Hunter’s Surrender Read online

  She tried to pull away. “It doesn’t matter.”

  He spun her and bent her forward. Her bottom nestled against his thighs, one arm was banded around her waist. Oblivious of the crowd dancing around them, he pushed the back of her shirt up, leaving her back bare.

  She struggled against him, didn’t want him to see the ugly black bruises and red welts covering her back.

  Her stomach revolted, her mind taking her back to those moments when she’d been helpless. She squeezed her eyes shut.

  Rand’s body quivered. Then a gentle hand skimmed down her spine. Warm lips pressed to the back of her neck.

  Dominique felt tears well in her eyes. She’d told no one of her attacks, kept all the pain to herself. Now someone—this big, wild hunter—was showing her compassion.

  He let her shirt drop and turned her. His gaze bored into hers. Sympathy was doused by something darker, dangerous. “Who. Did. It?”

  Chapter Four

  Dominique had thought luring The Darkness into bed would be easy. She’d never planned to tell him why. Or share what she was running from.

  “Rand—”

  A hand tapped Rand’s shoulder. “Hey, buddy, time’s up. I want a turn with the lady.”

  Dominique saw the glaze in the interloper’s eyes. A quick scan of the room showed every male in the bar was watching her. Hot intent burning in their glassy eyes.

  She groaned. She’d unconsciously let some thrall seep into her dance.

  “Back off.” Rand’s voice held an edge of danger.

  The man folded huge arms across his chest. “I think she’s worth fighting for.”

  “You don’t want to take me on,” Rand warned.

  “Rand—”

  “Be quiet, princess.” He didn’t even look at her.

  Dominique huffed out a breath. She was going to tell him she could command the man to leave. But apparently the macho vampire hunter had other ideas.

  The big man swung out with a fist. Rand ducked, his move so fast he blurred. Then he slammed his own knuckles into the man’s face.

  He went down hard. His body hit the grimy floor and he didn’t get up.

  Rand wrapped tight fingers around her upper arm. Without a word, he dragged her to the door. The hard grip gave her a flashback of Vilein. An ugly taste choked her throat.

  “Let me go,” she insisted.

  No response.

  Heat welled in her chest. “You have no control over me, hunter. I’m not yours to order around.” She hadn’t come looking for another overbearing man to treat her like his possession.

  Rand pulled her out into the warm Vegas night. He dragged her around the building and into an alley. He stopped beside a beast of a motorbike.

  He leaned down, his face close to hers. “I’m not letting you go. You’ll get yourself into trouble. You almost had every man in that club ready to strip you naked.”

  She stiffened. “I’m ajna. More powerful than you, vishuddha. I can take care of myself.”

  He moved closer, crowding her. Her pulse tripped. She backed up a step, the back of her thighs hitting the metal of his bike.

  “Then why are you covered in bruises and whip marks?”

  Banked fire burned in his green eyes. Dominique had never seen anyone so angry, so full of emotion. Especially not for her.

  Shame ate at her insides. She didn’t want this man to know what had been done to her. She wanted to be strong again. She wanted him to see her as a woman in charge of her own destiny, not a bruised, broken damsel.

  She lifted her chin, gave him her best ajna look—superior, cool. “That’s my concern. All you need to do is give me an answer. Will you take me to bed?”

  He tightened his jaw. “No, damn it.”

  Her stomach lurched. She shoved at his chest. “Fine. Get out of my way.”

  His hands gripped her arms, surprisingly gentle for such a big man. “No.”

  Air hissed between her gritted teeth. “You don’t want me, but no one else can have me, either, is that it?”

  “Not want you?” Rand’s hands slid into her hair, tangled. “I want you so much I’m going to snap.” His mouth crashed down on hers.

  Her brain short-circuited and her hands clenched on his T-shirt. Under it, she felt the rapid beat of his heart.

  He nipped at her lips. “You taste so good, Dominique. Too good.”

  She loved the sound of her name on his lips. She pressed closer to his warm body. Vilein never said her name. He called her ma petite in an ice-cold voice. And it was worse when he said it with a whip in hand.

