Summers' Shadow (Hunters Trilogy Book 2)

by Sara J. Bernhardt

  I smiled instantly. Somehow I knew she would be there.

  “Nice shot.” She sounded like she was teasing.

  I laughed when I saw the bullet lodged in the tree in front of me.

  “I knew you’d come,” I said.

  “Morgan!” she bellowed.

  I spun around and deflected the blade of a young Sevren member and killed him instantly with a jab to his chest.

  She smiled at me and nodded in relief.

  The moment faded as our minds focused once again on the fight before us. Luna was a mass of hate and rage as she attacked ruthlessly, clawing, biting, scratching, combined successfully with her ability with a long dagger with two serrated edges.

  I pulled my attention away from her and back toward another cloaked enemy. He rushed toward me with a huge knife. I heard a muffled gunshot, and the man fell inches from my feet.

  “You can thank me for that one later,” I heard Ian say.

  “I had him!” I spat.

  “Sure, sure.”

  He raced past me, still using that vile gun. I took the knife from the dead Sevren, but it was almost impossible to wield two of different weights. I cast mine behind me and held confidently the longer, serrated blade of the Sevren member.

  My rage finally exploded, and my vision went red. I leapt and scrambled, disabling and killing all in my path, feeling the jarring impacts into my back and sides as I fought them off. I realized the trees made great weapons as I smashed my enemies straight into the thick, moss-covered trunks.

  I rushed toward another, and my heart began to pound in my chest when I saw him retreating. Fleeing was unheard of for a Sevren. I instantly hurried after him as fast as I could, falling into the deeper woods. I fought mercilessly, moving my blade in quick, blinding movements. I watched my enemy fumbling with his cloak. I rushed around him, waiting for him to turn toward me just to be blinded by the sun. He squinted just long enough for me to advance. I shoved him into a tree and slit open his throat. The blood leaked out like a busted water pipe. I took pleasure in the sight, knowing he got what he deserved.

  A familiar name pulled me out of my trance, and suddenly I felt the pain—massive amounts of it all over my body.

  “Morgan?” The voices were ghostly in my head as my hearing faded.

  I fell to my knees, feeling the cushion of grass. My name echoed in my ears one last time before my eyes went dark.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  I tried to speak, but I couldn’t find my voice. I had no idea where I was. My eyes felt like they were glued shut. I tried to pry them open, but they just fluttered closed again before I could focus on anything. I groaned and heard a quiet response.

  “Shh.”

  I tried again to speak and felt the coolness of a wet towel on my forehead.

  “You don’t need to move.” It was Luna’s voice. Tending to me like always. “Stay still, love. You’ve been through quite a bit.”

  “How”—my voice broke—“long have I been asleep?” I choked out.

  “Shh,” she answered. “A few days.”

  Days? Oh my God. What happened? If I could have spoken, I would have been shouting.

  “The…” My voice faded again. “The…Sevren?”

  “Are dead,” Luna answered. “The Sevren are gone, love. We did it.”

  I tried to smile but wasn’t sure if I did.

  “How is he?” I heard Walter ask.

  “Awake,” Luna said. “But weak.”

  “You gave us quite a scare,” he said, his voice closer. “We thought we lost you.”

  I felt myself smile. “Can’t get rid of me that easily,” I choked out.

  He chuckled as usual. “Luna’s making you some lunch. We have you hooked up to an IV, courtesy of Ian, but you should still eat something as soon as you can.”

  I tried to nod. Food sounded amazing. I pulled the towel off my forehead, feeling cool droplets running down my cheeks.

  “I’m not a child,” I said. “I’m fine.”

  Walter just smiled at me.

  I was able to open my eyes and sit up enough to eat by the time Luna came back with a tray.

  “Thank you,” I said, still weak.

  “How do you feel?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. Nothing really hurts.” I could see I was practically covered in bandages.

  “That could be the morphine.” She laughed. “You may feel the pain soon.”

