Blood Hunger (An Adult Paranormal Romance) (Deathless Night Series #1) Read online

  Nik’s jaw muscles tightened, a sure sign of his frustration. Blood brothers from before they’d been reborn, they often knocked heads out of nothing but plain old stubbornness. But this time was different.

  He tried again to convince his older brother that this was a bad idea. “You can’t trust her Luuk, you know this. Why would you want to risk yourself this way?” He let out an exasperated breath as his brother ignored him, as usual, and walked towards the door.

  Following right on his heels, Nik grabbed his arm again as he reached for the doorknob. “I’m telling you, now is not the time to confront her. She’s up to something, Luuk!“ Forcibly spinning Luukas around, he shoved his face all up into his brother’s personal space, gritting out, “You are our Master. As in, the guy we need to lead us. What if it’s a fucking trap?”

  Luukas bared his fangs at his brother with a hiss, eyes glowing eerie green, a warning Nik did not take lightly. He immediately backed off and lowered his eyes, breathing hard as the threat of a fight had adrenalin flooding his system.

  He tried one last thing. “At least take Christian with you. As your Guardian, it’s his job to protect you. Or take me. I’ll go with you.”

  Luuk grabbed his brother by the shoulders, the aggression he’d just shown gone as quickly as it had come on. He gave him a slight shake. “Nothing is going to happen, and I need Christian here right now. And you too. Even if it is a trap, Nik, so what? She can’t contain me and you know it. I am a Master Vampire. As in ‘one with which you do not fuck’. No one can make me do anything I don’t want to do. Especially not that dried-up old whore.”

  Nik would’ve laughed at that description of the forever young and stunningly gorgeous Leeha, if not for the fact that she was also extremely dangerous. More so, he thought, than Luukas liked to believe. She’d also been after Luukas for most of her immortal life.

  The two brothers stared each other down, Nik’s baby blues testing Luukas’ aquamarines, until Nik, knowing he wouldn’t win this one, finally nodded in defeat and gave his brother a reluctant smile. “You’re right. I’m probably worrying over nothing. I’ve just had this weird feeling in my gut all day. Must’ve had some bad blood or something.”

  “I keep telling you bro, bagged blood is risky. You need to find yourself a juicy, live vein. Preferably one belonging to a curvy little female.” Luukas grinned at his younger brother, showing strong, white teeth. Smacking him hard on top of both shoulders, he turned to leave. “I’ll be back in a few hours. Lock up when you leave.”

  Nik clenched his fists at his sides and watched his older brother saunter out the door of his Seattle apartment, casually waving in his direction.

  He had a really bad fucking feeling about this.

  ***

  Rural Pennsylvania

  Current Day

  Nik was pulled from his reverie by the imminent rising sun. Though it was still dark, his internal clock was telling him it wouldn’t be for much longer, and he needed to find shelter. He’d totally lost track of the time. Had he really been here all night?

  Blinking rapidly, he pushed himself up from the tree he was sitting against and looked over towards the house he’d been watching. Or rather, the girl inside the house - Emma Moss. He’d been here every night for a week…watching…waiting…learning her habits and her routine, hoping to pick up on something to confirm his suspicions.

  So far he’d learned…absolutely nothing. Except that she worked too much and seemed to be a vegetarian.

  This was the first time he’d spent the entire night here though. Usually he’d find a good vantage point in a tree right after sunset; arriving around the time she got home from work, about 7 or 8 every night. He’d hang out until she went to bed around 11. Nothing much to watch after that.

  He’d hoped to catch her cohorts coming and going from her house, hear some phone calls…something. But there wasn’t any of that. She didn’t even have a pet. As far as he could tell, Emma was a loner.

  And wasn’t that interesting in and of itself.

  It was the same thing every day. She’d get home from work, hustle into the house locking the door behind her, and then he’d watch her proceed up to her room. He always knew exactly where she went by following the sound of her footsteps and the lights she flicked on as she moved from room to room.

  Chick has a serious issue with the dark. He thought.

