Hunger Embraced (The Hunger Series)

  Table of Contents

  ~ Acclaim for Jennifer James ~

  ~ Look for these titles from Jennifer James ~

  Copyright Warning

  ~ Dedication ~

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  ~ About the Author ~

  ~ Also by Jennifer James ~

  More Paranormal Romance from Etopia Press

  ~ Acclaim for Jennifer James ~

  For Love Kinection

  “…I absolutely loved this book from start to finish! No if’s, and’s, or but’s about it, this novella hit the spot for satisfying my craving for a short, smexy, romantic read.”

  —Delilah, Riverina Romantics

  ~ Look for these titles from Jennifer James ~

  Now Available

  Long Time Coming

  “Deployment Gifts” Halloween Heat V

  Hunger Embraced

  The Hunger Series Book One

  Jennifer James

  Copyright Warning

  EBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared, or given away. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is a crime punishable by law. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded to or downloaded from file sharing sites, or distributed in any other way via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000 (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/).

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real in any way. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Published By

  Etopia Press

  1643 Warwick Ave., #124

  Warwick, RI 02889

  http://www.etopia-press.net

  Hunger Embraced

  Copyright © 2012 by Jennifer James

  ISBN: 978-1-939194-35-0

  Edited by Rachel Firasek

  Cover by Annie Melton

  All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  First Etopia Press electronic publication: December 2012

  ~ Dedication ~

  For Rachel Firasek, excellent editor, my favorite stalker, and the first person to declare Daniel her book boyfriend. I’m glad you took the bait.

  And for the gals of Critters, Incorporated: Tonya Cannariato, Fiona Druce, Eden Summers, Ellie Heller, Sabrina Garie, Sarah Cass, and Mary Terrani. Scribes, world-builders, long-suffering close readers of every incarnation of a manuscript—from "not total crap" to "hey, pretty good" to "OMG I LOVE IT"—friends, and comrades at arms. The encouragement, late-night whine sessions, and ass kicking are greatly appreciated. —Jen

  Chapter One

  I stepped out of my aged apartment building into mid-sixties temperatures and clear blue skies, smiling like a fool while popping my last few jellybeans into my mouth. Fall is something special in Ohio. There’s a crispness to the air, and the dying leaves blaze with filtered sunshine. The candy caught somewhere between my molars and uvula when I noticed the vampire loitering at the corner.

  He stared at me, watching while I choked on the now cement-like mass of sugar. Tall, broad-shouldered, dirty blond hair, muscular thighs straining the legs of his jeans—all he needed was a big red bow on his chest for a neglected, horny housewife. It was all window dressing for an erection large enough for me to see from ten feet away. All the better to pull you in and eat you with. Or fuck you to death with.

  Great, another horny one. I started when he grinned. My chest and face heated with a blush.

  I decided to direct a thought to him and see what happened. “Can you hear me?”

  His grin faded. Mother fucker.

  His smile returned, wider this time, displaying perfect white teeth and dimples. A monster with dimples? Fan-sucking-tastic. I amused him.

  One mind-reading vampire meant there had to be more out there. Just when I assumed I knew the rules of the game, another curveball came my way. I curled my fist around my keys until the sharp edges of the metal dug into my palm. We stared at each other, me doing my best imitation of a scary, angry woman, him grinning back, flashing white teeth, dimples, and a ridiculous package. Not that I looked between his legs again. That would be rude.

  I whirled and stomped toward the bus stop. Ignoring a dangerous being and hitting my new heels on the sidewalk filled me with satisfaction. The show of bravado was stupid, but he needed to know I wasn’t scared of his freaky telepathy.

  Yeah right.

  He could go rot for all I cared. Finding me didn’t mean anything.

  Sensations coursed over me, hardening my nipples to pebbles. My skin tightened, and electrical tingles bathed my scalp. When it hit my belly, I stopped walking and gripped the brick of a nearby building with my right hand, digging my fingers into the masonry and using the bite of the rough stone to center myself. The sensitive flesh between my legs swelled and throbbed as I became overwhelmed with an onslaught of images in my head.

  Me ripping his shirt up the middle, running my lips and tongue across his muscular, beautifully defined chest, biting his nipples until they were stiff. And, oh, look at that tattoo.

  One more thing to thank Daddy dearest for. The sexual desires and fantasies of the people around me invade my brain if they’re thinking about them hard enough.

  This needed to stop right now. “Goddamn it! Get out of my head asshole!”

  He flinched at the mental shout and leaned one shoulder against the wall I gripped. I stamped my foot. Damn, I’d missed him closing most of the distance between us. The closer he came, the better he looked, and my body’s reaction intensified. I’d moved toward him, halved the space remaining before I realized it.

  Surfer boy straightened and smiled at me like he’d already seen me naked and panting. Like he knew I was a sure thing. The heat in the possessive sweep of his gaze pissed me off even more. I spun on my heel and left for the bus stop. If I hurried, I’d make it to work ten minutes early for a change.

