Emma helped his head up, cradling it in her arms as she slid her legs underneath his head. She brought the can to his lips and allowed him to drink. “You better be doing your healing shit because by morning, I want to be out of here.”
Hunt smiled at her. He was healing, albeit slowly, but he was healing. By morning, he would be strong enough to walkagain, but he would be running on nearly empty. She offered him the chocolate, but he turned it down. The least he could do was let her have it.
“I can go for much longer without food. You should eat,” Emma insisted.
Hunt took a small bite, eating through a pounding headache and teeth that hurt from just how much he had bitten down on the jacket. Emma had every right to leave him here to die. He had abandoned her previously and tried to get away. He had left her to her own fate, and she had come back for him, saving his life multiple times.
He had heard the argument multiple times from different Hunters, but he never wanted to believe it. Hunt didn’t agree that there could be good paranormals. Since they had destroyed his family, he couldn’t see them as anything other than monsters. But now, he was being cared for, the way a mother would care for a child. Emma had not abandoned him.
He wasn’t sure when he fell asleep, but when he woke up the taste of the chocolate lingered in his mouth. Hunt realized that he was on the floor, in the dark, with only his jacket covering his body. He looked at his watch to see that a few hours had passed, and it was just a little past midnight.
Emma had moved him across the tunnels to the corner, where he would be hidden from sight. It was a lot safer out of sight, but as the hours ticked on, the temperatures had begun to plummet. It hit Hunt harder than he expected as he began to shiver. He didn’t have the strength to use his magic to heat himself up, as he was already drained from trying to heal the wound.
His body shook uncontrollably in the corner as his teeth chattered. Suddenly, the jacket was taken off of him, and Huntfelt a wave of fear run over his body. He tried to turn around to look, and realized that it was Emma coming underneath the jacket with him.
She had taken off her shirt, leaving her body entirely bare, and used her jacket as an extra cover for them. She held on to him from behind, placing her body against his own. Hunt felt the tender swell of her body pressed up against him. Her nipples were rock hard, poking at him underneath the covers. But it wasn’t from the cold. Emma was incredibly warm.
“I, uh…” Emma spoke, her lips quivering as she looked at him. He could tell that it wasn’t from the cold. Emma was nervous. “We have a lot of heat, and I saw that you were cold. Skin on skin is one of the best ways to share heat.”
Hunt nodded quietly, looking at her lips. He already felt a lot more comfortable and was certain that he would have died if he didn’t get any kind of warmth. Emma had saved his life once again, and this time it wasn’t just the bloodlust. He could see the look in her eyes, but she was controlling herself. She could control herself.
“Thank you,” Hunt spoke, his voice coming in a hoarse tone.
“Of course,” Emma replied, smiling. She took his hands and placed them against her chest, giving him the best warmth. “You need to fall asleep again. Get as much rest as you can. You’ll make it through the night. I’m here.”
As Hunt shut his eyes, he felt her softness in his palms. Emma let out a little moan as she tried to control her breathing. It was obvious that the woman wanted him. As much as he hated to admit it, maybe he was wrong about the paranormals. Emma wasn’t an evil person looking to murder humans for no reason.
Yes, Garret and others like him were bad people, but it did not mean the same for all of them. Emma was a truly kind soul who was willing to put her life on the line, even for her own enemy. She was kind, beautiful, and utterly amazing, and Hunt owed his life to the woman.
He had been wrong about them. He’d been wrong about every single one of them, and Hunt owed it to them, to Emma, to do right by them. He needed to atone for all of the deaths he was responsible for, and he would start by getting them out of the sewers.
Chapter 9 - Emma
Emma’s eyes fluttered open as she realized that she had fallen asleep at some point in the night. She quickly put it on the fact that she was exhausted and hadn’t gotten proper rest for such a long time. But as the thought formed in her head, she saw that she still lying right next to Hunt, their bodies intertwined, and his hands holding onto her.
He was still asleep, and a peek at his watch told her that it was nine in the morning. She had been gone for quite a while, and soon her pack would become worried. She had to leave the tunnels; they had to leave. She had managed to spend the night without feeling the surge from her bloodlust as much. Emma wasn’t sure what had happened, but she had a hunch.
When she was with the pack, she felt at home—safe, protected, with people she loved. With them, the feelings of the bloodlust were minimized, allowing her to focus. But now, she was in a situation where she was supposed to be stressed, and somehow she was still able to relax. There was one answer.
Hunt.
She felt safe around him—protected. Emma wasn’t lying to herself anymore. She had fallen for the man. Maybe it was a mistake, maybe she was just being foolish. But Emma wanted Hunt as much as he wanted her. Emma quietly got to her feet, taking his hands off her body. It was still pitch-dark in the tunnels, as they had taken out a lot of the lights, but Emma still had her night vision.
She put her shirt back on, and turned to look at him on the floor. Emma shook her head as the thought went through her mind. A life with a man like him. Aaron had made a life withLenna, a Dragon who didn’t care about them. Lyra had made a life with Levi. But at least they were paranormals.
Hunt was different. She was sure they would not accept him. Jackson would probably rip him in half the moment he realized he was a Hunter, and Aaron wouldn’t trust him, especially with Caspian working with Garret directly. It made sense to her because if it was any one of them who had fallen for a Hunter, she would have the same reaction.
But she wanted to believe it was different with Hunt. He was different. He was kind and loving and he was perfect. Emma chuckled silently to herself as she realized that she had described Hunt as perfect. He woke with a start, bringing up his hand and creating a source of light to brighten up the tunnel, causing Emma to quickly look away.
“Morning to you too,” she said, squinting as the light affected her eyes.
“Sorry,” Hunt replied, his voice cracking. He cleared his throat. “Sorry. I didn’t, uh…I panicked. I can’t see in the dark.”
“Yeah, we know,” Emma replied. “How are you feeling?”
Hunt threw the ball of light off to the side, illuminating both of them. He looked down at the wound he’d been working on. It had turned into quite the scar but wasn’t fully healed yet. Hunt took a breath as he began putting his shirt back on, being careful not to hurt himself.
“I think I’m good to move,” said Hunt.