The Hunter: A Sinful Supes Novel (Red Crescent Book 3)

by Xandrie Kovak

  He turned toward me and looked me dead in the eye. “Yes.”

  I gaped at him.

  His tone lacked the slightest tinge of remorse. If anything, there was a smug little glint to his eye, “Your inner commentary is fascinating.”

  I bit back a retort. My God this kid had nerve. First, he’d invaded my head, and now he was teasing me?

  I’d been so upset these last few hours stuck in a car with him, that I’d use any misstep as an excuse to blow up on him. It just so happened that violating my privacy was a big fucking deal. There was a reason I didn’t do the whole social media thing. And now he had unfettered access to the inner workings of my head?

  Oh, hell no!

  “Are you serious!?” I screamed. “My thoughts are private!” Especially thoughts about you, I added in my head.

  He lifted his eyebrow, “Then stop broadcasting them.”

  “You sonuvabitc—! Ah!” I yelped as he pulled me across his knees, my butt hoisted in the air.

  Wait… was he going to—?

  SMACK!

  I jerked like a frightened cat. It took me a solid three seconds of him soothing his palm over my sore rump for me to wrap my mind around what had just happened. I shoved his hand off my ass and jerked upright. “Did… did you just spank me?”

  I was too shocked to be angry. I scrambled off his lap, and he made no move to stop me, however, his eyes tracked my every move.

  “I warned you about name-calling.” His deep voice held a hint of amusement. “I went easy on you this time, but if you disrespect me in front of my wolves again, I’ll have to get more…” he paused for emphasis. “Creative with my punishments.” A small smirk pulled at the corner of his lips, revealing a sharp canine.

  I shivered, but before I could explore why my core felt all warm and tingly, a frown wrinkled my brow. In front of his wolves?

  Then it hit me. I looked over at the driver and noticed his eyes staring at me in the rearview mirror.

  Jesus, what was wrong with me? I honestly hadn’t even noticed that there was anyone around besides Lucas. Further evidence that Gabe had rubbed off on me in the worst way. I’d gotten too used to his ever-silent staff and enthralled humans who behaved like well-positioned furniture. My situational awareness seriously sucked if it hadn’t even occurred to me that someone would be driving the freaking car.

  My teeth clicked shut in horror. The chauffeur had witnessed me run my mouth, take a swing at his Alpha, receive a forced orgasm, and get a spanking. Heat rushed over me.

  What a first impression.

  I couldn’t look anyone in the eye, not with my mortified embarrassment thick in the air. Before I averted my gaze, I glanced over at Lucas. I immediately dropped my focus to my hands when I spotted his golden, predatory stare.

  Great, just what I needed.

  My anxious reaction must’ve triggered his bunny senses, and now, his wolf wanted to play. I swallowed. I suddenly felt like a fly caught in the spider’s web. I’d thought I could free my best friend, but it was quickly becoming apparent that I’d only succeeded in trapping myself.

  “Really, Claire? Trapped? You’re the one that came to me, remember that.”

  That did it. I lifted my gaze to his and glared. I wasn’t about to fall back into old patterns. I wasn’t the Old Claire anymore. Bunnies got devoured, and you know what?

  “Fuck. You.”

  A thick, sonorous growl filled the interior of the SUV. For a second it looked like he was about to lunge at me, but at the last second, he bit his lower lip and shook his head in mirthless ire. “Is this the part where I say ‘My Pleasure’?”

  He leaned in close to me, invading my personal space. In response, I lifted my chin, refusing to back down.

  “Because it really would be.” His gaze hardened. “But you tore my fucking heart out. So fuck you, too.” It looked like he couldn’t decide whether he hated me or wanted to eat me for dinner. “Now be a good mate and sit on my lap so I can hold you.”

  Wait…what?

  That’s the last thing I expected to hear come out of his mouth. I was still reeling from my anger. It was too easy to focus on my pain, rather than acknowledge his.

  Lucas interrupted my thoughts. “It will soothe my beast,” he clarified. “Unless you want him to make an appearance in the middle of the car.”

