Hunter Reborn (3 page)

As she practically dragged the now-sobbing human down the hallway another door burst open. A male vampire with descended fangs appeared in the doorway. Natalia shoved the human behind her. The vamp moved like the wind, slamming Natalia against the wall.

Her back ached as plaster splintered behind her but before she could move, the vamp's eyes widened, turning bright amber as he looked down between their bodies.

The blade Kat had given her was embedded in his chest. Natalia shoved forward deeper and twisted it hard. Shock registered on his face—right before he turned to ash.

A
iden casually leaned back against the edge of one of the polished wooden bars. It was the only one not in use on this floor of the club. He had a drink in one hand as he surveyed their surroundings. Though his stance was casual, he was wound tight.

Kat had disappeared a few seconds ago, telling him and Teresa that she was meeting Natalia in one of the restrooms. He knew Teresa wanted to go because Natalia was her youngest sister, but she'd stayed with him to give Natalia the space she'd been craving. Teresa's sister was starting to assert her independence and his Alpha wanted to give it to her. Something Aiden respected. Not all Alphas were like that. No, they still had ridiculously archaic ideas about how their pack members, especially the females, should be treated.

Teresa came in from the dance floor after having been dancing with a couple of female vamps, her eyes alert even though she fake-stumbled once for show as
she headed toward him. Tonight, they were just partygoers. Technically Aiden could have come in here and put all the cameras in place himself, but without a cover date, he'd known females would have been coming on to him all night. It wasn't arrogance, just experience. The thought of any strange female sidling up to him made him nauseous and they couldn't afford to be noticed.

As Teresa reached him, she snuggled in close and wrapped her arms around him as he placed the final video camera on the underside of the lip of the bar. With her covering his movements, there was no way anyone would see what he was doing. The device was small and the same dark color as the bar. Ryan had chosen them specifically for this mission. “Visual?” he asked Ryan through the earpiece once he felt the camera lock into place with the fast-acting adhesive.

“Once Teresa moves . . .”

Teresa gracefully stepped around Aiden, moving to the other side of him where she leaned against the bar next to him. Now that the last camera was in place they didn't have to playact anymore. She took the same casual pose as Aiden as she watched the dance floor.

“Perfect angle,” Ryan said. “Good work, you guys. When Kat and Natalia get back you all can get out of there.”

With the nearly undetectable cameras in place Ryan would be trying to get shots of anyone and anything they could use to figure out just who the hell was selling some weird type of vamp blood that was having a strange effect on humans. “Kat?” he murmured.

When she didn't respond, he inwardly frowned. “Can you hear her, Teresa?”

“No.”

“Neither can I,” Ryan muttered. “I think it might be some sort of interference.”

Aiden straightened, ready to go find both her and Natalia. But he wanted Teresa out of there first. “Teresa, why don't you head out . . .” Aiden trailed off as a flash of dark hair caught his eye.

The blue-black color shimmered under the moving strobe lights. All he could see was the back of the female's head, but something inside his chest started to tingle.

The sensation was odd, almost painful. Ignoring it, he pushed off the bar, as if pulled toward her by a magnet.

“Aiden?” Teresa asked, her voice filled with concern.

He ignored her and kept walking. Right now he needed to see the woman's face. His inner wolf clawed at him, more agitated than he'd ever been, demanding that he hunt down the dark-haired female. It didn't matter that he knew
she
was dead. That whatever the hell he was thinking was fucking
impossible
. He was like a puppet on a string as he shoved his way across the dance floor. Or more like a possessed madman.

He could have circled around it, but didn't want to waste the time. Heart pounding, he pushed right through a vamp couple screwing on the dance floor. The male shouted at him, but Aiden turned on him, canines bared. He was barely leashing his inner wolf at this point.

Whatever he looked like was enough to make the
male back off and scramble away. When Aiden looked back across the dance floor, he couldn't see the female anymore.

No!

A small part of him knew that he was completely risking the mission, but he couldn't stop his actions. His heart beat out of control and that odd sensation had intensified. It wasn't just a tingling anymore, but full-fledged adrenaline raging through him, punching out to all his nerve endings like a battering ram. Everything around him was out of focus as his wolf threatened to take over. He'd never been out of control like this. Not even as a cub. The crushing hope intermixed with the agony of reality telling him this wasn't real. What he was seeing simply couldn't be. Maybe he was having some sort of breakdown.

