You’re good for me, angel. I don’t remember ever laughing so much in my entire life.
He seemed to sober at his words.
You make me happy, Neri. And I will do everything in my power to make you happy, too.
Unable to stop her emotions, tears filled her eyes at his words and the dropped onto the ground with a splash.
Are you kidding? Hunter, you’ve given me the world. You found me and claimed me as your mate; you introduced me to your wonderful, interfering, and loving family, and you… pushed me to reconnect with my mother. But despite all that, being with you and sharing this time with you, is what makes me happy. Everything else is icing on the cake.
She tried to stop the tears from falling. But as she lifted her arm to wipe them away, she almost knocked herself out as the huge paw smacked her on the muzzle. A whine left her throat, a small reason was because of how frustrating she found this form, but more because over the last few days, she’s been more emotional than in her entire life and she was off kilter. Neri admitted all of it when Hunter asked her what was wrong.
Angel, before yesterday, you didn’t realize it was possible to shift. Give yourself time. I remember I hated shifting because I was like Ara when I became a shifter. I took close to an hour the first time, and while it hadn’t hurt, it was uncomfortable, stuck in limbo for minutes at a time. It was ten years before I shifted in seconds.
Oh, oh, that’s why Ara’s frustrated? I didn’t understand their conversation.
Hunter huffed. Like I said, every immortal is extraordinary. They have their own talents and ways of doing things. Sometimes I go months without shifting because there isn’t a need. Other times, like when Silas wants to run around the mountain, I shift every day. Ara will get used to it, she’s only been a shifter for four years.
She understood the truth, but guilt at shifting flooded through her.
Neri!
She moved around and searched through the trees for Silas. When a flash of fur came into the clearing, headed right toward her, she relaxed her muscles and prepared herself for the onslaught. She must have closed her eyes because when the collision didn’t happen, she slid open one eye to find Silas sitting in front of her, blinking at her, looking innocent.
Hey, little man.
Silas purred. Hi, Neri! You’re white, like me.
The three of them froze when the sound of someone running through the trees, breaking branches and crunching the hard earth with each step.
Who’s there?
Is Silas with you?
Yeah, Xander he’s right under me.
Xander blew out a breath and stopped running as he reached the clearing. His brows drew down, and he gave his son a glare. Silas whimpered and Neri moved her head down to glance at him, but her big fat head only got in the way. She ended up tilting her head to the side until she spotted Silas cowering under her.
Sorry, daddy. I was excited to see Neri shift when I heard her and Uncle Hunter talking and I wanted to see. I should have asked you.
The fierce look on Xander’s face relaxed and one side of his mouth quirked up. He caught himself and shook his head.
“Oh, I know you won’t do it again, because you're the one who’ll have to tell mommy what you did.”
Silas’s flinch was visible because he was so much smaller than she was. He didn’t have to emphasize his movements as much.
As she studied Xander’s face, she had a hunch Frost would forgive her son as easily as her mate had.
Okay. Silas sounded resolved. Can I run around with Aunt Neri and Uncle Hunter first? And then we’ll come straight home and I’ll confess to mommy. Oh, and I forgot Uncle Hunter, Auntie Liv said to tell you she finished the blood analysis.
Xander nodded. “Okay, little man. But when you’re done, it’s nap time.”
Silas hopped into Xander’s arms and nuzzled his dad. At that moment, Neri experienced a twinge of sadness because she couldn’t be a mother. But she remembered she had more now than ever before and she was lucky. Watching Silas and Xander together made her heart melt, and she turned to Hunter, happy to see how soft his eyes were as he watched the loving moment between father and son.
Thanks for watching him. Xander lowered his arms and Silas jumped from them with ease.
We’re happy to. Hunter moved forward and nuzzled his head against Silas’s.
