Hunter led the way outside and when they arrived in the front yard, they came face-to-face with seven shifters.
“Snowfall Police. What is going on here?”
Neri flicked her eyes over to two men who stood at the gate. There stood one dark olive skinned man with black hair, piercing chocolate eyes, and fit, who looked to be in his thirties. He wore a blue windbreaker with Snowfall PD on the corner pocket with worn jeans and thick, black combat boots. The other man, blond, over six foot and dressed like his partner.
Fuck. That’s the detective who helped mom find me.
“Tajo?” Thalia’s voice came from around the side of the house.
A growl erupted from one shifter and Neri snarled louder in return.
“Leave my mother alone or I’ll cut your balls off and shove them down your fucking throat.”
“Neri?” Detective Cortez asked.
“Yeah, that’s me. Thanks for being there for my mom while I was missing.”
“Um, yeah. No problem. Do you mind explaining what’s going on here?”
Neri glanced at her mother and Thalia gave her a nod, letting her know she could trust these two men.
“Well, Detective Cortez and Detective O’Connor. These gentlemen work for a woman who has been trying to kill my mate and his family for over four years. They are shifters, which means they can turn into an animal, so is my mate, Hunter right next to me. I’m half shifter and half vampire and I’m about to rip apart these seven shifters for threatening my mother.”
Silence grew between the odd group gathered in the front yard. Neri stood with the knife Reaper had given her in her hand, ready to use it. Hunter stood tall, his arms crossed in front of his chest, but his nonchalant appearance not giving away the simmering fury she could sense pulsing through his body. Thalia had edged toward the two detectives and stood inside the fence next to them. While the two new arrivals held their guns pointed at the seven threats, their mouths agape, their senses were alert and scanning the area.
“Thalia told me to trust you. Is that the case, Detective Cortez?”
“Yes, you can trust us.”
“Then don’t fucking shoot me or my mate.”
Now, love.
I’ve got the three on the right.
Got it. Stay safe.
Neri and Hunter attacked the shifters before they went after the three humans. Neri flashed in front of the first surprised shifter.
“Fuck, you’re like that freak Damian. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Her lip raised, and she snarled. “I’ll enjoy killing you.”
She leapt on his back. Without hesitation, she flooded her fangs with vampire venom, almost gagging on the bitter flavor stinging her taste buds. She bit down and released the venom into his system for a half a second before she back flipped off him.
Hunter ripped the head off one, punting the head into the woods behind the house, before he turned to the other two. With ease, he wrapped one hand around the next shifter’s throat and crushed his neck with a squeeze. And with another jerk, the head detached, and he threw it toward the first one.
Neri heard movement behind her as two shifter’s closed in on her. She flashed behind them and while they searched for her; she dispatched with both of their heads using Reaper’s knife.
“I have to get me one of these.”
“Two more, angel, and then we can talk about combat knives and which one you’d like.”
“I’d prefer if the lot of them fucked off and died because this is getting old. And I’m not changing my mind on becoming a fucking assassin.”
The two other shifter’s froze at her statement. “You’re not with them.” He pointed at shifter.
“Oh, I’m not an assassin for Dark Company. I build furniture for a living. But you’re threatening my mate and his family, who I see as mine now,” Neri paused before she snarled, “And you fucked with the wrong family.”
Neri bound over the shifter’s head, bringing her hand down in time to decapitate the surprised shifter. She landed behind the body and turned in time to see Hunter grip the last shifter’s head with one hand, the other gripping his torso and ripping the head clean off.
“I’m never getting that scene out of my fucking mind. And I thought I’ve seen some gruesome shit,” Detective O’Connor stated.
“Trust me, they were a threat,” Hunter said.
“We believe you, but fuck.”
Thalia slapped Cortez’s shoulder.
“Language.”
He snorted. “She used the same word.”
Her mother sighed. “Yes, but after twenty-four years, there’s no hope for her.”
