Get on with it? We’re kind of in the middle of something.”
Asa manages to stare at a point about six feet above our heads. “Yes, ma’am. Unbeknownst to me, Drew took it upon himself to call the tribunal and report his kill.”
“Damn fool!”
I push slightly away from Rafe in my anger. No need to ruin the moment completely by dragging him down too.
“I was planning on being with him when he made the call. Jesus, couldn’t he wait a few damn hours?”
Asa doesn’t answer my rhetorical question. Points go to him for biting his tongue on that one.
“Rolando called to confirm the details, which I was able to do.” He continues to stare off above us, not meeting my eyes. “They want your corroborating statement as well and request that you call them back before daybreak.”
“Fine,” I check my ever-present watch. “We have plenty of time for that. Anything else?”
“Yes. The guests enjoyed themselves so much they’ve been asking if we would consider holding a real hunt here.”
“Real? As opposed to what?” I allow my irritation to come through. “The fake one we had this week with a murdered body?”
Asa rushes to explain. “No, no, not calling this week anything. But they’re asking if they could somehow come back and do it again. Have you arrange it all.”
Crap! Now why in the hell would I want to do that? Who would want their property destroyed and worry about getting their employees killed? I shake my head.
“Tell them I doubt it.”
“Wait,” Rafe says. “You still have an enemy on the tribunal we need to ferret out.” He rises up out of the tub a bit, drawing my eyes to the water cascading off his chest. “Perhaps they’d agree to send condemned rogue vampires up here for a fee. With expenses in Argentina so high, that group always has an open hand out.”
He smiles a rakish grin at me. He’s aware that I’m not even looking at his face and really didn’t pay much attention to what he said.
“You never know,” he continues. “It might help flush out whomever has an axe to grind with you.”
“Hmm?” I look away from Rafe’s perky nipples and to try to form a coherent thought.
It takes me a minute, but I’m able to piece together the meaning of his suggestion by playing it back in my head.
“Okay. The idea’s sound. But let’s talk about it later, when we have clothes on.” I address Asa again. “Anything else?”
“Nope.”
“Would you mind leaving then?”
“Oh, uh… sure.” Asa high-tails it back into the building as though he’s got an angry band of villagers at his back.
Rafe laughs gently and draws me back into his arms. “Now, where were we?”
I’m happy to feel his arousal hasn’t lessened, even with the interruption. I open myself up mentally, ready to allow his body to drive every care from my mind. One last thought occurs to me before he slides in.
Did I just say I’d seriously consider having a Formal Hunt, like from old times past, here at The V V Inn?
** Please turn the page for a sneak peek of The Hunt, set to release in June 2011.
The Hunt
Chapter One
Vivian
As I lie here, curled around my husband’s firm body, I begin to wonder: Am I crazy? What in the hell made me think organizing a hunt here at our hotel would be a good idea? Over a dozen supernatural predators are flying in from all over the world, ones who’ve paid an exorbitant price for the privilege of removing their everyday masks and killing one of their own kind. I must be crazy.
I have a feeling this week is going to turn out to be more than any of us bargained for. Self-doubt plagues me as I rise from the warmth of the bed and stroll naked to my closet. The artificial glow of the landscape lighting beams in through the windows, indicating with the changing gradient it’s probably mid-day here above the Arctic Circle.
Part of my nervous edge could be associated with learning to trust the new members of our seethe. The vampires appear upfront and honest, as much as a pack of bloodsuckers can be, but my old habits of non-trust have kept me around for a long time.
The two months since November's tracking and killing of Ivan have been a trial for me. This upcoming hunt week has been a long time in the planning, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. Having anyone from the Tribunal of