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

  He was right, however. The bastard. She was jealous, though she would never admit it. She hadn’t had a male companion since Luukas disappeared.

  Something had happened to her when that had happened. She’d first noticed it when Nik had gathered them all together to let them know their Master had never returned from his meeting with the she-bitch. After he’d filled them in, she’d gone up to him to give him a hug, show some support. But no sooner had his arms gone around her to return it, when excruciating pain had blasted down her spine, shooting out her limbs and hitting every nerve ending along the way. She’d pulled away with a hiss, and the pain had immediately gone away. Assuring Nik she was fine with an apologetic smile, she’d hurried out of the room, and hadn’t purposely touched any male since.

  Strange, but it seemed to only be males who affected her. Now, she fed exclusively on females. Sometimes she even fucked them, just to have some skin on skin contact, but she’d never admit it to her comrades. She didn’t need the harassment. She wasn’t gay, just lonely.

  And she definitely didn’t want to give the guys she hung out with any fuel for their sex lives. They were like her brothers, and she’d worked hard to build that relationship with all of them. She didn’t want to ruin it by stirring up their girl on girl fantasies, with her as the star.

  They all seemed to be dealing with Luukas’ disappearance in their own ways.

  The front door was suddenly thrown open, smashing into the wall behind it, Dante’s imposing figure filling the entire frame. Dressed in biker black, and with his latte colored skin, his presence seemed to suck all of the light in the room into the black void that was his existence.

  His lifeless black eyes scanned the room, lighting briefly onto Christian, and finally coming to rest on Shea. A tiny spark of life appeared as he gazed upon her, and was just as quickly gone, not hanging around long enough for anyone to notice. Tribal tattoos covered the left side of his body. Running down the side of his face and neck, they vanished under the neckline of his tight T-shirt, contributing to his chilling appearance.

  Christian calmly raised an eyebrow. “Is that really necessary, dude?”

  Dante’s lips lifted into a scary semblance of a smile, as he ran a hand over his smooth skull.

  ***

  Rural Pennsylvania

  Emma’s phone rang right as she stood up to leave work. Leaning her head back and tiredly closing her eyes, she seriously considered not answering for a few seconds, but then, with a heavy sigh, picked up the receiver.

  “Accounting, this is Emma, how may I help you?”

  “Meet me at The Vineyard. 9 PM sharp. Don’t be late.” A pause. “I have information about Keira.” A very deep, very masculine…voice said.

  Emma’s breath froze in her lungs as she stared unblinkingly at her cubical wall. Information about Keira? About her sister? Could it be? After all this time?

  Suddenly remembering she was on the phone, she snapped herself out of it. “Who is…?” but the caller had already hung up. She glanced at the clock on the wall - 7:09 PM. She’d get there in plenty of time.

  She started to reach for her purse…Wait. What the hell was she thinking? She didn’t even know who that was on the phone. She hadn’t recognized the voice, and they hadn’t identified themselves as an authority of any sort. It could just be someone playing a cruel joke. It had happened a few times when Keira first disappeared.

  She pushed the memories determinedly out of her head. That was seven years ago. Why would someone do that again after all this time?

  And…what if it wasn’t a joke? What if it was for real? Could she take that chance? Could she believe that maybe it was an actual lead about her sister? After all these years?

  You bet your ass she could.

  She grabbed her purse and practically ran out of the office, yelling to Mark that she was leaving for the night, and nearly falling on her face when her Payless heels hit the slick floor in the reception area.

  She was out the door and halfway across the parking lot before he’d managed to rush to her desk.

  Hopping into the driver’s seat, she tossed her bag over to the passenger side and started her eco-friendly Prius. Executing some hand over hand action backing out of her parking space, she caught a whiff of herself and wrinkled her nose…Ew.

  Hitting the gym at lunch for her kickboxing class was a necessary evil, but the time crunch didn’t give her much time to clean up afterward. So, she drove home to shower and change into more comfortable clothes, making it there in record time.

