Blood Captive: A Paranormal Vampire Romance (Vampire Huntress Chronicles Book 2) Read online

  Blood Captive

  Vampire Huntress Chronicles book 2

  Jessica Wayne

  To Heather R., Bam, Meg, Melissa, Amber M., and Heather H.

  You guys are my favorite bitches.

  Blood Captive

  Vampire Huntress Chronicles, book 2

  by Jessica Wayne

  Copyright © 2020. All rights reserved.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, businesses and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places, or actual events is entirely coincidental.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Edited by Dawn

  Proofread by Dominique Laura

  Cover Design by Bewitching Covers by Rebecca Frank

  Contents

  The First Witch

  1. Rainey

  2. Rainey

  3. Elijah

  4. Rainey

  5. Rainey

  6. Heather

  7. Elijah

  8. Rainey

  9. Elijah

  10. Rainey

  11. Elijah

  12. Heather

  13. Rainey

  14. Rainey

  15. Elijah

  16. Heather

  17. Rainey

  18. Rainey

  19. Elijah

  20. Rainey

  21. Elijah

  22. Rainey

  23. Rainey

  24. Elijah

  25. Rainey

  26. Elijah

  27. Rainey

  28. Elijah

  29. Rainey

  30. Elijah

  31. Rainey

  32. Heather

  33. Rainey

  34. Elijah

  Also By Jessica Wayne

  About the Author

  Contemporary Romance by J.W. Ashley

  The First Witch

  There once lived a woman who loved a man with everything she had.

  He was her sun, her moon, the very stars in her eyes, and she was happy—her heart full.

  Until one morning when he tossed her aside for another, driving her away from the place she’d grown up—away from those she’d once loved.

  Distraught, she raced deep into the woods of Ireland, desperate to lose herself to the wilderness because with her death would come peace.

  Four days she starved herself of food and drink, and soon, a beautiful woman appeared before her—a fae princess.

  This creature promised her vengeance on those who’d hurt her, and after four days of misery—death was no longer on the woman’s mind. Retribution was now her only lover, the only thing she wished for.

  But the fae’s gift was not without a price.

  In exchange for power unlike any other who walked within the mortal realm, the woman sold her soul to the ancient being.

  And with this exchange, the first witch came into existence.

  For a time, it soothed her broken heart, and years passed in solace brought her peace.

  But not long after, the seeds of her evil barter began to take root. The warm sun no longer brought her joy.

  The moon no longer gave her peace.

  The stars no longer offered anything but a realization that night had once again fallen over the world.

  This witch was losing everything that made her human.

  And soon, she felt nothing.

  Desperate to regain even a shred of what she lost, the witch used her power to craft a potion that would grant her human lover immortality.

  But from evil, love cannot grow.

  His attention began to wane, a bloodlust forming that made him yearn for only the crimson drops found within the veins of humans.

  With this bloodlust, the first vampire was created.

  Angry, for she’d once again been left for another, the woman crafted a second potion. This one would not come with the same bloodlust but rather give her new lover strength, power, abilities beyond that of a human.

  Abilities that would make him the first hunter.

  He used this new power to track and kill the first vampire, erasing him from the world. But still, it wasn’t enough.

  Fearing she might lose another lover to the potent magic, the witch created a third and final potion. Using it, she brought into existence another species—the shifters—who her hunter could track and kill for all of eternity.

  And for a time, they were happy.

  But all things must come to an end.

  1

  Rainey

  Invisible fingers wrap around my ankles, nails clawing at me, dragging me down toward the footboard of my bed. “Elijah!” I thrash against the hold, screaming until my lungs burn. “Elijah!” I grasp at the covers, attempting to maintain my grip.

  I call Elijah’s name until my voice cracks beneath the weight of my cries. But all the while, despite my struggle, he does not wake.

  I kick, freeing one leg only to have more hands gripping it as, the entire time, the other me stands at the foot of my bed, right beside an ever-changing void that I know without a doubt, will swallow me whole should I lose my grip.

  Three black crows sit atop my dresser, watching right along with her.

  Waiting.

  For what? I have no fucking clue.

  But there’s no way in hell I’m going out this way. Give me a blade, a gun, a grenade, I don’t fucking care. But death by invisible hands in my own bedroom? No fucking way.

  They yank again, ripping me over the top of my footboard while my fingers clutch the wood like a lifeline. Which, I suppose in this case, it is. Black swirls behind me, and I kick again, spinning my body around so I can see her—me—standing near my closet now. She grins, a sinister smile that chills every bone in my body. Then, her attention shifts to something beside me, and the smile vanishes, replaced by a hatred so palpable I can feel it in the air around me.

