The Beginning
Blood Hunter

Excerpt

The burn warmed his throat as he gulped down two more glasses. His nerves were just about shot. The thoughts that plagued him were about to drive him crazy. He couldn’t get the image of Raven standing under a stream of hot steaming water out of his head. Her dark hair falling in her face, her full ruby lips, plump and soft, kept his mind enthralled somewhere it never should have been.

She couldn’t be anything more than a pawn in his quest for justice. She was a vampire and he wasn’t. Falling into the same trap his father had, would only destroy him and what was left of his family. Raven was beautiful, there was no doubt about it, but she wasn’t human and there was no way around that.

No matter what his imagination conjured up, Thorne had to fight it as hard as he could. A viper took in his father and although certain Raven was nothing like that, she was what she was.

He tried to convince himself the road he chose was for the best. He gripped the counter firmly. This attraction to her is nothing, and I can get through the next several days just fine.

“Your soups boiling over,” Raven called out from behind him.

Thorne jumped at the unexpected sound of her voice.

“Oh crap!” he exclaimed as he yanked the hot lid off the Dutch oven. He hissed as the handle burned the palm of his hand. He dropped it and it clanked loudly as it bounced onto the floor.

Raven flew to his side and grabbed his hand. In an instant, she held it under a cold stream of water in the sink.

Thorn winced from the pain that seared across his palm.

“It’s not too bad.” She lifted his hand closer to her face and examined it closely. Rather maternally, as if by instinct, she softly pressed her lips to the burn, gently kissing it.

Thorne froze as her pursed lips touched his skin. Her cool mouth soothed the burn instantly. She looked up at him and with a slow motion, extended her tongue and softly licked the burn. A cold rush rippled across the injury and all pain immediately subsided.

“What—What did you do?” he whispered in disbelief.

“It’s all better now,” she replied still holding his hand close to her mouth.

Thorne, captivated by her touch, pulled his hand back just enough to skim his index finger across her bottom lip, and then slowly slipped it into her pink cool mouth. He held his breath.

Raven’s tongue wrapped around it as she intently stared into his eyes.

Thorne ran his finger along the edge of her teeth until he found the point where her fangs would slip down. He studied her reaction.

Raven closed her eyes. Her tongue slid farther down his finger and she moaned, as she tasted him. Slowly, her pristine white fangs dropped from their hiding place above her gum-line.

Thorne ran his finger over the tip of the razor sharp canine, fascinated. How would they feel gliding across his skin? He inhaled deeply to slow the blood which rushed quickly to his groin, and aroused him even more with each erotic thought.

Raven moved her mouth back and caused his finger to drop to her lip. Her eyes glowed silver, just as he’d seen them change the night he met her

“Careful,” she warned softly.

He held his breath for what felt like an eternity, the instant she spoke, he rapidly snapped back to reality and exhaled. He jolted back awkwardly, and felt overwhelmed by his sensual behavior as the tight bulge in his jeans tingled with desire.

“Don’t do that,” she whispered.

“Do what?” He asked so quietly he almost hadn’t heard himself speak.

“Don’t stop.”

He stared at her for a long moment, and then backed away. His chest pounded as he gazed down at her. She was truly irresistible.

Raven stood before him wrapped only in a towel. The cloth pinched under her daintily feminine arms and draped loosely at the upper most point of her thigh. She was a vision. Every inch of her was as delicate as a flower and she smelled sweeter than anything he’d ever known.

“I want you so bad, I can almost taste it.” Did he actually say that aloud? Had he lost his mind?

“Now you know how my week has been.” She smiled.