Hunters' Game (5 page)

Epilogue

Reawakening

Consciousness returned slowly...

Some distant part of his mind understood it
should not have been this way. Still, the effort had to be expended
if he expected to emerge from the darkness that held him prisoner.
Pain hovered too near, and a tiny twitch of fear stirred when he
realized how much agony he'd suffered. It seemed the only clear
memory he possessed. Anguish and hatred dominated and defined his
existence—two feelings he had experienced too much.

Fire...

There had been fire that night. Flames
everywhere. There had been no escape. Terror forced movement. His
hand rose and came to rest over his heart. The small shift of
motion woke a million sensors of pain. He hadn't known anything
like this in a thousand years. Longer. Smoke again filled his
lungs, the memory so vivid he believed for several disoriented
seconds that he remained in the inferno.

Heat...

Searing, lethal flame that stripped the
flesh from his bones. Sweat beaded on his brow, and the reaction
reassured him of his continued survival. As if to prove him wrong,
the blackness seized him another time. The talons of Morpheus
curled around him and drew him deep into the abyss of darkness.

In silence, he screamed...

* * * * *

Time had long since lost any meaning to
him...

The falls into nothingness had become one of
the few constants in his pseudo-existence, he'd learned to
appreciate them. Each time he felt the mental whisper of awareness,
he discovered he had grown stronger. He could move without the
tremendous, encompassing agony that had met each of his tentative
motions a short time ago. He could not stand or sit, but he could
feel life returning to atrophied limbs.

His voice still refused to function...

Not that there appeared to be anyone near to
hear if he had called out. Memories tweaked at his mind, teased and
taunted him with the knowledge that his demise had been more a
cause for celebration than mourning. He had been hated and feared.
He was not loved by any who knew him.

"That's not true, Stavros," a soft, feminine
voice murmured. "I love you, and I have kept you safe."

The gentle warmth of her voice caressed his
senses...

He could not recall her name, but her
happiness seemed to swathe him in a cloak of security.

"Soon." She whispered the promise so close
to his mouth that the gentle ripple of air created a brief smile
within him. Comfort came from the cool touch of fingers caressing
his face, and moist lips brushed his.

Sleep tugged at him, and he hadn't the
strength to fight the lure...

* * * * *

The wetness of her mouth on his greeted him
when he stirred into consciousness. Moments later, a familiar,
sweet, sticky warmth trickled down his throat and he swallowed
eagerly. The taste was exquisite, and his body shuddered in
pleasant rapture.

He wanted more...

Hunger gnawed at his insides, and he reached
for the delicate hand that had withdrawn to stroke his forehead.
She understood his need, and again pressed her torn wrist to his
mouth. The flow of blood wine poured from her veins to his.

"Take what you must," she encouraged in
soothing, low tones.

She touched his temple with another cool
kiss as he continued to drink...

* * * * *

His eyes opened cautiously...

For the first time he could see the place in
which he slept. Shadows filled the room with tranquil shades of
deep grey. The window had been opened and he saw the glittering
sparks of light that studded the clear black sky. The moon hung
low, seemed to rest on the swaying treetops framed by the
fluttering curtains. The pale, silver white globe cast forth a
single bright beam of light that illuminated the world beneath it.
A sliver of darkness passed through the ray and stopped at his
bedside.

"It has been a very long time," she told
him. "I had feared I would never see you again."

He knew this time his voice would not fail
him...

"Who...?"

She smiled and sat next to him...

For several moments, her small hands cradled
one of his, then she lifted it to her lips and kissed the open
palm. Scarlet tears slipped from her eyes, and he felt a welcome
surge of intimate power. She was radiant—beautiful—
his
. He
watched in fascination as she removed a heavy silver ring from her
finger and placed it on the smallest finger of his right hand.

"It is good to have you back, my
Master..."

"Demetri?"

She smiled. "I have kept him alive for your
vengeance."

Stavros saw the twisted yearning and the
hate in her eyes, and knew there would be many reasons for
Demetri's eventual death.

"He has known you as few others, hasn't
he?"

Cliantha's eyes clouded with emotion, and
Stavros waited for her answer. She stared at him, then nodded.

"I did what was necessary to let him believe
I belonged to him."

Stavros nodded. "You did well, my pet. Now,
tell me everything…"

"He has grown powerful, beloved."

"But careless."

"Yes."

Stavros touched the silken fall of her hair,
lifted the black tresses to his lips as he breathed in her
essence.

"That will be what destroys him, Clia," he
whispered, tone dark with lethal promise. "He has dared much, and
he will pay for what he tried to take from me."

~ END ~

Other Stories by Denysé
Bridger

Stranded

Glass Slippers & Jeweled
Masques

Stolen Rapture

The unauthorized reproduction or
distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal
copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary
gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years
in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

Please purchase only authorized electronic
editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic
piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s
rights is appreciated.

Hunters' Game

Copyright © 2012 Denyse
Bridger

Cover art by Kayden
McLeod

All rights reserved.

This book is a work of fiction. Names,
characters, places, and incidents either are products of the
author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to
actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely
coincidental. All sexually active characters in this work are
eighteen or older.

Except for use in any review, the
reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any
form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or
hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of
the publisher, New Dawning International Bookfair.