by Claire Marta
Dark Desires: THE HUNTER CHRONICLES BOOK 2
Copyright © 2016 Claire Marta
Cover Design © 2016 by Michael James Collett
mjcdesign.co.uk
Photography © 2016 by Rachel Willett Photographer
Edited by Jen Burson
Proofread by Willow’s Corner
Formatting by AB Formatting
The moral rights of the author have been asserted.
All rights reserved.
No part of this work may be used, distributed or reproduced in any manner, including photocopying, recording or other methods electronic or mechanical, whatsoever without prior permission from the Author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
The book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Also by Claire Marta
FROSTBITE: The Hunter Chronicles Book 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank Willow’s Corner for her proofreading. I loved all the little notes you left me, they made me smile so much and made my day.
Jen, thank you for doing your magic as editor and all the feedback you gave me. You have helped to make this just that little more special.
Mike and Rachel you have given me another amazing book cover which I adore and I am sure everyone who sees it will love it just as much as I do.
And to those of you who loved FrostBite, I hope this one grabs you just as hard and sucks you in just as much as that one did.
WHAT THE FUCK IS TAKING so long?” Jasmine muttered to the woman at her side. She was trying her best not to hyperventilate, but nothing seemed to be working to calm her nerves.
What she was wearing was not helping.
The satiny thong was wedged uncomfortably between her butt cheeks. Shifting, she tried get into a more comfortable position. This though only made the sensation worse.
The snow white baby doll nightie she was wearing barely covered a thing. Made of a sheer mesh material, it gave a tantalising peek of her flat stomach. Glittering sequins adorned the area over her nipples, though they left nothing to the imagination. A ribbon trimmed hem, came to the top of her thighs.
Too much flesh was left on display. The whole thing was laughable. These clients obviously enjoyed ogling the women.
Inhaling another deep breath, she uncrossed her arms. She couldn’t keep still. Nervousness was coursing through her, making her shake. Being almost naked was not something she enjoyed.
Jasmine felt too exposed in this wispy piece of fantasy.
Tilting her head, her friend Gemma glanced her way. A mass of riotous black curls hung loosely around her face and shoulders. The satiny nightie she wore clung to her slender, willowy form. Indifference was etched on her beautiful face.
“Maybe some of them haven’t dragged their butts out of their coffins yet.” She murmured back.
Strawberry flavoured bubble gum wafted faintly into Jasmine’s nostrils as her friend and co-worker spoke. They had been waiting in the elegantly gothic hallway for over half an hour. For a job that was supposed to take ten minutes in and out, this was not boding well, even if Gemma didn’t want to admit it.
The excited whispers, of the other girls filled Jasmine’s ears. Some of them were speaking in English, but mostly it was Czech. Not surprising really, when they were in the centre of Prague.
Eyes fluttering around nervously, she took in her surroundings once again. Cream walls bore oil paintings of night time scenery. Billowing floor to ceiling curtains in midnight blue framed the large windows. This seemed to be enough to keep out the chill of the early march night.
The place had been modernized, but it did not diminish the archaic medieval beauty of the mansion. Outside had been even more beautiful, with its sharply pointed roofs and old fashion architecture, it still gave off that haunted house feel, no matter how they prettied it all up. Not surprising with what lived here.
Jasmine was striving for a calm she did not feel. Four months with the covert supernatural department of Scotland Yard and this was her first official undercover gig. Fuck, she did not feel ready.
Nervous jitters were trying to get the better of her. Jasmine pushed the feeling down.
Clusters of pillar candles had been left burning on small wooden tables, at intervals along the hallway. The smell of honey and bees wax was drifting heavily in the air.
Inhaling deeply she tried to let the scent sooth her. No way could she fuck this up. Mark, her boss, had thrown her in at the deep end. He knew she needed the experience in situations like this. This was it. Finally some responsibility had been put in her hands. Fuck.
Releasing a long breath, she tried to relax. Winding herself up was not going to help matters. If it had been any other assignment, she knew she would have been fine. This just sucked.
A nervous giggle tried to escape her lips. Suck was the right word. Literally. Gemma was a picture of calm beside her. The huntress had years of experience under her belt. Pursing her lips, her co-worker blew out a steady pink bubble before it popped.
Glance meeting Jasmine’s, she used the tip of her tongue to drag the gum back into her mouth. “You look like you’re about to fucking pass out. Relax, Jaz. This will be a piece of cake.”
With a sigh Jasmine shifted from foot to foot on the high white heels, making them click noisily on the dark hard wood floor. She wished that she had her friend’s confidence.
Turning, her gaze skimmed over the other women. They all wore the same white baby doll nighties and killer heels. Every female was a different shape and size.
