A Hunter's Heart [The Hunters 1] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Suzy Shearer

  “Yes Katie, when a Hunter meets their One, and they convert that person they are then able to have children together. That child would then be born a Hunter, although our children do not achieve adulthood until they are around twenty-eight or thirty years of age. Until then they are just the same as a human. They can play and live in the sun, they do not take blood but survive as a mortal on food although we cannot eat meat. Once they attain “maturity,” they must then make a decision to stay as human or to become a Hunter. If they choose to stay a human, they will age and eventually die. If they decide they will become Hunter, they must have two blood exchanges from Hunters, preferably in their immediate bloodline. They already carry Hunter blood so only two exchanges are needed.”

  “Why do they have to be that age?” Katie asked, interested despite her fear.

  “It is not a decision to take idly. It has been found that by the age of twenty-eight or thirty most people have the maturity to handle such a decision, also their body is usually at its peak. If they choose to stay human, once they have their thirtieth birthday, they cannot change their mind. Their decision becomes fixed and they stay human.”

  Charlotte mused, “I guess that makes sense, it is a pretty big decision.”

  “There is great responsibility to accept the mantel of Hunter, so we try to ensure that our children understand fully the commitment. Understand exactly what it is like to live through the centuries alone. To spend their life hunting an unforgiving foe who will kill senselessly.

  “So, yes a Hunter can bear children but where a human woman will come into season each month, a woman who is a Hunter or one converted will have a season once every seventy-five to one hundred years.”

  “I can see where this is going. Either we accept your story, and, I guess you are one of these Hunters, or else we just assume you’re nuts and live in a fantasy world.”

  Matei laughed. “Yes, Stuart, that is the truth of it.”

  “To see your fangs!” Stuart shook his head in disbelief. “This whole thing is crazy! So when were you born?”

  “I was born in what is now Romania in the year four hundred and thirty-eight before the Common Era, and am two thousand four hundred and fifty-two years old. My parents are both Hunters. My father was born human and converted by mother. I have finally found my One in your mother and for me, my life is forever blessed.”

  Charlotte decided it was time for her to speak up. “I know this is hard to comprehend. Believe me, I freaked out when he told me how old he was and what he was. But it is all true. What more proof would you want to see?”

  “Ignoring whether it is truth or fiction, what’s the difference between you and a vampire? I mean, you have told us you both exist on blood, you have fangs, you can’t tolerated much sun…so why are you better than them?” Stuart demanded.

  Charlotte shivered, remembering the feel of Danȗt Vasilecu. Matei wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into his side.

  “The vampires are wholly evil. They delight in killing, they delight in torturing their victims. They will always drain the blood from the person they feed from until they are dead.”

  “A Hunter would never endanger a mortal. We feed a few times a week. We only take a small amount of blood, the equivalent of the amount one gives when you donate blood. Usually, if paired, the one born a Hunter will feed their partner. If not, many Hunters have human friends that will allow them. For someone to offer to give his or her blood to us, well it is a great honour, one that we would never abuse. Never would we do anything that would break the trust placed on us. As you saw, we also eat food, although we are vegetarians in respect to Mother Earth. We devote our lives to the protection of all peoples of the Earth. “

  “When we take blood from a mortal, we cloak and insert a pleasant memory. The person would have no idea that any blood has been taken. The process does not take very long and we ensure they feel no pain.”

  No one listening could doubt the sincerity in Matei’s voice.

  “Okay, just supposing we take you at your word. What would it mean to Mum?”

  “Your mother is the only one who can make the decision to convert, understand that foremost. Never would I force her. If she agreed to convert, then after five blood exchanges she would become immortal. She would have the same strengths as I. Her body would change and she would look thirty, her body would stay at its physical peak. She would also live on the same diet as I.”

  “There is something you aren’t saying. What is the downside?”

  Charlotte whispered sadly, “I could not go out in the sun.”

  “Your mother would not be able to be in the full sun, she would only be able to see you between the late afternoon and the early morning. Be aware though, your mother has made no decision either way.”

  “What happens if she decides she doesn’t want to suck blood?” Stuart was blunt in his questioning. “Do you just walk off and leave her?”

  “Never!”

  Matei was horrified that they would think he would leave Charlotte if she would not convert.

  “Never would I leave your mother. If she doesn’t wish to become immortal then we shall spend the remainder of her life together as man and wife. Your mother means more to me than anything. I will never leave her.”

  “Okay, I am sorry, Matei, but please understand I had to ask. This whole vampire thing, the immortal stuff—well it’s just weird. Honestly, I’m having trouble believing it all despite the fact I saw your fangs!”

  Charlotte interrupted, “I think at this point I should tell you that Matei will enter the sun when I die if I do not convert.”

  Matei looked downcast, he did not want them to know his proposal.

  “What does that mean, Mum, ‘enter the sun’?” Katie asked.

  “Matei has told me that when I die, he’ll walk into the full sunlight and stay. And it will kill him.”

  Matei looked into Charlotte’s eyes. “I could not face living without you, Iubită, I would rather face the sun than face not having you in my life.”

  Silence greeted his statement, it was simple but it was his truth, his love for her. Charlotte could feel her tears dripping from her eyes.

