Hunted (A Secret Salem Novel 2) Read online

  Someone suddenly cleared their throat and my gaze swiveled away from Jason to see his girlfriend glaring at us.

  Oh great.

  Terra Murray stood in front of us with her hands stuck on her boney hips and one foot tapping the linoleum. Her brown hair with strategically placed gold and copper highlights was perfectly straight ironed, framing her heart shaped face that was currently flashing with annoyance. Her jean skirt was about two inches too short and her blue sweater was so tight the outline of her bra showed through.

  “Jason, you were supposed to meet me at my locker.” She motioned toward me with a sliver of disgust. “Not Rubi’s.”

  The pretty popular crowd wasn’t as elite and stuck up as Highlands, but they weren’t above snobbery.

  “Oh, uh.” He awkwardly scratched his head. “I forgot.”

  Her lips pinched tight. “You forgot?” she squealed. “How could you forget? You’ve been doing it every day before lunch for the past month and a half.”

  He shrugged. “I was distracted.”

  Terra’s green eyes scrutinized me, wondering how the hell I could distract her boyfriend.

  I personally didn’t care and was about to say as much when Jill and Eric strolled up holding hands.

  “Dude, Jason, please tell me you are not asking Rubi for another hotdog or any other un-vegetarian food.” He twisted the combination on his locker, opening it. “You must have a death wish.”

  A deep chuckle resonated from Jason. “Actually, I was thanking Rubi for saving my life.”

  Jill arched a blonde brow as she grabbed a book out of Eric’s locker they now shared. “Come again?”

  “What are you talking about?” Terra hissed, unhappy everyone was ignoring her.

  Jason pointed a tanned finger at me. “This little sea goddess dragged me out of the ocean last night after I nearly drowned.”

  “Sea goddess!” everyone said in unison with wide eyes glued to me.

  I could feel my cheeks burn with embarrassment. Why, oh why did Jason have to say that? I glared at him. “Are you still drunk?”

  “You should have seen her. She was amazing.”

  “I’m sure she was.” Terra’s voice was incredibly saccharine and smile fake as hell.

  Jason unexpectedly slung his arm over my shoulders, pulling me into a tight side hug. “I’d be dead right now, fish food, shark bait…”

  The rest of what he was saying was suddenly drowned out by a crack of electricity exploding across my spine. My heart raged against my ribcage and muscles trembled. This was a feeling I haven’t felt in months. This was a feeling that could only mean one thing…

  I slipped out from under Jason’s hold and glanced down the hall. I blinked several times to insure I wasn’t hallucinating, but no hallucination could be this good.

  Mac.

  Chapter 4

  Mac wore tattered jeans that probably showcased his butt in all its glory and a green t-shirt that stretched tightly over shredded muscles. That midnight hair was wild and messy around his sharply etched face. His deep set jade eyes were incandescent as they slowly drank me in, hunger and need shining through.

  I heard someone say, “So salty. Who is that?”

  My breath ceased and heat enveloped my skin before we even touched. And then Mac scooped me up in his arms and I was home.

  Our lips met and mine opened beneath his, inviting him in. He tasted like heaven and sinful as hell. My body went up in flames and Mac’s arms around my waist was the only reason I wasn’t on the floor. My hands dove into his silken hair, deepening the kiss until I could almost feel his soul connect with mine.

  Someone was insistently tapping my shoulder. I finally broke away from Mac. “What?” I hissed, staring into the face of my math teacher Mr. Hendricks.

  He barely contained a grin as he whispered, “I don’t think the school hall is the most appropriate place for that kind of display of affection.”

  “Oh.” I blinked the lusty haze from my mind, remembering we were, in fact, in the middle of the school hallway during lunch hour with several pairs of eyes glued to us. My cheeks would have burned with embarrassment if they weren’t already flushed from my boyfriend. “Sorry.” I extricated myself from him—as much as he would allow.

  Mr. Hendricks chuckled as he strolled away.

  “Hey,” Mac breathed, silver flecks dancing in his jade eyes. He bent forward and kissed my lone dimple.

