Howloween Hunt (A Holiday Shifter Romance) (Holiday Shifters Book 1)

by Evelyn Vox

  “Wow,” I whispered to myself.

  Even my voice was different. Deeper, huskier. I ran my tongue over my teeth. Long, sharp fangs poked over the edges of my lips. I pricked one with my tongue and winced when it broke the skin. So sharp. I felt the small hole closing as the wound knit itself back together. Soon, it was healed, the coppery tang of blood that lingered in my mouth the only proof of its existence.

  I was fast. I was strong. I was a creature of the night.

  My eyes pierced the darkness of the forest. Whatever was happening to me, the Moonlight was enough for me to see the forest with the clarity of day. There were so many scents in the air, mixing together in a stew of smells.

  I narrowed in on one, the delicious, intoxicating, dangerous scent of Vincent. He was getting closer. My heart pumped hot, searing blood through my body as adrenaline and primal instinct took control. I made myself move faster. I would not make it easy for him to catch me.

  Even in my enhanced state, I knew he was more powerful than I was. Once he caught me, that would be the end.

  And I so wanted this night to last.

  The long skirt of my dress had been catching and tearing on the sharp branches of the forest. The skirt was now nothing more than shreds hanging from my bodice. I didn’t care, but I frowned to think of the trail I’d left for Vincent. I was making this too easy for him. Was he close? I stood stock still as I sniffed the air. His scent was far off, so I paused, my engorged breasts heaving as I breathed deeply. I calmed the pulse of my beating heart in my ears and listened to the sounds of the forest.

  Animals moved, leaves rustled, and the wind howled. I looked up at the hazy clouds that drifted across the Full Moon. The tall, looming shadows of the forest surrounded me, and the moonlight pierced the tree tops in beams that peppered the colorful leaves on the forest floor. I heard something small moving around, and some animal inside of me longed to chase it. The animal wanted to feel the hot pulse of the creature’s blood pumping into my mouth as I sank my fangs into it.

  I fought the urge to moan. I didn’t know where these instincts, these urges, were coming from, but I was too deep into it to care what they meant. I’d always been a monster in some way or another. Maybe it was time I embraced my nature.

  My ears pricked at the little rustling of the tiny animal—likely a mouse. I couldn’t stop myself as I sniffed it out. I saw the leaves moving around it, the small, innocent little thing. The human part of me hesitated, but the animal made me crouch low on all fours as I began to inch closer.

  A twig snapped the air and I froze. I crouched lower, nearly planting myself flat on the ground. My eyes scanned the trees around me, and though I could not see beyond the shadows of the forest, I could feel his eyes on me. I knew it was him. Mate. A throb of desire made the animal inside of me whine with need. I felt a searing heat burning in my core. A dark presence was out there, watching me. Vincent.

  I was the one being stalked. The wind blew my hair across my face, but I couldn’t smell him on the air.

  He’s downwind of you. Some instinct whispered to me. I whipped my head to the right, where he had to be if I couldn’t scent him on the cool breeze. I heard a low growl rumble from the trees that set arousal pooling between my legs. Silver eyes shone bright as the moon from the shadows.

  They locked onto mine and the sight of him so close sent a rush through my body. I felt my clit throb and my nipples harden as my entire body called out to him. Catch me if you can. The urge to run overcame me, so strong and undeniable that I shot up and tore off into the night, fleeing from him as fast as I possibly could.

  Vincent’s snarl rent the air, and a brood of bats flooded the sky at the sound. I heard his footfalls, low and thunderous amid the high pitched shrieking of the bats. I was running on pure instinct and adrenaline as the urge to evade and survive powered my body. I sped up, but I could feel him getting closer. I knew without having to turn my head that he was gaining on me with every step. He’d catch up to me soon, but I wasn’t scared.

  An animal was most dangerous when cornered.

  9

  Vincent

  She was faster than I thought she’d be. The shifter blood in her veins had to run strong. Whatever her lineage was, she came from powerful, dominant shifters. How did my mate, a human-shifter halfling, end up in that small town all alone? Where were her parents? Why hadn’t they told her of her ancestry? Clearly, my presence had woken up the wolf lying dormant inside of her.

