“I’ll drink you dry and bathe in your blood.”
“Promises, promises,” she mocked. “And kinda hard to do both. You’ll have to pick one.”
Her taunts brought a smile to Asher’s face. She was smart. Most vampires, especially the younger ones, were arrogant. They believed themselves to be superior to everyone. It was as though they forgot they’d once been human.
Vlad sprang forward, flying through the air with ease, claws extended, sharp teeth flashing. At the last possible second, the hunter dropped and rolled, shoving the blade upward. The creature screamed as the sword pierced his stomach.
Blood spilled from the wound before it sealed shut.
She was on her feet and already moving toward her target.
Impressive. Even though she looked to be in her late twenties, she was a seasoned fighter. The blade flashed through the air. Vlad moved faster than the human eye could see, but somehow, she anticipated where he was going to be. She cut him again and again.
It was utterly fascinating.
There was no way she could destroy Vlad like that. Those small wounds wouldn’t even weaken him.
Yet he didn’t interfere. There was still the matter of the email from the unknown sender. Was it her?
She breathed heavily. Sweat beaded on her forehead, but there was no give in her. In a bold move, she tossed her sword to her left hand and brought the crossbow up with her right, firing before the weapon was steady. This time, the bolt hit the intended target.
Vlad screeched—in pain and outrage—as the metal rod struck his chest. Too bad it was just a fraction too far to the right. The heart had to be obliterated for a vamp to die. This would just piss him off. And there was nothing more dangerous than a wounded or cornered vampire.
Blood seeping from his chest, Vlad yanked the bolt out, shrieking in agony. She had nicked the heart. It would take time and require blood to regenerate.
Breathing heavily, blood and saliva dripping from his teeth, Vlad drew back his arm and threw the deadly bolt directly at the woman.
Asher flung himself forward, arm extended, and snatched the bolt out of the air just before it would have reached her. If she’d still been there. Once again, she’d proven she was better than any hunter he’d ever encountered and was currently standing several feet away.
Both hunter and vampire were staring at him.
He grinned and tossed the bolt back to her. “You may need this.”
She caught it in midair, reloaded, and fired all in one motion. This time she hit her target dead-on. He stared down at his chest, as though shocked to find the metal stake piercing his heart.
“I didn’t miss this time, bloodsucker.” She stalked toward him with sword drawn. Vlad fell to his knees and stared at Asher, likely sensing what he was.
“Don’t look at me. You brought this on yourself.” Vampires were usually very careful with their blood hosts and very discreet. Attention wasn’t good for any of them. This creature had broken all the rules and would have eventually been sanctioned by the Council.
On a mighty yell, the hunter raised the sword and swung. Vlad’s head fell to the floor and rolled toward him. Asher stopped it with his foot.
“Good swing,” he told her.
…
Jo Radcliffe was dirty, sweaty, and utterly exhausted. It had been a long hunt, but it was finally over. Vlad had left a swath of death across rural Kentucky and Tennessee. This was to be his biggest mass slaying yet. He’d worked in small groups of three or four until now.
All she wanted to do was go back to her truck, find a motel, shower, and sleep.
But that wasn’t going to happen just yet. “Who the hell are you?” she demanded of the tall, lean man who was still mostly in the shadows. Whoever he was, he was dangerous, maybe even more so than the creature she’d just beheaded. He’d come out of nowhere and snatched the crossbow bolt out of the air like it hadn’t even been moving.
A shiver raced down her spine.
Dressed all in black, he blended with the dark. She hadn’t known he was there until he’d deliberately come forward. And she always had total situational awareness. It was a matter of survival.
Her profession had a very high mortality rate.
A nudge of his foot sent the vampire’s head rolling back toward the body. The undead would need to be burned if he didn’t start disintegrating soon, but she was keeping her distance from the man in black.
“Asher.” He gave her a half bow. “And you are?”
A quick shake of her head. “You don’t need to know.”
“That hardly seems fair considering I saved your life.”
“It didn’t need saving,” she asserted. “I’d already moved.”
“True,” Asher conceded. “You’re fast, but I didn’t know that. I should get points for the attempt.” He sauntered out of the dark and fully into the candlelight. The flames flickered over his face, exposing a strong jaw, straight nose, and high forehead. His blond hair was pulled back in a short tail at his nape. His skin was olive toned or tanned, hard to say. Piercing brown eyes stared at her.
Good looking was much too tame. Handsome didn’t fit, either. There was something dangerous and predatory lurking beneath the surface. Primal. Compelling. Yeah, that was it.
It was time for her to leave.
“While I appreciate the assist, I’ve got this.” She jerked her head toward the door, hoping he’d take the hint.
A ghost of a smile flickered on his full lips before it disappeared. “I’ve got nowhere I need to be.”
“Great,” she muttered.
His laugh slid down her spine, a whisper of heat. Her nipples puckered and rubbed against her bra. Uh. No. The last thing she needed was some kind of fatal attraction. Because he was one of two things—a fellow hunter or another vampire. Neither of which were good for her.
“Come now, I’ll help you clean up this mess. Then we can get a cup of coffee somewhere, maybe talk.”
“It’s almost one in the morning. Nothing around here is open.” God, she was tired. She just wanted to fry this vampire and leave. Usually they disintegrated fairly quickly. This one was taking his sweet time. He either wasn’t truly dead yet or he was very young. The older they were, the quicker they turned to ash.
Ash.
“Your name is Asher?”
He inclined his head. “At your service.”
She ignored the way her insides heated. Paid no attention to how deep his voice was or how it stroked over her skin like silk.
Danger signs flashed in her brain.