Hunter and Hunted (The Shifter Chronicles 4)

by M. D. Grimm

  “I do!” Hunter said immediately, walking to Glenn. “I swear to God, I do. I love you, Glenn. More than anything. You have to know that.”

  Glenn nodded, his expression softening marginally. “Yeah, I do. You just—you scared the shit out of me. And I’m a little pissed at you.”

  “You have every right to be,” Hunter said. “But you have to understand that I did it all for you. I couldn’t bear the idea that you might lose those that you love. And I can’t bear to lose you.”

  Glenn sighed and it seemed that some of his anger melted away. At least his skin stopped rippling, and his eyes only faintly glowed.

  “I get that,” he murmured.

  Hunter took a silent moment and simply looked at Glenn. He never thought he would see his mate ever again—he’d fully expected to die, even when that agent spoke to him telepathically. He never imagined that the Agency would move so swiftly and so efficiently.

  Glenn’s clothes were dirty and torn in some places. His tawny hair was disheveled, his golden skin dirty, and his green eyes were still troubled. He stood with his head slightly down and tilted, and there was just so much—deer in his posture, it was uncanny.

  Hunter looked back at the house, the smoke, the devastation. “I’m so sorry.”

  “You were right,” Glenn said. “We can rebuild. It’s only wood and—” He stopped and a choking sound made Hunter turn around. Tears glimmered in Glenn’s eyes and Hunter touched his shoulder.

  “It’s your history.” Hunter rubbed Glenn’s arm. “Your family’s home.”

  Glenn nodded and took slow breaths. The tears remained but they didn’t fall. Glenn’s quiet strength, his honesty, his grace, it all fascinated and enchanted Hunter and made him wonder how he had found this wonderful deer shifter.

  “What did I do to deserve you?” Hunter asked.

  Glenn smiled slightly, his eyes warmed, and he looked at Hunter with affection.

  “It’s not what have you done—it’s what you will do.”

  Hunter grinned.

  Isis walked around the house toward them. “Poe has some good news. The Knights have been completely disbanded and—”

  “Did they catch Arcas?” Hunter said as he turned around. Glenn took his hand.

  Isis looked pissed. “No, they didn’t.”

  Hunter groaned. “They let him go? How could they have let him go?”

  “Agent Poe never lets anyone just go,” Isis said, her voice arrogantly confident. “Obviously, Arcas had an escape plan ready. A man like him would prep for such an occasion as this.”

  “But if he escaped—” Hunter said, not bothering to keep the fear out of his voice. “Then the Knights aren’t defeated yet. Obviously other knights escaped, and if they know their leader is still out there—”

  “Agent Poe is well aware of that,” Isis said, her voice hard. “We do this for a living, Hunter. But what’s done is done. We are currently collecting knight data so—”

  “Anything you want to know, you can just ask me,” Hunter said immediately. “I know the locations of some of the substations, and I can give you a list of knights’ names.”

  Isis’s features relaxed and she smiled. “Well, we were going to debrief you after loading up the captured knights, but—it’s nice that you volunteered.”

  “Are you sure?” Glenn asked as Isis walked away. “Are you sure you want to relive all that?”

  “I don’t have a choice,” Hunter said, resigned. “The Knights have to be stopped and the Agency has the resources to do that. They’ll need the information I have.”

  He squeezed Glenn’s hand. “Will you stay with me?”

  Glenn kissed his cheek. “Until the end.”

  A week later found Hunter with his family. The house was still under repairs but with everyone helping, they were half done. The kitchen was functional again and the living room had new furniture. He’d finally met Glenn’s older sister Shyre and her mate Ellias. Their little girl Oak was a sheer delight. She was only ten and the most energetic and cheerful girl Hunter had ever met. She immediately took to him, saying he was pretty, and always wanted to take his hand, which engulfed hers.

  Hunter had never known a family like this. Had never known it could be like this. All the love and protection, the laughter and ease, went far to ease his guilt and the terrible memories of the Knights. After the agents left Glenn’s home, he and Glenn had found his mate’s herd and explained all that had happened. It took several hours and felt more like an interrogation than what he’d gone through with Agent Isis. But something good came out of it—Glenn’s family completely trusted him now and welcomed him without further hesitation.