She could not stand all this waiting. Half of her already wanted to turn and run. The lack of outside contact was making her nervous. This just didn’t feel right.
Jasmine felt even more naked without her earpiece. Usually, Twitch, the techno mage on their team, would be whispering sweet nothings in her ear. His purr like an angel was comforting. She missed that. Up until now, she hadn’t realised how reassuring that could be. He always made her smile with his dirty jokes. Twitch made sure they were safe.
The earwig, as they called it, was magically imbued. Twitch weaved spells around them, so you never needed to use a microphone when talking.
Unfortunately, over the last couple of months, they had encountered a few vamps, which could sense the hint of magic. Everything had been fucked up.
This had almost cost the werewolf on their team, his head. The mage was now attempting to fix the problem. So far he was unsuccessful. This had meant tonight they hadn’t been able to use them. It was fan-fucking-tastic.
Now, here they stood knee deep, in a vampire nest in the
Czech Republic. A place they needed to infiltrate anyway they could. They had no way to contact their team, and weapons had also been a no go.
Jasmine had managed to smuggle in a dagger, but it had been left in her boot with her street clothes. She felt vulnerable as fuck.
Continuing to bite nervously at her lip, she eyed the closed wooden door at the end of the hallway. The vampires were no doubt waiting in there. Were they hungry? They probably couldn’t wait to sink their fangs into the waiting offered necks.
A shiver rippled down her spine. Jasmine had met vampires for the first time two months ago, when she and Twitch had been kidnapped. They had left a lasting impression.
The vamps, Eric and Raoul, had been deep undercover. They had been going after a particularly nasty arms dealer, Marcel Coupe. The fat man had been trouble.
Jasmine and the vampires had been forced to work together to stop his twisted plans. It had been a very memorable experience. One Jasmine would never forget, especially as Eric had seduced her right into his bed for one night.
Jasmine felt her body clench with remembered pleasure. He had literally rocked her world. Hell, he had thrown it right off of kilter. The sex had been mind-blowing.
Eric had dragged her from the sexual limbo she had been trapped in for two years after being raped. Showing her there was nothing to fear from intimacy. That she could enjoy sex.
The vampire had been gone when she had awoken the next morning. She had not heard from him since. Not that she thought she would, she assured herself swiftly. He had, after all, promised her one night. And that was what she had gotten.
That didn’t stop the ache in her chest. Stupidly, Jasmine had started to fall for him. Part of her was convinced it had just been all the excitement they had been swept up in. The attraction between them had been raw, almost primal.
Something neither of them seemed to be able to resist. Lust in its purest form. Burning so hot, it had been unstoppable.
Jasmine doubted Eric even remembered her now. No doubt he had other women in his bed. The vamp probably didn’t even remember her name let alone what she looked like. Biting her lip, she gazed towards the window. She wished it could be that easy for her. Dreams of the vampire plagued her.
The touch of his hands, his lips, mouth, they all tormented her. Many mornings she woke in tangled sheets, her body still thrumming with sexual frustration. This almost made her wish they hadn’t had sex. She was stuck with its echo which waking never fulfilled.
Jasmine also feared Eric had become her measuring stick for all other men. If this was true, she was seriously screwed. No one would match him. She was sure of that.
Raising a hand she ran it through her short coppery hair. Maybe she was just lost in lust.
Once she started dating, the dreams would probably go away. There had to be more than one male that could give her wild sex. One more male she would respond to. She just had to find him.
The draft playing with the curtains sent sudden goosebumps over her flesh. Jasmine shivered.
“Jaz you ok?” Gemma whispered beside her. Their eyes met for a moment.
Jasmine stared blankly at her. Mouth going suddenly dry so she couldn’t answer. What the fuck could she say? That she was nervous about facing vampires again? That maybe this was not a good idea? That she was having second thoughts?
As Gemma opened her mouth to say something more, the door at the end of the hallway suddenly opened. It was show time.
Silence descended over the ten women in their group. Excitement rippled through the air around them.
A very tall blonde woman, clicked towards them on red designer high heels. They were so high, she tottered along swaying. Jasmine had visions of the woman falling on her backside. How the heck did she walk in those dangerous things?
A nervous giggle tried to escape from her throat. Sealing her lips together, she swallowed it back down. This was no time to get hysterical.
The woman’s supermodel figure was sheathed in a cream satiny runway creation, which was probably worth more than Jasmine had seen in her life. Was this their human employer? It looked like she was doing well.
The blonde stopped just before them. A haughty expression was on her lovely face, as she eyed them all critically. She looked disappointed. What had she expected, supermodel lookalikes as well? The agency just required their details. They hadn’t seemed concerned with appearances. Vampires apparently didn’t seem too picky about who they sucked on.