  Jumping out of her car, she locked it with the key fob as she ran up the steps to her porch. The keys fumbled in her hands, and she almost dropped them three times before she finally managed to get the front door unlocked.

  Bursting into her house, she ran upstairs, flicking on lights as she went. At her dresser, she yanked open the top drawer and grabbed some clean underwear. Wrenching open another drawer, she yanked out the first pair of jeans she found and threw them both on the bed.

  Her work clothes were halfway off by the time she reached her closet. Hopping on one foot at a time to remove her heels, she threw her clothes in the hamper and her shoes into a corner.

  Spotting her comfy lavender sweater, she tossed it on to the bed with the rest and streaked into the bathroom to shower, clenching her teeth as the cool water hit her skin. Dumping some shampoo on her head, she scrubbed her head and body with the same suds. Clean and rinsed, she shut off the water just as it was starting to warm up.

  Dressed and (sort of) blow dried, she threw on her sneakers, grabbed a Lara bar to eat on the way, and ran out the door again, barely remembered to lock it behind her.

  By 8:20 PM she was walking into The Vineyard, stopping just inside to let her eyes adjust to the dim lighting. She’d never been to this place, even though it was only five minutes from her house. Taking in the shoddy interior, it looked like every other small town watering hole. Same old red, leather booths. Same kerosene lamps along the wall.

  Dance floor, if you wanted to call it that, was to her left, complete with a drunk couple slow dancing to a fast song.

  Bar straight ahead.

  She proceeded that way, deciding a drink to calm her nerves would do her good. Other than the inebriated dancers and a few stragglers, the place was fairly empty for a Friday night.

  Strange.

  Finding an empty stool at the end of the bar, she sat down and turned it slightly sideways so her back was to the wall and she could keep an eye on the entrance.

  The bartender put down the glass he was cleaning at the other end of the bar and shuffled down to her, “What’ll it be darlin?” His voice was as ragged as his grey hair, but his pale, blue eyes twinkled merrily. Grabbing a cloth, he sprayed the bar with disinfectant and wiped it down.

  She liked him immediately.

  “I’ll take a Jack and Coke, please.” She set her bag up on the now clean bar and made herself comfortable.

  “Strong drink for such a little girl,” he teased, giving her a contagious smile. She saw he was missing a tooth, right in front.

  She smiled back.

  As he shuffled back down the way he had come, Emma looked around again. Upon further

  inspection, she saw that although the furnishings were old and the floor was beat up from all of the boots that had trod across it, the place was at least clean.

  Maybe I should come hang out here sometime. Socialize and shit. She snorted and rolled her eyes at herself. Like that would ever happen.

  Emma never went anywhere except work and the gym. And honestly, she was surprised she still had this job after being there a full year. Usually she didn’t last at any one place more than a few months, before she’d have to quit and move on. And not always because she wanted to. She’d had some really cool jobs in the past, and had worked with some really nice people.

  But, inevitably, it would happen. She’d get irritated with someone over something stupid, a stapler would fly off their desk and int
o a wall all by itself, and then the sideways looks and whispers would start. Her co-workers would now be afraid of her. They would stop coming by her desk for small talk. Stop inviting her for lunch.

  It would be her childhood all over again.

  Once, they’d even started a petition to have her fired due to “feelings of unease and inherent creepiness.”

  …Inherent creepiness? Emma snorted to herself again. Really?

  Her more recent regular workout routine helped though. She found that if she wore herself out physically on a daily basis, the “incidents” happened much less frequently. So she jogged and went to kickboxing class, sometimes doing both in the same day. Unfortunately, she hadn’t figure this out until after Keira disappeared. What started out as a way to help her cope with the trauma, ended up having a life changing side effect.

  The bartender shuffled her way again. “Here you go pretty lady.” His elderly hand set her drink down in front of her, without spilling a drop. “That’ll be $3.50. Wanna start a tab?”