  My boss was ready to put my head on a stick. Perpetual lateness doesn’t tend to endear you to your superiors. At least my boss thinks she’s my superior. In fact, she’s a fat, dumpy bitch. I considered trying to foist off my latest tail on her, but no matter how annoyed I was, he didn’t deserve it. She definitely needed to get laid though.

  Maybe I could make a deal with him. No. The idea fled my mind almost as quickly as it entered. What if he ate her? I’d feel awful.

  The smell of the ocean surged up and flowed over me, filling my nostrils, and bathing my lungs. I took another breath, deeper, longer, swelling my chest out, my diaphragm expanding until the muscle protested to bring more of the scent into myself. Birds called to each other through the wind. Water rushed and retreated over sand. The sigh of a breeze filled my ears.
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  Stuttering to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk, I barely flinched when a passerby knocked me off-balance. I could taste the sea on my tongue. The skin on my face tightened and heated under a low-hanging noon sun at the beach. The sensations overwhelmed and terrified me. This was entirely new. Just who was this guy anyway?

  The surge of magic intensified when Mr. Tall, Tanned, and Blond gripped my elbow. My teeth clattered together, and a chill expanded up my knees to my belly and wrapped around my neck, forcing an involuntary whimper past my lips.

  I drowned in his magic. It filled my lungs, choking, smothering. “Please help me.”

  His gaze bore into mine, pupils contracting to twin black holes. My chest expanded in slow motion, the breath deep and long, releasing in a swoosh that carried the weight of liquid with it. The magic finally faded away in a slow retreat. A grumpy sigh exploded from my lips.

  “Gee, thanks for almost killing me.” I gave his hand a significant glance, but he didn’t remove it. Why did they always think they could touch me like that? Like they had a right to it, a right to me?

  I jerked my arm away and resumed walking. The simple contact of his hand through the fabric of my suit jacket eroded my self-control. My nipples throbbed, and the flesh between my thighs clenched in anticipation.

  The scuff of shoe leather on cement reached me.

  “Please. I’m not normally like this. I can’t control—”

  I looked at him over my shoulder, drowning in the pull of our bodies and the magnetism he radiated. My fear of his power was calmed by the look on his face and set of his body. “You smell like the ocean. Salt, sun, and seawater.” And a crushing power capable of sweeping me away with the tide.

  “Do not fear me.” His nostrils flared, and his hands clenched into fists on his hips. “I need your help. Please, Miranda.” The words were a whisper of sound carried on a breeze that kissed whitecaps and bore gulls aloft.

  A sudden crest of emotions—anxiety, anger, self-disgust—slammed into me and withdrew fast enough to leave me wobbling where I stood. His face remained stunning, surfer-god beautiful when I met his eyes. But something had changed. He no longer tried to persuade me with erotic images and sex appeal. Raw need overwhelmed his pupils, power lighting them up into midnight blue orbs.

  I studied him, taking in classic, chiseled features balanced with a perfect, straight nose, strong cheekbones and jaw, thick eyelashes, and a full mouth. I flicked a glance at his eyes, meeting them head on and gulped around the knot in my throat. Need and recrimination swam in his expression. He wanted to have sex with me. Needed to have sex. And he hated himself for it. Maybe even hated me for it.

  I spun around and walked back to my building knowing he would follow. He had to. Sometimes biology can be such a bitch.

  Ignoring him now meant he’d be here waiting when I came home from work. The energy boiling off him indicated his control hung by a thread. I’d made that mistake before. The consequences hadn’t been pretty. Two days of non-stop screwing left both the red-haired vamp and me battered. That vampire’s hunger was satiated, but I’d lost ten pounds and looked like I’d aged years.

  As a half-Incubi, I exude sexual energy like an anglerfish in the abyss of the ocean. At least, that’s what I think it is. I’m pretty sure that’s how the Incubi get the food they need. When they’re hungry, they can call food to themselves. But I don’t feed my Hunger. I cut that part of myself out a long time ago.

  Instead, I’m the meal, taking nothing for myself.

  After the Carrot Top does Dracula incident, I’d been weak, exhausted, and near collapse. But he didn’t want to leave. There’s nothing worse than a crying six-foot-four-inch man in your living room begging for forgiveness when all you want is a private bubble bath and enough take out Chinese for three days. It wasn’t entirely his fault. I’d felt the pull he’d given off and ridden the crest of energy.

  It was nothing compared to the maelstrom surrounding the male stalking behind me now. This encounter might not leave me unscathed, but I shoved the worry aside. The control he exhibited spoke of a man harnessing an incredible amount of power. He wouldn’t hurt me—on purpose.

  I held the outer door open for him, careful not to make skin-on-skin contact when he clasped the edge of the metal. Other than the single scrape of his shoe sole on the sidewalk, he moved in silence.

