beautiful to be real—and her writhing desire to be with him and feel him take her body and her blood.

  There was no question in Logan’s mind. She wanted it.

  And he was going to give it to her.

  He thrust any hesitance from his thoughts and let the predator in him loose. It howled in victory, and an unusual strength flooded his body. He felt muscles grow and bones harden as he pinned her hands above her head. Her amber eyes widened, and he couldn’t tell if it was from fear or surprise.

  Part of him didn’t even care. She was his now and he was going to make the most of it.

  Need prowled through his blood, pounding in impatience. It would have been easy to shift his hips and push inside her, but more than wanting the pleasure of doing that, he wanted the pleasure of seeing her lose control. He wanted her to fall apart in his arms and scream in climax as he took her.

  Logan pinned her writhing hips in place with one thigh while he brought his lips to her throat. His fangs scraped across her skin, making her suck in a breath. He teased her, kissing and nibbling his way down her throat. Her delicate collarbone intrigued him, and he licked his way across it to the hollow of her throat. Her pulse pounded hard and fast, in time with her rapid breathing.

  “Please,” she begged him, and the sound of pleading in her tone filled him with a deep satisfaction. There was no question whether she wanted him.

  Logan kept her wrists pinned in one hand while he let his fingers slide down her arm. The heated silk of her skin made something dark and primitive rise up in celebration. Laid out like this for him, she was a feast. Her scent went to his head and the sound of her pounding heart and sighs of need made him feel invincible.

  His pale hand cupped her breast. She arched as if trying to force him to brush over her nipple, but he resisted the urge, knowing how much better for her it would be if he made her wait for it.

  She fit into his wide palm perfectly. The pounding of her heart beneath her flesh called to him, as did her struggles to get him to comply with her wishes.

  A deep yearning hunger spread through Logan, making his mouth water. He needed to know how she tasted, how her nipple felt as it beaded against his tongue. He needed to hear her sounds of pleasure as he suckled her.

  Waiting became impossible. Her strength grew with each languid twist of her body.

  What if she woke up before they were done?

  A searing sense of desperation gripped him at the thought. This was his one and only time to be with her. Never again would he allow himself to indulge in the feel of her skin or the gasping sighs of her pleasure.

  A fever overtook him, stripping him of control. He covered the tip of her breast with his mouth, soaking in her satisfied cry. He licked and suckled her while his hand stole down between their bodies.

  Her sex was slick and hot. It clenched around his finger, making Logan shake with the need to feel her around his cock.

  He tried to be gentle, but his movements were rough and demanding as he pushed her thighs wide and lined up their bodies. She bathed the tip of his cock in silken heat, tempting him. He held himself back, barely resisting the urge to shove inside her until she could take no more.

  Hope’s hips lifted, meeting him with an urgency that neared desperation. Their bodies melded together perfectly as if they’d each been made for the other.

  Once again, she guided his mouth to her neck. “Now, Logan. I can’t wait.”

  Which suited him just fine. Held in the snug perfection of her body, stroking every slick inch, he wasn’t going to last long.

  “Are you sure?” he asked her because he couldn’t stand not to, because he couldn’t stand her looking at him in revulsion, even if what he’d done was only a dream.

  “Yes.”

  He surged forward, sliding deep as his fangs pierced her skin. Hot blood filled his mouth, tasting of desire and pleasure. Hope moaned and clutched at his back, scoring his skin.

  Physical sensations ricocheted through his body. He was overcome by the taste of her, the scent of her. The feel of her sex gripping him as he thrust savagely into her body stole his mind. Sweet cries of building pleasure vibrated under his lips as he consumed her blood, her power.

  It wasn’t like a normal feeding. It was more. Deeper. The two of them were connected in a way he’d never allowed himself before—in a way none of his kind allowed.

  The thrill of the forbidden rose up inside him. He let it take over and send him crashing over the edge. He sucked hard on her throat, demanding she give up her blood. Her body clenched, every muscle locking down as a high-pitched scream of completion shattered the air. He’d made her feel good. Made her come. A sense of victory rang through him. His orgasm ripped from him, forcing his hips forward, shoving his cock deep into her soft body as he let go of all control.

  Hope shuddered around him, shaking as the last waves of her orgasm held her in its grip. Complete and utter satisfaction made Logan’s head spin.

  He closed the wound on her neck and slumped to the ground, rolling her on top of him.

  The sun shone down on them, reminding him that none of this was real. That should have made him feel better, but instead, it left him feeling hollow. Empty.

  All this dream had done was to make him wish for things he could never have. It gave him a taste of what he was missing with Hope—of the pleasure and connection they could never share.

