4-Ever Hunted: Vampires Rule

by Blake, Kasi

  When she’d given it to him, they had sworn to wear them forever. Hunting together had brought them closer. They had an unbreakable bond, and the bracelets were a reminder.

  He swiped a hand over the foggy mirror to reveal his face. The purplish bruise on his cheek made one eye look bluer than normal. Girls liked it when he showed them his scars even though he lied about how he got them.

  He wondered if they’d be impressed by bruises.

  His gaze dropped to his stubble-covered chin. Shaving this late in the day seemed silly, but he didn’t want to give Matt anything else to gripe about. If the girl dumped him tonight, Trick didn’t want his brother to blame him. In fact, he should probably put on some decent clothes.

  After a quick shave, he put on his boxers and got ready to slide on his jeans. A loud song played outside the bathroom door. The intruder had chosen “Enter Sandman.”

  Trick jerked the door open, ready to start yelling. How many times did he have to tell Matt to keep his paws off his stuff?

  But it wasn’t Matt.

  The sight of a strange girl rummaging through his belongings caught him off guard. From behind she looked like a teenager, petite with a narrow build. She plucked the family portrait off his nightstand and stared at it as if confused by the three blondes and one dark-haired person smiling up at her.

  “Hey! What are you doing in here?” he yelled. “Who are you?”

  No one was allowed in his bedroom without permission, not even Sean and Laura.

  To give the girl her due, she didn’t startle easily. She slowly turned, and he got his first real look. He’d been wrong about her age; she was definitely legal.

  Caught somewhere between his seventeen and Matt’s twenty, she was beautiful—nosy and rude—but beautiful with a halo of golden blond hair and crystal blue eyes that he was positive could stare through flesh and see into his soul. The white tank top she wore didn’t completely cover her bra straps. When she stood too close to his bedside lamp, the light made her shirt’s material nearly transparent. He could see the shadow of her bra beneath.

  He pinned his gaze to her face and reminded himself that she had invaded his privacy. Maybe most guys would enjoy finding a strange girl in their bedroom; he was not one of them. First, he wanted information. Then, he wanted to physically throw her out. Whether her exit was through the window or the door depended on her answers.

  “Who are you?” he repeated, jaw tight.

  Her gaze returned to the photo, and a small smile played on her glossy lips. “I don’t see a family resemblance. Did Matt get the brains while you got the looks?”

  He crossed the room and snatched the picture from her hands, hating the fact her fingers were on it. The blatant invasion of privacy twisted his guts. Everything in this room belonged to him. She had no right touching anything.

  “None of your business,” he snapped.

  “You were adopted, weren’t you?”

  Duh. He rolled his eyes. “Hope you aren’t planning to be a detective, cause you suck at it.”

  “So do you. Piece it together, Einstein. You know who I am.” She sat on the edge of the bed. “I’ll give you a second to catch up.”

  Surprise registered on his face and in his heart. “You? You’re dating my brother?”

  What had Matt called her? Summer?

  “Dating? No. Just wanted to see the house and meet you. No offense, but your brother’s a geek. I’m here because my friends and I want to get to know you. We should set something up. Cowboy loves motorcycles, and I know you have one. The two of you will hit it off, I’m sure, and I have a feeling you and I will also be getting very close.”

  “Who are you?” he repeated.

  “We have plans for you.”

  That sounded vaguely ominous.

  He blinked. “Explain.”

  “Have you seen The Matrix?”

  Weary from the confusing conversation, he nodded. The fact was, he’d seen the movie with his real father back when he was too young to understand it.

  Summer asked, “What would you have done in Neo’s place? Red pill or blue pill? Which would you take?”

  From what he could remember about the film, a stranger had offered the main character a choice. He could take the blue pill and return to his old life. Or he could take the red and learn the truth about his so-called reality.

  Summer repeated, “Which would you take? Do you want to venture into the rabbit hole with me or stay in your nice, safe life?”

