Hunting Tess Read online

  Vampires are cocky, relying only on their claws and fangs to get the job done. Maybe if they branched out, they would win more than they lose.

  “Left!” Eliza cries out, calling my attention to her face which makes my blood stop. Her eyes are faintly glowing blue as they swivel back and forth without focusing on anything. At her declaration I see Samantha raise her sword just in time for a vampire to impale itself. There will be time to dissect that odd event later.

  Protecting the three on the ground proves challenging when two move with inhuman speed. Leo is handling his own remarkably well but Samantha is something else. She lacks finesse with the blade yet is doing damage with her bare hand, plus she is moving just as quickly, if not faster, than Leo. Definitely not human.

  A short yelp claims my attention as I see a boy who wasn’t there a second ago attempt a mad dash across the driveway. What is he doing?

  A vampire tracks the movement and reacts to the new target. My fingers reach for an arrow only to grasp at air and I have a gut feeling that the boy won’t make it. Though slowed from their wounds, too many of my silver arrowheads protrude from still active vampires, their hearts and heads intact.

  The vampire swipes at the boy who flies several feet before crumpling in a heap only to be pounced on again by a different vamp with two arrows jutting from his back.

  Something not commonly known is that vampires are unbelievably heavy. It doesn’t make much sense based on what they are made of, but heavy they are nonetheless. So when Samantha hauls the vampire off the boy with nothing but sheer strength, flinging him across the driveway like a sack of potatoes my jaw nearly drops.

  Unable to cry out a warning as another assailant sneaks up on her, I watch as her blade is knocked from her hands before an inhuman snarl erupts from my chest.

  Snapping bone and emerging fur completes my transformation before my paw even touches the ground. My hackles rise in anticipation of ripping apart the vampire that stands between me and Samantha.

  I take one step before the vampire falls to the ground, headless. How she can fight with no weapon is near the top of my list of questions, right after demanding to know what she is. The din of battle grows quieter and somewhere in the back of my mind I realize we killed enough to warrant a retreat. The others will need to be hunted down. Preparing to bark my command to Caleb, Samantha enters the corner of my eye, quickly becoming its sole focus.

  My legs stutter to a stop from the bellowing rush pulsing through my body, filling every crevice like a thundering waterfall. Pure, unadulterated happiness blossoms in my chest as my eyes drink in every detail of Samantha. My mate.

  Potential mate.

  Shutting off my emotions from Leo learning about the bond, I lope to the back of the house. The others can sort things out for a few minutes.

  Shifting back to human form I dash up the stairs to my room as quickly as possible. This is why I only date human girls. This is why I don’t live with the rest of my pack. I don’t want a mate.

  Throwing on clothes with reckless abandon I don’t stop to see if what I put on matches or even if I have two of the same socks. My head wars with my heart on what to do. The feelings this bond inspires is fake, clouding what I really want.

  Besides, it’s not like she’s the one. I can walk away and no one will ever know.

  “You were told to stay inside!” Samantha erupts at the blonde kid attacked by the vampire. My heart thumps wildly in my chest just from her nearness. He slopes into the couch in shock as she throws her hands in the air. “Do you not understand what can happen? They will kill you without blinking an eye!”

  “Tess,” her friend says softly, too quiet for anyone else to hear. “He’s not Sam.”

  Tess?

  I don’t bring up the serious discrepancy because a sheen of tears forms in her hazel eyes, her dark hair quickly covering the display. My mind cries out in pain for my mate and it is a physical effort not to comfort her.

  Raking my eyes down her form, my blood starts to boil when I see her bruised and bleeding knuckles. Balling my hands into fists I give a wide berth around the drama unfolding near the couch.

  “We’ll need to go hunting later,” I murmur to Caleb who comes to stand beside me at the kitchen island. My eyes keep straying to Samantha, or Tess, before I realize what I am doing and snappily look away.

