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

  Charlotte nodded, secure in his arms.

  “Since the beginning of time there were two races—Humans and strigoi, or vampires. At first, the strigoi were few and they fought amongst themselves killing each other. They ignored humans. Then they discovered that it was easier to feed on humans than to hunt animals for blood. They also discovered that some humans were psychic and they could torment them, destroy and corrupt them. It became their play. They would find a psychic human and begin a campaign of terror that always ended with the death of the human.”

  “Are we talking about Dracula here? You know, vampires sucking blood and turning people into bloodsucking creatures,” she said, interested in spite of herself.

  “I suppose that is partly true. Usually a vampire drains the blood of their victims at once and kills them. The vampire loves psychic energy so when they find a human with it they will not drain them but take enough to control the person. They then will delight in torturing their victims, they will force such agony onto them. Play with them cruelly.”

  Charlotte could hear the pain in his voice, knew he spoke honestly.

  “I’d guess that the one you heard years ago had just found you and was about to begin its campaign of terror. It marked you. That scratch you got the night before was it implanting a marker so it could find you. Once marked, it could take its time, play with you, torment you. If you had gone outside when it called, it would have fed on some of your blood then sent more and more mental anguish to you until it drove you insane all the while feeding from you, torturing you, maiming your body. It would have taken you to its lair and once there, there would have been no escape except in death. When it tired or you had gone insane then it would have drain you and left your body to rot.”

  “What happened to me then? I only heard that once. I was terrified and yet at the same time I wanted to find it again.”

  “I imagine a Hunter must have found it before it had a chance to drink. Often we find they like to torment their victims beforehand, they often come disguised and will implant thoughts of sexual acts and fill your mind with longing for them. It would have been playing with you. I imagine it would have been using other mortals for food while it toyed with your mind. When they choose to allow you to see them, they can appear before you in any guise so you would see a handsome man and it would have given your mind the compulsion to desire it.”

  “Oh great! You’re a crazy bloodsucking vampire!” She tried to get to her feet. “I knew it! Too good to be true, now I’m going to die.”

  Charlotte felt Matei stiffen. Harley raised his head at the sound of Charlotte’s raised voice but quickly settled when he saw she was not about to be harmed.

  “I am not strigoi!” he exclaimed. “I am a Hunter!”

  She could hear in his voice that he felt insulted that she would think he was one of the undead.

  “My life is to hunt the vampire and destroy it before it can harm another.”

  Charlotte looked into his face, “I’m sorry. I know you aren’t like them. I felt paralysed whenever they touched my mind but when I touched yours there was no evil.”

  She reached up, ran her fingers along his cheek, and felt him lean into her hand. He took her fingers and kissed them gently.

  “Hunters were created to balance the evil. We search all over the world for the vampire and destroy them when we find them. We aren’t evil, although many think we are. We never kill unless it is vampire, we eat no animal, we care for the Earth, our Mother, and we protect all.”

  He sighed and Charlotte knew he was going to tell her something she would not like.

  “We, too, must feed on blood.”

  He heard her swift intake of breath, felt her body tense in his arms.

  “Just as the vampire needs blood to survive so do we, but we never drink to kill as they do. We are able to survive on drinking blood a few times each week unless we are injured or have expended a lot of energy. A strigoi always needs to feed at least every second day. We also need food as you. Our bodies are strong and we are able to control with our minds like the vampire but Hunters only use mind control if we have to block a human against a vampire or create a false memory so people don’t know the truth.”

  “Who do you take blood from?” she whispered fearfully.

  “Hunters who have the bond of the One share their blood but still we must take blood from mortals. Some Hunters have human friends who willingly give their blood. From others we take then create a false memory. We ensure that there is no pain felt, we only take a small amount and leave no knowledge of what happened in their mind. Never would we leave a mortal weak or drained.”

  “I have heard you speak of the One before, what do you mean?”

  “Our lives are lonely.”

  With that one statement Charlotte could feel, hear the depth of agony that loneliness meant.

  “We roam the earth searching for strigoi, we live far beyond the imaginings of humans, I suppose. Unless we are killed, we’re immortal. After the centuries of being alone, we lose sight of the emotions of love and instead become cold. We spend our lives killing and it takes a toll. Mother Earth created us but she gave us hope when she promised that for every Hunter there is the One. The other half who would show us how to love again, that person would complete us, they would fall in love with us. There would be no chance for either of us to live without the other once found, our love would be almost instantaneous. For me you are my One and I am yours.”

  “Ironically, the gods never told us where to find our mate, when, or indeed, if, we would. They did tell us this One would immediately fall in love with us once we met, as they were destined for us, created just for us. So, until a Hunter meets their One there is no other for them, and they must stay alone. We must remain alone and celibate until then.” Oh no, she thought, this is going from plain crazy to full insanity.

  Matei laughed. “You are not crazy nor are you going insane.” He planted a kiss on the top of her head.

  “You did it, you read my mind again!”

  Charlotte was a little angry that he was dipping in and out of her head so easily. “It’s not polite to look inside other people’s minds, you know.”