  Safe? She didn’t know anything about his life or she wouldn’t have used the word.

  “Look,” he said. “I’m tired, and it’s a little late in the day for games. I know Matt put you up to this. You can go back downstairs and tell him it didn’t work. I’m not biting.”

  “Maybe I want you to bite.”

  Her gaze raked down his semi-nude body, making him more uncomfortable than he cared to admit. Then her expression went from seductive to startled. A gasp parted her lips. She visibly swallowed and put distance between them until she was standing close to the window.

  “You’re a hunter,” she said in a breathless voice.

  “W-what? No, I’m not.”

  Had Matt been shooting his mouth off? That was taking the joke way too far. Even if the girl didn’t believe in vampires, Matt had planted the idea. Way to go, bro.

  He spread his legs and stood his ground, arms folded over his chest. “I’ve never been hunting in my life.”

  Summer mimicked his stance.

  “There’s a wooden stake on the floor near your dresser, and you have a very suspicious scar right there.” She pointed to the inside of his left arm. “Werewolf get you?”

  Claw marks. A flash of that blood-covered wall came rushing to the front of his mind. A werewolf had scratched him that day. He would have turned into one of them if his father hadn’t shown up. A single drop of blood from a mysterious hunter had saved his life. His father didn’t tell him much, just that she was the daughter of an old friend, and her blood was special. She couldn’t be turned into a werewolf or a vampire, so whenever a drop of the stuff was put into a wound, that person couldn’t turn either.

  Temporary fix though. If werewolves still existed and one scratched him now, he’d turn for sure. Good thing they’d been wiped out.

  “You aren’t the first hunter I’ve met.” With a wink Summer asked, “Still think I wouldn’t make a good detective?”

  Was she a hunter’s kid too?

  She asked, “Did your adoptive parents teach you how to hunt? Or did you learn it from your real family?”

  The idea of Sean and Laura Donavon hunting vampires was so ridiculous he couldn’t contain the short burst of laughter that parted his lips. They had no idea monsters existed. If they ever found out, someone would have to put them in a rubber room. They wouldn’t be able to deal.

  Summer added, “You should come meet my friends.”

  “I’m not a people-person.”

  “Believe me when I say, you want to meet them. We have a proposition for you. At first glance it might seem... extreme. But once you give it some serious thought, you’ll agree it’s the best thing for everyone.”

  She reached out her fingers and traced a teasing path up his stomach to his chest. She skimmed over his hard abs, the six-pack he had worked hard to create. If he didn’t get her out of his room fast, he’d be in big trouble. Only a total scumbag would snake his brother’s girl; didn’t matter if it was her idea.

  Trick prepared a little speech in his head. He’d set her straight. Once he was done, she’d never cross that line with him again.

  He was good at making girls mad. It was one of his many talents. Sometimes he did it by accident, but mostly it was on purpose. If they got offended and told him to get lost, he didn’t have to break up with them. An angry girl was always preferable to a crying one.

  “Matt is probably wondering where you are.”

  She shrugged. “I told him I had a craving for pink lemonade, so
he ran to the store.”

  Something told him this girl was used to boys falling all over themselves to do whatever she asked.

  But he wasn’t fooled. “You don’t want lemonade.”

  “No. I don’t.”

  “What do you want?”

  “You.”

  “Girl, you need to take a step ba—”

  Her fingers reached the twisted talisman hanging on a thick chain around his neck. He hadn’t taken it off since the night his father dumped him. It was a part of him like an arm or a leg.

  She touched the talisman, and it burned them both.

  A white hot pain seared the skin beneath the cross as if it was branding him. Something was obviously wrong with the stupid thing. It was a talisman meant to protect him, but once in a while he got a bit of a shock from it.

  He bit off a curse word.

  Summer leaped backward, and a startled cry burst from her parted lips.

  He started to apologize; the sight of sharp teeth choked the words.

  She hissed at him, her fangs glistening in the lamp’s soft glow. Vampire. There was a vampire in his room, and she had caught him without a weapon in his hand. Worse than that, he was only wearing boxer shorts.