  Agent Poe had contacted him and Glenn three days ago. He’d updated them, thanked them, and told them he would not rest until all the knights were either dead or imprisoned. Hunter was inclined to believe him.

  Glenn had filled him in on what happened after he was captured. Glenn’s courage, especially considering the timidity of his primal spirit, only deepened Hunter’s love and respect for him, and he felt so proud that he had such a mate. And while some of the shame persisted, shame at how he used to defend the Knights and once believed them, being with Glenn and his herd allowed Hunter to come to terms with everything. Glenn now had his stitches out, and that meant most of their days were spent in the park, among the soaring trees, rippling waters, and skittish animals. Hunter finally found where he belonged, and he would never give it up.

  Glenn stood before him now as a deer, proud and graceful, his antlers strong and solid, his legs lean and fast. Hunter smiled. He hadn’t had a vision since that last horrific one, and he didn’t miss them. He could go his entire life without having another one. Glenn galloped around him playfully, and Hunter ran after him, reaching out, but Glenn always managed to flit away at the last second. Hunter laughed and continued to chase his shifter mate, exhilarated at the freedom and playfulness. The Knights had taken so much from him, but Glenn had given it all back.

  His mate finally stopped and Hunter ran up to him. He stroked Glenn’s back and rubbed his nose. Glenn closed his eyes and Hunter looked around them. They were deep in the forest in a small clearing covered with moss and shaded from the sun. It was chilly, but the chase had heated Hunter’s blood, and his mind went to other things that would heat him more.

  “I need you,” he whispered into Glenn’s ear. The deer shuddered and the air shimmered around them. There, before his eyes, was Glenn, standing nude and aroused, his eyes already glowing from want.

  “I need you too.” Glenn leapt into his arms. Hunter laughed and backed up, trying not to topple over. Glenn gripped his face and kissed him hard, crushing his lips.

  They’d been attacking each other like this ever since they came home. Anywhere and everywhere. Hunter needed the intimacy—the connection he was deprived of his entire life. Glenn’s scent made Hunter’s head spin and his mate’s heat seeped into his own skin, making Hunter feel like he had part of Glenn inside him.

  Suddenly, Glenn pulled out of his arms and with a wicked grin, sprinted away. Hunter stared after him dumbly for a second before chasing him.

  “Glenn!”

  He heard Glenn’s musical laughter far ahead of him. Shit, even in human form, the shifter ran like a deer. He was just as agile as one too. Hunter couldn’t keep up, but he had a good idea where his mate was going. Tripping and stumbling, pushing spiderwebs and branches out of his way, Hunter emerged into a small clearing next to a babbling stream. The same place where they first made love.

  Glenn knelt there, staring at the water. He was panting, his cheeks flushed.

  “That was so unfair.” Hunter laughed and dropped down next to him. Glenn grinned and wrapped his arms around Hunter’s neck.

  “You left me, Hunter. I was told you would make it up to me.”

  Hunter smiled, though he still felt slightly ashamed that he’d left his mate. Yet the teasing light in Glenn’s eyes told him it was best to play along.

 
; “And so I will. But I must tell you something first.”

  “Must you?” Glenn rolled his eyes but Hunter knew he was still playing.

  Hunter took a deep breath. “Did you never wonder how the Knights found out about your herd?”

  Glenn’s smile faded and his eyes narrowed. “What?”

  Hunter hurried on. “I didn’t mean to, Glenn, I swear. My mother tricked me and—God, I’m so sorry. It was my fault that those knights came for your herd. Can you forgive me?”

  Glenn closed his eyes and took a large breath, held it, then exhaled slowly.

  “It’s not your fault, Hunter,” Glenn said finally. “The Knights are tricksters and deceivers. You made it right when you brought the agents out here. You made it right, Hunter.” He opened his eyes and met Hunter’s gaze. “You don’t need my forgiveness. You need to forgive yourself.”