  I nodded. “I’m all right with that. I don’t want to be sedated. I have things to do.”

  “Morgan!”

  “You called me Morgan,” I said with a struggled laugh.

  “Yes,” she answered. “There is nothing you need to do except rest.”

  I shook my head. “I need to get to Jane.”

  “Why?”

  “The radicals.”

  “Morgan, I told you. The Sevren—”

  “I know what you told me,” I interrupted. “That doesn’t mean there aren’t still others that will try at least for a while to reestablish The Sevren. I need to keep Jane safe a while longer.”

  She sighed.

  “Can’t you and Walter just take care of the followers while I stay near Jane? That way I can make sure nobody finds her until they are dead.”

  “You…you don’t need to.”

  “Yes, I do, Luna.”

  “No,” she answered calmly. “I mean…you don’t need to. We sent Ian.”

  “What?” I sat up the rest of the way.

  “Ian will be near Jane soon, pretending he barely knows me or Walter.”

  “Jane doesn’t need to be lied to. Ian should tell her he knows Walter.”

  “It’s easier if she doesn’t know. She doesn’t need to feel like she’s part of this war.”

  “But she is,” I answered. “And don’t think I won’t still go after her.”

  “Morgan, Ian is keeping her safe. You can help us kill the few radicals left, and then you can return to her.”

  I shook my head. “Fine. But I don’t trust Ian to fight like I can. I want to stay close.”

  She nodded. “All right, but keep your distance. Ian doesn’t trust you.”

  “Still?”

  “Still.”

  I sighed. “Figures.”

  It didn’t make sense that they would send Ian to take Jane somewhere safe. They knew I had made it my job to protect her. I suppose if Ian got killed by The Sevren, Luna wouldn’t weep the way she would over losing me. Walter too. I resented Ian for the way he felt the need to protect Jane from me. Me, who had done everything to keep harm as far from her as possible. He was the one who almost got her killed by Dorian. Who was she going to trust? Of course—him. She would trust him.

  I couldn’t stand staying in North Bend, killing off radicals with Walter and Luna. I knew there were others near Jane. I knew she was being followed. Those were the ones who needed to be stopped at all costs. Ian wasn’t clever enough to even know they were being tailed, and Jane was too naïve to realize much of anything pertaining to The Sevren. It was all up to me now as usual.

  Chapter Thirty

  Luna didn’t even bother to stop me when I got my things together and headed out to California to stay near Jane—and Ian. I knew it was impossible for The Sevren to regroup. We killed almost all of them. A few disbanded, including Alex, I assume, but they weren’t my concern. All of the upper ranked members were gone. The few loyal followers left were the only ones to deal with, and some of them were tailing Jane. It didn’t take long for me to pinpoint each and every one of them driving down the roads of California. I simply followed behind, sure that they would lead me to Jane. There were at least seven of them. All of them were members I had recognized—men I had seen in the time I had been a member. They could have hidden from Ian—not from me. I knew all of them, not by name, but I never forget a face.

  I followed them and noticed they stopped in front of a motel. Really, Ian? A cheap motel? I’m sure Jane was just loving that. I contained
actual laughter, thinking about how she was handling that. Probably driving him crazy. It was one of the things I actually loved about her. She let you know when she wasn’t all right with something.

  I parked around the back of the hotel, away from the trackers. I had little conception of how long it had been since I last saw Jane. It seemed like years. Three months, maybe four? Finding their room was going to be the hard part. I knocked on every door on the lower floor. Most of them looked at me like I was out of my mind. I wondered for a while if Jane was even there or if The Sevren were just waiting here for some other reason. It was hard to tell with them sometimes.

  I climbed the stairs on the upper floor and knocked on about three doors before coming to room 242. When I knocked, I instantly heard Ian’s voice, and I felt my breath explode. Finally!

  “Jane, have you told anyone where we are?”

  I couldn’t hear Jane’s response.

