Break Out (A Blood Hunter Novel, book 1)

by Nina Croft

  The flare of heat reminded her that he was dangerous—that she couldn’t trust herself around him and that she should get the hell out of there. Instead, she slowly sank into her chair. “What are we playing?”

  He grinned. “Seven-card stud. A game I learned when I lived in the Wild West. Around a thousand years ago, give or take a couple of hundred.”

  “I’ve read about the Wild West,” Daisy said, eyes wide. “Were you a cowboy?”

  Amusement gleamed in his eyes. “I’m a vampire, honey, and there aren’t too many cows that need chasing at night.” He relaxed in his chair. “So this,” he said, picking up the box in front of him, “is a deck of cards.”

  . . .

  It was true, he had been feeling nostalgic—a new experience for him. He suspected Skylar was the cause, but had no clue why she affected him so profoundly. After she’d punched him yesterday, he’d decided to give her a little space. But all day, he’d had to fight the urge to hunt her down—not for sex, or food—but just to spend time with her, to get to know her. A loner by nature, he couldn’t understand what drew him to Skylar.

  She was a mystery. A tough, highly trained soldier whom occasionally revealed flashes of vulnerability. A beautiful woman almost unaware of her own sexuality.

  He’d managed to resist until tonight, when he’d been lying alone in his cabin, restless, unable to settle, and suddenly he’d craved company. One person’s company in particular, but he’d put up with the rest of the crew, if that were what was needed to put Skylar at ease.

  He caught her gaze, and her lips curved into a sweet smile. He’d bet it was the first genuine smile he’d seen on her face, and it twisted something deep inside his chest. He had a sudden desire to see her laugh, to break down the natural reserve that hung about her like a protective shield.

  “Gather around, children,” he said. “I’m going to teach you everything I know—which is a lot—so pay attention.” He shuffled the cards. “And if you’re really good, tomorrow night, I might teach you a variation.”

  Daisy giggled. “What’s that?”

  “Strip poker—I’ll leave the details to your imaginations. But for tonight we’re going to bet with these.” He took a worn leather pouch out of his pocket and emptied it onto the table. A stream of sparkling gemstones glittered against the matte black metal.

  He picked up a stone from the glittering pile and held it up to Skylar. “Did you know, back on Earth, men would give one of these to the woman they wanted to marry, and she’d wear it on her finger for all to see.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Another old Earth custom?”

  “Yes.” Reaching across the table, he picked up her left hand. “This is your ring finger. Folklore has it that the fourth finger of the left hand has a vein leading directly to the heart. The ring was supposed to symbolize eternal love.” He held her gaze, as he rubbed the pad of his thumb across her palm. A shudder ran through her. She pulled her hand free and placed it on her lap, out of reach.

  “Eternal love? How sweet.” Tannis spoke from beside him, and he turned reluctantly to face her. “Did you give your wife a ring?” she asked.

  “I did—an emerald—green like her eyes.”

  Daisy perked up. “Like mine?”

  He bit back a smile. He doubted anyone had eyes or anything else quite as green as Daisy. “Just like yours.”

  He wondered whether Skylar would ask about his wife, wondered whether he would answer if she did. But except for a slight widening of her eyes, she made no response.

  He toyed with the stone he’d picked up, rubbing it between his finger and thumb. It wasn’t an emerald, but a deep purple amethyst, glowing with violet fire. He tossed it toward Skylar, and she caught it in her hand and closed her fist around it.

  “Pretty,” Janey murmured, picking up a diamond and holding it up to the light.

  “And unfortunately, totally worthless. But these were once quite valuable—a souvenir from my days as a real pirate.”

  “A real pirate? On a ship sailing across oceans?”

  “I was, and an excellent one. Unlike cows, it’s quite easy to chase ships in the dark.” He split the stones into piles, pushed one toward Skylar, his fingers lightly grazing hers as she took them. She jumped as though a shock had run through her, and a little glow of satisfaction warmed him—definitely not immune. “Let’s play.”

