The Renegade Hunter

Nicholas eased his teeth from the neck of the chambermaid and released her. He then turned her to face the bathroom of the suite he'd found her working in and stepped back as he withdrew from her mind. Once free of his control, the woman stood still for a moment, and then moved forward to continue the work he'd interrupted, with no memory of his arrival or her ever having stopped her work.

Nicholas slid away then, exiting as silently as he'd entered and continuing on to the elevators. As he waited for it to arrive, he considered what to do about food for Jo. Having to buy a new van and incidentals had really eaten into his funds, and the hotel on top of it all had nearly wiped him out. He had less than fifty bucks in his pocket. Surely that was enough to buy her something nice for dinner? And then tomorrow morning, he'd have to head straight to the bank to get money from his security box to feed her breakfast.

The elevator arrived and Nicholas stepped on board, absently rubbing his stomach as he went. The maid was the first feeding he'd had since the morning before. In his usual cautious manner, he'd taken only a little bit of blood, and while it had helped, it hadn't helped much. The cramps that had been attacking him since that morning had gone from almost unbearable to just really painful.

Another bite was in order before he returned to Jo. Otherwise, he risked snacking on her without meaning to. Nicholas had no idea where he'd get the next meal, but had no doubt an opportunity would come up before he got back to the room. He was very good at feeding off the hoof. He knew most immortals in North America now fed on bagged blood, but for a rogue, ordering a delivery of blood from the Argeneau Blood Bank was out of the question.

Nicholas left the hotel on foot, eyes scanning the street ahead. Every other storefront seemed to be a restaurant or fast-food joint of some sort, and he hadn't a clue which were good and which were bad. They hadn't had this variety when he'd last eaten. A lot appeared to have changed on the cuisine front since then. Nicholas had been vaguely aware of it on the periphery of his consciousness, but hadn't eaten a bite of food since Annie's death and hadn't paid close attention to the changing face of the food industry. Being confronted by it now was rather frustrating. He should have asked Jo what she wanted before leaving, but he'd worried she'd insist on coming with him and he wouldn't be able to feed.

That thought made Nicholas decide to feed now and worry about what to get Jo after. Perhaps he'd be able to think more clearly if he wasn't so distracted by his cramping body. His gaze shifted from the business fronts to the people on the sidewalks. Most people were in groups of two or three, but he spotted one lone woman hurrying along. Middle-aged, with pink cheeks and some meat on her bones, she was rushing up the street, hands full of bags.

Nicholas focused on her briefly, slipping into her mind to ensure she wasn't ill or coming down with anything. It did little good to ingest blood from someone ailing; bad blood would just have to be removed from his system, using up what little blood he presently had to do so. She was fine, however, healthy and robust.

Nicholas kept his distance at first to prevent catching her attention and alarming her. He'd followed her for a block when she turned down a side street. Shortly after that, she started up the sidewalk to an apartment building. He then began to close the distance between them and was almost on her heels when she entered the lobby.

The front door wasn't locked but there was a doorman. Nicholas slipped into the man's thoughts, making sure he didn't see or stop him as Nicholas trailed the female to the elevator. It arrived disbursing a mixed group of people in their twenties. Nicholas followed the woman on board once it was clear and offered her a polite smile as he waited for the doors to close. The moment they did, he slipped into her mind and had her turn toward him. He stepped forward, intending to take her in his arms and feed on her, but paused as a fragrant odor enveloped him. Nicholas had been vaguely aware of the scent as he'd trailed her, but it had been faint then. Now that they were enclosed in the small elevator, it was impossible to ignore, and he glanced around curiously for the source. It reminded him of something from when he used to eat. Something...

Nicholas traced the smell to a bag she carried and took it from her to peer inside. All he saw was a box. He reached in to open it and was immediately hit with a strong wave of the scent. Fried chicken, Nicholas realized, smiling. Annie used to make it on Sundays. It had been his favorite.

That's what he'd get Jo, Nicholas decided, closing the box and peering at the bag. KFC. He recalled passing a restaurant with that logo.

