Primal Desire (Heart of the Huntress #6) - Terry Spear

Prologue

Selena Townsend was supposed to meet with her sister at the Forest Grove Hunters Club in Portland, Oregon, but Rosa hadn't arrived at the off-the-lot parking area yet when Selena heard a man fighting with a woman a couple of streets away. Between a huntress's excellent hearing and the fact they were being so loud they had caught her attention. She wanted to wait for her sister, but when the voices escalated and she heard the woman say, "The baby is yours, Fenimore," Selena decided to investigate. It wasn't that she planned to interfere, but if a man and woman were going to come to blows, she wanted to prevent it. Especially if the woman was pregnant.

With her huntress abilities, Selena was stronger than humans, so there would be no contest for her. She grabbed her hunter's sword out of her car, when she normally wouldn't be taking it with her when entering the club, but since she was taking on a side mission, she was always armed, just in case.

"I can easily take care of that!" the man said.

Selena recognized the voice as that of a hunter—not just some human named Fenimore. She ran toward them, fearing the worst, hearing the hunter's sword drawn and reached them just as he was ready to kill the woman.

Selena saw not only Fenimore Thomason, but his brother, Cliff, and three of their friends—Perry Rochester, Harry Canton, and Lonnie Wilson.

She also recognized the woman—Charlene, a vampiress, and not one who caused anyone any trouble either. In fact, she'd helped the hunters find a hunter child who had gotten lost near a vampire club one night. Selena couldn't believe Fenimore, who professed hating vampires with a vengeance, would have created a baby with one.

"Stop, Fenimore!" Selena shouted, startling him, her heart beating wildly. They'd all been so wrapped up in this business that they hadn't even noticed her running to stop him.

Charlene was crying, when she should have just vanished. Selena could never understand how the vampires would stick around for a fight when they could just leave without being injured. But maybe Charlene felt Fenimore would not harm her and the baby. As angry as he appeared, Selena didn't believe he would stand down without some intervention.

She finally reached them and ran in between Fenimore and Charlene, acting as her shield. "Stop, Fenimore! You don't want to go down that path," Selena said.

Fenimore pointed his sword at her and she had hers ready to fight. The hunter would not intimidate her. She only wished Charlene would leave so that the confrontation would end. At least she hoped.

"You don't want to interfere in my business," Fenimore said.

Then he thrust his sword at Selena, surprising her, but the adrenaline already filled her with the need to fight—to save the stubborn vampiress who wouldn't save herself, and to protect herself even. She realized Fenimore wouldn't want her to live to tell the tale of how he had made a vampiress pregnant. This would be a fight to the death.

She parried, knocking his sword away. "You don't have to do this."

"You should have minded your own business," he said, his voice filled with hatred.

The other hunters watched but waited to see how this would end.

"Tell your brother to stand down, Cliff." Selena hoped his younger brother by a year would convince Fenimore to listen to reason.

"Fenimore," Cliff said, halfheartedly, not forcefully like Selena wished he’d sounded.

"Shut up, Cliff. You know this has to be done." Then Fenimore stabbed again at Selena and she jumped back and swung her sword at his, the clanging sound of the swords reverberating off the buildings.

He came at her again, and she backed up, staying out of the reach of the thrust of his sword while Charlene moved away. Selena could see the red haze in his eyes. He was in killing mode. First, it was Charlene, now he had to rid himself of a huntress who knew too much. She knew once he had decided something, no one could talk him down. His parents, both hunters, were both dead at the hands of rogue vampires. They would have turned over in their graves if they knew he'd impregnated one.

But she couldn't believe Cliff and the others would allow Fenimore to kill a huntress in a coldblooded way.

He thrust again, and she parried, defending herself, not attacking, hoping someone would stop the madness.

Then she heard footfalls in the distance and saw a couple of male hunters running their way. Good. Maybe one of