Hunter (A Dark Assassins Novel Book Five)

by Ullmer, Valerie

  “How are you?”

  The concern in Hunter’s voice had her blinking open her eyes and pulling down the comforter before searching his gaze. There was a pinched look around his eyes and his mouth pressed into a straight line, making him look fierce and concerned at the same time.

  “Why are you worried? As you can see, other than the lack of sleep, I’m wonderful. Are you saying you didn’t like it?”

  “No!” Realizing he shouted, Hunter started again. “Last night was the best night of my life. But the bite, I claimed you without asking you and knowing you’re half vampire. I could have killed you with my venom.”

  Neri’s brows drew down, and she pressed a hand over the spot on her neck, sucking in a breath when she brushed her hand against the spot where Hunter had bitten down. Without thinking about her nude body, she left the bed and walked toward the bathroom and slapped the light on. Something deep inside her craved to see Hunter’s mark looked like on her skin.

  When she stepped in front of the mirror, her hand refused to budge from where it had settled. She watched with wide eyes as Hunter, naked and with a small smile on his face, stepped behind her and placed his left arm around her waist, opening his hand on her stomach. A surge of rightness calmed the riotous questions in her head and her stomach settled as she met his eyes in the mirror.

  He smiled before he lifted his right hand and with easy movements, pulled her hand away from her neck. She sucked in a deep breath at the clear indentions where his fangs had pierced her neck, loving the look of the dark red spots on her pale skin. Knowing her reaction to touching the area, she leaned toward the mirror and studied the marks. She realized they healed overnight. There was no sign of blood or bruising around the area. Only smooth skin and a sensation that went straight to her core.

  Neri turned in his arms and smiled. “Well, I guess we’re mates now.”

  Hunter sucked in a sharp breath and the smile fell from his face.

  “Aren’t you worried? I bit you. Are you sick, or in pain?”

  She narrowed her eyes and shook her head. “No, I’m fine. You seem freaked out about this? It was over six hours ago. Do you think my body would reject your venom?”

  He shook his head. “We have to get this checked out. We have to go see Liv and see if there is anything I might have done to put you in danger.”

  Although she sensed worry coming off Hunter in waves, there was also need, for her. She ignored the worry to take advantage of the latter. So with a smile, she reached for his hand and pulled him into the wide, boxy shower and closed the opaque glass door behind her.

  “What are we doing?”

  Despite his question, the tone of Hunter’s voice made her clench her core and her nipples hardened. At the moment, she wanted Hunter inside her and would bargain him for it. She was fine, more than fine, but she understood Hunter needed reassurance she was healthy and happy. He would get that after.

  “Let’s make love in the shower. Then, we can head to Kai and Liv’s so she can draw my blood and list everything different about me compared to everyone else. But for now, we’re naked, why shouldn’t I take advantage of having your hands on me while you lift me up against the wall and fuck me until I come.”

  A low growl escaped his throat, and she sensed her words, while over the top, hit the mark. He backed her into the shower without his gaze leaving hers. He reached to shut the door behind him before he flipped on the faucet and pulled her away from the cold spray and pressed her against his warm body until the water heated.

  “You’ll kill me.”

  She smiled at him and shook her head. “Why would I do that?”

  Without answering her, he leaned down and kissed her. All thoughts scattered and Neri concentrated on Hunter’s touch for the next few hours, letting go of all her worries.

  ***

  Neri hadn’t realized how late in the day it had become until she glanced over her shoulder to the west to see the sun in line with the tops of the pines scattering the property. She heard the birds chirping in the trees and a stream running close to where they stood, but there was no sound of traffic or other noise pollution.

  Kai answered the door before Hunter knocked. He smiled at them and without knowing why, her cheeks heated at the insinuation in his smile.

  “Hey,” Hunter said.

  “Liv was expecting you earlier, but I figured since you two had such a late night...” Kai trailed off.

  Neri leaned forward and growled. “Do you want to find yourself on top of the tallest building in Denver in a blink?”

