Aurora Sky Vampire Hunter - By Nikki Jefford Page 0,55

feel it with every beat of my heart. And if he did...

That thought alone made me run faster.

I crashed through the woods. Adrenaline was a powerful thing. In normal circumstances, I would have tripped over a stump by now. Instead, I leapt over fallen trunks and dashed through the trees toward the ocean. And what would I do there? Swim across to Fire Island? I wouldn't make it thirty feet before hypothermia set in.

I couldn't risk looking behind me, and I couldn't hear Fane through the pounding of my heart, which drummed inside my ears. My blood was beckoning him. An inexplicable thrill shot through my body.

When I ran into a clearing on the bluff I stopped suddenly and whirled around.

My body trembled, but it wasn't from fear or cold. Our eyes locked, stopping Fane in his tracks twenty feet away.

We stared each other down like two combatants about to duel. Fane started toward me. The important thing, I reminded myself, was not to show any fear. But for all my feigned courage, I couldn't move.

Fane took advantage of my hesitation to close the remaining distance between us. He yanked me to him with both hands. It was difficult to tell if he meant to caress or attack me. His hands ran down my back.

Fane pulled at my scarf as he whispered in my ear. "I'm dying to taste you." His words left hot marks on my skin.

I pushed at him, but he gripped me harder and ripped off my scarf. The fabric pooled over the snow like a stain. I struggled and was just about to reach for the dagger when Fane released his hold on me.

I pitched forward, falling to my hands and knees in the snow.

Fane stood over me blinking.

"You've already been bitten."

The cold air prickled my neck. It was like someone had cut off my hair and left me completely exposed.

Fane's gaze fixated on my neck. At least he didn't look as though he wanted to bite me anymore. I probably could have used stitches where Ivo bit me. Since I had the scarf to hide the wound, it wasn't carefully covered up with powder or foundation.

Fane's fingers trembled when he reached for my neck. "Who did this to you?"

"A vampire."

He didn't smile. "Who was it?"

I studied his side profile in the dying light. "Why? Do you know every vampire in Alaska?"

Wait, would I be required to report that information back to Agent Melcher? Maybe it was better if he didn't answer.

Fane's eyes narrowed. "That bite mark is fresh."

I lowered my chin and tried to look at it, which was ridiculous - there was no way I could see my own neck. It was better than looking Fane in the eye when he was staring at me as though I'd cheated on him.

"I didn't go out of my way to get this!" Okay, that was a lie, but it's not like I wanted to be bitten. I'd rather jab a needle in my arm than get gnawed on by creepy killers.

Fane bent down slowly for the scarf and handed it to me from two feet away. "Come on, you must be freezing."

The snow seemed thicker on the walk back.

Fane turned on the heat once we got inside his car. "Noel Harper dragged you to one of Marcus's parties, didn't she?"

I really had to meet this Marcus and check out one of his after hour parties. They were the talk of the town, at least among the undead and their cohorts.

A look of rage crossed Fane's face. "Aurora?" he said carefully. "A couple days ago you had a bruise on your forehead. Did someone force himself on you?"

I stared out the windshield, weighing my options. From a sitting position, I could ease my hand down my leg and retrieve the dagger under my pant leg. I didn't want to hurt him, though. It was hard enough killing evil vampires. Would the agents ever ask me to kill nice ones like Fane?

"Have you ever killed anyone?" I asked suddenly.

"What?" Fane scowled. "No."

Before he could ask about the bite again I said, "Look, any girl who hangs out with Noel and her friends ends up getting bitten."

Fane's features began to vanish in the dimming light. It was the end of January, and we were up to seven hours and forty minutes of daylight, not that it was noticeable on overcast days like this. The grayness had a calming effect...until Fane punched the dashboard. It made me jump.

"I can't stand