“Gee, thanks mom.” But Neri grew serious. Zahava had come after her mother and she needed to get her somewhere safe.
“I can take her home with me,” Cortez pulled her from her thoughts.
“This is my home.”
Neri started toward Thalia, but looked down cringing at the blood. “Mom, she knows where you live. Until we figure out how to kill her and her friends, your safer with Detective Cortez and O’Connor.”
“Please call me Tajo.”
“And I’m Jack, none of this detective shit.”
She nodded. “Got it,” she turned to her mother, “Mom, promise me you’ll go with them. I don’t want her to come back and kill you.”
Neri blinked at her mom, the tears about to spill were real. And when Thalia sighed, she knew she’d won.
“Call out if you need me and I’ll come to you.”
“Fine, moró korítsi. I love you that’s the only reason I’m going. But let me know from time to time how you’re doing, okay?”
“I will. I love you, mamá.”
“We’ll help her gather her clothes for the next week. Here’s my card and if you need any help, please don’t hesitate,” Tajo said.
Neri nodded. “Thank you both for understanding. Thalia knows how to get a hold of me if she needs help.”
She watched them go into Thalia’s house and she turned to Hunter.
“What do we do with the bodies?”
“I already called for a clean-up. We have a cleanup team. The same thing happened at your place.”
“Huh, I never thought about it since that night. Ready to go back?”
“Yeah, but we have to bring a body for Liv to dissect.”
Neri smiled and jogged around the house and toward the shed in the back. She wrapped the closest dead shifter in the tarp she found and tied it together with a rope, preventing any leaking of blood. Neri grabbed Hunter’s hand and with a wicked grin and pictured Kai’s living room. They landed next to the couch while the dead shifter landed on the coffee table.
“I think I could use a nap,” Hunter said. His lip tilted up in a smirk.
Neri yawned.
“Good idea.”
And with that, Hunter reached for her to flash them back home. But before they left, she heard Kai’s distinct snarl.
“Neri!”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
HUNTER
Although Hunter’s suggestion about a nap had been a joke, Neri had shrugged out of her clothes and had almost fallen asleep a few minutes after they flashed into their bedroom. They both enjoyed the joke she played on Kai, but when he teleported them home, her body sagged from exhaustion.
Tired from their run in with Zahava’s minions and worry for her mother, Hunter savored the chance to take care of Neri. He removed their clothing, flinching in disgust as he noticed all the blood, both dried and viscous over both of their shirts and jeans. Without looking at them, he threw them into a trash bag to dispose of later, ignoring Neri’s chuckle at his reaction.
Since they’d met, he’d spent most of his time at Neri’s place and he grew comfortable enough to make himself at home. He caught Neri smiling whenever he dropped on her couch or made his way upstairs to her bedroom as if he owned the place.
He’d found the pictures she took before she remodeled and the difference was stark
. All of her kitchen appliances were new, and she had created and installed the cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom herself. Despite building the couch, the coffee table, and dining room tables and chairs, she bought several of the leather reclining chairs scattered throughout the main floor. On top of all she created herself, it was the built-in and filled floor-to-ceiling bookcases that made it feel like home.
“I have the materials for three more bookcases in the bedroom and two for the dining room, but I haven’t gotten around to it.”
In the bathroom, she built and replaced the cabinets for the sink and the storage armoire with dark wood and in the shower; she used lodge stone and hearth tiles matching the wood. The shower could fit at least twenty, with built-in benches and along with three ceiling showers, one main shower head, and six body sprays.
As he switched on the water, the cascading sound caused Neri’s eyelids to droop and she leaned against him. Guilt swamped him. He should have realized sooner she was running on fumes, after their unsuccessful tracking expedition and then another thought crowded his mind, adding to the feeling.
Today was Neri’s birthday. She turned twenty-five.
Fuck!
