A Hunter's Heart [The Hunters 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 5

As if that was not enough, he thrust a finger into her pussy all the while still sucking and licking until she thought she would burst. She could feel her orgasm building and knew it would be impossible to stop it. Charlotte clenched her teeth, tensed her body and then threw back her head. She shouted loudly as the orgasm swamped over her but still Matei licked and teased, his finger pushing and twisting inside her.

  She closed her eyes, trying to breathe. She felt Matei climb the length of her body. Opening her eyes, she looked into his eyes as he lowered his head to fill her mouth with his tongue and the sweet taste of herself. Moaning against his mouth, she let her hands unclench and run across his back, feeling the powerful muscle tensed as he held his weight from her.

  Matei pulled himself up to rest against the headboard, gathering her into his arms, his fingers lazily running along her arm and across her breast.

  “I will enjoy taking you”—he purred—“but for now I think we must speak. There is much turmoil in your mind. I’ll answer your questions but then I will make love to you all night.”

  She looked into his face wondering what he had in mind. She felt uncomfortable lying in his arms naked while he still wore his pants. He had her at a disadvantage and she felt threatened. It was true she had so many thoughts and questions running through her mind but now that her body was betraying her, she wanted nothing more than to explore his body, to hell with her concerns.

  Matei gave a loud guffaw. “Ah, Cara, nothing would please me more than to satisfy that desire, but we have our whole future ahead of us. Let’s not rush. When I enter your body it will be as none other has before.”

  Wow, talk about an arrogant male! She thought. She imagined it would be wonderful but doubted there were new heights left that she had not experienced.

  He shook one finger in front of her face. “Tsk, woman. You don’t know whom you are with. I’ll take you to the moon and back, I expect you to do the same to me.”

  “If you want to talk and expect me to listen, then stop playing with my breast and let me get dressed!”

  Unfortunately the words sounded rather shrewish but Charlotte was both frustrated and on edge. She was calming from her orgasm and the fact she was naked and in bed with a man whom she had only known for a few hours was making her uneasy.

  She had done some silly crazy things in her life but never had she had sex with a complete stranger within an hour of dragging him into her home. On top of that, he was a blood-sucking something, drop-dead gorgeous but a bloodsucker nevertheless, or so he would have her believe. That, of course, was if this was all true. There was a distinct possibility she was either asleep or dreaming or had finally tipped over into insanity.

  Charlotte could feel Matei shaking and then suddenly he burst into laughter. “Dragostea mea, the things that go on inside your head.”

  “I’m glad I can amuse you.” Her retort was spiced with anger.

  “Cara, please. You don’t dream and you are not insane. This is all real. Should I do this?”

  He lowered his mouth to her breast.

  “Or perhaps this?”

  Charlotte felt his teeth biting gently on her nipple.

  “Or perhaps you would prefer I do this.” And he reached down with one hand and began to stroke between her thighs.

  “Do any of these things please you? Should I do something else to show you how awake you are?”

  Damn the man, Charlotte thought, I don’t want him to stop.

  His mouth was doing magic on her nipples, his teeth rubbing back and forth and all the while, his fingers tempted and teased as he inserted then withdrew them from her wet pussy. She spread her legs apart to give him more access. She began to match his strokes and wanted more. She felt him push one then two fingers into her, all the while suckling, biting and licking her nipple and breast.

  “Come for me again, Cara. Let me watch your face as I bring you to climax.”

  There was no way she could prevent the inevitable as he inserted a third finger and used the heel of his hand to press and rub against her swollen clitoris, rubbing the hardened nub against her bone.

  “Come for me Iubită,” he whispered huskily as his fingers weaved their magic and she was lost in the exquisite pain as another orgasm swamped over her. Still he kept nibbling and still she could feel his fingers rubbing, but her clit was swollen and sensitive and she tried to jerk away.

  “Let me kiss the pain away, Cara.” And before she could stop him he bent his head and began to lick the length of her channel and the swollen nub.

  Charlotte was lost in the pain but it was ecstasy and she could no more ask him to stop than continue to breathe. If someone were to ask her to describe it, she would not have the words. She teetered on the edge of screaming, lost in all the sensations filling her mind, her body.

  Amazingly, and despite his clever tongue, she could feel the sensitivity fading. It was if his saliva had some numbing effect. Suddenly out of nowhere, she wondered what it would feel like to have him drink her blood. Would it be painful or would it be as she had just felt? On the cusp between pleasure and pain, she had always enjoyed that fine line between the two.

  Matei stopped and looked at her, that damned one eyebrow raised, his mouth partly opened. Charlotte knew he had listened to her thoughts as slowly, ever so slowly she watched as his teeth lengthened. His eyes seemed to glow red as he began to creep up the bed toward her, still straddling her body.

  In a split second, she went from sexually aroused to terrified.

  She could not look away or move but wanted to crawl over the headboard. She wanted to scream but her throat felt as if it were closed, no sound escaped, she knew she had to breathe. She was terrified. Matei realised quickly because one second he looked like every vampire movie she had ever seen and then next his teeth were normal and eyes that brilliant green.