  “Then…explain this.”

  He opened the door, and I saw her there with a shocked expression on her face. I had forgotten how beautiful she was. I made eye contact and smiled, waiting for her to say something—anything. She stared back open mouthed. Her eyes bulged, and she fell unconscious at Ian’s feet. I sighed. Great. Not exactly the reaction I was hoping for from the woman I loved. How could she really be that surprised to see me? She knew me well enough to know that nothing would make me give up on her.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” Ian demanded.

  “Would you like me to leave?” I answered. “Or would you rather live?”

  He huffed. “God,” he mumbled. His voice rose to a yell. “Look what you’ve done.” He pointed to Jane.

  I just smiled.

  He picked her up and set her on the bed, whispering her name. It took a few minutes before she opened her eyes.

  “Jane?” I whispered.

  She put her hand on her forehead and inhaled softly. I sat beside her on the bed.

  “Jane, I’m here to help,” I said.

  Her eyes didn’t hold that look of hatred and revulsion I had seen before but instead a look of confusion. She wouldn’t look at me.

  “Aidan?” she tried to say, but it was hardly a sound at all.

  “Yes?”

  She just shook her head.

  “I’m here to help,” I said again.

  “Couldn’t you have sent someone?” Ian asked.

  I broke my attention from Jane.

  “You know me.” I laughed. “I had to do this myself.” I didn’t trust anybody else to protect Jane.

  “How did you find us?” he asked.

  “I followed the man who is tracking you.”

  “Tracking us?” Jane cried. Her voice was finally strong and terrified.

  I nodded. “That’s why I’m here.”

  Her lips curled up in a look of anger, and she almost seemed to be growling at me.

  “Please,” I said. “I know that look all too well.”

  “Goddamn wonderful,” she muttered.

  I sighed and stood up, turning toward Ian.

  “We—well…you anyway—need to leave.”

  “Well, if they are tracking us, they’ll just follow,” he answered.

  I nodded. “Of course they will. Do you know how to fight?”

  I had to ask him this to make sure Jane didn’t know about the battle we were involved in like Walter asked.

  Ian nodded. “I can take care of myself for the most part.”

  “But…what about her?” I asked.

  He sighed, and a look of irritation masked his features.

  “You can’t tell me you didn’t know this could happen,” I demanded.

  He shook his head. “I did know it was a possibility. How many?”

  I sighed. “Well, I didn’t get that past you.” I chuckled.

  Ian nodded. “If there were only one, I would believe you’d take care of it.”

  “I would have, yes. Dorian and Abraham are both dead, which puts my mind at ease, but the radical followers are trying to regroup, which is why Walter and the others are regrouping as well. For now, we have a few more to take care of.”

  I turned to Jane and saw she looked pale—more than usual.

  “Are you all right?” I asked. I didn’t want her fainting again.

  She still didn’t look at me.

  “Here,” Ian said.

  He handed her a bottle of water from the tiny fridge in the corner of the room.

  “Thanks,” she whispered.

  “I’m sorry,” I said.

  I sat back down beside Jane and placed my hand over hers. I felt electric shocks through my limbs just from being able to touch her again. I felt her muscles tighten, and I moved my hand away.

  “I didn’t mean to barge in on you like this,” I said. My words were cut off when I noticed Ian and Jane ignoring my gaze and looking at each other. Damn it! Had he taken her from me? Of all people, it had to be Ian? What had he told her to turn her against me? He was worse than Rudy.

  “Wait,” I started. “Are you…?”

  I moved my eyes back to Jane.

  She gave me a puzzled look.

  I looked at Ian again then back at her.

  “You’re… Are you and Jane…?”

  “Oh!” Ian cried. “No, no. It isn’t… Jane and I aren’t…”

  She laughed. “Ian was sent to protect me.”

  I know that!

  “It isn’t like that.”

  I nodded and stuttered an uncertain “okay.”