As he reached the edge of the dance floor, he jumped onto the nearest high-top table. Oh yeah, his Alpha was going to be pissed about this later, but Aiden didn't care. He had to find the female. Where had she gone . . . ? His gaze landed on her profile. And there was no mistaking who he was looking at.

Larissa Danesti. His dead bondmate.

Everything around him funneled out as he stared in awe. Even his wolf went completely still for a few heartbeats. Everything around him fell away. The club, the patrons, the scents and sounds, until all he could see was Larissa. Grief tightened his throat. He hadn't even dared to think her name for over sixty years. It hurt too much.

Her blue-black hair fell in soft waves halfway down
her back. Exactly the same length it had been the last fateful day he'd seen her. From one of the purest vampire bloodlines, Larissa was a bloodborn. A daywalker. Impossibly strong.

Both her parents had been royalty and she'd been everything to them. Until he'd come along and she'd dared to sully herself with a mindless animal—as they'd considered him. Royal bloodborns like that considered anyone
not
a vampire beneath them.

But she'd died. He hadn't seen it, but he'd felt the bondmate link between them shatter into a million pieces. Even that hadn't stopped him from searching for her, from following her and hearing from her parents that she was indeed dead. The best part of him had died that day. If he hadn't joined Connor's pack when he did, he'd probably be dead by now. He'd been on a dark path of destruction for years after her death and his own demise had been inevitable.

As if she felt his stare, Larissa turned to look at him. The indigo-blue eyes he remembered as being fierce were filled with confusion . . . and fear as they locked on him.

The fear was too much. He tried to take a step forward, but his surroundings rushed back in an instant and that adrenaline surge slammed right into his heart. He wasn't sure what was happening. All his muscles pulled tight as he half shifted to his lupine form.

Larissa clutched her chest, staring at him as if she didn't know him. When her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed he could feel her pain shooting through him just as agonizing as his own.

Shit. It was the bonding link clicking back into place. He had no doubt in his mind that was what had happened. He might not know how the fuck it had happened, but that wasn't some look-alike. The female was Larissa.

His.

His wolf clawed at him, demanding he go to her, protect her. He was in complete agreement. His clothes tore and he cried out in pain, but it was more of a growl as he tumbled from the table. He barely felt it as he slammed against the hard floor. Writhing in pain as he struggled for control of his wolf, he was vaguely aware of the music shutting off and everyone around them scattering.

Except Teresa.

She was there, staring down at him in concern as she spoke to someone. Must be Ryan. Or maybe Kat.

“We have a big problem,” Teresa said, as if from the other end of a tunnel.

He ignored his packmate.

Right now he didn't care about anything or anyone but his
bondmate
. He needed to get to Larissa. Forcing himself to sit up, he took a deep breath and got his wolf under control. The fur that had sprouted on his hands receded. For a moment he was completely in charge. That adrenaline rush that had spiked in his system was evening out.

Until a male picked Larissa up from the club floor. Daring to touch what was Aiden's.

Then he lost his shit.

Giving up control to his beast, he roared in rage.
Though it felt like an eternity, only seconds passed as his bones shifted and realigned and his wolf took over. By now everyone had been smart enough to scatter.

Except the stupid vamp trying to take Larissa away. He held her limp body in his arms, using her as a shield as he slowly tried to step backward.

There was nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. Keeping a pulse on his surroundings so he wouldn't be ambushed, Aiden stalked toward the male and Larissa. He swatted a stool out of the way with a large front paw. It splintered, the pieces clattering to the floor noisily.

The fear rolling off the vamp was pungent. Aiden snarled and jumped onto a large round table barely fifteen feet away from them. It creaked, but held his weight. It wouldn't take much for him to reach the vamp now. And he had no doubt he could kill that fucker without grazing a hair on Larissa's head. Because he'd die before hurting her.

The vamp must have sensed his intent because he dropped Larissa and ran, sprinting through the club with a preternatural speed. The predator in Aiden wanted to give chase, to hunt him down, but he reined it in for the stronger impulse to protect what was his.