  Exactly ten minutes from the time she walked in the door, he’d hear the water come on. She’d take a quick shower, and then back downstairs she’d come in an oversized T-shirt and a ratty, blue robe to fix herself a salad or some other healthy crap for her dinner. She’d sit at the kitchen counter while she ate, usually with a book in front of her.

  When she was done she’d wash off her dishes, make a cup of tea, and then walk around downstairs checking all the doors and windows, even though she never opened them. Once the security check was done, he’d follow her progress back upstairs again, turning off lights as she went. Next, he’d see the glare of the T.V., and she’d get into bed, drinking her tea until she went to sleep. Five minutes after he heard the T.V. go off, he’d leave.

  In spite of the fact that he’d learned nothing to support what he knew about her, he didn’t consider the past week a complete waste of time. Mainly because Emma was fucking hot. Boring…but hot. Like model hot.

  Even from halfway down her driveway, and hiding under the cover of the trees, he could see her well enough to know that the female had been blessed with some good genes. She was petite, but carried herself in such a way that she appeared taller than she was from afar. Her hair was shoulder length and of some light, indecisive color. Blonde, maybe?

  He’d love to be able to see it in the sunlight…run his fingers through it…lift it to his nose. He bet she smelled great with all the showers she took. He couldn’t see her features clearly from here, but he could see enough to know that she’d turn heads wherever she went.

  He had just turned to leave when he saw her bedroom light come on. Curious as to what her morning routine was, he decided to stay just a bit longer. Leaning back against his favorite spying tree, he crossed his muscular arms over his hard chest and prepared to watch the show. He saw the light trail come on as she made her way downstairs in that god-awful robe. She walked into the kitchen and out of sight as she went over by the sink.

  He waited where he was, thinking she wouldn’t be there long. Probably just getting a drink. Yup, there she goes, back upstairs, glass of water in hand. He grinned widely, proud of himself that he’d guessed correctly, but his smile just as quickly turned into a scowl.

  Man, I need to get a fucking life.

  She walked across the bedroom and went into her bathroom. Is she taking another shower? Chick has more issues than just the dark…oh, wait. Nope. Here she comes. The lights turned off one by one as she made her way downstairs annnd…out the front door.

  Nik pushed himself off the tree. Shit! He needed to hightail it out of there, he wasn’t ready to be seen. Besides, it was way too close to dawn. It was no longer full darkness, but into that twilight right before sunrise. Still safe for him to be out…but barely. He really needed to go.

  So, instead, he moved silently to a new vantage point behind the tree to watch her from there. His dark clothes would keep him in the shadows, and he pulled his hood up to cover his light hair.

  He watched as she strode across the porch to the top of the steps and started stretching, grabbing her feet behind her one by one and then bending over to touch her toes. A pose that brought an interested lift to Nik’s eyebrows. She shook out her arms and legs, put her headphones in, and headed his way at an easy jog.

  As she came closer and closer, Nikulas became as still as the trees around him. Standing in the pre-dawn shadows of a large maple, he watched, mesmerized, as the most stunning creature he’d ever seen passed within mere feet of him, completely unaware of his presence.

  Holy shit. His lungs began to ache as she passed, reminding him to breat
he, and he sucked in a big gulp of air. His gums started to burn and he felt his fangs elongating. His mouth watered and his body hardened as her luscious scent hit him.

  Emma.

  He’d spent the past week watching her from afar through the windows of her house, but nothing had prepared him for the sight, and smell, of her up close and personal. She had a lean, feminine frame, and ran with the easy grace born to a natural runner. Her…oh yeah…strawberry blonde…hair bounced in the breeze, and her flawless, alabaster skin was just starting to flush a bit from the wind and exertion. He watched her cute little backside…in those tight running pants…bounce by him and out to the end of her driveway, where she turned right and headed down the rural road.

  He scrubbed a hand over his mouth as he watched her. FUCK me.

  Wait…was that Marilyn Manson?