  Charlotte could hear the laughter in his voice as he replied, “I am sorry, Cara, but your thoughts are so loud most of the time. I’ll have to teach you how to block so others can’t read them.”

  “I entered your mind earlier, when you were outside. I felt pain, death, and loneliness. Why can’t I do it now?”

  “Have you tried? You can enter. When you did, that was the moment I knew that you were the One for me. No other mortal could have entered my mind so easily.”

  “What about other Hunters? Can’t they read your mind?” Despite her unease at all that Matei has told her, she was curious and wanted to know more.

  “We each have our own barrier against anyone completely penetrating our mind. We have a common telepathic path, which all Hunters use to speak with each other. We can speak over the vast distances. We also consider it impolite to enter fully another’s mind.”

  “But you don’t mind dipping into mine,” she muttered under her breath.

  Aloud she asked, “Why would the person, who is your other half, be a human? Wouldn’t it make sense for them to be a Hunter also? Then you wouldn’t have to explain everything and risk them running in the opposite direction as fast as they could.”

  “Not really. Those converted to Hunters are filled with death and no love, so we couldn’t supply what is missing to another Hunter. No, always our other half is a psychic human.”

  “I guess in some weird way that makes sense. However, what happens when this other half dies? I mean, you said you’d be considered immortal. As humans, we live eighty years or so. What happens to you when you lose this other person?”

  Now it was Charlotte’s turn to feel his body tense.

  Oh, oh, she thought, here it comes.

  “We have the ability to change the One into one of us. They wou
ld become immortal with the same strengths and weaknesses we have. We would be together for all eternity.”

  “Okay—there seems to be something you’re not telling me.”

  “They would be exactly as us. They would have to sleep when the sun is in the sky. The vampire cannot bear the touch of the sun so must forever hide in the darkness. We are able to tolerate some sunlight so the early and last hours of the day we can move about in. We sleep through the day so we can hunt at night.”

  Charlotte felt him take a breath and knew she would not like what she was about to hear.

  “The One would have to live on food and blood. They would also become even more of an enemy to the vampire as they would gain the same strengths as a Hunter, although the strigoi do not actively seek us out.”

  “Blood! Drink blood! You mean they would have to suck some poor sap’s blood just to keep alive.” Charlotte could feel herself starting to shiver. The thought of drinking someone’s blood was abhorrent. “No, no that’s so wrong!”

  Matei put a finger under her chin. “Look at me, Iubită mea, the partner of a Hunter only shares their blood, the true Hunter would feed from a human then would feed their partner. Although they must learn to feed from others in case of an emergency, it is usually only their mate that feeds them. I have been told it is most erotic when we feed with our partners. You would feel only love, the need to satisfy your hunger, it would heighten your arousal. The sharing of blood enhances the sexual experience we would share.”

  “Whoo, there! Just a minute, Hotshot. One second you’re talking about drinking blood and now you want some orgy, some hot sex action?”

  “Hotshot?” The eyebrow raised again.

  “Yes, Hotshot, you!” She poked him in the chest, “Definitely no orgies here. I don’t think so.” But in her mind Charlotte could see his naked body covering hers and she could not help but drop her gaze to his pants.

  Oh my, she thought, that’s some bulge there, oh wow.

  Matei gave a sexy smirk and laughed. Charlotte felt her face redden.

  “Get out of my head, Hotshot, get out now!”

  He roared with laughter as he took one hand and raised it to his lips.

  “I mean it. Stop eavesdropping on my thoughts. You told me it’s impolite.”

  “But your thoughts are so wickedly delicious,” he replied with that one raised eyebrow. “Would you not like to run your hands across here and feel what you do to me?”

  With that, he took her hand and placed it across the growing tower in his pants. Charlotte jerked her hand back as if burnt but the damage was done. Now all she could think of was unzipping his pants and running her fingers up and down the length of his cock.

  “Oh, Cara, we will have such wonderful times together,” Matei crooned. “Come, why not indulge in your thoughts, you desire to almost as much as I want to taste you.

  “I want to lick every part of your body. I want to kiss you from the top of your head down to your toes. I want to drink from your lips. I want to place my head between your legs and surrender to my desires to lick and taste you. Come, let me. Let me make love to you all night long. Come, Cara, come, esti frumoasa, tu esti sufletul meu pereche. You are beautiful, you are my soul mate.

  “Would you feel more comfortable, more accepting of me if I appeared older?”

  Charlotte looked at him questioningly. Matei shook his head from side to side, and his face changed. It was still as handsome, still breathtaking, but it was an older man, a man in his fifties.

  “How? What? W–w…”

  Charlotte felt her head spinning for a moment and Matei forced her head down to her knees, telling her to breathe deeply. She jumped to her feet, almost tripping over the dog, and turned to look at him, not believing what she was seeing.

  “Cara, it is all right.” He laughed and he stood before her.

  His reaction was beyond anything she would have thought. He clasped her to him and bent his head to capture her mouth. For one brief moment, she had a conscious thought, Oh hell…and then she was lost in the growing urgency of his kiss.

