Katie Salidas - Hunters & Prey (Immortalis, Book 2)

Hunters &Prey

By Katie Salidas

An Immortalis Novel

Immortalis: Hunters &Prey

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2010 by KatieSalidas

All rights reserved. No part of thispublication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into aretrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means(electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise)without the prior written permission of both the copyright ownerand the above publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names,characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either theproduct of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Theauthor acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners ofvarious products referenced in this work of fiction, which havebeen used without permission. The publication/use of thesetrademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by thetrademark owners.

Book Cover Design by StellaPrice

Editing by Sharazade

ISBN-13 978-0-9844196-5-4

ISBN-10 0-9844196-5-9

Rising Sign Books

4600 E. Sunset Rd. 279

Henderson, Nv 89014

www.RisingSignBooks.com

Acknowledgments

To: Angela, Willsin, Brenda, Minnie,& Alice. This book would not exist without you. Thank you allfor the help, hard critiques, and encouragement.

To my husband, Nicholas. You may hateyour character, but I love both him and the real man who inspiredhim.

To my awesome editor, Shar. What can Isayyou rock!! Thanks for putting up with me and all of my dumbquestions.

*****

H ot blood coursed through my veins as I gulped down thegushing fountain of my victims neck.

He wont be hurting womenanymore . I thought to myself as Iswallowed each hot mouthful of blood. Howquickly the hunter becomes the prey.

Using the power of my mind, I sent himfeelings: waves of pain and grief for the murder he had committed.The human mind was easy to control, and I called upon all the skillI possessed to make him suffer.

Murderers and those who dealt in crimeand abuse were my prey. It was because of them, those vileindividuals, that I was a vampire. Memories of my own near-deathexperience and echoes of past wounds fueled me.

As a vampire, I had power, the power tostop bad people from doing awful, evil things. Fate has a way ofworking things out, and it gave my bloodlust a purpose. If I was tobe this creature, I would ensure that my feeding stopped theunnecessary deaths of innocents.

I drained him slowly and painfully,savoring the honey-sweet elixir of his blood. Keeping him alertenough to feel every draw against his neck, I gnawed at the woundwith my sharp teeth and dug my nails into his flesh. I wanted himto feel everything. I wouldnt let him go unconscious. He needed toknow and understand the torment he had inflicted on others. I onlywished I had found him, sooner before he ended the life of the poorwoman lying at our feet. The fearful look in her dead eyes was apainful reminder of the men who had attacked me.

This man would pay with his dyingbreath.

My victim moaned pitifully. He beatagainst my back, struggling to free himself. I tightened my grip,locking his body in my deadly embrace.

He was going nowhere.

The heat from his blood coursed throughmy veins, strengthening me, warming me, giving me his life-energy.I savored this feeling: the tingling rush, the ecstasy, that filledmy being.

Just as the wave of pleasure crested,his heart slowed to an erratic thump, and the gushing fountainbecame a trickle. I knew he wouldnt last much longer. His bloodpressure was dropping.

I lifted my head and gazed into hisfear-filled eyes. Its no fun when youre on the receiving end, isit? I smiled at him, licking the last few drops of his blood frommy fangs.

My head swam with energyhis energy. Ifelt powerful, strong, and just.

The wretched man was like puttyjust alump of mushin my hands. Weakly, he exhaled a final dying breath.The light of life in his eyes extinguished. His head lolled andthen flopped backward.

I listened carefully. His heart thumpedonce, twice, and then nothing.

I bit my tongue and swirled a mix of mysaliva and blood across the wound on his neck, ensuring it wouldclose. The evidence of my feeding would be gone by the time anyonefound him.

A strange prickling sensation tickledthe back of my neck. The hair on my arms stood straight on end. Ihad come to know this unmistakable feeling quite well since Idbeen turned. Another vampire was close.

I dropped my victim unceremoniously ontop of the woman hed just killed and turned around to scan thearea. Though the street was dark, my vampire eyes had no problemspotting another pair of pale eyes staring back at me from theshadows.

A footstep broke the silence. Stillyoung, Id had limited dealings with other vampires. Not all werefriendly. I hoped the one watching me would be.

I know youre out there,I called to the darkness. Show yourself.

Raspy laughter crawled out of theshadow. Are you sure you want me to do that, Alyssa?

In the space of a second, realizationhit me. My eyes went wide and my heart slammed into mychest.

Oh shit . Santino!

Another footstep echoed around me as hemoved into the light.

A trademark of the vampire kind, hisblue-gray eyes seemed to glow as he looked at me. A wild mane ofsalt-and-pepper hair jutted out in all directions on top of hishead. Deep-creased wrinkles and scars covered an aged face that hadseen many battles. His lips pulled back into a predatory smile,revealing a perfect set of sharp white fangs.

I was running before I could evencomprehend the thought of it. I needed to get away.Fast.

***

As the sun began its ascent into thesky, I settled down, safely at home, preparing for sleep. But itwouldnt come peacefully. Somewhere, trapped between the dreamingand waking world, I felt his presence. The cold, pricklingsensation. It crawled up my spine and raised the hairs on the backof my neck.

Notagain . I tried desperately to rousemyself. I knew what would come next.

As if on cue, those cold, emotionless,blue-gray eyes appeared above me. They locked on me withcontempt.

Santino.

Id dreamt of him for weeks after ourlast battle. I thought I had finally escaped the daymares that hadhaunted me, but now they were back.

I knew every scar on that fearsomeface, though I wished I didnt. Id met him only once before, andagainst the odds, Id lived to talk about it. That was somethingonly a handful could claim. Santino was not one to leave anyonealive once hed set his sights on them.

I willed myself to wake. But, just asbefore, the dream continued.

His piecing gaze bore into my skull. Iwas motionless; my body barely held the strength to gasp for air.Laid out like an offering, I was an easy target, ready to beslaughtered.

If I could have screamed I would have,but I was mute, destined to see the events unfold as they had whenI had lived through them.

Santinos mouth formed a sinistersmile. The tips of his fangs poked out from behind his lips, but Iknew it was not his teeth I should fear.

Stuck again in this nightmare, I triedin vain to will myself awake. Paralysis had me frozen in place,helpless. Slowly, he reached out, grabbing my head, balling up afistful of my hair. Strands snapped under his grip, pinching andpulling away from my scalp.

I needed to break free from his grasp.I needed to somehow get out of this dream.

Fear gripped me. He rockedmy head from one side to the other, inspecting me. Would this finally be the time? Would he finallykill me? His eyes focused on myneck.

Wake up, damnit!

Not going to be much of afight, are you? he said, pulling out his knifea large thick bladewith jagged edges. Blood from his last kill still coatedit.

He made the sign of the cross andmumbled a prayer under his breath.