  “Are you serious?” I snapped.

  His expression hardened, “Extremely.”

  I glanced down at his hands. They were shaking and his taloned fingertips were embedded in his legs, drawing blood.

  Holy shit! He really was about to sprout fur.

  Lucas growled, “Now, Claire.”

  I could practically hear his vocal cords changing. “Jeez! Alright!” I carefully slid onto his lap, wary of moving too quickly and setting off his predatory instincts. I even lowered my eyes to avoid a dominance display. Perhaps a bunny was needed in this situation.

  The moment we touched, his shaking subsided. He stiffly slid his rock-hard arms around me and pulled me closer, my shoulder and side connecting with his hard torso and chest. I felt child-size compared to him, so easily enveloped. He leaned in and nuzzled my neck, and sighed in relief. The tension left his body, but transferred to me. My muscles felt like tight coils ready to spring.

  Being wrapped in an embrace by someone I despised, and yet craved, made me feel twisted for enjoying it. Even if it was only for a little bit.

  “Thank you,” he muttered against my skin. His voice was so low I wasn’t even sure I heard it.

  As much as I hated it, those two little words put me at ease. We had just been at each other’s throats, and yet, being in his arms, breathing in his scent…NO!

  Get it together, I mentally berated. I wrapped myself into a tight ball. I refused to touch him beyond being cuddled to his chest. So what if it felt a little too good? To hell with our psychic bond. And screw my succubus side for needing him. Lucas Masters was the enemy.

  I needed to remember that.

  I gritted my teeth and stared out the window. It was obvious we headed toward the Rocky Mountains by the silhouette of them in the distance. Red Crescent territory. I mean, the whole state fell into their territory, but the Rockies were where you could hear the howls on the full moon.

  “Where are we going?” I asked, not really wanting my suspicions confirmed, but needing to know regardless. If the only escape route required Camilla and I to hike for hours on end, then our odds weren’t looking too hot.

  “The Red Den,” Lucas leaned back into the seat and scrutinized my face. “But you can call it home.”

  I ignored that last remark. It was obvious he wanted to study my reaction. “Is that like a pack house?” I’d done a lot of research under Gabe’s tutelage, so I knew a pack house was a structure where the Alpha and most important members of the pack tended to stay. Ferals with social animals for beasts usually had a place where they congregated and possibly lived together. Wolves definitely fit the bill.

  Lucas smirked, “Something like that.”

  I narrowed my eyes. Was he being vague on purpose? What was his end game? To piss me off or draw me into more conversation? Either way, I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. Instead, I tucked myself into a tighter ball and tried to figure out how to close off my thoughts to him.

  Ten minutes later, I was sweating from the exertion of trying to close the bond, to build the wall again. But each time I managed to get one layer up, Lucas came along and nonchalantly pushed it over.

  Next, I attempted to visualize something else: a door slamming in his face.

  The fucker just pried it open and smirked at me. Nice try.

  I wanted to slap him.

  The next hour passed like this: our physical bodies held each other, no words passing between us, but the angry ebb and flow of our bond—me trying to steal the control, and Lucas easily taking it back. After a while, I realized we were both inhaling and exhaling at the same time, our heartbeats in sync. But on the inside, we were
playing a frustrating game of sand castle. Every time I got close to building the perfect structure to lock him out of my head, he’d pop out of nowhere and demolish it. I’d scream at him. He’d shrug and walk away with that infuriating smirk.

  Rinse and repeat.

  Finally, annoyed, I reared back from his embrace. “How are you doing this?”

  “Shh…,” Lucas muttered, and tucked me under his chin again without opening his eyes. We need to practice communicating through the bond more. I’ll answer your questions here.

  I gritted my teeth. I wanted to speak aloud just to spite him. But at the same time, I remembered the driver. I didn’t really want to admit I was mentally weak in front of an audience. I closed my eyes, and suddenly we were in a dreamscape. Lucas and I were both sitting on top of a giant wolf statue that pierced the sky. We sat overlooking the ruins of some sort of arena.

  “What the hell happened here?” I asked.

