aHunter4Saken (aHunter4Hire)

by Cynthia Clement

  aHunter4Saken

  By

  Cynthia A Clement

  Text copyright © 2014 Cynthia A Clement

  eBook Kindle Edition

  ISBN: 978-0-9920189-8-6

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission of the copyright owner and publisher. For the purposes of a reviewer, brief passages may be quoted in a review to be printed in a newspaper, magazine, or journal.

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters and incidents are from the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual incidents or persons, living or dead, is coincidental and unintentional.

  Cover Design: RomCon- www.romcon.com

  Cover Image: Jenn LeBlanc- Illustrated Romance

  Dedication

  To Linda

  You loved the Hunters from the beginning.

  Thank you for all of your help and support over the years.

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Author’s Note

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  Niail awoke unsure of his mission or where he was. A shooting pain pierced his skull. If the loud hammering did not cease soon, he would go crazy. His stomach rolled and he tried to move. Something blocked him and refused to budge. He only knew one thing for certain; he was a Hunter, an elite warrior always in control and ready to protect.

  “Easy.” The voice was soft and female. “You took quite a hit on the head. Stay put.”

  “I need to use a basin.” His words were barely audible, but within seconds a pail was handed to him.

  “Here.”

  When he had emptied the contents of his stomach, he leaned back and groaned. He was in a bed and it had been sheets that had kept him from escaping. He tried to focus his eyes, but everything was blurred. It was easier to keep them shut.

  “Where am I?”

  “Blackfeet Reservation.” A damp cloth wiped his face. “Bobby found you at the side of the road. It looks like you took quite a beating before someone threw you there.”

  “I do not remember.”

  “That’s not surprising.” There was a soft sigh. “You’ve got a concussion, a huge gash on your head, and so many cuts and bruises, it’s a wonder you’re alive.”

  “I’ve had worse.” He rubbed the side of his head and frowned. At least he thought he had. If only the noise would stop.

  “Take these.”

  Niail’s head was lifted up and two tablets were put in his mouth. A glass was pressed to his lips. “Swallow. They’ll help your headache.”

  Niail did as he was told and then his head was lowered to the pillow. “Thank you.”

  “Get some rest. I’ll wake you in a couple of hours.”

  He didn’t have the energy to argue. He let the world fade away, as the oblivion of sleep claimed him.

  The next thing he knew, his head was being shaken back and forth. He grimaced as pain shot through his skull. Why couldn’t they leave him in peace? He tried to ignore the shaking, but they were insistent.

  “Wake up.”

  He opened his lids.

  The most beautiful pair of dark brown eyes he had ever seen stared down at him. There was concern in their depths. Something must be wrong. He struggled to get up, but his body refused to move.

  “I’ve been trying to wake you for the last fifteen minutes.” The eyes belonged to the voice from earlier. “I don’t want you dying on me.”

  “Hunters are hard to kill.” The words seemed to stick to his tongue.

  “What were you hunting?” There was amusement in her tone. “Most things are out of season this time of year.”

  “I wasn’t hunting.”

  “If you say so.” A cool cloth wiped at his forehead. “It wouldn’t do for you to be caught, though. It’s illegal, unless you belong to the tribe.”

  Niail frowned. He still didn’t understand the double meaning of words in the English language. At least on Cygnus, there was only one meaning for each word. It made life simpler. He shifted, and pain shot up the back of his head. He bit back a groan. A Hunter handled pain. He did not let it control him.

  “I can’t give you anything else.” There was regret in her voice. “Try and sleep.”

  Niail didn’t argue. Darkness dropped over his brain, quietening the throbbing ache behind his eyes.

  The gentle voice continued to wake him at regular intervals. A couple of times she offered him medicine. He took it, but it did not relieve the hammering, or the static in his head. Everything was clouded and only sleep lessened his agony.

  There was loud shouting when he opened his eyes for the first time on his own. The noise was enough to wake the dead. He groaned and pushed up onto his elbows. Sunlight streamed through the windows. It was time for him to leave.

  The sheet fell away from his bare chest and a shiver of cold skittered across his body. A wave of weakness threatened to drop him back onto the pillow, but he fought it. He needed to find his unit.

  “Wow. How did you get all those muscles?”

  Niail’s eyes narrowed. He turned toward the voice. A small boy of about five years old was leaning against the bed. He had a mop of short dark hair, and wide innocent eyes. He looked carefree and curious. Niail had always imagined a boy should look like that. It was the opposite of what he had been as a child.

  “Mom said you were hurt. I don’t see any bullet holes.” The boy’s voice held awe. “You look like a superhero and nothing can hurt them.”

  “What is a superhero?”

  “Leave the man alone,” a soft voice scolded. Niail turned his head to look at a young girl who stood near the door. She was about a year older than the boy. “Mom also said he needs for us to be quiet.”