  He dealt two cards down, one up. “Now, you can look at your cards, but don’t let anyone else see them.” He glanced across at Skylar. “And no peeking. Any cheating will be severely punished.”

  She smiled again, and the glow burst into flames. No, he didn’t understand what attracted him to Skylar and he still had some serious reservations about her story, but they just added to the intrigue, made her that little bit more fascinating. He looked forward to unraveling the mystery, discovering what was beneath the lies and evasions.

  But not tonight. Pushing the thoughts aside, he settled down to the considerable challenge of making Skylar Rossaria laugh.

  Chapter Eight

  Rico settled back in his seat, raised his arms above his head, and stretched. They’d been poring over intel on Trakis One for the last few hours. So far they’d found nothing of any use.

  He looked up to find Skylar’s gaze on him, and he stretched again, liking the way she ate him up with her eyes. She’d been on board five days, and somehow she’d managed to avoid being alone with him in all that time, though she was happy enough to spend the evenings with him and the rest of the crew. He’d even managed to make her laugh a few times.

  He kept the atmosphere during those games with the crew light, but beneath the banter, he was surprised to realize he was telling her about himself, revealing things he hadn’t thought about in years—if ever. He wanted her to know who he was. What he was. And he wanted to get to know her, too. She was relaxing, but she was still something of an enigma. And if he tried to get her alone, she’d vanish, or someone else would miraculously appear and demand her attention.

  It was actually quite impressive.

  She wanted him. He was sure of it. But she had amazing willpower. He would have pushed it, but he was interested to see how it would play out, and he would get her in the end. A deal was a deal.

  “If you could stop thinking about sex, you might manage to work out a way for us to get into this stupid prison,” Tannis said from beside him.

  He grinned and topped off her glass then held the silver flask up to Skylar. She shook her head, but changed her mind and nodded. Interesting, another thing she’d avoided since their encounter. Maybe she was willing to loosen up a little.

  She sipped the drink, barely even grimaced. “It’s impossible, isn’t it?”

  “Nothing’s impossible,” Tannis replied. “It’s just difficult. There’s a way. We just haven’t found it yet.”

  Skylar rose to her feet and paced, running her hand through her short hair. Finally, she thumped into her chair, filled her glass, and sat back. Tannis reached across to pour herself more but found the flask empty. She stood up. “Got anymore of this stuff?”

  “In my cabin. Do you want me to go?”

  “No, you look far too comfortable. I won’t be long.” Her gaze darted between the two of them. “Be good.”

  Rico turned to Skylar as the door slid shut behind Tannis. “Alone at last.” Skylar didn’t respond. Instead, she gazed into space. After a minute, she looked at him, studying him closely.

  “So what exactly are you?” she asked.

  The question took him by surprise. Not many people wanted to know the details. Either that, or they never quite got up the nerve to ask. But the one thing Skylar did not lack was nerve.

  “That’s a broad question.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean.”

  “I’ll tell you what—I’ll answer a question of yours, and afterwards, you answer one of mine.”

  She shrugged. “Why not? Me first. So—what are you?”

  “You know
what I am.”

  “You’re a—” she paused, obviously still having problems with the word, “—vampire.” She thought for a moment. “Were you ever human?”

  He nodded. “My turn. How old are you?”

  She hesitated, which was interesting. “Thirty-two. How old are you?”

  He had to calculate his answer; it had been many years since he’d given it any thought. “One-thousand, five-hundred and ninety-six.”

  Her eyes widened. “Wow, that’s old.”

  “I was born in 1452 back on Earth. There, that was a bonus answer. My question now. Why are you avoiding me?”

  Her brows drew together at the question. “I don’t like losing control.”

  Rico was sure her answer was part of the truth, but not all of it. He shrugged; he would uncover her secrets in the end. “Your turn.”

  “How often do you need to drink? I mean are you hungry right now?”

  “No, I’m not hungry. I can go a long time between feeding. That doesn’t mean to say I wouldn’t drink if it was offered.”

  She bit her lip. “And do you kill your victims?”

  He smiled, his lips drawing back to give her a flash of fangs. “Sometimes.”