  “If it weren’t for him, you’d be with us already.” Her voice is layered with others, making it impossible to narrow down to one tone. Then, her tight-lipped rage is replaced with a smug smile. “We won’t fret though, Rainey, for the time will come when you will call upon us. And when you do—you will wish you had done it sooner.”

  She vanishes, and I fall to the floor, thumping hard onto the carpet. My heart hammers, slamming into my breast with the force of a heavy drum. I scan the room, searching—but for what? I push to my feet, the memory of what happened blurring more and more each passing second. How the hell did I get on the floor?

  “Rainey?” Elijah’s sleep-addled voice turns panicked in an instant, and the room illuminates with the light of my lamp.

  “Rainey? What the hell? Are you okay?” In a flash of movement, he’s out of bed and standing in front of me.

  I turn to him, still uneasy, though I have no idea why. Seeing his concern, I smile. “I’m fine. Exhausted after last night.” Heat rushes my cheeks. “I guess I must have rolled out of bed.” No! A voice inside me screams, but I shake off remnants of what I’m assuming must have been one hell of a nightmare.

  He inhales deeply, his pupils dilating in the dim light. “I smell blood.”

  “Blood?” Turning away from him, I cross the room and turn on the light switch. Elijah’s gaze drifts over my naked body. “What the he
ll happened?” he demands, crossing the room and falling to his knees in front of me.

  “I don’t know what you—” I trail off as his fingers reach forward and gently brush my ankles. They’re covered in long scratches, deep enough to send droplets of blood trailing down my legs. Fear settles in the pit of my stomach, an emotion I can’t explain since I’ve been lying here in bed with him—perfectly safe.

  “What happened? Where did these come from?”

  “I don’t know,” I tell him honestly. “Maybe when I fell?”

  “Rainey, these are not something you would have gotten from the carpet.” I plant a hand on his shoulder as he carefully lifts one of my legs to examine it.

  “Hey, you aren’t trying to eat me,” I attempt to joke, and Elijah glares up at me.

  “I’m managing.” His words are tight, and I take in the strain clear in the set of his jaw, the way the black of his pupils nearly obliterates the electric blue of his eyes.

  “Let me go get cleaned up,” I offer, pulling my ankle from his grasp and turning toward the bathroom. As soon as I’m inside, I shut the door softly and grab a washcloth. I touch it to my healing skin, grateful that my accelerated hunter healing abilities are already kicking in.

  The rest of the cleanup doesn’t take long, and when I get back out into my bedroom, Elijah is waiting for me, sitting on the edge of the bed, his naked body a delicious sight in the light. After turning off the overhead light, bathing us both in the soft glow of my bedside lamp, I walk toward him, stopping when his large palms grip my bare waist.

  “You sure you’re okay?” His tone is unsure, curious, and above all—nervous. With the blood cleaned up, his gaze is once again bright blue as he searches my face for any indication that something’s off. Smiling, I bend down and press a gentle kiss to his lips.

  If you would have told me even two weeks ago that I’d be sharing my bed with a vampire, I would have laughed at you. And to be honest, I probably would have taken off your head for fear your insanity was contagious.

  But now? After everything that’s happened? I couldn’t imagine my life without him. Even if my feelings for him developed at an unnatural speed.

  When Doloris attacked us back in Salem last night and I was nearly killed, Elijah stayed by my side. Going up against over a dozen shifters and risking himself to rescue me. He whisked me back to Billings—back home. While I may have had my doubts about his motives in the beginning—they’ve never been clearer than they are now.

  He has my back, and I have his.

  “I’m fine.” I run my hand over the short beard coating his strong jaw. Then slide up to touch the soft strands of his shoulder-length hair. “Though I am a little cold.”

  “I can help with that.” A sly grin spreads over his face, and he pulls me closer, lying back onto the mattress and taking me with him. The gentle scrape of his beard against the skin of my neck sends a delicious shiver up my spine. I pull back just enough to trail my tongue over his collarbone, eliciting a shiver that travels over his body. He growls low and deep in his throat, and the warmth already spreading through my body intensifies, every cell reacting to him as though he were made for me and I for him.

  He rolls us over, pinning me beneath his hard body, settling between my legs. His hands grip my waist, rough palms sliding up my body as he moves slowly, trailing lips and tongue over my skin.

  One hand grips my breast, rolling my pebbled nipple between his thumb and finger. I tremble beneath his touch, not a hunter but a woman desperate for a man. “Elijah,” his name is a breathless whisper, a plea. An order to never fucking stop.

  He pulls my other nipple into his mouth, sucking, tasting, gently tugging it between his lips, working me into a near frenzy.

  I bury my hands in his hair, pulling him up toward me. The dark silky strands fall loose around my face, and I open beneath him, groaning against his mouth as I wrap my legs around his waist and urge him toward my center.

