I’M LATE TO OUR NEXT CLASS and everybody glances up as I walk in. I look over my shoulder to see Hunter following me inside. He sends me a small smile, looking a lot better now, but his expression is clouded with . . . guilt?
Feeling an odd mixture of nauseous and a little giddy, I make my way over to where Alex is sitting and drop into the seat beside him.
The stare Alex is giving me is drilling holes into the side of my face.
‘What the hell is going on?’ he whispers, eyes narrowed to slits.
‘I’ll explain later,’ I say.
‘Now.’
‘Later.’ I give him a pointed look.
Reluctantly, he faces the front, not looking very impressed. I don’t even know how I’m going to explain any of this to him. It sounds crazy. Delusional. It feels like I’m in a dream and I’m going to wake up at any moment and realise none of this is real.
The moment class is over, Alex drags me out of the classroom, and basically shoves me underneath a hidden staircase. He stares hard down at me. ‘Spill.’
I rehash everything to him the best I can. He blinks at me, speechless. I think this is the first time I’ve ever witnessed words failing him.
‘Fucking hell,’ he hisses, his face pale, looking disturbed. ‘Now you’re tied to that vampire?’
I nod. ‘Yes.’
‘He knew this would happen,’ he growls, his cheeks reddening. ‘He probably set this whole thing up so that he can have a personal blood donor whenever he needs it!’
His words feel like a slap in the face. ‘Ouch, Alex.’
‘Don’t let his coercion persuade you into thinking this is anything but a blood exchange! This is what they do. They lure you in and eat you alive.’
‘No,’ I argue. ‘He seems different.’
Alex scoffs. ‘He is a vampire, Raya. Open your eyes.’
‘They are open!’ I snap in frustration. ‘I know, Alex. I’m trying my best to ignore everything that is going on in here,’ I say, pointing to my chest. ‘But it’s not as easy as you think. Besides, he can help us, and if what he says is true – which I believe it is – he needs me. We can use this to our advantage. We can’t forget what the end goal is.’
‘He’s lying to you!’ Alex insists, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me. ‘And I’m not the one who needs a reminder about the end goal, Raya.’
There’s a whoosh of air and suddenly Hunter is here. He has Alex’s arms pinned painfully behind his back. Alex squawks in alarm, wriggling furiously to get Hunter to let him go.
‘You don’t touch her,’ he speaks, his voice deep, shooting shivers of desire down my back at the sound of it. ‘Ever.’
Alex gulps, looking frantically at me.
‘What are you doing?’ I exclaim in panic. ‘Let him go!’
Immediately, Hunter releases his hold. Alex stumbles forward, wincing as he rubs his arm. He scowls up at Hunter, who looms over him like a . . . well . . . a dark creature of the night. Alex’s face is completely white as he glances between us.
‘Never again,’ Hunter warns, those pretty silver eyes morphing into something darker and much more sinister.
‘Fucking hell,’ Alex mutters, sending me a furious look. ‘He is a total psycho.’
A deep growl rumbles in Hunter’s chest in warning. I step between them. For a brief moment, I wonder why my ring never alerted me to his presence. I thought for sure that’s what it was doing. Warning me when one was near. Perhaps it no longer sees Hunter as a threat now that we are bonded.
‘I swear, if this is all some sort of act to get her under your thumb and you’re going to kill her . . .’ Alex warns.
‘Don’t threaten a vampire,’ Hunter sneers, flashing his fangs. Alex flinches, stepping back. In the dark shadow of the stairs, he looks incredibly menacing. ‘It won’t end well for you.’
Alex frowns at that but is smart enough not to retort. Hunter’s shoulders finally relax, and he looks at me, his face completely changing.
‘Raya,’ he says, offering me a small smile. ‘Can we meet later?’
‘Fuck no!’ Alex exclaims.
‘Yes,’ I agree at the same time, my need to know answers overpowering any rational part of my brain.
‘I’ll be at yours at seven.’ He nods.
And then he is gone.
Alex’s jaw is so low, I’m surprised his chin isn’t on the ground. He opens and closes his mouth several times.
‘He knows where we live?’ Alex breathes.
My mind reels back to seeing him from the window in my room. I thought I was still dreaming, but what if he was really there?
‘We’re not going to make it out of here alive,’ Alex whispers, glancing in the spot Hunter just was. ‘I truly believe that.’
The time has barely turned seven when there’s a knock at the door. A swooping sensation of fear – and a little excitement – fills my stomach. A part of me wants nothing to do with any of this. I don’t want to get closer to a vampire, and yet, the other part of me craves to know more about him.
‘Creepy motherfucker,’ Alex mutters.
I slap his arm, pointing to my ear, indicating Hunter can hear every word he says. When I open the door, I feel an immense rush of relief at having him near me, despite a healthy dose of nerves bubbling in my stomach. He looks just as unsure as I feel, offering me a tight-lipped, awkward smile.
‘Hi.’
My heart skips a beat. Drinking in the beauty that is Hunter, I force the breath in and out of my lungs, trying not to let him being so close totally overwhelm me. My thoughts and feelings are confusing the hell out of me.
‘Hi,’ I say, stepping back.
Hunter walks inside and puts a middle finger up to Alex. Alex makes an annoyed face and returns the gesture. I ignore them both and walk toward the table, taking a seat. Hunter does the same. Alex eyes the both of us, taking a long sip of his drink. My palms are sweating. I subtly wipe them down my thighs, hoping my nervousness isn’t as obvious as I feel it is.