  Lucas was silent for a moment, staring down at the crumbled rock and caved-in colosseum. “Me.”

  My eyebrows rose, “You did this?”

  He nodded. “Yes, it was my order. Maybe one day, I will share more of my past with you.” He clenched his jaw and looked out at his domain. “But not today,” he sighed. “Maybe not ever.” He glanced over at me. His expression sad. “There was a time when I wanted to share everything with you.”

  I stayed silent. He was my enemy, but then why did those words hurt? Suddenly, it felt hard to breathe.

  Lucas snapped his head in my direction. Confusion danced in his eyes. “I didn’t realize you cared.”

  “I don’t,” I denied.

  Instead of calling me out, he changed the subject. “You wanted to know why I could control the bond.”

  He threaded his fingers through his hair and that’s when I saw it. A glowing tattoo on his forearm, similar to my own. I looked down at mine, and realized it was glowing, too.

  “Yes, and no,” he answered my unasked question. “Yes, I made a deal with a witch to strengthen our bond. No, it didn’t give me the upper hand. I control it because I’m now the established dominant partner.”

  A vision of a purple-eyed woman cutting off Lucas’ hand popped into my head. “Was that real?”

  “It was,” he admitted, his face perfectly blank. When he noticed me staring at his hands he said, “It grew back.”

  “You cut off your hand to be able to feed me? To save me?” I said, shaken to my very core. This was throwing everything on its head. I thought I’d figured him out. He was the manipulative asshole who kidnapped Camilla. But this piece of information really messed with that representation, because it reminded me that this was also the guy who killed to protect me. Who’d saved my life countless times.

  Lucas Masters wasn’t good or bad. He was complicated.

  But his sacrifice didn’t absolve the evil he’d sanctioned against Camilla. I wish I’d never known what he did for me. Loathing someone had never felt so confusing.

  “We’re here, Alpha,” the driver’s voice broke through our trance.

  I blinked and found myself in the real world. Darkness had fallen and we were in some sort of forest parking lot. Oh, and our car was surrounded by dozens of naked ferals.

  “You done yet?” I whispered. It was starting to get awkward having everyone wait on us.

  “Not nearly,” he rumbled against my neck, inhaling again. Wolves.

  He slowly pulled away, his eyes molten, filled with his beast. The strain he’d been under seemed to be gone. Instead, he looked content. The quirk of his lips filled my vision. Strangely, the sight of that small smile filled my chest with warmth. I caught myself smiling back before I remembered I was supposed to be livid.

  “Thank you,” Lucas addressed the driver, “that will be all.”

  The driver nodded and exited the vehicle.

  Just as he was about to open our door, Lucas added, “I’m going to need a minute with my mate. Everyone can meet her at the Den later.”

  One of the men wolf whistled and hollered, “Just don’t christen the hood of my car, Alpha!”

  My cheeks burned bright red, but thankfully the windows were tinted; with any luck, they could only see their reflections and that of the moon. I just hoped they couldn’t hear my heart speed up or scent my embarrassment through the car door.

  “Get lost, you animals!” Lucas joked back. With that, the crowd of nude folks jogged back into the forest, cat-calling and howling as they went.

  I stared at one man’s retreating grass-stained butt. “They seem…”

  “Not what you were expecting?” he interrupted and shook his head. “They’re just messing with me. And you, too. Welcome to Red Crescent.” He grinned at my expression.

  I was too embarrassed to tell him that considering the pack’s reputation, I had anticipated a bunch of bloodthirsty monsters. Instead, I said, “I thought there would be more of them.”

  “There are,” he agreed. “Looks like a few members took a run in anticipation of meeting you.” He chuckled. “Normally only a hundred or so live here full-time, but since tomorrow is the full moon we’ve got close to a thousand right now. Most of us have jobs and live among humans.”

  I whistled, surprised. A thousand? That was an insane number. Ferals tended to have small packs, but then nothing was typical when Lucas Masters was involved.

  He closed his eyes again, simply content to hold me in the backseat of the SUV. His beautiful face seemed so serene. God, he looked so innocent like this with his long lashes and plump lips. How could someone so young be the most influential, dangerous Alpha in North America? Maybe even in the whole world?

