The Hunted (5 page)

“Look at me, Silver.” Drake moved me away from him and held me at arm’s length. “What do you see? How do you feel?”

For the first time I had to admit that Drake was no different than I was. We both were struggling to find our way through life and disappointments. We were trying to cope with the human world and balance that with the vampire within.

I clasped one of his hands in mine and held it to my chest so he could feel the beating of my heart.

“I have lost as much as you have,” I said quietly. “We have both made good and bad choices in our lives for different reasons and now we need to help one another to survive and get our lives back in whatever capacity that may be. I see a man who has had to make hard decisions and I feel a kinship in our mutual sorrow.”

“Is sorrow all you feel?” Electricity seemed to run down my arm as Drake stroked my hand and fingers. A burning sensation warmed by belly and thighs as I looked up and stared deeply into his dark, liquid eyes.

I shook my head and looked down at my feet. “No, not just sorrow.”

“Come with me. Let’s get you cleaned up.” Gently pulling on my arm, I allowed him to lead me down the dark hall.

A mixed feeling of relief and disappointment twisted my gut as I followed Drake. Just what was I feeling?

Chapter Seven

My heart raced as we entered a small marble bathing room with a large, claw-footed tub and shower. The air was warm and a bit damp from Drake’s earlier bath. The room smelled strongly of sandalwood and roses.

“You fed, now be refreshed, then rest. Hannah’s minions can wait a few more hours.” Drake said in a firm and gentle voice.

I wanted so much to forget Hannah and her bastard vampires ever existed. I could not forget her nor could I forget what I had given up because of her.

“Hush now.” Drake’s words filled my head and blocked out any other thoughts or misgivings that were flooding my subconscious. “Relax and let the world pass you by for just this one moment.”

Before I could protest, Drake’s strong hands stripped me of my bloody clothes, removed my boots and even my undergarments. With one swift movement, he picked me up and lowered me into the warm, scented water that filled the bathtub almost to the brim. If I could ever imagine heaven, this would be it.

I sighed heavily as a heated shower of water soaked my hair and ran down the back of my neck.

Drake handed me a small bottle of shampoo and as I lathered the blood and gore from my hair I could feel the world slip away. I looked up and watched as a smile spread across his face. Then, as if in a dream-like state, he knelt down beside the tub and again used a large silver cup to rinse my hair.

My eyes widened as he placed the cup on the floor and returned to my side. I could not move, did not want to move as he cupped my chin and drew my lips close to his face.

“No words for the rest of the night. No words and no regrets,” he whispered as he breathed heavily and finally covered my lips with his own. Unfamiliar lust rose to the surface as the kiss continued.

“Drake, I...”

He nodded knowingly and averted his eyes, as if looking at me would break the spell of the moment.

A sudden surge of desire caught me in its grip and I felt myself hungrily biting and suckling on Drake’s lips. Tiny droplets of blood welled to the surface and coated our lips with its familiar, salty-sweet taste.

I watched in fascination as Drake’s eyes flew open wide in semi surprise. Had he never tasted blood during sex with a vampire? He must have, Yaqui would not have proceeded any other way.

Drake wrapped one arm around my waist and lifted me effortlessly out of the bath water. With a driven frenzy, he kissed my lips, my cheeks and my breasts as he carried me out of the room and down the hall to where the bedchambers lay.

I kept my eyes closed as I allowed every touch and hungry kiss to overload my senses. As he laid my body to rest on a large, overstuffed mattress, I lifted one finger to my lips and tasted a mixture of our blood. It was the ultimate aphrodisiac.

Drake was naked to the waist and stared at me in wonderment as I suckled my fingers. He was indeed an awesome specimen of maleness within human or vampire form. Before any hesitation overtook me, I reached over with one hand and with my vampire strength, I ripped the britches from his waist to reveal strong, well-muscled legs, a flat stomach, dark, curly pubic hair and a taut, erect penis. I could feel the hunger building within both of us.

Slowly and with care, Drake moved to my bedside and placed one hand on my naked belly, which was rippling with excitement. The contrast of his dark skin against my pale, almost translucent skin was startling and more fodder for our desire. Such complete opposites and yet we shared so much similar history.

“I can see inside you, Silver, and I know what you want. Contrary to popular belief, I am not always a brute. I want this to be mutual.” He moaned.

I shuddered at the deep, silky, male sound of his voice. I knew he was not above raping a woman but he wanted me to choose him, to want him in this moment.

My voice sounded strangled as I replied. “I want this. I want you.”

He needed nothing more than my affirmation. Drake moved into the bed and swept his hand over every curve and line of my body. My back arched in response and my hips moved upward, begging for a touch; begging his body to connect with mine.

As he stroked my skin, I could feel a sultry heat rising from my thighs to my chest and then finally to my cheeks. I drew back my lips to reveal my fangs. As much as I wanted Drake psychically, I also wanted his blood. For a vampire, bloodletting and the act of intercourse could be a violent but highly pleasurable combination.

“So beautiful.” Drake moaned as he kissed each of my breasts in turn, teasing the nipples with his tongue and gently grazing them with his teeth.

I grabbed his head and raised it level with my own. As I kissed him, I drew his tongue deep into my mouth. He tasted warm and almost sweet.

I smiled as Drake’s teeth grazed my bottom lip; he drew blood. Lapping voraciously, the kiss turned into a bloody frenzy. Soon, both of our sweat-covered bodies beaded with droplets of ruby blood as sweet as wine to the taste.

The delight I felt at seeing and smelling the blood in conjunction with the ecstasy of each touch and kiss was almost overwhelming. My head began to swim in a dizzy haze of lust and want.