  She shook her head, still smiling.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “It isn’t really my business.”

  Though I’m more than prepared to make it my business if I must!

  “So what do we do?” Jane asked, changing the subject.

  “I have some things I need to see to,” I said. “People I need some words with.”

  “When will you be back?” Ian asked. He sounded very calm, yet I could see the obvious distrust he was expressing.

  “Soon,” I answered. “Today.”

  “Well, here,” Ian started, handing me the room key. “Take this.”

  I nodded. “Thanks.”

  I put the key card in my pocket and walked back to the car to call Walter with Abraham’s stolen cell phone.

  “Morgan?”

  “Yeah, it’s me.”

  “Where are you? Did you find them?”

  “Yes,” I answered. “Easy as pie.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “Well, I was right. They were being tailed. I followed The Sevren members, and they led me right to her.”

  “And Ian?”

  “Yes. Ian too.”

  “So they’re all right?”

  “Yes. They’re fine.”

  I heard him exhale softly. “All right.”

  “I promised I’d call, so I am calling. Is there anything else you need me to do?”

  “No,” he said. “Just go back there and tell Ian what’s going on.”

  “Did that.”

  “Oh…all right. Well, the rest is up to you. I’m sure you realize running wouldn’t make sense. You need to fight them.”

  Of course!

  “Meanwhile, Luna and I will be killing off the other radicals. Sound good?”

  “Sounds great,” I said. “I’ll call later.”

  “Sure.”

  I closed the phone and headed back to room 242.

  I used the key to open the door and saw Ian moving away from Jane who was lying on the bed. My heart stopped for a moment. Of course. I should have expected it. They didn’t even wait twenty minutes before attacking each other. Nice. I tried to push aside the sting of pain and jealousy, but that only brought out anger. It took everything in me not to shove Ian against the wall and scream at him.

  You bastard! How could you? After almost getting her killed, you take the liberty of stealing her from me on top of that?

  I wanted to tear him apart, but he spoke and broke my focus.

>   “Um, you’re back,” he said. He cleared his throat. “Did…did you take care of what you needed?”

  Jane sat up and looked away.

  “Uh…yeah,” I answered. “Yeah, it’s taken care of.”

  “What did you find out?”

  “That leaving wouldn’t be the best idea,” I answered. “That staying here and fighting would be better.”

  “Fighting?” Jane yelled.

  I wasn’t in the mood to deal with her. “Yes, Jane, fighting.” Even I could hear the irritation in my voice.

  Wow, she really got over me easily. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but it made me sick to think of somebody else touching her. I tried again to push it aside.

  “What—?” Jane started.

  “Jane, don’t worry about it,” I interrupted.

  “I hate when you say that,” she murmured.

  She drew her knees up to her chest.

  “Aidan and I will take care of it,” Ian started. “You don’t need to worry about a thing.”

  Yeah, Ian, comfort your girlfriend. Good for you.

  “You can’t leave,” she yelled.

  She sprang to her feet and nearly clung to Ian.

  “He’s not,” I hissed. “I am.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  I knew I didn’t need Ian’s help to kill the men after all. I wanted him to help, but I wasn’t in the mood to argue with Jane. I walked right up to the black car in front of the motel and tapped on the glass. The driver rolled down the window.

  “What the hell…?” He broke off, and a smile spread across his coarse-looking face. “James?”

  I nodded.

  “What do you want?”

  I narrowed my eyes. “You know what I want.”

  “Are you here to help?” he asked. “Or to fight?”

  “I’m here to help,” I lied. “Meet me back in North Bend. I will bring the Callahan girl with me.”

  “How can I trust you after your betrayal?” he spat.

  I laughed synthetically. “Betrayal? Oh, you have it all wrong. That was an act. I was undercover, gaining information on The Silver Wing.”

  “And what about the girl?”

  “I made her love me,” I said. “It will make the kill so much sweeter.”

  I shuddered and internally cringed at what I was forced to say.