Hired Hunter (The Rover series Book 2)

by Amelia Shaw

  Anytime, you dick, I thought toward the captain.

  “Jump out of a helicopter, Zoey. Fight all these bad guys while I park the car, Zoey,” I mumbled to myself and faced Esteban again.

  He hadn’t flinched from his spot.

  “Where’s Fin?” I asked, sure he could hear the exhaustion in my voice.

  He motioned with his fingers and five guards marched forward from the shadows, dragging Fin behind them. They threw him onto the ground, face first, and he didn’t move.

  “Carry the unconscious man and save the day,” I continued my murmuring tirade.

  I sheathed one knife and kept the other one at the ready. “Can we just skip the mind games and get to the point where you tell me what you want?”

  A scream ripped through the air and across the clearing as more guards dragged forward a struggling woman. Her hair hung around her in a massive tangle. I would recognize her anywhere.

  “Sol,” I whispered.

  “You ask me what I want, Zoey. I am here because I want to know what you want,” Esteban said.

  I hung my head for a second and then looked up at him again. “Me? I just want to take my friend home and go to bed.”

  “Come with me. I’ll give you the grandest bed you’ve ever lain in.”

  I shook my head. “Hard pass on that. I like my bed at home just fine. I also have a no controlling psychopath in my bed policy, and I have no doubt any bed you’d give me would mean I’d have to welcome you into it as well.”

  The grin which split his lips told me everything I needed to know.

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Again, a hard pass. Thank you for the offer, but I’m just going to take my friend to his house and then go home to my own bed. If you think it would be cool, I’ll take his sister too. Then we can all leave here and no more of you henchmen have to die. I bet that life insurance payout is getting pricey.”

  Fin twitched on the ground, but I kept my relief to myself, maintained my tired, indifferent facade to Esteban. I simply needed to buy enough time for the captain to get back.

  Esteban inclined his head and gave a little shrug. “If that’s what you wish. We’ll keep on like this until you change your mind.”

  I palmed my other knife just as two mages closed in behind me. Damn it. One grabbed my wrists, and the other seized my head. I couldn’t shake them off. A spike of pain shot down through my brain like someone put a nail gun to my forehead.

  I screamed and dropped to my knees. The mages followed me down, still holding me tight between them. Each of my knives slipped from my fingers, and another mage stepped up to take one of them. I watched through a haze of tears while he inspected the knife and then brought it to my throat.

  The mage standing behind me and pressing his hands against my head was in my mind. He tightened his grip and my body went limp between them. I had zero control over anything as pain raked through me.

  “You can’t have me,” I forced out between my gritted teeth, “so you ensure I’m broken so no one else can?”

  Esteban crouched in front of me. “If that’s what it takes, so be it.”

  His gaze scanned across my face. Tears rolled down my cheeks, a red haze seeped across my vision. The bastard was the kind of villain who enjoyed watching someone die, seeing the light leave someone’s eyes.

  “Offer still stands,” he said, whispering as if sharing a secret.

  “Fuck. You,” I said, blood spitting out from my lips.

  He leaned in close, his lips only an inch from mine. “That’s what I’m trying to do, Zoey. I thought that was pretty obvious. Come to my bed and I’ll spare your friends, for now.”

  I had nothing left in me to speak, so I hoped my hatred of him showed in my eyes. Darkness closed in at the edges of my vision, and then something pinged in my chest.

  Fin’s magic I’d completely forgotten about since I’d arrived.

  I dragged my eyes to his prone form, the surrounding guards not noticing the twitch of his fingers into the dirt. Unlike last time, I didn’t throw myself open to the magic. I tugged it and let it flow into me. Then I twisted it into something sharp enough to cut, to wound, and jabbed it right into the mind of the mage clutching my skull.

  He screamed and reared away from me. The other mage tightened his grip as Esteban stood and took a couple steps back. The one with my knife struck out to slice it across my throat, but it felt as if someone gently ran their finger across my skin. He pulled the blade away and stared down at its edge.