  I enjoyed watching her revel in her new power. She was magnificent. Sadie would never be able to fully shift, but she was proving to be as fast as any regular shifter. My heart hammered as I hunted her through the woods. Her delectable scent lured me deeper into the forest. It was impossible for her to hide from me. Not when the smell of her had my balls heavy and clenching to spill my seed in her womb.

  Fuck, she was incredible. I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into her. Sadie was mine and I was going to claim her tonight. Pieces of her dress had caught on tree branches. They hung like flags, beacons of sight and scent that lead me right to her. My wolf wanted to howl into the night when we saw her, but I calmed him. I had to stay hidden if I was to catch her by surprise.

  She was standing still, flanked by trees, panting. Her attention caught on the mouse hidden in the leaves a few feet away. I was stunned by her fluid, predatory grace as her instincts propelled her towards her prey. She was behaving like a pubescent wolf unaccustomed to their urges and unable to control them. Sadie had to be overcome with her new senses, grappling with the wolf inside of her.

  But she wasn’t the only one with their prey in sight. I moved closer, slowly, carefully stalking her. She was fully distracted, and I was ready to pounce. I put my hands on the ground to propel myself forward, when a twig snapped under my fingers. Sadie’s gorgeous face whipped around, and her expression told me she’d remembered that she wasn’t out here to hunt.

  No, she was the one being hunted.

  Instinct pushed her down low to the ground, where she was harder to see. The wind played with her long midnight hair. Her head snapped towards me and her eyes locked on mine. I watched them glow silver and couldn’t stop the growl of want that came out of my wolf. Sadie stiffened, staring at me, before she bolted.

  I snarled in outrage. She would not escape me. My mate was close and nothing could stop me from hunting her down and claiming her. Bats exploded into the night as I burst forth from my hiding place and tore after her. She was nothing more than a black blur in the forest, she was so fast. I knew full-blooded shifters who couldn’t move like she did.

  I made myself move faster, willed my legs to be stronger. I would not lose sight of her again. My quick, agile mate would not escape me twice. My heart clenched with awe as I watched her strong legs propel her. So powerful. So perfect. I’d never seen anyone or anything more beautiful. I had to have her.

  My cock pulsed with need and my wolf growled as I got closer. Sadie snarled when she heard how close I was. She peeked behind her shoulder and that move cost her. She slowed just enough for me to barrel into her back. She huffed when our bodies thudded hard onto the forest floor. I pinned her beneath me, my cock jutting between her ass cheeks.

  I growled into her ear and her whole body shuddered. I ground my blazing, pulsing erection into the firm flesh of her ass before I buried my face into her neck. My cock jumped against her as her scent set my blood afire. I licked her pale flesh before I sunk my teeth into the crook of her neck.

  Sadie howled.

  Her blood tasted as sweet as honey. This was the first of many marks I would put on my mate. I smelled the tangy scent of her arousal and it sent my wolf into a frenzy. I claimed her mouth in mine and she moaned into me. The kiss set cum leaking out of my cock. I was so hard it hurt, and I wanted nothing more than to bury my aching member into her sweet, delicious warmth.

  I humped her as we kissed, my cock rubbing against her ass with every thrust. I was lost to the sensation of her. Sadie’s lips
, her taut flesh writhing beneath me; I had to have her. Now. I pulled my mouth from hers and stared into her eyes dark and heavy with lust.

  “You are mine,” I growled.

  Her eyes glowed as my claim on her worked through her body. I smelled her fresh arousal on the air. I moved my hands to her shoulders. I needed to flip her over and taste her sweet nectar. The second I shifted my weight, Sadie growled and bucked me so hard I flew back. She was up and on me in a flash, her claws tearing at me, her teeth gnashing. Pain seared through my chest as she raked five long, sharp claws deep into my flesh, ripping the front of my shirt.

  My wolf swelled with pride as she marked me.

