IF SOMEONE TOLD ME a year ago, I would be sitting in a car driven by a scowling vampire, with someone shouting Britney Spears lyrics from the back seat who until recently was a complete stranger, I would have laughed.
With one leg on the pedal, Hunter’s other leg bounces up and down as we continue to cruise down the highway. His continuous glares through the rear-view mirror are enough evidence that Alex’s one-man-karaoke show is grating on his nerves. Honestly, it’s getting to me a little too.
‘How long have you been a vampire?’ I ask a little too loudly, trying to drown out Alex’s increasingly off-key singing. I was starting to suspect he was doing it on purpose.
Hunter looks over at me for a moment before focusing back on the road. ‘Five years.’
‘Oh . . . random.’
A breathy laugh escapes his lips and I feel a flutter in my chest. He has one hand relaxed on the steering wheel, the other resting on the gear stick where my gaze falls. I swallow thickly, taking in the details of his hand – the veins running along the top of it, his long fingers, the faintest hint of a scar along the skin that must have been there long before he turned. I never thought a hand could be sexy, but, here I am, admiring his.
‘Why do you say that?’
‘Sorry?’ I look up, blushing as he certainly noticed me staring.
‘You said my response was random. How so?’
I take a deep breath before I answer. ‘Well, in all the shows I’ve seen, and books I’ve read, the vampires are always over a hundred years old.’
He scoffs. ‘If I was over a hundred, I don’t think I would still be going to university.’
‘They do,’ I say, a little too enthusiastically.
‘Who?’
‘The vampires in the movies,’ I reply, in a duh tone, throwing an annoyed look back at Alex who continues to sing and whistle, his eyes closed now, so I now know he’s at least in part doing it to be annoying.
‘You mean the vampires in fiction,’ Hunter states.
I look from Alex back to Hunter. ‘Huh?’
‘You’re basing your knowledge of vampires on fiction.’
I hate to admit it, but he has me stumped here. Damn it. But before I can say anything, he continues.
‘I figure if you were over a hundred years old there’s bound to be other things more fascinating than study. I guess if you wanted to brush up on recent findings or tech then it might be okay. Otherwise, I don’t see the point spending all those extra years studying.’
‘I think it would be pretty cool to know so much.’ I shrug.
‘Yeah,’ he agrees quietly.
‘Did you know about vampires before you were turned?’ I ask, flipping Alex the bird over my shoulder, though I’m pretty sure he doesn’t see it.
Hunter lifts his hand from the gearstick and scratches his jaw. I can’t tell if he’s irritated by my questions, Alex’s singing – or both. ‘Only because my brother was turned. That prick of a vampire tormented me and my friend for months. Made a game out of it.’
‘A game?’ I ask, raising a brow.
‘Used to fuck with us simply because he could,’ he says, deadpan, his face suddenly void of expression. ‘He loves to play games, and conduct “experiments” as he likes to call them. He views everyone as pawns, not people.’
‘And then he turned you?’
‘Not exactly. He wanted someone he could control, and to prove to me he could take anything – or anyone – from me. So, he turned my friend, Theo. Then it was Theo who ended up turning me, even though I begged him not to.’ He pauses and looks at me and my breath catches in my throat. ‘I didn’t want this life.’
I’m not sure why, but his confession surprises me, and I twist in my seat so I can see him better. His dark hair is messy today. I run my eyes down his sharp jawline, down his neck, resting along the curve of his broad shoulders.
‘You didn’t want to become a vampire?’ I ask.
Alex’s bleating comes to a startling stop, and I glance back at him, but his eyes are on Hunter as though he’s curious to hear the answer to my question, too.
‘Hunter?’ I prompt gently, hoping I’m not pushing my luck.
‘Not after seeing what happened to them.’
‘What happened to them?’ I ask before I can stop myself. I can’t help it, I’m desperate to know more.
‘It’s like they forgot what humanity is. They treat humans like they’re nothing but food. Sport, even. They’ve conveniently forgotten they used to be one.’ His voice has a clipped, cold edge to it, like he is talking about some monstrous serial killer, instead of his friends and family.