His mind raced as plans for celebrating the day solidified in his head. He would recruit the others to organize a part and get Thalia, Tajo, and Jack to agree to come at the last minute. Humans needed more time to adjust than immortals, so he planned on stopping by to see Neri’s mother first.
Neri pressed against him, and he scrubbed their bodies and washed their hair, before he shut off the water and reaching for the fluffy towels on the heated rack. He dried them in record time and pulled down the sheets. Hunter hesitated before he lay her down and rushed toward the dresser, grabbing a pair of panties, pants and a long-sleeved tee for Neri to sleep in. He dressed her in record time and covered her. She didn’t even stir when he kissed her on the forehead.
Not wanting her to freak out if she woke up and found him gone, he wrote a quick note and placed in on the nightstand. He set the alarm and checked the windows before he locked the door and stepped outside, ready to run to Kai’s and borrow a car.
Then he remembered, he could teleport. He found an old listing for Tajo’s address and flipped through images of the inside, planting a picture in his mind. He closed his eyes and felt a pull and blinked open his eyes when he heard a gasp.
Tajo stood in the doorway of his kitchen with his gun pointed at Hunter’s head, one hand behind him as he held Thalia back from his sudden appearance.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I’m still getting used to this teleportation thing.”
Hunter held his hands up to show he wasn’t a threat, but it still took Tajo a few moments before he holstered his gun and allowed Thalia to pass into the kitchen.
“Is Neri okay?” Thalia asked.
“Yeah, she’s sleeping now after the fight and being up four days on a scouting mission. But I forgot until a few minutes ago, it’s her birthday and I want to celebrate it. Do you think if I got everything together in an hour, you can come to her party?”
“Party? Will there be cake?” Jack asked.
Mental note, cake.
“Yes, Hunter. We’ll come and help decorate. What else do you need us to do?”
“No clue, to be honest. It’s been decades or more since any of us celebrated a birthday, but Neri’s stressed with everything going on and I want her to relax and enjoy herself without worrying for once. What else should I get?”
For the next fifteen minutes, the three of them discussed decorations, the cake, which Thalia agreed to decorate if Hunter found one and brought it to her. With a promise not to forget anything on the list and a plan set to teleport them to Kai’s house when it was time, Hunter popped out to talk to the rest of the family.
Hunter had a good laugh when Ax jumped at his arrival, taking the time to bend over, grabbing his stomach as he lost his breath laughing so hard. Ax punched him in the shoulder, but Liv arrived with a chastising look and he sobered.
“A body on my coffee table, Hunter?”
He shrugged, not about to tell her it was Neri’s idea. Instead, he remembered the reason he was there. “I forgot that today is Neri’s birthday. Thalia will decorate a cake and she’ll come over to help with the decorations along with Tajo and Jack, but is it okay to throw a party here?”
Liv’s expression softened. “Yes, but we need buy presents. I can go into Snowfall and see what I can find.”
“We have a caterer. They were great at Cole’s wedding.” Seth said and Aubrey pulled out a phone, already dialing.
“We’ll go with you into town. I’m thinking we should hit several clothing stores and then she’ll need shoes and snow boots. Oh, I have an idea where to go,” Jade said.
Axel cleared his throat. “I’m thinking woodworking tools. There’s a shop on the outskirts of town and I’m sure they are still open.”
Kane, Reaper, and Ara opted to go with Axel.
“I’ll get her a gift card to the lumberyard,” Gunnar said.
Ghost, Thomas, and Isaac agreed with that idea.
Everyone had gathered around, throwing out ideas and the excitement on their faces made him smile.
“Okay, Hunter, you need to get the decorations. There is a party store in town. You need to get as many decorations as you can find. We’ll make it special,” Liv added.
With everyone having their sights on a what they needed to do, they disbanded.
Hunter thought about the party store he’d passed several times in and out of town and pictured himself behind the store, knowing there wasn’t any customer parking there. He smiled when he glanced around, noting the sun setting in the west but no sign anyone had seen him.