With a wave, Xander disappeared back toward Kai’s place. Neri turned to see Silas leap at Hunter, who flipped onto his back as Silas landed on his chest. There was a growl coming from Silas’s throat as he nipped at Hunter. Hunter pretended to nip back, but he retracted his fangs and he covered the rest of his teeth with his thin lips. To Neri, it appeared these two played like this often and they enjoyed it a great deal.
Soon, both were on their feet.
Ready to run?
Neri flinched, well she would have if her body cooperated, instead she answered. I suppose so, but if I trip over my feet and you laugh… I’ll… I’ll figure something out.
Silas shook his small head. We won’t laugh at you, Aunt Neri.
Again, her heart melted at Silas’s words. Okay. Well, let’s try it then.
Instead of thinking about the fundamentals of walking, Neri started forward. Delighted when her bigger body moved along with no issues. Happy she could walk without hinderance, Neri picked up the pace and ran. She settled into a rhythm until all she heard was the thump-thump, thump-thump of her feet as she gazed around at the mountains and the sky while taking deep breaths of crisp mountain air.
Neri, wait for us.
Silas’s voice cut through her introspection and she stopped on a dime. She tripped over her feet but stayed upright and chuckled as Hunter and Silas flew past her. She moved again and lined up next the two as they ran up the mountain. On the ground, there was a light dusting of snow and she noticed the cold against her paws. Since she still ran cool, she figured it was her vampire part that didn’t mind the cold.
Not paying attention to the time, once they made it up one slope, and then another, Silas paused and his muzzle opened wide and he let out a huge yawn.
Ready to head back, angel?
Yeah. How about I flash us home so we can get dressed and then we’ll take Silas home for a nap.
Hunter agreed and Neri changed back to her human form and cuddled Silas close to her chest, noticing his eyes were closed and his breathing became deep and even. She reached for Hunter and before she latched onto his fur; he shifted back and wrapped his arm around her waist and nodded.
In a blink, they were in her bedroom. She handed Silas to Hunter, making sure not to look anywhere besides Hunter’s face and dressed. After, she took Silas into her arms.
“Can you show me an image of your bedroom?”
A picture with a huge king-sized bed covered with a plush comforter filled her mind. The space was huge with the bed taking the middle of the room. Nodding, she reached for Hunter and a second later; they were standing in Hunter’s bedroom.
“That’ll be so handy. Whenever we’re…” he paused and looked at Silas, taking the time to cover his ears before he continued, “horny, we can just pop home.”
Neri’s shoulders shook as she watched Hunter disappear into the walk-in closet and rummaged around. Not a minute later, he walked out in a dark blue henley and jeans that looked comfortable. He sat on the end of the bed and pulled on his socks before he slipped into a pair of worn tennis shoes.
As he stood, he smiled at her and she realized she would never tire of looking at Hunter or being with him. A surge of happiness swelled in her chest.
Huh. This is love.
Hunter pressed a hand against his chest and searched her face. “What was that?” Hunter reached for Silas and lay him on the bed, gathering the pillows near the headboard and surround the little snow leopard as he moved to his left side and continued to sleep.
Neri walked close when he turned back to her and stood on her tip-toes and kissed the corner of his mouth.
“I realiz
ed at this moment I love you. I fell in love with you.”
Hunter stood there, stunned. His arms dropped to his side and both his mouth and eyes were wide.
Neri wondered if she might have broken him by admitting her feelings so soon after they met. But before she backtracked and retracted her declaration, he cupped her face and kissed her. She sighed into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, moving close to the heat of his body.
Kissing Hunter drew a variety of responses from her. First was total sexual awareness. Then knowing he would protect her, no matter the circumstance. And when he held her like this, she believed he loved her. But this time, she forgot to think, she could only feel. The moment she moaned into his mouth, he broke the kiss and glanced at the bed.
At least one of us still has our wits.
His soft laugh made her smile.
“I love you, too, angel. From the moment I saw you.”
Neri beamed at him. As she leaned toward him for another kiss, Silas’s soft snore brought them both back to reality. Hunter’s arms tightened around her waist and Neri squeezed his shoulders, but the moment they glanced down at baby Silas, they knew they needed to get him home.