  She kicked me in the stomach and I staggered back. My clever little mate had knocked the wind out of me. Not an easy feat. Even as I gasped for breath, I felt my cock swollen with need as she stood in front of me. She traced her hands up her bare legs towards her sex. She lifted the rags that hung from her bodice and pulled down her panties. She tossed them to the side and slipped her fingers between her silky folds.

  “If you want me, Vincent,” she snarled as she cupped her dripping mound, displaying it to me. “You’ll have to do better than this.”

  The sight of her beautiful flesh, overflowing with her nectar, had me seeing red. My cock thundered and I felt my wolf taking control. She must have seen the beast overpowering me, because Sadie’s eyes widened and she tore off into the night. I stood up and howled, running after her.

  I was going to hunt her down and prove to her that she was mine.

  10

  Sadie

  My clit was a throbbing torture as I ran. I didn’t understand why I was running, when I so badly wanted him to take me, to taste me. When he bit my neck, thunderous, reckless pleasure tore through my body, and set every nerve on fire. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be caught. Not when his kiss, and his cock, hard and greedy for me, had me on the cusp of coming even as I ran. No, I didn’t understand it, but something inside of me called even louder.

  Run. Run. Run!

  So I ran. I ran like my life depended on it, even if I desperately wanted him to catch me. I wouldn’t look back again, I wouldn’t let myself slip up like the last time. His deep, manic howl echoed through the forest, and I knew he was hunting me again. He’d be more wild and reckless than ever. I saw the animal in him creeping close to the surface. His face contorted in inhuman, wolfish ways that made my own animal whine to be mounted by him.

  “Sadie!”

  He screamed my name, his voice a gravelly, deep sound of rage that resonated in the depths of my core.

  “I’m coming for you, my little mate.”

  I couldn’t stop, I couldn’t turn to look, even if his voice sounded too close for comfort.

  “And when I find you,” his voice echoed around the forest, “I’m going to make you howl for me.”

  A low, needy whine escaped from my lips, the animal clawing, begging to be taken. I heard his growl of pleasure rumble through the trees. My pulse thundered in my ears as I continued to run deeper into the woods. My mind raced. He was going to catch me if I didn’t think of something soon.

  I caught the scent of water in the air, followed by the rush of a stream. I took a sharp turn, guided by my senses. A fox darted out from a bush, screeching its outrage into the night. The animal in me wanted to snap its teeth at the smaller creature, but I didn’t let it take control. That was how Vincent had caught me last time.

  I tore into a small clearing cut through by a wide creek. Tall rushes and cattails lined both sides of the flowing water banks. I crept into the tall grasses, striding until I was up to my neck in the water. I dipped my head under the icy surface. My blood was running so hot I hardly felt the chill. I stayed still in the reeds, hoping it would wash away my scent. The Moon’s light was bright and beautiful as it reflected off the water.

  I knew he was coming before I saw him. Something in me just sensed it, and then he burst into the clearing. Vincent’s claws and fangs were out, and he sniffed the air like the animal he was. I held my breath so he wouldn’t hear it, but I worried the hard thumping of my heart would meet his ears. I knew he could feel me nearby, just as I had felt him. I suppressed a rumble of satisfaction at the sight of my claw marks on his chest.

  I wanted to put more of those on him.

  If he could catch me.

  I was frozen in my hiding spot. I didn’t move, didn’t breathe, as I watched him try to sniff me out, and fail. He growled in frustration and ran off, disappearing into the trees. The disappointment that he hadn’t found me was overwhelming. He had to catch me. He had to prove himself a good, worthy mate.

  I didn’t know how I knew this, but I did. I wanted nothing more than for him to claim me, but he needed to earn it. Vincent really needed to do better than this. I waited until I couldn’t hear the sounds of him running and got out. I poked my head around the reeds and stepped onto the bank of the creek. I took one deep breath before his hard, huge body slammed into me once more.

  I snarled as his arms wrapped around me from behind. Vincent was so much bigger than I was. He picked me up and threw me over his shoulder, walking us towards the forest. I thrashed and kicked, I clawed at his back, but he didn’t budge. His grip on me was tighter than a vice. It should have hurt, but his hands sent bolts of pleasure radiating through me.

