After a few minutes, there was no shift in scents in the wind or no sounds that were foreign, so his body relaxed from its hyperaware state. He stood and reached for the bags and the cake from where he placed them as he freed his hands preparing to ambush his stalker and scanned the area once more. With no movement, he pictured Kai’s living room and soon stood next to Gunnar.
“What the fuck!” Gunnar grunted.
“Sorry man, I should have thought about landing at the front door, but someone was watching me and I didn’t think about it.”
“What do you mean?” Kai’s voice turned cold.
“I was shopping for Neri’s birthday present and when I walked toward the spot behind the party store to teleport back here, I sensed eyes on me. I went into the woods, but whoever it was, didn’t follow me in. Oh, Ax, can you put the cake in the refrigerator?”
Ax nodded and drooled over the cake on the way to the kitchen.
“Don’t fucking eat any of it, lion, I’ll fucking know,” Hunter threatened.
“Who do you think it was?” Ghost asked, pulling his attention back to the rest.
“Zahava’s seven foot tall boy toy, Damian. He has the same powers Neri and I do.”
It had been a few hours since their confrontation with Zahava, so he explained what happened when they ran into Damian and the shifters there to kill them and Thalia.
Not surprised Neri and Thalia trusted the two detectives, the group grew angry because it was next to impossible to find any information on the woman or the organization.
“Well, fuck,” Noah said.
Liv rushed in and grabbed the bags off the floor. “Enough about that tonight. We’re celebrating Neri’s birthday and I for one can’t wait. Hunter, why don’t you get her mother and her friends and we can start the setup.”
He nodded and flashed out of the room and landed in Tajo’s kitchen, startling Jack this time.
“Stop fucking doing that.”
He shrugged. “It’s handy. Are you three ready to go?”
“Shouldn’t we drive?” Tajo asked.
“Nah, I got it and I’ll bring you back after. Or you can pack a bag, Kai and Liv have plenty of room and we all stay there most of the time, anyway.”
“Sounds good. I want to spend time with my moró.”
Thalia and the others grabbed their stuff in record time. With each of them holding onto Hunter’s arms, within a second, the four of them landed back in Kai’s living room.
Hunter grabbed their bags. “Hey Liv, where can these three stay?”
“Upstairs. The last three rooms on the south side are empty.”
“Liv, this is Detective Cortez or Tajo. And Detective O’Connor.”
“It’s Jack. Nice to meet you.” After he shook Liv’s hand, he stepped back and took in the room. And like everyone who met the assassins, when they were in a group they shocked people, and Jack was no exception. “Holy crap, you… well, let’s leave it at holy crap.”
The others laughed and Hunter strode upstairs as Jack and Tajo introduced themselves to the assassins. He placed their bags in separate, empty rooms before joining everyone downstairs to decorate.
Between Liv and Thalia, they had streamers, banners declaring ‘happy birthday’ and ‘birthday girl’ around the living room and kitchen within minutes.
He rigged the confetti cannons, ready to fire when Neri walked through the door and the party hats were sitting on the coffee table.
When Liv had unpacked the pointed hats, each assassin, Seth and Aubrey, and the detectives stared at the hats in horror before turning their glares at Hunter.
“I’m not wearing one of those,” Kane pouted.
“Me either,” Gunnar seconded.
“Yep, I’m too old for this shit,” Tajo grumbled.
Hunter growled, flashing his teeth. “You will wear a hat, you will eat cake, and you will do everything to make this the best birthday Neri has ever had. If you don’t, I will make sure each of you suffer in the most painful ways I can find and you’ll never know it’s coming. Got it?”
“Got it,” a chorus of replies answered.
Jade bounced in and secured one on her head, grabbing one for Noah and handing it to him. Grumbling, he put the hat on and Jade rewarded him with a kiss.
Xander, Frost, and Silas walked in as Ax donned a hat and Silas squealed when he spotted it.
What’s going on? Silas glanced around and when he read the banners, he smiled. Who’s birthday?
