by Jane Hinchey
"He's strong. He'll be fine. The hunter doesn't want him, he wants me. Us."
"Yet he had no qualms about killing Hayden and Alison to get to us."
"It's true he'll do whatever it takes. I'm sorry about your friends. That's why we need to keep moving; it's safer for everyone if we stay away."
Melissa packed up the grimoire and moved to the bed. Settling down, she yawned. "Get some sleep, Georgia. We'll head off in the morning."
Moving to the sofa, Georgia did as her aunt suggested and lay on the sofa. She stared again into the dancing flames until her eyes drooped and sleep claimed her.
"Hello, beautiful." His deep, husky voice sent vibrations right through her. They were in the woods again and she spun, searching for him. Her eyes zeroed in on a shape, leaning against a tree.
"Zak?"
"In the flesh."
She closed her eyes, sucking in a deep breath. When she reopened them Zak’s piercing eyes drew her attention. She couldn't make out his expression, but it was intense. She tore her eyes away, trying to ignore the burning sensation his gaze seared into her skin.
"Is it really you?"
He pushed away from the tree, stalking toward her. She backed up, fear sending an icy trickle down her spine. He looked like Zak. Sounded like Zak. But it wasn't him, the energy was all wrong. Her breath hitched in her throat as she backed into a tree. Suddenly he was there, moving so fast she couldn't track his movements. Raising a hand, he planted it above her head, leaning against the trunk, crowding her. Her body betrayed her, his nearness igniting her senses. Oh yes, her body knew its mate. Sweat beaded on her skin and she nervously licked her lips. His eyes zeroed in on the movement.
"Who else would it be?" he growled, lips at her ear, his hot breath dancing across her skin, making her shiver. She gulped when his free hand came up and spanned her throat, his fingers gentle, a soft, slow caress of her skin.
"My best guess is that you're the hunter. In Zak’s body." Her voice was barely above a whisper. His fingers stopped stroking and squeezed her neck. She held her breath.
"I guess I blew it by not recognizing you last time we met like this," he admitted, fingers relaxing, easing his grip. She risked a glance into his eyes. They were mesmerizing, the dark depths pulling her in. He was like a drug, her own heroin—this close, all thought was clouded and all she wanted was her mouth on him, but through the haze his words penetrated. This wasn't Zak. She jerked her head back, whacking it against the tree trunk with a thump.
"Easy, princess," he murmured, his dark eyes fueling her fire. His voice. His touch. He was undoing her. Remember, Georgia, she scolded herself, it's not him.
"You're not him." She breathed it out loud.
"I knew you were smart. It took me a little while to assimilate his memories, sort through who was who. You pulling me into your dreams took me by surprise, I had no idea he could do that. Or who you were."
"But now you do?"
"Now I do," he agreed. "Georgia Pearce. Once human. Now vampire. And..." He paused, lowering his face to her neck and breathing in her scent. "Oh yes, you are quite the find." He practically groaned the words, his own pleasure thickening his speech. She felt his tongue aganst the sensitive skin beneath her ear and shivered.
"I can feel his desire for you. It's powerful. Want to know what makes this even more delicious?"
She was breathing in short pants, gasping, trying to hold herself back from the carnal desire rampaging through her trembling body. This isn't Zak, she kept chanting in her mind, but her body didn't believe her. His touch, his smell, his heat—it was all him. She dug her nails into the trunk of the tree, holding herself to its surface to stop herself from reaching for him.
When she didn't respond he lifted is head, the corner of his mouth tugging up in a smirk at what he saw on her face. "What makes this even more delicious is I can feel your magic, Georgia Pearce. I know what you are. You and your aunt think you can hide from me, think you can run? You're fooling yourselves. But you? Oh, my dear girl." He traced his thumb over her bottom lip, just like Zak used to do. It took every ounce of willpower not to open her lips and suck his thumb into her mouth. "You change everything."
"What...what do you mean?" She gulped, knowing she should be afraid of his words, afraid that he knew about her, that she was well and truly busted, but she couldn't break through the lust bubble she was floating in.