“We ran for how long?”
Hunter glanced at the clock. “About three hours. Let’s get this little one home and see what Liv found. Then, it’ll be you and me.”
Neri nodded and smiled as Hunter stole another kiss. She lifted Silas and cuddled him close to her chest as Hunter wrapped her in his arms and pressed his face against her neck.
“Okay, ready.”
This time, she didn’t have to picture where she was going. Kai’s house was almost as familiar as her own. As they popped in, the loud voices quieted as they turned toward the newcomers. Before the noise level rose again, Neri pressed a finger to her mouth before she glanced down at Silas, who was still sleeping.
Frost walked forward and smiled as she took Silas in her arms.
“I should have invited Silas to go running with us and asked your first. Please don’t be too hard on him,” Neri begged.
Instead of being angry, Frost chuckled. “He’s not in trouble. Xander sometimes forgets that we can sense him, no matter how far away he is, and panics. I don’t blame him, I do the same thing from time to time. Besides, he told me where he was going before he left. Although it was a fleeting thought about you, I realized where he’d be.”
Neri nodded and bent down to kiss Silas on his forehead. And without thinking too much about it, she hugged Frost.
“Thank you for trusting me with your son.”
Frost hugged her back. “I’m glad you two found each other. Now, off to bed with this little one. I’m sure he’ll be ready to go again tomorrow.”
“I look forward to it.”
Hunter came up to her from behind and hugged her close, setting his chin on the top of her head. They watched their progress until Frost disappeared through the door of their bedroom before they turned back to the rest of the room.
“So… how did it go?” Axel asked.
Neri blushed. She didn’t mean to, but her cheeks heated just the same.
“I might have tripped over my own feet and became so mesmerized with my tail my face almost struck the ground.”
The room erupted in laughter and surprising herself; she growled. The laughter increased, and she sat on the couch, huffing and crossing her arms. She fought a smile that wanted to break through, but it wasn’t until Gunnar rolled close to her on the floor, clutching his stomach, that she kicked out and laughed.
“I’ll remember this,” she warned.
Her mom dropped next to her on the couch and Neri laid her head on her shoulder. She smiled when Thalia kissed her on the head.
“Sorry for leaving you for so long. Once I started running, I didn’t want to stop. We came home when Silas fell asleep in my arms.”
Thalia chuckled. “You had fun, I’m glad. I was teaching Jade and Noah how to make pastitso and then we made a cheesecake.”
“Oh, pastitso, did you save us some?”
Thalia scoffed. “There’s plenty for you and Hunter and seconds for everyone else.”
Neri hopped up and headed toward the kitchen. “Love, you’ll want to try this. Pasta with meat and béchamel sauce.”
Hunter fell into step with her and when Neri opened the fridge, her face hurt from smiling. “I haven’t had this in years. I can’t believe I forgot about pastitso.”
She cut a large piece for both and warmed them in the microwave. When she set Hunter’s plate on the table, she waited to see how he would like it.
“Fuck me, so good.”
Neri chuckled but took a bite of her own warmed food. She closed her eyes and moaned.
It’s like I remember.
They took their plates back to the living room and Neri returned to her seat and smiled when Hunter perched on the arm of the couch and continued to eat. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she smelled Thalia’s cooking. Happy she reunited with her mother, Neri leaned toward Thalia and kissed her on the cheek.
“Thank you, mamá.”
“Anytime, moró”
“Oh, you’re back. Good.”
She blinked away the tears and turned to Liv when she took a seat in front of her on the coffee table. Her eyes sparked with excitement and she bounced her leg up and down as her gaze darted from immortal to immortal, waiting for the rest to gather around them. Whatever Liv found would be one more answer in the mystery of who they were as immortals, but Neri continued to savor the food she remembered from the best part of her childhood.
“Your blood was very informative.”
“How so?” Hunter asked.
Liv danced with the thill of a new finding.