"What are you doing with my chicken?"

Nicholas glanced to the woman with surprise. He'd gotten so distracted by his find that he'd released his control over her and she was now peering at him with confusion. Setting the bag on the floor, he slipped into her thoughts and took control again. Nicholas then quickly took her in his arms and sank his teeth into her neck, using more speed than finesse. His distraction had cut into the time he had for this endeavor. Fortunately, he still had time to do what he had to do. He'd finished feeding and just released the woman when the elevator dinged, announcing their arrival at her floor. Nicholas picked up the bag of chicken and gave it to her, and then sent her off the elevator before releasing her mind.

He felt much better now, the cramps had eased considerably. One more bite and he should be good to get the chicken and head back to the hotel, Nicholas thought as he hit the button to return to the ground floor.

The elevator had traveled down only two floors before it stopped to allow a young man on. The fellow was all alone, and a quick check of his thoughts proved he was healthy as a horse, a real health nut, in fact, into natural foods and something called green tea. Nicholas smiled to himself as the doors closed. It seemed fate was on his side for a change. He'd be back at the hotel in no time... then he just had to figure out some explanation to give Jo for everything that had been going on.

That or tell her the truth, Nicholas thought as he slid into the young man's thoughts and leaned in to bite his neck. His preference was to tell Jo the truth, but he doubted she'd be allowed to keep her memories of that truth once they had her back at the enforcer house... and he would eventually have to take her there. On the other hand, they hadn't taken away her memories after the first time. True, she didn't really know much, but still...

The elevator dinged. Nicholas finished feeding and stepped back from the young donor, rearranging his thoughts and making him move to the doors as they opened. He kept control of him until they were out of the building, and then released his thoughts and turned to make his way back to the busy street where he'd first spotted the chicken lady.

Twenty minutes later Nicholas let himself back into the hotel room, his arms weighted down with a large bag marked KFC. He let the door close behind him and strode into the room, mouth opening to speak, but closed it again when he spotted Jo sound asleep on the bed. He peered at her blankly and then to Charlie. The dog lay beside her, but his head was up, eyes open and alert.

Sighing, Nicholas set the bag on the small table by the window. The moment he did, Charlie was off the bed and at his side, tail wagging frantically.

"Hi, buddy," he whispered, giving him a pat.

Charlie promptly lifted up, resting his feet on Nicholas's leg so that he could reach more of him, and then turned to nose the bag of chicken curiously.

"Hungry, huh?" Nicholas asked quietly. "Luckily for you I thought you might be and got a bucket. But you'll have to wait until I strip the meat for you. I'm not sure you can handle chicken bones."

Charlie dropped back to sit on his haunches patiently, and Nicholas smiled wryly as he opened the bag to retrieve the food containers and paper plates inside. He then settled in one of the two chairs at the table and set to work, selecting three meaty pieces of breaded chicken and then using one of the plastic forks provided to strip the meat onto the plate. He'd barely started on the first piece of meat when he couldn't resist and popped a bite of the delicacy into his mouth. The flavor exploded on his tongue, making him moan softly. Charlie whined in complaint.

"Sorry," Nicholas muttered, making himself resist trying any more until he had the meat from the three pieces he'd selected stripped and cut into small chunks on the plate. He then set the plate on the carpet for Charlie, watched him begin scarfing up the treat, and then turned and pulled out a piece for himself. Nicholas hadn't felt like eating since Annie's death fifty years ago, but now had to wonder why. The chicken was incredible and he was reaching for a second piece before he'd even finished the first.

He'd just have one more and then he'd lie down and try to sleep before Jo woke up and started demanding her answers, Nicholas told himself as he finished the second piece. He hadn't slept since the day before and could really use a couple of hours of shut-eye before trying to explain things that she would no doubt find impossible and upsetting by turn. The bed was big enough she wouldn't even know he was there.

