by G. K. DeRosa
Vampish: The Hunt
G.K. DEROSA
Copyright © 2022 Mystic Rose Press
* * *
All Rights Reserved. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the publisher, Mystic Rose Press.
Print ISBN: 9798798594528
Cover Designer: Sanja Gombar www.fantasybookcoverdesign.com
* * *
Published in 2022 by Mystic Rose Press
Palm Beach, Florida
www.gkderosa.com
Created with Vellum
To all my wonderful readers!
~ GK
Contents
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
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Sneak Peek of Vampish: Kiss of Death
Also by G.K. DeRosa
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Chapter
One
Phoenix
* * *
“Who knew killing vamps made you so horny, Nix.” Spark’s hands moved down my back, cradling my behind as I shoved him against the massive palm tree.
“Shut up and kiss me,” I breathed as adrenaline shot through my veins.
“Are you sure we should? According to my count, there are still two more fangers out here.” His amber eyes gleamed with excitement as he scanned the encroaching jungle.
“Let the other guys handle them. We already took out five of those bastards.” I ticked my head at the last vampire whose body was sprawled a few yards away, a wooden stake protruding from his chest. He’d be dust in no time. Weird how some imploded immediately and others took their time…
Before I started kissing Spark again, I eyed bardy leaning against the tree beside us, still at arm’s length. The bardiche, a long medieval axe, was my weapon of choice. With an elongated vicious blade and a pointy tip at the other end of the wooden staff, it had dispatched dozens of vampires to their final deaths.
“Gods, I love it when you talk about killing fangers.” He sucked my lower lip into his mouth, nibbling at the soft flesh and eliciting a moan from the back of my throat.
I pressed against him, the rush of the kill heightening every touch. His hand cradled the back of my neck, tilting it as he deepened the kiss. As our mouths moved, bodies crushed against each other, I didn’t have to think about anything else.
Not about the fact that my time training at the Isle of Mordis was coming to an end.
Not that soon we’d be unleashed on real vampires.
And definitely not on the fact that in a few short weeks, I’d see my sister again for the first time in three years.
Spark’s fingers dipped beneath the waistband of my standard issue black cargo pants, and I jerked back.
“What?” he asked, locks of dirty blonde hair spilling over his forehead and eyes sparkling with mischief. The light amber deepened to molten pools of gold when his dragon neared the surface.
“I’m not going to do you in the middle of an op, dumbass.”
He arched a brow, smirking. “Always an excuse.”
I fisted the collar of his shirt and dragged him closer, smashing my lips against his. His excitement pressed against my upper thigh, and I released him again. “Kissing is one thing. Having sex in a jungle full of rabid vamps is suicidal, even for you, Sparky.”
The crunch of boots spun my attention to the east, just to the left of the lush thicket. I grabbed my bardiche, or bardy, as I affectionately called my favorite weapon, and watched the mile-high blades of tangled vegetation part to reveal the rest of our team.
“There you two are,” said Archer. The grumpy Fae eyed our tousled state disapprovingly. I mean, could he really tell the difference between fighting killer vamps disheveled and heated, sexy times disheveled?
Callan and Vera shared a conspiratorial grin as they regarded us. The Nephilim and witch portion of our team had more than their fair share of on-mission hook ups.
“We got five.” Spark grinned proudly. “How many did you guys bag?”
“One,” said Vera.
“We lost track of the female when it started to rain, and I couldn’t catch her scent.” Seline leaned against a tree and huffed. As a wolf, she was our resident tracker, and she was damned good.
Sometimes I couldn’t help the jealousy that bubbled up when she shifted into wolf form. I was supposed to be a wolf too. Only my girl refused to emerge. When I became of shifting age, people thought I was a dud, but only I remembered I had shifted. Just the one time. I shook my head out as the dark memories threatened to surface. Not the time.
“Let’s get the last one then,” I said, attempting to refocus as I smoothed back the strands of deep red hair that had come loose from my high ponytail.
“She could be anywhere by now.” Archer lifted his nose, the snooty Fae drenched in sweat and dirt. “Let’s head back to the compound. The next team will nab her.”
“No way,” I barked. “We’ve got like a week until graduation. We’ve got to place at the top of our class if we want the best assignments from the queen.”
Vera rolled her eyes. “Come on guys, you know little Miss Overachiever won’t let us get lunch until we nail all our targets.” She snapped her fingers, and the smoky scent of magic tickled my nose as a tablet appeared in the palm of her hand. She scanned the screen, tucking her short, dark hair behind her ears and her lips twisted into a pout. “According to the last camera grab, the final vamp was south of the Madras waterfall.”