  “Tell that to Uncle Jake.” The boy jerked his head to the closed door. “He’s been yelling for at least ten minutes now. I’m surprised you weren’t awake earlier.”

  “Sleep makes my head feel better.”

  The boy pursed his lips. Niail did not think his answer had pleased him. Maybe the boy was having second thoughts about him being a superhero. Niail was at a loss. He had never been around children before.

  “Were you near bad spirits?”

  “I do not see spirits, good or bad.” Niail pushed against the headboard and leaned his head back. The pain behind his eyes eased a fraction. “Are they supposed to help?”

  “No.” The little girl spoke now. “Bad spirits would weaken you. At least that’s what Grandfather believes.”

  “Then I suppose I must have seen a whole lot of bad spirits last night.”

  Niail winced as the noise from the other room increased. Whatever they were fighting about it must be serious. Hunters didn’t argue, but over the last several months on earth, he had learned humans seemed to enjoy it.

  “Can’t you remember?” The boy leaned closer.

  Niail shook his head. “It is a complete blank.”

  �
�That’s why Mom had to keep waking you up last night.” The girl ventured a few feet closer to the bed. “She said that you might have died.”

  “Then I owe her my life.” Niail tried to remember what their mother looked like, but all he could recall was a gentle voice, and a beautiful pair of brown eyes. The same eyes stared back at him from the young boy beside him. “You have your mother’s eyes.”

  “I have my Daddy’s” The girl’s voice held regret. “He left us.”

  Niail’s gut tightened. He didn’t understand human men. They had no honor, or sense of duty. To abandon your woman and children was unforgivable. Niail turned his gaze to the little girl.

  She was pretty, with the same dark hair as her brother. Her eyes were black. The same color as Hunter eyes and deep within them was the belief that she did not measure up. She was not much older than her brother, but life had taught her some cruel lessons. She was already halfway to becoming an adult.

  “My eyes are the same color.” Niail softened his gruff voice. “All Hunters have black eyes.”

  “What’s a Hunter?” The girl took a step closer.

  “We are an elite warrior race sworn to protect.”

  The girl’s eyebrows rose. “You do good?”

  “Yes.”

  “So you are a superhero.” The boy jumped up and down. “I knew it. All superheroes have muscles.”

  “You also wear some of the sacred symbols.” The girl pointed to his left arm. “That’s why you were brought to Mommy. She knows about those things.”

  Niail looked at his arm. “You mean my campaigns?”

  The girl nodded. “I’m going to learn about the Star People when I’m older.”

  Niail’s head whirled for a second. They couldn’t possibly know that he wasn’t from Earth. He shut his eyes for a second and tried to concentrate on what he might have said while he was unconscious.

  Darkness was all he remembered.

  He tried to focus harder, but pain shot through his skull. Nausea rolled over him and still no memory of last night. His brain refused to function. He sighed. There was no point on dwelling on it now. He would deal with whatever he had said later.

  “Are you okay?” The girl’s voice was full of concern. “I can get my Mom.”

  “Best leave her.” Niail opened his eyes. “What is your name?”

  “Peta.” She lifted her chin. “My grandmother has the same name.”

  “It is a beautiful name.” Niail tried to smile. Humans liked smiling, but he had never understood why.

  “My name is Wil. It’s short for Eluwilussit.”

  “I am Niail.”

  “It sounds funny. Where are you from?” Wil leaned his arms on the bed.

  “Far away.” He hoped this would satisfy them.

  They nodded. Just then the noise in the other room was punctuated by the slamming of a door. It echoed through to them and then silence. Niail heard the distinct sounds of crying. He struggled to fling his sheets back until he realized he only had briefs on. A quick search of the room did not turn up any of his clothes.

  “What do you need?” Peta was now leaning against the bed like her brother.

  “My clothes.

  “My Mom had to wash them. They were very dirty and wet.”

  Wil bobbed his head up and down. “They stunk too.”

  Niail frowned. What had happened to him last night? He must have been on a mission. To have been ambushed and left at the side of the road was unheard of for a Hunter. To be alone on a dangerous mission was not logical. Nothing about his current predicament made sense.

  The crying in the other room was replaced with the sound and smell of cooking. His stomach shifted uneasily. Food was the last thing he wanted. He needed to get his clothes and leave. Before he could move, the door opened.

  “What are you two doing here?”

  “Niail is awake.” Peta ran to her mother. “He needs his clothes.”

  Niail’s gaze lifted from Peta, and he focused on her mother. A sharp jolt of awareness shot through him and he gasped. The static in his head exploded, but when he inhaled, everything settled back in place. His brain might still be foggy, but he recognized immediately that there was something unique about the woman who had just walked into the room, and into his life.

