Hunting Season (Aurora Sky (26 page)

I shook my head. Of course, not. I wasn't heartless. The trouble was my heart had never been free to give.

“This happened before you and I met.”

“Francesco.” Dante's nose wrinkled as though he'd said a dirty word. “You don't belong with riffraff like him.”

I understood Dante was hurt, but this went beyond feelings. Like my mother, he was judging Fane on looks rather than merit.

“He offered to help both you and me leave the country.”

Dante's chest expanded, filling the thin space between us.

“I'm not going anywhere. Alaska is my home. The residents here need me, and I won't allow any vampire or agency to scare me off. Jared and Melcher are going down.”

With that, Dante took a big step backwards.

A moment ago, I had wanted out of the booth. Now I didn't want to step away until we were back on the same page. I also wanted to be beside Dante when he called his roommate to pass on a message to Noel.

His jaw clenched when he noticed me lingering.

“You can wait with Giselle and Tommy in the truck,” he said.

I frowned. “What about the message to Noel?”

What about being in this together?

“I'll handle it.”

I didn't move.

“I said I'd handle it.”

His words knifed me in the gut. What happened to my happy-go-lucky friend? My partner?

I couldn't force myself to love him. Despite this, I'd put Dante's rescue in front of everything else. Joss had been captured as a result.

“Do you have any idea what I went through to get you back?” I asked.

Dante stared at me, his gaze as smooth as glacial ice.

How could he stand there saying nothing? I couldn't help who I loved. Yet, despite that, I had done everything to get Dante back, including put my own life at risk. If I could go back in time, I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat. That's how much I cared about my partner, my friend.

“I was worried sick the whole time you were gone.”

Dante's nostrils flared. “I know the feeling.”

I took a step closer, hoping we could move past this and figure out what the hell we were going to do next.

Dante turned away, as though the sight of me was too painful.

“Please, Sky, just wait in the truck. I'll be right behind you.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but clamped it back shut as Dante's stiff back met my eye. Instead, I pivoted and walked away.

As I approached the truck, I considered walking past it—walking all the way back to Anchorage if I had to. I'd rather take my chances with Fane and Noel in the city. And yet, to do so would put their lives at further risk.

My feet slowed as I stormed up to the truck. Tommy stuck his nose against the glass of the backbench window.

A sense of calm purpose washed through me. This was no time to get emotional or act rash.

I glanced back at Dante, who stood inside the booth, back to the truck, phone cradled between his ear and neck.

For better or worse, we were in this together. Partners until the end.

Everything had changed since I last saw him.

Everything was about to change again.

We were no longer hunters. We'd become the hunted.

Coming Summer 2015

Whiteout

Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 5

 

Stay in the know. Sign up for a
Release Alert
.

 

 

Nikki Jefford is a third generation Alaskan, living in the Pacific Northwest. Books, travel, TV series, hiking, writing and motorcycle riding are her favorite escapes. She enjoys meeting people from all walks of life, from around the globe, and believes that the planet and all its inhabitants should be treated kindly.

Dying for more? If you would like to receive an email alert when Nikki's next book is released,
sign up here
. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

If you enjoyed Hunting Season, please recommend it to your urban fantasy reading friends.

Nikki's the author of:

The Spellbound Trilogy

Entangled (Spellbound #1)

Duplicity (Spellbound #2)

Enchantment (Spellbound #3)

Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter

Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 1)

Northern Bites (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 2)

Stakeout (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 2.5)

Evil Red (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 2.6)

Bad Blood (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 3)

Hunting Season (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 4)

Whiteout (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 5)

Say Hello!

Nikki posts updates, teasers and other fun things on her
blog
. She can also be found on
Facebook
,
Twitter
and
Pinterest
.

Ali Hymer and Janice Pia. Thank you, ladies, for going above and beyond in your beta reads. Thank you for reminding me to get back to the roots of the story and characters. Thank you for your continued, and incredible, support. I am grateful to you both!

S.M. Boyce. Thank you for taking me on as an exclusive client. I am so happy with your catches, suggestions, and copy edits. You know my voice so well and truly understand the characters and their motives.

Rachel Joyce. Thank you for your eagle eye during final edits. You are an absolute joy to work with every time!

Seb. Thank you for taking on all the tasks that would drive me bonkers, especially formatting and taxes. You bring me back to earth when my head gets away from me, and you are the first person to lift my spirits when they've been dragged through the mud. Meeting you is the best thing that ever happened to me. I love you so very much!

Aurora Sky readers. Writing began as a personal escape very early in my life. Having an audience has challenged me to create engaging characters and plots that surprise and delight. Thank you for being part of this journey. Your messages, reviews, and enthusiasm for the characters motivates me to craft a reading experience you'll continue to enjoy. I am ever grateful.

Thank you for joining Aurora Sky and the gang in their Far North adventures. If you haven't already, I hope you will check out the Spellbound Trilogy. Book One, Entangled, is FREE at all major online eBook retailers

True Love Never Dies

Meet Graylee Perez and her diabolical twin Charlene. Choose whether to root for bad boy Raj McKenna or troublemaker Adrian Montez. Catastrophe follows Gray wherever she goes. It isn't easy coming back from the dead, being duplicated, or tumbling headfirst into a love spell with her nemesis. She might be able to overcome magical mischief, but love is a powerful force that even death can't stop.