Our bodies danced together in unison; the guttural sounds and sighing heaves of breath was the music to which we danced. Finally, Drake pinned my arms above my hair and thrust himself deep within my core. Each stroke sent my skin and body aflame with sensations.

I opened my eyes wide and thrust my hips upward to match Drake movement for movement. With a final crush of our slick, blood-covered lips, we climaxed together. Our cries of release were loud and animal like as we collapsed in a sweaty heap upon one another.

For a moment, our breathing was the only sound. The room around us was dark and cool and quiet.

“We are indeed vampires,” I whispered as I settled into the small of his back. I could smell the drying sweat and blood on his skin.

“One cannot fight what they are, Silver. We must embrace and celebrate it. We must live as what and who we are without shame.”

Silently, I thought of how this man seemed to have settled so comfortably into the vampire world. As a human, he always seemed full of fear, angst and hatred for his own kind.

I listened as his breathing slowly changed and we both settled into a dreamless sleep.

Chapter Eight

A white-hot pain seared my brain and my eyes, causing me to literally jump from my slumber and the bed I had shared with Drake. I lifted both hands to my head and rubbed my temples. I was alone.

“Drake?” I whispered into the dark room.

Silence.

I carefully lifted my legs and placed each foot on the cold floor. I could not hear any movement. A slight chill ran up my spine at the thought that something had happened to Drake and if so, what was waiting for me outside the door?

How long was I asleep? I wondered quietly.

After finding my way to the door, I silently opened it just a crack. A dim light entered from the hallway but I still couldn’t see Drake anywhere.

“Drake!” I exclaimed. All that returned was a dull echo off the bare basement walls.

I turned and moved across the floor and grabbed a satchel full of clothing laying on the floor at the foot of the bed. I hoisted it across my back and ran as quickly and quietly as I could down the hall until I came back to the bathing room.

In mere moments, I washed and dressed in black leggings, a fitted red t-shirt and black, ballet-type slipper shoes. Functional and comfortable. My leather jacket hung on a hook on the wall. Seemingly, someone, most likely Drake, had taken the time to clean it of the blood and gore that had spattered it earlier. I slipped it over my shoulders and strapped my small dagger to my thigh.

Tense, but refreshed, I carefully made my way back up the hallway to the foot of the staircase and listened carefully.

Why can’t I hear anything?
It was frustrating that even with my vampire senses I could not hear so much as a thought from anyone, not even any humans. What was going on?

I pulled the dagger from its holster and tentatively began tiptoeing up the staircase. The iron gate at the top of the stairs was open, which indicated to me that Drake or someone else had been in and out very recently.

A quick glance downward revealed the remainder of what looked like a collected pool of blood and large, telltale footprints leading away from it.

“Only one set of footprints?” I muttered, confused as I gingerly stepped over the burgundy-colored puddle and skulked along the path into the forest.

A hushed voice caused me to pause and hide. I strained to listen. Was it Drake?

“I don’t want to hear or see you or any of your followers again. Do you understand? There is enough going on without your interference right now. Yaqui is gone and for good reason. Bide your time and...”

I swallowed hard as I heard Drake’s familiar voice end abruptly. He must have sensed I was here and listening to every word. The sound of footfall grew faint as whomever he had been speaking with hurried off into the night.

Glancing up the trail, I straightened up and walked toward the spot I had heard the voices. I needed to confront Drake and find out what was going on.

I stopped a few meters away from where Drake stood with his back to me. He held a long, slender blade in one hand; the other was on his hip as he stared off into the distance. I felt a shudder run through me as I recalled our intimacies only a short time before.

“I know you are there, Silver. How much did you hear?”

“Drake, please tell me what is going on? Who were you talking to and whose blood was that outside the door?” I stood silent while I waited for Drake to face me. He didn’t even turn as he answered.

“I can’t explain it all right now but you have to trust me. In short order, the Vampire Clans will be more powerful than even you can realize. Once we rid the world of the impure bloodline. As for the blood you saw…” He sighed deeply before continuing. “It was unfortunate for one of Hannah’s nosy brood. He took it upon himself to come too close to my home and to you. I’ve taken care of it. It is nothing for you to worry about. His body is now embers, like the others.”

The smell of freshly burned vampire flesh was still wafting in the light evening breeze. I closed my eyes and shook my head sadly.

“So much death,” I said quietly. “When will it end?”

Despite his own distraction, I knew Drake could feel my frustration and sadness. He turned and placed a large, warm hand on my shoulder. “Soon. It will end sooner than you realize. Come, I know from that poor unfortunate where the majority of Hannah’s brood is still hiding. They had scattered throughout the city since her death but they have mistakenly come together now to try and work out what to do and where to go. Together they will die.”

Uplifted by the prospect of finding all of them together, I ignored the nagging voice that was whispering loudly in my head. The voice that was asking who or what Drake was referring to about things ending soon. “One thing at a time,” I whispered.

“What?” Drake asked as he grabbed my hand and led me through the dark forest of trees, back toward the city.

“Never mind,” I muttered. “We will talk later.”

Trust in him my love. Soon it all will reveal itself to you.
Andrew’s voice once again permeated my brain and my heart. A sudden intense stab of guilt froze me in mid step.

What is there to see? What do you know?
My mind sought out answers and reason where there was none. If there was anything I truly believed, it was my love and trust in Andrew, my Vampire King.

Chapter Nine

There was a feeling of familiarity as Drake and I hurried silently up the dark alley. Time seemed to slip past the closer we ventured into the city.

All at once, my knees buckled and drove me to the pavement. An animal-like wail escaped my lips as harsh, guttural sounds invaded my brain.

Drake knelt at my side and held my shoulders, reminding me to breathe. In mere seconds, the pain subsided and I sat, cross legged, exhausted and trembling in the darkness behind a large building.