Hunters' Game by Denyse Bridger

Chapter One
    The hunt begins…
     
     
    Cliantha Alexandros loved the rain,
especially when the fury of thunder and sizzle of lightning tore
the sky to shreds. She glanced upward, wishing the torrent of the
storm would be unleashed. The heavy darkness in the sky had
threatened rain all day, but now, late in the evening, the promise
remained unfulfilled.
    But it was there. Like so many other threats
lurking within the shadows. Threats like you , her inner
voice whispered, making her smile. The storm-grey above her
deepened, and a gust of wind shredded chunks of white cloud before
tossing them into the emerging maelstrom. Fragments of cloud lost
their airborne wildness, drifted, spiraling downward to nestle her
in a shroud of fog.
    Mortal fear tainted the air in storms, and
the terror lit a frenzy in her veins. Her skin tingled, her body
vibrated with awakened urgency. Her mood was quicksilver,
dangerous, and she was eager to indulge all her desires.
    Enveloped in the night-cooling, rain-laden
air, Cliantha walked, the sharp, staccato click of her stiletto
heels tapping out each step. She smiled, soaking in all that
surrounded her, both the physical and the internal nuances that
caressed her heightened mental awareness.
    Spring loomed nearby, but the chill of
winter dominated the air, keeping it crisp and biting. The streets
of downtown Toronto were always busy at this time. People rushed
through the surreal daylight of glowing street-lights, caught up in
the importance of their fleeting lives. Inwardly, she mocked them,
the doomed prey among unknown predators.
    Among the multitude of faces and bodies, she
stood out. Her superiority came as naturally as breathing,
something she accepted without humility. Emerging from the swaths
of cottony, damp mist, minion's thoughts washed over her, their
unspoken words of praise amusing and familiar. Men gazed at her
with longing, women with combined envy and pride for the
magnificent creature who embodied the beauty of their gender.
    Snaring the gaze of a staring male, she
forged a passing bond with his mind. Laughing, she relished a
vision of herself through his eyes for fleeting instants.
Blue-black hair, jet-dark eyes, long legs glimpsed with each step
she made.
    Cultivated arrogance shrouded her in mystery
and sensual allure. She released her hold on the stranger's
thoughts.
    Several young men eyed her, and she read
their calculations as each decided if they were, indeed, brave
enough to approach. Her laughter as her gaze swept over each of
them in turn was all the deterrent they needed.
    She knew what she wanted tonight, and her
senses resonated with his presence. Somewhere in this crowded
mélange, Demetri deVerieux was lying in wait, his deviant desires
beckoning to her with invisible fingers. In this alone, was he like
their maker, Stavros, with his ability to lure her into amoral
desires until all that existed was her need to find release.
    She paused at a dark corner, closed her eyes
and reached out to the night. A shudder of rapture slid along her
veins at his mental caress. He summoned her to him, taunting her
with waves of memory and promises yet unfulfilled. Their game began
in earnest.
    Edgy and eager now, she rubbed her hands
against the velvet of her skirt, her breathing rapid and shallow as
harsh reality bit into her eagerness. Her present life was a
necessary ploy to disarm an old enemy. Despite the pleasures they
shared, her relationship with Demetri served a greater purpose. He
was not the mate she had chosen to spend her eternity serving and
loving.
    She seized a seat at a sidewalk café, and
took a moment to pull her emotions together, before he picked up on
her distraction. Or the reason behind it.
    She drew in a calming breath and closed her
eyes. Demetri's hunting games always triggered the memories seizing
her heart. Shivering, she opened herself to the past. It was the
only way she could hope to bury her secrets beyond his reach
again…
     
    The dreams came, as