Hunter's Blood (2 page)

Chapter Three

Gina was still cursing under her breath as she stalked across the gravel pathway to her car. Hot afternoon sun glittered on the windows of the mansion that served as Hunters Guild headquarters, a sprawling two-story in a development on the town's outskirts. She slipped on her sunglasses, already sweating in unseasonal October heat.

Contrary to legend—and unlike demons—vampires could walk in the sun, so long as they'd fed properly. They were living, breathing creatures, with a warm pulse and an appetite for food as well as blood. Gina had rushed down a quick blood-breakfast-to-go before spending the day sparring with her team-mates, only stopping when she got the call to meet Mistress Nyssa.

Good thing she'd skipped lunch, because she felt sick. Hot and bothered. Frustrated.

She climbed into her red SUV and slammed the door. Curse Luka Dragovic to the seven hells for coming back. For leaving in the first place. For being so damned perfect.

She exited the parking lot in a spray of gravel, and hurtled out into the road, careless of screeching tires. The stereo blared, and she smacked it off, the air-conditioning failing to soothe her flushed body.

He'd seen the hurt in her eyes. The desire. Hells, he'd surely felt it, when their auras touched, a hot frisson of pleasure that seared straight to her core.

He knew she still wanted him. Embarrassed was inadequate. Try mortified.

She turned left onto a sun-baked street that teemed with after-work traffic, heading towards her city apartment. She could have lived on-site at Guild HQ. Many hunters did, lending credence to the Guild's cover as an elite martial arts academy. But Gina liked the solitude and freedom of having her own place. It allowed her to roam at night, tasting the city air, flexing her magic with spelled knives ready, searching for traces of demon activity on her own. The Guild always hunted in pairs, but her secret lone missions had made her self-reliant. In hunting and in life, she liked working alone.

Gina rolled the window down, wristing sweat from her forehead. In the end, everyone was alone. Enough people had walked out on her in her twenty-four years to prove that. Including Luka Dragovic.

But she wouldn't be working alone anytime soon. No, from now on, she'd be working with him. Under him, with all the dangerous innuendo that involved.

Unwilled images crept into her mind, and she shivered at the thought of him mounting her. Pinning her down with those powerful arms, thrusting into her with long slow strokes. That sexy hair brushing her face, his long-lost scent of pine needles and spice, the breathless, relentless pleasure of his magic...

Her nipples tightened. She was strong, nearly six feet tall, a highly-trained demon-hunter with superlative combat skills and magic to burn. Not many men made her feel… delicate. Precious. Vulnerable.

Well, to the seven hells with delicate and vulnerable. She liked it on top. Tonight she'd kick some stinking demon butt, and if Dragovic got in her way, he'd see just how delicate she wasn't.

But as she inched along in burning sun behind steady traffic, past the busy mall lot crawling with cars and shopping carts, she couldn't help recalling the taste of his kisses, five long years ago… Recalling? Sure. She was hunting down the memory, as she did sometimes late at night when a failed mission or a careless lover left her particularly unsatisfied.

It was a hot night on the tail-end of summer, in her final year at the
Guild
Academy
, and her class of half a dozen had hit the bars, celebrating the passing of a particularly brutal practical hunting test. They'd chosen a dangerous vampire club at the tough end of town for a thrill, and headed out in their coolest party clothes with the positive intention of getting drunk and laid.

Heavy music throbbed dark and rich in her veins, and rainbow lights flashed over the crowded dance floor. The club's decor ran to riveted iron panels and rusted chains hanging from the ceiling, and sultry metallic air coated her skin, thick like blood and scented with warm flesh, sweat, sex. In the first hour, four different strangers had offered them drugs, human narcotics or sparkling magical elixirs or deathwish stuff made from demon blood. They'd all refused, sensible or scared of getting caught and expelled. But she'd already lost count of the vodka reds she'd downed, and her balance was swaying pleasantly when a bunch of instructors walked in.

Colleen, her best friend and hunting partner, nudged her on the dance floor and pointed, splashing champagne over her own red satin dress. Irish vowels lilted her voice. "Devil's knickers, can't the old fangers leave us in peace for one night?"

Gina squinted over her shoulder in the magic-sparked gloom. Four of them, lounging against the bar with their drinks. Looked like a double date. Dusky Vijay already had his tattooed arm around blond-ponytailed Caine's waist. The two combat masters adored each other, and made a ferocious team in the field as well as ruthless instructors. Tall dark Su-Lin, the spellmaster, wore a black Chinese silk dress, showing off slender curves and spiky blue-black hair, and beside her…

Gina glanced away, her throat dry, and slid her arms back around Guy's neck. "Whatever. Just ignore them."

"Can we? My ass is still sore from the kicking it got today." Guy nibbled under her chin, drawing blood. His long brown hair tumbled over the low-cut neckline of her flimsy summer dress, and his fangs stung her collarbone lightly.

It felt nice. Guy was the class joker, always bottom of the grade but trained like a man possessed (no pun intended) and to everyone's delight he'd passed today's horror test without losing his mind or a limb.

Gina sighed. He wasn't particularly powerful, and his bloodstone glowed pale, never a match for hers. But he'd always had eyes for her, and he was passably cute, in a tight-jeans-and-loose-shirts, messy-hair-and-eyeliner kind of way. And he did feel nice. She'd already half-decided to sleep with him. But…

Oh, hells.

She flushed and jerked her head around, pretending she hadn't noticed his gaze on her. But a pair of sinful green eyes shone through the fragrant nightclub smoke like lanterns, flecked golden with night-sight magic, and hotter than demonspell they bored deep into her soul.

Colleen shoved her again. "Oh, my god! Suck in your gut, girl, Luka the Luscious is checking you out!" The pretty redhead fanned herself theatrically. "I think I just came in my pants. Unholy hells, he might be older than death, but I'd give my bloodstone for one night with that man."