Jo was dreaming. She knew it was a dream because she was back at the party at Sam and Mortimer's place, but the dream was a little different than the reality had been. The buzz of the guests' conversation was incredibly loud yet at the same time muffled, so that she couldn't understand what was being said... and the light was a little off, wavering and almost watery. Jo was alone, walking through the group of men, each of whom turned and gave her the strange silent stare they'd all greeted her and Alex with last night. Their eyes focused briefly on her forehead as if she had a penis growing there and then they turned away indifferently.

Though she knew it was silly, each time one of them turned away it felt like a rejection, and Jo was relieved when her dream took her outside. But here too things were a bit off. The sounds of night creatures and the wind in the leaves was magnified and overloud, and the caress of the cool breeze on her skin was like hands brushing over her skin making it tingle and raising goose bumps over her body. Ignoring that, Jo continued around the corner of the house, completely unsurprised when Bad-Breath Boy, Ernie, came lunging out of the darkness at her. This time there was no fear in her at the sudden attack, and no pain as she hit the wall. In the dream, her eyes were open and she saw Nicholas suddenly appear and drag the man away from her.

Jo leaned against the wall, watching as the men struggled in a strange, slow, violent dance and then bent and picked up the same boulder she had last night and moved forward to slam it over the blond man's head. Ernie's head swiveled around at once, eyes glowing golden and teeth bared, showing long, pointy fangs. Jo stared with confusion because it suddenly felt more like memory than a dream. The magnified sound and watery feeling were suddenly absent, leaving everything sharp and clear. But then the sound came roaring back and everything began to waver again as the two men continued to struggle.

Jo simply stood there in the dream, watching until Ernie fell to the ground and Nicholas stepped over him to get to her.

"I can't read you," he said clearly, grabbing her upper arms, and then his head descended, his mouth closing over hers as his body pressed against hers and his tongue slid out to taste and invade her. Jo forgot about that moment of clarity and fell into the sensations rolling over her. The feel and taste of him forced everything out and brought the desire she'd experienced last night roaring back to life like a fire that had been banked, and then he tore his mouth away and tugged her T-shirt up and Jo gasped as his lips closed over one nipple.

As suddenly as that, the dream changed. They were in the garage now, the stark fluorescent lights overhead burning into her eyes, and the bars of a cell pressing against her back as he ran his hands over her body and his lips drew at the dusty rose nub he'd claimed. She closed her eyes again, running one hand over his arm and shoulder, the other knotting in the hair on his head as his teeth and tongue scraped over the excited nipple.

"Yes," Jo breathed, and then gasped again when one of his roaming hands slid between her legs, pressing against the core of her through her jeans. It was enough to make her wish she wasn't wearing them, that she could feel his touch without their inhibiting presence, and suddenly the jeans were gone, as was her T-shirt. The bars of the cell were cold against her back, a stark contrast to his warm mouth and fingers as he caressed her more intimately.

Jo moaned as his fingers slid over her slick flesh, but when one finger slid inside her, she couldn't bear the assault anymore and tugged at his hair violently, forcing him to release the nipple he'd been teasing and raise his head. The moment his lips were in reach, Jo kissed him, sucking frantically at the tongue Nicholas thrust into her mouth, and then sending her own tongue out to wrangle with his as she reached blindly to find the front of his jeans. Jo found the bulge of his excitement and squeezed it briefly through the heavy cloth, and then started to wrestle with his belt before recalling how nicely her own clothes had disappeared when she wished it. She immediately paused to wish his were gone as well, and suddenly she was touching naked skin. Jo released a relieved sigh and immediately clasped him in hand.

Nicholas broke their kiss on a deep chuckle.

"Impatient," he whispered by her ear as he paused to nibble at it briefly. "So eager."

"Yes," she breathed, "I need you."

The words made him chuckle again, but it died on a gasp as she tightened her fingers around him and let them slide his length. A growl followed, and then he caught her hand and pulled it away, pressing it against the bars by her head as he kissed her again. When she tried to reach for him with her other hand, he caught and lifted that too, then ground himself against her as he kissed her almost punishingly. Jo gave as good as she got, her own kiss becoming demanding, and-thinking it had worked so nicely with the clothes-silently wished he'd thrust himself inside her, but the dream Nicholas wasn't nearly as accommodating as their dream clothes. Instead of lifting her by the hips and thrusting himself into her, he broke the kiss to growl, "Not yet," and began to trail his mouth down her throat to her collarbone.

