Sweet Seduction Sacrifice (48 page)

My clothes quickly followed, then my kitchen and bathroom gear, which just left my books and knick-knacks and they arrived a week later. I still didn't utter a sound, because really, what was there to say? Dominic had found what he wanted, so he'd gone after it, claimed it, and brought her home.

And the longer I spent here, the more it felt like home. So, one month in, my cat and home relocated, I started collaborating with Katie on the design. Dominic hummed a tune the entire afternoon to himself after she left.

The only downside to all of it was Jason. He was honourably discharged from the army. Which, considering he'd killed a man out of uniform without the go-ahead of the military or anyone else in a position of governmental authority, was bloody lucky. But Jason had always been an army man and I wasn't sure how he would cope. He'd been cleared of wrong doing by the police. Defence of a loved-one, not to mention a helpless, unarmed loved-one. When he was killed Brett had a warrant out for his arrest. The police were well aware of what had been going on, they considered Jason's involvement fortuitous. But he had killed a man, so it hit the press.

The Ministry of Defence didn't take kindly to that sort of publicity and really, it was out of Jason's immediate superior's hands. But they spoke up for him at his dismissal, insisting he receive an honourable discharge. It didn't make it better. For him or for me.

He took the job Nick offered him immediately. Never one to sit on his butt for long and what else was he to do? Nick ran a tight ship, from what I'd seen and been told, Jason was quite able to fit into that sort of command. Private sector work, not what he had imagined himself doing, but he assured me it was all right. Things would work out for the best. When he said that, his eyes had drifted over to Katie, who was talking animatedly to Kelly across the room at the time. I bit back a smile or a comment, and gave him the keys to my empty loft apartment. I could do with the rent.

Which brings me to now. Dominic down on his knee before me, holding out the most exquisite engagement ring I had ever laid eyes on. His smile shifting from anticipatory and hopeful to slightly hesitant.

Well, I couldn't have that. Not my killer-lawyer, not the man who had control over every aspect of his life - and almost over very aspect of mine. And didn't that make me smile. I'd found my strong male, my man who knew how to handle the world and all that he desired in it, who made me feel so very safe and loved. Who took care of the big things, but allowed me my say in it all if I felt so inclined. I had never felt so cherished or protected before in my life.

And. I. Loved. It.

I loved him. Three months to get to this point. Some might say that it's too soon, we barely know each other. But I say I believe in love at first sight.

I reached up and cupped his chin, gave him my best beaming smile.

"Dominic Anscombe, it would be my pleasure to marry you, to live the rest of our lives wrapped up in each other, to wake every morning side by side, to eat dinner every night together across the table, to make lots of babies and fill all the rooms in this house with laughter and love."

His eyes flashed the most amazing look of joy I had ever seen.

"So, that's a yes?" he asked, huskily.

"It's a yes, honey," I replied leaning forward for a kiss.

"Sweetheart," he murmured against my lips and slipped the diamond on my left hand ring finger. "You have no idea."

Oh, I was pretty sure I did.

I knew things weren't quite going according to plan when his fist connected with my jaw. The pain sent a sharp stab up through my skull, making me grit my teeth, hear bells ringing in my head and my vision begin to blur. But, for the life of me, I could not understand why. Never one to dwell too long on the morose, I decided the best course of action was to come out guns blazing. As I don't actually own a gun, I settled on a taunt instead.

“Is that the best you've got?” I managed to squeeze out between my still clenched teeth. I shouldn't really be antagonising the nasty stinking creep in front of me, especially as I was still down on all fours spitting blood out of the side of my mouth, but I just can't help it. Call me a sucker for punishment, it's just how I work. Never let them see fear, that's my motto. So far, it's kind of worked.

Not so sure about that today though.

“Oh sweet Hunter, you think your witty repartee will distract me?”