  Non. She wouldn’t let that man ruin this moment. With Rand touching her, she didn’t feel afraid. She felt strong, whole.

  “Touch me. Please.” She’d never begged. Even in those pain-filled moments when she’d been helpless.

  But she would if it got this man to touch her when she ached.

  Rand’s hand stroked down her body, cupped her bottom, shaping her. When he lifted her, she gasped. He set her down sideways on the bike.

  His tanned hands slid up to cup her breasts. She closed her eyes against the sensations. When fingers slid inside her shirt, touched the silk covering her skin, she moaned. He brushed over her peaking nipples and she went damp.

  With a curse, Rand leaned down and pressed his mouth to one taut peak, over lace and fabric. He sucked, strong and firm, and Dominique cried out. With an impatient hand, he shoved her shirt aside and pushed the cup of her bra down.

  One pebbled nipple was free to him. He latched on to it, his teeth nipping.

  Dominique sank her hands into his long hair. She never wanted him to stop. The sensations were enthralling.

  Rand slid a hand over her quivering belly. He unsnapped her pants and, without pause, his fingers dipped inside.

  “You make me crazy.” His mouth was on hers again, hard and hungry. His clever fingers delved under silk and lace.

  When his tongue brushed against her fangs, he paused. Then, with exquisite slowness, he ran his tongue down the length of one throbbing fang.

  Dominique jerked against him. When he touched the sensitive nub between her thighs, she shuddered. “Yes.”

  “Do you like that?” he asked, voice harsh. He nudged her legs apart and stepped between them. His finger circled her clit, stroking, teasing.

  “Yes.” Her hips moved against her will. “Show me what it should be like.”

  She’d never felt like this. Never felt the desperate coiling low in her belly, the liquid fire between her legs.

  One long finger parted her folds. Her hips canted forward. He slid one finger inside her.

  Her head fell back. That finger plunged in, out, in again.

  “You’re so tight, Dominique.” His voice was serrated.

  Another finger joined the first, stretching her. A cry caught in Dominique’s throat. All the sensations were too much.

  “Easy,” he murmured. “I’ve got you.”

  The feelings grew, multiplied. When that thumb stroked her again, she shattered, her hands digging into his shoulders.

  He moved, but she was too exhausted to care. Felt too good to worry about opening her eyes. Strong arms wrapped around her. Her head rested on his shoulder and she heard him sigh.

  “Tell me why you need me?”

  Thoughts of what—who—she was running from filtered through her pleasure. Her muscles tensed.

  “Who are you so afraid of?”

  Dominique’s remaining lassitude evaporated. She lifted her head and stared into moss-green eyes. “My fiancé.”

  Fiancé. The word tore through Rand like an exploding bomb. She belonged to someone else.

  He stepped away from her, his gut cramping, the scent of her desire still strong in his senses.

  Dominique brushed her dark hair back from her face. “My parents betrothed me to another ajna the day I was born.” She shivered. “Everyone believes Vilein is perfect…but behind closed doors…”

  Helpless against the terror in her vo
ice, Rand cupped her cheek. “He hurt you?”

  She pressed her face against Rand’s palm. “Yes.” It came out a tortured whisper. “A preview of life once we’re joined, once I belong to him.” She wrapped her arms around her middle. The first few times I was too shocked to fight back. This last time I thought he’d kill me…. I flew to Las Vegas the next day desperate for a way to stop him.” Her gaze was steady on Rand’s. “To find you.”

  The shadows in her eyes made Rand want to wrap her up and take her away. She was stronger and more powerful than him, but it didn’t change his feelings. “Tell me.”

  She bit her lip. “He likes games. Likes tying people up, ripping off their clothes and whipping them.” She pressed a hand to her mouth. “I scream, I cry…but he doesn’t stop. He enjoys it.”

  Rand fought the energy churning through him. He wanted to find this bastard and shove a stake between his eyes. How could anyone want to break this woman? “He hasn’t raped you?”