"You're my salvation. And the witches doom. You're the key to it all."
"I...I...don't understand..." Talking was so hard, the words thick on her tongue. What was he doing to her? Was he using magic? She felt drugged, heavy, lustful beyond measure.
"All in good time my sweet Georgia." He cupped her chin, raising her mouth to his.
NO! NO! NO! Her mind screamed. Don't kiss him. It's not Zak. Oh yes, her body quivered, her mouth opening to him, her tongue dueling with his. She reveled in it, groaned into his mouth when he pressed himself against her, his erection hard against her belly, the bark from the tree scraping her back.
Suddenly he froze. Raising his head, he looked behind her, beyond the tree at her back. He cocked his head slightly, as if listening, then smiled ruefully, his attention back on her.
"Time for me to go, my little witch."
"What?" Dazed and shaken all she could do was look at him, this handsome man who turned her world upside down, who was hunting her, not to love her, but to kill her. As he moved back from her, sanity started to return, along with a truckload of regret. Heat burnt her cheeks at what she'd done with him, what she'd allowed, from a virtual stranger. He chuckled, watching the emotions play across her face.
"I must go. They've found the plane. The search party starts tomorrow—I'm coming for you." He turned to leave, then quickly swung back as if in afterthought. "Oh by the way, if you're thinking of telling anyone about this, think again. If you blow my cover with your witchy aunt and her friends, I will order Zak’s big, strong, vampire warriors to kill Skye. And they'll do it, for I've already compelled them. And then I'll kill Zak."
"No!" She woke up screaming, drenched in sweat. She rolled from the sofa and onto the floor with a thump. Oh God. Drawing her knees up, she wrapped her arms around them, burying her face, letting the tears flow. Not only did he have Zak, he also had Skye. She shuddered and rocked, the unforgotten horror of Marius draining her sister, of all they went through. How could this be happening again?
"You okay?" Melissa mumbled from the bed, her voice drowsy with sleep.
"Yes. Sorry, bad dream. Go back to sleep." She wiped her cheeks, drawing a shuddering breath. There'd be no more sleep for her tonight. She considered waking her aunt and insisting they leave now but knew it was pointless. The hunter would catch up with them, she had no doubt, and she couldn't chance igniting his wrath, not while he had control of Zak. And Skye's life dangled in the balance.
11
Even though she thought she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, exhaustion claimed her, sending her into a deep dreamless slumber until she was roused by the cabin door flinging open and light pouring across the floor.
"Georgia!" Zak came at her with vampiric speed, pulling her from the sofa and clasping her tightly in his arms. Groggy, she hugged him back.
"Are you all right? Are you hurt?" He ran his hand up and down her back as if reassuring himself she was real.
"I'm fine. We're both okay." She wriggled for some breathing space and he loosened his hold a fraction, looking over her head at Melissa who was struggling into a sitting position on the bed.
"There was blood at the crash site. A lot of blood," he muttered, his face dark.
"It wasn’t ours. Not all of it. Alison and Hayden, they….they didn’t make it.” Her voice thickened with tears, but she managed a small smile to reassure him she was okay. The gleam in his eye halted her. What? The memory of last night's dream flooded her mind. It's not Zak! She stiffened in his arms. He bent his head, his mouth to her ear.
"Easy sweetheart," he whispere
d. She nodded stiffly, acknowledging his threat. She had to pretend he was Zak.
"You found them? And the plane?" Melissa stretched and rose from the bed, crossing to the door in the back of the cabin that they'd thought had led outside but instead was a small bathroom that had been added on to the cabin in more recent years.
"The search party did," Zak confirmed. "Once I had your scent it was easy to follow you here."
Georgia moved out of his embrace and looked toward the open door. "Where's the rest of the search party?"
"Still looking." He shrugged, then winked at her. She bet he'd compelled them to look in a totally different direction. After all, they didn't have the tracking skills he did. When their eyes locked, it was like fire shot through her veins. Her hands ached from wanting to reach out to him, to touch him, but his face was hard. Cold. It made her step back, away from him. Her reaction didn't go unnoticed, his eyes bored into hers, and a whisper of a sardonic smirk crept across his features.