He cleared out the birthday decorations in both blue and green, getting a strange look from the teenager working at the register. Hunter chuckled at her reaction. He distracted her by asking for the closest baker and she spoke about Cakes on Main as she rang up his purchases. After fifteen minutes, she scanned and gave him his total. He paid cash, grabbing several bags, before he headed out with a wave.
Hunter found the shop and purchased a huge sheet cake with confetti sprinkles baked inside and plain white frosting decorating the top. He grabbed a blue and a green icing tube for Thalia to use, throwing in some candy roses for good measure.
As he stepped outside, a bright glittering sign caught his attention from down the street. For a moment, he debated with himself, knowing marriage was a serious topic for discussion, not when he was trying to set up and execute a birthday party. But something about the store called to him and he always listened to his instincts. Also, he’d known the moment he spotted her in that clearing his heart belonged to her.
Other than Reaper and Ara, the others who had found their mates got married on top of the claiming. In the fleeting moments where he allowed himself to imagine finding his mate, he satisfied himself knowing claiming her would be like marriage, so he didn’t need the ceremony when his mark signified the same to him.
But standing inside the bright store and peering down at the engagement and wedding rings, he wanted more with Neri. He wanted to be her husband.
“Can I help you?”
Hunter jerked his gaze up to find a man in his early twenties staring at him with wide eyes and a secret smile.
“Um, yes. Hi, I’m Hunter. I’m looking for, well, I’m asking my… girlfriend, to marry me, but I have no clue what to get. Can you help me?”
Something flashed in the young man’s gaze, but he shook it off and gave Hunter a dazzling smile. “Sure. I’m Charlie. Are you looking for something flashy or more subdued?”
“She works with her hands, she designs and creates her own wooden furniture, so nothing that would be dangerous around machinery.”
“I see. I’m thinking a wedding band instead of a wedding set. Something like these here.”
Hunter glanced at the tray Charlie removed from the glass display and set in front of him. H
is eyes moved from one to the next before they landed a strange and beautiful design. It looked perfect for Neri.
“What about this one?”
“Oh, this will hold up. This band is titanium, but they sandblasted the metal, which gives it the rough texture you see. The ring is flat and rounded at the edges, so the ring won’t snag. The ring sleeve is Brazilian tulipwood, coming from the rosewood family. There is a one millimeter insert of tulipwood on the inside edge of the band to give the ring a distinct look,” Charlie said as he held up the ring.
Careful when he reached for the ring, he took it between his finger and thumb for a closer inspection. Similar to his first reaction at seeing the ring, the moment he touched it, it confirmed his assessment.
“I’ll take it.”
Charlie retrieved a ring in Neri’s size from the back of the store. When he boxed it up and accepted cash for the purchase, he smiled at Hunter.
“Congratulations.”
He chuckled. “She hasn’t said yes yet.”
“I can tell she will.”
“How?”
“You showed no hesitation once you spotted the ring, you memorized her ring size, and you haven’t stopped smiling and talking about her since you walked in here. All signs point to yes.”
“Thanks, Charlie.”
Hunter shook the man’s hand, leaving a two hundred dollars in his palm as a tip, and walked out of the store with his future set in his mind and the ring box in his pocket.
He walked toward the same spot he arrived at and tensed when he sensed he someone close. Instead of stopping at his destination, he continued walking through the back parking lot and through a copse of trees that led up the mountain. Hunter listened for the telltale sound of the cracking of the branches or the snapping of dried out pine needles on the ground, but heard nothing.
When he passed a group of quaking aspen trees, the trunks hid him from view and he paused behind them, disappearing from view. He set the cake down on a nearby rock formation and eased the remaining bags on the ground. When he stood, he then closed his eyes and tried to sense who was tracking him and the direction they might come from.
Hunter (A Dark Assassins Novel Book Five) Page 16