  “Hey.” It had been a lifetime since I’d seen him in person. I was tired of talking. All I wanted to do was stare at his insanely beautiful face—that and make out. I took in his thick, inky lashes, high cheekbones, straight nose, strong jaw, soft, supple lips…

  I licked my own, hypnotized by the urge to kiss him again. I gripped his shirt, pulling him closer as his woodsy, heady scent engulfed me.

  “Um, so Rubi, you gonna introduce us to your friend?” Eric was leaning against the lockers with a crooked smirk.

  “Yeah,” Jill said in a dreamy voice, her blue eyes glazed over.

  Jason was standing beside her with a blonde brow arched in curiosity. Terra was next to him, mouth opened practically drooling.

  “I’m Mac,” he said in his deep, velvety voice and reached out to shake Eric’s hand. “I’m Rubi’s boyfriend.”

  Shock resonated across his face as he took Mac’s massive hand. “Boyfriend? I didn’t know Rubi had a boyfriend.”

  Mac’s lips curled into a devilish smile as he glanced at me. “Baby, are you too embarrassed by me to tell your friends about us?”

  I narrowed my eyes. He knew damn well why I didn’t say anything to them.

  He winked before turning to Jill. “You must be Jill.”

  Giggles pealed out her mouth as she nodded. “Did you guys meet at that private school?”

  Mac nodded. “Yep. Rubi stole my soul and broke my heart when she left.”

  Oh man. He was really showing off.

  “Awwwe.” Jill grabbed her heart. “That is soooo sweet.”

  He turned his attention to Jason, his eyes darkening. He extended his hand toward him. “And you are…?”

  “Jason Ford.” Jason winced when Mac squeezed his hand a little too tight. “We’re kinda neighbors.”

  “I see.”

  Uh oh. I could definitely detect a hint of testosterone poisoning the air.

  Jason motioned his thumb toward Terra. “This is my girlfriend Terra.”

  “Oh so you do have a girlfriend. You weren’t just hitting on mine?”

  I guess Mac had noticed Jason’s arm around me.

  Jason’s face turned bright red, but Mac was distracted when Terra threw her hand at him.

  “I’m Terra.” Her voice was so saccharine I thought I’d get diabetes just hearing it.

  “So I gathered.”

  Anger filled my face. I didn’t like her touching my boyfriend. I grabbed Mac’s arm from her, turning him toward me. “What are you doing here? Not that I’m not happy.”

  A warm smile split his lips almost melting me into the floor. “I couldn’t stand another day without seeing you. It’s been torture.”

  I knew the feeling. “Does your dad know you’re here?”

  His jade eyes glinted with mischief and he gave a noncommittal shrugged. “He probably does now.”

  “Wait, you snuck off to see her?” Eric asked. “All the way from Salem?”

  Mac’s forehead gently rested on mine as he sighed, blowing his warm breath across my face. “Hell yeah.”

  My heart wanted to explode out my chest with happiness. I’ve felt like a broken zombie for the last few months and now my reason for existing is right in front of me.

  “That is so sweet.” Jill was looking at both of us with mooneyes.

  Mac’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and grimaced. “Speak of the devil.”

  Whitmore knows.

  Right on cue my phone started buzzing and my dad’s cell number popped up. “Crap. He already called my parents.” Dread wash
ed over me and a fist painfully knotted my chest. We’ve only been together for a nanosecond and now they were going to rip us apart again. I couldn’t handle it.

  Mac’s expression mirrored my own misery. He clenched his jaw and shook his head. “Screw this. Let’s get out of here.”

  My breath caught. “Okay.”

  “Where you guys gonna go?” Eric asked, anxiously brushing back his golden brown hair.

  “Can’t tell you,” I answered as Mac grabbed my hand and started tugging me down the hall. “That way you won’t have to lie when my parents call you!”

  His lips trailed kisses down my neck, leaving heat in their wake. My whole body trembled against his in longing and pleasure. The sound of waves crashing in the distance resonated and a salty breeze blew, but it did nothing to cool the burning across my skin Mac created.