  Vincent walked up to a huge tree and threw my body against the trunk. The air whooshed out of me, and before I could get my bearings, his claws were at my bodice. He ripped it off of me with a satisfied, masculine snarl. My breasts dripped with water and they glistened under the moonlight as they bounced forth. He took one look at me, pale and stripped bare for him, and he ground the steel rod of his erection against my naked pussy.

  I moaned, the feel of his sex against mine, even if he was still wearing pants, was electric. My hands fisted with his shirt until the flimsy fabric finally gave way to reveal his muscled back. He hiked my thighs around his waist and kept me pinned against the tree as he lowered his lips to my breasts. My nipples were sharp, pointy spikes of arousal that Vincent licked and sucked, one by one. The contact had my hips bucking against the throbbing length between his legs. He snarled into my breasts, kneading them together, making me expose my neck to him in pleasure.

  He ground against me, his pants wet from his juices as well as mine, and bit my breast. I yowled in pain, but soon his hot tongue slaked over the puncture marks, easing my pain. The animal wanted more of his marks. He bit and sucked and marked his way up my bosom until he was at the bite mark he’d left on my neck. When his large, wet tongue slavered over that mark, bolts of pleasure thundered through me.

  My hips jolted and I screamed as a climax rocked through me, taking my body hostage. I felt Vincent’s cock jutting against my pussy as I came all over his pelvis. I rocked the bud of my clit over the ridge of his cock and heard him growl his pleasure. He sniffed the air.

  “I need to taste you.”

  As he lowered his body, he placed my thighs around his shoulders, until his face was an inch away from my sopping, throbbing sex. His breath was warm as it fell on my swollen flesh. Vincent inhaled and I felt his whole body shudder. He growled, long and low, before he buried his face between my legs. I howled into the night as he feasted on me. I clutched the back of his shaggy head, pressing him closer. His hands gripped my ass, his claws pricking the skin, but it only added to the fire he lit in my throbbing core.

  He ground my pussy against his face, like he couldn’t get enough of me. I panted and howled as his hot, wet tongue lapped up my juices. Vincent explored every inch of me, licking and nibbling and sucking my lips, my clit, and my drenched entrance. His tongue ventured inside of me and then he froze.

  “Virgin,” he growled.

  Those glowing silver eyes blazed up at me, and I nodded. Vincent smiled before he began to lick me again. I watched, transfixed, as he devoured me. His tongue licked one long line from the bottom of my slit up to my swollen bud. His eyes never left
mine as he circled my clit slowly, then faster and faster, until I was squirming and gasping for air. I felt my entire body bursting, and my orgasm shattered through my senses. Vincent’s eyes were still locked on mine, and he kept me pinned with his gaze even as he licked every single drop of my pleasure.

  “You belong to me,” he said, “and I am going to claim you. Now.”

  My body shivered at the words. His hands moved from their hard grip on my legs as he stepped out from beneath me. That voice called to me through the fog of my pleasure, slicing into my mind with undeniable, instinctual need.

  Run. Run. Run!

  I didn’t understand it. I wanted him to claim me, but primal urges had my claws out as I slashed him with a feral growl. He backed up enough for me to jump away from his hold. I was free and he stared at me for a heartbeat, practically daring me to flee.

  I ran.

  11

  Vincent

  The snarl ripped out of my chest as I lunged for her. She was not getting away. Not after I’d tasted her nectar and drunk her like the drug she was. Not after my cock was ready to burst with my need. It was even harder after I had discovered she was untouched. Her lithe, naked body danced out of my grasp, darting into the forest.

  “Fuck!” I roared into the night.

  My wolf growled to be parted from her again. It needed her. Soon. I tore off into the woods. Her pale skin shone bright under the moonlight, the view of her taut ass and heavy bosom enough to make my cock throb against my leg. I had only a glimpse of her luscious body before she shot behind a thicket and I lost sight of her. I’d been hard before, but it was never like this. My cock felt like a living, breathing monster raging between my legs. It was an affliction that only Sadie’s sweet essence could cure.