by M. R. Polish
That made sense, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to believe it. “Okay, so what do we do first, oh mighty hunter?”
“You know, I can get used to all this Mighty Hunter King stuff, you should keep it up.” He gave me a smile and winked.
I wriggled my hand from his and pushed him forward. “Just keep walking before I call you something else.”
He chuckled and I could hear Luna and Dregan laughing as well. I shook my head. It was going to be a long night.
We walked through the park, making it to a place that I recognized from the brochure. “Oh, I know where we are.”
I got a little closer, deeply wishing to be a tourist with no crossbreeds or vampires to hunt. I wanted to take Ian’s hand and stroll through the moonlit park and not have a care in the world. I wanted to be able to enjoy the historic buildings and take in the flowers.
I sighed.
The scenery was too distracting. “This is the, um, the…” I snapped my fingers trying to remember the name of the monument. “Oh, I don’t remember, but I think it was named after some Alfonso dude, or something like that. The other side of it should be the lake.”
“Okay, teach, but can you save the history lesson for later?”
I frowned at Ian, but he stopped walking and lifted his finger to his lips.
“Listen, it’s a crossbreed for sure.” Luna’s hackles rose.
I strained to listen, but didn’t hear anything. I decided to feel out for it instead. A hollow, dark sensation made me sick to my stomach. Ugh, definitely a vampire.
Ian stepped lightly forward.
“Ian says to stay here and cover this side of the monument. He’s gonna go around and see if he can find them.” Dregan’s voice growled in my head.
I nodded at Ian as he glanced at me over his shoulder. Grabbing the stake I had in the holder strapped to my back, under my jacket, I needed to be prepared for whoever was around.
Ian and Dregan disappeared behind the monument toward the lake. My heartbeat pounded in my ears as my anxiety grew. I felt out for Ian, needing to know he was safe. Not that I thought otherwise, but I wasn’t sure I would get used to having a heightened sense of emotion for him—or Dregan for that matter. I wondered if he was doing the same thing with me. If he was, I knew he’d never let on that he did.
A small scuffle sounded beside the building, but I couldn’t see anything. I tiptoed closer, hoping to see who it was, holding my stake tighter.
“Es,” Dregan’s voice filled my head. “Ian is coming back around to the right, I’m pushing a breed out the left side; meet us there. Luna, be ready.”
I couldn’t see Dregan or the crossbreed he talked about, but my body tensed as I waited for them to show up. Out of the corner of my left eye I saw movement. I spun carefully to investigate. Luna kept right beside me. I could feel her need to growl, but she stayed silent. The moonlight gave an eerie glow over the archaic building and the shadows from the trees moved with each sway of the branches in the breeze.
I lifted the palm of my free hand, letting my magic sizzle. Small sparks of blue and red flickered off my skin and disappeared into the air. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and I twisted slightly to look behind me. I swallowed the lump in my throat when I saw two shadows lurking behind the trees.
“Luna, there are two more behind us. I’m not sure where Ian is, and this is just a guess, but I think we’re surrounded.” At that moment, I was grateful we could talk without using our voices. I didn’t want to give our position away sooner than needed.
Luna bared her teeth and let out a growl. She backed up to me so together we could watch all around. Dregan snarled as he came around the side of the building. A man who had fresh blood smeared on his face headed my way, not too far in front of Dregan.
I could feel Dregan, Luna, and Ian’s overpowering desire to protect me. The sensation was heavy, making me feel like my body was weighed down by lead. I didn’t understand why I felt so much of their emotions, and right now wasn’t the time to have them crush my own senses.
Luna’s I was used to—they felt the same as mine as if we were one. Ian and Dregan were different, and they made me feel two sets of emotions, confusing me. I really hoped our emotional bond wouldn’t get in the way tonight.
I shook my head, trying to clear my head.
Luna growled again then looked up at me. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, just trying to shove Ian’s feelings away so I can focus,” I mentally whispered back.
