Free Blood Enchanted (Blood Enchanted, Book 1): A Vampire Hunter Paranormal Romance Series by Nicola Claire

my notice but I was determinedly trying to ignore. However, once the silver tip of my stake entered his flesh and announced its intentions with the acrid smell of burning flesh, I could hardly miss the perfection he displayed.
    My eyes flicked reluctantly over the broad, smooth expanse of bronzed skin, goosebumps followed wherever my gaze landed, giving me at least some measure of understanding as to where he stood in the whole react-to-the-compatible-kindred-standing-before-you game. I let a slow breath of air out and lifted my eyes back to his.
    He still hadn't moved, hadn't breathed, hadn't even blinked. He was watching me though; assessing, contemplating, judging. But what his verdict was I couldn't tell by looking at his face.
    But, oh Goddess, he was gorgeous up close. Steal your breath, make your panties wet, fill your mind with wicked and debauched images kind of hot. This vampire was part incubus, I was sure. Not that incubi exist, but that was my excuse for salivating and I was sticking with it.
    "So," I said, wanting to be the one who returned to their senses first. "Fast or slow?" Unfortunately my senses weren't completely back to normal yet. The question sounded like a come-on, not the threat I'd intended.
    He took a breath. It was his first in several minutes.
    "You are even more beautiful in person," he managed, clearly not quite back to his senses either.
    And now I had an accent to go with the sinful images playing on repeat in my head.
    I pushed the stake a little harder against his chest. Wake up, vampire! I'm about to turn you to dust.
    He leaned forward, making the stake slip in another millimetre or two.
    "Do you really wish to bring me the final death, hayatim?"
    "It had crossed my mind," I replied, coolly. More and more of myself returning at last.
    "And then how would you find your brother?"
    Was the man crazy? I held a stake to his chest, inside his chest - albeit just skin deep at this stage, but still. Did he want to incite my rage?
    His eyes swept over my shoulder and down my arm, blatantly staring at my Sigillum . Reminding me I stood here in nothing but my leather trousers, empty stake holsters at my hips... and a bra.
    "Eyes up top, vampire."
    He smiled. I refused to let it have any effect over me, but I'd be lying if I said my heart didn't ridiculously flutter.
    "Can you control the colour change, or is it intrinsic?" he asked, as though I'd fucking give him the answer.
    "Why are you here?" The sooner I determined his intent, the better. Because he was right, that annoying sensation inside my gut, that new talent that so far had not proven its worth, was telling me staking this vampire was the last thing I wanted to do.
    I was beginning to think the twists and twirls of ribbon-like sensations, that made me want to curl up in a ball and smile, did not mean bloodshed and dust was anywhere on the horizon. This reaction I was having deep down inside, it was either a reflection of how dangerous or not a situation was, or an insight into the future, a hint of what path I should take.
    But what future did I have with this creature who had invaded my home, imprisoned my brother, and tested a kindred compatibility without invitation? So far the stake in the chest scenario should have been winning.
    But it wasn't. Even now I wanted to lower my hand, return the silver to its holster and then spread my naked palms across the skin that moulded his chest so lovingly. There was a nipple in that imagery somewhere too. I was valiantly ignoring it as well.
    "I was called here," he murmured, his eyes lazily perusing my bare flesh.
    "Here to my apartment? Or here to Auckland?"
    "Both."
    His hand came up and a solitary finger traced my collarbone, from one side to the other. I swatted at it and took a step back, in the process removing the stake from his chest. Whether he'd done it for that exact reason, I couldn't say. But now he was too far away for me to get a decent strike in, without projecting my