  I focused on the blade. It shook in the mage’s hand, then swung toward him and split his neck open. The mage hit the ground hard, taking the one holding me down with him.

  Esteban blinked out of existence.

  When faced with someone who could actually fight back, of course he ran. I stumbled to my feet, my head still ringing, my vision going in and out.

  Instead of making it to Fin, I dropped again to my knees and fell forward. It was just going to take a minute here until I got my sea legs back. The mage I hadn’t killed finally extricated himself from the others and stalked toward me. I held my arms up to fend him off, but as he raised his knife to strike, a sword came through the mage.

  That made things easier. I settled back onto the ground, looking up at the trees. The captain’s face swam above mine and I waved at him to get away.

  He reached down and dragged me up. “No napping on the job. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

  I clutched his shoulders and focused on keeping myself upright. “For the record, I already killed those guys. You were just on clean-up duty.”

  “Yeah, yeah, your bad ass status is still in full effect. We’ll never speak of this again,” he said, dragging me toward Fin who still lay on the ground.

  A pack of mages sprinted from the forest and tackled us both to the ground. We grappled with them, separating to fight our own battles. One of the mages climbed on top of me and punched me in the face.

  “Not cool,” I said through a mouth full of blood.

  I reached up and dug my thumbs into his eyes, at the same time ramming my knee between his thighs.

  He let out an unholy screech and toppled off me. I took his own knife and jammed it into his throat. His blood coated my hand, and I wiped it onto his shirt. I knew I should feel something for each of these lives taken and yet, I couldn’t summon anything more than the blanket of exhaustion I’d been cloaked in since the day before.

  When could I just lay down and rest?

  Before I could take a step to help the captain, the world spun around me and I landed on my back again. This time, I’d done it to myself. Pain shot down my side and I clutched at my ribs to find sticky fresh blood seeping from a wound I hadn’t noticed during all the fighting.

  My eyes drifted closed, and I let myself sink into the ground. Fin’s magic washed over me again, banking some agony climbing through my body. I feared touching his magic though. I wouldn’t turn Fin against me again for making the wrong decision like I had last time we were here.

  Someone’s gruff voice cut through the darkness. “Damn it, Zoey. Heal yourself. You aren’t dying like this.”

  “Mmm,” I said.

  “That’s not even a word. I know you’ve got some jokes left in there, come on, yell at me,” the captain said, his voice hoarse and tired.

  “Can’t,” I managed. “Sleepy.”

  He slapped me hard, and it dragged me partially from the darkness, so I could see his face coming in and out of my vision.

  “Come on,” he said. “Use the bond to heal some of this mess. You can use it. You won’t hurt him again.”

  “Fin,” I whimpered.

  “Yes, that’s right, Fin. His magic can help you,” the captain said, covering my wounds with his hands to try to stop the bleeding, seeking out the worst of them to focus on.

  Fin’s magic called me, and this time I let it flash through me and fill me up, head to toe.

  Some of the pain ebbed.

  The captain sat ba
ck and heaved a sigh. “Damn it. You scared the hell out of me. Next time, use the tools we’ve given you and don’t be so stubborn.”

  I sat up in the grass, my body a maze of cuts and bruises, half healed and aching. “Yeah, well, the last time I used his magic, things didn’t exactly go as planned. I couldn’t risk us all by taking too much.”

  “So you take none at all. What kind of logic is that?” he asked, standing to reach down and pull me up.

  “Can you stop yelling at me? I’m tired. I want to go home. Where did Esteban go? He was here and then he disappeared,” I said, holding my hands out so I didn’t touch any of the blood coating me.

  That caught his interest. “What did he want? Did he tell you?”

  “Oh yeah, we had a nice little chat. He basically wants me. He made it pretty clear he wants me in his bed. But I assume once he has me, he plans to steal my power and eat it like he does everyone else’s magic,” I said.

  Pretty insightful for someone half-dead.

  “So this isn’t about Fin?”

  I shook my head and held my arms open. “Your guess is as good as mine. It seems personal, though. They have a history and I think some of the appeal is taking something he thinks belongs to Fin.”