  He could pursue me, follow me anywhere, and it was likely I’d never know he was there. The space between us shrank at the threshold of the door, and all the hair on the nape of my neck rose. Pinpricks of energy skittered over my skin, and I shuddered. It took everything I had not to run down the hall away from him.

  I withheld an eye roll when we reached my apartment. My neighbor Ted shot a look filled with disgust at me. He had three bags from the local fried chicken place on the floor next to his foot. My answering sunny smile brought a snarl to his bushy, bearded face. He stepped over the bags with one foot, like he needed to guard them from me. I almost giggled in response.

  Ted’s silver-peppered, dark brown hair trailed down his back in a scraggly ponytail, and the beginning of a potbelly protruded over his dirty blue jeans. Today he wore a ragged Korn concert T-shirt but was barefoot as usual. His eyes shifted to look over my shoulder and widened. The vampire at my back moved in closer, his chest hot and solid behind me. Tall, Tanned, and Blond put one hand on my shoulder, and I shirked away from the touch until he growled. Ted shoved his door open, swept the greasy bags up in one motion, and slammed the door behind him. The snick of his deadbolt snapping into place was loud in the now silent hallway.

  Bass thumps began emanating through the thin walls followed by the screaming vocals of death metal. The reckless idiot in my head considered heading over and inviting him to join us just to see the look on his face. It made me snicker. Although, I’d never picked up any thoughts about sex from Ted. I should have gotten something from him in the last few years, but no—nothing. He cooked a lot of beef, played terrible music too loud, and walked around barefoot. Oh, and he hated me.

  Tall, Tanned, and Blond continued to crowd my back as I unlocked the door, both hands thumping against the metal panel on either side of my head. Perhaps he feared I’d slip through and lock him out. His hot breath stirred the hair that had freed itself from my up-do. An involuntary shiver chased across my skin. My body had no problem going places my brain objected to. It’s a gift and a curse all in one.

  The deadbolt clicked over, the lock in the doorknob snicked, and I swung it open. Ancient, tan carpet cushioned my steps. He closed in on me and stood there, studying my face while his hands slipped behind his back to throw the lock. We stared at each other, neither one making the first move. His body sent all the right signals, but he just…waited, watching me and trembling from the top of his head to his boots. My forehead wrinkled, and I frowned, tapping one foot.

  What was with this guy?

  I knew he wanted me, needed me to take the edge off. The cacophony of the ocean washed over me again. I stepped toward him, and he took one step back, shoulders meeting the door with a thump. His eyes widened and nostrils flared as he breathed in my scent once more. It must be pretty delicious.

  “What’s the problem, T.T.B.?” I crossed my arms over my chest and cocked one hip to the side. My wall clock ticked over to 8:00. If I moved things along, I might be able to catch a cab to the office and walk in at nine.

  “T.T.B.?” His voice was surprisingly low and husky. Fangs flashed behind sculpted lips.

  Oh, yeah, hard up. Most vamps are good at concealing their chompers—it’s a matter of survival. Little old ladies running down the street screaming, “Aack! Vampire!” doesn’t really support the whole hiding in plain sight thing. I’m still not sure how they do it, but they blend in amazingly well.

  I waved a hand in annoyance and sidled in close enough that his breath ruffled the hair on the crown of my head. Unable to retreat further, he pulled himself up and craned his head to one side.

  “Ya kn
ow, this isn’t how things usually work. Generally the minute I get one of you guys alone, it’s right down to business.” I grabbed him, hissing at the shock of contact. It intensified the sound of the ocean, and I swore sand pricked the soles of my feet. My heels were still on, but my body said I stood on a beach, barefoot, listening to the ocean sing.

  The sound of the sea receded to background noise, and my shoes pinched my toes again. I felt the heavy weight of a hand on my shoulder, squeezing, coaxing my eyes open.

  Tiny white lines showed at the corners of his mouth. “Sorry. My control slipped when you touched me.”

  “How old are you?” I asked, retreating to the arm of the couch.

  He shook his head at the question, watching every move I made. “This place is permeated with your scent.” The width of his chest expanded with a breath he held and released through his mouth. Lust, hunger, and regret fought for dominion on his face. “You don’t want me. You don’t want…this.” He swallowed convulsively and closed his eyes.

  The words chased some of my fear away. “Well, no, but it’s all right. Neither one of us can help it. We are what we are.” I still needed to go to work, time to get this show on the road.

  I took a deep breath and walked over to him. We stared at each other for what felt like minutes, until I couldn’t stand the tension any longer and tugged on his hand. I brought his palm up to my breast, turning it over and letting his knuckles graze my hardened nipple through my suit jacket and pretty lace camisole. Like I said, my body is always happy to accommodate.

  Blue eyes nearly swallowed by the pupil fixated on his right hand. He cupped me and rubbed the tight peak with a strong, lean thumb.

  “I’m sorry.” The words left him in a rush. He picked me up with both hands and crushed my lips under his. His power scalded over my skin, raising the fine hairs on my body, biting with tiny lightning bursts of pain.