  “They’re all dead,” he discloses, resting his forearms against the marble. “Efficient really, almost like we had a plan going in. Well, except for the idiot who ran into the fray.”

  The blonde doesn’t look much better after the verbal railing than before. Fear takes the place that shock vacates and I know eating will help, but I don’t offer that suggestion. Leo can do it.

  “Now we should get going,” Ben insists, returning several weapons to a black duffle bag. Two tabbies rub up against Tess’s legs, marking her as their own and I nearly scoff at the irony. Leo tries to convince them to stay to no avail.

  “It’s their decision,” I state, pushing anything I’m feeling to the far corners of my mind. I don’t want a mate. The sooner she leaves the sooner I can forget her. “Let them go.”

  Unable to stand in the same room as her I retreat back up the stairs, feeling less like a powerful shifter able to tear my enemy in two and more like a coward.

  Pacing the length of my room doesn’t help me work through my feelings or offer any reprieve. It isn’t until I hear the screen door close that I breathe easier, disregarding the piece of me screaming to go after her.

  My heart is still hammering in my chest when I strip my clothes, stepping into the tiled shower. Cold water beats against my face, running in rivulets down my body as my hands press against the wall. I trace the veins of color with my eyes, wondering why this had to happen. And why her? I should never have phased. Then I wouldn’t have found out. I could have continued on my merry way in happy ignorance.

  Every detail of her face is burned in my memory and I bang the wall in frustration. My parents have been happily mated for over twenty-five years and show a level of devotion to each other unmatched by those in our pack. For a split second I allow the thought of a future with Tess before watching it swirl down the drain.

  It’s going to be a long night.

  ***

  “What’s this?” I ask the guy setting up a laptop on my front porch. His classic cut pea coat holds off the late evening chill and my bare feet are getting cold standing in the doorway. The last rays of the dying sun beam through the trees casting him in an orange glow.

  “A warning of what happens when you meddle,” he says, his accent faintly Yugoslavian or somewhere from that general vicinity. After working quickly to accomplish whatever task he is doing, the man puts his hands in his pockets and descends the short flight of steps toward an unmarked car. He says something to the driver before getting in the passenger seat and driving away.

  I look at the computer warily, worried about it being a bomb. I did not get enough sleep for this. But the only thing it shows is a news feed with a living room full of people.

  Using the heel of my palm to help clear away my blurry eyes, I examine the screen more carefully before carrying the computer into the family room. No need to leave the door open and I’m not going to get dressed just to sit on the porch all night. Brooding around the house has worked quite well for me today and I don’t want to give up my streak.

  “What’s that?” Caleb asks from the kitchen.

  “No clue.” Settling into my spot on the couch I look at the faces of those on the screen. The camera isn’t quite in the corner of the room but the angle shows the majority of the area. The only odd thing about the scene is that everyone is standing with the exception of two people. A man and woman sit on a loveseat holding hands. No, not holding, gripping. There’s too much tension for it to be benign.

  Reviewing the dozen or so people standing, I notice their movements are just a little too sharp, a little too fast for it to be normal. They may not be vampires, but
intuition tells me they are.

  I don’t understand what this has to do with anything until Tess walks through the front door. That’s when my heart stops.

  CHAPTER 3

  HER

  My hand rests on the doorknob as I stare numbly at the hostile vampires tainting my home. I don’t understand; how could they have gotten in? No one jumps to attack me so I set my keys on the shelf next to the door.

  The rotting fruit stench makes my eyes water and I have to quell my gag reflex. My feet stay cemented to the floor while quick calculations show there are too many to handle at once. Dmitri and Viktor blend in with the others quite well and it’s a reminder that we’re no longer at Hillbrook. Not that being there stopped them from trying to kill me, but it’s obvious now that they are with their own kind.

  “You were a difficult person to track,” a vampire snarks, her short hair matching her petite figure.

  “I guess I’m just an overachiever,” I reply smoothly, my eyes raking the faces until I see my mom and dad sitting on the couch. Struggling in vain to keep my breathing even, I can feel my nails elongating ever so slightly with every step I take toward my parents.

