“Because if I did,” I say and look to all my children, “you would have treated me with a child’s touch. There’s nothing to be done for my situation. The only thing that will stop this cancer is her.”
Even now I feel her in my body, swirling around in doubt and pain, lust and longing…
“We deserved to know, Asher,” Raphael says before he punches my shoulder.
“I know,” I say, and smirk at him. “Consider it a father trying to protect his sons.”
“How old are we?” Matthias asks before laughing. “You may be older than me in vampire years, but I’m still your elder in human.”
I chuckle. “By three fucking years, asshole. That doesn’t make you older than me.”
“And in my day that would be an entire lifetime,” Matthias retorts, punching my other shoulder.
Raphael says, “If I’m not mistaken, they approach. We should help them invest in quieter SUVs.”
Nodding my head, I watch a big, rumbling SUV drive into the parking lot.
Stealth is definitely not a priority for the pack.
Two large men climb out of the vehicle, dragging a third with them. The third man is taller than the other two, but has thick chains wrapped around his arms and legs. His head is covered with a black sack, but it doesn’t stop him from trying to headbutt the men around him as he struggles to get free.
“The hunter, I presume,” I say.
A fourth man climbs out of the back. He walks up to the man that’s struggling and punches him in the gut.
“Who’s the fourth?” I ask.
“Dav,” Raphael answers, “or at least I’m willing to bet it is.”
“I need a shower, a shave, and her,” I growl out.
Fuck this nasty city. Fuck its Order infestation.
Nikolaos will pay dearly for every single fucking transgression he’s impeded me with.
This hunter, they’re all alike, I think as I watch him get dragged to our room.
Big, sleek muscles, and more than likely has blond hair and blue eyes. Deadly in their art, but in the end, they all die the same. Screaming for their god to protect them from my ‘evil’.
Raphael opens the door when the newcomers reach the room. Thankfully they’ve gagged the hunter. I cannot deal with loud caterwauling right now, as Matthias would put it.
“Oh, I see we have a new dance partner…” Ambrose giggles at the raging man that’s brought into the room.
What the fuck?
Every single eye turns to Ambrose.
Even the bagged head moves as if to look at him.
There’s a long, pregnant pause, everyone trying and failing to find the power dynamic here.
“Oh, okay…” one of the guys holding the hunter says, shooting a leery look at Ambrose.
Reaching up with both hands, I rub my face for a few seconds. I can feel the creeped-out vibes coming off every single person.
Fuck, this is not how I planned to meet my future counterpart in this city.
Walking over to the man who’s not handling the prisoner, I reach out my hand. “I believe you’re Dav?”
“That’s me,” he says, his eyes flitting from me to Ambrose as he takes my hand.
“Asher,” I say, and give him a firm shake.
From the way he shakes my hand, I like him already. It’s firm, no fish hand with him, and no power games. I can feel the respect he’s earned from his men and the respect for me.
I pull my hand back. “I want to thank you personally for assisting us.”
He smiles. “Thank you as well, from me and the pack.”
Good, this isn’t about personal gain. This is for him and his family.
Dav is a large man, maybe an inch shorter than me, with a barrel chest and thick legs. If I didn’t smell the wolf deep within him, I’d mistake him for a bear shifter. His thick beard and long hair makes him look much older than he probably is. If he’s as young and as powerful as I suspect, he’ll be perfect for the future.
“We’ll need a proper sit-down,” I say to him, “but now is not a good time. We need to get answers from the hunter before we act tonight.”
Dav grins through his beard. “No problem here. Long as you keep that fucker Nikolaos off our backs, we’re happy.”
“We can do that.” I motion to my men. “The rest of the coven will be coming to the city over the next few weeks. If you need any of us for your issues outside of Nikolaos, don’t hesitate.”
“I appreciate that. This city and the surrounding areas used to be big enough for the two packs, but over the last ten years, it’s changing,” he says, and while I can sense he would like to say more, I know he’s not ready yet.
More and more this city is becoming a mystery to me. Something beyond what we’ve seen so far…
It’s like there’s a dark current flowing beneath us.