Chapter 15

“If one of us forces a vampire to show his or her fangs, we can terminate them,” one of the five hunter rabble-rousers said, which so irritated Jacqueline, mainly because she was afraid it could be true.

“Who are these hunters? Do you know them?” Jacqueline asked Dane.

“Yeah. Friends of Gregory Devine, a hunter who wanted to marry Rachael until Adonis fell in love with her and she wanted Adonis to turn her. Gregory attempted to kill Adonis. Gregory was banned from here, but then he helped Adonis and his family to eliminate the rogue vampire threat to the rest of his family in Florida, where he made some amends. Still, some of Gregory’s friends are still here and itching to cause trouble,” Dane said.

“Why weren’t they banished also?” she asked.

“They hadn’t done anything like Gregory had with trying to kill Adonis. The other hunters that had stood by Gregory, left with him, looking for places that they could still work as hunters and ended up in Florida. They didn’t realize they would end up fighting for Adonis and his family at first. But a few of Gregory’s friends, who had kept their noses clean until now, stayed behind.”

“Hmm. It appears that they still feel like Gregory had felt about hunters who have been turned,” Jacqueline said.

“Yeah. Sore heads. I would like to see how they would feel if they were in our situation.”

Then one of the hunters rose from his chair and started across the dance floor with a beer bottle in his hand. Immediately, Van jumped out of his chair at the table he was sitting with Lettie and Michael released Danai while dancing with her as they both headed for the beer bottle wielding hunter.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll return to your seat with your friends or even better, you should leave before you get hurt,” Michael said, his voice dark with threat.

“Or what?” the guy said.

“Or we’ll make you,” Van said, to Jacqueline’s surprise. His voice was hard and brooked no argument.

She couldn’t believe her ex would get behind hunters who were friends of the hunters who had been turned. Maybe he was feeling badly about what had happened to her and he’d felt guilty about not showing some compassion after what had happened. She hadn’t been turned on purpose and what if it had happened to him? She would have been there for him, and she would have immediately gone after the vampire who had turned him. He might be rethinking his actions regarding her. But it was a little too late for that.

Then the guy’s friends came up to join him, all wielding bottles. Not good. The hunters weren’t allowed to wear their swords in the club, because alcohol and deadly fights could erupt. So Jacqueline figured they were planning on using the beer bottles in the fight, which could have dangerous and even deadly consequences.

Then to everyone’s surprise, a couple of big club bouncers, both hunters who were at least six-five and brawny, wearing tank tops to show off their muscles, stalked onto the dance floor and the music finally stopped, all the dancers turning to observe the unfolding drama.

“Okay, you five, set your bottles down on your table and leave, now. If we have any further trouble with you, you’ll be banned from the club for a month—longer, if necessary,” the one bouncer said.

“You can’t take all of us,” the one guy said, shaking his bottle at him.

“Yeah,” one of his friends said.

Not a good idea. The guys definitely had too much to drink. They had probably been drinking before they had even arrived at this club.

That’s when several other hunters, including Van, came to the dance floor to help mediate the situation. Between the bodyguards and their other “volunteer” help, they removed the beer bottles from the five men and then escorted them outside.

The five belligerent men were forced out, throwing punches, cursing the bouncers and everyone who had assisted them. The bouncers gave them a three-month ban from the club.

Dane said to Van, “Thanks, man.”

Van glanced at Jacqueline. “Sorry.”

She shrugged. “It wouldn’t have worked out after I was turned, so no hard feelings.”

“It doesn’t excuse the way I deserted you, that I didn’t go after the rogue vampire who had turned you, or…” Van glanced back at Lettie, still sitting at their table. He didn’t say anything more, the look he’d given Jacqueline’s bestie told Jacqueline all she needed to “hear.”

Jacqueline realized Van hadn’t danced with Lettie once tonight, but Lettie loved to dance, so did he. So what was up with that? Jacqueline had been halfway watching to see if they would approach the dance floor, curious if they would dance together as well as she did with Dane. She had hoped they wouldn’t have a confrontation. That was before Van apologized to her, which she still couldn’t believe.

“No problem,” Jacqueline said to Van, not sure what else to say. She was so unprepared for his comment.