  The amusement from Kai’s face disappeared, and he straightened. “Can you do that?”

  “No clue. Do you want to find out?”

  “I do,” Liv cut in.

  It was Neri’s turn to stand up straight. She hadn’t meant to threaten Kai in front of Liv and she wouldn’t have followed through with it.

  Neri turned to Liv the tiny vampire and again, every instinct in her body stood at attention, wanting to protect the curly haired woman. Neri managed a tight smile.

  “I didn’t—”

  Liv’s tinkling laugh made Neri smile at her, a genuine one this time. “I’m only joking. But I heard about what happened last night and I’m glad you were there.”

  Neri blushed when she remembered how she killed the shifter and wondered what the others thought about her. Hunter wouldn’t change his mind, but she had no clue about the others.

  “Why did you drive a truck here?”

  Liv’s question diverted her thoughts. “Oh, yeah, um… Hunter told me how close all of you are to each other and while you and the other vampires don’t eat, the shifter’s do. But everyone needs a dinner table, and I made this a year ago and I’m proud of it and thought you might like…”

  Hunter pulled her close when her voice trailed away.

  “What Neri is trying to say is she brought you a dining room table she designed and created herself. It can sit twenty people. She also included an extension if you needed more room.”

  Kai wrapped his arm around Liv’s waist and instead of insulting her, which Neri worried she had, Liv beamed at her as she bounced on the balls of her feet, excited. “I can’t wait to see it.”

  Neri nodded toward the door and instead of only Kai and Liv, everyone followed them. When they reached the back of her extended cab pickup, she pulled off the tarp to reveal the chunky oak dining table gleaming in the sun.

  “I thought about leaving it rustic, but I opted for a polyurethane finish on the top to stop moisture from warping the wood and to prevent dents and scratches from everyday use and left the rest unvarnished. The pedestal bases are sturdy enough to support the extensions and if you want chairs, I have plenty of light oak in the workshop for them.”

  Neri watched Liv for her reaction and when tears welled in her eyes, Neri’s instinct screamed at her to step forward and hug her. Instead, she found a face full of curly hair and a vampire wrapped around her who smelled of lovely lemongrass and green apple.

  Despite her earlier nervousness, Neri laughed as Liv pulled back, wiping her eyes. “I hope you like it.”

  “I love it,” Liv turned to Kai and the way he looked at his mate had Neri turning away, as not to intrude. “Thank you, Neri.”

  And with Liv’s words, Hunter, Kane, and Drew who she remembered meeting only the day before, sauntered up to the bed of her truck, lifted the table, and moved it toward the door and inside the house. Liv reached for her hand and squeezed once before she tugged for Neri to follow.

  From what she remembered of the house as she ran through with her mind in panic mode didn’t do the place justice. Scattered around were couches and chairs in rustic colors, browns and beiges, but they seemed comfortable. The space was open with colossal windows that viewed the mountains and pines surrounding the property. The dark wood paneling and the rustic feel of the place, along with the modern kitchen and the beautiful staircase leading upstairs, made the house feel welcoming.

  Hunter
and the others set up the table where Liv indicated she wanted it, and when Neri opened her mouth to thank them, a little voice inside her head stopped her cold.

  Hello.

  Neri blinked and before her stood a baby with brilliant white hair and the most intriguing green eyes sparkled with blue that reminded her of the pictures she’d viewed online from NASA of nebulas. When she tore her gaze away from his beautiful eyes, she found a tiny little man with pale skin and a smile of welcome. Neri sank down to sit crossed-legged in front of him.

  Um, hello. I’m Neri and you must be Silas.

  He beamed at her and stepped forward, reached a hand out to her face. Silas paused for a moment, but Neri smiled at him, encouraging him to do whatever he wished, and he continued his movements until his hand cupped her face.

  The room grew silent around her, but she didn’t pay attention to anyone but Silas. Although she sensed a toughness and protectiveness in the little man, there was a joy, a pure joy surrounding him and being absorbed by everyone in the room.