  “My Master wants a meeting with you.”

  “Isn’t that kind of archaic?” I ask, clocking the location of each vampire as I move deeper into dangerous ground. It will be harder to fight my way out. “I mean, do vampires even need a Master anymore? Feminism and all that?”

  Her face turns up in a sneer which is unfortunate because she looked better before. Some people get defensive when they’re scared, others shut down. I get snarky.

  “You should have just died that night,” Dmitri says quietly with a slight shake of his head. “It would have been much easier for you.”

  “So, your Master is planning to finish the job?” I question without looking at him.

  “No, Tess. No. I can guarantee that you will be around for a very, very long time.”

  My blood runs cold as I think of the implications from that statement. “Well I’m sure he’s a decent enough fellow for a vampire, but I have to decline. Too bad you travelled all this way.”

  “It isn’t a request.” The woman says coldly. My mother reaches out and gives my hand a squeeze, keeping a firm grip after. Normally special abilities are inherited, many times the gift being passed down from the parent. But my parents are normal. My family is normal. I’m the anomaly.

  If I get on a plane heading overseas, I will never come back.

  “Yet still I refuse.”

  “Why do you always make things difficult?” Viktor whispers, but with a household filled with highly sensitive hearing it isn’t a secret.

  “Rethink your willingness,” the woman threatens in a low voice, displaying the number one characteristic of a vampire. Wouldn’t it be difficult to speak with a couple of fangs the size of daggers in your mouth? I mean, it would be like talking with a tennis ball in your mouth.

  My mother’s hand is ripped from mine as the two vampires behind the couch abduct my parents, placing them out of reach. My poor mother looks like she is close to tears and my father has a stubborn set to his jaw he often gets when dealing with incompetence.

  I take a step forward before a hand snakes around my upper arm quick as lightning. “Uh uh uh,” the female vampire coos, finishing her sentence before I throw her through a window. “One step and we’ll rip out their throats. All you have to do is cooperate, and they’ll go free.”

  My eyes haven’t strayed from my parents who have gone pale with fear. My father’s eyes bore into mine with such intensity that it’s like I can read his thoughts, and what he is thinking is something I can never do. I can’t just walk away leaving them to die. My eyes burn with the idea of losing them. I haven’t seen my parents in person before this trip for over two years. I won’t lose them.

  A small nod of defeat has two vampires surge forward with restraints, pinning my arms behind my back. My mother breaks out in a sob that rips through my heart as cool shackles slide around my wrists. Their lives for mine seems like a good trade. It’s not as if a better option has presented itself.

  My father pushes against the vampire keeping him in place, struggling to break free as he shouts curses loud enough that the neighbors will hear. Ben and his family live next door, even if that door is nearly a quarter mile away.

  “Dad,” I choke out, praying for him to stay calm. Thrashing against someone who can kill you with their bare hands is not the best plan. “It’ll be okay.”

  “What a lovely sentiment,” the female sighs, running a manicured nail down my cheek as she looks at my parents. “There is the little matter of last night’s activities. A fair number of my people were mowed down like animals. But what can be done about it? I have an idea; after all, fair is fair. Kill them.”

  Time slows to crawl as I watch my parents register the words right before the vampires snap their necks, then everything goes dark.

  ***

  Opening my eyes is difficult, the lids so heavy it’s painful to try. A soft pressure is placed on my back and it takes a moment to register it is a blanket, but the pressure feels too much.

  “Tess, Tess honey, wake up.”

  My brain strains against the sound that brashly rings in my ears, the metallic noise too loud. A groan escapes my lips and I feel a hand rub my back, the contact feeling like spikes stabbing where the hand touches.

  Sucking in air and blowing it out slowly helps control the pain until it fades to just a hand stroking my back. My eyelids aren’t so heavy and I crack them open. Something dark blocks the bright light from fully hitting my eyes, and I angle my head to see Eliza crouched on the ground next to me caressing my back.