  “No, thank you. I’ll just go ahead and pay it.” Emma pulled her wallet out of her bag to dig out some cash. “I’m really not much of a drinker, you know. Just needed something to calm my nerves.” Handing him a five, she told him to keep the change.

  “Thank you, darlin.” He turned around to ring her up. “So! What brings you into our fine establishment tonight? I don’t recall seeing you in here before…though you do look kind of familiar…” Propping his elbows up across the bar from her, the old man settled in for a chat.

  Emma turned her stool around to face him fully, not wanting to be rude. Taking a sip of her drink, she revealed, “Um…I’m meeting someone here actually.”

  “Mm hmm.” Slapping his hand on the bar, he concluded, “A boyfriend! I knew someone as nice and pretty as you had to be taken.” He made a sad face, his bushy eyebrows and sagging jowls making it more comical than sad. “Though an old man could hope.”

  Emma felt her face heat up at the compliment, and giggled. “Well, he’s definitely not my boyfriend. So, you may still have a chance.” She winked at him.

  “Is that right? In that case, let me buy you a drink...” Emma giggled again as he turned around, pretending to look for the bartender. She was glad for the banter; it took her mind off of her nervousness. “Actually, I don’t really know who it is I’m meeting here, other than the fact that it’s a man. Someone called me saying they had information about my sister, who’s been missing…” she dwindled off, not sure why she was sharing, other than it felt good to talk to someone.

  He scrutinized her for a moment with his cloudy eyes, and then suddenly they sharpened with recognition. “You’re Emma Moss! That’s where I’ve seen you before. And it’s your older sister, Keira, who’s still missing, right?” He nodded to himself. “I remember now. I volunteered on one of the search teams.”

  “You did? Oh.” She gave him a sad, grateful smile. “Well, thank you.”

  “They still haven’t found any new information, huh?” At the negative shake of her head, the old man shook his own sympathetically. “That’s a shame, darlin'. It really is. I’m so sorry.” He laid his gnarled hand on top of hers and gave it a slight squeeze. “My name’s Ned, by the way.”

  “Nice to meet you, Ned.” Emma responded politely.

  He gave her a small nod in response, then his bushy brows furrowed down. “You don’t know who this is that contacted you?”

  Emma shook her head again and took another sip of her drink. “No idea. I received a phone call right as I was leaving work tonight. All he said was to meet him here at 9 PM and that he had information about Keira.”

  She looked up at Ned with an imploring look, feeling the need to explain. “I had to come, see what he has to say. She’s all I have left…” She trailed off again as the door opened behind her, and she saw the kindly bartender squint suspiciously at the newcomer.

  Glancing back over her shoulder to see who it was, she felt her breath rapidly leave her lungs in a whoosh! Good God. Who was that?

  The male who had just entered was every bad girl’s dream, and probably the good one’s too. She could practically feel her panties hit the floor, just from looking at him.

  Gauging him to be a little over six feet tall, he had dirty blonde hair that fell just past the top of his shoulders, choppy pieces giving it a careless appearance. Piercing blue eyes seemed to glow, almost eerily, with a life of their own, as he slowly perused the room. Clean-shaven, his slightly squared jaw was strong and confident. Sculpted cheekbones and a perfectly proportioned nose finished off one of the best looking faces she’d ever seen on a guy.

  Like, seriously. He put the Armani models to shame. Dressed in dark jeans, combat boots, and a long-sleeved black knit shirt…that did absolutely nothing to hide the lean, muscular body underneath…he was the most virile man Emma had ever seen.

  However, in spite of his Hollywood pretty boy looks, he had an almost predatory air of danger around him. It surged from him like an almost physical substance, permeating the room, as he stood casually just inside the door. Even the drunks on the dance floor sensed it, staggering as far away from him as they could get. This guy was trouble. With a capitol “T”.