Using all the strength in his hind legs, he jumped from the table and landed right next to Larissa's still form. Her chest rose and fell steadily and she appeared unharmed. But he wouldn't be satisfied until he knew for sure.

“Aiden, look at me.” He heard Teresa's soft voice nearby, but he couldn't look at her. He refused. All his attention was on Larissa.

“You need to shift back,” Teresa whispered urgently.

He ignored her. That wasn't happening. Stepping closer to Larissa, he stopped only when her body was completely under him. No one could get to her without going through him. They'd have to kill him first.

“Aiden!” a strong, familiar voice shouted.

His head whipped around to see Connor and Noah moving around the middle bar. Connor had something in his hand. A gun. But that didn't make sense.

“Aiden, snap out of it. Shift back. Now!” his Alpha commanded with authority.

Part of him was compelled to listen, but . . . no. He could protect Larissa better as a wolf. His inner animal latched on and dug deep, refusing to give up control. Aiden snarled at Connor, baring his canines in a clearly aggressive, defiant display.

The room, which had already quieted down, went deathly silent. Connor's eyes went wide in shock before they narrowed. He thought he heard someone murmur something about him going feral.

Feral?
That's when it registered what he must look like. Drawing on strength he didn't know he had, Aiden forced the change. No matter how much he needed to protect Larissa he had to explain to his pack what was going on. So they would protect her. She was all that mattered.

Agony pierced through him as his bones shifted against his wolf's will until he was crouching naked over Larissa's still unconscious body. He attempted to stand when something slammed into his chest. He stumbled back from the force of it and saw the raised gun in Connor's hand.

The deepest sense of betrayal ricocheted through him until he looked down and realized it was a tranquilizer dart. Connor was trying to control the situation, not kill him. It meant he could be trusted. Something his human side knew completely, but his wolf was agitated and wanted to take Larissa far away from everyone and everything. Including his Alpha.

“Bondmate,” Aiden managed to rasp out before a bitter blackness engulfed him.

T
eresa stared in horror as Aiden fell back, unconscious. The scent of his link to the female vampire was unmistakable. It reminded her of a cold winter night. Crisp, fresh, and . . . powerful. Whoever that female was, she retained a lot of power. Teresa didn't understand how this was possible when Aiden had never been bonded before. It was clear Connor was just as confused so she didn't question him.

Before any of them could move, six huge vamps jumped down into the middle of the dance floor from one of the balconies above and faced off with her and her packmates. She controlled her fear as the few stragglers who'd been lingering after Aiden's freak-out scattered toward the elevators.

“Ryan?” she said quietly through the earpiece, but got no answer.

Connor, Noah, and Erin, who'd appeared only a second ago, were the only ones here. She wanted to know
where Jayce, Kat, and more important, her sister Natalia were. Natalia was so young and she hated that her youngest sister had insisted on coming tonight. But their Alpha had allowed it so she'd had no choice.

It was clear her earpiece wasn't working so Teresa did the only thing she could. She strode toward Connor and lined up next to him along with their other packmates. They were all warriors, unlike her, but that didn't mean she was going to tuck tail and run if these vamps wanted to challenge them.

Because that's what it appeared these vamps were doing. Their posture was tense, their vibes hostile. Of the six, one stepped forward, his boots thudding ominously against the wood dance floor as he glared at Connor. He was clearly the leader. “Connor Armstrong.” He practically spat the name, his amber eyes glowing bright and unnaturally dilated. He looked almost stoned, but she wasn't sure if vampires could even get high. Something was off about the tall male.

Her Alpha just stood there, perfectly calm, though she could feel the power radiating off him. She'd seen him in action only a couple of times, but it was enough to know that he could rip most of these vamps apart with ease. “Do I know you?” Connor's voice was a deadly blade.

“We haven't met.” And it was clear the vamp didn't plan on introducing himself as he continued. “But I'm going to give you the courtesy of getting the fuck out of my club in the next sixty seconds unharmed. Take your wolf and go, but the female vamp stays.”

“They're bondmates. She comes with us.” It didn't
matter that Connor had never met the female, that none of the pack had known about her—if she was Aiden's, she was one of theirs.