  The burning of the sun’s rays just hitting the horizon rapidly cooled down his ardor. And Nik took off to head back to the tricked out RV where he and Aiden…Guardian of Nik, Hunter, best buddy, tech wizard, and all around badass vampire…were holed up about two miles from Emma’s house.

  Luckily for him, vampires were blessed with supernatural speed. He laughed aloud as he raced the burning rays of the sun, feeling high off of the close call with Emma and the adrenaline flooding his system.

  In the RV, Aiden swung his chair around from watching the security monitors as Nik barreled through the door, minutes away from turning into a bonfire and grinning like an idiot. He watched, unperturbed, as his friend frantically slapped at the smoking areas of exposed skin on his arms and head.

  “One of these days, mate, you’re going to cut it too close. And I’m the one who’ll be chasing your ashes all over these bloody woods come nightfall, trying to collect enough to have a decent funeral. I will give you a brilliant elegy, and finish it just in time for Luukas to throw me into the sun for not doing my job of protecting you.” Aiden squinted his eyes at his friend of over 300 years, “What’s with the grin?”

  Nik pushed his blonde hair out of his face. “Today is the day my friend…or night rather. I’ll call Emma at work and have her meet me after dark, somewhere public…that little bar down the road…and get her on our side.”

  “Do you know how you’re going to manage that?” Aiden asked.

  “You doubt my skills of persuasion Aid? After all the years you’ve known me?” Nik scoffed. “Besides, how could she resist this handsome face?” He grinned roguishly.

  “You’re sure she’s the right girl? I would hate to kidnap the wrong one.”

  Nik stared at him blandly.

  “Alright, I’d hate to kidnap the wrong one this time. And besides, those other times weren’t really kidnappings, they were just weekend dalliances of mutual consent…for the most part.”

  Raising his eyebrows at his friend, Nik rolled his eyes and shook his head. This was a conversation for another day. Another day a long time from now. Like, never.

  “It’s her. I’m sure of it. There’s no way she knows anything though. She’s totally clueless.” Emma, as far as he’d been able to gather, didn’t know who, or what, she was.

  Aiden unfolded his six foot one inch frame from his chair, stretching his arms over his head. His shirt rode up, exposing a flat, muscular stomach. “You really think she’s unaware that she’s a witch? How can she not know?” Dropping his arms, he yanked his shirt down. “How does she explain all of the unexplainable in her life? The premonitions? Things moving around on their own and such?”

  Nik shook his head. “I think I may have been wrong, Aid. I’ve been watching her all week man, and I’m telling you, she’s completely clueless. She has no idea what she’s capable of.”

  Aiden nodded, a thoughtful look on his face. “Well, that would explain why she hasn’t gone after her sister yet. I’ll ring up the guys and tell them to prepare.” Aiden turned back to grab his cell, “And then you and I need to get some rest mate. I don’t know about you, but I’m bloody knackered. And we’ve a busy next few days ahead of us.”

  Chapter Four

  Emma got to work at 7:55am on the dot, just like she did every morning. And like every morning, she walked through the reception area with a “Good morning!” to Linda, used her badge to get through the door and into the office area, strode to her cubicle, locked her purse in her desk drawer, and sat down to boot up her computer. She took a sip of her soy latte while she waited for the outdated thing to wake up, and let her gaze roam around the windowless room.

  There were about twenty cubicles, broken up into four rows of five cubicles each. Everyone in the office worked in a cube, except Mark, their supervisor, who had his own office towards the back, and Linda, who sat behind her desk in the receptionist area.

  She worked for an independent furniture company, in their accounting department, in a typical small northern town about a twenty-minute drive south of her house. Not the most exciting career, but it suited her. She liked accounting. The work was routine, with very few surprises, which was exactly how she liked her life. Or so she told herself.

  At 8:00am exactly, her boss arrived at the office. Smiling broadly, he stopped by Emma’s desk. “Good Morning, Emma! You look especially nice today.”