  Emma was still staring in awe when his gaze swung her way, locking on to her and not letting go. She inhaled sharply as those eyes roved over her face, then her neck, and down to her breasts, lingering there for a few seconds.

  Lifting slowly back up to her face, they burned right through her for a long moment, like he was imagining her naked and knew she’d enjoy it. A hot surge of desire tightened low in her stomach, surprising her, and she felt a rush of moisture as her innermost muscles clenched in response.

  Whoa.

  He closed his eyes then, and she watched him lift his nose slightly and inhale deeply like he was scenting something, or someone, as an animal would scent their prey. Lifting the corners of his perfectly beautiful lips slightly as he pierced her with those eyes again, he smirked knowingly at her.

  That smirk was like a slap in the face. What the hell was the matter with her? She gave herself an internal shake. A good-looking guy walks in and she reacts like a hormone-laden teenager, when she should be worrying about the meeting about her sister.

  She glared at the stranger. Thank God he’s not the informant. He’s not supposed to be here until 9PM, and it was only…Emma jumped down from her stool and straightened her spine as the Greek god started walking…no, prowling…directly towards her. As he got closer, she took a deep, bracing breath and steeled her spine even more, determined not to let him affect her.

  Chapter Seven

  Nik arrived at the local dive a little early for his appointment with Emma. Since it wasn’t a personal residence, no invitation was needed, and he entered without any trouble. Pausing just over the threshold, he checked the place out, memorizing where the exits were out of habit. It wasn’t hard. There were only two.

  He wasn’t surprised at the lack of a Friday night crowd. Places like this catered to regular customers who lived in the area. No one else would drive so far out of his or her way to get to such a small town dive. Assuming this was the case, he had told Emma to meet him here, knowing it wouldn’t be very crowded and they’d be able to talk.

  Continuing his scan towards the right side of the room, he found Emma sitting at the end of the bar. He let his eyes wander over her face and down to what he could see of her body as she twisted around in the stool to look at him.

  She was stunning in a simple sweater and jeans. Her hair fell in natural waves just to her shoulders, urging him to touch the bright strands, to see if they were as soft as they looked. Her cheeks were slightly flushed as she stared at him, wide-eyed, and her lips were slightly parted, her breathing shallow.

  He imagined her looking at him like that as she lay naked and open beneath him, gasping as he pumped into her hot little sheath. His eyes narrowed at the wayward thought, and he felt his cock instantly respond.

 
As if she knew what he was thinking, her face reddened even more and he had to close his eyes a moment as he scented her body’s response from across the room. He couldn’t help it then, he smirked at her, and saw her wide-eyed look change to a glare in response.

  Was she angry at him, or at her body’s reaction to him?

  Nik allowed himself a moment more to enjoy pondering that question, before reminding himself of the purpose of this meeting. The thought sobered him instantly. He started heading towards Emma, watching her jump down from her stool to stand ramrod straight at his approach.

  He didn’t stop until there was less than a foot between their bodies, forcing her to look up at him as he loomed over her. She barely came to his chin; her slender form nearly half his size.

  His heart actually stuttered as his eyes roved over her face. Good Lord, she was lovely. Standing so close to her, her scent overwhelmed him, and it was all he could do not to scoop her up and take her with him, caveman style, back to his lair.

  “Hello, Emma.”

  ***

  Whoa, Emma thought for the second time. His voice was bedroom sexy. Way better in person. Or maybe she’d just been too shocked to notice when they’d been on the phone for that brief time. Just listening to him say her name caused some very unladylike thoughts to jump, unbidden, into her head. Thoughts of popping buttons and tearing lace, and bare skin sliding on bare skin.

  She didn’t even wear lace.

  She stared at him blankly until, giving herself a shake, she pulled her thoughts back into the here and now. Jesus, what was wrong with her? She’d never been this affected by a man, not even extremely good looking ones.

  Annoyed with herself, she stuck her chin out and demanded, “Who the hell are you, and what exactly do you know about my sister?”