Instead, she crossed to the sink, splashing cold water on her face before leaning her hands against the sink, her head hung low. She felt him behind her but couldn't look at him. Having him here, but not really, hurt. It was different in the dreams. Here in cold hard reality, everything was amplified. Not only her desire for him but her fear and loathing of the man inhabiting his body. Her breath shuddered out of her.
"You're pale." He leaned with his back against the sink, looking at her sideways.
"I'm a vampire." She snickered.
"You know what I mean. You've lost your glow."
"Is it any wonder?" she hissed, straightening and casting him a furious glare.
"She's hungry." Melissa came back in from the bathroom. Grabbing up her backpacks, she tossed them onto the bed to sort through and repack everything.
"Ahhh. I should have realized. You didn't feed?"
"She drank from a pig," Melissa interjected before Georgia could answer. "I'd lost too much blood to be of much help to her."
"A pig?" He chuckled. "You're nothing if not resourceful." He crowded her again, his body too close, his heat enveloping her until she wanted to lean into it and bask in his warmth. Melissa was right though. She was hungry. Maybe that's why she couldn't hide her reactions around him, she was weak.
"Allow me." Before she could stop him he'd raised his wrist to his mouth and bitten, tearing into his own flesh. She opened her mouth to protest, but the scent of his blood hit her like a freight train. Her eyes flashed red and she clamped his wrist to her mouth, guzzling his blood, eyes closed in ecstasy. His blood had always been her favorite.
When she came down from the blood haze she discovered she was cradled in his arms, her back to his chest, one of his arms supporting her around her waist while she held the other trapped against her mouth. They were on the floor, propped up against a kitchen cupboard. Oh, my God. Quickly she released her hold, mortified. She felt the rumble of his chuckle vibrating through her back.
"Better?" His lips brushed her ear and her head dropped back against his chest of its own accord. The fire of his blood flooding her system had her hyped. Her nerve endings were on fire and the memory slowly surfaced that she'd only ever fed off Zak in the bedroom because afterward? Afterward she positively ravished him. His blood amplified her libido tenfold. Oh dear God. She closed her eyes, trembling against him, needing a release, hating herself, hating him.
He knew this. He would have seen this in Zak’s memories and known the consequences of drinking his blood. Another shudder wracked her body and she nearly cried out. She scrambled away from him, scuttling onto all fours, and turned, facing him, her face flushed, her eyes spitting fire. And desire.
"You're magnificent," he breathed, his eyes raking over her. Her body crouched, ready to launch. She trembled, her fingernails digging into the wooden floor, desperately trying to maintain control as the lust, both blood and other, raged through her.
His desire flared. She saw it in the way his eyes darkened and swirled, his scent changed and her nose twitched as it reached her. No! No, she couldn't let this happen. She was out of the cabin before he could move, running at vampiric speed through the woods.
She fled, pushed faster when she heard him behind her, hunting her, sobbing at the irony. She was running from the hunter. What a pointless exercise. Stopping suddenly, she collapsed to the ground and curled into a ball. Pain, fear, and frustration overwhelmed her, her body shaking with gut wrenching sobs.
"Ah little witch, don't fret." He knelt by her side and pulled her to her knees. She didn't fight him, just looked at him with drowning green eyes. He could see why Zak adored her so. She made him want to protect her, and he couldn't have that. She was a means to an end, nothing more. A shutter came down across his features, his eyes turned cold and hard, and he tugged her roughly to her feet.
"Back to the cabin. And you'd better make your aunt believe we made sweet, sweet love out here or—"
"Or what?" Her breath came out on a choked gasp.
"You know what." He eyed her up and down. She was disheveled, with twigs and leaves in her hair, a flush to her cheeks. Oh yes, the aunt would definitely buy that they'd been rolling around fulfilling each other’s needs. If it wasn't for the tears.
He reached out and rubbed his thumbs beneath both of her eyes, wiping them away. She tensed at his touch but didn't pull away. Knowing he was pushing his luck, pushing her, he threaded their fingers and led her back to the cabin, daring her to pull away from him. She didn't.
