Today Valerie Ullmer returns with Hunter, book five in her Dark Assassins series.
Blurb:
The one definitive belief panther-shifter Hunter and the other immortals understood about shifters and vampires; vampire venom is deadly to shifters and vice versa. But Hunter never worried about testing the theory because he never wondered if he had a mate, even after a few of his family had found their own. As he and two others stumble upon and eliminate several rogue shifters, part of a larger group determined to kill each of the assassins, Hunter also stumbles upon the one woman destined to be his. There’s only one problem. She’s part vampire.
All alone in the world.
Despite everything, Neri made a life for herself after she escaped from a facility using her as a test subject. She has no past, no family, and no connections to the world as far as she can remember. She stays to herself and finds a routine, telling herself she isn’t lonely. But everything changes when she spots Hunter and her first true memory revealed. He was there the day someone injected her with an experimental drug and changed into this cold being.
As Neri and Hunter navigate their newfound relationship, their journey becomes even more complicated when they learn Neri’s venom is deadly to shifters. But with help from the other immortals, Hunter and Neri reveal her past and realize the extent of the threat Dark Company has been dealing with for years.
But can their relationship survive with so much stacked against them?
Disclaimer: Hunter is intended for mature readers. 18 and over only! Scenes include power exchanges, and explicitly sexual situations. These scenes are fantasies only, suitable for discerning readers. If such content may offend, please do not buy this book.
Buy link: Amazon
Excerpt:
“You don’t have to fear me. You’re safe.” Hunter reiterated his promise and cupped her face.
Hunter’s vision blackened around the edges and a second later, he plunged into a darkness. He didn’t understand when he heard her quiet voice.
“I’m not so sure about that.”
The next minute, Hunter sensed his surroundings changed. He blinked his eyes, getting used to the darkness after the bright, blinding light of the snow. He still found himself on his knees and as he moved his fingers searching for the woman who had been right in front of him, he found she wasn’t there any longer.
Hunter closed his eyes and listened to his surroundings.
There was a low hum from a computer fan somewhere in the room and there was breathing, deep, as if the person was asleep. Before he could investigate further, a desk lamp clicked on and his eyes moved toward the arrogant looking man seated, cross-legged, on an uncomfortable metal chair. He had a smug look on his face and Hunter wanted to break his face.
Hunter pulled his gaze from the man and took a quick glance around and to him, something about it seemed familiar. The sterile coldness, the clear glass that looked out into the hall, the white formica tiles on the floor. Sterile and clean. The place gave him the creeps.
When he turned his gaze to the man in the lab coat, his gaze wasn’t on Hunter but on a woman laying on the exam table he hadn’t seen until that moment.
Hunter took a deep breath, trying to examine the scents in the room and looking for a familiar one, but there was nothing. He should have scented the sterile environment, the blue liquid on the counter along with wooden sticks and cotton balls, but there was nothing.
He growled in frustration but neither the older gray-haired doctor, nor the woman strapped down with her mouth covered to muffle sound, reacted to the sound escaping from his throat.
Without another thought, he lunged for the doctor but he passed through the figure.
Okay, I’m not here. Can’t scent, can’t touch.
Hunter turned toward the table and sucked in a deep breath as the familiar features of the woman in the mountains came into focus. Her face looked gaunt, but it was the dark brown hair and matching eyes that took him by surprise because she looked familiar. Her body looked starved and despite the bruising on her limbs and the dark circles under her eyes; she looked back at the doctor in defiance.
Hunter jolted when the man spoke.
“So, Nerissa… it appears you’re an utter failure as a shifter.” His eyes glanced down as if he were ashamed by her lack of abilities. “But you are a prime candidate for an experimental drug my colleagues and I have been working on.”
Her gaze narrowed as he continued to speak and he noted her body shook with the continuous growl that emitted from her throat.
“You had such promise. Oh, well.”
As if waiting for that statement, a nurse walked in and handed a syringe to the man. “Here you go, Dr. Stevens.”
More about Valerie Ullmer
Valerie writes romances: contemporary, paranormal, erotic, and gay.
She lives in Denver, Colorado with her wonderfully supportive husband and their funny and wise black lab, Maddie. Valerie is addicted to coffee, crime shows, and reading and writing character-driven romances.
As a voracious reader, she’s believes that all writers are rock stars, and she hopes that people enjoy her stories as much as she loves the romance novels she’s devoured over the years!
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