by Wendi Zwaduk
I’m behind you in the shower stall.
She peeked at her reflection in the mirror. Sure enough, Hagan grinned at her from the stall. He even waved! He still wore both sets of handcuffs, but the rope wasn’t around the metal loops. She closed the bathroom door.
“What—” Before she could say anything else, Hagan closed his hand over her mouth.
Her gut reaction and training took over. Emily kicked his legs out from under him and whipped around, grabbing him in a headlock. The only thing keeping her from punching him in the head was the realization that Ben might hear them.
Uncle!
“Never, ever…startle…a…Hunter,” she said through clenched teeth.
I’m trying to keep you alive.
“Me?” She let go of him and collapsed on the floor. “What are you talking about?”
“Keep your voice down.”
Shit. He was right. Ben. Damn it. Emily folded her arms. “How’d you do it?” she whispered. “How’d you get in my head?”
“I’m not sure. The magic should work the other way around. You gave me your blood. You should be in my head and I should be in yours.” Can you hear me now?
“Yeah, loud and clear and just like that commercial.”
“What commercial?” He shook his head. I’m going to communicate with you this way for now. I don’t want Ben to hear me. Go do what you need to do. Hunt. I won’t go anywhere.
“Babe?” Ben called. “What’s taking so long? You don’t have to doll yourself up for me right now? It’s only a hunt night.”
Goddess, Hagan said. He doesn’t quit. He wants in your pants.
“I know.” She stood. “Hold on. I couldn’t get my mp3 player to stop. It went berserk on me. I’ll be right out.” She crouched next to Hagan. “Just be quiet, okay?”
Absolutely. May I use your computer?
“My tablet’s in the bedroom.” She whipped her sleep shirt up over her head and picked up a bra from the drying rack. “Help yourself. Just don’t empty out my bank accounts.”
Hon, while I like looking at your breasts, you should cover yourself.
She glanced at her reflection once more. Jesus. She’d flashed him. She struggled into her bra and grabbed a fresh shirt from the closet. “Sorry.”
I enjoyed the view. He winked at her, and then licked his lips. I wanted to look for traces of Laing. If I can find him, maybe I can help us both.
“Good deal.” She shimmied out of her pants, then into a pair of khakis. Her heart fluttered. She felt a connection with Hagan. Maybe she’d grown a conscience or she was tired of killing. Part of her wanted to give up hunting with Ben and help the resistance group. If the Defenders and true Hunters still existed, she wanted to align with them. She left Hagan alone in her bathroom and rushed to the living room.
Ben sat on the couch, but a lock of his hair stuck up like he’d just thrust his fingers into it. “You know, I could see myself here. This is a nice place.”
“The payments aren’t nice, but it’s all mine.” She prided herself in owning the condo. At first, she didn’t like the idea of owning a home connected to other homes, but the more she lived there, the more she liked the quaintness.
“You need a roommate.”
“I’m good. I’ve got some money Daddy left me if my paychecks suddenly stopped.” Which they could if she gave up her role as a Hunter.
“Tainted.” Ben scoffed. “Filthy.”
“Ben, that was my father. He was a good man. If he wanted to leave me money, then so be it.”
“I know who they were.” He curled his fingers under her chin. “I sometimes forget the irregularities in your bloodline. You don’t act like there’s a trace of Super in you.”
The nerve of him to insult her parents! She groaned. Both she and Ben had a trace of Super blood in their bodies, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to function as Hunters. They had to see the Supers in order to extinguish them. She didn’t want to hear the argument any longer. He liked having her power as a Seer, but claiming those powers was off limits. The asshole.
“Ben, I know we’re partners and all, but you can stuff the insults up your butt. My parents were Seers. So what? If you are a Hunter, it’s because you have Super somewhere in your bloodline. So drop the crap and shut up or the next time I hear you bring up my past, I’ll dump you as a partner. Got it?”
He snorted. “Em, I didn’t mean it to hurt you.”