  Stuart and Katie tried to comprehend all they had been told. The whole evening was surreal yet Matei and Charlotte acted as if it was all true.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Actually, if Charlotte thought about it, things could have gone off badly but instead the kids had listened.

  “Stuart?”

  Charlotte was hesitant wondering what would happen.

  “Fuck, Mum, this is so weird.” He shook his head. “I don’t know what to say. It’s so hard to believe.”

  Charlotte looked at Matei. “Maybe you could vanish and reappear.”

  He shrugged his shoulders. One minute he was sitting alongside her then next he was gone. A few seconds later he reappeared, standing in the doorway. He walked back to the couch and sat.

  “Fucking hell. This is all real isn’t it!”

  Charlotte nodded. “Yes, sweetheart, it’s all real.”

  “There really are vampires in the world, sucking people dry.”

  “Yes, Stuart, there really are.”

  “Would you like me to transform into an animal?” Matei asked.

  Stuart waved his hands. “No, no. I think we can safely say we believe. I don’t want to because it means there are horrible things in this world, but I can’t deny what we’ve seen with our own eyes and what you’ve told us.”

  Matei spoke up. “Is there anything you want to ask now you know we have spoken the truth?”

  “Where the hell do we start?” Stuart rubbed his hands through his hair. “Does this mean danger for Mum now that she is with you? I mean until she met you she knew nothing about vampires and was safe but now…”

  Charlotte took a deep breath. “Actually that isn’t quite true.”

  Katie and Stuart looked at her opened-mouthed in shock.

  “You see, I had a run in wit
h a vampire six years ago but I didn’t realise it at the time.”

  “You what!” shouted Stuart. “How? Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “Calm down, Stuart. When it happened six years ago, it was in the early hours of the morning. I was in bed, and although it all seemed real, I made myself believe I was asleep and dreaming. I never saw anyone, nothing sucked my blood, and it was just a horrid voice in my head.”

  Matei spoke up. “When a vampire finds someone who is psychic, like your mother, it will torment them, try and make them doubt their sanity. Your mother was inside the house at the time and the vampire could not enter. They must be invited in. We think there must have been a Hunter in the area that killed that strigoi because he never came back.”

  “And I just figured it really must have been a dream.” Charlotte was hesitant to go on, but she took a deep breath and continued, “And then recently I was being stalked by another. I met Matt when he rescued me and killed it.”

  She tried to laugh. “Things come in threes, they say. The third time I was actually attacked and taken.”

  She felt the tears falling as she recalled that awful night. Stuart stood and went to his mother. He sat at her feet. Katie came and sat alongside her, holding her other hand.

  “Tell us, Mum.”

  “It will be all right, Iubită, far better to speak of the horror than let it stay inside. We, who love you, are here to hold you.”

  So Charlotte related all that had happened. She told them of what she had thought was a dream. How the scratch she thought was an accident was in fact the vampire putting his marker in her. She went on to tell of the evening in the car park then the ordeal when she was taken, her tears falling heedlessly.

  “So you see, I had been found by two vampires before I met Matei and if he had not come when the third one took me I would be…” Charlotte choked on her words and starting sobbing. She could not go on. She turned into Matei’s chest.

  “She would be dead now, wouldn’t she, Matei?”

  “Yes, Stuart, the vampire would have killed her. Not immediately, but over days or even weeks he would have tortured her before finally killing her.”

  Katie was crying softly. “You saved her.”

  Matei’s voice filled with anguish. “It should never have happened.” He cried aloud, “He hurt her. I should have been there.”

  Charlotte sniffled and Katie passed her a nearby box of tissues. Both women dried their eyes. Charlotte took a deep breath.

  “Matei, it was never your fault. Who knew there would be an accident? It was just bad luck that I was where I was. You saved me, and you healed me when you gave me your blood.”

  Stuart looked at Matei. “Your blood?”

  “Your mother had lost a lot of blood, Stuart. The vampire had poisoned her as well as trying to drain her. The fangs and claws of the vampire are toxic. I was able to reverse the damage but I was forced to give her some of my blood.”

  “Did you take any of hers?” he asked warily.

  “Yes, Stuart, I did.” He looked at Stuart.

  “Once I have taken blood from a person including from my One, I would always have a connection if I so choose. By taking your mother’s, I am able to contact her and she can contact me regardless of the distance. I would know where she is. Before the exchange we could only talk to each other’s mind when we were very close, within metres, now she could be on the other side of the world and I could reach her.”

  Matei felt no remorse in taking her blood. “If we had made one exchange then as soon as Charlotte saw the vampire she could have contacted me and I would have been able to be by her side almost immediately.

  “The only reason I was nearby was because your mother had rung me to say she was delayed. Then I was forced to search for her when I found the car empty. If we had been able to talk over the distance I could have been beside her before the strigoi could do anything.”

  Matei would never forget his anguish when he found her gone and had smelt the vampire’s stench in the air. He had searched over the area trying to follow the scent. If only they had exchanged blood once, he would have been able to materialise at her side.

  Stuart looked very concerned that his mother had been in such danger. “So does that mean you have made one exchange?”