  . . .

  The answer took Skylar by surprise. She’d been expecting him to evade the question.

  “Well, that’s honest,” she murmured. She couldn’t get over how old he was—far older than any of the Collective.

  He rose gracefully to his feet, then crossed the room toward her, and every one of her senses went on high alert.

  By careful planning, and a lot of help from Al and the rest of the crew, she’d managed to avoid being alone with him over the past few days. Perhaps she should make an excuse and get out of here now. But a reckless excitement was stirring inside her. She’d lived under such strict rules and constant supervision for so long, and the last few days had been a revelation. Sometimes she felt as though she was a stranger, waking up from a deep sleep. She hadn’t realized how repressed she had been. She’d thought she was doing what she wanted, and now doubts niggled at her subconscious.

  Plus, and she was finally going to be honest with herself, she couldn’t stop thinking about sex. For years, she hadn’t given it more than a passing thought, but now it plagued her. Tannis had hinted that vampires had some sort of powers that made people want them—maybe that’s all this was. Purely a predator-prey thing.

  That didn’t stop her nipples from tightening as he stepped around her chair and came to a halt behind her. She stared straight ahead, her body rigid with anticipation as his hands slid over her shoulders. His fingers dug deep into the knotted muscle.

  “You’re tense,” he murmured, lowering his head so his cool breath brushed the back of her neck. Shivers of pleasure rippled down her spine, settling in the base of her belly, and she had to shake herself mentally in order to concentrate.

  “Er, you’ve just told me you kill your prey—sorry—sometimes kill your prey, and now you’re sniffing at me like I smell good enough to eat.”

  “You do smell good enough to eat.” He breathed in deeply. “And while I do sometimes kill my prey, I very rarely kill my lovers.” He kissed her ear, his moist tongue dipping inside, and she closed her eyes to savor the sensation. “So why don’t we fuck now,” he whispered, “and you can stop worrying about it.”

  Oh, God.

  He kissed her neck, and it felt so damned good, tracing little patterns with his tongue across her sensitive flesh, his strong hands kneading her shoulders. Her head fell to the side to give him better access, and his hands slid down from her shoulders to cup her breasts. Her eyes shot open, and she stared at his hands, the skin pale against the black of her jumpsuit. His fingers brushed over her nipples, massaging her breasts until she was squirming in her seat, pressing her thighs together to intensify the craving burning through her.

  “What do you say, Skylar?”

  She couldn’t say anything, even when his hand glided to the fastener at her neck and slid it down. She needed to feel him touch her skin. His hand squeezed her bare breast as his mouth left her neck. She let out a little groan of dismay, but he kissed along her jaw line, small teasing kisses. At last, his mouth was on hers, and his tongue pushed inside as he took one swollen nipple between his finger and thumb and pinched it sharply. Pleasure and pain shot through her. Her hips rose from the seat, her head arching back as he swallowed her groan.

  “Did you like that?” He soothed the sensitized nipple with his palm, before pinching again, harder this time. Wet heat flooded her core as a deep, scorching need flared to life inside her.

  His hand slid over her stomach, his fingers flirting with her navel, then lower, and everything inside her clenched up tight.

  “Great,” Tannis said from the doorway. “Nice to see you’re being ‘good’.”

  Rico’s hand went still against her. Skylar closed her eyes, fighting the urge to scream her frustration. When she opened them, Tannis was still there, staring at the two of them with irritation flaring in her yellow eyes.

  Skylar reached up, pried Rico’s hand from her body, and jerked up the fastener. She didn’t move as Tannis crossed the room, sat back down, and filled up all three glasses from the flask in her hand. When Skylar was sure her own hand would be steady, she picked up her glass and swallowed the burning liquid in one gulp. The warmth spread through her, seeping into the cold corners, and she held out her glass for more.

  “Right,” she said, as Tannis poured the whiskey, “let’s go through the intel one more time.”

  Tannis raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything.

