When you look at me like that, I forget who I am.
Blood Hunt
Shannon K Butcher
Sentinel Wars, book five
ebook, 303 pages
Published August 1st 2011 by Signet Book
ISBN 9781101517190
Hope appeared out of nowhere, naked and alone, a woman without a past. The only thing she knows is that she is imbued with a strange power. It's in her blood. And two men want to posses it. One is Logan, a Sanguiner demon-fighter who needs Hope's essence to survive. The other is Krag, a Synestryn lord whose desire is to enslave Hope, and drain her of the lifeforce.
When Hope and Logan both fall prey to Krag, a powerful desire grows between them. But is it enough to thwart their captor's diabolical plan and his demon warriors, and survive a vampire's destiny written in blood?
Ah, Logan. Loved and loathed alike, Logan, with his unnatural beauty, has never failed to capture a woman's notice. Any woman. Every woman. But not one, in a very long time, has ever made him feel anything in return. Until Hope.
On the hunt to uncover the mystery of an address left in blood on a mirror in book four, Logan finds himself at an abandoned building where one of the couples brought together through Project Lullaby is under attack by a demon. The battle leaves Logan poisoned, weak, and near death.
Selfless to a fault, Hope is on a hunt of her own. For answers as to who she is, and what she is. And where the homeless people she helps at the local shelter are disappearing to. Over a decade ago, Hope awoke, naked and alone in the same building in which Logan fights to survive, with no memory of who she was or where she came from. Taken in by a nun, Hope has made a small success of herself as a photographer and volunteers faithfully to those in need. On her ritual walk through the streets, packed with sandwiches and blankets, she's drawn to the battle. And ends up saving Logan with light, a pipe, and eventually, her blood.
Blood that empowers Logan in a way he's never known. For the first time in centuries, his hunger is sated. His body feels warmth. And he's aroused. A gift and curse he can't do away with whenever Hope is near. Alas, there's nothing to be done about it. If Hope is a Theronai, as the power of her blood suggests, she's off limits. If she's human, she's a prime specimen for Project Lullaby wherein Logan and his fellow Sanguiner match-up humans to mate and bear children that will one day feed the blood dependent Sanguiner race.
A race currently dying of starvation.
Meanwhile... Yay! Joseph, leader of the Theronai, meets his destined, Lyka. Sister of the Slayer's leader (Andreas), Lyka is a force all her own as her brother strips her naked, bags her in a sheet, and drags her to the Theronai stronghold as a means to initiate a truce between the Theronai and the Slayers. Long explanation made short: It's custom to arrive naked to show proof of being unarmed and Andreas offers Lyka as a hostage to further endear Joseph to his honest plight. His sister may be a thorn in his ass, but he loves her more than anything else in this world. She and Joseph's story comes in book nine, due out in March.
The rescued Theronai, Jackie, continues to lengthen her list of compatible partners as, with Joseph's response to her touch, it appears any of the Sentinels could be saved by mating her. Having lived far too long as a prisoner, whose blood sustained the demons that feasted on her, Jackie is haunted by the looks of hunger and need on the faces of her captors. Seeing the same mirrored by the Theranai men sends her running. Her destined match? Iain, who has lost the last of his leaves and merely pretends that his soul remains. He feels very little. And his apathy is growing.
The search for a mate for Hope begins. So far no luck with the Theronai. And then, Alexander brings in the Slayer, Eric Phelan, brother of Andreas and Lyka. And much to Logan's regret, he finds his blood to be a perfect match for Hope. Their children would powerful. But let me tell you, this guy's no prince. Despite being willing to bed and mate Hope, with his brother's permission of course, he doesn't give a damn whether he cares for her or her for him. His sense of duty is strong. His grip on the heart not so much.
As it turns out, Hope isn't Theronai. Nor is she human. She's like Logan. But from another planet.
Logan and Hope go through a few levels of hell before they find a peaceful end. An end that was far too abrupt. It wasn't a cliffhanger, but sure felt like one. One more scene, is it too much to ask?
4 out of 5 stars.
Previously in the series:
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