Midnight Hunter

By Lilah Jayne

His mere presence puts her safety in jeopardy. She is disguised as someone he’d never fall for.

The Raiders in New Wiltshire have spread, terrorizing and pillaging the surrounding cities. One cold winter night, Sydney Irvin, an orphan who is tormented by the loss of her family and striving for survival, encounters the enigmatic and dangerous James Dante. Known as the Nocturnal Hunter, he is the city’s most threatening and fatal tracker, disguised as a crime lord during the daytime and a lone hunter by night. When Sydney’s life collides with his, she becomes embroiled in Dante’s world of betrayals and dangerous lies.
However, unbeknownst to Dante, she has been charged with the task of uncovering information about his criminal operations. And when Sydney is targeted by a deadly Lord, one who is bent on destroying her, she may just be the line between the hunted and the hunter.

Excerpt:
“A gentleman through and through, aren’t you?” My sarcasm was barely concealed in my voice.
He raised his eyebrows, walking over to where I was sitting in one quick stride. "Well, you’re right on that front. I'm no gentleman." His smile grew wider as he leaned closer, caging me in with his body. I couldn’t help but sense the waves of power emanating from him. Before he could close the gap between us, he breathed softly, “If you have just a tiny bit of common sense, you wouldn’t try to antagonize me.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lilah Jayne
• Release date: Jan 31, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370325566

Book preview

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14 Part Two: Running

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17 Part Three: Captured

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20 The final Chapter

More Books by L. Jayne: Chasing after Infinity

Excerpt: Chapter 32 of Chasing after Infinity

Midnight Hunter

Lilah Jayne

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2017 Lilah Jayne

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, distributed, stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, without express permission of the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes.

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, or any events or occurrences, is purely coincidental. The characters and story lines are created from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously

Chapter 1

The pandemic had begun years ago, transferring from person to person rapidly. The swarm spread swiftly, invading the city of New Wiltshire, and taking hundreds of innocent lives. This type of virus moved stealthily in the form of obscure shadows, fusing so well with the darkness that they were almost impossible to detect. These were soundless killers, crossing territories with cunning grace, remaining hidden in the gritty underbelly of the city.

The raiders have emerged.

Now, on a deep and cold night, I could sense shadows darting across an abandoned back street, moving faster than a gust of wind. I was in the raiders’ territory and most ladies who considered themselves of a respectable class would not be caught dead in here. I walked faster along the ghostly and almost deserted path, tugging my cloak tighter against me. The moon was a curved crescent above my head, spilling its pearly light onto the streets but failing to lighten the darkest crevices and nooks of the alley. I swept my eyes over the empty streets boxing me in and my pace quickened.

Sensing a shadow tailing me from behind, I reached for the handy knife inside my cloak. Gripping it with one hand, I suddenly pivoted around, scanning my surroundings for any signs of trouble. However, I was only met with a stray cat who had followed me, looking for scraps of food most likely. The cat pawed pitifully towards me, looking painfully thin and patchy. From my pocket, I pulled out a few remaining breadcrumbs and tossed them to the ground. Sensing that time was slipping out of my hands, I went on my way, walking quickly down the square, my feet barely making a noise on the cobblestones. If my instincts were right, I was on the right track and the raiders were around here somewhere, hiding. It was a silent, almost dead night, and a little breeze caught my hair, brushing it by my cheek.

And just as the thought left my mind, something started to materialize from the night, appearing in front of me a couple feet away in the dark alleyway. As I caught sight of his black clothes and languid smile, I stopped dead in my tracks.

My heart pounding in my chest, I inhaled sharply as I turned the corner to see the end of the alley. I spun abruptly and tried to walk in the opposite direction, only to be now cornered by the darkness waiting for me, blocking my escape route. He was still half-shrouded in the dark. I tried to back away but in a flash, he was there, in front of me.

I instinctively drew myself back. Excuse me.

Did he just smile at me? His movements did not make a sound as he came closer. He moved surreptitiously toward me with such a fluid, dangerous grace that he looked like he almost blended in with the shadows of the alley. A half-hidden smile played on his cruel mouth as he assessed me from head to toe. His eyes were calculating yet the pools of grey were still and calmly composed.

What would a girl like you be doing in a place like this? he murmured. His voice was smooth as velvet. Beneath his heavy coat, I could see the the hilt of a dagger poking out beneath the folds, which was strapped to his belt and reflecting light from the nearby lampposts. To the unsuspecting eye, he appeared to be a guard, with his finely made clothing, but on a deeper inspection, it was evident that his identity was more suspicious and his origins darker than I’d originally imagined.

