Born In Blood (Born Hunter Book 1) (8 page)

Twelve

             
C
ara found herself back in the faux abandoned warehouse in the Meat Packing district. The human-vampire couples scattered throughout performing various acts of PDA were now absent. She and Aiden were the only two souls in the building. They stood near the elevator as they did before. She was caught up in the steel cage she had come to know as his strong arms again; only they were facing each other now.  Aiden stared directly into her eyes when he spoke to her just as she had become used to him doing. It was a curious behavior but one that Cara appreciated. When most people talked to you they managed to look everywhere but directly into your eyes. As if doing so was too vulnerable an act and they did not want you to see the truth of what lay beneath. When Aiden talked to her, his eyes willed her, even challenged her, to look beneath the surface. The intensity of his gaze stole her breath away. A sea of endless emerald was reflected back at her. It was a sea that sent little waves crashing against the shore of her body.

              “You are magnificent,” Aiden told her in a reverent tone as he kissed his way down her neck.

              “When did you figure that out?” Cara smiled at him.

              “Tonight,” he admitted, “while watching you fight Rafe.”

              Cara gave him a quizzical look. “Explain.”

              Aiden had not been commanded in a long time. Since he was boy and his father was grooming him to be a suitable heir. Now not even Viktor commanded him. He obeyed his own whims and nobody else's.  But he was finding to his chagrin that he could deny the beautiful hunter before him nothing. So when she commanded that he explain, he did. “You can tell a lot about a person from the way they fight.  The way you fight, my extraordinary hunter, is with un-contained power and fury and an unwavering confidence that you
will
be the one to walk away alive. What that tells me is that you are a woman confident in your abilities and unafraid to wield your strength. Most human men may find that disconcerting but to me it makes you all the more desirable.”

              Aiden’s last words hit home hard on a level that was too deep to think about too hard at the moment. Aiden was doing all sorts of wicked things to her neck with his tongue that left her unable to think clearly. His tongue teased the sensitive spot at the base of her neck in slow, laborious circles. His fangs teasingly scraped against her erratically beating pulse, causing it to kick into overdrive. She threw her head back, further exposing and offering him her neck as she let out a low breathy moan. Her hands circled around him as his were around her and she squeezed his hardly muscled ass as she had been itching to do since she first laid eyes on it. Aiden’s last ounce of self-control slipped and Cara found herself with her back against the wall and her legs wrapped around him with no recollection of ever moving to get there. One instant they were by the elevator doors and in the next they were not. Aiden ripped open her shirt and deftly removed the offending barrier that was her cream lace bra. His hands kneaded and caressed her breasts as he nipped and kissed his way down to them.  Her took one nipple into his mouth, forcefully tugging at it and eliciting another round of throaty moans from her. She cradled his head to her chest willing the onslaught of pleasure to never cease. Aiden pushed her leather mini up around her waist and  the matching lace panties she wore quickly met the same fate as her silk blouse. Cara’s body tensed in anticipation, awaiting his penetration, but to her surprise Aiden lowered her to her feet and dropped to his knees before her. He sank two fingers inside her as his tongue probed for her clitoris. He sucked and tugged on the sensitive bud until a pool of wetness coated and oozed down the artful fingers that were probing her with such glorious skill.

              “Now, please,” Cara unabashedly begged, desperately needing the fingers inside her to be replaced by his cock. Aiden shook his head and bit down on her bud while vigorously pumping in and out of her. She saw stars as her body was racked by an onslaught of pleasurable waves. Her legs turned to jelly as her knees gave out. Aiden was there to catch her, passionately kissing her as he gathered her up in his arms. When her body stopped shaking from the waves Aiden turned her around and bent her over the table beside him. He kicked her legs a part fisted her hair in one head while using the other to grab a hold of her hip. Cara arched both her ass and her neck toward him, invitingly. It was all the urging that Aiden needed. He let his incisors lengthen several inches longer and buried his fangs into the soft flesh of Cara’s neck as he slammed his cock into her. The twin sensations were nearly too much for Cara to bear and she screamed out in both pain and pleasure. She felt as if there was an invisible thread that ran from her neck down to her core and with each pull of Aiden’s at her neck there was also a tug at her core. Aiden relentlessly pounded in and out of her as he greedily drank from her neck. The more he drank, the harder he became and the more forcefully he pumped into Cara. Even still, Cara wanted more. She arched her butt higher and pounded it back against him, meeting him thrust for thrust. The action made him hit deeper inside her and the sensation felt so good that he groaned in pleasure. He moved his hand from her hair and slid it down the front of her. He pinched her bud between his skilled fingers. Cara’s world fractured and she screamed out in blinding pleasure. It ignited a chain reaction in which Aiden slammed even more vigorously into her and tightened his hold on her hips in a punishing grip. He let out a deep baritone growl before slamming home one final time.

