Free Taming the Vampire: A Paranormal Romance Novella by Chloe Hart Page A

that set her on edge as
much as the things he said about her.
    “She’ll never be as strong as the other demon
hunters. Her Fae blood is too thin.”
    “Absinthe could help.”
    “It could also kill her.”
    “Not if she takes it properly, and only on
the night of the solstice,” Yana had countered, while Liz kept her
eyes on the vampire who’d just voiced out loud the one thing in the
world she was afraid of.
    That she was weak.
    Which was why, the day after she’d met Jack
Morgan, she’d gone to her best friend for help. Celia was an eighth
blood Fae and a spellcaster, and she knew how to make elven
absinthe.
    She’d warned Liz of the unpredictability and
danger of the brew—too much and you might be pulled into a dark
faery realm, never to return—but Liz didn’t care. If there was a
way to make herself stronger, to close the gap between herself and
the other warriors, she was going to take it.
    She and Jack had run into each other several
times after their first encounter, but he hadn’t seen her fight
since then. And during that year and a half Liz had been training,
going on missions, and drinking absinthe once a month.
    Getting stronger.
    The alley they were standing in was deserted,
and a glance around confirmed that no one was coming their way.
    She dropped her backpack on the sidewalk and
flexed her hands.
    “That would be great, actually. I could use a
sparring partner.”
    Jack’s eyes widened and then narrowed, and
the fact that she’d actually surprised the smug son of a bitch gave
her a rush of satisfaction.
    “This isn’t the ideal place to—”
    “All talk, huh? I knew you were afraid to
fight me.”
    Of course that wasn’t true, but just saying
it made her feel pleasantly reckless, knowing she was needling one
of the most dangerous creatures in Boston.
    Jack took a step closer, his blue eyes
lasering into hers. “That stupid cockiness is one of your
weaknesses. And someday it’s going to get you killed.”
    This was the most fun she’d had in weeks.
“Okay, fine. If you’re not up for a full-on bout, at least let me
take one good swing at you. You did offer, after all.”
    He stared at her for a minute, his expression
unreadable. “So I did,” he said finally. “Well, it won’t hurt me
and it might amuse you.”
    He took a step back and widened his stance,
smiling coldly. “I’m ready whenever you are.”
    She let her eyes rove over his six and a half
feet, every inch of him covered in hard muscle. “I think I’ll go
for the solar plexus.”
    He shrugged. “Have at it, warrior.”
    Hitting Jack’s abdomen would be like hitting
a brick wall. But she’d taken absinthe just two nights ago, and she
could feel power surging within her. She gave him a sweet smile and
then threw a punch with everything she had behind it.
    It hurt like hell, but her warrior bones
could handle the impact. And Jack flew back three feet and landed
hard against the building behind him.
    That
was the most fun she’d had in
weeks.
    “I guess you were right. I really did need to
burn off some steam.” She smiled again, even sweeter than before,
and started to walk past him.
    Jack grabbed her so fast she didn’t have time
to react. He jerked her off her feet and slammed her up against the
wall, his hand around her throat and his face just inches from
hers.
    “The solstice ceremony isn’t for another two
months.”
    As lethal and terrifying as he looked right
now, Jack wasn’t squeezing her throat. She could still talk, and
she was pleased at how calm, even detached, her voice sounded.
    “That’s right.”
    His blue eyes had never looked more arctic.
“So explain to me why there’s absinthe in your system right
now.”
    She willed herself to be as cold as he was.
“I don’t have to explain a damn thing. I don’t answer to you,
vampire.”
    She felt hatred coursing through her veins as
she took a deep breath. “‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend.’
Right? That’s the theory behind the