Huh? Why do all the bad guys sound so freakishly prim and proper all of a sudden. Where's the good old,
take that you bitch
gone
? I don't know about you, but I kind of like the simplicity of an evil bad guy dropping his h's and missing his t's. It just goes with the territory,
ya know wot' I mean, luv?

And here comes the foot again, straight into my rib cage. I heard the crack this time, it sounded like a gun shot in the alley we were in. It reverberated around the brick walls on either side, or was that just inside my head? I couldn't tell, but breathing was suddenly a challenge. Oh God though, it hurt. And how
did
this upstart get the drop on me? I mean it all seemed so easy.

There he was, down the far end of the dark alley, against a dirty brick wall, like all good evil vampires should be, with his arm casually about the blonde's shoulders, looking into her eyes and mind fucking her, fangs down and glow on. It should have been a walk in the park, he was distracted, about to get his fill, no where to run, but somehow here I am on the ground struggling to inhale and there he is with a cocky grimace and the upper hand. What the?

“They told me you were stronger than this, more clever too. Hmm, I guess they were wrong, my sweet. You are nothing but a little girl, playing
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
. Where is the big bad Hunter I have heard so much about, hmm? Where indeed.”

Where indeed sweetie? That's just what I was thinking. Not trying to be egotistical or anything, but usually my hunts go a hell of a lot better than this. And usually I don't have to battle more than one blood thirsty vampire in a night. This, however, is the third numbskull vamp to cross my path trying to feed off the innocent. I'd have to ask Michel about this influx of careless vampires, eating in such a public way, disregarding all of his rules when entering his city.

That's if I could get out of this little encounter alive. So far, the jury was still out on that one.

I rolled onto my back, feeling the wet muck of the alley seeping in through my light chiffon blouse. The stars were out tonight, no clouds in the sky from the earlier downpour, almost a Full Moon, but not quite. Old evil face was slowly stalking closer, if you could call it stalking. It's always more of a glide with the older vamps and this one was about 150 years, judging by the power level oozing off him like thick syrup. I could almost reach out and touch it, so thick and sweetly smelling. With a hint of rot underneath.

I had to stall him, get back on my feet. He had disarmed me as soon as I had approached; a simple flick of his wrist, a magical brush against my fingers and the stake was gone. It was now down the far end of the alley, by the entrance, where all of a sudden not a single soul was walking by. Go figure. Not that I'd want a Norm to get involved in this, but I did kind of feel alone right now. Even just the sound of late night “clubbers” would have been welcome, but no such luck.

Still, I haven't honed my skills over the past two years without arming myself with more than one weapon. I shifted slightly to my right, casually slipping my left arm into my belt at the top of my skirt, all the while making full eye contact with fang-face.

“You seem awfully sure of yourself. What makes you think this isn't some kind of a trap?” I hedged, all the while watching him stalk ever closer; so slow, so predatory, so sure.

He glanced over his shoulder quickly at that though, I must have managed to ruffle his feathers, or cape. It was enough of a distraction to slip my little silver knife out of its sheath at my waist and hide it behind my wrist and arm.

“I don't think so, Hunter. You work alone. I know a lot about you, you could say, your name is on the most wanted list with my kind. An all-points bulletin. We even study your moves.”

Huh? It was just one of those nights for surprises I guess. I didn't know I was that popular amongst the otherworldly nasties, but there you go.

“It's always nice to be recognised for my efforts,” I replied, whilst lying perfectly still and taking small shallow breaths to ease the pain. It was just a constant ache now, no longer that sharp stabbing pain, as though a rib was about to pierce the side of my skin.

He noticed of course, they always do when you're injured. Something about the predator in them. They sense the weak, they sniff out the pain to use it against you. I'd have to time this just right. One shot and one shot only.

There's one thing you can count on when it comes to vamps though, they're arrogant sons of bitches. He may know all my moves, or thinks he does, but he wouldn't believe for a moment that I could succeed in using them on him, could succeed in getting the drop on him, if you will. I'm betting he'd be wrong there. Pride before a fall and all that.