              “Sweet dreams,” Aiden whispered into her ear.

              For the remainder of her slumber, Cara slept the most peaceful, uninterrupted sleep she had gotten in a long time. The nightmares that usually came never did.

Thirteen

             
S
he felt offensive rays permeating her face. Cara groaned and instinctively squinted her eyes, trying to protect them from the late afternoon sun. “Ugh! How did I forget to close the shutters before I went to bed?” she grumbled to herself.

              “You didn’t,” she heard another voice in the room say, “I opened them for you. Rise and shine sweetheart!”

              Cara gathered the bedding more securely around her. Reyes was in her room and there was a sticky dried substance running the length of her thighs. Her mind flashed back to the dream that seemed all too real. She fought back the blush that threatened to flood her cheeks.

              She threw a pillow at Reyes’ head. “Get out! Now!”

              “What the hell is wrong with you?” he regarded her quizzically.

              “Nothing,” she quickly tried to cover the uncharacteristic outburst up, “ I just don’t have on any pants is all.”

              Reyes mouth twitched with laughter. “It’s not like you have something I have never seen before.”

              “I mean it Reyes,” Cara warned him. “Get out or the next thing I throw will be a blade.”

              “Fine,” he huffed, “clearly somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. You have about 15 minutes to get yourself together. Reiya wants us at headquarters in an hour for an important meet.”

              “Us?” Kara asked Reyes confused.

              “Well really she just said you, but I have a feeling it is something juicy and I refuse to miss out. Therefore I am pulling rank as your good friend and Reiya’s twin and crashing it,” he admitted.  “You will back me up if they try to kick me out, right?”

              “Sure, I’ll do whatever you want if you just get out of my room,” Cara said exasperatedly.

              Reyes eyed the way her sheets were gathered around her and her disheveled appearance. Male appreciation glinted in his eyes. “Anything?” he hedged.

              “Get out!” Cara shrieked at him. She made good on her promise to launch a blade at his head. It buried itself in the wall next to him.

              “You missed,” Reyes taunted her.

              Cara gave him a deadpan look. “I never miss.”

              “I love you Cara, I swear.”

              She could still hear Reyes’ laughter as he made his way down the steps.  She smiled after him in spite of herself. She loved Reyes too, but not in the way he so often playfully hinted that he wanted her to. She loved him as she loved Reiya, like a brother, like family. 

              Cara hopped out of the bed and stripped her sheets off of it. They needed to be washed. She did not have time to stop to think about the reason. She rushed through a hot shower then hastily ran a comb through her hair, letting her loose auburn curls fall where they may. She applied a touch of gloss and neutral colored eye shadow then walked to her closest to find something suitable to wear. If she were going into the field dressing would be easy. She always wore her leathers or jeans when hunting. The way they tightly clung to her body made it easier to move in a fight without offending fabric getting in the way. Cara finally settled on a pair of black, tailored slacks that hugged her hips paired with a peach chiffon blouse. She dug her black red bottom pumps from the back of her closet. Cara studied herself in the mirror. Professional, yet sexy, was the look she was aiming for.

              She and Reyes made it to headquarters with a few minutes to spare just as the sun was setting low in the evening sky. The building was abuzz with excitement, which seemed to intensify the moment they walked in.

              “I wonder what is going on?” Cara said to Reyes as she held her hand up to the security scanner in the elevator.