  She glanced down at her clothes. She was wearing her usual work attire - black pencil skirt, silk hose, black, 2-inch heels, with a forest green blouse buttoned up to her neck. A black sweater thrown over her shoulders completed the ensemble. Her wavy hair was back off her face, and she wore minimal makeup.

  “Um. Thank you, Mark,” she thanked him awkwardly.

  Mark beamed at her like he’d just won the lottery. “I have some meetings this morning, so I’ll probably be here late tonight catching up on the regular stuff. Let me know when you’re leaving and I can walk you to your car.”

  “Sure. Thanks.” Truth was, Mark walked her to her car almost every night since she’d started working here a year or so ago. She often stayed late; preferring to get ahead on her workload over going home to an empty house, and hardly ever left the office before six or seven.

  “I’ll see you then.” Mark rapped her desk once with his knuckles and continued on to his office.

  As she sipped her latte and idly watched him walk away, Darlene, her co-worker in the cubicle across from her, leaned her chair Emma’s way and gave her a smirk. “He likes you, Emma.”

  Emma furrowed her brow at her and whispered, “Mark is nice to everyone, Darlene.”

  “Yeah, he is. However, Mark doesn’t stop and say good morning to everyone, or compliment what they’re wearing…or offer to walk them to their car every night.” With a knowing look, Darlene turned back to her computer.

  Emma frowned at the back of her grey head. Darlene was pleasant to work with, but she was also the office gossip. In her late fifties, she lived a quiet life at home with her husband and her Pomeranians. Her one child was grown and had a successful career in New York City, so Emma supposed she gossiped more from the need to have some excitement in her life rather than from maliciousness.

  She decided to ignore her comments and turned back to her computer, which had finally gotten to the log in screen, to start her day. After all, Mark was in his late forties, though still a nice looking guy, with a kind of Kevin Costner look going for him. He was also married, with three kids. She seriously doubted there was any truth to Darlene’s observation. He was just a nice guy who was gentlemanly enough to walk her to her car after everyone else was gone.

  Besides, she didn’t date. Not since the “bear attack”. Well, other than that one small fling she’d had with a Marine who’d been home on leave, she hadn’t been out with anyone since Keira disappeared. And that was just fine with her. She liked her life the way it was. It was orderly, unexciting, and peaceful…and yeah, sometimes a little boring.

  OK, a lot boring. But she didn’t have to worry about anyone else but herself. She did what she wanted, when she wanted, and she didn’t have to explain herself to anyone else.

  She ga
ve a heavy sigh. Not like she ever really did anything except work and exercise. And on the weekends she spent her time volunteering at the Women’s Center, helping victims of abuse learn skills to be able to take care of themselves and their children. Anything to keep her mind off of her lack of a sex life, and the reason behind it.

  Darlene handed her some purchase orders, pulling her from her thoughts. “Are you going to sit there staring into space all day, girl?”

  Emma felt her face flush. “No. Of course not. Sorry.” Shoving her personal problems out of her mind, where they belonged while she was at work, she logged onto her computer and started her day.

  Chapter Five

  Nik woke instantaneously right as the sun was about to drop beneath the horizon. That was the thing with Vampires. One minute you’re dead to the world, almost literally, and the next you’re completely alert. It was kind of cool actually. You never felt groggy or hung over. Plus, there was the added bonus of expedited self-healing. A little blood, a good day’s rest, and you woke up as good as new.

  He stood up in nothing but his sweat pants and twisted his torso around to crack his back. Holding out his arms, he checked out his regenerated unburned skin.

  Cool.

  Across the RV, he saw Aiden sitting cross-legged on his bed, dark head already bent over his laptop. Aiden glanced up briefly, eyeballing his friend’s half-nakedness, “You know mate, I really think you need to start exercising more. You’re getting downright plump with all of this inactivity.”

  Nik barked out a laugh, throwing his pillow at him. He missed the head he was half-heartedly aiming for, hitting the bulletproof shutters over the window above the bed instead. “You wish you had a body like mine, man.”