  Her gaze dropped. “He’s waiting for our joining. He wants a pure wife.”

  Jaw aching, Rand choked down the fury. It wasn’t what Dominique needed right now.

  “I think he’s killed some of his lovers. He’s cold, controlled, ruthless, but my gut tells me he’s unbalanced.”

  Most of the vampires who let their energies out of alignment were wild, filled with jagged, raging energy. But occasionally Rand had seen the ones who coated their unstable power with icy control.

  Like the one who’d killed his father.

  “Expose him at court. Surely your parents can help?”

  She shook her head. “They don’t know. Only see what he shows them.” She breathed deep. “And he threatened to kill them if I say anything. I won’t risk them.”

  Rand understood the need to protect. His father had died helping Rand escape the vamp who’d killed him.

  “They’re ajna—”

  She shook her head, the move fierce. “Vilein is older than them. Stronger. He’ll kill them.”

  Her hands gripped Rand’s wrists. “I tracked you down because my only chance is to ruin myself for him. To lose my virginity to the most unacceptable person possible. A hunter.” Her fingers brushed over his pounding pulse. “You.”

  Her words were a punch to the gut. She wanted him for his reputation. Because he was the best at killing her kind.

  She wanted The Darkness, not the man.

  He turned his hand around and broke her hold. “There must be another way. You should talk to the Paladins.”

  Surely the group of powerful vampires could help her. They took down unbalanced rogues, cleaned up any messes that bled into the human world.

  Again she shook her head. “A risk I won’t take. If something goes wrong…”

  Damn. “You shouldn’t have to open your legs for the worst hunter you can find.” He wanted to yell the words, but he locked his jaw and fought to keep his voice even.

  Her eyes flashed. “I’ll do whatever I have to do to protect myself and those I love.”

  A part of Rand admired that. Dominique wasn’t crying, wasn’t playing the victim. She was sacrificing a part of herself to save her parents. “How do you know he won’t hurt your family anyway?” “Because I’ll make my ruination public.” Her chin lifted. “If something were to happen to them, the court would look at Vilein.”

  There was a core of steel in this beautiful vampire. Rand knew then he’d help her. He’d keep her safe and together they’d find a solution that didn’t involve her screwing a damned hunter—even if that hunter was him.

  When someone showed her the delight of making love, it should be someone who cared about her, cherished her. Not a man drowning in blood and darkness.

  “Come on, let’s go.”

  Something bright ignited in her violet eyes. “You’ll do it? You’ll help me?”

  “There’s another way.” There had to be. “You can stay at my place tonight. Tomorrow we’ll figure something out.”

  He watched the light drain away. God, he felt like he’d kicked her. He settled onto his bike in front of her.

  She shifted, slim arms wrapping around him, thighs hugging his and full breasts pressed against his back.

  Rand closed his eyes for a second and fought for control. He’d spent enough time in the muck to recognize someone, even a vampire, who was untouched by it.

  He was stained, his hands too rough, too bloody. Some part of him knew this woman deserved so much better than him.

  He couldn’t take Dominique to his bed. It would be a betrayal of everything he was, everything he fought for, of his father.

  And not because she was a vampire.

  Because she was innocent.

  Chapter Five

  Dominique pressed her face against Rand’s back, her hands resting against his hard abdomen.

  The big bike hugged the curves of the desolate desert highway, purring beneath them like a predatory cat. Dominique’s hair flew out behind her, the wind in her face.

  Her fingers flexed against the heat of him. The contrast of hot male and cool air was a distracting combination.

  The throbbing of the bike and the rub of her legs against Rand’s kept her desire on slow burn. What he’d done to her before…she shivered and rubbed her chin against his shirt. He’d given her the most intense orgasm she’d experienced and it’d been out-of-this-world amazing. She wanted more.

  What if they could just keep riding? Her arms tightened around him. What if they just followed this road wherever it led? Far from Las Vegas, far from Vilein, far from whatever had put the shadows in Rand’s eyes. Just the two of them.