  The girl looked so innocent, so sweet. She’d fooled him, something not many vampires got the opportunity to do.

  His father’s voice, the voice he heard in his head on a regular basis repeated a favorite mantra. “Vampires can be charming, but they are evil. Remember that. The second you trust one, you’re as good as dead.”

  While he leaped sideways, going for the weapon on the floor, she used her supernatural speed to exit his bedroom through the open doorway. Something went wrong on her end. One foot got tangled in an invisible obstacle, and she crashed into the hallway wall.

  For some reason, that happened to vampires a lot around him.

  His fingers closed around the stake.

  Under his breath, he repeated his own mantra. “Hunt. Kill. Survive.”

  Unwilling to fight naked, he took a moment to struggle into his jeans.

  He didn’t bother to zip his fly. At a time like this, every second counted. As soon as he slid the jeans over his hips, he ran into the hallway and raced to the staircase. No time to think, he jumped over the balcony to tackle the girl below before she could reach the front door.

  She shrieked, and her hands latched onto his shoulders as they both fell.

  They rolled across the wide hallway that Laura called a foyer, bumped into a wall, and then rolled in the other direction.

  Summer grabbed his weapon-wielding arm and tried to wrestle the stake from him.

  He slammed his fist into her jaw. A tiny bit of remorse admonished him for hitting a girl, but she was a vampire. Female vampires were just as strong as their male counterparts. Equally dangerous. Maybe more so since mortal men took their weakness for granted.

  He did not.

  They jumped to their feet at the same time.

  Rushing backward to put distance between them, she took several reversed steps as he advanced.

  Their fight moved to the living room. Home field was supposed to be an advantage. In this case, it worried him. He couldn’t afford to let anything get broken.

  He should have waited for the vampire girl to get outside before attacking her.

  She snarled, flashing her fangs.

  They traded blows with the same skill and veracity as stuntmen in a martial arts movie. He worked on keeping the fight in the center of the room. Every time Summer got too close to a table, a lamp, or a fragile antique, he backed off, giving her space.

  He blocked every hit until a hard one connected with his face. The taste of blood teased his tongue. He licked the corner of his mouth and pierced her with a wicked glare.

  “That’s gonna cost you,” he said.

  “I’m just getting started.” She grinned. “But we can stop whenever you want. Your bones will break long before mine.”

  “Let’s test that theory.”

  He charged with the stake.

  She bent sideways and raised her leg.

  Moving too fast to stop, he ran into it.

  The foot hit him in the stomach and knocked the breath from his body.

  A right cross struck the side of his head.

  The force of the hit spun him around, full circle.

  He buried the stake in her chest.

  She gasped.

  They both stared at the stake sticking out of her flesh, waiting for her to change to dust. Nothing happened. It took a second for him to realize he’d missed her heart.

  The front door popped open, and Matt called out, “I hope you like fresh lemonade.”

  Distracted, Trick took his eyes off the vampire.

  She jumped into the air and kicked him in the chest.

  He stumbled backward.

  She took off down the hallway to the kitchen. The sound of the back door banging against the interior wall punctuated the end of the fight. He hated it when a battle ended without a clear winner.

  Matt stood in the doorway, jaw slack, and a bag of groceries hit the floor. Lemons rolled halfway to Trick before stopping. Both boys stared at them in silence for a moment.

  Matt threw his hands into the air, and did a great impression of Sean Donovan. “What did you say to Summer to make her run off like that? What is wrong with you?”

  “She’s a vampire, Matthew! You invited a stinking, rotten vampire into our home. What is wrong with you?”

  Matt scoffed. “Summer is not a vampire.”

  “Oh really? Well, she does a great impression of one.”

  “There is no way that girl is a vampire. I checked.”

  “She sprouted fangs when she touched this.” Trick lifted his talisman and presented it as Exhibit A. “Did you forget the rule about checking people before you invite them into our home?”