  I don’t know what I missed more—his hands roaming all over me, his body molding to mine, or his lips kissing me until I couldn’t breathe.

  Hell, I missed it all.

  “Rubi,” he whispered. “You have no idea how many nights I lay awake thinking about you, the way you kiss, the way you feel in my arms. Ever since you left there’s been a hole in my heart.”

  We were under the pier, hidden from prying eyes. “I do know because it’s been the same for me.” I caught his face between my hands. “Let’s not think about the bad right now. Let’s just be together.”

  Mac nodded before his lips crashed on mine again, a new level of intensity blossoming between us. His hands gripped my waist and hoisted me up until my legs wrapped around him. My fingers sank into his hair, pulling his head back to deepen the kiss. His tongue tangled with mine, driving me wild with each tantalizing stroke.

  My back suddenly hit a thick wooden beam and I gasped as Mac pressed into me. I could feel his entire body. All of it.

  “Mac,” I growled and then pulled his t-shirt off, running my hands along the muscles dancing in his back.

  His fingers dug into me and I moaned as sparks shot through my body. My mouth left his, nibbling and sucking at his neck. My teeth scrapped harshly over his flesh, the urge to rip it open and take what I wanted stifling.

  I wanted his blood.

  “Rubi,” Mac gasped and covered my mouth with his again. His fangs were extended, sharp and ready.

  I tipped my head back, exposing my neck to him. He wanted it. I knew it.

  His fangs grazed dangerously across my skin, eliciting tiny explosions through my body and slamming me with anticipation.

  With a deep, vicious growl Mac pulled his mouth from my neck and rested his forehead on mine. His breath was ragged like mine and his whole body trembled—like mine.

  “Rubi, we can’t,” he whispered in agony. “We can’t prove our parents right—that we can’t be together without sharing blood.”

  Oh right. I forgot about that little detail.

  “Okay.” Even though I wanted it I wouldn’t push him. He was already having a hard enough time stopping without my pleading for his bite.

  Definitely hard.

  “Maybe we should go someplace less—tempting,” I offered.

  Mac nodded and let me slid down his body. Only a thin ring of jade glimmered in his eyes. The rest was silver burning with desire.

  “If you keep looking at me like that we aren’t going anywhere.”

  He chuckled, but there wasn’t much humor. “Easier said than done.”

  “I know.”

  My curiosity was suddenly stirred and I asked a question I swore to myself I never would once we were separated. “How have you been feeding these past few months?” I’d puke if he was biting another girl.

  His expression turned incredulous. “From the donated supply at Highland.”

  I bit my lip hesitantly. “So no girls? Because you once told me that drinking strictly from glasses would be like putting a muzzle on you.”

  “That was before we were together.” His fingers squeezed my hips. “Rubi, the thought of biting another girl makes me sick now. I’d rather drink from a glass.”

  A smile split my lips, satisfied with his answer. “Good.”

  He reluctantly released me and bent down to snatch his shirt, shaking sand off. “So where to?” he asked, pulling it over his head, hiding his delicious body.

  I sighed, already missing it. “The mall.”

  Mac’s dark brows knit. “The mall? I didn’t think you were that kind of girl.”

  “I’m not,” I said wryly. “But it’s the last place my parents would ever look for me.”

  A wicked grin split his seductive mouth. “The mall it is.” He bent down and kissed my dimple.

  Shelby Mall was a huge, ostentatious three story building made of glass, metal, and white bricks. The inside was no different with grandiose fountains littered with coins, brilliant tropical plants, ornate wooden benches, and gleaming vanilla tiled floors. Every store front was pristine and stocked with flashy displays to lure shoppers. Most of the shoppers themselves were tanned, overindulgent, flamboyant people with money—well probably credit cards—burning holes in their pockets.

  We grabbed something to eat at the food court. My appetite was ravenous. After I polished of my two burgers I stared longingly at Mac’s second one he was still eating. He grinned and slid the rest over to me claiming he was full. He was lying, but I didn’t call him on it.

