A Hunter's Heart [The Hunters 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read online

  She nodded through them, and finally could say, “Yes.”

  “Do you like it? It reminds me of the flecks of green in your eyes.”

  He seemed to fear she would not like it.

  “Like it? I love it! It is so beautiful.” She laughed. “And it reminds me of your green eyes.”

  She held it up and the moonlight caught the facets, sending sparkles across the sand before she threw herself into his arms, knocking him to the ground.

  “Have I told you how much I love you, Hotshot?” She kissed him with every bit of love she felt for him.

  His voice gruff with emotion, Matei whispered, “Unless you want to find sand in places that you would prefer there be none, I suggest we move inside.”

  They got to their feet and he led her up the stairs and then carried her into the house. He did not make it to the bedroom. Instead, he threw her across the dining table.

  He removed her jeans and shirt and drank in the sight of her in her bra and panties. “I should keep you like this forever, my woman.” He bent his head to suck on her nipples through the lacy fabric.

  She moaned as she felt him rub against the hair between her legs, pressing against the mound with the palm of his hand.

  He stood up and removed his own clothing in the blink of an eye. He held up one hand and elongated his nails. With a quick twist, he slashed through the center of her bra and pounced on her freed breasts. He sank his fangs into one after the other as she writhed in pleasure. He then caught her panties and slashed through them as well, leaving her naked to him.

  She reached out to grab his engorged cock but he shook his head and took it in his hand.

  “Is this what you want, Cara? Do you want to feel my cock fucking you?”

  “Yes, oh yes.”

  “Ah ah, what do you say?”

  “Yes, sir, please sir.”

  “Hold your breasts together now,” he ordered and when she complied, he guided his cock to thrust between them. Charlotte watched as the head appeared and disappeared in front of her mouth. She wanted to taste it but he would not let her. With his other hand, he pushed into her sodden slit, thrusting in time with his cock. Charlotte felt her fangs descend and wanted to sink them into any part of his body.

  Finally, Matei spread her legs wide and thrust deep into her with his cock. Charlotte responded by wrapping her legs around him. She loved the feeling as it gave deeper penetration to his shaft. As he thrust he leant forward and gave her his neck. She sank her fangs in and drank before licking it sealed. Matei moaned in his excitement and thrust harder, faster and deeper. He reached between them and used his fingers on her clit at the same time. Charlotte screamed in ecstasy as her orgasm overtook her.

  Matei’s climax followed swiftly, plunging hard as he felt her pussy muscles grab around his cock. He sank onto the table alongside her, their panting in unison.

  “Hell, I hope your table is strong, Matt, or else we are going to end up in a pile on the floor.”

  He smiled across at her and took her hand, raising it to his lips. “Next time we will use the kitchen bench, that’s reinforced.”

  Charlotte burst out laughing. Every day with this man was going to bring her new joys and excitements but above all more than enough love to last eternity.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Matei and Ştefania’s parents arrived from Thailand. Charlotte was very hesitant to meet them. Even though she now looked like a thirty-year-old woman, it was still formidable to meet the parents of your intended husband. However, she soon felt very welcome as Aurelia and Magnus enveloped her in so much love.

  Her first meeting with them had shocked her when two people in their thirties asked for permission to enter her home, forgetting that even though they were older than Matei, and his parents, they would still look young as he did.

  Later that evening, Charlotte was astounded when Louisa told her she could grow her hair by just thinking. She told her it was the same a transforming into an animal. She just had to hold the image in her mind. She surprised Matei one morning by walking naked into the bedroom with her hair covering her breasts and touching all the way to the top of her legs. His response was to make love to her for the second time that morning. She took great delight in changing her hair from short and spiky to long and flowing. Although she usually lost hold of the image completely when Matei made love to her. He complained that he never knew who he was sleeping with but she merely laughed and told him to get used to it.

  Late the next Saturday afternoon Matei and Charlotte were married in a ceremony presided over by Viorel Nicolescu, a Hunter famous in his own right. He was a tall, handsome immortal who had single-handedly begun the Council over two thousand years ago. His father was one of the original twenty and Viorel was still searching for his mate.

  Many Hunters had asked to attend the ceremony. Matei had always been shown much respect as a Hunter, but now he was being revered. He asked close friends and relatives to attend but was annoyed at the number of other Hunters who asked for permission to come. Michael concurred it was probably only so they could say they met him. In the end, he put his foot down and refused, saying it was to be a quiet affair for the sake of his new mortal relations.

  Matei was embarrassed by the fuss, but realised he would now be recognised wherever he went by the grey in his hair. Hunters spoke his name in awe, so he would just have to get used to it.

  Charlotte only wanted her family. Any other people she knew were merely acquaintances and she wanted to just share her day with those she loved.

  So they managed to keep it to family and a few close friends of Matei’s. Matei’s two older brothers were unable to make it but they sent their love. Matei’s youngest brother, Tomas, and the next oldest, Radu, stood alongside him with Michael. Radu had his lovely wife, Eliza, who was pregnant with their second child. His other sister, Tatiana, and her partner, Roberto, were there and Allain, the Hunter who had designed the house, brought his wife and their daughter, who was a year older than Katie was. She had only converted the year before. Matei and Michael’s accountant, Richard, who was also a Hunter as well as their good friend, came with his handsome partner, Grant.

  Matei was stunned when he saw Charlotte on Stuart’s arm walking toward him. She astounded him with her beauty. The lovely cream gown fell in waves about her feet as she walked toward him. He thought it looked as if she were floating toward him. She took his breath away, and he felt his eyes fill with tears.

