Page 47 of Prey

My eyes opened at Julius’ voice and I turned my chair back toward the table to face him as he took his seat.

“Hunter?” I asked, confused. He wasn’t a boy, but a man. In Julius’ eyes, I could see where he’d think so.

“Yes. I dreamed of him. Saw…”

Julius’ long, dark hair rested over his shoulders as he leaned back, lacing his fingers before him. “She’s rejected him. He feels she’s lost to us already. He begins.”

My eyes lowered as his disapproval shot through me. I knew he wasn’t happy with the situation that I had caused.

“Hunter doesn’t stand a chance. He’s a human.” Even as I said it, the flash of our meeting on the street broke through. I didn’t like it. Couldn’t stand that it had even gotten that far. The enemies had been winning. If they did win…“I’ll take care of him before this gets out of control.”

“Be sure that you do.” He reached for an empty glass, sliding his hand over the top. Wine rose throughout and he rotated the dark liquid in a circle, staring into its depths. “She will kill you,” he said, glancing back up at me. My stomach dropped and I shook my head, not believing.

“Impossible.” My voice sounded distant as I tried to process the thought of dying. Especially at Tessa’s hand. She loved me. How could she kill me?

“I assure you it’s not. You will die, Marko.”

Julius’ prophesies were always told in riddles, but I had a feeling this time, he was speaking the truth. It left me unnerved. I’d gone so long thinking I was invincible. To know that I wasn’t, and that I’d be killed by a human woman who I happened to have feelings for, left me in a daze of confusion.

“You underestimate her because of the love you’ve created within her heart. Her love will be the death of you, and it brings more problems than you can imagine. You should have never given her your blood. But it’s done and you won’t live past tomorrow night. The rest, we all wait out.”

“Tomorrow night? So soon?” I shook my head. How was she going to do it? There weren’t that many ways, but apparently she was going to figure something out. I couldn’t let that happen. “No, I’ll kill her first. Tonight. Then it’ll all go away.”

Those light colored eyes rose to mine and he slowly shook his head. “It will not. The events are already set into motion. And you will not harm her. I forbid it. You gave her your word and you will keep it. Besides,” he said, turning toward the band that stayed leaning against the cement walls, playing their somber tunes, “tonight will be…quite interesting to see. I happen to look forward to it.”

I knew better than to ask why. My fingers gripped the chair as I stood. “Thank you,” I said, bowing. “If you’ll excuse me. I have some things to take care of.”

“Yes. You do.” His hand flicked out toward me and I turned, heading toward my room. My heart raced frantically, my throat burned, and I never wanted to kill Tessa more than I did now. The vampire within wanted to take out the threat before the threat could take out me. But I’d been told no. It didn’t sit well. What if she tried to kill me tonight and I’d just die tomorrow? Dammit, I didn’t like this. Especially since my feelings for her kept pushing back through.

“Fuck,” I growled, slamming my door open.

One look at my bed and I slowed. I could still feel her underneath me. Still taste her blood on my tongue, as if it was the only one meant to be there. This room had never been the same. Tessa had claimed the space, just like she was about to claim my life. I was as good as dead, and according to Julius, tomorrow night it would be for real.

Chapter 21

Tessa

Life. It had taken me twenty-eight years to truly begin to live it. The city had always been beautiful to me with the slight hills and active community, but I’d never been a part of it. I still wasn’t. But it didn’t mean I couldn’t begin to enjoy myself. If Austin was known for anything, it was for music, the eclectic people, and the food.

Today, I’d immersed myself in all three. The cool air had invigorated me and taken me to the park to enjoy viewing the pet owners play fetch, to walk down the river, to watch a band play live outside a café. And it had led me to the place I was sitting in now. Tattoos had always been something I wanted to get, but never had the strength to do. So many times growing up, I’d heard my father always stressing about how the body is a temple. God wouldn’t want you to graffiti the church so why would he want you to do the same to your body? It had been nonstop and the main reason why I never gave it thought. Here, now, I was done putting off what I wanted. Fear wasn’t going to rule me anymore. Or religion. I couldn’t see God casting me to hell for putting ink into my body. There were worse sins than that. Like holding vampire blood and liking it. I was doomed already.

Buzzing faded in and out and I gripped to the paper, staring at the French words as I waited for the tattoo artist to call me back. My pulse thumped steadily in my chest from fear of the unknown. Would it hurt badly? Well, yeah, that was a stupid question. But I knew it would hurt me more than most and I didn’t care. The location was key.

I read the paper for what had to be the hundredth time. The words were spelled right. Everything, including the size, was okay. The man had already drawn the words up for me. It was all but done. And there was no chickening out.

“Tessa, why don’t you come on back?”

My eyes rose to the big, bald man who had tattoos from his neck down to his fingertips. I couldn’t see what his clothes concealed, but I was guaranteeing they ran down his legs, too. And I liked it. Liked this man with the big beard. Bruce.

I stood, following him past some cubicle style rooms. A girl was getting her bellybutton pierced and I felt my lips separate in surprise as I hurried by. How bad would that hurt? Should I get mine done, too? My head shook as if my mind had already decided. Maybe if I lived.

We passed a room where a man was getting his back tattooed and I watched the artist wipe away the black ink with a paper towel as he lowered and began to tattoo him even more. Bruce turned left and walked to a desk-style table in the back of the room. My eyes went to the chair and I gripped the paper even tighter.

“Why don’t you come stand over here? Show me exactly where you want it and I’ll place the design on and see if we have it in the right location.”

“Alright.”

I swallowed hard as I came to stand before a wall-length mirror. My hand pulled my long hair to the side and shakily, my finger rose to point to my neck, just below my pulse-point. “Here,” I breathed out.

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