‘Can I get you something to drink?’ Alex asks sarcastically.
‘Are you offering?’ Hunter counters. The deep, sensual sound of his voice does things to me. I’ve never felt lust and desire course through me like it is now as I take in his tall, muscular frame. Every inch of his body is hard, muscled, and perfectly portioned.
Alex scoffs, looking away. Sighing, I lean forward. Getting straight to the point, I tap my finger against the mark on my arm.
‘You told me this mark is the same mark your brother leaves on his victims. Correct?’
Hunter leans back in the chair, propping up onto his elbow. He nods.
‘I never had this until the accident, so I’m assuming this could connect your brother to it. It isn’t a coincidence that my sister’s body is missing. No one vanishes like that from a car wreck. It doesn’t make sense.’
Alex perks up at this piece of information, leaning forward.
‘You think my brother took your sister?’ Hunter questions, looking frustratingly unreadable. He makes it impossible to figure out what he is thinking. All that I can feel is a quiet calmness coming from him.
I nod, dread inching through me at the thought. ‘Or knows something about it. I found journals of hers that talk about a guy. It sounds like he was a vampire. I’m guessing it’s him.’
Hunter chews his lips as he considers this.
‘Since you need me,’ I say, drawing in an encouraging breath. ‘I’m hoping we can come to a mutual arrangement.’
‘Arrangement?’ He arches an eyebrow.
‘This,’ I say, tapping my neck. ‘For information. Like you promised.’
The corner of his lips twitch. ‘Well, I have no room to argue, do I?’
Shrugging, I tighten the hold on my fingers. ‘So that’s a yes?’
‘Yes,’ he finally says, looking just as reluctant about the whole thing as I do.
‘Do you know where your brother is?’
‘No.’ Hunter sighs. ‘But I can find him.’
‘You can’t call him?’ Alex asks sharply.
‘No.’ Hunter doesn’t even look at him. ‘We aren’t in contact. When a vampire wants to disappear, it’s very easy to. Especially Kian.’
‘Will you help us?’ I ask tentatively.
‘I guess so,’ he says. His gaze turns to me and I feel like he is looking straight through me. ‘I don’t want anything to do with my brother.’ Hunter clenches his jaw and I can practically see his internal struggle. ‘But I’ll do it for you.’
Alex rolls his eyes so hard they almost disappear into the back of his head. In a way, I’m reluctant to have the very thing help me that I came to get my sister away from, but it might come in handy having someone like him around to help and now, with this bond, I feel safe with him near me. Like nothing can touch me if he is close by.
‘Where do we start?’ I ask, trying to sound confident and in charge, despite feeling the opposite.
Hunter pulls out his phone. ‘He dropped by Red Thorne briefly a few months ago, then he disappeared again, but someone told me they think he might be up north, in the city. It’ll take a few days of driving to get there.’
‘Can’t we fly?’ Alex protests.
‘Vampires don’t do well at airports,’ Hunter counters.
‘We can fly and meet you there,’ Alex snaps back.
‘Alex!’ I huff in exasperation. ‘Stop being an asshole. He is helping us. This is why we are here, remember?’
Alex bites his tongue after that.
Once the plan is decided, Alex gets to his feet.
‘You can go now,’ he says.
‘Alex,’ I warn through gritted teeth.
‘I need a minute alone with Raya,’ Hunter replies.
‘No.’
‘Alex,’ I hiss. ‘It’s fine. Please.’
Looking furious, he points a finger at Hunter. ‘No funny business.’
Hunter rolls his eyes, looking incredibly boyish and human as he does. Alex stalks off to his room, leaving Hunter and I alone at the table.
Hunter’s long fingers tap against the table, and I study them for a moment, my mind reeling back to when they touched me earlier today. Squeezing my thighs together, I squirm in my seat, waves of heat rolling through me, making it hard to focus on anything else.
‘Thank you for doing this,’ I say, a little curtly.
He nods, a jerk of his chin that is short, and sharp. ‘Sure. Anything to help.’
‘What do we do now?’ I question, once more dragging my sweaty palms down the top of my thighs. ‘With this bond? We are going to be linked forever now, aren’t we?’
Hunter contemplates this. ‘Yes, I believe so. Let’s just take it one day at a time. No pressure, no expectancy of anything.’
I release a relieved breath. ‘That sounds great.’
‘You’re sure you want to do this?’ he asks, leaning forward onto his forearms. ‘Find her?’
I look at him in confusion. ‘Of course, she is my sister.’
‘She might not be the sister you remember.’
Coldness spreads through my chest at the thought. I nod slowly, understanding what he is trying to say. My mind has gone there before. It’s not a place I like to visit, but I can’t be foolish and not explore that possibility.
‘I have to do this,’ I say firmly.
He studies me for a moment and then nods. ‘Then we’ll do it.’
‘Will we leave tomorrow?’
Hunter shakes his head. ‘Give me time to sort some things out. I’ll let you know.’
‘Okay.’
He stands. He moves gracefully around the table, touching my shoulder gently. Warmth slithers through me.
‘Sleep well,’ he says. ‘Talk tomorrow.’
We stare at each other for a moment, unsure of what to do. Swallowing, I give him a small smile.
‘Until tomorrow.’