Dark Hunter (2 page)

“The slayers are too close. We have no choice, Mari. I’m sorry, but we must find safety somewhere else.”

His mixed heritage showed in eyes the pale blue of the morning sky, eyes that held shadows of regret. His handsome face was lined with tension from days of hiding from their pursuers. She'd awakened from her death sleep to those same eyes gazing down on her, and when his white teeth flashed in a greeting smile, she’d felt her heart open. If such things existed as soul mates and love at first sight, she’d found it in the male who'd given her the kiss if immortality. Navar admitted upon her awakening to watching her for many years as she grew from gangly child to woman. She’d been unaware of the man who’d loved her from afar, waiting for the time when he could bring her into his world. Her heart fluttered at such devotion.

Only three months had passed since Cleopatra’s death. Three months since she’d been turned and found love in Navar’s arms watching from the shadows as the Romans secured Egypt with pathetic ease. Along with them came the hunters, men hiding under the guise of soldiers, a secret sect of praetorians whose only function was to hunt and kill anything not strictly human with extreme prejudice.

They ran through the dark night, unprepared for the trap set for them. As they neared the docks, they were surrounded by hunters, effectively cut off from the waiting boat, which would have seen them safely up the Nile. Rough hands tore her away from her lover, and as she struggled against her captors, she watched in horror as her beloved was brought to his knees, struggling with every ounce of his might against the four slayers who held him, his gaze locked onto Mari with regret. His mouth opened to form words just as the sharp glint of metal swung down, separating his head from his shoulders in a bloody arc.

She screamed in horror and grief as her lover’s body crumpled to the ground next to his head. She continued to scream as shadows emerged from the outlying buildings and attacked the slayers. She screamed until her voice broke into nothing but a hoarse whisper. Crumpling to the ground, she wished for death, but saw only life in her savior’s eyes.

Her vision narrowed to the dark eyes, which held compassion. They faded as the dark encroached steadily upon her, the heavy veil of blackness covered her, and she knew no more.

Help had come too late for Navar, but Marcus Valerian and his band of enforcers saved her. So many times
she'd cursed Marcus in those early years, wishing for true death in hopes of reuniting with her beloved Navar, yet at the core of her being, she knew she would never lie down and die. It just wasn’t her nature.

Now the same man who’d tormented her waking hours and dreams stood in front of her,
and her heart shattered all over again.

Chapter Two

“I would have come to you much sooner if the choice were mine,
akasha.
” Navar’s deep voice and exotic accent flowed over her in a shimmering wave, making her belly quake.

A
live for two thousand years, and in all that time, she’d believed him dead and struggled to survive without the aid of a sire to help her adapt to her new world.

Alone, always so alone.

Why now?

She gritted her teeth against the surge of conflicting emotions churning
in her gut, pressing hard against her chest. “How did you survive when I saw you die? You can’t just get up and walk away from a beheading.” Pain bled through her words.

“Look at me, Mari, please? I can’t very well discuss this with your back, now can I?”

Steeling herself, she turned and almost took a step back when she found him so close. His sky-blue eyes gazed hungrily at her and her knees threatened to buckle. Only three feet of gleaming birch wood stood between them. Even so, the power of his presence hit her like a punch in the gut. “All right, I’m looking, so explain.” Relief flowed through her body when she sounded so cool and detached.

“You didn’t see me die. I was exchanged with another.” He held his hand up to quell her argument. “The sidhe, children of the Tuatha de Danann
, stepped in. They froze time for the few moments it took to exchange me for a double.”

“What? Now you expect me to believe
the sidhe have that kind of power?”

“Yes. I have been in their service until recently.”

She gave him a suspicious look. “What kind of service could a vampire provide, if they have that much power?”

Navar’s eyes darkened with regret. “I was a tracker for their queen. They needed someone with a highly advanced sense of smell, and since I’m
four thousand years old, they figured a vampire with as much experience as I might have a few additional powers they could put to good use.”

Mari gave an unladylike snort, fisting her hands on her hips. “And in all that time, you couldn’t come by and let me know you lived?”

His lips thinned, dark brows lowering in a frown at the scorn in her voice. “I had to take a blood oath not to contact anyone from my past. They didn’t want the…complications of having someone on the outside knowing much about them. They are a very secretive race with powerful enemies within the breed world. If their actual location ever got out…well, they could be destroyed.”

“Even me?”