  Before Stuart gave him Charlotte’s hand, he clasped both Matei’s arms and hesitantly said, “Cu dragoste am încredinţa mama mea să vă păstrarea, promisiunea de a proteja şi de a onora ei mai presus de toate celelalte. With love, I entrust my mother to your keeping, promise to protect and honour her above all others,” stumbling over the words a little.

  Matei was overwhelmed and kissed both Stuart’s cheeks as he promised Stuart he would always protect and honour Charlotte. The immortal guests stood and applauded Stuart in honour as he walked to his seat.

  Time was lost to them both as they spoke their vows, then Nerida and Oliver were to give them rings to exchange.

  Nerida was so excited to be included in the ceremony that she decided to dance and sing across the sand before giving her ring. She then asked why Matei had not let her brush his hair and he lifted her up and whispered something in her ear. She grinned when he pointed at Michael and nodded before he put her down.

  Nerida giggled, then looked very serious as she gave him the ring. But then she danced back to her father and in a whisper loud enough to be heard on the next bay said, “Matei said I can put scrunchies in Michael’s hair because he loves them.”

  Michael glowered at his friend then shrugged his shoulders. The others tried hard not to laugh.

  Matei slid the ring over Charlotte’s finger. She whispered how much she loved him as she put one onto his finger. Matei found himself unable to speak except for a soft “Iubită.” The emotion of the evening was threatening to overwhelm
him.

  To know that the millennia of loneliness were forever behind him brought a lump to his throat. Never again would he have to fight the pain of not finding his mate. Instead this beautiful woman had enfolded him in her arms and would forever.

  The rest of the evening became a swirl of love and laughter and food. Stuart became the toast of the Hunters. They respected the effort he had gone to in learning the ancient formal pledge.

  He and the architect, Allain, got on famously to the point where they thought they could work together on building projects. Stuart was now in a unique position of knowing what was needed in a house designed for Hunters rather than for a mortal. Allain had a project ready to be built but needed someone to oversee it who understood the quirks of a house intended for immortals. By the end of the evening, it was decided that Stuart would inspect the job then tell Allain if he would accept the contract.

  Katie could not remember being so happy. She looked over at her mother-in-law laughing and dancing with some of the Hunters. She and Stuart had spent hours talking about Matei when he first revealed himself. At first both had refused to believe their eyes, but as Matei had told them more and more about himself and the age-old quest to rid the earth of vampires, they finally accepted the truth.

  They both had been so frightened but jumped at the chance not to lose Charlotte to old age. Stuart had always lived in fear of that day. Now seeing her, Katie was glad. She knew Charlotte would be there for the generations of family that would follow down the centuries.

  She looked over at her children. The women were spoiling Oliver, they all wanted to cuddle him. Nerida was the life of the party, she danced with Hunter after Hunter. They held her aloft and twirled her in the air while she screamed in delight.

  Katie said to Louisa, “She is only four and she has them wrapped around her finger, imagine what she will be like when she is an adult.”

  She accepted the fact that hopefully her daughter would one day meet her immortal. They watched her flirting outrageously with Tomas and Radu, and Katie wondered what the future mate for her daughter would be like. She knew if he was a Hunter then her daughter would be wrapped in love for eternity.

  Matei called Nerida over at one point and gave her a small paper bag. Nerida grinned in delight when she peeked inside the bag. Charlotte looked at him quizzically but he shook his head and said, “Watch.”

  Nerida raced over to Michael and crawled onto his lap, she then made him hold out his hands and she filled them with the tiny scrunchies that had been in the bag. Matei roared in laughter as she instructed him to sit in front of her while she twisted his hair in strange and crazy shapes.

  “You will pay for this, my friend,” he warned but spoilt the effect by laughing.

  Finally, Matei and Charlotte said teary good-byes to both their families and close friends before returning to Charlotte’s home.

  They were off the following evening to spend a few months travelling around. They had decided to spend a week with Matei’s parents and Ştefania in Thailand before heading to Europe where Matei would report to the Council. Matei would be able to show Charlotte the home in Romania that he loved dearly, before they returned to continue his assignment.

  The Council had posted Matei in the area for the next one hundred years so Charlotte would continue to see her family and watch over them as they grew. In an added benefit, the Council decided that Michael and Louisa would be posted to the area as well for a short time. Viorel Nicolescu had discovered that, although no Hunter was missing, there had been a large number of suspicious deaths in an area about one thousand kilometres west that needed investigation.

  In a quiet moment, Charlotte could not believe all that had happened. It seemed strange that just four weeks ago she was a single woman who knew nothing of vampires and Hunters, and yet now she was married and a Hunter herself.

  Life certainly was amazing.

  She looked over at her husband. All she could think of was how lucky she had been when he had saved her in the car park before she dragged him off to the bedroom to show him just how lucky he was.

  THE END

  WWW.SUZYSHEARER.WIX.COM/SUZY

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Suzy lives in the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. She is single, a Buddhist, an author, an artist, a computer nerd, and a voracious reader. Suzy has a penchant for crazy-coloured hair—pinks, purples, even rainbowed…it changes every month—and for tattoos! Oh, and she is in her mid-sixties!

  Her books always feature older heroes and heroines, ranging from mid-forties to sixties.

  “Just because we are older doesn’t mean we aren’t intriguing, desirable, open to challenges, and willing to experiment.”

  Suzy wants her readers to understand that sexy isn’t just for the under-thirties…

  When not writing, she is usually painting—an accomplished watercolour artist. Her subjects range from portraits and animals to nudes and landscapes.

  For all titles by Suzy Shearer, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/suzy-shearer

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