“It’s Neri’s little man,” Xander responded.
Where is she?
“She’s tired after the day she had, but I’ll wake her up and bring her here.”
“Why are you talking to the baby like he understands you?” Tajo asked.
“Because I do. Hi, I’m Silas and you are?”
Tajo’s mouth dropped open and Jack kept punching Tajo in the arm as he stared at Silas. Silas was a smidge under sixteen months and looked it.
“I’m… well, I’m…”
Jade stepped in and pointed out the two men. “Detective Cortez, who prefers Tajo and Detective O’Connor, or Jack. They are your grandma Thalia’s friends and they helped to search for Neri when she was missing.”
“Oh, it’s nice to meet you. Thank you for trying to find Neri. She’s my favorite shifter vampire hybrid.” Silas said with a serious face.
Hunter laughed and kissed Silas on the cheek. Silas giggled before he kissed Hunter back.
Thalia bustled in from the kitchen with a smear of green frosting on her cheek and reached for Hunter’s hand. “Give me an hour, moró agóri, and then bring Neri here for her party.”
“That won’t be a problem. She’s exhausted and didn’t stir when I left so—”
“She takes awhile to wake. Wave a cup of coffee under her nose. But she better be here on time, okay, moró agóri?” Thalia pinched his cheek and without waiting for his answer, headed back toward the kitchen.
“I’ll have her here.”
Hunter teleported into the kitchen and flipped on the lights. It had grown dark since he’d left. He paused at the foot of the stairs and listened, but he heard no movement from upstairs.
He set the coffee to brew, blowing out a sigh when the machine took under a minute, and poured two cups before he carried them upstairs. With slow movements, he shouldered open the door and bit back a laugh when Neri spread across the king bed like a starfish, face down on the pillow. Her breathing was deep and even and when the door clicked closed after he shut it with his foot, she didn’t stir.
“Neri, angel, I have coffee.”
Again, nothing.
Hunter set his cup aside and moved to the side of the bed closest to her face. We wafted the brew toward her and chuckled when her nose twitched. For the next several seconds, he tried to tempt her with the coffee, but soon her breathing evened out as she fell back to sleep.
“Okay, angel. We have a house full of people waiting for us. We have to get you ready.”
He shook her shoulder and froze when she growled at him.
“Stop it, panther, or you’ll lose that hand.”
His head tilted to the side as his eyes scanned her face and sighed when he found her eyes closed.
“I know you’re tired angel, trust me, we have all night and all day tomorrow to sleep. But your mom is at Liv and Kai’s introducing Tajo and Jack to the group of assassins. Thalia demanded I have you there in,” he looked at the clock, “forty-five minutes for dinner or else she’ll cut off my balls.”
She blinked open her beautiful silver eyes and squinted for a moment, getting used to the dim light from the hallway, before she focused on his face.
“Yeah, I can see her doing that. Okay.” Neri slithered closer to the side of the bed. She huffed as she swung her legs to drape off the edge before placing her elbows on her knees, holding her head between her hands.
He moved the coffee in front of her and she reached for it with one hand, the other still cupping her head. Despite the
scorching liquid, she took a sip and then tipped it back enough to gulp the entire cup.
“More.”
Hunter handed her the second cup, and she didn’t even wait before downing that one too.
He vowed to himself he would take better care of Neri from now on. Zahava and Damian were a priority, but not if it hurt Neri.
She stood and stretched her arms behind her back, standing on her tiptoes until she heard the distinct crack of her back as she worked out the kinks. With more grace than Hunter believed, Neri strode toward the bathroom and straight to the shower. Waiting for the hot water, she rubbed her eyes similar to how Silas did when he was ready for bed and stepped in.
After she washed and dried her hair, she turned to him and smiled. “I’m sorry I threatened your sexy-as-sin body with harm.”
Hunter opened the door and kissed her. “I know you’re tired. But we’ll have a good time tonight, I promise.”
“The two cups of coffee helped. Is there more?”
He nodded. “In the kitchen.”
