Kait Ballenger - Immortal Hunter

Immortal

Hunter

Kait Ballenger

www.millsandboon.co.uk

For my dad, Rick Schulz, who has always supported me in everything I do, and who has provided me with all the opportunities I needed to succeed in life. I love you, Daddy.

“Ballenger offers an extremely promising high-voltage start to her series about superheroes and their adversaries.”

—Publishers Weekly , starred review, on Twilight Hunter

“Paranormal fans have a new voice to check out with the debut of Ballenger’s terrific first book in her Execution Underground series.”

— RT Book Reviews on Twilight Hunter

“Debut author Ballenger shows awesome potential and talent.”

— RT Book Reviews on Shadow Hunter

“Kait Ballenger is a treasure you don’t want to miss!”

—New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter

“Nonstop action, pulse-pounding suspense, and red-hot romance … Kait Ballenger’s Execution Underground series delivers in spades!”

—Jaime Rush, New York Times bestselling author

“Action and romance in one mesmerizing story. A phenomenal start to the Execution Underground series. Shadow Hunter will leave you breathless and demanding more.” —Cecy Robson, author of Sealed with a Curse

“Taut with action, suspense, and romance that sizzles, Shadow Hunter is an evocative prelude to what’s certain to be an exciting new series! Fans of J.R. Ward are going to love the sexy warriors of Kait Ballenger’s Execution Underground.” —Kate SeRine, author of Red and The Better to See You

Also available from Kait Ballenger

TWILIGHT HUNTER

AFTER DARK

“Shadow Hunter”

Look for Kait Ballenger’s next novel

MIDNIGHT HUNTER

coming soon

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Epilogue

Acknowledgments

Dear Reader

CHAPTER ONE

DAVID ARONOWITZ UNSHEATHED his dagger and steadied the weapon. The serrated silver blade glinted in the dim amber glow of a nearby streetlight as he slipped into the shadows. He ran his thumb over the edge of the knife. New. Spotless and unused. If he had his way, it wouldn’t be unused much longer.

That demon piece of shit was going down.

He crept farther into the darkness, ears attuned to the slightest noise. The distant sounds of sirens from Strong Memorial Hospital echoed through the night, mixed with the sounds of occasional car horns and passersby. The damp scent of March’s latest snowfall-turned-brown-slush filled his nose. He had only a few minutes until his target arrived, and he couldn’t afford to mess this up.

He didn’t want to leave Allsún. It killed him to leave her bedside. But he had no choice. Jace had agreed to take over his vigil. In his absence, David trusted Jace to keep Allsún safe.

He patted the pocket of his Harley jacket. As he felt his Beretta holstered beneath the leather, a grim smile curved his lips. If there was one thing he loved it was new weapons, and tonight he had two brand-new toys: his dagger and, his personal favorite, the new bullets he’d loaded into the Berretta. Months of trying and finally he’d crafted a bullet that exploded on impact, releasing holy water inside the demonic target. A small part of him couldn’t wait to see the look on the monster’s face when he tested those little beauties.

His current assignment was to trail a demon he suspected was an Abyzu. One of those sick bastards had popped onto the Execution Underground’s radar when an infant girl was murdered two weeks ago. A dull ache pulsed through his heart every time he thought of the horrifying pain her parents had experienced, and would for the rest of their lives.

That baby-killing son-of-a-bitch would pay—no doubt about that, he’d make certain of it. But he had different plans for tonight. An Abyzu wasn’t his target. This was personal.

He shifted behind the Dumpster. A sharp pain shot up his leg, reminding him—as if he could forget—of his last major job gone horribly wrong, and the price of his failure. He deserved the pain. It was a just punishment, because he’d failed her. The one time Allsún had needed him, and he’d let her down. Left his ex-fiancée to the mercy of a sick, sexual sadist.

He gazed in the direction of the hospital, picturing her as he’d left her. She looked so peaceful, lying in the hospital bed with her eyes closed as if she were sleeping, though he knew better. She’d been imprisoned and tortured, and he’d been helpless to protect her. Sure, there were circumstances beyond his control. And, as his fellow hunters liked to point out, he had been the one to save her. But she’d suffered. She continued to suffer.

And knowing her pain was driving him insane.

He kicked the Dumpster with his injured leg, welcoming the sting it sent through his leg. Discovering a demon had possessed the doctor caring for his suffering ex-fiancée while she helplessly lay in a coma had been the chocolate icing on the shit cake.

The demon/doctor was no fool. He surrounded himself with humans, keeping to the busiest sections of the hospital. Shit, David had come close to losing his fucking mind, waiting for the right moment to take the sucker down. He’d been watching the bastard for weeks, and his patience was about to pay off. Any time now the monster would be cutting through the alleyway after the end of his shift.

David paused, and listened. Footsteps approached. He forced himself to focus. It was time. In three, two, one. L’chayim, bitch.

His eyes locked on to the open mouth of the alley, illuminated by a nearby streetlight. As his target rounded the corner and moved toward him, David held his breath and raised his knife for the attack. The sound of footfalls filled the alleyway’s narrow walls, and the whistling wind echoed through the backstreet. With his damaged leg, one wrong move and he would be toast.

The demon’s steps grew louder as David waited to strike. He had one shot to pin the hell-crawler before the monster attacked, or, more likely, turned tail and ran like the little bitch it was. And if the bastard ran, David’s jacked-up leg would make pursuit near impossible.

David focused on his enemy. Suddenly the demon halted mid-stride, on alert, as if sensing the threat lurking in the shadows. David froze, not a single muscle moving. He couldn’t screw this up.

The demon took another cautious step forward. A ray of light from one of the nearby streetlights cast on to the doctor’s face. Shit. This situation was a mess. David had no idea how long the physician had been possessed or, more importantly, whether or not he was still living somewhere inside that skull. He bit back his frustration and reminded himself of the plan. He didn’t want to kill the thing, just pin it down, get the information he needed and exorcise the demon from the doctor’s body. As much as he wanted to carve the monster’s face up for even looking at Allsún, he couldn’t bring himself to go for the kill. Not with the possibility of the body’s original owner being alive.

The demon’s eyes darted around the alley, scanning his surroundings. After several long moments it continued on its way. David smiled. Perfect. He allowed the monster to walk several feet past him, farther into the shadows. Shifting his weight, he prepped for a lunge. The side of his hip brushed the brick wall he stood against, making the slightest sound.