“Okay, thanks for understanding.” Van looked like he wanted to take a step forward, the way he was leaning in that direction, and his gaze shifted to focus on her lips as if he wanted to kiss her even.

But then Dane moved in that direction, possessively, and she didn’t want him to extend his fangs to get Van to back off. Van immediately got the point though, inclined his head to the both of them, then turned and headed back to his table.

The dance music began again, and Dane leaned down and kissed her in his very seductive way. “Do you want to dance further, or do you want to leave?

She smiled up at him and kissed his mouth, amused that he was trying to convince her that she should leave with him and do more of this—privately. But she loved being with him like this too. “More dancing.” She wanted to dance with him until the club closed. They might not have another chance like this with a bunch of hunters who would be there with them if they needed them.

Adonis telepathically said to the group, “When we go, we leave here together just in case we have trouble outside of the club.”

“Absolutely,” Dane said.

Then they continued to dance with each other like they were the only ones there for each other, loving the music that thrummed through them, the way they pressed their bodies hotly together, the feel of his hardness—she was definitely making love to him tonight—the way he kissed her, and their fangs extended, and they shared the touching experience in a hot and sexy way. Being with Dane was just magical. She wanted to hold him like this forever. Everything about him made her heart beat in an excited way. This was her fairy tale. The best feeling ever. Dancing would never be as good with anyone else. When she was with him, they were synced.

Was that why Van had wanted to apologize? That he realized what he had lost in giving her up? And what she’d gained in having Dane in her life? She wondered if Van had thought she would have been just pining away at home without him in her life any longer, and then realized now that he was easily replaced. Too bad.

Then she saw Van and Lettie get up and leave the club with their friends. Wow.

Dane kissed Jacqueline’s ear. “Looks like he still has some feelings for you.”

“Yeah, but it would never have worked out between us. Once I met you, I realized even if we had all still been hunters, he didn’t have what it takes to make me feel like you do. I believe he could see that. So it kind of hurts his ego.”

Dane chuckled. “Good, because he doesn’t deserve you.”

“Neither does your ex deserve you.”

“Yeah, you can’t believe how shocked I am that she’s here with Moose,” Dane said.

“They haven’t danced once together.”

“I didn’t dance like this with her, to tell you the truth.”

“Oh, me either with Van.” She rubbed against Dane to make her point, eliciting a groan from him.

He gave her a sinister smile. “You will pay for that.”

“I can’t wait.”

When it was late and nearly time to close the club, the friends all gathered together to leave. Dane’s ex and Moose had left a couple of hours earlier too. She realized, maybe when she had only eyes for Dane, her brother and his girlfriend had left the club too.

Then the friends all exited the club together to ensure no one was waiting in the parking lot to give them grief. The rabble-rousing hunters who had been kicked out had left the area, thankfully.

“We’ll have to do this again,” Adonis said, “though it might be much later. We’re visiting with the Bremertons, but we will be returning to Florida to run the hunter group out there in about two weeks.”

“That’s understandable,” Dane said. “After what happened the last time with rogue vampires taking over your hunter territory when you left, I don’t blame you.”

“Michael and I will be returning to Florida also,” Danai said, “but Zachary and Pasha are hanging around here to help out his father and uncles.”

“With visits back home to Florida a few times a year,” Pasha said, “to see my family. We didn’t want to have all of us abandoning the Bremertons.”

“We will be swapping out too,” Danai said. “Michael and I need to spend time in both places.”

“The same with us,” Adonis said.

That made it hard, Jacqueline was thinking. Three of the Bremertons had mated with three of the Cameron family and their homes were so far apart. If she and Dane ended up mating, at least both their families were here. That was only important if her parents and her brother came around to accepting her. Otherwise, she was glad to be around Dane’s brothers.

Jacqueline had hoped they would have more time to practice telepathically communicating with all the Bremertons. Still, they had their therapy group members—Anne and Stacey—to also talk to. And maybe more if some others showed up at the meeting.

“It was great meeting you ladies,” Tobias and his brothers said.

Everyone else who had just met them said the same.

“Thanks, it was nice meeting all of you,” Jacqueline said.

“I’ll see you at our group meeting in a few days,” Stacey said to Dane and Jacqueline. “I don’t have anyone on my list to hunt, and I’m not looking for any for a while. I have enough money saved and I think I need a break.”