  I’m glad Hunter found his mate. I’m hoping every one of my family gets to find their mate. You’re unique, like me. You have the same white hair and although your eyes are silver like Uncle Kai, Kane, Thomas, Seth, Isaac and Aunt Liv.

  Yeah, I remember being told I was a shifter, but they injected me with something that turned me into a vampire, too.

  Can I see your memory?

  “No, no Silas, you shouldn’t see that,” Hunter cut it.

  Neri blinked up at her mate. “You can hear our conversation?”

  “Yeah, but none of the others can. I don’t think?”

  The three of them glanced around the room and everyone was staring at her and baby Silas. The little man didn’t like her attention focused elsewhere and took her by surprise when he climbed into her lap and leaned back on her left arm. She cradled him, not wanting to hurt him before she glanced up and searched for his parents.

  “I wanted you to know I would never hurt him.”

  Xander chuckled and Frost shook her head, her beautiful eyes, similar to her son’s shining with mirth.

  “Silas has a sixth sense about people. He can sense those who want to harm him and even if you tried, he can shield himself. Plus, he’s very strong in his leopard form and he can shift faster than any other shifter here. We’re not worried, honey.”

  Neri glanced down to see Silas smiling at her.

  Can I see your shield and how you shift? I’ve never been able to shift.

  I will, but I want to show you my room at home. Do you think we can go over there using your power?

  Hunter laughed at her surprise. “Nothing stays secret long in this family.”

  “What did Silas want?” Jade asked.

  She glanced up at found the beautiful auburn-haired woman sitting close to her and Silas. Instead of being startled she was sitting so close, Neri smiled.

  Leaning forward, Neri asked, “This is a rude question, but is your hair natural?”

  Jade threw her head back and laughed. Her arms wrapped around her stomach before she hunched forward and laid her head on Neri’s shoulder. Without moving, Neri leaned toward her and sniffed, inhaling the subtle scent of vanilla with a hint of fruit… peaches. She blinked when Jade answered.

  “Yeah, I tried black for a while but this is my natural color.” Jade leaned forward and whispered, “Noah likes this better.”

  Neri’s eyes glanced up and spotted Jade’s mate, a big man standing behind her with his arms crossed over his chest and his feet shoulder length apart, as if he were waiting for a fight. Something said military to Neri, but she moved her eyes back to Jade.

  “I like auburn. It frames your face and makes your freckles stand out.”

  “I used to hate them, but now…” Jade shook her head as she cupped her cheeks.

  Neri!

  The entire group flinched as Silas demanded her attention.

  Sorry, little man. This life is new and I want to meet everyone in Hunter’s life, but I didn’t mean to ignore you. Sure, I can take you to your room so you can show me, but I have to ask your parents if it’s okay.

  Mommy, daddy, can I show Neri my room?

  The group chuckled because again, he opened their communications with everyone in the room.

  “Sure, little man. We’ll head there now.”

  Instead of waiting for his parents, Silas pushed an image of his room into Neri’s head.

  Now, Neri.

  Hunter, can you tell Xander and Frost where we went?

  Another chuckle, this one from Hunter as he nodded.

  Hold on little man. Here we go.

  Wait! I want Jade to go to.

  Neri smiled and as she secured Silas closer to her chest with one arm wrapped around his tiny body, she reached for Jade and wrapped one hand around her forearm. The beautiful woman must have known Silas had wanted her to come so with a tiny smile and a nod, Neri blinked them out of Kai and Liv’s house and into a bright room.

  Neri loosened her arms around Silas’s body and searched his face for any sign of trauma or pain. Instead, he smiled at her and scrambled out of her lap.

  Jade made a squeak and Neri searched her face or body for any damage, finding her intact and whole.

  “You okay?” Neri asked.

  Jade’s gaze found Silas over by a wall of bookshelves, filled with books of all sizes. He became absorbed with his objective, scanning the shelves and pulling out a book. Jade turned back to her.

  “That was fucking weird.” Jade threw her head back and laughed at her own observation.

  “Any motion sickness?”