Frustrated, Jo twisted her hips, rubbing herself against him, and then gasped as his mouth dropped to one breast to briefly toy with her nipple again. He still held her hands, but was drawing them down with him as he lowered himself to kneel before her, his mouth trailing kisses across her stomach. Jo dug her nails into his palms with excitement as his lips then trailed lower to nibble at one hip.

"Nicholas," she moaned desperately, and then gasped and reached up to grab at a bar by her head to steady herself when he suddenly released one of her hands to catch her leg and lift it over his shoulder. The position opened her to him, and Nicholas took full advantage, leaning to press his mouth to the flesh his fingers had so excited.

Jo cried out and grabbed for the bars with her other hand as he released that too, needing the hold to keep herself upright. Her legs had suddenly lost all strength, and she didn't think she could have kept herself upright if he hadn't raised his hands to clasp her by the bottom and hold her in place as he drove her wild with his teeth and tongue.

"Please," Jo gasped desperately, releasing the hold she had on the bars to grab at his hair and tug demandingly. The pressure had built to a breaking point, and she wanted him inside her when that happened. She wanted to feel him filling her, their bodies joined, their breaths commingled.

Much to her relief, Nicholas left off his torment and suddenly looked up. His eyes were glowing a fierce silver with no trace of the blue they were in reality and then he surged upward, his mouth reclaiming hers. Jo wrapped her legs around his hips as he shifted and lifted her, slamming her back against the bars almost roughly, and then she opened her eyes as a muffled clang woke her up.

Blinking in confusion, Jo peered at the ceiling overhead in the darkening room, and then glanced toward the window as another clang and the murmur of voices reached her ears. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw window washers moving upward past the window on their mechanized scaffolding. She was just in time to see their knees and feet move out of sight, and she supposed they were calling it a day.

Jo let her breath out on a small sigh and then glanced to the side to find, not Charlie in bed beside her as he had been when she'd fallen asleep, but Nicholas. He was on the other side of the bed, a good couple of feet away, but his eyes were open and seemed to be glowing silver in the dimming room as he stared at her... as they had in the dream, she noted, and then he suddenly rolled off the bed and started toward the bathroom.

"Nicholas." She got up quickly, but he was in the bathroom and closing the door before she caught up. When Jo instinctively stuck her foot in the door to prevent it shutting, he paused abruptly.

His voice was a low growl when he said, "Unless you want to find yourself naked on the bed doing exactly what we were about to do in the dream, I suggest you remove your foot."

Jo's eyes widened incredulously at the words. "How do you know what I was dream-"

"Jo," Nicholas growled in warning. "You have one second to release the door. Otherwise I won't be responsible for what happens."

She closed her mouth and stared at him. One part of her mind really wanted to know how he could possibly know what she'd been dreaming. Another, much larger part of her mind-not to mention her body-was interested in the image he'd put in her head of the two of them naked on the bed finishing what had started in the dream. Her body was still humming with excitement over the interrupted interlude, her nipples were still hard and aching and the liquid heat that had pooled low in her belly had not dissipated.

Jo wanted him desperately. If Nicholas had meant to scare her off with the threat, he'd used the wrong tactic. To her, it had sounded like a challenge, and there was nothing she liked better than a challenge. Realizing that several seconds must have passed and he hadn't carried out his threat, Jo leaned up on her tiptoes and pressed her mouth to his.

As responses went, his was most gratifying. Her lips had barely brushed his when the door was suddenly wide open and Nicholas was pulling her into his arms. Turning her against the open door, he pressed his body against hers until every inch of them was touching as he thrust his tongue into her mouth. He seemed to be trying to punish her with the kiss, his tongue lashing her like a whip, but if it was punishment, it was one she enjoyed. As she had in her dream, Jo gave as good as she got, her tongue wrestling with his and fingers scraping along his scalp urging him on.