“Yeah, you did.” She slung her bag and gun over her shoulder, and then picked up her boots and socks. “Let’s go.”
“Baby, I’m sorry.” He placed his hand on the small of her back. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Uh-huh.” She kept moving forward, but his words caught in her mind. The person in the nightmare called her baby—not Hagan. Maybe she’d been mistaken and Hagan wasn’t the enemy? As soon as they got this night over with, she’d change her life. She needed a break from Ben and the Hunters and she knew exactly where to turn.
****
Hagan flopped onto the bed and groaned. He’d once believed Ava was his girl. He wanted her to be his forever, despite knowing there was a space between them. He’d been with Emily for less than twenty-four hours, but he cared about her the same way he had about Ava. Emily saved him and gave him a second chance. Was this the beginning of his journey? Kind of looked that way.
He wished she’d removed the cuffs, though, but he understood. She didn’t trust him yet. Plus, Ben hadn’t exactly given her the time to find the keys. With Ben there, she had to move quickly. Their conversation had taken up too much time. He gritted his teeth. He didn’t like Ben. Not a bit. The guy had a complex.
Hagan hadn’t even seen Ben and he’d figured the man out. Ben needed to be the bad ass. He thrived on control. Without control, he’d become a loose cannon…just what Hagan didn’t want Emily to be around.
The argument as she’d left stuck with Hagan. The bastard wanted to insult her because of her parents? Fuck no. What kind of man insulted a woman he was trying to impress? Apparently, an asshole wanting to make up for something he lacked, that’s who.
The memory of the taste of her blood crept up in his brain. He liked having a part of her in his body. She was so much of what he wanted in a partner—she took charge without being a bitch, spoke her mind and kept a tiny piece of herself vulnerable. His neck ached from the headlock she’d put him in, but no one was perfect and he’d made the mistake of scaring her.
His thoughts turned to Ava. Unlike Emily, Ava wanted protection. Sure, she was strong, but she liked having someone at her side to keep her safe. Where was she now? Was someone keeping her protected from the Rogues?
Hagan picked up the tablet. The screen flashed. Huh. He’d only been stuck in Maslow’s organization for a year, but he couldn’t believe how fast the technology had evolved. He touched the screen. Something pinged and a photo of Emily brightened. He liked seeing her smile, but he wasn’t sure what he’d done to the device? Had he unlocked it? Or just brought the thing to life, so to speak? He swiped his finger across the slick surface and the image changed. The picture was of Emily and another woman. Again, she looked happy. Bunches of icons were left all over the screen. He recognized the one for the internet and tapped it. When the search engine popped up, he typed in Laing mansion.
The search brought back zero results.
Odd. The name Laing should’ve brought back something. He typed in the name Kynan Laing. Images of Kynan’s wife appeared, along with a handful of their mansion and his burial, but nothing recent. What a bunch of bullshit. He’d believed every word Ava had said, but according to his quick research, the Laing family was all dead. Had Ava pulled a fast one? They were supposed to have been a team.
He switched the wording and typed in Laing Army.
A slew of links showed up, but most were junk. He scanned the results. So much for real facts amongst the gossip. The Internet had so much crap on it. He’d almost given up his hunt when he spotted a particular link.
Hmm. Someone believed the Laings were around? He clicked on the page. According to the information given, the Kynan and his first wife had split up long ago. She lived out her life with his fortune and he disappeared, supposedly on a drunken binge. The person behind the page claimed that the burial was bogus and a man resembling Laing was in the casket. Kynan Laing had been seen in the area with a new woman—a much younger woman, named Alexa.
Hagan scratched his chin. Who would post something like this? A Super? Why would a Super risk the others for the sake of Laing, or had Laing betrayed someone?
So maybe Ava wasn’t lying to him. According to the local maps, the Laing mansion was still standing in Erie View. Was he even close to Erie View? He hadn’t bothered to ask Emily what town he’d ended up in. He’d have to sort that out when she returned.