“Yes, even you,
especially
you.” He breathed out a heavy sigh, running a hand through this thick black hair in agitation. “Look, there were so many times I wanted to let you know. I’ve kept watch over you all these years. It was pure hell being so close and yet not able to touch you, talk to you, or let you know everything would be all right.”

Confusion and frustration swelled upon a rising tide breaking through the defenses she
’d built to hold her emotions at bay. The horror of his death, the struggle to survive and flourish, the isolation and soul deep grief churned through her, making her body tremble at the intensity scalding her insides. The idea he had been so close and she never knew just drove those emotions up a notch. Anger joined the party stewing within her, at being left alone, ignored when she needed his guidance. Stupid, and a bit selfish of her, but there it was.

“Well, bully for you.” She sneered, her full lip lifting up enough to show a gleaming white fang. “Then you know everything wasn’t all right. I struggled without you, keeping one step ahead of the hunters while trying my damnedest to blend into the human world and make a life for myself. Where in the hell were you a month ago, h
uh? I could have really used a bit of help then.” She knew she was being irrational, but it seemed the logic train had left the station a long time ago, stranding her at the station where only chaos reigned.

The sudden silence in the bar made her all too aware she’d lost her temper. Her shout still reverberated in the stillness of the room. Not that there were very many patrons, but as the owner of the
establishment, screaming at one of her customers was just bad form.

With a growl she marched around the bar and grabbed Navar’s hand, doing her best
to ignore the tingle racing up her arm at the contact. Gritting her teeth, she tugged him through the hallway where she kept rooms for vampire patrons who wanted a bit more than a quick bite.

Mari stopped at the end of the hall only long enough to open a door on the left and
pull him inside before shutting the door behind her with a loud
snick.

Leaning against the door, she took a calming breath, then did it again and again until she felt the steel bands across her chest loosen and the tight muscles of her neck and shoulders unravel just a bit, all
the while she glared murderously at Navar. He crossed his brawny arms over his chest, the movement enhancing the solid bulge of his biceps and pulling his T-shirt tight. Her mind scattered as she licked her suddenly dry lips.

“I tried for centuries to be released from my service to the queen. I wanted nothing more than to be with you. I, too, felt the torment of not being there for you.”

“Ha, if you expect me to believe that, you must think I’m a fool. I want you to leave. I can’t do this, not right now.” Pain colored her words and she dropped her gaze to her feet, unable to look at him. Her voice carried to him on a whisper of pain. Her eyes rose to meet his, all the emotions she held churning inside her. “You lied to me, Navar. You promised to never leave me and you did.”

His body stiffened as her barb hit home. “Call me what you will, but lie to you? That,
akasha
, I did not do. Ever.”

“Don’t call me that. I am
not
your heart. Not anymore. Don’t you remember your words when I woke up as a vampire?” She practically spit the words at him, rage and pain swamping her, threatening to suffocate her with the intensity of her emotions.

A low growl filled the tiny room as Navar’s jaw tightened. “I did not willingly leave your side. I was taken and given no choice at the time. They called upon an ancient vow I made before I was turned. A vow I was helpless to turn my back on.
” He pounded a fist to his chest, eyes narrowing in the heat of his temper. “They knew the only power they held over me was the blood vow I swore when I agreed to be vampire.”

Her brow furled as she looked up into his gaze, filled with shadows
, and as she watched, a door slammed closed, making him unreadable. His face seemed carved from stone. And though he stood only a foot from her, she felt the distance between them was a chasm wider than the Grand Canyon. Obviously, he didn’t wish to discuss the blood vow he’d taken and wouldn’t be forthcoming on any details on whatever it entailed. Unfortunately, his explanation seemed too vague for her liking.

She glared at the man before her, so like Navar, yet much darker, hard and dangerous.
And she was shocked at the realization their time apart took a toll on him. How much of the man she’d fallen in love with existed in the man standing before her?

Could she trust him? Dam
n it all, what the hell? There were so many questions swirling in her brain, and yet, so few answers.

“You expect me to just let you back into my life as if nothing ever happened?”

He shook his head slowly. “No, of course not. Plenty has happened. I just want to have a second chance, Mari. We can start slowly, get to know one another, and let time take care of the rest.”

“And what happens if your precious blood vow gets called upon again?” Her voice was shrill with pent
-up frustration.

“I’m here to stay
,
akasha.”

“Like you were here for me all these years?”
she challenged.