  A voice spoke up from behind me. “Oh, how right you are, little one.”

  The captain and I both spun to find Esteban clutching Fin’s unconscious form, a knife in the other hand poised at his throat.

  “Esteban,” I said, “let him go and I’ll go with you.”

  “You think I trust anything you say? I wish I could believe you, but you’ll try to kill me the moment I lose my grip on you.”

  The captain chuckled and took a step to the side. “Trust me, you’ll slaughter her for her mouth alone, five minutes in. I don’t know how I’ve put up with her this long.”

  I shrugged. “He’s not wrong. Lesser men have wanted to.”

  Esteban eyed us both, tightening his hold on the knife. A line of blood appeared above it on Fin’s skin. “Well, looks like we’re at an impasse then. You don’t trust me, and I don’t trust you.”

  “Isn’t that where we’ve always been?” I lifted an eyebrow at the Black Mage.

  The captain took one more step, and I made my own move to draw Esteban’s gaze.

  I continued talking. “We can talk about this. See if an agreement can be made.”

  He stepped back, dragging Fin with him. I tugged on the magic, trying to see if I could wake him up, get him to fight back. Fin’s fingers flicked, barely, but nothing else.

  “How do we do this?” I asked. “You hand Fin to the captain, unharmed, and I’ll let you take me.”

  The captain cut his hand in the air toward me and whispered. “Zoey, stop it. This won’t go the way you think it will.”

  Magic shoved me back, and I stumbled. As I fell, the captain launched himself toward Fin and the Black Mage.

  I hit the ground hard, and my head slammed back. For the second time, the boughs of the Forest of Shadows heralded me into darkness.

  Chapter Nineteen

  I opened my eyes to warm sunshine splayed across my skin. No pain, no blood. Just glorious heat. I blinked against the light to find Fin leaning over me, his face only inches from mine. He lay his body alongside me and propped himself on one arm so he could stare down into my face. His honey brown hair reflected the light on glinting strands. Even his eyes looked deeper, bluer here.

  “Am I dead? Is this heaven?” I asked.

  Fin cupped my face and brushed his thumb along my cheek. “No, Zoey. This isn’t heaven, and you’re not dead. Just dreaming.”

  I looked around and then back at him. He wore a white shirt like in an old-fashioned movie, all billowing sleeves and open to show his wide, solid chest.

  “As much as I’d want to, I don’t have dreams like this,” I said.

  He smiled at me. “This isn’t your dream. It’s mine.”

  I peered down at my body. Not naked, thank goodness, but wearing a filmy gauzy thing. Sand coated my feet and calves.

  “You dream of us half naked on the beach? That’s interesting. I mean, maybe you agree we both need a vacation after this.”

  He ran his thumb down my lips from cupid’s bow to chin. “Shh, it’s almost time to wake up. Don’t ruin the few moments of peace we both have left.”

  For once, I listened to him. I let the sun bolster me from the long couple of days we’d endured, and I let myself look at Fin. Just look at him. He was so beautiful, my chest ached.

  “It’s time, Zoey. You know what to do,” he whispered and leaned down like he was about to kiss me. Everything in me yearned for the brush of lips I anticipated.

  But just as his lips would have finally touched mine, the actual world rushed back in. I flailed around me until my vision adjusted from the blinding sunlight to full dark. We were still in the forest.

  Fin lay on the ground, his throat cut ear to ear, and Esteban held the captain with his magic, squeezing the life out of him.

  I crawled across the ground, trying to stay low and unseen. It wasn’t mine to use when Fin needed it more, but I tucked some of his magic around me, hoping to hide from Esteban as I hurried to Fin’s side.

  He lay in a pool of blood, his skin going white. I could see the man who leaned over me on the beach. His easy smile, the shine in his hair.

  I wouldn’t lose him like this. I put my hands over the wound and shoved everything I had into him. My magic, my life, anything and everything I was I forced into his body. Then I prayed.