  She let the fantasy play for a minute, then she choked it off. Rand wasn’t interested in running away with a vampire. And running wouldn’t stop Vilein.

  Staring into the darkness, she drew on Rand’s warmth. She knew Vilein would come looking for her. She knew it in her blood.

  A shiver wracked her. She needed Rand to take her virginity, then she needed to get far away from him.

  If Vilein caught her here with Rand…her fingers clenched tight, her knuckles screaming. He was a vishuddha, strong and skilled, but Vilein was very powerful.

  Strong fingers covered hers, squeezed. Rand sensed her agitation. Dominique worked to control the energy coursing in her.

  Moments later, he turned the bike off the highway. They followed a track back into the desert and pulled up in front of a house.

  Glass and wood nestled in the desert like they belonged there. On one side of the house was a large wooden deck, and beyond that the dark expanse of the Mojave Desert.

  He swung off the bike. “Come on.”

  Dominique followed him inside. He flicked on some lights, illuminating a large open kitchen and living room.

  Beautiful desert landscapes graced the walls. The furniture screamed male—oversized, leather, worn. Large glass sliding doors led onto the deck and his kitchen was compact, but looked well-used.

  It surprised her that she easily pictured Rand in the kitchen wearing low-riding jeans, shirtless, with a fry pan in hand.

  And she pictured herself sitting on the counter, hair loose, wearing his shirt and laughing.

  Dominique shook her head and walked toward the glass door. Where had that thought come from? She’d never seen any ajna share that kind of relationship. Certainly not her parents.

  The ajna court was cold and ruthless. No one showed their true feelings for each other. No one dared show such weakness.

  She stared out into the night. “You like the desert.”

  “Yeah. No one to bug me.”

  No one to kill. No one to care about. She pressed a palm to the glass. Rand surrounded himself with nothing, yet inside, this house was a home. A sanctuary.

  “The guest bedroom’s all yours. First door on the right. If you need me, my room’s at the end of the hall.”

  She spun. He stood in the doorway to the hall, a shoulder leaning into the doorjamb. He watched her with hooded eyes.

/>   She did need him, but so far the baddest vampire hunter in the business was turning out to be nobler than she’d thought possible.

  “Do you need to feed?” he asked.

  His question startled her. “No. Not yet.”

  She felt the first faint beat of hunger, but she could last the night.

  “I don’t feed off a host. I’ll need to find a blood bank.” There were plenty who made their wealth off supplying blood to vampires.

  “You never feed from the living?”

  She studied Rand’s blank face. “The ajna court believes they’ve moved past it.” Although there were whispers that many did differently behind closed doors. Whispers of the pleasure. “I’ve never fed from a human before.”

  His green eyes registered surprise. “And I’ve never let a vamp feed from me before.”

  They stared at each other in the charged silence. Dominique eyed the tanned skin of his neck, heard the strong, steady thump of his heart. Her belly coiled. It was too easy to picture sinking her fangs into his skin.

  He cleared his throat. “Well, I’m heading to bed.”

  Dominique rubbed her hands up her bare arms. Suddenly the thought of being alone terrified her. Since Vilein’s savage attacks, her dreams had turned into twisted nightmares where she relived every single minute again and again.

  She moved to a shelf on the wall. It held a small wooden carving of an eagle and one framed photograph.

  Dominique picked up the photo. “Your father?”

  “Yes.”

  How could one word hold so much emotion? She ran a finger over the faces in the picture. A very young Rand—no more than ten or eleven—wore a cocky smile and stood beside his father. He favored Brody Wilder, both of them big and broad, with rough-hewn handsome faces.

  In the boy’s eyes, Dominique saw adoration, love and belonging. She turned her head, eyed Rand through her lashes. She saw none of the boy in the man. No doubt he’d died the night one of her kind had killed Brody.

  “You look like him.” She wished she could see Rand smile like that again.

  “I have my mother’s eyes.” Rand moved closer.

  Dominique looked up. His face was impassive but those ever-present shadows in his eyes flickered like smoke.