“I hate to say it, but right now isn’t the time to worry about feelings.”
“No kidding, you think?” I shifted my weight slightly and watched the man amble slowly toward me. I wasn’t sure if he saw me or just sensed me, but either way he knew I was here.
“Well, well, what do we have here?” one of the men behind me said. His voice was nasally with a slight eastern accent.
Luna and I shifted in our small circle until I could see the one who talked. I gasped when three more men emerged from behind the tree line. There was no way to escape them now. We had to fight. Wasn’t that what we were here to do anyway? I lowered my hand with the stake. “Looks like we got a couple of dead breeds.”
The man laughed. “Big talk for someone who only has a wolf to protect her.”
“She’s enough to handle you,” I said as I silently prayed we would get out of there alive—at least, I hoped tonight wasn’t the night Davin chose to finish his deal. Despite what Ailaina said about two weeks, I knew more than anyone how plans change.
“I think you underestimate me,” he said with a grin.
The guy beside him snickered and spit what looked like blood on the walkway.
I wanted to gag, but controlled the urge. Just the odor they omitted was enough to churn my insides. “Is that supposed to scare me? You’re not the first person I’ve met who drinks blood.”
Both guys laughed. “Oh, sweetheart, we know who you are and who you know. Why do you think we’re here?” the first man asked.
A twinge inside my chest caught me off-guard and I winced. My heart raced in a near panic as I thought something must be wrong with Ian, or was it Luna… or Dregan? I couldn’t breathe thinking about it.
“Don’t worry, Ian’s fine. He’s around the building with three other breeds and will be here as soon as he can.” Dregan’s voice was calm, but didn’t sooth my worry over the strange ache I just felt.
Luna growled louder and spotted the other two breeds moving in closer. Five of them against me and Luna, we could do it. We got this.
Something shifted behind the two men I stared at. It took me a minute to actually see Dregan; his body moved through the night like a shadow, barely visible.
“Dregan’s coming in behind them. He says there are two more that we can’t see,” Luna said.
My heart skipped a beat. Okay, make that seven against us. At least Dregan was here. Wait. That meant Ian had no help. “Dregan, go help Ian. Luna and I got this.”
It sounded like he almost chuckled in my head. “Ian would kill me if I let something happen to you. Besides, I would die if something happened and I wasn’t here to help.”
“You’re gonna die if something happens to Ian, now go!” I yelled back.
“Not going to happen.”
When did arguing with a wolf become so frustrating? He was just as stubborn as Ian.
The other two crossbreeds Dregan told us about appeared and walked in closer. Great, I was officially surrounded. “Luna, I don’t want to completely wreck the park. We don’t need immortals poking around wondering who or what ruined a royal landmark.”
“What are you planning?”
I rolled my shoulders and grinned at the breeds. “Magic, of course. That, and I might try to use your powers with mine like we trained for with my dad.”
I didn’t give the first guy time to think as I raised my hand, palm out, and hit him square in the chest with a fireball. Fire wasn’t my favorite element to draw from, but it was prett
y impressive, and effective. The flaming ball threw the man back at least five feet onto his back. Dregan was on him instantly, ripping into his throat. Only six left. I could do it.
Luna jumped away from me. I turned just in time to see one of the breeds lunge for me, but she caught him and wrestled him to the ground. I didn’t have time to react before the man who spit blood grabbed my arm. Twisting free of his grasp, I plunged the stake deep into his chest, letting him fall to the ground as he cried out.
The other three were quick to move toward me, but hesitated at the last minute. I smiled when I felt the cold tingling sensation flow over me as I connected with the lake. Water streamed across the ground, pooling around the feet of the four breeds, encircling me. They each looked down, then back at me. One of them laughed. “You think a little water’s gonna hurt us?”
“No.” I shook my head a little and smirked. “But a lot can kill you.” I felt the spark of light that was Luna and used her power to bring in the water.