  “I’m not an idiot, Patrick! I tested her, and she passed.”

  The use of his given name was deliberate, a tactic Matt used when he wanted to distract Trick during an argument. It wasn’t working, not this time. Trick’s jaw tightened. He made a fist, but somehow kept himself from pummeling his brother. His first instinct was to start throwing punches. He needed to work on that.

  Matt continued. “I didn’t invite her to come inside. I just walked through the door and let her follow me, if she could. I even splashed holy water on her arm. Besides that, she came to the bookstore during daytime hours. You’ve made the mistake here, not me.”

  “I’m telling you she’s a vampire... a clever one.” Trick rubbed his smooth jaw and wished he hadn’t bothered to shave. “Somehow she’s managed to find a loophole, and there might be others. She mentioned friends.”

  Matt hunched down to pick up the lemons.

  Trick kicked a few over to him. He could practically see the wheels turning in his brother’s head. Matt was stubborn, but he’d come around. He just needed a few minutes to piece it together. In the end, he would believe Trick because they never lied to each other. Sometimes they hid the truth, but they never outright lied.

  Head hung low, Matt sighed. “Did she... did she try to bite you?”

  The guilt in his brother’s voice dampened Trick’s anger. “She asked a lot of personal questions. That’s all. I got the feeling she was on a fishing expedition.”

  Trick reached out to ruffle his brother’s hair the way Sean so often did as a sign of affection. His hand froze halfway there. Boys weren’t supposed to get girly about feelings. Another thing his real father had taught him.

  Maybe Matt could afford to be emotional, but Trick was destined to be a great hunter. He had to stay strong, be tough.

  “Lock up the house,” Trick said in a gruff voice.

  He realized his jeans were hanging off his hips. Before they could slide down completely, he snapped the button and zipped his fly.

  Matt stared at him in silence.

  “I’m going to check the perimeter and make sure she’s gone,
” Trick said. “You get the weapons, the whole stash, and put them in the living room. I’ll keep watch. There isn’t much night left anyway, and I won’t be able to sleep until we find a way to vampire-proof the house.”

  Matt grunted.

  Trick slammed the back door on his way out, angrier with himself than with his brother.

  Chapter two

  Summer

  “Did you see him?”

  Cowboy pounced on her the second she crossed the threshold. After running several miles to reach their temporary hideout, Summer was not in the mood to chat. She hated the abandoned house Cowboy had picked. It was worse than a garbage dump. With suspicious looking mold in various places, rotting floorboards, and a few sticks of broken furniture, the house wasn’t fit for rodents. At least Cowboy had gotten the electricity turned on.

  In a demanding voice he repeated the question. “Did you see him?”

  She shot Cowboy with the dirtiest glare in her quiver. For a moment, she forgot he was beyond intimidation. Or he was just clueless. She wasn’t sure which.

  “Do you see this hole in my shirt?” She pulled at the bloody material. The fabric stuck to her skin, but it peeled away when she tugged. “See this red stain?”

  “Did he do that?”

  “Where is Isobel?” she asked before opening the cooler next to the smelly couch.

  She grabbed a bag of blood for nourishment. She still felt shaken, weak from the attack. The blood would perk her up even if it wasn’t fresh. At least Cowboy had managed to find a pliable nurse at the local hospital. For some reason, mortal girls thought he was cute.

  Cowboy shrugged in answer to her question. “Out.”

  “I hope she isn’t biting anyone.”

  “If she is, I don’t blame her. We’re sick of drinking from bags. You know the only good stuff is warm and straight from the vein.”

  A cloud of dust hit the air when Summer plopped down on one of the torn cushions. She waved a hand in front of her face. “I don’t like it either, but we have to keep a low profile. Suck it up.”

  “I can find us some willing girls. No one will know.”

  “Do you want to stay in Reno long enough to get a fourth?”

  At one time they’d had seven people in their group, but Cowboy insisted four was the perfect number: two boys and two girls.