  I whispered for him to heal and asked anyone, any god, any mage, any fairy, to hear me and help Fin. My vision darkened at the edges, and I pulled back. The wound had closed over to one clean scar across his neck. I slapped his face and shook him, but he didn’t wake up. Frantically, I ran my fingers over his throat to catch a pulse. It was there; faint and barely fluttering, but it was there. I lay my face down on his bloody chest and sobbed out a sigh of relief.

  The captain struggled against Esteban’s hold. He had the captain in a choke hold.

  I surged up, pushing off Fin to stand behind Esteban. He didn’t see me until it was too late. I got a hold of his neck and yanked him backward. The captain’s body came flying at me and toppled me to the blood-soaked earth.

  I moved to shove him off me, but he grasped my hands. I peered up into the captain’s eyes, but behind them, Esteban looked out.

  Not good.

  He held me down and pressed his pelvis into mine, grinding at me in a way that made the bile rise from my stomach.

  Fuck off with that shit.

  I dragged my hips upward, trying to dislodge his grip and his balance, but it didn’t work. With more force than necessary, he kept me pinned down.

  “Fight him,” I whispered. The captain was still in there somewhere. “Fin needs you. I kept him alive for now, but he needs you.”

  The captain jerked his eyes up to Fin, switching back to the captain’s dark brown gaze.

  Then his eyes shifted back as Esteban reasserted his control. “Nice try, Zoey, but it will take more than a weak mage to keep me out of his head. I was born to wear people like clothing. I’ll enjoy removing this one’s entrails while you watch.”

  I snorted. “Cool. If you‘ve been watching me, you should know there isn’t any love lost between him and me. I only came here with him tonight because it was my job. If he died, no one would miss him except maybe Fin.”

  “You think your little mind games will work on me, little one. I was born playing these games. So what should I do? Have him remove your limbs below the knee to keep you from running again? Your hands so you can no longer fight back? Oh, don’t worry. I’ll leave the parts of you I want for myself intact. You don’t need limbs to be fucked.”

  I shoved at him with all my strength, but he just laughed.

  I snarled into his face. “You’re disgusting. Did you run out of women who actually want you?”

  “Even your insults to my manhood won’t w
ork. I know what you are girl, and I have a use for you. I’ll get you with child and use you for my own personal magic machine.”

  I froze underneath him, and bile rose in my throat. “Are you saying you plan to use me as breeding stock so you can sacrifice your own children to strengthen your power? Is there no limit to which you will sink?”

  He leaned in and I jerked my face to the side. His breath fanned across my cheeks and mouth, and it was enough to make me gag.

  “No,” he hissed. “There is nothing I wouldn’t do for power, and if you were a true mage, the same would be said for you. We could create a partnership. Share the magic our children would bestow on us.”

  I spat at him, and he reared back, finally. He released a hand to wipe my spit away. I head-butted him as hard as I could in the nose. Part of me felt bad for hurting the captain but he would understand. I would be belly deep on a dagger if our situations were reversed.

  He stretched out to grab my arm while blood streamed out of his broken nose. I used his off-balance position to buck him off me and slip away.

  He popped to his feet.

  “Now, where were we?” I asked, standing up to fight. “Oh yeah, you can go fuck yourself.”

  Sol shouted my name. “Zoey!”

  She reappeared again across the field, her hands bound behind her, tied to her legs like a deer ready for the slaughter. I didn’t make it one step toward her before the captain grabbed the back of my collar and slammed me into the ground. I reached out and caught hold of the knife tucked into the captain’s boot.

  He missed it, so I grabbed the hilt and brought the knife down into the top of his foot. He crumpled with a shout.

  “I told you I didn’t care about hurting him,” I said, spinning out of his grasp to stand again. “What is it with men and never listening when a woman speaks? You hear only what you want to hear, never the truth.”

  He laughed and spit out a wad of blood onto the ground.

  “It’s not that we don’t listen,” he said. “It’s that we don’t fucking care.”

  I rolled my eyes and darted around him, hoping to keep him off balance and on the defense.