Free MIDNIGHT HUNT: Book 3 of the Bonded By Blood Vampire Chronicles by Arial Burnz

Andrew tilted his head and grinned. “ Quelque chose en français .”
    “Very good!” Broderick chortled, and the crew pestered him to translate. “He literally said, ‘Something in French.’”
    They had all guffawed and fought over who would be next.
    Broderick hopped over the port side of the ship and landed with a thump on the dock. “Well, if they feel comfortable enough, tell the men to relax and enjoy what the town has to offer. Keep your eyes open for resources and hands to hire.”
    “ Ja, Kapitän !”
    His eyebrows rose. “Very good! Perfect diction.” He tipped his hat and strolled down the wharf to solid ground. Broderick kept his hat low over his face and navigated the streets until he could slip between a pair of buildings unnoticed. The night was early and several people meandered around the village on various mundane tasks, living their lives unaware of his presence in the shadows. He just needed one soul to pass by, alone on whatever errand brought them into his grasp. Broderick beckoned The Hunger , bringing it to the surface by envisioning the act of feeding. He closed his eyes to hide the silver glow, easily spotted in the darkness. His mouth watered. His fangs painfully extended.
    “Yes, Uncle! I’ll be sure to handle that in the morning. Good night!”
    A young man with golden-brown hair took two steps past Broderick’s hiding place. Broderick snatched him from the path and pinned him against the wall. Before the man had a chance to cry out, Broderick bit his soft flesh and drank. The inebriated effects of feeding rendered the man silent. His name was Jason Kiefer, an apprentice working with his uncle at a barrel shop.
    And the chestnut-haired woman of Broderick’s dreams smiled at him from this man’s memories, a basket of vegetables in her lovely hands.
    He pulled away from feeding and snarled at Jason, limp and moaning under Broderick’s fists. He let the man drop to the ground and licked the blood from his lips, pacing. Monika Konrads is her name, then. Jason had honest enough intentions, though he had lustful fantasies about her, too. What warm-blooded man wouldn’t? She was beautiful. He couldn’t blame the lad, but this didn’t mean he was pleased about it. Unfortunately, this man also had a history of obsession with women he fancied, and it garnered him his fair share of smacks across the face. His recent move to Vollstadt was due to a rather possessive pursuit of a girl in his home village.
    “Papa trying to keep you out of trouble, eh?” he said and nudged Jason with his boot. What Broderick disliked the most was the manipulative way the young man met Monika. He wasn’t man enough to approach her and introduce himself. The lad stole a carrot from the wagon that brought Monika to the village and pretended she’d dropped it.
    Broderick shook his head and picked up his hat, which fell during the feeding. Then he knelt beside Jason and pressed his palm to the lad’s head, wiping the feeding and his meeting with Monika from his mind. Doing so wouldn’t guarantee he would leave Monika alone if he saw her again, but it was worth a try. They’d only met once.
    He left Jason propped against the wall, moaning and disoriented. The lad would come to in a few moments, wondering how he’d ended up where he was, and probably never share his forgetful incident with anyone.
    Once out of the village and on the road that led to Kostbar, Broderick picked up speed and arrived in just a few short minutes.
    “Acht!” a feminine voice cursed as he rounded the small stone wall bordering the village from the northeast road entrance. A hefty woman with a grimacing face tugged on the ear of a young lad. “Inside with you now! I’ve had enough of you boys wrestling!”
    “He started it, Mama!” the boy protested, dodging his mother’s hand as she reached for him and scampering into the blacksmith’s shop.
    “You have your hands full there, I see,” Broderick said, chuckling as he