Neri shut off the water and after a few moments, stepped out with a towel wrapped around her body. She placed a warm hand on his chest and lifted herself on her toes to kiss him.
“Thanks for letting me sleep.”
Unable to stay away from her, he pulled her close and devoured her mouth, needed to taste her. Before he pushed them, he broke the kiss and captured her gaze as his chest heaved.
“I love you, angel.”
She smiled at him, dropped her towel, and sashayed her way over to the closet. Hunter bit his lip to prevent the groan from slipping out as his gaze dropped to her perfect ass, the curve of her waist, and her beautiful long silver hair as it brushed against her back. The heel of his hand pressed down on his already hard cock, groaning as the cold zipper pressed against his hot, hard skin as he tried to control his reaction to her wicked smile and gorgeous body.
“And I love you, too, panther.”
He closed his eyes as Neri rooted around in her closet for the clothes she would wear. He inhaled, taking deep breaths, and controlled his need for his mate by the time she walked out in well-worn jeans, a beautiful pearl white chunky sweater and her running shoes.
She left her hair down, framing her beautiful face, and when she noticed him standing in the same spot, she laughed.
“Ready?”
“Yeah, angel. I’ll try to control myself.”
Neri winked at him. “Only until after the party.”
And with that she hugged him close, laying her head on his chest, and teleported them in the middle of Liv’s living room, unaware of what he had planned.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
HUNTER
“Surprise!”
Neri, who had her face buried against his chest, jerked in his arms before she held him tighter.
“What… what’s going on?”
Neri shook against him and for a long minute, he wondered if throwing a surprise party for Neri was the right thing.
“Um… we’ll it’s your birthday, and I wanted to throw you a party with everyone and surprise you. Are you… did you not want one?”
She shook her head before she paused for a moment. She sucked in a deep breath and released her hold on Hunter. With deliberate movements, she turned around, and she sucked in a breath as she took in the decorations and the confetti everywhere before her eyes landed on the group crowded around them.
Tears welled up in her eyes and Hunter opened his mouth to apologize and figure out how to make it up to her, but then he watched as the corner of her mouth lifted. Soon the other side followed and by the time she took in all the decorations and the confetti everywhere; on the floor, the tables, the chairs and couches, she was laughing.
Neri moved a hand to cup her neck as she turned back to Hunter.
“You did this… for me?” She choked on the last word.
He brought her closer and pressed a kiss to her lips. “I wanted you to forget about everything and have a good time. I hate the thought of you being alone for the last four years, not knowing when your birthday was or anything about your past. But I’m here… we’re here and we want to celebrate with you.”
“Thank you, love.”
“I would do anything for you, angel. Anything.”
Thalia stopped by Neri’s side and pulled her into a hug. “Oh, moró, happy birthday.”
“Thanks, mamá.” She leaned down closer to Thalia’s ear, “I’m so glad I found you again.”
“Me, too.”
At that, the floodgates opened and Axel was the first to pull her into a huge hug. “Happy birthday, gray eyes. What’s it like to be so old now? Almost geriatric.”
“Fuck you, lion. And it’s good. Wait, how old am I?”
“You’re twenty-five,” Xander provided before he side hugged her.
“Oh, no, a quarter century old. Do you need help walking?” Ax laughed at his own joke.
A huff escaped his throat as she punched him in the side, but smiled back at her when she laughed. Seth and Aubrey hugged her laughing when Neri giggled at their excitement. Thomas and Isaac gave her a serene smile as they took turns hugging her, wishing her many more happy birthday’s before they drifted off to a corner and started a private conversation.
Silas jumped into Neri’s arms and she gasped in surprise.
“Aren’t you supposed to be in bed, little man?”
He beamed at her and kissed her cheek. “Mommy let me sleep longer for my nap so I could stay up late. I didn’t want to miss your birthday.”
“Thank you.”