I took a small step back, sizing up the situation. My opponent appeared to be stronger and faster than any other I had encountered. Instead of attacking me immediately, he reached into his pocket, about to pull out what I thought would be a knife or some sort of weapon, but it turned out to be a crumpled paper. The stranger looked over it, then over at me. Afterwards, he only smiled and then placed the paper back in his pocket.

For a moment, I was unmoving. After a brief pause, he finally purred, I just want to make sure, just in case.

Confused, about what he was asking or stating a statement, I moved toward him. Sudden bravado overcame me as I said, You were following me, which tells me you were looking for a fight, which you must know will end with your death. Whether I was being bold or foolish, I didn’t know. I had to stall for time, and I hoped that he wouldn’t call my bluff anytime soon.

Instead of rising to my challenge, he merely chuckled, ignoring my blatant statement. Empty threats, he cooed, leaning back and watching me. He continued to study me with barely concealed amusement. Your name? His voice was low and deep, with a hint of a smoky rasp.

Chuckling like my threat was a joke to him. Brushing me off like I was a fly. And for that, my blood was boiling hot in my veins. None of your business, I growled. The wind had started to blow harder, blowing my hair in front of my eyes.

I slowly approached him, knife at the ready behind me. Abruptly, I pulled it out from behind and swung it to his face.

I clicked the switch open as the blade snapped out. "I will use this weapon if you get any closer."

He started to laugh, the disbelief that I was flipping the tables on him. You think you’ll be able to fight me?

Another step. Finally, I was close enough to attack, and maybe land a shot. I automatically swung around and sliced forward.

Into thin air.

He’d already sidestepped away, leaving me to face nothing. I felt something graze my shoulder less than a second later. I flipped around my knife and went in for a stab. Again, I connected with nothing. Finally, facing the other direction, my eyes landed on him.

I made a quick dash for him in frustration, and by the frown on his face, I could tell he wasn't expecting the quickness of my attack. I managed to land a blow this time, barely cutting the right side of his waist before he jumped away, landing on his feet swiftly. Pursing my lips, I looked over at him, thinking of my next move.

You’re quick, but I'm quicker, sweetheart, he said, his smile widening. He was laughing at me and mocking me at the same time.

I had never wanted to kill a man more than I wanted to now.

Suddenly, the man checked his timepiece watch under the sleeve of his jacket, his smile slipping away. The wintry look in his eyes returned as he stated, Well, I don’t have much time to play with you now. I have important matters to attend to and must be on my way. He mockingly tipped his hat to me before turning away.

I held in the scream of frustration I wanted to let out. I was left confused, not understanding what had just taken place. I looked up at the sky, which had turned from a navy blue to a midnight black, with grey clouds clouding the moon. It was pitch dark and the streetlights were glowing.

It was in that moment I sheathed my knife that I heard the incoming pounding of boots against the streets in the distance, getting closer with every second. The stranger whipped around to face the oncoming ambush, his hands delving into his coat and pulling out two daggers before I could blink.

A horde of men rushed into the alleyway, surrounding us. A waft of cheap ale hit my nostrils. They bore crude weapons and held knives at the ready. Raiders. One man stepped out from the crowd, smiling widely to reveal a gold tooth.

We’ve been tailing you for some time now and it looks like we finally found ourselves some gold, he sneered and made a move to stab the cloaked stranger.

As fast as a snake poising to strike and before he could even touch him, the stranger whirled around, knocking the knife out of his fist and he twisted the raider’s arm with one swift movement. It happened all so fast that it was a blur of movement. Howling, the bandit dropped to his knees.

Chaos ensued. Three men rushed him and the stranger dodged their knives with quiet agility, using the hilt of the dagger in his left hand to hit the closest one in the face, spurting blood against the brick walls. The cloaked man swung the burly bandit around savagely, pinning him against the wall and raising a dagger to his throat.

Heart pounding violently in my chest and looking for an escape strategy, I took a few steps backwards – colliding onto something solid. I didn’t need to turn around to see who it was and foreboding flooded my senses as someone pressed the edge of a knife into my collarbone. I struggled to move out of his grip, but he only dug it deeper into my throat, making me choke.

Drop your weapons or we’ll kill her.

The brutish low growl set the hairs of my neck on end.

The stranger paused, his hand still closed around the neck of a robber who was sputtering and his dagger raised above him. He flicked his eyes toward me, frozen against my captive. The man behind me pressed hard against my throat, and I held back a wince as a bead of blood bloomed on my skin.

"One move or she's dead."

Something shifted in the stranger’s eyes. He took a moment to consider this.

He straightened and a low throaty laugh escaped his mouth. His eyes were cold and they betrayed no emotion. "You expect me to surrender my weapons because you threaten me with a mere woman that I don’t even know?" He drawled indolently, as if mocking the