  He was gentle but she could feel the increasing passion as he deepened the kiss and she fought against it. He pulled her even tighter and she felt his tongue trying to gain entry to her mouth. Once more, she tried to resist, but then as if all fight was gone, she melted into his arms and let him have what he, and she, wanted.

  If this was fake, she did not care. His tongue was wrestling with hers as she gave back as much to him. All time was lost as the passion roared in her head. She felt his hands running across her body and for a brief moment panicked, but when he began trailing kisses across her throat she was lost.

  Before she knew what was happening he gathered her in his arms and lifted her. “Bed, which way?” He panted and she pointed down the hall.

  I know I am going to regret this, she thought, then shook her head. Oh, what the hell, I know I am going to enjoy this.

  Chapter Five

  Matei gently placed her in the center of the bed, hovering above her. With infinite slowness, he leant forward and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. Slowly he increased the pressure on her lips and she could feel his hands running the length of her body.

  He straddled her body and she felt his tongue invade her mouth and she felt her own wrapped around his. Her breath quickened and she could hear her heart racing as he began to rub the nipple of one breast through her clothing.

  She heard herself moan a little as her nipple hardened against his fingers. She wanted to feel his skin against hers and grabbed a handful of his shirt, trying to tear it from his body. Matei broke the kiss and sat back, pulling his shirt over his head. His body was all she hoped for, broad and muscular, covered in tattoos that wound over his chest, shoulders and back, to disappear beneath his pants.

  He leant forward and began to kiss her neck and she felt his hands on the buttons of her shirt as he undid each one with an ever-increasing urgency. He threw it open, removed it and trailed kisses down between her breasts. One hand kneaded her breast and she felt his mouth hot over the other. Through the lace of her bra, his tongue teased at her nipple and she arched slightly.

  With one hand, he reached behind her and unclasped her bra, setting her full breasts free. Charlotte tore it from her shoulders and threw it across the room. She wanted to feel his mouth on her breasts and he did not disappoint her.

  One hand tweaked and twisted one breast while he took the other into his mouth. She could feel his tongue flicking across her pebbled nipple. It felt as if there was a connection directly to her vagina. She could feel moisture beginning to soak through her panties.

  Charlotte ran one hand across his back, feeling the strength of his muscles. She wanted to explore every part of him. She put one hand either side of his head as he suckled and held him in place. She was panting with desire. Suddenly he sat back on his heels and looked at her face and then her breasts.

  “Ah, dragostea mea, my love. You have the most wonderful body. I’ll spend the rest of my life adoring it.” He cupped her breasts in each hand.

  “Such breasts—a man could lose himself in them.”

  She felt his hands reach for the zipper on her jeans and without removing his eyes from hers, he unzipped her jeans and drew them from her legs. She drew in her breath. He would see her body in the harsh light.

  He smiled tenderly at her and shook his head, “Cara, esti frumoasa, you are beautiful. Rich, full, and lush. Your body is made for a man to love. It is made for this man only to love, no other.”

  Charlotte had a moment of intense panic. She considered herself fat and ugly and she thought, How can this man even look at me. I’m overweight, I have so many wrinkles, and he’s a child. She wanted to grab her clothes and run.

  Matei’s voice became stern. “Never can you say or think such things again or I will be angry. You are not ugly or old or fat or anything of the negative things you think about yourself! Perhaps I should tie you to this bed and take my pleasure.
I never want you to say you are ugly or overweight again. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.

  From the look on his face Charlotte knew that was not an idle threat and despite her fear, she felt herself grow even more excited at the thought of being defenseless and restrained before this man. With a wicked glint in his eye, he shuffled down on the bed As she watched wide-eyed, he leant forward to blow across her thighs and run his fingers across her wet panties then slowly rub one hand on her mound through them. Her thoughts were chaotic, everything ranging from shame to desire to lust and confusion.

  With one finger, he pushed aside the fabric and rubbed along the slick hot wetness. Charlotte wondered if it were possible to have an orgasm without having anyone inside her. She was thought she was about to find out. Suddenly she felt him push finger inside and as she watched, he removed it and put his finger into his mouth.

  “Mmm so delicious, so hot,” he murmured.

  She felt his hands drawing her panties down, once again he kept his eyes focused on hers then he bent his head began to lick the inside of her thigh. In slow lazy circles his tongue got closer and closer to her wet lips. She wanted to drag his head and push it into her clit but she felt helpless. His hands were running across her body. One found her nipple again and began to tease it, while his tongue was driving her crazy as it licked back and forth but never quite reaching her nub.

  Somewhere in the back of her mind, she thought he would pay for this if she ever got the chance, but those thoughts were lost when he suddenly stabbed his tongue into her moist channel. She felt his tongue diving in and out and then flicking across the tight bud of her clit.

  She grabbed fistfuls of the bedcover, trying to hold tight, torn between wanting release, wanting to scream aloud and wanting his tongue to keep licking. She felt him suck onto her clit, drawing it into his mouth and thought, This is it, and I’m gone.