  “No, I’m fine. I know how long it takes to drive from Kai’s to here. And running his faster. But you got us here in a split second and my brain, although I’m used to weird immortal stuff, hasn’t caught up yet.”

  Silas giggled before he careened into Neri’s arms, wrapping his arms around her neck and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. She was growing to love the smell of his citrus-vanilla scent and the petal soft skin as he pressed his face against her neck.

  “You can’t help but love him.”

  Neri nodded and smiled as she rubbed Silas’s back.

  She took a glance around the room, noting they painted all four walls a different primary color. Instead of a crib, Silas slept in a bed shorter than a twin with stuffed animals dotted near the pillows and in one corner of the room. There were pictures of every one of Silas’s family, holding him, propped on the bookcases or placed on the wall.

  “I love your room, little man. So much color.”

  Silas smiled at her. Mommy and daddy call me little man, too?

  Does it bother you because I can call you Silas if you prefer?

  No, I like it.

  Good. I like it, too.

  Silas scrambled back over to his bookshelves and Neri stood up to follow. She scanned the titles on the shelves and while there were books for toddlers; she noticed most of them were for middle grade or young adult.

  “Which one is your favorite?”

  Instead of answering, he shook his head and scanned all of his books. Then he shook his head again before he spoke.

  I don’t have a favorite. I love all of them even if they make me sad or mad.

  Jade laughed and so did Neri.

  There was a shuffle downstairs before someone slammed the door. As someone started up the stairs, a translucent barrier shot up around the room, protecting all three in Silas’s room.

  “Wow, that’s something,” Neri muttered.

  “It’s okay, baby. It’s just your Uncle Noah. I told him where I was going, but he must not have liked me disappearing on the spot.”

  Silas dropped the barrier and Neri caught Silas as Noah rushed through the door and straight to Jade. He pulled her into his arms and Neri turned her and the little man back to the bookshelf.

  “What are you reading now?”

  Daddy and I finished reading the Harry Potter series, and it was amazing, but m
ommy wanted me to read regular books for kids around my age, so she bought all the Little Golden books. Each story makes me smile and they teach me about sharing and being nice to others. Last night, we finished The Pokey Little Puppy and The Little Red Hen. I think the hen was my favorite. She didn’t care about what other’s thought of her and did what she wanted. I like that.

  Neri laughed. “Me too, little man.”

  Silas reached for the book and placed it in Neri’s hands. Although she’d gone through it before, she stiffened as an old memory assailed her the moment she glanced at the cover of the book.

  Come on, Nerissa. Just read it. You know I can’t.

  Neri rolled her eyes at the small girl’s insistence. She could read by herself, but whenever she was with Neri, she wouldn’t try, saying she liked her voice. Neri tugged a pigtail and opened the book.

  One summer day the Little Red Hen—

  Nerissa, Zahava can read on her own. You need to stop your babying or she will never get adopted. Both of you, do your chores and then clean your room. I won’t tell you twice.

  With that, the woman who was the administrator of the orphanage walked away, her chunky shoes clomping on the wooden floor and Neri shivered, happy her anger didn’t involve punishment this time.

  That woman is a bitch. If she keeps treating us like that, she’ll be sorry.

  Zahava’s voice, so cold and unemotional, caused another shiver to pass over her.

  “Neri, angel?”

  Neri blinked and noticed her surroundings with a jerk. She glanced down to see Silas’s look of concern.

  “I’m sorry, little man. Another memory from my past and I couldn’t get out.”

  “What did you see?”

  The unfamiliar voice had her head jolting up. She groaned aloud when she found Kai, Liv, Reaper, Ara, Seth, Aubrey, Drew, Jade, Noah, Gunnar, Xander, Frost, Ghost, Kane, Thomas, Isaac, and the tall blonde man she threatened at standing in Silas’s room staring at her. Ghost gave her a small smile, and she knew the question came from him.

  With so many staring at her, she bit her bottom lip as a sign of nerves. Then, Hunter moved into view and she blew out a breath, relaxing.