Simple as that. It was one of the reasons Teresa was proud to have Connor as an Alpha. The male was absolutely loyal.

“Then it seems we have a problem.” The vamp made a quick gesture with his hand and his warriors fanned out.

Teresa turned to the left, keeping her focus on one of the vamps. He watched her closely and made a gross flicking gesture with his tongue as he grabbed his crotch.

Ugh. She kept her expression cool, not wanting anyone to know she was afraid.

“Why do you want the female?” Connor asked, his voice still calm, though his stance was tense.

Instead of answering, the lead vampire took a menacing step toward Aiden and the female.

In the span of a heartbeat Connor shifted to his wolf form. Teresa followed suit, letting the change come over her. She bit back a cry of discomfort as her wolf took over, shredding her barely there dress. Everything around her came into sharper focus. By the time she'd shifted, so had the others—except for Erin, who remained in her human form. With two blades in her hands, it was clear the female enforcer knew how to use them.

Teresa focused on the snarling vampire closest to her. His claws and fangs had extended and she could see the hilt of a blade peeking out from his partially
unzipped jacket. So he had at least one weapon, probably more.

“One more chance to leave—”

Clearly done listening to threats, Connor lunged at the vamp. All hell broke loose. Out of the corner of her eye Teresa could see her Alpha and Erin taking on two vamps while Noah grappled with one. Knowing they were more than capable, Teresa kept her focus on the vampire in front of her.

He wore dark pants, a dark shirt, boots, and a leather jacket. His black hair was cropped close and he had that same bleary-eyed look in his bright amber eyes as the other vampires. “Why don't you shift back, little wolf? You and I can have some fun,” he crooned in a creepy singsong voice.

Gross. She had no doubt what kind of fun he referred to. Baring her canines, she growled low in her throat. She may be small for a shifter, but she could take on one vamp.

Whipping out the blade with an impressive speed, he lunged at her. She dodged to the side, missing what would have been a blow to the chest. Dancing away from him, she tried to tune out the growling and cries of pain around her. It sounded like the vamps were losing.

When the vampire rushed her again, she jumped onto a tabletop, using it to propel herself away from him. She landed on the far side of the dance floor and spun to face him. If she could tire this vamp out she would. Or at least frustrate him enough into letting his guard down. Then she'd strike hard and fast. It was
something her deceased father had taught her and her sisters. Even though she wasn't the strongest she could fight smart.

Though it felt like an eternity passed as she dodged his attempted attacks, she knew it hadn't even been a full minute when the vampire started to show annoyance.

Letting out a snarl of rage, he rushed at her, fangs descended and blade held firmly in his hand. This time she wasn't going to evade him. Crouching low, she prepared to strike when a large dark brown wolf came out of nowhere, slamming into the vampire.

Ryan.

The male wrapped his jaws around the vamp's neck and cut all the way to the bone, ripping the creature's head free in seconds. The vamp hadn't even had time to struggle or fight. If she'd been in her human form, she would have gasped at the beauty of Ryan's impressive display of power.

In her peripheral vision she was aware that the fighting was over and her pack had dominated, but she had eyes only for Ryan. For so damn long she'd wanted him, hungered after him, and for a brief moment when their two packs originally joined she'd thought there might be something there. The sexual tension between them was off the charts and she knew for a fact that he'd warned a few males away from asking her out—but he'd never made a move.

He didn't glance back at the dead vampire as he hurried to her. Taking her by surprise, he nuzzled his nose against hers before he circled her body, checking to
make sure she was unharmed. She didn't even think to stop him, though his actions were those of a mated male. Ryan drove her insane with his hot and cold routine, but right now her adrenaline was pumping and she didn't mind a little overprotectiveness. Unlike the others here she wasn't used to fighting. Technically she hadn't even fought the vamp, but her insides were shaking something fierce and Ryan's presence comforted her. She wished they were in human form so he could hold her, but she figured he probably wouldn't anyway. Not if his past behavior was any indication. Even when she'd been poisoned he'd stayed away from her. That sudden thought brought up a rush of pain and she automatically tried to back away from him.