  Hunter swallowed hard and nodded. He didn’t know if he could.

  “Forgive yourself, Hunter.” Glenn hugged him tightly. “There’s no point in carrying the blame for something that has already come to an end. We are all safe and you and I are together. That’s all that matters.”

  Hunter closed his eyes and took a deep breath of Glenn’s scent. It calmed him and he finally did the one thing he had longed denied himself.

  He forgave.

  “Mate,” Hunter murmured.

  “Damn right,” Glenn said. “Now, are you going to make up for when you left me or what?”

  Hunter grinned. “Consider me your slave.”

  Glenn pulled back and smirked. “Well, in that case—”

  Hunter’s clothes were yanked off and he was ravished. He resisted the urge to take control and let Glenn decide the tempo, the rhythm. Glenn lay over him, his lithe and slender body touching every part of Hunter’s. Glenn’s hands stroked his face, and Hunter stared happily into those deep, expressive eyes.

  “It’s amazing how far we’ve come,” Glenn whispered. “A knight and a shifter. What a pair.”

  Hunter smiled and curled a lock of Glenn’s hair around his finger.

  “It is hard to believe, isn’t it?”

  “I wouldn’t have believed it,” Glenn said. “If I’d heard about it.”

  “Guess there are some things you just have to live through,” Hunter said, realizing he spoke a deeper truth.

  Maybe he’d had to go through what he did—to find Glenn. Without the Knights, he would never have known about shifters; he would have never found Glenn. He would never have found such happiness.

  Hunter rubbed Glenn’s arm, loving the soft skin. “I’m glad I didn’t shoot you.”

  Glenn laughed. “I’m glad you didn’t either. Now—” He sat up and straddled Hunter’s body. “Where to begin my torture?”

  Hunter grinned and gripped Glenn’s thighs, enjoying the look of him, the confidence and the wildness inside him.

  “Take your time deciding.”

  Epilogue

  Poe’s ears had rung ever since he’d stood through Chief Anu’s reprimand. He scowled as he walked back to his cubicle. He still had mountains of encrypted data to go through. The data that Pan and the others managed to salvage. Now everyone in the Agency: aides, partners, and field agents themselves, were sifting through it, making notes, and feeling disgusted at the inhumanity the Knights showed shifters. It was all there—experimentation, torture, execution. All carefully organized and dated like it was a legitimate research site.

  The imprisoned shifters were freed, and after seeing to their medical needs, they’d been transported safely to their respective families, herds, and packs. But the dead bodies were harder to identify, considering the Knights labeled them with numbers and letters—destroying any sort of compassion they might have held for them otherwise.

  What pissed Poe off most was the fact they had found Arcas’s office, but all the electronics were destroyed or fried. Where had he been during the invasion? How had he escaped? The agents arrived through the ground floor and worked up, and there’d been no helicopter on the roof.

  Poe gritted his teeth as he leaned back in his chair at his cubicle. Son of a bitch. Was his ability transportation? All the evidence pointed to that conclusion.

  Captain Odin and Captain Hera had contacted the other Agency offices in other countries, asking for assistance. Right now they had around fifty foreign agents helping them not only scan through data, but also finding and emptying substations and identifying the corpses. They would be busy for months, maybe years. Some of the data also included aliases and the location of missions for other knights. More knights kept being found, despite warnings they must have received from those who knew about the Agency infiltration. The Agency would have to find more facilities to contain them all.

  Poe’s phone rang and he sighed. He picked it up, his eyes focused on his computer screen.

  “What?” he said grouchily.

  “Poe, it’s Jonathon. I went to substation Santa Fe to relieve Josh, who was stationed to watch the wolf shifter—”

  “And?” Poe said impatiently. “I have mountains of data to go through, Jon, so if you could just cut to the chase….”

  “Both Josh and the wolf shifter are missing.”

  Poe froze. All exterior sound vanished. All he heard was a faint buzzing noise in his ears. Poe could see Josh clearly in his mind. He was a young man and eager to prove himself. He would always go that extra mile, and not for praise or compliments, but because he felt it was his duty. He had expressive blue eyes which were always smiling, and he was a genuinely happy guy with a strong work ethic. He could also talk for hours if allowed to—his energy level was amazing. His ability was telekinesis.