A low growl came
from deep within his chest as his large body tensed and anger sparked in his eyes, the color darkening to the slate gray of storm clouds. “I had no choice. How could you even think I would wish to leave you? Those three brief months we had were the only time I felt complete. You were…
are
, the only thing in my life that keeps me sane.”

“The only thing I know is you left me surrounded by hunters. Then you show up here, in my bar
, with some bullshit story with enough holes in it to run a semi through. And you once again tell me you won’t leave me?”

His hands clenched into fists at his side
. His voice was harsh with frustration as he spoke in a harsh rasp, “I paid a high price to be released from my responsibilities. To speak of it is to break the agreement and that is not something I am inclined to do. So, for now, yes, I expect you to trust me. If I could say more, I would.”

For a few moments, only the beat of their hearts could be heard in the confines of the small room as they stared at each other. The air
was thick with distrust, frustration, and pain.

“It’s your call
,
akasha.
I will leave if that is your wish. The decision is yours to make.”

Mari gasped at the stark despair in his words. Damn him to hell. His anger she could withstand, but not the vulnerability he left bare at her feet. It was too much! Her emotions drained away in one massive surge, leaving her hollowed out and alone…so alone. So much time stood between them, all her experience struggling in a violent world, fending for herself, always one step away from the slayers. If not for Marcus’s friendship, she would never have survived.

“I wasn’t entirely alone. I had help when I was truly in need.”

He frowned, eyes devoid of any emotion. “You have
someone in your life then?” His words turned wooden as his shoulders tightened. “Then I will leave and you will never hear from me again. I will not stand between you and your man.”

Mari gave him a bitter smile. “Yeah, well, relax it isn’t anything like that. Marcus is a friend
, nothing more. He was the one who saved me when you died…or whatever.” She threw her hands up in the air in frustration.

His body remained tense, eyes fully trained on her. “Do you wish me to leave?” His words came out on a whisper filling the space between them with a thickening sense of expectation. Whatever she said now would forever change the course of their lives.

She opened her mouth, ready to ask for time to think. “Please stay.” Her eyes widened in surprise, and yet the truth rang strong in those two words. She did want him, and yes, she did need time to think things through, but right now?

Now her emotions were raw, scraped from the inside out
, and she needed to feel something besides the confusion, the aching loneliness which hammered at her every day. She needed to feel this man against her skin to assuage the fire burning her alive.

“I don’t know if I can trust you, but I need you
, Navar. Whatever this attraction between us is, I just want to feel without thinking about the consequences.”

With a hoarse growl, Navar dragged her up against his body. A low groan tore from his lips as her body pressed tightly to his.
She gasped as a shot of electricity coursed through her arms and down through her body to throb at her core. A small whimper escaped her as need pulsed through her. He felt so good, too good. It took all her strength to summon the words. “I don’t know if this is such a good idea, Navar.” She heard the weak, breathy quality to her voice and knew Navar sensed her arousal, which perfumed the air around them, a silent testament to her need.

His dark head bent low, warm breath caressing her neck. “You feel the attraction
, don’t you, Mari? You want me as much as I want you.”

The words of denial dried up in her throat as her heart hammered against her ribcage like an enraged beast wanting out. She shook her head in mute denial, shifting her gaze to a point above his head. If she looked at him
, she would surely surrender.

“Oh, no?” he asked in a deceptively soft voice.

She yelped as he dragged her up his hard muscular body, her feet dangling off the floor, and tilted his head to capture her mouth. Her body quivered at the contact, her lips parting under his onslaught. He wasted no time as she felt the stroke of his tongue against hers. His flavor burst on her taste buds, so hot and sweet she groaned at the sheer pleasure flooding her system.

Of their own accord, her arms wrapped around his thick neck, holding on as she sank into the kiss with a sigh of surrender. He growled his approval as he pressed her back to the door, holding her up against it as if she weighed nothing. He attacked her mouth with a ruthless hunger. All dominant aggression, a sexual claiming and nothing like the soft passionate care she
’d once experienced with him/Her body exploded, sending shards of pleasure through her nerve endings, and her heart sped up and adrenaline pumped through her veins. He devoured her with each slide of his tongue against hers. She could feel the harsh edge of his desire, scent it in the heady musk of his skin. This was a claiming, but the question remained, just who would claim whom?

When he pulled away, she gasped for breath, gazing at the blatant male possession etched in the plains and hollows of his darkly beautiful face, and knew she was playing with fire.