A Dark Hunger

In a fight for
freedom, hunger consumes them both. But it’s not the enemies who
are in danger…

After attacking
a human when Surquyn loses control of her hunger for blood, nearly
exposing what they were, Riyzan decides to take the newly changed
vampire to a secluded place to help her control the urges that
consume her mind and body.

Surquyn
responds well to the training, but when their safe place is raided
by unsuspected enemies with weapons stronger than Riyzan believed
possible and Surquyn is taken from him before they can finish, he
must act fast if he’s to save her in time to stop her hunger from
killing her.

Will they reign
over their hunger and defeat the enemies, or will hunger consume
them both?

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A Dark
Hunger

Copyright ©
2013 Natalie Hancock

ISBN:
978-1-77111-588-9

Cover art by
Angela Waters

All rights reserved. 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.

Published by
eXtasy Books

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Smashwords
Edition

A Dark
Hunger

World of
Darkness Book Two

By

Natalie
Hancock

To those who
love Riyzan’s hunger.

Prologue

Rain pelted
down hard, soaking Riyzan completely almost instantly. He didn’t
care—he couldn’t feel the cold, couldn’t feel anything as he knelt
down on the ground, his gaze moving slowly across his dead
wife.

She just lay
there, almost peaceful looking had it not been for the trickle of
blood on the corner of her beautiful lips, or the gaping hole in
her chest.

He could smell
her blood—the sweet aroma that always brought the dark hunger from
within, the hunger he could never control.

Stroking her
cheek gently, Riyzan moved a stray bit of hair behind her ears and
spoke a silent prayer to himself, thanking everyone for the love
that had been given, the beauty in his wife and the kindness he had
learned to give and share.

When he
finished, he gently slid his hands underneath her, lifted her
lifeless form off the ground and held her close.

Layla cried
silently as she watched and Riyzan was unable to feel any emotion
as he bowed his head, letting his long hair side over Surquyn’s
face and walked away without a word. He didn’t make a move to turn
to his own daughter and her mate and comfort them. She wasn’t
alone, he was. He had lost his true love and had no idea how he
would ever survive without her in his life.

The rain came
down harder, mixing with his dark thoughts. He couldn’t understand
what had happened, couldn’t understand why he’d lost the one woman
who kept his hunger at bay, who kept him strong each day he
lived.

Thunder cracked
through the sky and his thoughts darkened further. Riyzan couldn’t
let her go. He couldn’t bury her like he did his firstborn. The
wound cut deep into his heart at the thought as though it had only
happened yesterday, and he knew he couldn’t handle it. Not
again.

Once at the
back of the mansion—
their
mansion—he kicked the door open
and strode straight into the kitchen. The automated lights
flickered on and he saw the blackened walls near the kitchen door,
spreading across the wall. The fire had been big, nearly burning
the entire mansion down.

Riyzan gently
placed Surquyn on the table and once again moved her hair away from
her face. In the light, he saw her wound clearer. Her skin was
torn, bones broken and her deflated heart, which lay unmoving,
where it used to beat life through her body.

No!
He
couldn’t leave her, couldn’t let her leave him when he needed her
most. He couldn’t say bye to her, not again. Without thinking,
Riyzan bit into his wrist and let his blood drip from the wound
into the hole in her chest. When his wound closed over, he grabbed
the kitchen knife and slit his wrist deeply, letting more blood
pool down her throat before he put both hands on her chest and
pressed down, trying to get her heart to pump his blood through her
body.

Nothing
happened.

She lay
unmoving on the table, her heart didn’t beat and she didn’t come
back to him. She had left him for good.

For the first
time since turning into a vampire, Riyzan felt tears slide down his
cheeks, felt his heart break with the knowledge that she would
never smile at him, never love him or feed him again.

Never laugh and
make his day worth living.

Riyzan buried
his face in her stomach as he cried, bunching her clothes into his
fists, holding her close as he thought about facing the world
without his woman by his side.

He’d have to
face Layla—who looked so much like her, and Shayla who had killed
her. He couldn’t do it, couldn’t live without her. He needed her
with him, by his side.

He jumped back
when Surquyn sat up straight, sucked in a deep breath and then let
out an ear-splitting scream…

Chapter
One

Riyzan pushed
Surquyn against the wall, not caring about the humans walking past
the alleyway they stood in, and kissed her while she clawed at his
clothes and moaned into his mouth. He held in a groan, sliding the
straps of her thin dress off her shoulders and watched it pool at
her feet. He licked his lips at the sight of her full breasts and
felt himself harden when her nipples puckered in the cold night,
her breasts rising and falling as she breathed heavily. Instantly,
hunger grew within, wanting her touch and taste.