"No, you wouldn't." A Hunter's bloodstone was the focus of her power, the tinderbox that lit the magic. You never removed it, never gave it away or let anyone else touch. It was too dangerous. Vampires got their spells stolen that way.

"Maybe not." Colleen giggled. "But I'd sure promise to, if it'd get me in. Look at him. He's built for bed."

Gina swallowed. Dragovic was checking her out, all right. Probably remembering the blistering debrief he'd given her after today's test, making her sweat cold blood and stain her leathers scarlet before he finally revealed she'd passed with honors. The bastard enjoyed it, too. Always harder on her than on anyone else. Pushed her mercilessly. Too far, sometimes, until she was bruised and aching, so exhausted she could barely sleep. But she'd learned. She topped her class, not that he'd ever praise her for it.

Tonight, he'd traded Hunter's leathers for crisp dark trousers and a pale shirt. Strange to see their hunting master without twin swords and armor buckled on, but damnation, the change was sweet. Sleeves rolled up to mid-forearm, showing wrists muscled tight from swordplay and spell-casting. Collar loose, soot-black hair spilling, bloodstone glittering sun-bright on a leather strip around his neck. And those casual pants couldn't disguise a world-class ass, hard and perfectly curved. The man moved like a panther, dangerous, barely controlled. He lifted his drink—bourbon and blood in a tall glass, whoa baby—and muscles did sexy things under that silk shirt.

Gina's eyes boggled, and the alcohol swimming in her head freed her fantasies for a moment. Hellfire, he looked sinfully good in those clothes. But not half as good as he'd look out of them. And thirty-something-apparent wasn't older than death—he had to be at least two-forty, two-fifty, but in vampire years that was still young, and he looked so hot her head ached.

And he was definitely checking her out. Maybe it was the dress. He'd probably never seen her wearing one. Yep, they're real. Boobs and butt. Cadet Santangelo's a girl!

But Gina didn't believe in miracles. She knew what a girl like her—too tall, over-muscled, not one of those delicate feminine wisps that men liked—scored in the shaggability stakes. And if men wanted her at all, it was for the magic crackling in her bloodstone. An entire night with Luka? She'd settle for a hot breathless oh-god-yes-harder quickie up against the bathroom door. Her legs wrapped round his waist, his big hands grabbing her ass, his scorching heat pounding inside her…

She snorted, and nudged Colleen back. "Just a man, baby. No man is that perfect. Probably leaves the toilet seat up."

Colleen twisted long red locks, her gaze on Dragovic. "For that body, do I care about potential scungy man-habits? He can leave once he's taken a piss. I just want the party times beforehand."

Guy laughed, and licked Gina's chin hungrily. "Wow, I don't feel inferior at all right now. You're right, of course. I'd probably even go gay for him."

"Thought your ass was already sore."

"Tee hee. Still, it's a thought. Maybe he'd take it easy on me in class if I did him right."

Gina giggled, but her bloodstone scorched with magical warning, and sweat hissed to steam on her skin. Shit. He was looking at her again. Didn't he know it was rude to stare?

Hell, he was probably just vagueing out at some spot behind her head. All the Academy girls sighed over Dragovic, but no one ever tried anything. School rules strictly forbade fraternization with faculty. Besides, in demon-hunting legend, he was a god among mortals. You didn't fantasize about bedding a god. You just fell to your knees and marveled at his glory.

But as that sultry gaze slid lazily over her body, she burned, exposed. Naked.

Suddenly, she wished she wasn't half drunk and horny with her body pressed against another man's. And she couldn't stand him watching her for a moment longer.

"Umm. Gotta go. Sorry." And she extricated herself and ran from the floor.

She shouldered dancers aside, ignoring Colleen calling after her. It was late, and the club was packed, the air steamy with fragrant bodies. Drinkers milled three deep at the bar, blocking the exits.

Her legs trembled as she ran awkwardly on the silly high-heeled sandals Colleen had talked her into wearing. The alluring flavor of sweat and blood, both human and vampire, invaded her nostrils, and heavy music rocked her pulse rapid, tempting her to sin. But her body felt hot and sore, a heady cocktail of drunk and aroused with a dash of mortified. She needed to pee. She had to get out of here.

The dim corridor behind the bar was a few degrees cooler at least, and not as crowded. A few people lounged against the iron walls, sharing drugs or kissing. She puffed sticky hair from her forehead, heading for the ladies room.

But a hand slammed into the wall, blocking her path.

Her heart backflipped.

Luka Dragovic gazed down at her, fire-green eyes glowing. "Santangelo."

His deep voice vibrated in her core, and her belly melted inside like hot chocolate. Heaven, he was huge. Almost menacing, his shadow swallowing her. She wanted a weapon. She wanted to roll onto her back and surrender.

She swallowed, but her throat croaked dry. She tried to push past him. "Excuse me, sir."

He trapped her, leaning one massive shoulder against the steel. "Having a good night?"

She tore her gaze away from that sinful mouth. Full, rich vampire lips, a flash of white fang. Hoo boy. Just me, or steamy in here?

But his expression darkened, stormy. He'd practically snapped at her. Like she'd displeased him. She fidgeted. "Umm. Sure. Fine, thanks. Can I just get by—"

"I don't think so." He caught her shoulder, holding her in place.

His touch burned. His sooty hair fell over his collar, so black it mingled into the smoky shadows, and she wanted to wrap her fingers with it, yank it tight, pull him down to her with both hands and…

O-kaay. Now you're in dreamland. Desperately, she wriggled, but he didn't let go. "Look, sir, can I help you with something? Because I kind of need to go—"

"I saw you with that boy. Cadet Drake." His mouth curled in disapproval.