~excerpt from Edge of Darkness
A decrepit white van stopped a little way down the street from
the club. Its door slid open.
Alarms started going off in Hudson’s head immediately. “Shit.”
A human male dressed all in black had his arm around a young
woman, consoling her as he gently herded her toward the van. In fact, Hudson
noticed several humans were being led that way.
The alarms in his head were now shrieking. He hadn’t stop to
consider option three—that this was a human kidnapping mission. Hudson ducked
out the exit and started speed walking toward the van and the people moving
toward it.
Connie fell into step beside him within seconds. “What?”
“Men in black clothing are moving humans toward that white van
on the street.” Hudson picked up his pace, Connie still beside him. “I got
this. Make sure there isn’t another van on the side streets.”
“Torres will kill me if I leave you unprotected, Sire,” Connie
murmured.
“Check the side streets, Conrad. That’s an order.”
“Dammit to the flames. Fine. Yes, Sire.” Connie broke off and
headed in the other direction.
Hudson hated to use his position to order his lover about, but
right now he was acting as the king of the Fire Court, and he had a really bad
feeling about this.
He broke into a run just as the pair closest to the van
started to fight. The girl’s instincts must’ve finally kicked in, but it was
too late. The man finally picked her up and threw her inside.
The others hunters dropped the charade of being helpful and
dragged whoever they were pretending to help toward the van. There were at
least three hunters, not including whoever was inside.
Fuck, fuck, fuck. Breaking into a run, Hudson caught up with
the couple closest to him and didn’t waste time. Grabbing in the hunter in
chokehold, he broke his neck. The human captive immediately started running in
the other direction.
He debated going after the human but didn’t. Hopefully they
didn’t get a good look at Hudson since he basically killed somebody right in
front of them.
Hudson let the guy drop to the asphalt and took off after the
next couple. The hunter was fighting with his captive, who was a guy this time.
The hunter slugged the man, then threw the human over his
shoulder and sprinted toward the van. The victim wasn’t little by no means, but
the hunter handled him as if he weighed no more than a feather.
Just as Hudson caught up with them, the first hunter came out
of nowhere and slammed into Hudson. The hunter was partially transformed, and
the yellow eyes were a dead giveaway of what DNA had been spliced with his—werewolf.
Deadly sharp claws slashed at Hudson, ripping through his
shirt and into his skin. Hudson spun, his hair whipping around him. He caught
the hunter’s arm, and as he turned, he slammed his elbow into the hunter’s ribs.
He smirked in satisfaction when he heard several of them crack.
The hunter’s yells gave him a little spurt of joy too. Finishing the turn,
Hudson picked the hunter up and tossed him against the van, making it rock.
The hunter collapsed in a heap on the ground and didn’t move.
Hudson sprinted toward the last hunter who had the human male over his
shoulder.
His hair fluttered as something blurred past at an incredible
rate of speed. Then the hunter came to an abrupt stop and dropped his human.
The guy rolled several feet away, staggered to his feet, and started limping
off.
Hudson caught up to the hunter, surprised to see a vampire had
his fangs in the hunter’s neck, draining him. The vampire dropped the hunter
and glanced at Hudson.
“The human male saw,” Hudson asked just as the van started
pull away. “Can you compel him to forget? I’ll take care of the van.”
“Yes, King Hudson.” The vampire blurred toward the human
trying to escape.
Hudson hated to do that, but the human had seen something he
shouldn’t have. He had to forget.
Hudson raced for the van and grabbed the bumper just as the
driver hit the gas. He lifted it, and the front wheels smoked as the van tried
to go but couldn’t.
Eventually the hunter figured out something was wrong. The
first hint was probably the fact they weren’t moving. Idiots. Opening the door,
he and another hunter bailed out of van and started running.
Hudson dearly wanted to go after him, but he couldn’t, not as long
as there were still victims inside the van. Fortunately for him, the vampire
who had helped him earlier took care of the problem.
Hudson lowered the back of the van down then hurried to the driver’s
door. Scrambling into the seat, he put the van in park. Fuck, it stunk of
hunter in there. Now to deal with the humans who’d been kidnapped. Opening the
door again, he got out and started around the back.