  “That’s it,” she soothes, readjusting the blanket. The downy material rubs oddly against my skin and when I try to sit up, I realize why. My clothes are gone.

  “Where . . .” Anything else I may have said dies on my lips when I see the carnage strewn across the living room, no spot spared. I try not to look directly at any one thing laying on the carpeted flooring since dismembered body parts aren’t my thing, but it’s hard to ignore all the red.

  That’s when I see a light blue slipper with faux fur lining the top. I know whose foot that belongs to. Eliza follows my line of sight. “Oh, Tess, I’m so sorry.” The hole that was punched through my chest reemerges with a vengeance and I think I’m going to throw up.

  A masculine slipper rests next to the blue one and I remember with perfect clarity what happened to them. That life-altering snap a sound that will forever remain with me as the worst noise of my life. But I don’t remember what happened after. Continuing my deep breathing to keep from losing it, my eyes flicker across the room trying to piece together a theory.

  “Let’s get you upstairs,” Eliza encourages, trying to block the worst of the carnage from view. Accepting help off the floor, I wrap the blanket more securely around myself. Eliza nudges me toward the stairs before stopping by the front door, her voice low as she speaks to someone outside.

  The first step up the staircase is hard, and I keep thinking it will get easier, but it doesn’t. Framed photos line the walls. Each one screams at me for vengeance, for remembrance. The people in these pictures can’t be the same. They’re happy, celebrating, enjoying life. The ones downstairs are motionless.

  Dazed, I walk into my perfectly preserved room. A homage to their daughter who was lost. At least it will be easy to find what I need.

  Eliza knocks lightly at the door as I’m slipping on my final sock. “We’re going to go to Ben’s,” she announces delicately, as if speaking too loudly will shatter whatever small tether I have on reality.

  “I don’t . . . I don’t remember what happened after . . . after.” My voice sounds hollow even to my own ears.

  Bravely crossing the room with determination imprinted all over her face, she takes my hands in hers. “Everything will be alright.” The surety in her voice is a nice gesture, but it doesn’t make me feel bette
r. “So you don’t remember anything? At all?”

  I shake my head and she lets out a gust of air. “Oh boy. Good thing you’re sitting down because this is going to be a shocking bit of news.”

  Later at Ben’s I lie in bed with both my friends sandwiched around me, holding me together while the Twins rest against my feet. My tears stopped hours before so only the dry sobs remain. My eyes are puffy and swollen, making it difficult to see the trees shadows dancing across the ceiling.

  I killed a fair number of vampires. Not all since I didn’t see anything that resembled Dmitri or Viktor, but a good number. And if Eliza hadn’t seen the tail end of things, I wouldn’t have believed her even though the evidence was scattered across the floor. The only shifters that exist shift into wolves, like Leo, Caleb, and Parker. Shifters don’t change into giant panthers. But that is what Eliza saw.

  I’ve always been agile, my strength and speed increasing the older I get. I can see, hear, and smell incredibly well which has gotten me into trouble in the past, but I never dreamed it would culminate in a final act. Knowing how it was triggered, I would be happy never to shift again.

  A fresh wave of ache grows until my eyes burn from the prick of depleted tears. Ben grasps my hand and Eliza moves closer, making the sob not less terrible, but at least not so lonely. Dozing off sometime in the night, I wake to a beam of light streaking across my face. Eliza and Ben are gone, probably downstairs getting something to eat.

  Pushing myself up I rub at my eyes which still hurt from crying. Feel unrested, my body wants to go back to sleep but my mind knows that would never be possible. The hushed murmur of voices float from downstairs and I figure I should go down.

  My hand pauses on the railing when I hear two voices who should not be here.

  “Wait, how were vampires able to attend school during the day?”

  “They were our age,” Ben explains. “Not fully matured so they could stand the sun. I think they’re close to reaching maturity now.”