One of them backed up, trying to get away from the puddles he stood in, but Luna’s power was filled with spirit, making the water follow him wherever he moved. He looked up at me with wide eyes. I took that moment to draw the water up behind him, creating a tidal-like wave that consumed him in one rush. As soon as the water receded, Dregan was on him.
Luna was back by my side, the light gray fur around her mouth stained crimson. Her hackles were still raised as she snarled and snuffed at the remaining men.
I lifted my hands and clouds rolled in one fast motion. In my head I whispered to the spirit elements around me. “Blood of blood, spirit of spirit, hearken my call, hear my words. I call to you to come to me, and let me use your boundless energy.”
Immediately, hot pressure surged through me. The three men had slacked jaws and wide eyes. They should be scared. And for good reasons.
The air around me sizzled and it felt like a thousand ants danced in my palms. I pushed to release the spirit energy, sending it to the breed closest to me. His body jerked and went stiff as my magic consumed him. Luna dashed after him so I let up my invisible hold on him.
Footfalls sounded behind me, but I was overcome with a safe feeling, instinctively knowing it was Ian. My heart leapt with joy that he was okay.
He fell in beside me looking at the last two breeds. “Where is he?”
Crap. I forgot to ask them where Nicholas was. I forgot that was the whole reason for hunting tonight. The taller one of the two didn’t take his eyes off me. “If I tell you, can I leave?”
“Dregan, you follow him.”
Wait, did I just hear Ian’s thoughts? I watched as Dregan hunched down and shrank back into the shadows. Oh my gosh. I did hear his thoughts! I’d have to talk to him later about that.
Ian shrugged. “Of course.”
The guy never took his sights off us, but shifted his weight uncomfortably. “He’s at his villa on the outskirts of the city.”
“Where at?” I asked.
He squinted his eyes to glare at me with a sneer. “Your Seer was there. Ask her.”
“You want to leave? Answer the question,” Ian interjected.
The second man took a step back, probably thinking I was too occupied with the other guy to notice him sneaking off. I shot out another fireball, stopping him from leaving. Luna lunged after him, pinning him to the ground where I let the water level rise, covering him. She kept her front paws on his chest, holding him under. He might have underestimated the strength of a spirit wolf, but I knew she had more strength than he did. He thrashed around under his personal bubble of water. I knew the water alone couldn’t kill him, but it instilled a fear into the guy divulging information because he started talking quickly.
With wide-eyes, he watched the other breed fight to get Luna off his chest, water spraying everywhere each time he flailed his arms out. “I don’t know for sure, honest. I just know it’s right outside of the city. He doesn’t like to have a lot of people around. Can I leave now?” He looked at Ian hopefully.
Ian twitched his mouth to the side. “You know, I’m not sure you’ve told us everything, and I don’t take kindly to anyone trying to hurt my girl. So I changed my mind, but… I will give you a three-second head start.”
The man wasted no time running away. We could hear his cries as Dregan caught him. I ignored his agonizing screams for help as I returned my focus on the last man Luna held down, letting the water flow back to the lake. He laid under Luna, gasping. “You witch!”
I laughed. “Yes, I am that for sure. Crazy, isn’t it. I have a hard time realizing it sometimes, too.”
Giving Luna a nod, I turned to face Ian as she finished the breed. “Are you okay?”
He rolled his head back and took a deep breath. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so worried about you before. I could feel your anxiety when they surrounded you, but I couldn’t get here to help. I wasn’t sure I’d get here in time.” He pulled me close and kissed my forehead quickly before releasing me to look around and survey the damage. “I can’t believe there were that many. I took care of four others on the other side of that thing.” He nodded to the monument.
I rested my hands on my hips. “Well, at least Davin didn’t think it was my time to go. He could’ve easily kept his end of the deal tonight.”
Ian chortled. “Ha, did you see yourself? Damn girl, you took care of yourself pretty good. I’m not sure what that water thing was you did, but that was awesome. I think the Death Keeper will have his hands full trying to do you in.”