He leaned over me, fangs obvious in the glint of the moon streaking down the alley above us. There was a fat drop of blood hanging off the right one, threatening to spill on my shirt. He'd either bitten himself accidentally, or more likely, he did manage to get fang to neck on the now unconscious blonde in a pile over by the dumpster. Bastard!

“I'm going to enjoy teaching you a lesson, Hunter,” he whispered as he moved in for the strike.

“
That's what they all say,” I countered as my arm arced gracefully across the front of him. I knew I couldn't get the heart from the angle I was at. That wasn't what I was aiming for, but that pretty face of his would certainly feel the silver as it sliced into his cheek.

A howl rent the night air. An excruciating sound of anger and guttural, visceral pain. He sprang back against the far wall, with his hand covering the slash from his left ear to mouth, already healing, despite the silver of the knife. It takes a lot to permanently damage a creature of the night.

I used the distraction and distance to get to my feet, not as ladylike as I would have liked, but hey, no one was watching. Well no one who mattered. Old sweetie pie hadn't taken his eyes off me for a second. They can be very focused when they need to be.

“
You shall pay for that!” he spat. “I've been holding back, toying with you, but no longer, Hunter. The game is up.”

Indeed, it was. We began slowly circling each other, me with my, now somewhat pitiful slender silver knife, him with his fangs which only seemed to be getting bigger and longer the more I looked at them.
Oh what big teeth you've got
, I thought bizarrely. Losing it now was not an option. Luckily for me, since my first encounter with a vampire, my strength at resisting their spell-binding gaze had increased. To such a point that only the rare higher level master vamp had any effect on me. This guy, was only a level four on the
Sanguis Vitam
scale, strong, but not strong enough. So, I could look him in the eye when I said, “Right back at ya, Sweetie”. And then forced a grin.

I've always felt confidence in a retort could only be achieved when making direct eye contact, somehow the effect is lost when you have to look at your shoes.

He came at me in a flash. I was expecting it, but still, they can move and you don't even see it. Especially when they want to and this chap had had it with me. Anger poured off his skin in waves. I only just managed to raise the knife enough to glance the sleeve of his shirt and knick the skin ever so slightly. I might as well have been a mosquito for all the good it did. But, his arm crashed against the side of my face, throwing my head and body around and against the hard and unforgiving brick wall. I tasted blood and felt my vision blur again, but the hit hadn't been a direct hand punch, thankfully.

I used the momentum of springing back off that solid mass of brick and concrete to roll away and under his approaching bulk, sweeping out my leg as I passed him. It only made him stumble, but still... go me!

He rounded on me in that lightning speed. But I rolled to the left, closer to the entrance of the alley, making what would have been a killer blow, into a somewhat lesser one. Pain in my back erupted like a burst balloon, shooting up my spine into the base of my head. I thought my back would snap, it was so bad. Tears started rolling down my face, my fingers tingled and then went numb. Now, I was mad.

I rounded to face my killer. No way was I going down without a fight. He grinned; a typical evil bad guy grin, all teeth and smirk. He hardly had a scratch on him. Some reputation I've got. I took a step back, towards the entrance and light, towards the safety of a crowd. He cocked his head as though to say,
you think you can make it?

I couldn't and we both knew it, but I could reach my stake. I moved, right before he flew through the air towards me. I rolled head over heels, transferring my knife to my left hand and picking up my stake with my right, as I sailed over it. All those hours play-fighting with my best mate Rick's shape shifter Hapū was paying off. I landed in a crouch, half twisted towards him. It wasn't perfect, but it would have to do. His arms came out around me, his head and face over my left shoulder, he grabbed my hair and jerked my head to the right, lifting me off my feet. I felt a few hairs come loose and my back was screaming for release, but his hold was slack, not crushing. Stupid. Never lower your guard.