Stunner (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress 0.75)(3)

Raoul was oblivious. The throes of passion overtook him and the power behind every move he made increased. The pleasure pulsed throughout my entire body, knocking me momentarily breathless. The intensity struck me to the core. I threw my head back and a sound that seemed to be a howl and a cry mingled came from me.

Through my passion induced haze I thought I saw jade green eyes for the briefest second before they disappeared into the shadows among the trees.

Chapter Two

I couldn’t believe I’d been doing this for years already. In many ways, it felt like just yesterday that I’d met Veryl and my colleagues. Killing vampires and Weres had never struck me as something I shouldn’t do. There were far too many that were simply too careless and stupid to be allowed to walk the earth. All it took was one wrong move to expose us all.

I preferred a challenge when I hunted to kill. If it was too easy, it wasn’t any fun. Of course, I wasn’t quite the thrill seeker that my vampire companion Kale was. It was this fact that had me asking myself why I’d agreed to accompany him tonight.

“I promise, it will be the easiest way to lure him out. No big deal. You get him out of the building and I’ll be waiting for him.” Kale sounded so sure of himself. I guess after centuries of proving yourself, that came naturally.

“And what if he decides he wants to rape and kill me first? What then?”

The look Kale gave me clearly stated how ridiculous he thought that was. The fact that his eyes were two different colors made the look eerie but intriguing. It didn’t take much for those eyes to captivate.

He’d been born that way, a gene condition that he detested. I didn’t see why. He could use it to his advantage due to the extraordinary beauty of having one dark brown eye and one amazing blue one. I was a little jealous. My brown eyes and ash blonde hair weren’t nearly so eye catching.

“You’re joking, right?” Kale asked, running a hand through his short, dark hair. “You’d tear his arms off before he could do that to you. This won’t be dangerous. I promise.”

It was my turn to give him a look. “Bullshit. Every time you say that to me, it ends up being incredibly damn dangerous. How about you just stop saying that altogether?”

“Fine. Now get your ass moving so we can nail this bastard.”

I would have slapped him if he’d been anybody else. But Kale’s friendly grin erased any seriousness his words carried. He was the only vampire I knew other than Veryl that I trusted and actually considered a friend.

I stared at the dark building, knowing a potentially deadly vampire dwelled within. I didn’t sense anyone else but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. I didn’t have a good feeling about this. Why was I letting Kale talk me into something my instinct said was all wrong?

“Kale … something doesn’t feel right. Are you sure he couldn’t possibly know we’re here?” I glanced at the building, then back at Kale. My hand was frozen on the door handle of his black Camaro.

“Well, anything is possible, Alexa, but I really don’t think so. He slaughtered four teens partying in a graveyard. He’s a f**king coward that preys on kids. We have to stop him before he does it again.”

I nodded. I’d seen photos of the aftermath of that slaughter. It was enough to make me nauseous. I didn’t understand why some vampires went for such weak prey. I’d imagine they would prefer more of a challenge. Maybe that was just me.

“Fine. But I still don’t see why you don’t just come in there with me.”

“It makes more sense this way. If he’s not alone or if he pulls a fast one on us, I’ll have a better chance of coming in after you. If we’re together, we could both be put at a disadvantage.”

I sighed and tried to resist the urge to ask him why he couldn’t be the one to go in first. I knew what he’d say. But I asked anyway.

Kale frowned and studied me hard. He thought I was afraid and I hated that. I wasn’t afraid. I was wary.

“Come on, Alexa. You know that you have a better chance at distracting him than I do. I don’t have any reason to believe he plays for the other team. Use your womanly wiles and work some magic.”

I laughed bitterly and stuck my tongue out at him. “Right. Magic. Sure. Here I go. Don’t you dare let him kill me.”

“Cross my heart,” Kale replied with a wink.

I shoved the car door open and got out without a look back. I stared straight ahead at the old, long abandoned building that had once housed a law office. Now it was home to a vampire unworthy of being either supernatural or human.

There was no point knocking politely and waiting for an invite. Taking a deep breath, I strode up to the front of the building and kicked the door open. The sound of wood splitting was music to my ears. Adrenaline rushed through me and my trepidation slipped away. I was ready to tangle with this guy.

What I wasn’t ready for were the four vampires awaiting me. Each of them wore an expectant expression. The one that I was after looked absolutely delighted. He reached for me and I reacted, instinct driving me to throw my hands up and blast him with a hot shot of pure energy.

It wasn’t the greatest reaction. It resulted in every other vampire lunging at me, the one closest took me down hard and fast. The breath was forced from my lungs as I hit the floor with his weight on top of me. I sure hoped Kale had seen this from the car or I was f**ked.