In one way, I am scared to be feeling this contentment, this attraction, this closeness with Hunter, but one thing I have learnt in the past months is that if I let fear guide me, I won’t ever do anything. Turning, I pick up my jeans from the bed and pull them on, wiggling as they slide over my hips. I then pick up my gold tank top and pull it over my head, adjusting it over my breasts. I know that the colour complements my colouring and the clothes mould to my body in a sexy way. I know there will be women here tonight, and I want to make sure that the only woman Hunter will be looking at is me.
Fifteen minutes later, I am ready. Looking back at the mirror, I wink at myself, seeing the smoky eyeshadow giving me a sultry look. I turn and head towards the cupboard. Opening the doors, I pull out my bag. I only have one pair of heels that I kept in case of interviews. They’re not as sexy as I would like, but they will have to do. As soon as the heels are on my feet, I’m ready. I know that Hunter said he would come up to get me, but I want to go down and surprise him.
Opening the bedroom door, I make my way downstairs. I am nearly at the bottom of the stairs when I see Blue heading my way. He clearly doesn’t know who I am, but I know who he is from seeing him sing. “Well, hello there,” he murmurs, his eyes traveling over my body. “You sure are a tasty morsel, but what were you doing up there?” I can see the suspicion in his eyes. He takes another step closer and then stops, his eyes widening. I can see him sniffing the air, and then he tenses, his eyes snapping towards my shoulder. I know he’s looking for the mark that Hunter gave me, but he won’t be able to see it, as my hair is covering it at the moment.
“Who are you?” he asks, taking another step closer.
“I’m with Hunter. My name is Dakota,” I say, and see him looking again at my shoulder. Either he just got home or no one told him that I am Hunter’s mate. He stretches out his hand, but before he touches me, I see him tense before his hand drops and he looks over his shoulder just as Hunter comes around the corner.
“I thought you were waiting upstairs,” Hunter says, and then his eyes widen, and he stops just as he reaches Blue. “Shit.”
“I was ready, so I decided to come on down,” I say, and smile when I see the smouldering look in his eyes as he looks over my body.
“You fucker,” Blue suddenly says. “This is what was different. How come no one told me this?”
Hunter turns his head and grins at Blue. “You weren’t here,” he says with a shrug. “Anyway, this is my mate, as you have gathered.”
Blue shakes his head, and then a grin splits across his face. Before I know what is happening, he has his arms around my waist and is hugging me close. The sudden contact has me tensing in shock and fear. What the hell is he doing? I hear a growl just before I am placed on the ground again.
“Welcome to the family, Dakota,” Blue says, and then he looks at an angry Hunter. “Oh, stick a sock in it. That’s for not telling me. Come here, you lug.” And with those words, he pulls an angry Hunter into a hug. “Congratulations, brother,” I hear him murmur just before he lets go of Hunter.
“You’re lucky I like you, but if you ever touch my woman again, you will lose those hands.”
Blue throws back his head and chuckles. “I’m sorry, sugar, that you had to get this ugly, grumpy sod as a mate,” Blue says as he winks at me, and then he punches Hunter playfully on the arm. “You did well, brother.”
“I did, didn’t I?” Hunter says, a smile lifting his lips again as he stretches out his hand and strokes my cheek tenderly.
“I think I did pretty well too,” I tease as I smile up at Hunter and see his smile widen as he winks at me playfully.
“Darn, the mating must really blind you,” Blue says teasingly from behind Hunter.
“No, it didn’t blind me. I know how sweet Hunter is.”
Blue roars with laughter. “Hunter’s sweet?”
“Piss off,” Hunter mutters. “Come on, babe, let’s leave this idiot to his own jokes.” But there is a teasing tone in his voice as he slides his arm around my waist and guides me around Blue. “Besides, I have something for you.”