  Logan stroked her back, lulling her dream self into a deeper sleep while he slipped from her mind and back into his own.

  She was lying on top of him, draped over him as she’d been in her dream. The covers were bunched around her waist, leaving the soft skin of her back naked to his touch.

  His cock was aching and hard, twitching in irritation beneath his jeans. He didn’t know if Hope had come during her dream, but he hadn’t. Not that he deserved the release. What he’d done was borderline unforgivable. If Hope’s true mate ever found out about this, he could only imagine the consequences.

  Logan allowed himself one single stroke of his hand on her skin before he pulled the blanket back up and slid away from her alluring body. She was even softer in real life than in the dream. Even more beautiful. He didn’t know how he was going to resist her now that he’d had a taste, but he had to find a way.

  He only hoped that for her the dream was lost in the fog of sleep and that she didn’t remember a thing.

  Chapter 20

/>   Hope woke in her own bed, unsure of reality. First, the horrible thing with the Warden had happened, but had been too horrible to be real. And then Logan had been with her, naked and drawing exquisite pleasure from her body, too wonderful to be real.

  Maybe it all had been a dream brought about by too much stress and worry over her missing friends. She needed to get up and clear her head so she could sort out reality from dreams.

  She shifted slightly and felt a strong, warm arm tighten around her waist.

  “Rest, love.” Logan’s deep voice was out of place in the quiet of her room.

  She’d never had a man in her bed before, but couldn’t imagine wanting anything more than she wanted him at her side, knowing he was safe.

  She turned around to face him. No lights were on, but his pale skin and eyes were easy to see in the deep shadows. She traced one finger over the dark arch of his brows and the fullness of his lips.

  “Was it real?” she asked.

  He stilled. “Was what real?”

  With the heat of her dream shimmering through her, not even the fear of what had happened tonight could touch her. “The Warden. The attack.”

  “Too real. How do you feel?”

  She was a little groggy, but it was passing more by the second. She remembered the man chasing her down, catching her. Then Logan was there. “Fine. How did you find me?”

  “Your blood. I’ll always be able to find you.”

  Coming from someone else, that would have sounded creepy. Instead, she let his words comfort her, knowing he’d already used his ability to save her once.

  “Who was he?” she asked.

  “A Dorjan—a human who subjugates himself to the Synestryn in exchange for money, power, or some other coin.”

  “Why did he attack me?”

  “For your blood.”

  It was one thing when Logan took her blood, but the idea of letting another do it was repulsive to her. The mere thought of it made her shiver in revulsion.

  Logan reached out. His long fingers slid over her hair, tucking some of it behind her ear.

  She could only imagine what a mess it was. In fact, she probably had a giant purple bruise forming on the side of her face where that man—that Dorjan—had punched her.

  Her fingers gently pressed along her cheekbone, testing for damage. She found none.

  “Do you hurt?” he asked.

  “No, though I should. You healed me, didn’t you?”

  He bowed his head in acknowledgment. “Though perhaps I didn’t go far enough.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Your movements are stiff. Not at all like your usual grace.”

  The compliment made her smile. “Very smooth, Logan.”

  “I do try to please.”

  “You do please me. Even in my dreams.”

  A flush of embarrassment crept over his cheeks. Until now, she had no idea that vampires could blush.

  “It’s the least I could do, considering you saved my life. Without your help tonight, that Warden would likely have killed me along with many others.”

  “I couldn’t let you die. I—” She cut herself off before she could admit her feelings for him. She wasn’t entirely sure what those feelings were, but they ran through her, so deep she felt they’d always be a part of her. She settled with, “You kept me from falling.”

  His eyes roamed over her face as if memorizing it. “I’ll always be there to catch you when you fall.”

  They were just words. She knew he didn’t mean them, but hearing them was nice. Comforting. Hope had been on her own for as long as she could remember, and despite the fact that Sister Olive had taken her in, Hope had been considered an adult, responsible for herself and her actions.

  “Thank you.”

  He nodded. “I’m sorry you went through that. It was never my intention to see you come to harm.”

  “I know.”

  “And that’s why I must insist that you allow me to see to your safety. There’s a man. A powerful man—”

  “No,” she said, covering his mouth, stopping what he was going to say. “Just don’t. Not tonight. We both nearly died.” And the dream she’d had of him on the beach was not the kind of thing a woman forgot. It may not have happened, but she felt changed by it all the same.

  “Which is why we must speak of this. Your safety is of vital importance.”

  “So is right now, this very moment. I don’t want to plan for the future or discuss the possibility of more violence. I just want to celebrate our survival.” And get back to that shimmering moment when he was filling her, driving her toward a pleasure too intense to be real.