              “I’m guessing it has to do with the important meeting Reiya called us to,” Reyes shrugged.

              Cara looked over at him. “She called me, not you. You are just tagging along like the annoying baby brother I never had.”

              “Hey, I am older than you by almost a year,” Reyes said defensively.

              “Yeah, but you act about six years my junior,” Cara shot at him.

              “I act my age. In fact many a women think I am much older than I actually am. They mistake me for a distinguished thirty.”

              “Sure they do.”

              “Don’t patronize me,” he playfully bumped her shoulder. The security scanner beeped twice, clearing Cara for access to the executive level. “How come you get access to top secret executive levels?”

              “Jealous much,” Cara teased.

              “Extremely,” Reyes admitted.

              “You should be,” she grinned at him.

              “Bite me,” he grinned back.

              Aiden’s head turned in Cara’s direction at the precise moment she stepped off the elevator. He sensed her presence as soon as she entered the building and his awareness of her only grew stronger as she traveled closer. She looked as delectable as ever but Aiden much preferred the body-hugging leathers he had first seen her in or the snug-fitting jeans of the previous night to the polished, professional look she now sported. Still, watching her made his cock jump all the same. Her black tailored pants hugged her hips just right and he eagerly awaited a view of her from behind to see what they did to her backside. The peach colored blouse she wore accentuated the bronze undertones of her complexion just so and the light color served to make her appear daintier than usual. Aiden chuckled to himself quietly. The hunter would carve his heart out if he told her that to her face. His attention diverted to the male beside her, the one from the bar, and he had to suppress a growl at how familiar they seemed with each other.

              The executive conference room featured spotless glass panes for walls. It allowed Cara to see who was present inside well before she reached it. Her heart skipped a beat and images of the erotic dream she had mere hours before began playing on a loop inside her head. Heat crept into her cheeks. She took a moment to compose herself, ignoring the inquisitive look in Reyes eyes, and pushed through the conference room doors. Aiden’s eyes locked with Cara’s, refusing to release her stare. The light in the room danced off his irises and made them sparkle like twin emeralds. An electric current passed through Cara’s body. The involuntary reaction to his stare was becoming an infuriating habit. Aiden’s irises began to glow around the edges then the golden flames died as quickly as they had appeared. It indicated a momentary lapse in control. However, Cara was sure she was the only one in the room who saw them. Everyone else was desperately trying to look anywhere except directly at the Prince of Darkness.

              “Now that Cara has arrived shall we begin?” Reiya was the epitome of poised, professionalism when she spoke, but the murderous look in her eyes and taut line her lips pursed into let Cara know maybe she was not the only one who noticed the gold flames that momentarily ringed Aiden’s eyes after all.

              Cara took a seat at the long, polished table pretending not to notice. She made good on her promise to Reyes by insisting to the higher ups that he remain present in case his technical expertise was needed. It sounded like total BS, but it was easy to sell seeing as how one-half of the ‘higher ups’ consisted of his twin. The other half was Director Ford. The meeting lasted an hour and a half. The time was spent discussing in length what Aiden wanted from N.A.D.H, more specifically Cara, what N.A.D.H got out of the deal, and hashing out the logistics of how the two entities, vampires and hunters, would effectively work together. At least that was how the meeting was supposed to go. In reality, it unfolded much more entertainingly. Aiden explained his intentions and desires with all of his usual vagueness. When pressed for details by the Directors, he held stoic in his secrecy. Reiya, never one to be called a pushover, pressed him harder despite this fact. She even went as far as to threaten to rescind N.A.D.H’s agreement of assistance. Aiden haughtily informed her he needed Cara’s assistance not the Division’s. To which Reiya icily informed him Cara was contractually as well as duty bound to the Division. Dealing with her meant dealing with N.A.D.H. Director Ford, ever the opportunist assumed a diplomatic role and attempted to play peacemaker between the two of them. It was a failed attempt seeing as how Aiden was as unyielding and uncompromising as ever and Reiya was intentionally trying her damnedest to raise issue with any and everything. Reyes sat off to the side silently taking it all in with mirth. When Cara finally decided she had had enough she spoke up. “I am going,” she said to the only person in the room she needed to.