“Let’s go then.” I waved my team on, and led the way, using bardy to cleave my way through the dense underbrush. Not only was my weapon kickass at killing vamps, but it was also super useful in the jungle, where I’d been training for the past three years.
The Isle of Mordis was tucked away in the human realm, a tiny island in the Caribbean Sea, only accessible via a secret portal. Here, supes and even some humans, trained for one purpose only. To kill vampires.
The Royal sicari were an elite team of vampire slayers, and if all went well the next week, I’d be joining the exclusive force back in the supernatural land of Azar. We’d be stationed in Nocturnis, vampire territory, but our missions could take us across all eight realms of Azar or any part of the human world.
“Shh! Did you hear that?” Seline cocked her head to the right, and it totally reminded me of her gray wolf’s curious expression.
Archer stalked forward, stake held high and tiny daggers of ice shimmering along his fingertips. The hair on the back of my neck bristled. I could always tell when a vamp was nearby. It was like a sixth sense I’d developed in my years of trainin
g. My official instruction had only started three years ago when I arrived on this island, but I’d been preparing for that day what seemed like my whole life.
Since my parents died when I was young, leaving me with a little sister to take care of, I’d been forced to grow up fast. We were taken in by one of the High Claw Cliff tiger families, one of the few that had survived the attack that had taken my parents. I gulped as the smoke muddled my vision. Squeezing my eyes tight, I blinked back the grisly images of the past.
The Avonshire tiger family was nice enough. They just had a whole litter of cubs and adding two more to the mix didn’t help the scant conditions they lived by. Luckily, Deacon Darkridge, the tiger alpha had taken a liking to me. He’d been the one to find me the next morning in the woods.
After I’d recounted the events of the horrible night, he’d taken special interest in me and when I asked to be trained with his betas, he’d agreed. And that was how I became the kickass slayer I was today.
“There!” Spark pointed and raced through the tangle of vines.
The rush of the waterfall finally reached my ears. I’d been so consumed in my thoughts I hadn’t even noticed it. Definitely not good. Being aware of your surroundings was rule number one for a good vampire hunter.
I took off after Spark with the rest of the team on my heels. “Archer, Vera, you guys go around that way. We’ll see if we can corral her in.”
“Copy that, Nix,” the pair answered in unison before splitting off down the opposite path.
The rapids surged overhead, the pounding waves so loud now it was all I could hear. The immense waterfall plummeted down from the cliff at least fifty feet up. Below a clear, azure lagoon sat immersed in the deep greens of the jungle floor. If it weren’t for all the fangers lurking around this island, the location would be idyllic.
“I see her.” Spark’s quiet voice hissed through the com in my ear. “She’s at the northern edge of the lagoon.”
“Good. We’re right behind you, and Vera and Archer are coming around the other side. Trap. Set. Kill.” I fingered the silver cross hanging at my neck as I ran. My good luck charm.
“Gods, you’re hot when you’re murderous.”
Groans echoed behind me as the others heard our conversation through the coms. It wasn’t like the rest of the team didn’t know we were hooking up, but I still didn’t want to broadcast it to everyone. Especially since it wasn’t serious. A little flirting was fine, but I had to stay focused. This—killing vampires—was my life, and there wasn’t room for much else.
The lagoon took shape below us, the cerulean waters aglow beneath the setting sun. Wait, sun and vampires? Good catch. A mystical shield had been placed around the island to keep the vampires from roasting beneath the solar rays. Contrary to popular belief, vampires didn’t burst into flames from a tiny ray of sunshine, but repeated exposure did singe the bloodthirsty bastards into barbecue. And then how would we practice killing them?
A lithe, female form coalesced at the foot of the falls. Her shadowy figure was obscured by the mist, but my nostrils flared, her faint scent floating toward me on a breeze. The same must have been true for her because she lifted her eyes to mine. A pair of bottomless black irises latched on, boring their way into my mind. I could feel the female probing, tiny invisible fingers pressing at my skull.
“Mother vamper,” I hissed and tore my gaze away, signaling to the others to stay down. Some of the old ones had special powers, beyond the run of the mill super speed, heightened senses, magical healing blood, etcetera. Some could not only compel others, but also read minds. Good goddess, where did Demetra find this one? Our head of instruction at Camp Kill was really pulling out all the stops today.
Most of the vamps we trained with were serviles. They were the lower-class immortals with basic abilities. The Royals, the ones who descended directly from the vampire queen Carmen Rosa, were the powerful ones. If Demetra assigned us this female, she thought we could handle her, and I’d do whatever necessary to prove her right.
My fingers tightened around bardy, the smooth wood molded to my grip. “Let’s do this.” I waved Seline and Callan on as I crouched down low to use the thick foliage for camouflage. If we could stay downwind, she wouldn’t be able to smell us coming either.
