Page 84 of Bloodhunter

“Enjoy it while you can, honey,” said a chunky, middle agedhuman sitting across the aisle. “It doesn’t last. I used to be almost as skinnyas you, once upon a time.” Her gaze touched upon my chopped, uneven hair and myscars and she pursed her lips. “Or…are you sick, sweetie?”

The two women sitting with her leaned forward to get a lookat me, and suddenly, it was like I had the attention of everyone in the place.

Two young women behind me giggled. “Ouch,” one of themmurmured.

Embarrassed, I lifted my hand to self-consciously cover thescars on my face, but Shane leaned across the table and grabbed my wrist.Gently, he pushed my hand back down to the table.

“Fuck no,” he said.

Derry hurried toward me. “You okay, Trin?”

“I’m fine.” And I was. “But Shane needs a really bigsandwich. My treat.”

Derry peered at him. “You want to order, Mr. Copas?”

“No.” He didn’t look away from me.

I was caught for a moment in the deep mystery of his eyes,in the gruffness of his voice. And I was caught also in the memory of his body,of the way his smooth flesh had felt beneath my fingertips, the way his skinhad tasted, the way his lips had moved against mine. The way he’d grabbed myhips and shoved himself inside me, the way he’d scraped his teeth against theside of my neck, the way he’d hoarsely whispered my name when he’d orgasmed.

I drew a ragged breath, and when the look in his eyes wentfrom slightly blank to knowing and hot, I jumped up from my seat, gave thesurprised Derry a quick hug, then told Shane I’d meet him in a couple of hours.“We need to get Gray tonight,” I said.

It wouldn’t be full dark yet, but by the time we reached thewoods, dark wouldn’t be long in coming.

I climbed into my car. The evening air was fresh and cold,but I didn’t bother with my heater. I needed the cold air to cool the heat inmy cheeks. I squirmed in my seat. And not just the heat in my face.

The Thanksgiving Day Massacre memories weren’t the onlythings I’d suppressed. I’d had sex once in six years—an unsatisfying andjuvenile fumbling in the living room of my date’s house. I’d closed down myphysical needs because I hadn’t felt like I’d deserved the pleasure. I hadn’teven realized that fact at the time.

But now, those urges were rising up and taking over, and if Iwere being honest with myself, I liked it. I liked it a lot.

I was healing. There’d been times when I wasn’t sure I everwould.

I clutched the steering wheel, closed my eyes, and conjuredan image of Amias Sato’s face. I found the cold lump of familiar, waitinghatred, and I watched it begin to warm, to send rising tendrils of rage into mymind, my heart.

Deliberately and methodically, I forced the rage to soften.It would always be there. I’d always hate Amias Sato. But it would not take meover. It would not own me.

Not anymore.

I started the car and drove to Angus’s house to prepare forthe night of hunting ahead, and when the excitement came, I welcomed it. I wasa bloodthirsty hunter filled with not only cold death, but hot desire.

I could live with that.

Part Three

Chapter Thirty

Shane and I crept through the woods unchallenged, and Ibegan to think Clayton’s prediction about the vampires leaving me alone wasgoing to happen a lot sooner than he’d thought.

“Anything yet?” Shane asked.

I lifted my nose to the air. “No.”

There was an awkwardness between us that hadn’t been therebefore we’d had sex. He remained quiet and slightly grumpy as always, though,so probably it wasn’t on his mind the way it was on mine. It loomed in thebackground, the sex, and the possibility that it could happen again.

Oh, that possibility.

I’d tossed the box of condoms into my nightstand, but notbefore taking a couple of them out and slipping them into my pocket. I didn’twant a baby or an STD. Not that supernaturals could carry human diseases, butthere was Shane, who was human and apparently very fuckable, and what did Ireally know about him?

So I slipped a couple of condoms into my pocket along withthe holy water and an extra silver crucifix.