‘So you are a good vampire.’ I smile. ‘I knew it.’
His fingers tighten around the steering wheel, bleaching his knuckles white. ‘There is no such thing, Raya.’
‘I don’t believe that.’ I refuse to believe that.
Hunter gives me a tight look. ‘Based on your extensive knowledge about the species?’
‘No.’ I roll my eyes. ‘Not exactly. You’re here helping two people you don’t even know solve a mystery that has nothing to do with you. I’d say that makes you good – vampire or otherwise.’
‘I’m being forced by the bond, Raya. I don’t want to be here,’ he snaps.
My lips part in shock at his blunt words. An uneasy feeling settles in my gut as they hit me harder than I expect. Maybe I had been delusional for a few moments there. I shift in my seat and turn back to face the front, feeling Alex’s stare boring into me from the back seat. He’s probably gloating.
Hunter sighs heavily and I feel his eyes on me as I stare straight ahead, doing my best to hold back the tears that sting my eyes. I think he might say something, but instead an uneasy silence stretches between us. Turning my head, I lean against the window and absently stare out of it, my decent mood having completely evaporated.
Seconds turn into minutes, and before I know it the minutes stretch into hours. My eyes grow heavy, and the sky has grown gradually darker for several hours now.
‘I think we need to find a hotel,’ Hunter finally murmurs, breaking the silence and jolting me out of my daydream.
‘I can drive,’ Alex pipes up from the back.
‘Fuck no,’ Hunter mutters.
‘Why not?’ Alex gasps in mock-horror, forehead crumpling in confusion, like he has never been told ‘no’ before.
‘Because I said so.’
‘Asshole,’ Alex grumbles.
‘Bite me, dickwad.’
A snort of laughter bursts from me in surprise at Hunter’s remark. A ghost of a smirk appears on his lips before it’s gone again. I quickly glance over my shoulder and offer Alex a small, sympathetic smile, which he moodily returns.
Rain lightly pitter-patters against the window and I feel oddly nervous as I watch the lightning sparking on the horizon as thunder rumbles off in the distance.
‘Are we safe to stop?’ I ask, finally looking at Hunter, since I’ve been looking anywhere but at him for the last few hours.
‘Yes.’
‘You can fight, right?’
He looks over at me, lips twitching. ‘I can fight, legata una.’
‘What?’ I frown.
Ignoring me, Hunter pulls into a car park beneath a neon red sign that flashes ‘vacancy’ before he kills the engine and gets out of the car. The door slams, rocking the car momentarily.
‘What language was that?’ I question, turning in my seat to face Alex. He has his leg propped up beside him.
‘Italian, I think.’
‘What did he say again? I’m going to Google it.’
‘I don’t know. Who cares.’ Alex dramatically flings open the door and disappears.
Sighing, I follow their lead. Hunter has both our bags slung over his shoulders as he stalks toward reception. Glancing around the dark car park, I see ours is the only vehicle there, and the smell of rain fills my lungs with each breath I take. Alex glances at Hunter wearily a few times, and my shoulders tense at the look of mistrust in his eyes.
A sudden bolt of lightning forks across the midnight sky and I flinch at the loud thunder that follows immediately after.
Perfect.
If I wasn’t already on edge at the thought of staying in a creepy, secluded hotel in a town I’ve never heard of with a hungry vampire capable of snapping and killing me – the storm definitely now has me teetering there. Not that I think Hunter could snap and kill me, with the bond and all. Well. He could snap – just not kill me. Hopefully. Right?
After a few minutes, Hunter returns with a card in his hand and without a word we follow him up a narrow flight of stairs to the top floor. He taps the key to the door and holds it open as we walk inside. Alex beelines toward the lounge and throws his bag onto it as I hover behind him, inspecting our room for the night. It’s small, allowing no personal space for any of us. Considering I can barely breathe when Hunter is near me, or looks at me, this forced proximity is going to be a problem. I doubt I’ll be able to rest, having him so close. And Alex snores like a freight train.