“I suppose you will do.” She murmured softly, in a slightly accented voice.
Apprehension tightened Jasmine’s chest. Suddenly she wasn’t sure she should have agreed to this. Maybe she wasn’t ready.
The faces of the dead women she had seen in the photographs danced in her head. She was here to find their killer with the rest of her team.
Suck it up Hunter, she growled to herself inwardly giving herself a mental slap. This is what you trained for damn it.
“Do not speak to the clients unless spoken to.” The woman continued in a cold expressionless voice. “Be respectful and you will be paid well for providing sustenance.”
What she really meant was blood, Jasmine corrected in her head. They would all be paid well for being living donors. Just a little blood, that’s all it was going to be, nothing more. This did not help the growing unease.
She had shared her blood with only one vampire before. Eric.
Jasmine did not have the desire to share it with another, but for the sake of the job though, she would have to. This was their way in.
With a quick glance, she could see all the other women looked relaxed, even eager. They had to be regulars at this and knew what was going to happen. No one was panicking.
Being a living donor for vampires was in hot demand. Everyone wanted to try it at least once and see what it was like. Jasmine had first-hand experience of the pleasure bite. She could see why people begged for it.
One of them might die tonight, if the killer decided to strike. Hadn’t they noticed the changing faces of their companions each week?
Suddenly they were moving in an orderly line, towards the open door. “Fuck.” She swore quietly under her breath.
Alarm increased the beat of her heart. Moving along she tried not to fall on her arse. She hated heels. This particular pair was higher than she was used to. This did not make walking easy.
Straightening her back bone, Jasmine swallowed her agitation. Before she even realised, she stepped over the threshold of the door.
The room was some kind of upstairs living room. Expensive beige leather sofas were arranged facing the door. A fire roared invitingly in a large stone fireplace. It all looked cosy.
That was all she could register, before her eyes swept over a large group of males in the room. Nothing after that seemed to matter.
They were sprawled over sofas. All of them were stunning in one way or another. Every one of them was deliciously muscled, well-built and a little intimidating. They were like lions at rest.
She was careful to keep her eyes darting over them. If any could mesmerise, she did not want to get trapped in their gaze.
They could have easily passed as the embodiments of old gods come to visit earth. She had never seen so much male perfection in her life. They were an artist’s dream. Yet every one of them was deadly.
This was why humans flocked to offer them blood. Who wouldn’t want some immortal hunk slurping on your neck?
She could feel the power coming off them in thick hot waves. Ebbing and flowing against her like surf on a beach. Jasmine didn’t fight it. Instead she tried to pick up the different sensations. Each vamp had their own unique vibration. All she had to do was learn them. Being a gifted sensitive, she was attuned to sensing different supernaturals and their energies.
A faint ringing had started in her head. This was a warning of predators from her over active sixth sense. Danger.
Jasmine moved her gaze to the floor. She began to tremble. Already she could feel the h
eat of eyes, as they lingered on her body.
Mark was sitting outside in the van, and she knew in that second she should have been with him. No way was she suited for this specific under cover job. She was a rookie.
Mark knew that God damn it. Just because she had met vamps before, did not mean she was experienced for this.
Inhaling, she took a steadying breath. She had no way to back out now. She had to see this job through.
Hands shaking at her sides, she curled her fingers into her palms. Suddenly, she felt like a fish in a tank, surrounded by hungry cats. Were they licking their lips? Eyes hungry?
“Now gentleman, if you will please choose your donor.” The blonde woman was saying to her left.
***
Eric’s gaze never once waved from the little female with the bent head. Even without seeing her jade green eyes, he recognized her coppery red bobbed hair. She was a vision in white. Those firm little breasts, outlined by the sexy nightie. Her short stature made her look small and vulnerable. The slimness of her form was shown off to pleasing perfection.
His scrutiny lingered on her slender neck, which his fangs itched to once more sample.
Eric licked his lips.
If he had been blind, he would have known her by scent alone. Warm sunshine and flowers.
Jasmine Hunter. What was she doing here?
Eric did not believe in coincidences. Knowing what she did for a job, he had no doubt she and her team were here for the serial killer. Dubbed the ‘Ripper’, it had been terrorizing the people of Prague for the last month. The people lived in dread.
Seeing Jasmine like this, offered up as a blood donor left him speechless. The last time he had set eyes upon her, had been in Paris.
She had been asleep in the bed in his hotel room. Her body exhausted and sated after a night full of pleasurable sex. He’d had to physically rip himself away from her that night. Not an easy task.
That night he had vowed to himself to find her again. This thing between them was not yet over with. His lust for her had only become stronger. Fucking her for one night had not been enough. He needed more.