“I feel the same way. See you there,” Jacqueline said, thinking how much she had changed with the way she viewed going to the meetings. Instead of resenting them, Jacqueline was actually looking forward to them now and even meeting other hunters like them, especially since she would be going with Dane.

Stacey left, and Matt said to Dane, “You know, you said we would all be able to dance with Jacqueline. But you never once gave any indication that you were okay with any of us dancing with her once you took her to the floor.”

Dane smiled.

Jacqueline laughed. “Yeah, did you see Van approach me? Dane gave him a growly look that made Van take a step back.”

Trey said, “We knew that would happen, despite Dane saying he was fine with you dancing with us.”

Ryan agreed. “We didn’t even bother taking bets on it. Unless you had come and asked one of us to dance, Dane wasn’t going along with it.”

“I noticed. But none of you approached us either on the dance floor to cut in,” she said.

The brothers laughed.

“We didn’t want him to show off his fangs to us and get himself in trouble,” Matt said. “He still doesn’t have perfect control over them.”

Both Jacqueline and Dane chuckled. She actually loved that he was showing how possessive he could be with her. Van had never demonstrated those feelings toward her, and she had always wondered if there was something wrong with their relationship because of it.

Then everyone said their good nights, got into their vehicles, and headed out.

“If you had wanted to dance with my brothers—” Dane said, driving in the direction of his house so he could grab a bag.

“After the way you were dancing with me? No way. If you hadn’t been such a suave dancer, then maybe.”

He smiled and parked in his garage. “You wouldn’t have wanted to dance with anyone else even if I hadn’t been such a suave dancer.”

“You know, you’re right.”

* * *

Dane kissed Jacqueline,then said, “I’ll be right back.” He vanished and reappeared in his bedroom and threw a change of clothes and his toiletry kit into it. Then in no time at all, he reappeared in the car, startling her.

“That was quick.”

“Yeah,” he said, “that’s one of my favorite tricks as a vampire. Using all that speed to get things done.” But when it came to making love to her, he was much more for slowing things down.

When they finally reached her place, he parked in her garage, grabbed his bag, and he and Jacqueline headed inside. Princess greeted them and they both petted her. Despite having an important mission at hand, they had to show Jacqueline’s cat some affection too as she purred away with content.

Then with his bag strap over his shoulder, Dane swept Jacqueline up in his arms and vanished and reappeared in her bedroom, setting her down on the bed, and dumping his bag on the carpeted floor.

“Hmm, you’re getting good at teleporting yourself.”

“Yeah, it really can have its advantages.” He slipped her dressy pumps off her feet, rubbed the soles of her feet for a moment, and she purred like her cat.

Then he slid his hands up her legs underneath her long gown, her skin soft and warm and smooth. He reached the waistband of her panties and slid them down her legs and off, tossing them to the floor. Taking hold of her hand, he pulled her up from the bed, then turned her around so he could unfasten her dress in the back, kissing her bare shoulders, the fragrance of roses in her hair and on her skin making him take another deep breath. He pushed her silky, red hair aside, kissed her back and neck with passionate kisses, and listened to her heart beating wildly, just like it had when he’d been dancing with her. The same as his was beating out of bounds both then and now.

Then he helped her out of her teal gown and set it on one of the chairs in the bedroom. She turned around and started to unfasten his belt while he reached down to untie one of his dress shoes and dropped it on the floor. She was unzipping his dress trousers when he removed his other shoe. Afterwards, she pulled his pants down and he stepped out of them, but she quickly pressed a kiss on his cheek and then his throat before she proceeded. She put his trousers on top of her dress on the chair, while he reached behind her to unfasten her bra while she unbuttoned his shirt.

He licked her breastbone, and she licked his collarbone, tickling him, making him smile.

He slid her bra straps down her arms and once he dropped it, she pulled his shirt off his shoulders and tossed it on top of the chair. He cupped her breasts, enjoying the feel of the soft mounds in his hands, and she reached down and cupped his arousal. He would not be able to hold off and slowly seduce her when she did that. When he massaged her breasts, she did the same with his erection. He groaned. She smiled and slid his boxer briefs off, releasing him. He was beyond ready to make love to her.