  Afterwards we roamed the shopping center hand in hand, soaking up each other’s company. I tuned out all the crap that made me hate the mall only focusing on my better half. He enticed plenty of lingering looks. A lot of pretty people lived in southern Florida, but Mac was on a whole other level. No one could rival his insane sexiness. No one.

  He dragged me into a jewelry store, claiming he was going to buy me a diamond ring. The saleswoman thought he was joking until he whipped out his Visa Black card. Her expression was priceless. I groaned and pulled him away while he laughed. She pleaded with us to come back.

  I let him buy me an ice cream cone with two scoops of chocolate. We sat on a bench flanked by botanicals and a view of an impressive fountain, eating our dessert.

  “How’s school going?” I asked, enviously watching him lick away at his scoop of strawberry.

  “Terrible.”

  “You too?”

  He nodded. “I’m no good without you. You ruined me baby.”

  I made a face at him and he chuckled.

  “I am taking an art class though.”

  I perked up. Before we got together Mac was so concerned with what the other vampires thought of him. He was afraid to be himself. He thought he had to remain tough and be the macho alpha or whatever. He was their future king. He didn’t want to seem weak.

  Now I could see him slowly letting go and becoming the person he really was—not who he thought he had to be.

  “That’s cool.”

  “Yeah. I like it.” He shrugged. “But my stuff has been so dark Professor Korman suggested I see the school consoler.” He finished the last bit of his cone and tossed his napkins into the trash. “I’m in darkness without you.” He flashed a devastating smile.

  I shook my head incredulously then finished my cone. “You are something else.”

  “I know.”

  I wiped my fingers with the napkin and grimaced. “I’m all sticky.”

  “I’ll help you with that.” His voice had gone way too deep and velvety. Without warning he grabbed my hand and stuck my index finger in his mouth, licking the stickiness away.

  Oh man.

  A hot, violent shiver rolled across my spine. He grabbed my other finger and started licking away while his eyes captured mine as they began to dance with silver. If we weren’t in public I’d probably jump on him right now.

  “Gees you two, get a room.” Eric was standing in front of us with a grinning Jill by his side. School must be out.

  Mac dropped my hand and smirked. “Rubi wanted me to do just that, but I said I had to protect my purity from her.”

 
They all died laughing and I elbowed Mac in the ribs.

  “Did my parents call either of you?”

  “Both,” Jill said, taking a seat on the other side of me. “We told them the truth—we had no idea where you went.”

  I sighed. “Good.”

  “We should have a little longer before my dad sends his—people—to look for us.”

  Eric’s brow rose. “People?”

  Mac shrugged. “He’s pretty powerful. He’s got a lot of resources.”

  Eric and Jill nodded as if they knew what Mac meant. They didn’t. They had no idea his father was a king.

  “Hey! Small world.” Jason stopped in front of the bench with Terra by his side. Her green eyes instantly locked on Mac with visible desire.

  Ugh.

  Mac possessively threw his arm around my shoulder, pulling me in tight against him. “Yep. Sure is.” Mac could probably feel Terra’s gaze burning a hole in him. “Hello again,” he said to her.

  Terra giggled and playfully touched his arm. “Oh hi Mac. I wasn’t sure if you’d remember me.”

  My eyes narrowed.

  “Um, of course I do.” He flashed a quick smile.

  “Don’t encourage her,” I hissed only for Mac’s ears.

  He shrugged innocently at me.

  Her fingers unexpectedly dove into his mass of midnight locks. “Your hair looks so soft I had to see for myself.”

  I stiffened beside Mac and my vision burned red. If this airhead did not remove her hand I was going to do it for her—with a knife.

  Sensing my anger Mac pulled her hand from his head. “Um… okay.”

  I can’t believe Terra was shamelessly flirting with him right in front of her boyfriend. Jason looked at her with mild disgust and shrugged. I bet she wasn’t going to be his girlfriend much longer.

  A cold shiver suddenly crawled down my spine and Mac stiffened.

  “Hey Rubi,” Jason said, motioning toward the balcony above. “Isn’t that the creepy guy from the beach last night?”

  My neck craned up and I was slammed with trepidation. Those dark, harsh eyes were looking right at me while his mouth curled in a threatening smile.