Emily. Just the thought of her shouldn’t have warmed him, but it did. He could still smell the soft scent of her hair, although he suspected it was from the pillow. Who cared? He buried his face in her pillow and sniffed. So sweet. Then again, everything about her was sweet.
He could see them sleeping together, despite the nightmare. Sure, he sounded a little like Ben with his expectations of something more, but he suspected she actually cared about him—not Ben. She should be afraid of him. He was a vampire and could harm her. He wouldn’t, but he could. She could also destroy him. That thought scared him. He’d come to like her and didn’t want to be without her.
Hagan peered into her mind. He shouldn’t have invaded, but he needed a connection with her. He saw the world through her eyes and shared her emotions. She wasn’t thrilled to be stomping around the backstreets of wherever she was with Ben. She’d lost trust in her partner. Hagan wondered why. He didn’t trust her partner at all. Ben reminded him of the guys Ava chased when they were still together. He still cared about Ava, but the memories weren’t all rosy and his heart had changed. She ran around on him. He’d pushed those thoughts aside because he was convinced she was his mate. The others wouldn’t matter. Yes, she’d slept with some men on Maslow’s orders, but there were others.
He wondered if Ava had ever succeeded. Had she found her mate? Was she happy? Was she even alive? And why was he thinking about his past when his future was so much brighter? Because part of him still cared about Ava.
Hagan placed the tablet on the nightstand, lounged back and folded his hands on his belly. He closed his eyes. He couldn’t do much without Emily there and refused to pry farther into her mind. She’d be back soon and they could sort themselves out then.
Chapter Four
“Hagan.”
Someone called his name. Darkness surrounded him. Was he in the cave of the Sources again?
“Hagan.”
This time whoever spoke to him followed up his name with a jab to his ribs. He surfaced from sleep, confused and startled. His senses had dwindled from the lack of blood and only time and more blood would bring them back to full force.
“Hagan.” Emily poked him again. “Wake up. Please?”
“I’m awake.” He snorted and glanced around the space. He was still with the Hunter at her home. He sniffed. No Ben. No danger. Thank the Goddess.
“Good. We need to talk.” She settled beside him on the bed, resting her head on her hand. Her legs touched his as she stretched out.
“You say that a lot.” He scrubbed both hands over his face. “What’s wrong?”
“Either you really trust me or your super honed vampire senses suck—pardon the pun.”
“They’re dull. Almost dying makes it hard to keep everything honed. It’ll take me a while to get them back on point—no offense taken.” He needed to get his shit sorted out. Not being able to defend himself would be the death of him. Maybe that was the plan of the Sources—they wanted to teach him a lesson. If so, they were doing a great job. Not only had he learned how much he was starting to need Emily, but he refused to deny the attraction.
Emily smiled, just like in the picture on her tablet. She held up the keys. She sat up, bringing her body even closer to Hagan’s. “Time to unlock you.” As she twisted the lock, she furrowed her brow. The look shouldn’t have been adorable, but he loved looking at her. “I’m going to assume you got a read on Ben.”
“I did.” No point in lying.
“Just male bullshit or is he really a douche bag?” She placed the handcuffs on the nightstand and stretched out beside him again.
“Well, it depends on how much honesty you want.” He rolled onto his side to face her. The comfort of the moment descended around him. He hadn’t been this intimate with another woman. Hell, he hadn’t been in an intimate setting like this with Ava. They’d been best friends, but she liked to keep him at arm’s length. He preferred the coziness of Emily. At least she seemed to like him.
“I’d like brutal honesty.”
“Okay.” He measured his words carefully. Too much honesty could be a bad thing. “If you’re expecting me to whip out my dick and take measurements to see who is packing the longest, then no I don’t have any male bullshit with him. I don’t measure men in terms of their cocks or how far they can swing them. But I don’t like Ben. Not a bit.”
She chuckled. “Swinging cocks.” She stifled the laugh behind her hand. “Then tell me why you don’t like him.”
“He’s arrogant.”