Surquyn pushed
his trousers down and he stilled as her warm hands stroked the
length of him from base to tip. He shut his eyes and shuddered when
she gripped him with one hand, her nails digging into his skin
slightly, and used the other hand to cup his balls. He growled as
his hunger and his arousal spiked and picked her up, leaning her
against the wall as he slipped himself into her. He groaned and
pressed his lips to her neck when she tightened herself around him,
pulling him in deeper inside her heated depths and gently kissed
her neck. He felt heat spread across his body as he moved and held
back the urge to sink his fangs into her neck and pull her sweet
blood into his mouth. He knew he’d be unable to hold back once he
did, and he wanted to watch Surquyn shatter before he gave in to
his own pleasure.

Gripping her
hips tight, he moved at a steady pace while Surquyn dug her heels
into his ass.

“Faster!”

He chuckled
against her neck but still kept his pace, teasing her until he felt
her tighten and heard her breathy moan. He sank his fangs into her
neck. She exploded around him, tightening and pulling him in deeper
while she arched away from the wall and gripped his hair tight.

Aware that some
of the humans had seen them, Riyzan didn’t care as he took a deep
pull on her neck and slammed himself into her. She moaned loudly as
he groaned, savouring the taste of her blood before he swallowed
it.

He heard
whispering nearby, and knew the humans had moved closer. He ignored
them and moved faster and drank harder. Surquyn tightened around
him again and cried out loudly. Riyzan groaned around her skin
before he pulled his fangs out and kissed her. She slipped her
tongue into his mouth, tangling it with his and then sucked it into
her mouth. He growled low and pressed himself closer to her as he
came. Hunger flashed in Surquyn’s eyes before she bared her fangs
and sank them into his throat. Riyzan bellowed into the night as
she milked him of his semen and blood.

Riyzan ran his
fingers through Surquyn’s hair and pulled her head back. Blood slid
down her lip and he watched her tongue snake out to lick it up.

Bright lights
flashed through the alleyway and anger surged through Riyzan. He
was crushing the human’s phones before their flash went off again.
He let the bits fall to the floor as the three men gaped at him. He
bared his fangs. “Run!”

They yelled
loudly and ran off into the street, tripping over each other.

Riyzan let them
go. They were idiotic humans and he wasn’t about to waste his time
chasing them.

When Surquyn
growled behind him, he turned and saw the remaining two humans
standing around his still naked wife. One of them struck her with
the back of his hand and drew blood. Anger surged through him and
he grabbed the man around the throat, lifting him off the ground as
though he weighed nothing.

Surquyn lunged
for the other human, knocking him into the wall and baring her
fangs at him.

“Surquyn,
no!”

She ignored his
warning and sank her fangs into his throat. He flailed and
screamed, the noise echoing through the alleyway and alerting
others that strolled past.

Dropping his
human, Riyzan moved quickly and grabbed Surquyn, but she had
already ripped the human’s throat out. Blood splattered across her
and she moaned with obvious hunger as Riyzan grabbed the human and
shoved him away the same time he tightened his hold on Surquyn when
she went after the heavily bleeding human.

Riyzan turned
his attention to the loud sirens of the police as Surquyn continued
to struggle out of his hold. When the blue flashing lights lit up
the crowd of onlookers, he cursed, turned Surquyn around and ran in
the opposite direction of the police, only stopping when the sound
couldn’t be heard.

Surquyn pushed
him away and hissed at him. “You fool!”

He pushed her
against the wall, pinning her there with his body as a couple
walked around the corner. Surquyn was still naked, her dress
forgotten in their hurry. “Fight the hunger.”

She struggled
against him. “Get off me!”

Riyzan smoothed
her hair back and kissed her nose. “I will, when you are not
controlled by your hunger.”

“Riyzan!”

He pulled her
head back by her hair and ran his lips across her neck. “You cannot
continue to let your hunger get the better of you.” He felt her
shudder against him. “You need to learn.”

Surquyn sucked
in air. “I can’t fight it,” she whispered.

Riyzan heard
the defeat in her tone. “You can and I will help you.”

“You’ve already
done what you can. This hunger isn’t like any hunger I’ve
experienced before…I do not know how to control it.”

Riyzan met her
gaze and held it. When he’d first changed Surquyn into a vampire,
it appeared nothing had changed—until she had fed on blood for the
first time. It became apparent how much she hungered for the elixir
of life and how much her hunger reigned over her when she hungered
for it. He had taught her to control her urges for blood when she
was around others, but not how to control it when she was angered
or aroused.

Surquyn gripped
his shirt tight. “Please, help me control it before it kills
me.”

Riyzan put his
forehead against hers and exhaled slowly. He’d never seen her so
vulnerable. She’d always been so fearless and strong. The drastic
change into a vampire had changed everything. “Let us go and I can
help you.”

Fear flashed in
her eyes. “Where will we go?”

“Do not fret. I
will take you somewhere where you cannot hurt humans when your
hunger takes over.” He kissed her gently before taking his suit
jacket off and covering her with it. He took her hand and smiled as
he led her away from the scent of blood that drifted around
them.

Chapter
Two

“Oh, Riyzan!”
Surquyn faced him, her mouth open in surprise. “I thought you
destroyed this place when Layla and Akila were born?”