Page 17 of Hunter

“Perhaps you could do me one more tiny favor. Any chance you could get me to New Orleans?”

“Ah…well, of course but you see…” Viktor smiled broadly at Hunter. “I’m afraid I can’t leave the Alpha by himself this evening. He tends to get into trouble. I’d like to think of myself as a…guardian angel.”

Hunter forced himself to remain calm. The fucking vampire was deliberately irritating him. “You.” He pointed at Viktor. “Number one. You’re hardly angelic. And number two. You’re kind of a dick.” Hunter turned his attention to Willa, stalking toward her. “And you.” As he came within two feet of her, his beast howled with arousal. “We have unfinished business. I’m not…” ready to let you go, “letting you go to New Orleans by yourself when I just rescued your sexy little ass out of Hell. You’re right about one thing. Someone is after you, and they could be here or maybe they’re just waiting for you to go home. No. No, I’m not letting you leave by yourself.”

“But…” she protested, her expression softening. “Hunter…”

The sound of his name on her lips caused him to pause. Jesus, what the hell is happening to me? The Alpha questioned his sanity, bringing the stray wolf into his home. And now instead of treating her as he would any other wolf, his judgement was clouding. This temptation, this gorgeous woman, distracted him from all else. He struggled with his emotions and attempted to shove them to the far reaches of his psyche.

“I’ll help you get home once this is over. New Orleans. Guatemala. Wherever you want.”

“I…I could help you.”

“What?”

“Let me come with you. If you find the wolves, I can identify them.”

“This could be dangerous. You can’t even shift,” Hunter said.

“I’ll be fine. I know I’m having trouble but…well, Viktor there.” She gestured to the vampire. Her voice wavered as she spoke. “He can flash me out if there’s trouble and I can’t shift. You can do it, right?”

Viktor laughed. “Why of course, love, but I’m afraid I’ll defer to the Alpha.”

Hunter raised an eyebrow at him, pleased that for once he’d respected his place. The Alpha quickly focused his attention back onto Willa.

“You can come with me tonight if you don’t feel safe here. Vik can flash you back at any sign of trouble.” As the words left his mouth, he wondered just what the hell was happening to him. “But I’m not letting you out of my sight until I know these assholes are caught. Going in and out of hell isn’t an easy thing. So, let’s get one thing straight. As long as you’re here, you belong to me and I’m not going to let anything happen to you or any of my other wolves.”

“I…”

“No arguing, doc. If you try to leave, I’m going to have your ass…” Hunter sighed, inwardly cursing his choice of words. Fuck, all he wanted was her ass and he suspected no matter what happened, his wolf would have her. He shook off the thoughts and continued. “I’m goin’ to be straight with you. I don’t know what you’re hiding but I got a feeling whatever it is, you’re not going to be able to get through it on your own. I know you want to protect other people, but this is my pack. My decision. My responsibility.”

Hunter plowed his fingers through his hair. “At some point, you’re going to have to tell me what secrets you’re keepin’. Because I know you’ve got some. And before you tell me you want to go back on your own, consider this. Whether these rogues are the ones who took you or not, someone is probably looking to find you and put you back in Hell. I can tell you for damn sure that it’s not easy getting in or out of Hell. Whoever put you there is on speed dial with some demon who’s probably itchin’ to get you back. I got lucky finding you. Chances are that if you go back, they’ll hide you so far down you’ll never get out. I get you’ve been living rogue. I do, sweetheart. But now is not the time to go runnin’ off on your own.”

“While I’d love to take your side pet, the Alpha is quite correct,” Viktor added. “You will not survive a second trip to Hell. Even if they bring you back each time they torture you, your soul will die. You won’t make it.”

Hunter detected the flash of pain in the vampire’s eyes, reminding him of the torture he’d endured. The Alpha knew the pain all too well. He reached for Willa’s hand and pressed her palm to his chest.

“I don’t know what they did to you down there, but neither do you. You don’t remember today. But one day, one hour, one minute…you’re going to snap out of whatever’s protecting your mind from remembering and it’s not going to be good. Trust me on this. Let me help you.”

Hunter watched intently as her gaze fell, resigned to her situation. Her silence spoke although her lips never moved. While he’d like to think she’d agreed, he knew she hadn’t given up easily. It wasn’t a sign of submission, but one of temporary acceptance. A brief retreat from her fight; she’d rally. But for now, it’d have to be enough.

Hunter gently curled a finger under her chin. Her lids slowly opened, her gaze meeting his. “I know you’ve been on your own for a long time. And whatever you haven’t told me, that’s okay for now. But I’m not letting anything happen to you.”

Hunter startled as she quickly wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. Her chest rose against his and he sensed it was taking everything she had to keep it together. Family. Love. And he’d do whatever it took to give it to her.

Chapter Four

Willa sat on her bed and rested her forehead in her hands. She couldn’t believe she’d almost made love to the Alpha. Desire drove her mighty beast to the surface, and she knew that she’d soon shift, her wolf running free.

Once she was healed, destroying the formula was her priority. After the task was completed, she’d have to move far away from Guatemala. Although she hated the thought of leaving her work, the humans she cared for, there was no other option. Using her blood had been a stupid mistake, but now that they knew, she couldn’t afford for anyone else to discover how she created the experimental serum.

It had been a serendipitous accident. With a degree in archeology, she’d been drawn to the undiscovered Mayan buildings draped in the jungle foliage. Convinced the long-forgotten ancient civilization held the secrets to modern-day medicine, Willa sought to parse true remedies from myth. Within the confines of sacred stone walls, her discovery of a new plant species changed her perspective on human healing. But it was her own lifeforce that morphed her vision of a cure into a reality.

While slashing through the brush, the machete sliced her skin as well as the leaves. Covered in her blood and the secretions of the plant, the leaves regenerated. A few years of experimenting with the unknown herb led to the perfect ratios, for she’d secretly used it to regrow appendages on injured animals. The formula resulted in rapid renewal and growth of human cells.

After she’d used it to save a mortal life, she suspected the otherworldly event drew the attention of demons. Suspecting her heritage, a band of rogue wolves ambushed and kidnapped her in the middle of the night, killing several villagers during the rampage. Willa imagined the authorities would blame the massacre on drug traffickers. Like many foreigners, she’d simply gone missing. While they’d suspect she’d been sold into human trafficking, the truth was she’d been sold for a pretty price to a hungry demon.

Willa bit her lip and lifted her head, contemplating her enslavement in Hell. Whatever they’d done to her had been so horrific, her mind had gone numb. Although she had no memory of the vampire, his presence had stirred an odd sense of familiarity. But it was the Alpha that made her heart skip a beat.