  But before he’s inside of me, I drop my legs, hooking them around his and rolling so I’m on top. He grins up at me, a sexy smile that would have turned me to putty in his hands if I weren’t already.

  Elijah’s hands grip my thighs, fingers kneading the muscles as he stares up at me. “I think I could get used to this view,” he says, his voice little more than a deep growl.

  “Good.” I reach beneath me and grip him, all the while keeping my gaze on his. I squeeze gently, running his dick over where I ache for him, the friction teasing us both. His eyes close, and he groans, the deep rumble reverberating through me. Unable to take much more, I raise slightly and lower onto him, crying out as he fills me completely.

  His hands tighten on my thighs, and he opens his eyes to stare up at me. I splay my palms on top of his chest, feeling the thundering of his heart—a predator’s heart—beneath my right hand.

  “You are so fucking perfect,” he tells me, and the words hit me with another wave of desire.

  Of need.

  I start to move, grinding on him, driving us both up to the edge of insanity.

  Outside, we may be two monsters destined to kill each other.

  But here, in this room, in my bed, we’re not enemies.

  There’s no threat against us.

  No, tonight, we’re just Rainey and Elijah.

  I only wish it could stay this way.

  Sunlight streams in through the windows, the bright light rousing me from the most restful sleep I think I’ve ever had.

  I reach for Elijah but only find sheets where he’d been lying beside me all night. At least, the times we slept, anyway. Unable to keep the smile off my face, I stretch, my sore muscles feeling slightly better as I arch my back up and press my arms to the headboard.

  I won’t call what we did last night making love—that’s sweet but far too tame a word for what took place between us.

  And damn if it wasn’t the best sexual experience I’ve ever had. Hell, I’ll call it a sexual awakening. Elijah’s talented touch aroused me beyond what I believed was even possible.

  Dropping both arms at my sides, I stare up at the ceiling, still unable to wipe the grin from my face despite what I know we’re going to confront the moment we step outside these walls.

  Hell, we may face them in here if the ones who want me dead are still lurking around. And with my luck? I’m sure they are.

  Closing my eyes, I listen for Elijah. I can hear him in the kitchen, and from the sounds of it, he’s prepping coffee. My brain screams for a caffeine fix, so rather than wait for him to come to me, I grasp the sheet around my body and stand, walking to the cracked door and pulling it open all the way.

  “This is something I never thought I’d see,” I say, leaning against the wall just inside the hall. “A half-naked vampire making coffee in my apartment.”

  Elijah grins at me over his shoulder. “Get used to it.” He’s pulled his hair back at the nape of his neck, securing it with a dark brown hairband I’m guessing he pilfered from my stash since we left all of our travel belongings back in Salem.

  The ink covering his back and both arms is on full display in the early morning sun sneaking in through the sheer curtains covering my balcony door. He sticks a mug beneath the drip spout and presses a button before turning to me, the muscles in his torso so damn lickable they make my mouth water.

  “How’d you sleep?”

  “Pretty damn well,” I reply easily, surprised at the truth in my words. It’s been a long time since I slept that soundly, crazy wakeup on the floor included.

  A crease forms between his brows. “Any more injuries you cannot explain?”

  I lift the bedsheet to show him my ankles, which are now completely healed, no evidence of the weird-ass nightmare scratches remaining. “Nope.” I move further into my kitchen, feeling a darkness weighing on me as I remember for the second time since waking that it is morning. As much as I’d rather stay inside all day and have last night’s playlist on repeat, today we’ll have to face what happened in Salem
less than twenty-four hours ago.

  My gaze lands on the wooden box perched on my counter. I wish we could ignore it, brush it away under the rug and pretend it never happened, but we can’t.

  “You do realize what they will do to us if anyone finds out, right?” I ask, and Elijah’s eyes darken, all humor vanishing from his face.

  “I won’t let them touch you,” he promises.

  “While I appreciate your alpha male protection, it’s not just me we need to worry about. You and I are both targets, and I have no intention of ever letting anyone get to you either.” I will kill for this vampire. And that realization hits me hard, a punch to the gut.

  A smile tugs at the corner of his lips as he looks me over appreciatively. “Then, I suppose we will guard each other’s backs,” he says, retrieving my full coffee mug and handing it to me. When I take the mug, our fingers brush, the brief contact warming me.

  Apparently, one night of sex is not enough to dull my body’s reaction—my blood’s reaction. It calls to him from my veins, pumping faster whenever he’s near as if it’s responding to the vampire of its own volition. Almost as though my blood craves him as much as he yearns for it.

  He swallows hard, eyes darkening. “You feel it too.” It’s not a question.

  I nod. “What is it?”

  Something crosses his face—a knowing that briefly passes through his eyes. “I’m not sure. But the pull,” he says, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply. “It’s stronger now.”