She was vaguely aware of the sound of tearing cloth, and then his hands were between their bodies and on her bare breasts. Nicholas growled deep in his throat, the sound vibrating its way into her mouth, adding to the excitement. She wanted to reach between them and find his erection as she had in the dream, but her arms were above his, blocked by his shoulders and arms, so Jo had to be content with arching her hips to rub eagerly against him.

Nicholas responded by immediately releasing her breasts and pulling far enough away to reach for the button of her jeans. It freed Jo to reach for his, and she managed to get his belt and the top button undone, but had worked the zipper only halfway down when Nicholas suddenly knelt to tug her jeans down her body.

Jo stepped out of the pants when he got them to her ankles, and then he tossed them aside and turned to run his hands up the legs he'd bared. Nicholas leaned his mouth to press a kiss just above her knee and then to her inner thigh, and then he suddenly lifted her leg as he had in the dream and pressed his mouth to the center of her. Jo's whole body shuddered as his tongue suddenly rasped over the swollen, excited flesh, and she grabbed for the door handle to stay upright, relieved when he didn't continue the torment, but suddenly rose up to reclaim her lips again.

Nicholas gave her one hungry kiss, his hands working at freeing himself from his jeans, and then muttered apologetically, "I can't wait."

"Neither can I," she breathed, and then gasped as he suddenly scooped her up in his arms and carried her out to the bed. Jo gasped again when he dropped her on the mattress. She bounced once and then sat up and glanced down at herself. In his impatience, Nicholas had ripped her T-shirt up the front. She shrugged it off quickly, finishing in time to see Nicholas pull his own T-shirt off over his head, muscles rippling on his chest as he did. He tossed that aside, sending it across the room where it landed on the desk lamp, and then immediately stepped out of his shoes and pushed his jeans off his hips. His actions were quick and efficient and Jo didn't get much of a chance to enjoy the view. The moment he'd bared himself, Nicholas lunged on top of her.

Jo fell back with a grunt of surprise and then slid her arms around him as he claimed her lips once more. He didn't thrust into her right away as she'd expected, but instead reached between them to begin caressing her again. Jo hesitated briefly, unsure if his own passion had waned as he'd stripped, or if he thought hers might have, but when she felt the hard length of him against her hip, she decided he must think she needed more fire stoking. She didn't. The dream had been almost more foreplay than her body could stand, and all she wanted now was to feel his hard length inside her.

Without breaking the kiss, Jo pushed at his chest. She managed to catch him by surprise and sent him tumbling onto his back on the bed. Jo rolled with him, her mouth still plastered to his, and hips straddling him. She raised herself up and then dropped back down, taking him inside her in one swift action. She froze then, groaning along with him as he filled her. Nicholas fit her like a glove, snug and perfect, and she broke the kiss to peer down into his face.

He opened his eyes, and she saw that they were pure molten silver now. They were beautiful, and like nothing she'd ever seen. Jo simply sat there, impaled on him and staring until he raised a hand to caress her cheek and then ran it around to the back of her head to pull the scrunchie from her hair. Nicholas then buried his fingers in the long strands and pulled her down to claim her lips once more. As his mouth covered hers, he sat up, his chest brushing against her breasts, and then he slid his hands beneath her bottom and urged her up and then back down.

Jo moaned at the sensation that shot through her, and then took over moving herself. Wave after wave of increasing pleasure lapped at her brain and urged her on, and then Nicholas released her hips to cover her breasts instead, squeezing the round orbs and toying with her nipples.

Jo broke their kiss on a gasp as he tweaked them, her head dropping back, hair trailing down and tickling her back as Nicholas nibbled his way down her throat. She felt a nip of pain as his teeth scraped the exposed flesh, but it was followed by unbearable pleasure that joined the sensations already assaulting her and made her scream as the tsunami of all orgasms exploded inside her.