It’s going to be a long night.
‘Shotgun this bed,’ Alex calls out. ‘And dibs on the first shower.’ He disappears into the bathroom, the door clicking shut behind him, leaving Hunter and I staring at the only other bed, while trying to avoid looking at each other.
‘You take the bed, I’ll be on watch,’ he mutters.
‘Do you need to, you know, sleep?’ I ask with a huff, planting my hands on my hips.
‘Yeah, but I’ll manage.’
‘We can take turns,’ I say, swinging my bag onto the bed while kicking off my sandals.
‘It’s fine.’
‘It’s not fine.’
A phone vibrating interrupts our bickering. Hunter pulls it from his pocket, a pained look appearing on his face as he glances at the screen. It might be the most emotion I’ve ever seen him express, except for when he fed on me. But I try not to think about that. It makes my mind go down a dark . . . and dirty . . . route. Which is the last thing I need given our current living arrangements.
‘Uh, are you hungry?’ he asked.
‘No, I’m fine,’ I lie, just as my stomach betrays me and growls loudly.
‘I’ll go see if there is somewhere nearby to get you both some food,’ he says, stomping toward the door. He pauses before leaving, turning back to me and touching his finger to his ear. ‘You’re safe. I’ll hear if there is anyone coming, no matter where I am.’
The door slams shut behind him after that, rattling the thin wall. I stare after it for a few moments, my mouth agape and my mind racing. Edging toward the window, I peel back the faded curtain and peer out at the night as I crack it open. The smell of rain makes me smile a little, despite how anxious and nervous I’m feeling. I love the rain. Droplets of water bounce from the railing down onto the cement. I stare at it for a few moments, reminding myself of why it is so important to be here right now, on this trip, endangering my life. It will all be worth it.
A sudden movement down in the parking lot sends my heart catapulting into my stomach, and I clamp my hand to my mouth to stop from screaming as I pull back behind the curtain. I’m positive someone was just standing there, looking up at our hotel room. With my heart thundering in my chest, I take a quick peek through the curtains but all I can see is the neon lights reflected in the growing puddles below. Swallowing thickly, I draw the curtain firmly shut and step back.
It’s probably Hunter keeping watch. Nothing to be afraid of.
‘What are you doing?’
I startle once more and spin on my heel. Alex stares at me, an eyebrow raised.
‘Nothing.’
‘Where’s the leech?’
‘Don’t call him that,’ I snap. ‘You could be a little less hateful since he is here helping us. Not to mention paying for this room. If it wasn’t for him, we would still be searching for a lead.’
‘Has it ever crossed your mind that he has set this entire thing up?’ Alex hisses, striding toward me and flinging strings of silver around my wrists. ‘He could have brought us to this very hotel room to leave us as dinner for his friends!’
‘If I die, he dies, remember?’
‘So he says.’ Alex scoffs. ‘Like, we just have to take his word for that, right?’
Sighing, I eye my wrists. The silver feels cold against my skin. ‘It’s my turn for the shower.’ I duck out of his reach as he tries to loop a string of silver around my neck. ‘And there’d better be some hot water left!’
‘Leave that silver on at all times!’ Alex continues, ‘Shower or no shower. I know he’s pretty and he’s helping us, but don’t forget everything we have learned – these are scary creatures we are dealing with. They can snap at any moment.’
I ignore him as I walk through to the bathroom, though his words echo in my mind. I know he’s right, even if I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of telling him.
I feel a hundred times better after a shower, especially with my soft oversized T-shirt and comfy slippers on, and my hair up in a bun, away from my face. I’m a little surprised to find Hunter still isn’t back when I come out of the bathroom. Alex is sprawled across his bed with one arm propped underneath his head as he watches videos on his phone, like he hasn’t got a care in the world.
I’m feeling desperate for a drink of water, but when I turn on the cold tap in the kitchenette, it appears to be broken. I try the hot tap, but the colour of the water spurting out doesn’t look like something I’d want to put in my mouth.