  He climbed up the bed and pulled her to his chest, rocking her, stroking her hair. “Dragul mea, I am so sorry. That was wrong of me. Hush, Iubită, hush. Please, please forgive me.”

  She could hear him whispering in her hair more words in another language, but they were calming. Harley jumped up onto the bed, tried to lick her hand as if he knew her fear, and wanted to reassure her.

  “You scared me,” she croaked, her voice as shaky as she was. “I didn’t know. I didn’t really believe.”

  “Cara, I am so sorry but I heard your thoughts, I was so aroused by the scent of you. I couldn’t help myself.”

  The contrition in his voice was so honest Charlotte knew he had not meant to scare her. She allowed herself to relax slowly, taking a deep breath and calming her heartbeat.

  “Harley, down. It’s okay, boy. In your bed.”

  She used the time to talk to the dog to help settle herself.

  “Please, dragul mea, my dear, please forgive me. I would never do anything to harm you. Your life is mine.”

  The remorse in his voice was almost more than she could handle and she found their positions reversed as she tried to soothe him.

  “It’s okay, Matei, it just scared me. I wasn’t expecting you to grow fangs.”

  She thought carefully before she spoke. “I guess I really didn’t believe anything you had told me. Even when you changed your face, read my thoughts. Part of me refused to believe it was possible. Then, to see…” She hesitated. “To see your eyes, your teeth.”

  She laughed, a little hesitantly but laugh she did. “Well, at least I now believe.”

  The arms around her were relaxing and both knew they had passed an important milestone.

  “Does it hurt?” she queried.

  “Does what hurt, extending my fangs?”

  “Yes, does it hurt? Do you feel them?”

  “I’ve never considered it. It happens naturally. We can extend our fangs to feed at will. They are essential when we fight against the unclean. We can also lengthen our fingernails. There is no pain. It just happens.”

  Charlotte turned in his arms and looked into his face. “Show me.”


  Swiftly this time his fangs extended and Charlotte reached out to touch them.

  “Be careful I don’t bite you.” He smiled to take the threat from his words and Charlotte was intrigued.

  “How do you stop yourself from biting your lips?”

  Matei burst out laughing, his fangs shrinking back into his gums.

  “I’ve never heard of a Hunter biting his lips. However, I could and would bite yours or perhaps some other delicious part of your body.”

  That raised eyebrow was back and Charlotte felt her stomach twist in anticipation as she considered how it would feel to have those fangs bite her. She was beginning to equate the eyebrow raise with desire, her desire.

  “Shall we find out?” He purred sultrily.

  Charlotte shook her head. She did not think she was quite ready but she certainly did not dismiss the idea.

  Matei reached for her pillows, putting them behind her back, and then drew up the covers to hide her nakedness.

  Charlotte suspected he knew she felt at a disadvantage. Part of her also hoped sight of her naked body was driving him crazy. He had said he wanted to make love to her all night but knew there were too many questions in her mind for her to relax completely.

  Chapter Six

  Matei settled alongside Charlotte, his strong arms around her making her feel safe and wanted.

  “I promise I will answer all your questions truthfully for there can be no lies between us.”

  Charlotte wriggled deeper into the comforting circle and recognised how thoughtful he had been to cover her. She was beginning to see this man had many sides to him.

  “Tell me everything. Tell me how you change someone into a being like you.”

  Considering his words, carefully Matei began to speak. “As I’ve told you, Mother Earth made our other half, the One who would love us eternally. As well as ridding the world of the vampire, all Hunters search for that person who will make them complete. Some find them early in their lives, others search but never find them.”

  “When a Hunter is fortunate enough to find the One for him he can convert her or him. They must take each other’s blood on five separate occasions. After the final time she, or he, will become the true half to the other.”

  “There’s something that you aren’t telling me”—Charlotte could hear the missing pauses—“something that I’m not going to like, isn’t it?”

  “In truth you read me.” Matei took a deep breath. “There is a certain amount of…discomfort.”

  “Discomfort? You mean pain.”

  “Yes, Cara, it hurts but you must understand, when you change, your whole body changes. You will get rid of all the poisons in your body, all the aging, all the illnesses you may carry. This must leave your body so you can become immortal.”

  “You will look younger, become younger. Your body will be in peak condition for your frame. You will be able to do all the things a Hunter can do—we can run as fast as the wind, we fly, we can become the shape of an animal. We can alter our age and our looks to blend in.”

  At that remark, Charlotte snorted. “Blend in? Heavens, there is no way in the world you blend in. Regardless of whether you look thirty, fifty, or even one hundred you will stand out. Surely you understand no one should look as good as you do.”

  Matei just looked down at her rather haughtily. “All Hunter must be in perfect physical shape.”

  “Oh yeah,” she muttered, “Six foot nine or seven foot, long hair, muscles on muscles, drop-dead handsome. Yeah, perfect way to blend in with the natives.”

  “You mock me, Cara?”

  There goes that eyebrow again, Charlotte thought.

  “Oh, Hotshot, you really don’t see it,” Charlotte shook her head laughing. “Compared to the average human male you are a god, so how on earth you can say you blend in is beyond me.”