Jo was vaguely aware of Nicholas pulling his head away and shouting out a heartbeat later, but then darkness descended and she slumped against him.

The first thing Jo saw when she opened her eyes was the glow of the digital alarm clock in the dark room. It was seven thirty-two. She was lying on the bed, Nicholas's warm body at her back, the heavy weight of his arm curled around her and tucked under her side. Jo lay still for a moment, not wishing to wake Nicholas, but her bladder was complaining and she finally had to move. Going slowly and carefully, she tried to ease out from under Nicholas's arm without waking him, but had barely started when his arm suddenly tightened around her, drawing her back against his chest.

"Where are you going?" he asked, his voice rough with sleep.

Before Jo could answer, his hand found one breast and covered it to squeeze lightly and he began to nuzzle her neck. She sucked in a breath, and wiggled her bottom back against him as desire stirred within her.

"Mmm," Nicholas murmured, urging his own hips closer against her so that she felt his erection even as it grew between them. He then released her breast and reached for her face, catching her by the jaw to turn her head so that he could lean over her and claim her lips.

Jo turned as he kissed her, rolling onto her back and sliding her free arm around him. With the one caught between their bodies, she ran her fingers over what she could reach of his chest as she kissed him back.

"You taste good," Nicholas murmured against her mouth, his hand releasing her face to drift down over her body.

"I-oh," Jo moaned as his hand stopped to palm and squeeze her breast. It then slid away to smooth over her stomach before gliding down to her hip, and she moaned again as it tickled over her hip bone. But then it shifted again, sliding around to her bottom to turn her further onto her side and press her hips to his.

"I need you again," he growled, his hand dipping under her bottom and between her legs to find the center of her excitement in a roundabout route.

"I need... oh." Jo paused to gasp as he left off the caressing to slip one finger inside her. When she caught her breath again, she finished, "To pee."

Nicholas stilled and then pulled back to peer at her.

"Sorry," she muttered wryly, and then pushed herself away from him to sit up. "Nature calls."

Nicholas fell back on the bed with a groan and then sat up to watch her scamper naked across the room to the bathroom door and growled, "Hurry back."

Her answer was a chuckle as she disappeared into the bathroom and closed the door.

Sighing, Nicholas flopped back on the bed again, a smile curving his lips. Jo was... well, she was a slice of heaven was what she was; beautiful in his eyes and smart and sassy... The perfect woman for him.

It was just too damned bad he couldn't keep her, Nicholas thought bitterly, and closed his eyes as the soft, warm feelings left by their lovemaking slid away to allow reality to intrude.

He never should have touched her. It was the dream's fault, of course. There were several signs that one had met a life mate; not being able to read or control them was just one of them. Another sign of a life mate was shared dreams, usually erotic ones, and Nicholas knew he hadn't been alone in the dream he'd had of their interlude in the cells at the enforcer house. He'd woken from that with a raging need and had tried to save them both the coming heartache by fleeing for the bathroom and a cold shower, but Jo hadn't let him. Nicholas didn't blame her. She had no idea what was going on here and had no doubt been as aroused by the dream as he, but his giving in to it had been a major mistake. It was just going to make it harder to give her up when the time came, and it was coming soon. He couldn't keep her with him. In fact, his plan to make love to her again seamed incredibly stupid now that he was thinking. It would just make things even harder.

Rolling off the bed, Nicholas stood up, eyes landing on the German shepherd asleep in the cushioned chair by the desk. He'd forgotten all about the dog and suspected he wasn't supposed to be sleeping on the furniture, but then remembered that Charlie had been sleeping on the bed with Jo when he'd entered and didn't disturb him. Instead, he moved around the room collecting his clothes and then laid them on the bed and sat down to wait when he heard the shower come on in the bathroom.

He would slip into the bathroom the moment she came out, subject himself to a cold shower to cool the raging passions just the thought of Jo caused in him, and then sit her down and explain the situation before things went too far. Nicholas had no doubt the moment Jo heard what he had to tell her, she'd be more than happy to let him take her back to the enforcer house and get him out of her life.