  “Yes.”

  “So now if anything were to happen you would be able to be at her side straight away?”

  “It would depend on how far apart we were, but yes. I could reach your mother and she could tell me exactly where she was.”

  Katie cleared her throat. “What are you going to do, Mum?”

  “It is a hard decision,” Charlotte answered slowly. “I honestly do not know.” She looked lost.

  Suddenly comprehending his mother’s reluctance, Stuart spoke up. “If I understand all this right. You and Matei fell in love as soon as you met, this ‘mate’ thing meant you were destined for each other. And now the only thing holding you back is not being able to see us during daylight, isn’t it, Mum.”

  Shocked that Stuart could see with better clarity than she could, Charlotte nodded her head. “I can deal with having to pretend I was dead because at some point in time I would die but not being able to see you all.”

  “Hang on, you’d still be able to see us as long as it wasn’t in full sunlight. That’s right isn’t it?” Katie turned to Matei for confirmation.

  “Yes, we can tolerate late-afternoon sun. In fact, in the winter we can tolerate it even earlier as it is not as strong, two hours before sunset in summer, and maybe three in winter. It is not daylight that affects us, it is the sun strength itself.”

  “Does that mean if it were really overcast you could tolerate it?” Stuart asked.

  “Yes, that is true, Stuart. We are lethargic in the middle of the day and must sleep, but if there were heavy cloud cover we could be awake and outside later in the morning and earlier in the afternoon.”

  “Mum, don’t you realise that if we could choose between seeing you through the day with you eventually dying or only seeing you in the evening but knowing you would always be around for us, our children, our grandchildren and so on. Don’t you know what we would choose?”

  Charlotte looked stunned. Stuart looked at Katie and she nodded.

  “It’s a no-brainer, we would want you forever. You would see the kids after school time, be with them in the afternoons and evenings.”

  She leant forward to kiss Stuart’s forehead. “Plus she would be better equipped to deal with vampires. Wouldn’t she, Matei?”

  “Yes, that is true, Stuart. She would have the same strengths as a Hunter and I would teach her how to defend herself.”

  “Mum, are you okay?”

  Katie touched her on the arm. Charlotte could not trust herself to speak. She shook her head, too many emotions were threatening to overwhelm her.

  “Iubită, you are distressed. Let me take you home.”

  “It is just so overwhelming. So much has happened.”

  “You’re doing it! You talking to each other aren’t you?” Katie was excited. “Boy, I would love to be able to do that with you, Stuart.”

  “No thanks, a man has to have some privacy.” Stuart laughed shrewdly.

  Charlotte started to laugh and as she did, she felt all the tension, all the emotions and stresses of the evening, leave her.

  “I may find that I regret it also, Stuart,” Matei jokingly remarked.

  Charlotte glared at him. “So far it is me that gets embarrassed.”

  “I think you will soon switch that, Iubită.”

  “Matei, what does Iubită mean? I have heard you call Mum that a lot.”

  “It means ‘beloved’ in my tongue.”

  Katie nodded but still looked a little puzzled. “I’m curious,” she said, “why do you have long hair?”

  “When I was born it was common for men to have longer hair. It became a mark of honour, a way for people to recognise a Hunter. In many European countries, long hair has a
lways been associated with Hunters in folk tales. Villagers still believe the old legends. When they see us, we are given much respect.

  “Although some of the younger Hunters prefer to keep their hair short,” Matei admitted wryly.

  “So I am guessing you don’t normally look like a fifty something?”

  Matei laughed. “No, Katie. I’m the same age as when I was converted at thirty. Blame your mother, she felt you may not accept me if I look that young.”

  Charlotte punched his arm. “Thanks, Hotshot.”

  “Well, I guess after all we have heard and seen, you may as well relax and be yourself,” Stuart said ruefully.

  Matei shook his head and once more, that handsome young man Charlotte loved was sitting beside her.

  Katie gave a little gasp then laughed. “Ha, Mum, like your boy toy.” She winked.

  “I think on that note we will go home. It has been a very emotional day for us all and I think you two need some time to talk about it all without us.” Charlotte stood.

  “You’re right, Mum, it still seems surreal, can’t quite comprehend it all. Part of me still can’t believe what I’ve actually seen!”

  All four walked to the door. Charlotte hugged her children hard. She was still amazed at how well they had taken the night’s revelations. Katie kissed Matei and whispered, “Thank you for saving her for us. I couldn’t bear to think of her gone.”

  He looked stunned that she would thank him again and returned a hug. He and Stuart shook hands.

  “I want to thank you also. Neither of us is ready to lose her. Who knows, maybe now we don’t have to.”

  Matei felt very humbled that they would thank him when he felt so responsible.

  “You are not, you know. Anyway, it is in the past. Let us go home. You can drive.”

  With one last kiss to them both, Matei opened the door for Charlotte then got into the car.

  “You have wonderful children, they were very generous with their thanks to me.”

  “Yes, think I must have done something right with Stuart and Katie is like a daughter to me.”

  “I’m so glad they know the truth now.”

  “I am surprised at how well they took it. Still I guess showing them my fangs and disappearing may have swayed them.”