But Ryan wouldn't let her. Once he was sure she was okay, he sidled up next to her and stood so that their shoulders touched as they faced the others. His ears were pricked forward. Clearly he was alert for more danger. Dragging her gaze away, Teresa looked at the others.

Erin stood with her blade against one vampire's neck and Connor had his jaws wrapped around another male's throat. Still in wolf form, Noah growled menacingly at the vamp Erin had pinned. Three more vamps lay dead at their feet.

Connor made a growling sound low in his throat and Noah immediately moved to stand near him. Her Alpha released the vamp and shifted back to his human form. The vampire seemed as if he was in shock as he slumped against the floor.

“Change back,” Connor ordered everyone.

Though Teresa wasn't keen on being naked in front of Ryan, she didn't have a choice and knew she had more important things to worry about anyway. Her packmates had just killed some unknown vamps and she still didn't know where her sister was.

After she'd shifted, she stood up and was surprised once again when Ryan went to stand in front of her. Reaching back, he held on to her hip as he tugged her close against him. With their bare bodies, her breasts rubbed against his back and a sharp spark of arousal shot through her like a lightning bolt. She placed her palms against that muscular expanse of skin and tried to step around him, but he growled. This new territorial display should have annoyed her, but she'd been craving this from him from the moment they'd met.

“Stay.” A subtle demand.

That one word rolled through her, making her entire body tingle in awareness. She knew exactly what he was doing. He didn't want the others to see her naked. As shifters it was inevitable that packmates would see one another naked often and nudity wasn't that big of a deal among their kind. But right now he was staking some sort of claim. She could feel it in a bone-deep way. Considering the way he'd been acting the past few months it should piss her off. Hell, she shouldn't be feeling anything right now other than worry, but with the feel of Ryan pressed up against her, it was hard to think straight or to stay mad at the confusing wolf. So she did the one thing that felt right. Leaning forward, she wrapped her arms around his front, pressing her body close to his.

Shuddering, he laid his hands over hers and squeezed gently.

“Who the hell are you?” Connor asked one of the vamps, his voice low and deadly.

Teresa peered around Ryan's body to see Connor, Noah, and Erin facing off with the two remaining vamps. Aiden and his bondmate were still unconscious on the floor. Worry for them made her antsy so she tightened her grip on Ryan.

“What . . .” The mouthy vampire from before looked around at all of them, confusion on his face. He didn't have that strange, glassy-eyed look as before either. “What the hell happened? You killed my friends!”

Before anyone responded, one of the doors burst open and Jayce stalked in. And he looked pissed. At his presence, the vamps took off, racing toward the nearest exit. Using impressive vampiric speed they were gone in a flash.

Without pause Noah and Erin took off after them. Connor started to leave but Jayce held up a hand. Teresa knew the Alpha didn't follow anyone's orders, but it was clear Jayce knew something.

“We have a problem. Natalia killed a high-ranking vampire with one of my blades. I gave them to Kat as extra protection tonight. The male . . .” He glanced at Teresa before focusing on Connor. “His brother's a member of the Brethren.”

The Brethren was a group of four ancient vampires who more or less ruled over all vamps. They were old, powerful, and all bloodborns—and her sister had just killed one of their relatives?

Shit.

Teresa swallowed hard at the ramifications. Ryan took her by surprise by turning around and grabbing onto her hips in a firm, immovable grip. With them naked, the way he tugged her close was impossibly intimate. Need rose up inside her like a wave. She tried to shove it down, but it was impossible.

Reaching out, Ryan cupped her cheek, his dark eyes flashing with too many emotions to define. As she leaned back to look up at him, it registered just how tall he was. The male was even bigger than their Alpha. Right now he had a fierce, determined look on his face.

“Nothing will happen to Natalia. I swear it.” The words were a sincere vow.

She nodded, more than a little stunned by the way Ryan was acting. “Okay.” This was a side to Ryan she'd wanted all along, but now that he was being so possessive she didn't trust that it would last much longer than the dangerous situation.

It didn't matter anyway. Neither did his vow because if her sister had just killed someone incredibly important, it affected their pack and their immediate family. Teresa had already lost too many packmates, she refused to lose anyone else.