  “What?” he whispered.

  He heard Jonathon gulp. “It looks like a bomb went off in here! The front door looks to have been blasted open. The overhead lights are on the floor, smashed and glass is everywhere. The door that led to the shifter’s cell is blasted open as well and… the cage is broken, maybe with an axe. And there’s blood and, God—”

  Poe’s eyes popped open. “What Jon? What?”

  “Bodies,” Jon sounded sick and his breathing became shallow. “B—bodies, I think.”

  “What do you mean, ‘you think’?”

  “I—they don’t look... they’re all shredded and blood and body parts are everywhere. I don’t know what happened! Did the Knights find this place?”

  Poe closed his eyes, feeling as though he’d been tossed into a freezer. The wolf shifter had been captured about a year ago, an experiment by the Knights. He was brainwashed and set loose on other shifters—he’d already killed about a dozen across the country. Poe had tracked him down in Seattle, Washington, assisted by another wolf shifter and his mate.

  The shifter had been getting therapy, and Poe received weekly reports on him. He thought the shifter was getting better despite not yet remembering his own name. The worst part was that he’d hidden the data about the shifter, the substation, and the aides staffing the building. Due to suspecting a traitor, and being suspicious of his own chief, he’d kept most info buried under data, with Captain Odin as a conspirator.

  “Jon? Jon, listen to me. Keep breathing, stay calm.” Poe kept his own voice steady, trying to keep the aide from panicking. “Is there any indication when this happened?”

  “Well, I don’t—I can look at the camera video.”

  “Do that.”

  Poe waited as Jonathon muttered under his breath, and he could hear the faint sound of keys tapping as Jonathon accessed the cameras. Poe tapped his finger on the desk, controlling his rage, his anxiety. It must have been the Knights. Who else? Body parts. It would seem they tried to let the shifter go and the wolf turned on them. Well, Poe couldn’t be too sad about that. But now the damn shifter was loose again! And where the hell was Josh? Poe stopped tapping.

  Jonathon gasped. “Oh God.”

  “What?”

  “I don’t—Poe, oh God, Poe.” Jon’s voice rose several notches.

  “W
hat? Damn it, what do the cameras show?”

  “Knights.” Jon’s voice shook. “They came in and…Josh tried to stop them but… Jesus. It’s a mess, Poe. I don’t—there! The shifter is leaving with Josh over his shoulder.”

  “When, Jon? When did this happen?” Poe asked, his skin icy.

  “It looks to be early morning on March thirtieth,” Jon answered.

  Poe swallowed hard. “That was only a few hours after we invaded the Knights’ headquarters.”

  He couldn’t hold back his fear as he whispered. Jonathon was silent.

  “Jon, stay there.” Poe grabbed his jacket. “I’m on my way.”

  ###

  About This Book

  I didn’t change much of anything in this book, merely updated and revised certain elements to remain consistent with the rest of the series. I really enjoyed this book and yes, while it could be considered as “insta-love,” I still find it poignant. Hunter is such a sweet, confused man, and I’m glad Glenn was there to guide him along to true happiness.

  It’s quite the treat to revisit these characters and to reacquaint myself with the story I’m trying to tell. This was also the first time I got to play with a non-predator and non-aggressive species. Deer are more likely to flee than fight (unless competing for mates, of course) so it was interesting to depict Glenn as pulled between his primal spirit’s instinct and his human form’s desires. Re-reading has also allowed me to better adjust and modify the series arch and plan out the latter half of the series in great detail. While I always knew the ending I wanted, the details alluded me until now.

  I also realized an interesting parallel between the family themes and conflict in “Blind Devotion” and those in “Hunter and Hunted.” I didn’t notice that before, even as I was writing them. I really love it when that happens. There’s also parallel and contrasting elements between this book and the next, “Healing Minds” in regards to being orphan and finding where you belong. And where you want to belong.