  “I had to wash them.” Peta and her mother walked to the bed. “They’re torn and need some mending. When I’m finished, I’ll get them back to you.”

  “You do not need to fix them.” Niail swallowed the lump in his throat. “I can sew.”

  “You’re a man of many talents, but right now I don’t think you would be able to concentrate long enough to hold a needle.”

  He could not argue with her.

  Nothing was as usual.

  The woman who stood in front of him was evidence of that. He felt her eyes touch him, almost caressing in their concern. Never had he been aware of a female before. This shook him to his very core. He was sworn to a life of honor and duty.

  Women were not a part of his life.

  He forced back the sensation of awareness and looked up at her. She was beautiful. Everything about her was perfect. She had dark black hair, deep brown eyes, luscious full lips, and a voluptuous figure. She was a woman a man would enjoy holding.

  What the hell was he thinking?

  Hunters did not embrace women.

  He looked down at the bed and tried to ignore his body’s reaction to the thought of touching the beauty before him. That hit on the head had done more damage than he had thought. He had forgotten his mission; next he would forget he was a warrior.

  “You’re still in pain.” She let her finger drift over his forehead. “You need more sleep.”

  A shock of electricity shot through him. It took his breath away. He forced his heart beat to relax, and glanced up. She was frowning. Had he done something wrong? Trying to read humans was something he had no patience for.

  “You feel warm. Peta get a glass of water.” She picked up a bottle of tablets and gave him two. “These should help.”

  Niail popped them into his mouth and took a sip from the glass Peta held out to him. “I do not know your name.”

  “You were too wounded last night to exchange names. I’m Kimi.”

  Niail nodded. A pain shot through his skull. “I am Niail.”

  “He’s a Hunter.” Wil’s voice held a touch of awe.

  “You mentioned that last night.” Kimi pursed her lips. “You also said that you weren’t hunting anything. I thought it was just confusion because of the concussion.”

  “He helps people.” Peta sat on the edge of the bed.

  “He’s a superhero.” Wil joined his sister on the bed. “He ran into a lot of bad medicine last night, otherwise he would have beaten the evil guys.”

  Kimi pulled Wil into her arms and hugged him before guiding him toward the door. “You two scoot. Breakfast is on the table. You had better eat before you’re late for school.”

  When the kids left the room, Kimi turned back to him. Her eyes were clouded with reproach. “I know you probably thought you were being nice, but I would appreciate it if you didn’t encourage them.”

  “What did I do wrong?”

  “Life is cruel enough. It’s better if they know the truth rather than have their dreams and fantasy shattered later.”

  “I do not lie.”

  Kimi tilted her head. “You told them you were a superhero.”

  “Wil said that. I told them I was a Hunter.”

  Kimi rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to get angry because I know that you’re not thinking properly.”

  “I know who I am.”

  “You’re a hunter who doesn’t hunt animals.”

  Niail nodded. “We only hunt animals if we need food. Hunters are a warrior race.”

  Kimi sighed. “There’s no point in arguing with you.”

  “It is not necessary for you to believe. I speak the truth.”

  Kimi straightened his bedding. “The kids
and I need to get to school. You should take it easy until we get back.”

  Niail could not argue with the advice. His head and body ached. With a grunt of resignation, he slid back down on the bed. What he needed was uninterrupted sleep. Then his memory of the mission would come back, and he could leave.

  “Your headache should improve after more rest.” Kimi left the room, shutting the door behind her.

  The sooner he left the better.

  He was too aware of the woman.

  It was uncomfortable and disturbing. The last thing he desired was a distraction. His duty was to finish his mission. Just as soon as he remembered what it was, he would do so.

  He shut his eyes and concentrated on making contact with one of the brotherhood. Despite the splitting pain that shot through his head, he sent out a mind connection and waited. Usually communication was instantaneous, but not today. His head ached from the effort. No matter how hard he tried, or who he tried to connect with, the result was the same.

  Silence.

  He was a Hunter alone.

  Chapter 2

  The classroom door opened and Kimi looked up from the paper she had been marking. Sam, her ex-husband, stood in the doorway. Not now, she groaned inwardly. She had spent the morning arguing with her brother Jake about Sam, and now, here he was. At least he had enough sense not to go to her house.

  “What do you want?” Kimi wrote a B in red ink on the paper and put it in her pile.

  “I’ve brought those legal documents for you to sign.”

  “You don’t waste any time.” Kimi grabbed another paper. “You just spoke to me yesterday.”

  “Well, the sooner this is done, the better.”

  “For you,” Kimi whispered under her breath before straightening her shoulders. “I know I agreed to sign them, it’s just been a heck of a day.”

  “Look if this is a bad time, I’ll come back tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow is Saturday. You would have to come to the house. That would be worse.” Kimi threw her pen on her desk. “Jake heard about your visit. I spent an hour this morning arguing with him.”