Darkness of Light is FREE and available at all major online book retailers.

Not wanting to be seen, I slipped behind the gym and immersed myself in the dark shadows. I slumped against the brick wall, struggling to keep my legs from giving out. I wanted to go home and crawl under my blankets and feel the security of my room. To know my stepfather, Mark, was there to shelter me. I longed for the days when I was little and Mark would keep me safe from the bad men and monsters. Somehow, I knew these incidents were not something Mark could protect me from.

As if on cue, a dark figure with piercing blue eyes slipped in and out of the shadows. I stiffened; the familiarity of them hit something deep in me.
No, not now!
I squeezed my lids shut.
It's not real. It's not real.
I chanted to myself.
This is really not a good time to be crazy.
I opened my eyes, and my gut twisted. The figure still stood there, its eyes locked onto mine, beckoning me. Then, they faded away.

For years I had been hearing voices and seeing things which shouldn't exist. But they weren't real. They couldn't be. It was only my mind showing me again I was one card short of a full house. I was about to turn and head back when I heard a low laugh bounce off the walls.

“Ember.” My name floated off the surfaces around me, and my stomach lurched as I tried to find the source of the whisper.

“Who's there?”

A chuckle swirled about as a blurry figure stepped from the deep shadows. Only his deep blue eyes were clear. He moved slowly toward me, his eyes clinched mine, making my chest tighten.

“
Cinaed
,”
he whispered, his voice low and rough. I didn't understand what he said, but strangely there was something familiar about the word and his beautiful voice—like it was from a dream. “At last.” He advanced through the darkness reaching my side quickly.

Fear cemented my feet to the ground. Even though he was right in front of me, my eyes couldn't seem to understand or make out his shape. It was like he didn't fully exist. I focused on the only steady part of him—his unreal blue eyes. Without a sound, he moved in closer, his gaze never leaving mine.

“I have been watching you for a long time,” he said. “You have grown into a beautiful woman.”

“W-Who a-are you-u?”

“The better question to ask yourself is who you are?” A slow smile spread over his lips. “You have to stop closing your mind to me.” His breath grazed my neck and caused my body to tingle. “You look so much like your mother.”

“H-How do you know my mother?” The question shot out of my mouth before I even realized it. His statement seemed strange as I knew I didn't look anything like my mother. I might have taken after her in personality, but looks-wise I had always assumed I took after my biological father.

My mom was petite, with a tiny, curvy frame, long, thick auburn hair, and sparkling brown eyes with orange flecks. I, on the other hand, was tall, about five feet nine and more athletic than curvy.

The only thing I did have was my mom's thick hair, but mine was jet black and layered past the middle of my back. Ever since I was born, my hair also had dark red streaks running through it. Everyone assumed I put the color there, and I let them believe it. I got tired of explaining it was some strange quirk in my genes.

It was my eyes, though, that drew the most attention—but never the kind I wanted. Not only were they large and prominent, but I was one of those rare people who had two different colored eyes. Mine weren't any ordinary colors either. One was a strange, bright yellow-greenish color which illuminated like a cat's eyes. The other one was pale blue-lavender, outlined with electric dark blue and purple. Both pretty—separately. Together on one face, they caused strange looks and comments.

How I loved the comments. As if I didn't know they were different colors. One of these days, I was going to respond with, “Oh, how embarrassing. Did I leave the house with my eyes not matching again?” With my pale skin, black hair with red streaks, my different-colored eyes, and my tall build, I could never blend in.

“I know many things about you.” His hazy frame moved in a little closer. “You are meant to be with me. You cannot fight who you truly are,
mo chuisle mo chroi
.” His voice was so beautiful I wanted to close my eyes and float away in it. “You are not like them, Ember. Your mind and heart know it. You simply have to accept it.” He studied me for a moment before he continued. “I am risking much by coming to you like this, but I had to see you tonight. You are becoming harder to hide from her. Soon, when you finally come into yourself, I will no longer be able to conceal you. I want you to be prepared.”

“Hide me from whom? What are you talking about?”

“Em?” Ryan's voice drifted from around the building. “Are you out here?”

I jerked my head in the direction of his voice. I could see Ryan's face popping past the corner of the gym. When I turned back, I was alone. My eyes frantically searched everywhere around me, wondering why and how the person, or whatever it was, had vanished into thin air. I inhaled deeply as fear and logic made my mind reel with shock.
Where did he go? Who was he?
What the hell happened?

Ryan came toward me. “There you are. Kennedy and I have been looking for you.”

Panic overwhelmed me. I drew in tiny gasps of air. I really was going crazy, wasn't I? This hallucination was way beyond having any reasonable explanation. I would be considered certifiable, and this time Mark wouldn't be able to stop it. My pulse hammered, and my body felt like it was on fire. The tingling sensation running over my skin remained, telling me I hadn't dreamed up the strange figure—unless my imagination was that good.