‘I’m going to go see if I can find a vending machine and get something to drink.’
‘Don’t be dumb,’ Alex says, without looking away from his video.
‘I’m wearing my silver and Hunter isn’t far.’
Alex shakes his head, not replying.
Slipping out the door, I trot along the walkway. The wind has picked up with the coming storm and it slams into me, making me shiver. I wrap my arms around myself and increase my pace. Most of the lights are out overhead, making it difficult to see. I brighten when I see a vending machine. It’s dingy looking with half the lights blown, and the plastic of its outer casing faded from the sun, but at least there is an array of water, juice and soft drinks jammed inside.
‘Hey.’
I gasp and stumble over my own feet at the sudden sound. Whirling around, my eyes settle on two boys. One tall, towering over me, and the other one significantly shorter, but twice as wide.
‘Hello,’ I mumble, involuntarily stepping back as I grip the silver.
Alex was right. I am dumb. So fucking dumb sometimes.
‘What are you up to?’ the shorter guy asks, his voice raspy. His greasy, floppy blond locks fall over his forehead. I can’t tell if he is just trying to be friendly or if his creepiness is intentional.
I point to the vending machine. ‘Getting a drink.’
‘You here alone?’ the tall boy dressed in a peeling leather jacket asks. He has long chains that hang from his faded jeans.
Standing a little straighter, I shake my head, deciding to embellish the truth a little. ‘I’m here with my boyfriend and his friends.’
The boys’ glance at each other.
‘I see.’ Leather-jacket-guy nods, a slow smile inching across his lips. ‘What room are you in?’
‘What about you?’ I ask instead. ‘Are you here with girlfriends or are you together?’
The shorter one scoffs, creating a little distance from his friend. ‘We’re not together.’
‘Right,’ I say with a polite smile. My hand moves to my side, and I realise I don’t have my knife. Shit.
‘Why don’t you come see our room?’
‘Thanks, but I just need to grab one of these waters, and I’ll be on my way.’
‘I think you might want to come see it,’ he urges, flashing a smile of warning, as if daring me to disagree. ‘It’ll be fun.’
Swallowing, I step back again. With the roaring wind and my heartbeat hammering in my ears, I can hardly focus on my thoughts.
The taller boy withdraws a cigarette from his jacket pocket and lights it, although it takes him a few attempts with how strong the wind is. He dangles it from his lips for a few seconds as he takes a step closer.
‘Don’t,’ I growl. ‘My boyfriend isn’t a friendly guy. You don’t want to see him angry.’
The boys chuckle, continuing to glance at each other like they’re sharing a joke I’m not privy to.
‘He ain’t here, little girl.’ The short one sneers and if the circumstance was any different, I would have laughed at the irony of him calling me little, when he is in fact a few inches shorter than me. Yet before I can do anything, a whoosh of air wisps my hair around my face. With his vampiric speed, Hunter suddenly stands between myself and the two creeps. I can’t help myself, I peer around him as the two boys stumble back, clutching each other, their eyes wide and their mouths agape by his sudden appearance. Hunter towers over the pair, and as I place my hand on his back, I feel his muscles taut as though he’s ready to pounce. I haven’t asked, but I’m positive Hunter is well over six feet tall.
‘She’s right,’ Hunter says in a deep, calm voice. ‘You don’t want to see me angry.’
‘What are you planning to do, then?’ The tall one sneers, bravely – or stupidly – releasing his mate and taking a step forward, his chin raised.
Hunter slowly cracks his knuckles with an ear-cringing pop in response.
‘I’m going to make you regret threatening my girl,’ he snarls, the anger evident in his tone. I’m completely side-tracked by the unravelling situation because all I can think about is the fact that he referred to me as his girl. As if realising what he said he quickly glances at me, looking a little embarrassed. ‘Any girl,’ he adds.
My excitement dims.
The tall guy steps closer again. ‘Oh yeah?’