I look up at him in surprise. He got me something. We walk towards the bar area, and I see that the door that leads towards where they have all their work is closed. I’m guessing that with the party, they don’t want anyone snooping around. I’ve been hearing the music blaring since I left the room, but the closer we get to the bar, the louder it gets, and I can hear loud voices. It seems like the party has already started.
When we walk in, the bar is full. There are bikers and skimpily clad women everywhere. I’m sure my mouth is hanging open when I see two women dancing provocatively in front of a group of men. Well, no matter how much I thought I was prepared for this party, I was wrong.
“Well, what have you got there?” a man says as he walks towards Hunter and me. “Now that I wouldn’t mind tapping.”
I can feel the arm that Hunter has around my waist tensing. “She’s taken,” he mutters as he continues guiding me through the bar area. I hear the man saying something else, but I can’t tell what it is with the loud music. Hunter doesn’t stop, and soon, we are walking out of the main door and into the open area outside that now has people talking. I smell the scent of cooked meat and see in the far side a table weighed down with food. I haven’t eaten since breakfast this morning, the smell of food has my mouth watering and my stomach grumbling.
“You hungry?” Hunter asks as we walk towards the food.
“I’ve only had breakfast today,” I murmur as I look at the variety of food they have on the tables.
“Why didn’t you have anything else to eat?” At Hunter’s angry tone, I look up at him to find him frowning at me, so I shrug in reply as I stretch out my hand and snatch a roll off the table.
“I was busy.” Hunter stretches around me and takes two paper plates from the table; he walks over to where the meat is and starts to pile meat onto the one plate. He then places the plate on the table and fills the other one with different items. When he is happy with his selection, he takes both plates before looking at me.
“Come,” he calls as he inclines his head to a secluded area behind the food tables. When Hunter reaches a tree stump a few meters away, he stops. “Let’s sit here while we eat.” He waits until I’m sitting and then places the plate full of meat on my lap. “Eat,” he orders as he takes the seat next to me.
After eating a few bites of the meat, I realize that he isn’t having any. “Aren’t you eating?” I ask.
“No, that is for you. I don’t like it that you haven’t eaten. I will make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
“I can’t eat all of this. It’s way too much. I thought you were sharing with me,” I say, only to have him looking at my plate and then back at me.
“That’s not too much. You’ve hardly eaten,” Hunter says. “I won’t have you hungry. What kind of mate am I if I can’t take care of you?”
“I’ve managed to take care of myself for all these years. I think I can feed myself.” I find it endearing that Hunter is worried about me not eating, as I have never had anyone except my parents when I was young worrying about my welfare. I feel Hunter’s finger under my chin as he turns my head towards him until we are looking at each other.
“You are my mate. I will always take care of you.” He leans forward and kisses me gently on the lips. “You need your strength for what I have planned for later,” he quips with a twinkle in his eye. Before I can answer, he looks away from me and then smiles.
“You have it.” I turn my head to see King approaching.
“Of course. I don’t want any fighting today,” King says as he comes to a stop before us. Only now do I realize that he has something in his hand as he hands it to Hunter.
“Thanks, King,” Hunter says, and then turns to me, lifting something up in his hand. “I said I had something for you. Here, put this on.” I look at the black piece of leather in his hand before taking it. I bring it up to my nose in ple
asure at the smell of leather before opening it up to see a kutte. It is similar to the one the guys use, but much smaller to fit me. Turning it around, I raise my eyebrow at the words under the logo of a wolf head howling, with the words Wolverine MC above it, and then Property of Hunter below.
“Property of Hunter?” I ask.
“When you wear the kutte, no one will try their luck, as they will know that you’re taken,” King says from where he’s standing. I nod in reply, and then trying not to spill the food on my lap, I slip the kutte on. The leather is nice and soft as it slides up my arms. The fit is perfect once on.
Looking at both men, I smile. “Thank you. It’s perfect. I love it.” King smiles and then turns slightly as he looks at the far corner, most probably sensing something. Hunter is grinning in pleasure, his eyes filled with pleasure as he looks down at my body in the black leather kutte.