“Everyone has their moments where they can be jack asses.”
Point taken. “Oh? Do I?”
“You can, but nothing too horrible.”
Back to Ben the bonehead. “He’s abrasive.”
“Agreed.”
Hagan pressed forward instead of dwelling on the fact that they’d agreed on something. “He has no respect for you and only wants you in order to get into your pants. My guess? Once he lays pipe, the asshole will blow out like a bad thunderstorm.”
“Aren’t you eloquent?” She smiled and tucked both hands under her chin.
“Do you like him?” He pressed his lips together. Knowing that truth shouldn’t worry him, but if she had feelings for Ben, then he’d have to go. Ben would certainly kill first and not ask questions.
“He’s competent.”
“What a resounding approval.”
Emily sighed and snuggled into the pillow. “I got paired up with him. At first, I hated him. He was so smug and knew everything. Then we were together so much that an attraction formed. Confined spaces, multiple times we could’ve lost our lives in the heat of battle…he always came to the rescue and I fell for him. Looking back, I see he sort of had to come to the rescue. If he lost me, he’d lose his place with the Hunters. When I was really in love with him, he was seeing another woman and nothing happened between us. Just as well. Lately, I’m seeing him in a new light and it’s not flattering.” She flopped onto her back. “I used to think I deserved him.”
“And now?” Hagan slid his palm across her bare belly where her shirt had ridden up. She needed someone to comfort her and he wanted to be that man.
“Now I’m afraid to admit what I want.” She didn’t look at him and didn’t push his hand away.
Hagan felt the confusion in her words and saw the hunger in her mind. He understood. Her life consisted of order before he came along. Now he was there and the world was upside down. As much as he didn’t want to go through the pain of rejection again, he decided to offer up his heart.
“You should go for what you want, even if you don’t think you deserve it.” He bit back a snort. He sounded like a greeting card or a motivational poster. “Reach for the stars or some shit like that.”
He wanted to make her laugh and to see her smile. The heaviness surrounding them bugged him. She needed light in her life, not the dreariness of the darkness.
Emily laughed. The joyous sound rang out through the room. “You had me up until the shit like that part.” She finally looked at him. “That was horrible.”
“You knew what I meant.” The dynamic between them had c
hanged. She didn’t totally trust him, but they’d formed a bond. They were in this—whatever this was—together.
“I did.” Her voice turned husky and she leaned forward. She licked her lips. “You could still kill me.”
“Why would I want to do that?” He inched closer to her and eased his hand to the small of her back.
“I could kill you.” Her breath fanned over his skin.
“We’re both dangerous.” Hagan noticed the flecks of amber and blue among the green in her eyes. The mix of colors reminded him of a rare gem, but he didn’t know which one. He’d never seen anything prettier than her. Enough waiting. He kissed her. The moment reminded him of high school and the awkwardness of his first kiss, but without the bumping of noses or clacking of teeth.
Emily closed her eyes and crawled on top of him. He held onto her, basking in her warmth. She draped her body along his. They fit together like two long lost puzzle pieces.
We shouldn’t have done that.
He slid his fingers into her hair and kept the other hand on her back. She might not have intentionally sent him her thoughts, but he heard her loud and clear.
Hon, this is exactly what we needed to do.
Her eyes opened and she scurried off his body. “How?” She sat on the end of the bed. “How did you know to answer me?”
“We have a link. It’s probably because of the blood.” And the need bubbling between them.
“Hagan.” Her chest puffed as she gasped for breath. “I’m—something isn’t right. I’m a Hunter. I should be killing you.”
“I haven’t gone mad.” Hagan sat up. Their perfect moment had been ruined and all because of their link. Wonderful.
“I know you’re not mad or berserk.”
“I am attracted to you.” Finally getting that truth out into the open felt good.
“We shouldn’t be together.” She hugged her knees. “We…can’t.”
“Because someday you might actually have to kill me?”
“Yes—no—maybe.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I don’t know.”