A deep growl vibrates through Hunter’s chest, and I suddenly find myself out from behind him and cast to the side, struggling to stay on my feet as I look over at the three of them. I can’t take my eyes off Hunter, bewitched as the silver in his eyes darkens to an eerie black. His lips curl, revealing two, long fangs that even in the dim lighting look scary as hell. The tall guy jerks backward so quickly he almost topples over the wet railing before quickly righting himself. Both of the guys disappear pretty quickly after that.
‘Bad ass,’ I mutter, staring at the now empty hallway.
Hunter’s dark eyes turn to me, his face still twisted in anger and I gulp, hastily backing up.
‘I didn’t think I had to tell you to stay inside.’ He snarls, his fangs seeming sharper and longer than I remember.
‘Sorry,’ I whisper, barely sounding like myself.
‘Get back to the room,’ he snaps. Instead, I take a step towards the vending machine, and he growls again, making me pause. ‘Leave it.’
Without looking at him, I turn on my heel and storm back to our room, grumbling beneath my breath, knowing he can likely still hear me. I wasn’t sure who I was more annoyed with – Hunter for telling me what to do, or myself for risking my life only to never get the damn drink after all.
Alex looks up when I fling the door open.
‘Took you long enough,’ he says. His eyes move to my empty hands. ‘Couldn’t find any?’
I feel Hunter’s presence before I hear him. I side-step out of his way as the door bangs shut so loudly it drowns out the rumbling thunder in the sky. Alex’s eyes flick back and forth between us for a few seconds as he lets his phone fall onto the bed. I guess we are suddenly more interesting than his videos. I can feel Hunter’s eyes on me and I force myself to meet his cunning, cold look as he assesses me.
‘I’m sorry,’ I force myself to say.
A vein pulses in his forehead. My gaze travels down towards his hands that curl into fists before flattening against his leg. Nodding once, he looks over to Alex, his anger gone as suddenly as it arrived.
‘I understand that but be more careful next time. Who knows what those guys had planned for you.’
Alex quickly pushes into a seated position. ‘What guys?’
‘Doesn’t matter now. Are you hungry?’ Hunter asks.
Alex shakes his head, yawning. ‘Too tired now.’
Hunter nods. ‘Get some sleep, we will be on the road early tomorrow.’
‘Aye, aye, captain!’ Alex gives a thumbs up before collapsing back onto his bed.
Alex sleeps like the dead. If the dead snored. I swear he is in a coma-like state from the moment his head touches the pillow. After brushing my teeth, I climb into bed, conscious of Hunter’s presence in the room. I pretend like I’m not watching him as he reaches inside his jacket and withdraws a bottle of water and a packet of pretzels. He tosses it onto the bed without a word. I stare at it, feeling a little warm at the thought of him thinking about me, as well as feeling stupid for not trusting he would make sure I had everything I needed.
‘Thank you,’ I say quietly.
He makes a quiet hum in response, but still doesn’t look at me.
Alex’s snores are the only sound in the room, and with a sigh, I lay back on the bed and pull the covers up under my chin. I hear Hunter sigh and the scratching of his hand against his stubble as he rubs his face roughly. I hear him lean heavily against the wall, as if he is struggling to keep himself standing.
‘Sorry if I stressed you out,’ I whisper.
‘It’s fine, Raya.’ His voice is frosty, and I swear the temperature of the room drops a few degrees.
‘What’s wrong?’ I ask.
‘Nothing. Go to sleep.’ He turns the light off.
Silence stretches between us like his lie, but I don’t dare press my luck. My eyes drift closed for a few seconds before they pop open again. All I can see are his dark eyes watching me through the pale slither of moonlight across his face.
‘You’re hungry,’ I whisper. ‘Aren’t you?’
‘I’m fine.’
‘You look like you might pass out again.’
‘If it comes down to a fight right now, I can still fight fine, if that’s what you’re worried about.’
‘That’s not the point.’
‘Sleep,’ he orders.
‘Eat,’ I snap back.