* * *

Jacqueline tossedthe covers aside and climbed onto the bed, ready for Dane to make love to her. He didn’t make her wait any longer but quickly moved over her body like a sleek big cat and kissed her mouth with a passion that reached all the way to her toes. Their tongues stroked each other’s as he pressed his hard body against hers, and they rubbed their intimate parts together. Instantly, their fangs extended, and they enjoyed that part of them that was vampire now. Tongues touching, teasing their elongated canines. There was something hot and sexy about it that she couldn’t exactly describe.

“Hmm.” She licked his lips and then gently bit his lower lip and pulled it toward her, not breaking the skin, enjoying the moment.

With Dane, she felt everything was an adventure and dancing with him had just made their relationship so fiercely sexual. His mouth was hot and needy on hers again, deepening the kiss, hard and thorough. Then they were stroking each other’s tongues this time.

She felt his erection pulse while she rubbed her body against him and she breathed in his scent—spicy male, testosterone, pheromones going through the roof. She heard his heart beating hard, the blood rushing through his veins, just like she could hear hers beating just as wildly, like they were both running a marathon.

He moved his heavenly lips to feather kisses on her neck, then licked her, and mouthed her, as if getting ready to bite her. She often felt the urge when they were this intimate. He scraped his elongated teeth on her neck with a deliberate, sexy caress. And then she pulled his head to the side so she could do the same erotic thing to him. His erection jumped, his nipples fully erect, and he groaned. “Bite me.”

She wanted to. She really, really wanted to. It wasn’t a case of needing his blood, it was just part of their vampire experience—part of who they were now, and part of their new sexual need. But she was afraid to hurt him.

He rubbed her arm with a reassuring touch. “You can do it. Vampires and blood bonds do it all the time and they get extreme pleasure from it. I want you to do it.”

She licked her lips, kissed his mouth, and then turned her head to nuzzle his neck again. Her teeth itched to cut into him. “Okay.” Then she dipped her teeth into his neck, but that wasn’t enough. She realized she had to taste his blood. It wasn’t a matter of want. It was a desire so powerful, she had to. She just hoped she didn’t drink too much of his blood.

Her teeth sank slowly into his neck, and she tasted his blood. He moaned in a satisfied way and after she drank a little bit of his blood, she licked the puncture marks, and sealed the wounds.

“Oh, man…” he said.

“Good huh? Okay, I’ll go with it. Bite me.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, you can’t have all the fun. Though I have to admit, that was so intensely erogenous.”

“It was for me too.” Then he licked her neck, blew on it, and kissed her before he touched her skin with his teeth. Then he gently sank his teeth into her neck, and she arched against him and groaned. “Okay?” he asked.

“Don’t stop.”

He sucked from her blood, and she wrapped her legs around his hips, pressing her body harder against his arousal. He was right. This was incredible. No wonder blood bonds were eager to find a vampire who would give them this kind of pleasure.

He finally sealed her wounds and kissed her. “Now that was incredible.”

“Yeah.” She knew they would do it eventually, but every time they were intimate, the urge had become more overwhelming.

Then he reached in between them and began stroking her clit, but just the blood exchange and sucking action had worked her up to a near climax. She was so ready for him, her blood on fire as he stroked her until she couldn’t hold on any longer and cried out with joy. Then he was shifting his body so that he could fill her with his erection and began to thrust.

She had her legs around his hips and was moving against him hard, wanting him as deep as he could go. He leaned over and kissed her mouth and she cupped his head and kissed him, her tongue lathing his in a stimulating way. She admired his strength as he maneuvered and lifted her onto his lap and began thrusting that way, his hand free to coax another climax from her. Ohmigod, she had found her hunter vampire for life. He was the one. No other huntress was going to have him, she was thinking. Right before she had another orgasm that took her to the moon.

And he groaned with release. “Man, you’re the only one for me.”

She smiled. “I was feeling the same thing about you.”

Then they took a shower together and when they finished, dried off, and headed for the bedroom. They found Princess on Dane’s side of the bed. Jacqueline laughed. “At least I can still climb into bed.”

“So you think.” He made her move to the center and climbed in on her side of the bed so Princess was on his usual side, but at least she wasn’t in between them.

“That was a great maneuver,” she said.

“You bet. Nothing was separating me from you tonight.”