"There you are!" Melissa greeted them at the door. She had the backpacks stacked outside, ready to go.
"Sorry," Georgia mumbled, unable to meet her aunt’s eyes, a blush heating her cheeks.
"Perfectly all right." Melissa grinned, shrugging her shoulders.
Georgia cleared her throat, turning to Zak, who still kept a tight grip on her hand. "So, where are we teleporting to?"
"Yeah, about that." He released her hand to run his fingers through his hair. "We're out of luck. My tangle with the hunter damaged my teleporting abilities."
"It did?" Georgia gasped in surprise.
"What happened?" Melissa asked at the same time.
"When I tracked him down he zapped me with what felt like a lightning bolt. Hurt like the blazes. Knocked me out cold for a while. When I came to, no teleporting ability."
"Do you think it's permanent?" Georgia asked, concerned. He shrugged his shoulders.
"No clue." She watched him, her green eyes darkening. Was he telling the truth? Had Zak really lost the ability, or did the hunter not know how to use them and this was a cover story? Did it actually matter? Now they couldn't teleport it would mean days trekking through the wilderness until they reached civilization. Unless they made contact with the search party and caught a lift out. Georgia closed her eyes for a moment, undecided on the best course of action. Trekking out of the woods gave her more time, more time to try and come up with a solution to get the hunter out of Zak’s body. But if they were rescued, she'd have a better chance at escaping him. Could she risk it? Would he follow through on his threats of killing Skye?
"You're an open book." His eyes flashed, anger sparking as he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her out of earshot.
"What?" She rubbed her wrist, her own anger rising.
"I can see you plotting and planning can practically see the cogs turning in that pretty little head of yours. Knock it off."
"Stop telling me what to do. And stop threatening me." Her back was ramrod straight, her eyes spitting fire. He glanced over her shoulder, then brought his eyes back to hers.
"Warned you." Grabbing her by the shoulders he hauled her up against him and crushed his mouth to hers. She stiffened, then wriggled. His hands slid from her shoulders to wrap around her back, pressing her against him from shoulder to knee. That did it. His heat immediately seeped into her bones, her mouth parted beneath his, and his tongue swept in, capturing her, captivating her, turning her into a puddle at his feet. After an age, he brok
e the kiss, resting his forehead against hers, both of them panting.
"You've been warned, little witch. Don't blow my cover. If this is the only way I can keep you in line, I'll use it, with great delight."
Her breath wheezed in and out of her lungs and her legs wobbled. She'd only just burnt off the high his blood had given her; having him touch her now was torture. Worse, she knew it affected him too, could feel the rapid beating of his heart beneath her hand, his erection pressing hard against her stomach. Their physical attraction was very real, and he was right—it was a weapon he could easily use against her. Her eyes filled again, drowning pools of green. He cursed, cupping her face in his hands.
"You need to do better," he muttered.
"It's hard. You're not him." She sniffed.
"Do you want me to be him?" He leered, his insinuation clear.
"I just want him back. Please."
"No can do, little witch. Now. We have an audience. How good an actress are you?"
"You're such an asshole." She cursed and he laughed. Guiding her back to where Melissa stood waiting, he pulled his phone from his back pocket.
"You have a signal?"
"Nope. But I do have a compass app. We need to head west. This way."
"Where are we anyway? And where are we headed?" Georgia scooped up the heavier of the backpacks and threaded her arms through the straps. Melissa grabbed the other.
"Sullivan National Forest. We're heading to Baxter, which is about fifty miles west. Should take us a day, maybe two." Zak walked around the side of the cabin and retrieved a black backpack he's squirreled away without them noticing.
"Let's go, ladies." He led the way. Melissa fell into step behind him, and Georgia reluctantly brought up the rear. She watched her aunt, worried about the long journey they had ahead of them. There hadn't been much food in the cabin. A can of beans and a can of fruit. She'd consumed them both but hadn't eaten anything today. They'd boiled water to drink but had no bottles to bring it with them. She hoped they'd find water along the way. While she and Zak could manage okay, it was highly unlikely a human could.