To be honest, I’m craving his closeness. I know I shouldn’t want this. It’s wrong. He is a supernatural creature. Aching to have him close . . . to touch me . . . isn’t normal, or healthy, but I can’t help it. It’s all I feel. Everywhere. All the time. Seeing him come to my defence just heightened it.
His jaw clenches as he turns sideways and glares out the window. Quietly, I remove the silver that Alex draped over me. Peeling back the cover, I pat the empty space beside me.
‘Let me help you.’
Sighing, he pushes off the wall and walks toward the bed and I move over. The mattress dips when he sits on it, and he rolls onto his side so that we are facing each other.
‘You are delicate, legata una. I can protect you, but you can’t be putting yourself in danger like that.’
‘What does that mean?’ I ask. ‘Those strange words. You said them earlier too.’
‘Bonded one.’
I smile softly. ‘I like it.’
‘Do you?’ he murmurs, his stare intense, sending my heart fluttering in my chest. I like this softer side of him; it’s almost vulnerable. I understand why he acts the way he does, but it doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate it when he does let me in. Even if it’s just a little bit.
‘Mmhmm,’ I nod. ‘You have Italian heritage?’
‘Yeah.’
‘I wouldn’t have guessed. You don’t have an accent.’
‘I didn’t live in Italy long, but my parents only spoke Italian in the house. They wanted us to be fluent.’
‘That’s cool. I’ve always wanted to visit Italy,’ I say warmly. ‘It looks like a beautiful place.’
Reaching out, he tucks a tendril of hair behind my ear. ‘I’ll take you one day.’
‘You would do that?’ I ask in surprise, feeling a little starstruck at the tender look in his eyes as he gazes at me.
A deep sound of agreement rumbles in his throat. ‘Yeah.’
‘I’m getting whiplash from your moods, Hunter,’ I whisper.
His face softens. ‘It’s nothing against you. I’m frustrated at this situation.’
‘I get that.’
I shake my hair off my shoulder and arch my back, angling my neck toward him. His hand leaves a hot, burning trail down my side as he gently touches me, moving down my bare thigh and without thinking about what I’m doing, my leg hooks around his waist. With a soft groan he pushes his hard body against mine. He lowers his face to my neck, his breath on my skin sends shivers of pleasures along my throat.
Like last time, he kisses the skin softly before I feel the bite. I gasp momentarily before the feeling of bliss spreads like warm honey through my veins. I grip his shirt in my fingers as I shamelessly rock my hips into him, the high of the bite trailblazing through my body. He traces a pattern against my thigh with his fingertips as he drinks, and I revel in the sensations. Before I know it, it’s over and he gives a final flick of his tongue over my neck moments before he leans back, satiated. We stare at each other, both a little breathless and dazed.
‘Is it always going to feel that good?’ I murmur, my hands running over the smoothness of his chest with a mind of their own. Hunter’s hands appear to be on the same page as he slips his fingers underneath the band of my underwear.
‘Yes. I think so.’ His voice is deep, and a little rough, making my spine tingle deliciously.
Impulsively, I lean forward, kissing his cheek before trailing my lips across to the corner of his mouth before I suddenly find my lips meeting the cold night air as I fall forward, face-planting into the mattress.
Gasping, I sit up and scan the darkness for him, wondering what the hell had just happened. Then I see him standing at the door, jaw clenched, hands fisted at his sides.
‘Sorry,’ he mutters. ‘We got carried away.’
Rejection stings every part of my body, yet I still crave his touch. I don’t trust myself to speak without revealing how upset I am, so instead, I fall back and let myself sink deep into the mattress, wishing it would swallow me whole – wishing I could disappear completely.
Beneath the protection of the blankets I clench my fists – and my thighs – and try to convince myself that what I’m feeling is nothing more than the consequences of the bond. I mean, it’s not like we have real feelings for each other. Right?
Without sparing me another glance, he moves to the door. ‘Get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.’ Then in the blink of an eye, he disappears into the night.