  “Celebrate? There isn’t time for such frivolity. Your safety—”

  “I’m safe with you.” She shed the blankets and pushed him down on the bed, straddling his hips. Until now, she hadn’t realized he’d taken her clothes off, leaving her in only her underwear. Not that she minded that he’d undressed her. It was going to make this so much easier.

  Logan’s eyes slid down her body. By the time they’d started the journey back to her face, a silvery light was glowing inside those icy depths. “What are you doing?”

  “Proving to you how healthy I am so you’ll relax.”

  “You’re not healthy. I took so much blood.”

  She wasn’t going to let him go down the guilt road. She had other plans. “Do you have any idea how good it feels when you do that?”

  His eyes closed tight as if blocking out the sight of her.

  Fine. She knew how to combat that move. She lifted up the hem of his shirt and slid her hands inside, stroking his bare chest. She leaned down close to his ear and whispered, “It’s like being dipped in sunshine, only better. Has anyone ever done that to you? Have you ever had a woman bite you?”

  His body clenched, but she was set in her path. She was tired of Logan trying to hand her off to someone else. She didn’t want someone else. She wanted him.

  He didn’t respond, but that was okay. She could tell that regardless of whether he’d allowed someone to take his blood, the idea did not repulse him. In fact, if the thick bulge of his erection was any proof, he liked the idea.

  Hope shifted, sliding herself so she stroked him as she inched up his body. She kissed his jaw, his earlobe, just beneath. And then she kissed his neck, parting her lips and sucking his skin against her teeth.

  Logan’s arms wrapped around her, holding her tight. A low rumble of warning vibrated in his chest, but she couldn’t tell if he was warning her to stop or warning her not to.

  The idea of pushing him far enough to find out the answer was too alluring to resist.

  Hope nipped his hot skin. Logan let out a sound of torment that gave her pause.

  “You mustn’t.” His voice was rough as if he’d spent a week screaming.

  “Why? I only want to make you feel the way you make me feel.”

  “It’s wrong.”

  “I used to think so, but not anymore. The longer I’m with you, the more my preconceived notions fly out the window. The idea of tasting your blood doesn’t even bother me. Not anymore.”

  “It’s not safe.”

  She scraped her teeth along his neck. “Why?”

  “You belong to another.”

  That pissed her off. “I belong to myself. If I choose to give myself to someone else, that’s my business. You don’t get to decide who that person is. Or isn’t.”

  “I can’t want you, Hope.”

  She ground her crotch against his erection, eliciting a groan from both of them. “Clearly you can. And do.”

  “It’s forbidden.”

  “Sex or me biting you?”

  “Both.”

  “Why?”

  “You don’t want me to tell you the truth. It only makes you angry.”

  “What makes me angry is that you actually think the truth is I belong to someone else. I don’t.”

  “You will. You’ll give yourself to another man and be glad we resi
sted.”

  “Now you can see the future?”

  “No, history. I’ve seen this course of events before. You’ll meet Eric. You’ll fall in love with him. His rough edges will fade away and the two of you will be happy together.”

  “You can’t know that.”

  “I’ve seen it happen over and over. I cannot take that happiness away from you. Not for one night of pleasure.”

  “Assuming I believe you, which I don’t, why can’t I have both?”

  “Our world is not like the humans’ world. There are laws. Traditions.”

  “No one has to know but us.”

  “I’ll know. I’ve worked for centuries to see the continuation of my race. I would give my life for you, but I can’t offer theirs. I can’t risk the life of a child we might conceive.”

  “I’m protected. I won’t get pregnant.”

  “If you take my blood you might. I wouldn’t have the control to fight you. I’d take you. I’d spill my seed inside you. You could conceive.”

  “I’m on the pill. We can go buy condoms.”

  “I cannot risk it. And any child we would have would be doomed to a life of humiliation and starvation. I will not allow it.”

  The thought of making a child suffer doused her lust. She scrambled away, pulling the blanket tightly around herself.

  “That doesn’t make any sense. You don’t know any of that. You’re just trying to frighten me.”

  Logan pulled his shirt down and sat up. He looked weary. Defeated. “I wish I were. I wish we could have our liaison and no one would come to harm, but that’s not the way our world works. That dream we shared was all we’ll ever have.”

  “You were there? In my dreams?”

  He nodded. “Though I wish I hadn’t been. It was wrong.”

  “I’m glad you were there,” said Hope. “If that’s all we can ever have, then it’ll have to be better than nothing.”

  “I’m sorry. We must finish our bargain and go our separate ways.”

  Wanting Logan was hard, but loving him and knowing there would never be anything between them was torture. She needed to have him out of her life before she was so deeply in love with him she’d never find a way out.