“Well, vampire venom when mixed with the bioweapon they created assimilated while in the syringe. Instead of causing the venom to weaken or being killed off when introduced to the bioweapon, the bioweapon caused stabilization.
“So when the combined solution entered her bloodstream, it recognized and bonded with her shifter cells and they all settled into a symbiosis.”
She paused with her fork halfway to her mouth as her eyes darted around. The immortals were trying to process this information, but they needed more.
“How did you learn it ‘assimilated’ with the vampire venom?”
Liv bit her lip and glanced at Kai. The look that passed between them made no sense to Neri, but after a minute, Kai nodded, she continued.
“When I first developed the antidote, I tested both the bioweapon and the cure on shifter blood. I asked Kai, and he refused. Thomas and Isaac weren’t there, Seth wasn’t a vampire, and I hadn’t met Kane. So I had no way to test the blood of a vampire. Until now,” Liv said.
“Who’s blood did you test?” Hunter asked.
“Every single one of us. Kai, Seth, Aubrey, Thomas, Isaac, Kane, and myself. And I had to create a small amount of the bioweapon, but as you shifters are now immune, there isn’t any threat.”
“Wouldn’t being vaccinated offset any affects you find?”
“I drew our blood as a control. Seth, Aubrey, and Kane hadn’t been…”
Liv glanced up and flinched when Seth smiled at her.
“I’m so sorry about that.”
Seth kissed Liv’s forehead before he stepped back. “We’re fine, Liv, don’t worry about it.”
“What did you find?” Aubrey asked.
“Oh, oh, yeah, well we needn’t have worried. I introduced the bioweapon in several scenarios to our blood and our venom and the results were the same every time. The bioweapon bonded with our blood as it had with our venom and created the same state of symbiosis.”
Neri shook her head. “But if I’m able to kill a shifter with my vampire venom and I’m able to shift… does that mean my vampire side and my shifter side work together?”
“It seems so.”
“But we don’t know. What if I bit Hunter and instead of shifter venom, there’s st
ill a possibility I will kill him with vampire venom?”
Liv patted her hand as Neri reached out and placed the plate on the table. The food churning in her stomach at the news eliminated any hunger.
“Sweetie, Hunter wouldn’t have been able to claim you if your vampire side and your shifter side weren’t compatible. Dr. Stevens, while understanding the bioweapon killed all immortals because I’m sure he watched the test on Solomon, didn’t test it on Michael, the vampire they held captive. I also believe from all the tests we ran that immortals have the same basic genetic makeup, which is why I never tested the bioweapon on our vampire blood. They happened upon a loophole and instead of killing you, they made you stronger.”
“What else have you found?” Hunter asked.
Neri searched Hunter’s gaze, and he was excited about what Liv revealed next.
“I found out which shifter’s venom they used for your transition.”
“Who?”
“Neri’s DNA shares 22% in relation with Felix, the puma rescued the night Reaper met Ara. This is the reason you couldn’t shift. It was enough venom in your bloodstream for your transition, but not enough for the characteristics of a full-fledged shifter. I believe when Hunter claimed you, the venom he released into your system strengthened your shifter DNA and now she is a half shifter, half vampire.”
They room grew silent as they took in the news. She couldn’t see what her panther form looked like, but she guessed it was like Hunter’s. As she pondered this, she glanced up and Hunter nodded.
“Yes, you look like me with the rounded ears and wide nose.”
“Which leads to the question, is this how Zahava is building her army? The shifter’s weren’t healthy. Do you remember anything about your time after your transition, Neri?”
“The first one, no, I can only recall the injection. When Hunter described the pain of transition from human to immortal, it’s not something I would forget. But if a memory surfaces, I’ll let tell you.”
Something she didn’t want to tell Hunter or Liv, she hoped her memory failed her. Some memories are best left buried.
CHAPTER TWELVE
HUNTER
Hunter (A Dark Assassins Novel Book Five) Page 13