              “I refuse to agree to it,” Reiya said back. “Why do I feel like I am experiencing déjà vu?” she added.

              “And we both know what the result was last time.”

              “Well it will not be the same this time. This is far more serious and I refuse to allow it.” Reiya tilted her chin toward the ceiling and folded her arms across her chest. It was the position she assumed whenever she was choosing to be stubborn.

              “Are you telling me that as my Field Director or as my best friend?” Cara quipped throwing all professionalism out the window now.

              Reiya followed suit. “Both,” she glared across the table, “as your Field Director and best friend I will not risk losing you.”

              Cara sighed. She knew what this was really about and until they addressed it she knew the feisty, stubborn as all hell woman sitting across from her well enough to know that she was not budging. Of course, Aiden was right. Cara could always go against Reiya’s directive. The possible lead on her father’s murder was enough that if Reiya were just any superior she would do it in a heartbeat. But she was not. And Cara would not hurt her like that. Aside from Reyes, Reiya was her only friend in the world. She and Reyes made up the little family she had left, the forced estrangement from her grandparents excluded. “Give us a moment to talk alone,” she directed every one else in the room to leave. Almost everyone did so without question.  “Aiden, you too,” she turned to him.

              He remained where he sat, unmoving.  Cara knew he was not used to responding to commands or even requests. As Crowned Prince and heir to the dark throne he was always the one to do both the former and the latter. She expected him to say just that. But then he met her eyes and a silent understanding passed between them. He held her gaze a moment longer then left.

              “What the hell Cara?!” Reiya exploded once they were alone.

              “Rey, calm down,” Cara used the affectionate nickname in hopes that it would lesson her fury.

              “Do not tell me to calm down. I saw the way he looked at you when you first arrived and then again just now when you asked, no insisted, that he leave the room. Since when does the fucking Prince of Darkness obey commands, especially ones from humans?”

              “I assure you Reiya I did not command him. As you said, he is the Prince of Darkness. No one can command him to do anything. At least not and live through it. We simply came to a silent understanding, that is all.”

              “Uh-huh and how are you going to explain away his fucking eyes turning gold?”

              “Fine. He may have attempted to hit on me once or twice. But it is no big deal. In fact, it is no different from any other time a douche bag has tried to. I am perfectly capable of refusing.”

              Reiya looked at her. Wanting to say more but unwilling to spit the words out.

              “What!” Cara had to keep herself from yelling.

              “You are not exactly Miss self-preservation Cara,” Reiya said in a gentler tone.

              “Give me a break,” Cara snapped, “I may behave a little reckless at times but I do not truly have a death wish.”

“Be that as it may,” Reiya pressed, “he is a vampire but he is also a man and that man clearly has taken an interest in you beyond a professional level. Which also means the predator that is the vampire has you in its sights as well. Do you honestly expect me to be okay with you traveling across the world with him?”

              “When have I ever been easy prey?” Cara countered. “ I can’t promise I know exactly what I am doing but I can promise you that I can handle myself. If there is even the slimmest possibility that going will finally lead me to my father’s killer then I have to do it. He was my dad Rey. I loved him more than anyone else in the world and he was taken from me. For the last fifteen years I have wondered why and who. I’m tired of wondering Rey. I want answers so I can finally put it to rest.”

              All of the anger drained out of Reiya. She closed the distance between them and pulled her best friend into a hug. It was the most Cara had ever said to
anyone
about her feelings over her father’s death. She did not like the idea of Cara working so closely with the vampire. She thought it was reckless and senseless and she did not trust him at all. God she wished Cara had another option. But she did not and Reiya knew it. Cara did not talk much about her father but she did know that Cara had chased down every lead imaginable, no matter how small, and had come up against dead end after dead end. Fifteen years later and her best friend had yet to heal from the trauma. If solving her father’s murder was what she needed to do it and working with a vampire might make it possible, then Reiya could do nothing but be supportive and acquiesce to it. She did not like it, but she would deal with it.