  Skylar avoided looking at Rico as he sat down next to Tannis. Instead, she opened her palm screen and scanned through the information, forcing her mind to function and hunt for flaws in the security. She was impressed by the amount of information they had managed to dredge up on a classified institution. There were obviously a whole load of leaks out there somewhere.

  After a few minutes, she frowned. “It says here there are no guards.”

  “They don’t need guards,” Rico said.

  “Actually,” Tannis said, “they have guards on the outer perimeter, but not in the high-security section where your brother is being kept.”

  Skylar frowned. “That doesn’t seem right.”

  “Yes it does. The high-security section doesn’t need guards because the prisoners are all kept in cryo. Not much chance for a breakout when you’re unconscious.”

  “What about breaking in?”

  “Not much chance of that, either. The main problem is the planet itself. It’s part of the Trakis system and close to the mines, but it’s also almost impossible to approach.” Tannis switched on the main screen, and a group of planets appeared, revolving in a complicated pattern of orbits around a number of suns. Skylar recognized them as the Trakis system—pretty much the center of the universe since Meridian had been discovered on Trakis Seven. Tannis narrowed the field until the image zoomed in on a single planet, circling a black star—Trakis One.

  “There, you see—” Tannis stood up and pointed. “Trakis One is actually on an elliptical orbit around a black hole. Under normal circumstances a ship can’t get close.” She paced the room for a moment before coming to a halt in front of the screen. “Try and land at the wrong time and chances are you’ll be sucked into that thing, never to be seen again. They don’t even keep a ship on the planet. No point—even if there was some sort of disaster, they couldn’t evacuate because of the black hole.”

  “So how do deliveries get made?” Rico asked.

  “Very infrequently.”

  Skylar studied the planet, watching the orbit closely. “My guess is that they coincide deliveries with shipping inmates in and out, when the single moon is aligned with the black hole. You could probably slip past without being sucked in.”

  “Probably?” Rico asked, and he didn’t sound convinced.

  “Well they must do it somehow,” Tannis said. “And if
they can, we can. After all, we have the best goddamn pilot in the universe.” She grinned at Rico. “Or so he keeps telling us. Time we saw some proof.”

  “Do we know when the next alignment is due to happen?” Skylar asked.

  “Well, if your brother is scheduled to be shipped out in five days’ time then that would seem to be a good bet—they can’t ship him out if the ship can’t get to him.”

  “So we go in ourselves, get Jonny, and we’re out of there before they even arrive.”

  “Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s going to be that easy.” Tannis sat back down and took a sip of her drink.

  Beside her, Rico shifted restlessly. “Are you going to tell us why?”

  “I am. The radiation levels on Trakis One are off the scale. The Cazador would fry on entry into their atmosphere. They use special ships that are shielded. There’s also a matter of getting into the prison once we’re down. My guess is it will be top-of-the-range DNA recognition.”

  “There’s a lot of guessing going on here,” Rico said. “So we’ll need the real guards.”

  “Yup. Or at least bits of them.”

  Skylar shrugged. “We hijack the transport ship, then.”

  “Looks like the only way.”

  Skylar thought about it for a minute. They might have to take out the crew. She didn’t like the idea of any unnecessary deaths, but it was a risk she would have to take. This job was the highest priority—her boss had told her in no uncertain terms that failure was not an option. Anyway, with luck, the crew of the transport ship would see sense and surrender. Or they could stun them and lock them up. “Okay, sounds like a plan. When do we do it?”

  “I’d say we wait until the ship is as close to Trakis One as we can make it,” Rico said. “The security is going to be high, and the less time we have on board, the less chance we have of breaking one of the protocols. Any clue where the ship comes from?”

  Tannis studied her palm screen for a moment. “Trakis Five.”

  “That’s a two-day trip.”

  “And a two-day trip from here. Fits in well. We can intercept them.” Tannis stared at the screen, a frown marring her face. “Almost too well.” She shrugged. “I’m going to see if I can’t scrounge up some more intel on the transport ship. Find out crew numbers and so on and get Janey working on breaking the codes. I reckon we’re going to need some pretty hefty bribes. I’ll leave you two to—”she paused and shrugged again. “—whatever.”