I glanced around as Ian walked around looking at the closest crossbreeds on the ground. It looked like the Napoleon War repeated itself.
“You know what the worst part about hunting is?”
I looked over at him. “What?”
“Cleaning up the mess.”
I laughed. I couldn’t agree more. That was definitely going to be the worst.
For not having my mom with me to create a shield to conceal the smoke and hide the fire from immortal eyes, I did pretty well. As soon as the bodies and heads were burned and only smoldering ashes remained, Ian had me make another spell to dispose of the ashes before any humans could find them.
The sun was just beginning to rise as we left the park. Dregan and Luna cleaned up by the lake before any guards or early tourists could see them and walked next to us until we made it back to the hotel before disappearing.
Ailaina was up and ready with her makeup and hair perfectly done when she opened her door for me. She had the biggest smile as I told her about my night. She was almost too happy about me killing a bunch of guys. “Okay, what’s going on? You are never this giddy.”
She wrung her hands together in her lap and squealed. “You promise not to get mad?”
“Ailaina, I’ve had a very long couple days. I am tired and cranky. I can check killing a group of wanna be vampires off my bucket list. I can’t promise anything. You just better tell me.” I had no patience left and to telling her I was cranky was an understatement. My irritation grew with each passing second.
“I got to meet him. Like really went there. Oh, Es, he’s perfect!” She jumped to her feet and bounded over to me, grabbing my hands.
I leaned away from her. “You met who exactly?” She was way too chipper for me that early in the morning… Or was it that late? Ugh. I was too tired to care about time.
She wouldn’t look me in the eyes. Yeah, this was bad. “Davin,” she whispered.
Wait. Who? “You met with Davin? As in, the Death Keeper, Davin?” My heart sank to my stomach. Holy cow, this was way worse than just bad. “I told you he was like playing with fire. Are you okay? Did he hurt you? What happened? How did you meet with him?”
She giggled. “Es, I’m fine. Didn’t you hear me? I said he’s perfect. I don’t think he’d ever hurt me. We hit it off immediately. He is so charming, and he really likes to play pool, you weren’t kidding. He had me play with him all night while you were gone.” She spoke so fast it was hard to keep up.<
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“Okay, slow down. Why and how did this happen?” I sort of half sat, half fell, to the bed.
“Well, I told you before you left that I wanted to know if I could see more about him. I’m not sure how it happened, but one minute we were just talking and the next… Es, it’s like love at first sight.”
“What did he talk to you about? Wait a darn minute. Love? There’s no deal made on you, is there?” What in the world was she talking about?
She waved me off. “No.”
There had to be more than what she was saying. “Ailaina, what happened? What aren’t you telling me? Slow down and start from the beginning.”
She bounced in her seat. “If you kill Nicholas, he won’t have to kill you. That we already knew, but…”
“But, what? Ailaina, you better tell me now. I seriously don’t have the patience right now.” I rubbed small circles near my temples.
“You know how he wanted you to come live with him?”
I nodded.
“Well, I think we have that all figured out too, so now you won’t have to.”
I cocked my head to the side. “What do you mean you guys have it figured out?” Forget irritation, anger boiled inside me now.
She swallowed hard before looking into my eyes. “I took your place.”
My heart went from my stomach to the floor and my blood froze. “You did what?” I yelled at her.
“Es, shhh, quiet.”
“Don’t you tell me to be quiet. You just traded my place with the freaking Death Keeper! I don’t think you understand what you did.” I stood up and began pacing, something Ian did frequently.
“Esmerelda, I have been your friend since we learned how to walk. I’ve been with you through all the drama in high school, and believed you when you called to tell me you were kidnapped and you were a witch! I have watched as you clung to Jarak, and now as you not only date Ian, but also bonded with him. I am a Seer who can help you and that is my job, and I will always help you because you are my friend. But, where in all that is my happiness? Is it only you who gets the good-looking guys and have someone to hug? Seriously, I thought my best friend would be happier for me.” She folded her arms.