As she carried Silas around, Xander and Frost hugged her, and Kane picked them both up and squeezed before setting them down on the floor. Ara squeezed Neri’s hand, giving her a smile. Hunter noticed her eyes seemed less haunted than they had before her talk with Neri and when he glanced at Reaper, he even had a small smile on his face and the tension around his eyes and mouth had lessened.
“Okay, so I might have gone overboard when Noah and I went shopping and if there’s something you don’t like; the colors, the style, well, I’ll take them back, but I hope I picked out something you like,” Jade said.
“Oh, you didn’t have to get me anything.”
Jade shook her head, sending her auburn locks flying back and forth.
Noah laughed and pulled Jade into his arms, leaning his chin against the top of her head. “She might have had sugar before you two got here.”
“It’s time to eat,” Thalia said.
The spread looked wonderful.
Appetizers including bacon wrapped jalapeño’s with cream cheese, a gigantic charcuterie platter with meat, bread, cheeses, fruit, dips, chips, tiny pickles, and olives, and a variety of vegetables. He’s amazed to see the caterer had cooked two prime ribs, enough to feed everyone in the room with leftovers, along with Yorkshire pudding, horseradish and Au jus and several side dishes in the time allotted.
“Let me know how much I owe you for the spread,” Hunter elbowed Seth.
“We wanted to do it for Neri, so you don’t owe us anything. Cole kept talking about this company, worried he wouldn’t get enough work since they are starting out. This way I get to keep Aubrey and Cole happy, too.” Seth said.
“Thanks, kid.” He hugged Seth and Aubrey before he joined Neri at the table she’d made.
Hunter smiled at the group. Despite the problems they had over the years, they stuck together through the good times and had become closer because of the bad. He turned his gaze to Neri, who was feeding Silas small bites of her prime rib, while talking to Frost and Ara. The smile on her face made it all worthwhile.
After they had eaten their fill, Hunter signaled it was time to open the presents. Nerves assailed him as he remembered the black box in his pocket. But a noise from the kitchen distracted him.
Liv clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. “Which reminds me, time to blow out the candles and make a wish.”
Thalia walked out of the kitchen with
the sheet cake decorated and twenty-five birthday candles lit on top. As she walked toward the dining room, Tajo and Jack followed behind, and Thalia smiled at Neri. As they opened their mouths, looking as though they were about to sing, Neri gasped.
“Nope. No singing, that’s just embarrassing.”
“But… it’s tradition.” Liv looked so heartbroken that Neri caved. Liv’s bottom lip stuck out and quivered, her eyes threatening tears.
“I despise crying more. Okay, but sing fast.” Neri pulled Liv in for a hug and laughed when Liv’s teary eyed expression disappeared.
As the ‘Happy Birthday’ song chorused through the house, Hunter didn’t look away from Neri’s face. Although she hated the attention and all the fuss being about her, she viewed the people singing, laughing, and celebrating her day with such love it brought a smile to Hunter’s face.
The song ended and Kai, surprising them, pulled Neri into a hug. “Happy birthday, Neri.”
“Thanks, Kai. And sorry… about the… body.”
“Well, at least you wrapped it in a tarp.” Kai’s dry statement made him laugh.
“Make a wish, moró.”
Neri closed her eyes and for a few seconds, concentrated on her wish. When she opened her eyes, a small smile tilted up her mouth, and she leaned forward. With ease, she blew out all the candles and laughed at the cheers that spread through the room.
Hunter watched the wonder written on Neri’s face as she cut the cake and handed out slices for everyone. She fit into their lives with ease, and he didn’t want to live without her.
Then his thoughts about marriage, proposing to Neri too soon, and thinking about the date of the wedding and where they would hold it and who they would get to officiate the ceremony. All of this before he asked her.
Pulled from his thoughts when Jade still on her sugar high, bounced over holding several huge boxes and stuffed bags, he grabbed her empty plate, gathering several others scattered around, and headed toward the kitchen to throw them away.
He sat next to Neri, or as close as he managed with the gifts piled around her, and watched as the rest encouraged her to open her presents.
“Which one first?” Neri asked.
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