Adrian (2 page)

She stepped further away from the wall as her gaze swung up. Then she saw the second level about fifteen feet above. In the dim light, it wasn’t apparent. There had to be a way up there. Her gaze assessed the woven rope that she’d noticed earlier. It hung from a solid beam not far from the level above. She hadn’t paid it much attention. Advancing, she gave it an experimental tug and heard the clank of metal. It was attached to something. Another firm tug and the twin feet of a ladder appeared at the edge of the second level.

“A-ha.” The rope functioned as a pulley.

Lydia slipped the sticks into the back pocket of her jeans and brought the ladder down. Swiftly, she climbed until she reached the hollow space. Her gaze fell on the three, stuffed linen bags on the floor. They were the only objects up here. The vampire smell was stronger now. It fired her senses with a distasteful sharpness. In little time, she located the source of the stench and jabbed the bag with the pointy end of the third stick, freeing several grains.
Stinky bastard.

On her way down the ladder, Adrian’s voice froze her movement.

“Many hunters don’t get that one,” he drawled. “Good work.”

She turned her head to look down at him. His eyes lifted from her buttocks to meet hers. Blatant male interest flared in the charcoal depths. Heat rushed to her face as she became uncomfortably aware of her derriere in the tight jeans. Grinding her teeth together, she hurried down the rest of the ladder.

“Are we done here?” she quipped.

Amusement danced about his mouth. “The last two are out there.” He tilted his head toward a back door.

Lydia followed him outside, forcing her gaze past the solid expanse of his shoulders. The late afternoon sun was bright, its glow illuminating a canopy of healthy spring pitch pine and berry bushes just beyond a short clearing. Only vampires that were at least two hundred years old could withstand the sun. She filled her lungs with air, however there was no trace of vampire other than Adrian.

Raising an eyebrow, she turned her gaze to him. “I’m not picking up anything.”

He inclined his dark head. “Not yet. As you know, human hunters can detect a vampire within roughly eighty feet. A vampire on the run will hide anywhere and wooded areas are a common place.”

“The natural scent of flora masks theirs to an extent, makes them harder to track,” she said.

They’d been walking side by side toward a worn path that cut through the trees. Awareness of him hummed through her, welcome and disturbing at the same time.

“Correct, and that’s where your skill comes in. You’re now knowledgeable of the typical smells of the wilderness. Evergreens, bushes, lakes, rivers, animals…” He gave a brief pause.

Lydia found herself listening intently, despite her dislike of the man. Found her gaze fixed too easily on the rugged lines of his face. The shadow of stubble on his hard jaw made her fingers itch to touch it. With a mental scolding, Lydia dragged her gaze from his profile.

“Anything that alters these natural smells is the primary indication that something unnatural is lurking in the region.”

She nodded. Daniel had already taught her this fundamental fact.

“It’s this unnatural scent that you’ll follow. The closer you get to the vampire, the more you’ll pick up his or her scent.”

They were on the trail now. Lydia ran her gaze across the woods. Everything was still. Only soft birdsong rang out. Eager to get away from him, she said, “I know all this. I’d like to find the remaining places.”

He made a noise in his throat, like gravel against velvet.

“What if a vampire doesn’t brush against any vegetation in the woods? Uses only a trail. How would you track him?” he challenged.

Now this was something Daniel hadn’t brought up. She lifted her shoulders. “I guess I’d hope to sense him…maybe from the change in the air.”

Adrian gave a negative headshake. “It would be too faint if he were far.” He pointed downward. “Touch the ground.”

With her curiosity piqued, she placed her palm on the worn, rough surface and felt nothing. She gave him a questioning look.

“Nothing, right?” he asked.

“Right.”

“Okay.” He walked about ten feet on the trail and turned around to face her. “Now touch it.”

This time, when her hand touched the ground, the familiar jolt of anxiety went through her. She met his eyes. “Wow.”

He grinned, showing white teeth. “That would really come in handy at a fork in a road or a trail.”

“Got it, thanks.”

He lifted his watch. “You have ninety seconds to find the next hidden place.”

Caught off guard, she was immobile for a moment, then she strode past him and absorbed the scents of the area, let her internal radar fan out. She kept a brisk pace, monitoring the time as she searched for the unnatural scent. She picked it up about twenty yards into the woods, a variation from the sharp freshness of pine, about two notes lower. It didn’t belong and it came from the left side of the trail. Lydia walked faster, her gaze skirting over bushes and trees. She was close. The smell of iron now clashed with everything else.

She honed in on a berry bush and came to an abrupt halt. Her gaze fell on the blood-drenched strip of cloth stuffed between the dense branches. With a triumphant smile, she inserted a stick next to it.

“You’re very talented, Lydia.”

Her heart gave a nervous skip as her gaze shot to his. He was walking toward her, not from behind, but from the trail ahead. He stopped just a foot from her, sending her blood pulsing through her like an insistent throb. His energy was so potent, so beguiling, her muscles went soft.
God help me.
And the devil knew his effect on her…on every normal woman.

“The unit is lucky to have you aboard.”

Deeper, more velvety voice.

He’s a womanizer. You don’t like him.
Her mouth felt dry and she licked her lips.

The action drew his attention to her mouth. The charcoal eyes flickered with stark desire and her breath caught. She swallowed the tightness in her throat as he raised his hand near her face. A dark current crackled around them.

“Smell me, Lydia.”

The odd request jerked her out of the daze. She gave him a suspicious glare. “Why?”

The corner of his mouth quirked. “Because I’m the one you’ll have to track next.”

Her pulse jumped. Once she decided he wasn’t joking, she said, “I don’t need to. I know how you smell.” The words were out before she realized how they could be interpreted.