“Everyone will know you belong to me now.” I have come to realize that for Hunter, it is important that everyone knows that I’m his, and I know that it’s an instinctive reaction from him because of his wolf. I know that I would have had a problem with it from anyone else, but from Hunter, I am happy to be his, and more importantly, I’m happy that he’s mine too.
“So, when do you get the wording on your kutte saying that you belong to me?” I see him frowning at my question, knowing that bikers don’t get their woman’s name embroidered on their kuttes, but curious to see what he says.
“I am yours, babe. The reason you have those words on your kutte is for protection, but if you would feel better if I had that on my kutte, I can get it done.”
“You would actually get it?” I ask, surprised that he would do it.
“Of course. You are my mate. Why wouldn’t I?” he asks with a frown.
“It’s okay. I don’t need you to have it on your kutte. I was just teasing, as I didn’t think you would get it done.”
“Dakota, finding our mate is the best thing that can happen to any one of us, and I have no problem letting everyone know that you are mine and I am yours.” I feel my stomach fluttering in reaction to his words. To know that Hunter feels the same as me, that he feels like we are one, is exhilarating. Even at the beginning with Jason, I never felt like this, this oneness with someone. I know that he has explained that we are meant to be, that we are what they call soulmates, and I have to confess that I was a little sceptical, but as time passes, I have also come to realize that what I feel for Hunter, the way I feel with Hunter, is different, unique.
I can’t believe that after what isn’t even a week, I love this man. At the thought, I feel like a vice is tightening my heart, but I know it’s true. I never thought love would come this fast. I have always expected that to love someone, you need to get to know the person, and with time, love grows, but this is different. It’s like my soul knows him, like I am in the right place at the right moment and with the right person.
I see Hunter lowering his head to kiss me, and I smile, but then he stops and sits up straight, his head turning to the same place King had looked. Only now do I realize that King is no longer with us. “What’s wrong?” I know something is wrong by the way he has tensed.
“There are Hades men here.” There is anger in his voice as he looks around.
“What are they doing here?”
“Don’t know, but King, Goliath, and Frost are with them.” I look around, trying to see them but can’t.
“Where?”
“Look at the far side of the house. They’re near the treeline. Can you see them?” I look at the far side and at first can’t see anything. Then, just as I’m about to look away, I see a shadow and realize that those shadows in the darkness are the men.
“How can you tell who’s there? I couldn’t even tell it was men, it’s so dark there.”
“Something isn’t right,” Hunter suddenly says as he stands and starts to look around.
“What?” I ask, also standing and looking around, but all I can see is the people standing around, talking, laughing, eating, some women dancing around with the loud music, but I don’t see anything that could be threatening.
“I’m not sure yet, but something is wrong.” He looks down at me. “I’m going to take you inside until I’m sure everything is fine. Bring the food you can eat there,” he says as I start to put my plate down. To be honest, I’ve lost my appetite, knowing that there is a threat, but I won’t tell him that, as he was adamant about feeding me. He places his arm around me and starts guiding me around groups of people towards the entrance, when the first bang sounds above the music, and then pandemonium breaks loose.
HUNTER 15
The minute I hear the shot, I have Dakota on the ground and I am leaning over her, food scattered all around us from the plates she was carrying. Another three shots follow the first, which has most people on the ground, but some idiots are trying to run inside, and from those, I see two fall. Wounded or dead, I can’t tell at the moment. I can feel Dakota shaking under me in shock and fear, which has my blood boiling at the fact that some asshole is placing my mate in danger. Whoever it is has no idea that he is already dead. The minute he decided to attack us, he made the biggest mistake of his life.
We will track him, and then we will kill the fucker. “It’s okay, babe. You’re safe. Don’t worry, everything will be okay,” I murmur against her hair.
“Who is shooting? Is it the Hades guys? Are King, Goliath, and Frost okay?” I can hear the panic in her voice.
