In fact, she looked like the only thing she was in the mood to appreciate was ripping out his throat with her pearly white fangs.
A treacherous heat raced through his body.
He told himself it was a predictable reaction.
She was stunning, even if she was a leech.
Tall and athletically slender, she was a mixture of races that combined into an exotic beauty.
Glossy black hair that spoke of the Far East was contained in a tight braid and hung down her back. The Asian influence was echoed in her faintly slanted eyes, although they were a dark shade of blue that revealed a European heritage. Her skin was as pale as alabaster and so perfectly smooth that he ached to brush his fingers over it. From head to toe.
Add in the black spandex that clung to her slender curves and the sawed-off shotgun that he’d been smart enough to take off her long before they’d stepped through the portal, and she was a custom-made fantasy.
Hunter.
Lethal beauty.
Yep, there wasn’t a man alive (and several who were dead) who wouldn’t give his right nut to get between those long slender legs.
But, Ariyal hadn’t been able to completely forget that shocking awareness that had jolted to life during his brief incarceration at the hands of this female.
Hell, her merest touch had made him go up in flames.
And it pissed him off.
Unlike most of his brethren, he didn’t allow his passions to rule his life. He ruled his passions.
A grim reminder that didn’t do a damned thing to stop the heat that scorched through his body as her indigo gaze skimmed over his lean body he’d left bare except for a loose pair of dojo pants.
Bloody hell.
His gut tightened and his cock hardened. From a mere glance.
What the hell would happen if he spread her across the nearby bed and …
The vampire stiffened, no doubt sensing his explosive desire. Then, with a visible effort, she narrowed those magnificent eyes and wrapped herself in a frigid composure.
“You.” The word was coated in ice.
“Me.”
She stood proudly, acting as if she didn’t notice she was currently chained to the wall.
“Why did you kidnap me?”
He shrugged, not about to admit the truth.
He didn’t have a goddamned clue why he’d grabbed hold of her as he escaped through the portal that had brought them from the frozen caves of Siberia to this hidden island. He only knew his reaction to the female was dark and primal and dangerously possessive.
“You held me captive,” he instead drawled. “Fair is fair.”
“As if a bastard like you would know the meaning of fair.”
His smile held no apology. “Haven’t you heard the old saying that ‘all’s fair in love and war?'” He allowed his gaze to lower to the enticing curve of her breasts, heat searing through him at her revealing shiver. “We could no doubt add a few more activities to the list.”
“Release me.”
“What’s wrong, pet? Are you afraid I intend to have my evil way with you?” He deliberately paused. “Or hopeful?”
“You at least got the evil part right.”
He stepped close enough to be teased by her seductive musk that was at such odds with her image of a cold, ruthless hunter.
But then, everything about this female was … complex.
“You know, there’s no reason for the two of us to be enemies.”
“Nothing beyond the fact that I was hired by the Oracles to capture you.” Her smile was frigid. “Oh and yeah, your psycho attempts to kill two helpless children.”
“Helpless?” Frustration flared through him. “Those abominations are the vessels of the Dark Lord and if
Tearloch manages to use the child to resurrect the Master then you can blame yourself for unleashing hell.”
She ignored his warning. Just as she’d ignored it in the Siberian cave when he’d done his best to put an end to the danger.
He’d been prepared to do what was necessary, but because of the damned vampires, one of the babies had been stolen by his clan brother, Tearloch, along with the mage. Now he had to pray he could track them down before they could resurrect the Dark Lord and rip open the veils that held back the hordes of hell.
“I’m not being paid to save the world. I’m being paid to hand your ass over to the Commission.”
Ariyal frowned at the unwelcomed reminder.
The Commission was a collection of Oracles who were the big cheeses of the demon world. It was always bad news when they decided you were worthy of their notice.