  Suddenly his eyes opened, annoyance crackling through the bond.

  I sucked in a breath, suddenly feeling like I’d been caught.

  Lucas tensed beneath me. “We need to address this, Claire.”

  “Address what?” I asked, frowning.

  He looked me dead in the eye. “You, me, and this infuriating need of yours to consider me a child.” Faster than I could blink, he rolled us over. “Do I look like a child to you?” His angry eyes bored into mine.

  I almost choked on my saliva. As he hovered over me, highlighted by moon beams from the skylight, he looked more like an avenging angel.

  “Do I feel like one?” Lucas growled, gently grinding his pelvis into mine. His hard cock pressed against me.

  “No,” I admitted, closing my eyes before my succubus side could rear her slut head. Heat coiled from the tips of my toes all the way to my belly. I had no doubt my irises were a bright, neon blue. Ardor thrummed in my veins. It was desperate to latch onto him and pull him in.

  “That’s because I’m a man,” Lucas stated. “Two numerical digits don’t cover living through the slaughter of my family or enduring trials I never expected to survive—” He abruptly stopped. He sighed and lifted himself completely off me and sat down on the far seat.

  I opened my eyes to find him staring out the window. He continued in a softer tone, “A number doesn’t mean anything. I became an adult long ago, maybe one day, you’ll be ready to grow up too.”

  ***

  For once, Lucas gave me privacy through the bond. It was locked down, tight — not a single emotion could pass to either one of us. I didn’t know if it was because he was going through some shit or because I was. He’d just dropped a major bomb on me and slapped on an additional layer of guilt to the pile.

  My emotions were scrambled to hell. Part of me sympathized for the boy who lost his family. The more cold and logical part of me suspected this was a trick. When we first met, Lucas established that he had no qualms about using manipulation to get his way.

  Was this a lie? Was that why he closed the bond, so I wouldn’t be able to feel the falsehood?

  I knew something dark lurked in his past, but he literally just told me he didn’t want me to know about it when we were in the dreamscape — implied that he didn’t trust me. Maybe this was his way of throwing me off? By kee
ping me unbalanced and trying to garner sympathy and forgiveness for his wrongdoings.

  Monstrous acts like hurting my defenseless, human best friend.

  Suddenly, I was beyond pissed. At him, and myself for almost eating up his bullshit. For being a horrible friend by letting the weird bond Lucas and I share to mess with my head. I was here for one reason. And it wasn’t to make amends.

  I bolted out of the car and slammed the door behind me. I glared daggers at my mate who leaned against a gun-metal gray Camaro across the forest lot.

  “Lucas Masters, you’re a real piece of work, you know that?” I yelled as I marched up to him.

  He remained still, arms folded as he watched me with a shuttered expression. “Is that so?”

  I glared into his eyes and mentally forced the image of Camilla’s disfigured face right up the link.

  LOOK AT HER! I screamed it in my head. Willed him to see her. To let him know that I knew what he’d done. There was no going back from this.

  Lucas’ eyes narrowed. “How do you know what she looked like in the hospital?”

  “Does it matter?” I clenched my teeth. “You’re a monster. I hate you.”

  My mate’s eyes widened a fraction, before freezing over into cold, hard amber.

  I heard the faint echo of a wolf howling before the bond abruptly slammed shut again — I hadn’t even noticed it slipped with my harsh words.

  Even though it made me feel queasy to my stomach to force the words past my teeth, even though a part of me could never truly hate my mate, I felt satisfaction at the flash of pain. He deserved to hurt.

  He should have never brought my best friend into this.

  Rot in hell, I seethed.

  Lucas ground his teeth, “You really think I would do that to a human?”

  “You admitted it!” I yelled. “You threatened her. And you made good on that threat.”

  A growl tickled out of his throat and he pushed off the vehicle to advance on me.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a dent on the hood that looked a bit like a hand print. Had Lucas done that?

  I began backing away from him, suddenly less certain of my capabilities.