“Shh, they are okay, and no, it didn’t come from that side.” If anything, the shooting came from the opposite side. I need to get Dakota inside, and then I can go after the fucker who thinks it’s okay to threaten us. Lifting my head, I look around to see what is going on. There is a biker a few feet from us who is clearly dead, and a woman who if not taken care of soon will die too. Who the fuck would do this?
“Let’s move, babe. When we stand, I want you to hurry up into the house. Don’t hesitate. I will be right behind you.”
“Is it safe?”
“Yes, I think he has left.” I see King and Frost disappearing into the trees from the corner of my eye. I don’t say anything else. Instead, I stand and lift Dakota from the ground. As soon as her feet are on the ground, she starts to run towards the entrance. I am just behind her. Rushing in, we stop just inside and encounter an explosive situation, as men have their weapons out, and women are screaming in fear.
“Calm the fuck down,” Fang says from the other side of the room.
“What do you mean calm down? Someone is trying to kill us,” a burly biker near us says.
“Whoever it was seems to have gone,” I call out, which has everyone looking at me. Dakota steps back as everyone’s eyes fall on me, her back against my front. I can feel her body shaking in reaction, and I wish I could just take her upstairs, but first, we need to calm all these people before fear and some drunkenness has others killed. Placing my arm around her waist, I pull her tight against me to assure her that I’m here to keep her safe.
“Seems doesn’t mean they have,” someone calls out.
“We have men outside looking for the person. We will know as soon as it’s safe. Now calm down,” I say as Fang approaches.
“Who was it?” he asks quietly for no one to hear.
“Could be Hades MC, as there were four of them here,” I say, and Fang’s eyes widen.
“The fuckers,” he says.
“I need to go out and find whoever it is. I’m sure Hawk is out there already.” Hawk and I are the best when it comes to tracking. If whoever it was is out there, we will find him. Dakota hurriedly pulls away from me and then turns, her eyes wide in fear.
“You can’t go out there. There is someone killing people,” she states as she points outside. “There were people on the ground who might need help. Who’s helping them?”
“Nothing will happen to me, babe, and don’t worry, Gunner was helping those who were shot.” I pull her back towards me and kiss her lips tenderly.
Lifting my head, I look at Fang, who nods at my silent plea. I need him to look after Dakota while I go out there. I can’t be worried about her while I track, or I might miss something.
“Fang will take you up to our room. I’ll be with you as soon as I can.” I take a step back to leave, but she takes hold of my hand, squeezing it tightly.
“Be careful,” she pleads.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.” I turn and make my way outside again. When I reach the door, I stop and look around. There are three people on the ground. Two are dead by the looks of them, and one Gunner is trying to help is still alive. By the looks of it, the shooter meant to kill and not just create havoc. Whoever this asshole is, he needs to be stopped. I head out towards where I think the shots came from. When I’m away from prying eyes, I quickly change into my wolf, as I can track as a wolf much better than I will ever be able to in my human form.
My senses sharpen, and my hearing becomes clearer. The smell of the earth around me guides me, and I’m running. I can hear my brothers ahead of me. I sense my Alpha close, and I know that they have found where the shooter was but not yet the person. I listen to every nuance around me until I hear a combination of twigs being broken and leaves rustling, which tells me that someone is walking in the forest. I know it’s none of us because we don’t walk as heavy as this person is doing. I take off, heading towards where I hear the disturbance. As I get closer, I can smell the man’s perspiration. Strange, as it’s laced with fear.
Why would the shooter be feeling fear? If anything, he should be elated, as he knows that he has killed people. If that was his goal, there shouldn’t be any fear. I see movement ahead and know that I have caught him. When I am just a few feet away, I jump, hitting him square on the back. The man cries out in surprise as he falls. I won’t attack him, as the others are close and will be here soon to take him in for questioning, but I feel like ripping his throat out for frightening Dakota and for placing her life in danger.
Bound (Wolverine MC Book 1) Page 11