We crept noiselessly down the path until we reached the stirring waters of the lagoon. The gentle lapping stilled the mad flutter of my heart. I took a deep breath, forcing my pulse to slow. At this rate, she’d hear us from a mile away.
Narrowing my eyes, I searched the tree line for Spark. Where the Hades was he? I didn’t dare risk talking through the com. If he was within vamp earshot, it would only betray his location.
I signaled to the team and moved closer. Archer and Vera must’ve been in position on the opposite bank by now. The she-vamp still stood in the shadows, her eyes darting between the surrounding vegetation.
Now close up, I could make her out better. She wasn’t like the typical starving vampires we generally contended with. Her frame was willowy but strong, and her skin was like the finest porcelain. She’d fed well and recently. By the look of her complexion, my guess was it wasn’t Blud either. The synthetic blood concoction the Etrian Assembly had forced on the vampire realm was nowhere near as good as the real thing, from what I’d heard. But the residents of Nocturnis were compelled to abide by the assembly’s decree if they wanted to remain in good standing within the realm.
Callan tapped my shoulder, and I refocused. He pointed a finger at Spark, who was hidden behind an outcropping of rocks just a few yards from the female vamp. I caught his eye and gave him the signal. On three.
One. A dribble of sweat raced down my spine.
Two. I took in a breath to slow my accelerating pulse.
Three. Adrenaline surged, and I darted out from behind the bush with Callan and Seline at my heels.
Spark reached her first, unleashing a wave of dragonfire. The deep emerald and brilliant orange flames shot out from his mouth. Even half-shifted the dragon was scary AF, massive reptilian wings draped across his shoulders. But the female was fast. She zipped behind the falls, and the flames extinguished within the mist.
Archer and Vera appeared on the other side, and I shouted through the com, “Go, go, she’s coming toward you.”
The pair blocked the exit of the cavern, and I led the team around back to trap her. We raced through the dim tunnel, jumping over stalactites and ducking beneath jagged stalagmites. Moisture was thick in the air, making my nose twitch. Where the hells did she go?
I could just make out the end of the cave a few yards away, the light illuminating Archer and Vera’s shadowed forms. “Did we miss her?” I panted as I stopped in front of the other half of my team.
“No, she never came out,” said Archer.
I glanced back over my shoulder at the narrow passageway. No way we missed her.
A whoosh from above sent my head tipping back, and a curse exploded from my clenched lips as the vampire landed on top of Archer.
“Watch out!”
Her fangs closed on his neck, and he let out a scream.
“Get her off him!” I shouted as I clenched my fingers around bardy. I couldn’t throw my weapon with her so close to my friend. If she moved, I could kill him. Spark appeared at the tunnel opening and darted inside as I unleashed the small stake strapped to my thigh and raced toward Archer. The fanger must not have liked her odds because she released my Fae friend and sprinted out the cavern.
I slid to the floor beside Archer, anger rocketing through my insides. “Are you okay?”
“That effing vamp just bit me, Nix. No, I’m not okay.” He clutched at his neck and blood oozed through his fingers. Light blonde hair stuck to his forehead as sweat beaded on his brow. He was so pale…
My mind flashed back in time, and dark memories pulled me under. Dad. Smoke clogged my airway, and I spluttered and coughed, hot tears burning my eyes. Daddy, please don’t leave me. I lurched forward, my stomach roiling.
“Nix!” A rough shake dragged me from the grisly images.
I glanced up and met a pair of familiar amber irises. “Spark?”
“You okay?”
I jumped up and shook my head out, burying the memories in the darkest depths of my psyche. “Callan, you and Vera stay here with Archer. See if you can work some of your angel healing on him. Seline, Spark, you’re with me. We’re not going home until we catch that vamp bitch. No one takes a bite out of my friend and lives.”
Seline shifted, the smoky haze covering her body until a gray wolf appeared moments later. We’d been a team for so long, most of the time we knew what the other was thinking before a word was spoken. She needed to track that fanger before we lost her. The sun was starting to set, and we’d never catch her under cover of night.
Wolf-Seline took off, nose to the ground, and we followed a few steps behind.
“Too bad you can’t shift, Nix. You’d be the ultimate sicari if you could track like Seline.”
“Thanks, a-hole. I never thought of that.” I shot him a smirk to hide the twist of my lips. At first, Deacon, the tiger alpha, thought I couldn’t shift because of the trauma I’d endured at my parents’ death. He even sent me to a healer in Maginaria, the land of magic, witches and warlocks, oh my. The woman could sense my wolf, as could I, but she didn’t know what was keeping her locked up inside. She assured me she would eventually emerge. Too bad the day never came.