Page 20 of Hunter

“Is that right now? Well I can’t say I blame ya but if you’d open up to me, just a little now, you know I can help you.”

“You got me out of Hell. I was distracted. I should have known better. It won’t happen again.”

“You’re damn straight it won’t happen again. I didn’t just pluck your ass out of Hell to see you…”

“Alpha.” Willa settled her nerves and kept her voice calm. “I appreciate what you did for me. I really do. But I don’t want to see anything happen to your wolves.”

“You ever hear about many people escaping from Hell? I’m not foolin’. Have you?”

The question took her off guard, but she remained true to her position. “Well, no. I’ve been around long enough to know they don’t.”

“For whatever reason I was meant to find you. And now that we’ve…” Hunter paused as he turned down a dark gravel road. Lights flickered in the distance, growing brighter as they approached, “played the piano.”

Willa’s cheeks flushed at the mention of their encounter and she fought the feelings that tugged at her heart. The Alpha could never be hers.

“You do recall us playing?”

“It was…” She shot a coy smile at the Alpha and quickly turned her gaze out the window. Her stomach flipped and she prayed she could get control of her emotions. “Unforgettable.”

“So, I was thinking maybe after we round up these wolves, we could get to makin’ a little more music.” Although Hunter wore a smile, he kept his eyes trained on the road.

“I’m afraid that may have been a limited engagement.”

“You play with others?”

“No. It’s just…” Willa sighed, shaking off the memories. “I can’t let these assholes come for you.”

“As I’ve said, you’re not alone anymore. We’re coming up on things here, but I’m thinking we should have a repeat performance.”

The corners of Willa’s lips tugged upward. Out of the corner of her eye, she spied his flirtatious smile. Don’t go there girl , she told herself. If you like him, you’ll stay away. If the past had taught her anything, it was that anyone she cared about would die.

“Here we go. Up there,” Hunter said.

Willa steeled her nerves as they pulled into a parking space, the headlights burning a hole into the darkness. Her thoughts raced. Seeing the same wolves who’d kidnapped her both excited and terrified her. She closed her eyes as another memory of her capture flashed in her mind. The silver scorched her flesh. She writhed in pain, screaming as they kicked her down to the ground, a heavy boot pressing her face into the dirt. Her wolf retreated, unable to shift from the poison. She stared at her attackers, refusing to let tears fall. As the earth cleaved open, flames shot out of the portal to Hell.

“Hey.” Hunter’s voice broke her contemplation. His gentle touch brought her back to the present and she turned to him. “Willa, I can’t pretend to know all you’ve gone through. But I promise I’ll keep you safe tonight, okay? You’re not going back to Hell.”

“You don’t know that.” I want to believe you. It’s my fault. “I thought I was smarter…that night they got me…”

“Look at me.” Hunter gently cupped her cheek, his eyes locked on hers. “What happened was not your fault. I know this has to be hard. It’s likely these rogue wolves aren’t anywhere near here. But you don’t need to go with me into the blood club if you’re not comfortable. If you want, I can have Viktor flash you back to my house. I’ll get Remus to meet you there and keep you safe until I get back. I’ll take care of this.”

“No. I’m going.”

“Listen to me one more time. No one is getting you tonight. Or ever. When I find these wolves who took you, and believe me, I’m going to make it my business to find them, I’m going to kill them. After we get done with this business with the donor and hear her story, you and I are going to have a long talk.”

“Yes,” she reluctantly agreed.

“All right. Let’s do this.” Hunter opened his door and exited.

Willa took a deep breath and blew it out, her eyes meeting Hunter’s through the window. Her heart tightened with longing for the Alpha. As the door opened, she reached for his hand, unable to control the fiery energy that flowed through her veins. She was certain he’d feel it, but her nature could not be contained.

As they walked toward the entrance, she heard the muffled bass music filtering into the parking lot. The scent of dragon’s blood incense hung heavy in the air.

The hair on the back of her neck prickled in awareness. She briefly hesitated and scanned the area but saw no one.

“You okay?” Hunter asked.

“Yes, I thought I heard…”