  She smiled up at him and gave one arm a squeeze to show she was not being nasty with her comment.

  “All that aside, how long does the painful bit last?”

  “Once you have the five blood exchanges the conversation starts immediately. It would take around twelve hours before you would finally be changed.”

  “Twelve hours? Twelve hours of pain! You’ve got to be kidding me.” She pulled apart to look up at his face in shock.

  “Hush, no, the pain doesn’t last the whole time. It takes twelve hours for the full conversation. The initial expelling of the body toxins takes anywhere from two to five hours depending on the person, but remember their partner is with them the whole time and they will bear the burden of taking away as much of the pain as possible.”

  “You can do that? You can take away pain?”

  “We are the true half of the One, we share all.”

  Settling back in his arms, Charlotte asked, “So if I am really this One for you, what would happen to me if—and I am only saying if—you were to, say, convert me. What would happen?”

  “Cara, you are the One for me, there can be no other, just as I am the other half to you. We complement each other. You may say no but in truth you will allow me to convert you.”

  “Dream on, big guy…” Charlotte muttered, “Do you know you are arrogant and pushy too?”

  He just ruffled her hair and laughed. “It’s true, you will let me.”

  “Just answer the question. Will I always be this age?”

  “You’ll become what your body considers the optimum. For the majority of us it’s around thirty. Your body will still have its luscious curves and your beautiful full breasts. You’ll be the same height.”

  “Great. I get to be overweight at thirty again.” Charlotte was disappointed in a way. She thought she would have the body of a model.

  “Cara, look at me. You have the most magnificent body. Yes, it will change. There would not be as much…er…padding.” Charlotte snorted. “Your figure would be tighter, still with these wonderful padded curves, but there would be no extra.”

  In her mind, Charlotte tried to imagine her body as a thirty-year-old, breasts not dragged down by gravity, no more wobbly bits, no excess weight, and she was envious.

  She felt Matei put his hand under her chin, “Cara, you must understand. To me you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I know how you perceive yourself but you do an injustice. You are truly a beautiful woman and many men would give anything to be able to spend their lives with you.”

  “But you are mine!” he added vehemently as his arms tightened around her.

  “What if I don’t want you to convert me, what would happen then? Would you force me?”

  “Never, Cara, never! If you don’t want to convert then I will age with you and we will be together until the end. I will join with the sun when you leave this world.”

  Charlotte looked into his face. “Join the sun? Does that mean what I think it does?”

  “I would walk out into the sunlight and would pass from this world.”

  That this man would give up all he was and all he stood for just for her amazed and humbled her.

  “Let us talk of something else, that vampire, the one you destroyed. Was he going to make me like him?”

  “No, sweet one, the vampire doesn’t change his prey, he cannot. Even if he were to try to exchange blood with his victim five times, the conversion would kill a human. Also the blood of the strigoi is filled with poisons.”

  “Well, where do vampires come from if they don’t convert? I mean, you Hunters must be depleting their ranks. How many Hunters are there anyway?”

  “In truth I couldn’t tell you. I believe there are at least fifteen hundred Hunters but that figure could be tripled or halved. We rarely all gather in one place. I know there are three others in this land now. We prefer to stay with our mate when we find them, often we pair up with other Hunters and then we hunt together. We also have friends who are Hunters but they could be in any part of the world.”

  “As for the vampire, they can mate with another, a strigoaică, a female vampire. It
doesn’t happen often as they are distrustful of each other but sometimes the females have the need to procreate. It often ends with one or both dead, as they hate each other. It happens once every few centuries but it is enough that the Hunters must keep alert and ever on the hunt.”

  “What about Hunters, do you have children?”

  “Yes, our children are the most special thing in this world apart from our partner. When they are young, our children must be protected, they do not have the strengths of a Hunter. They are the same as mortal children, they can go into the sun, and they don’t feed on blood. The vampires do try to hunt them down to kill them. Our children come into full strength when they are thirty. There are few children sadly. Too many have not found their One.” Charlotte could hear deep sadness in his voice. “Too many travel their road alone with no one to share their burdens. It is a long and lonely life without our partner.”

  “I know I am going to regret this, but how old are you?”

  “Mother Earth gave birth to me in the year four hundred and thirty-eight.”

  Charlotte felt her head spin and thought she would faint. Matei pushed her head forward. “Breathe, my love, breathe.”

  “You are one thousand five hundred and seventy five years old! No you can’t be, that’s crazy!”

  Matei looked embarrassed. “No, my beloved, I was born in the year four hundred and thirty-eight before the Common Era so I am two thousand four hundred and fifty-two years old.”

  The room started spinning. Charlotte could feel blackness overtaking her as, for the first time in her life, she fainted.

  * * * *

  Slowly the darkness lifted and she could feel someone running a damp cloth across her face. She opened her eyes to see Matei’s worried frown. He tried to smile but she could see she had frightened him.

  She struggled to sit up but Matei held her down. “No, Cara, just lie still.”

  “I can’t believe I fainted! I’ve never fainted in my life.”

  “There has been a lot for you to understand this night, unfortunately my age was the final shock,” he replied ruefully.