Too late, the sensual curve of his mouth increased. “So, you’re familiar with my scent, hmn, little hunter?”

His scent of iron was pleasurable, only an undertone for the more potent notes of deep forests and primal male. She felt the blush creep under her cheeks as she averted her gaze.

“I’m not little.” Well, perhaps compared to him she was, but at 5’6 and leanly muscled, she was hardly
little.

His dark head dipped and he brushed his mouth against her cheek. A feather light caress. Her fingernails bit into her palms as her eyelids drooped.

“Then find me.”

The air around her shifted abruptly, making her eyes snap open. Her gaze flicked around, but he was nowhere. Her jaw tensed. Lydia was angry at her show of weakness. “Damn you, vampire,” she muttered.

Unclenching her fingers, she stood motionless for a long moment to clear her mind. It occurred to her that tracking someone who smelled like the forest would be difficult. But Adrian’s personal scent had infiltrated her pores, evoking images of velvet and sex. She gave a wry smile. It would make a great cologne. The loose earth crunched under her boots as she continued on the trail. It narrowed around a bend and the woods grew denser. Adrian’s fresh scent drifted in and out of her radar, which meant he hadn’t always walked on the main trail. Twice, she took a less worn path, which led her through thick underbrush. He camouflaged himself well. As the distance between them increased, she could only follow the unnatural odor in his wake. She loved the woods and wished she could enjoy her surroundings at a leisurely pace. But she had to locate him as soon as possible.

Lydia passed under a gnarly branch and came to a halt at a fork in the trail. Heaving a sigh, she looked left, then right. No surprise he wasn’t making it easy. She touched the ground that veered left and felt his energy. Heat curled in her sex. She shook her head. It would take days, weeks, to get him out of her system.

Lydia started on the left trail, but something peculiar riveted her to the spot. Her head turned to the right as her nostrils flared. A scent was interfering. Somewhat rancid. A dead animal? She backtracked and walked several paces on the path going right. No…definitely not an animal. Her stride increased until she broke into a light jog. The smell of iron pierced the air, shot through her flesh. Then realization hit her and she let out a chuckle.
Clever trick, Adrian.
He’d planted another vampire target to test her.

She followed the scent onto another path, skipping over larger rocks and tree roots until it became so intense she slowed her pace and looked around. The pine trees were older here, with wide trunks and heavy branches that cast a shade over the area. Although she’d slowed, her heart thudded against her chest and a needle of apprehension went up her spine. This scent was too strong…too real.

A mere rustle behind her. She didn’t have time to react when a hand closed over her mouth, muffled her scream. She felt angry force as her back made firm contact with the hard bark of a tree. She tried to shove her knee into her attacker’s groin, but long, muscular legs immobilized her. Lydia looked into coal-black eyes that glinted with malice. An icy chill went through her and a momentary helplessness paralyzed her before her mind began working, devising strategies for survival. If this vampire wanted her dead, he would have killed her already. Right now, he dominated her physically, so she drew in deep, calming breaths and waited for him to talk.

“I’m going to remove my hand, but if you make any sound for help, I’ll snap your neck.” It was a lightly spoken threat, but only a fool would misinterpret it.

She gave a brief nod and held his gaze as he removed his hand and glided it down to her throat, fingertips touching her pulse. The corner of his mouth twitched into a half-smile as a low growl rumbled in his throat.

“So this is where they teach silly humans like you to hunt vampires.”

Questions flew through her mind.
How did he locate the training site?
The hunter program and anything related to it was classified and the site was protected by a high electric fence.

There was no use denying it. “How do you know?” She kept her tone calm. Aggression would put her life at instant risk.

His thumb brushed against the rapid beat in her throat, making it skip. His nostrils flared as he replied, “There’s no such thing as a secret.” His hand moved down to her left breast, closed over it.

Lydia bit back the protest, fought the surge of indignation in her body.

“Don’t you think it’s a shame, vampires killing their own race?”

She tilted her chin. “Only rogues who kill innocent people.”

A dangerous flame flashed in the black eyes and the angular features of his face grew taut. “The intrinsic nature of all creatures is to survive by eliminating the weaker and the enemy.”

Lydia swallowed the knot in her throat and prayed Adrian would realize something was wrong and come looking for her.

“Humans kill each other every day. The strong take out the weak. Yet they, too, are hunted and imprisoned. Punished for doing what they are genetically conditioned to do,” he added.

He inclined his head as a sombre smile curved his red mouth. His gaze dipped to his hand on her breast. “My first impulse was to rip your throat out. But you’re beautiful and your heart is strong. It would endure…” The black gaze flicked to hers. “…our games.”

Her heart lurched.
God help me.
Young
people had been kidnapped by vampires, held captive while the bloodsuckers subjected them to all kinds of cruelty, killing them once they lost interest. No fucking way. She would
not
let this happen to her.

His erection pressed into her pubic bone as his tongue flicked against her throat. “A little appetizer in the meantime…” Sharp fangs chafed her skin, tearing the surface.

Fear released a dose of adrenaline. She curled her hand into a hard fist and rammed it into his jaw. Arrows of pain shot through the bones in her hand. The vampire’s head snapped to the side. It was enough time to grab the compact knife strapped to the ankle of her boot. She was about to sink it into his chest when a solid shadow rammed into the vampire, taking him down to the ground.

Bewildered, it took her eyes a moment to recognize Adrian as he and the other vampire rolled across the ground, broke away from each other and stood up. She couldn’t tell the rogue’s age—probably a little younger than Adrian—but he was quite strong. Rage burned in his eyes.

“Careful, Adrian,” she called out. Her breath hitched as the two flung into battle, a violent flash of punches and jabs, whirls and kicks.