Page 31 of Hunter

“I’ve known a lot of vampires and they usually need to be close to someone to form a bond. And when they do, it’s not a real bond like the one they form with their mate.”

“I know that but it’s just…I don’t let others bite me. Not vampires.” She averted her gaze, her lips tensed. “Not wolves.”

“There’s something about you, sweetheart. I know you’re special. I don’t know what it is.”

“What’s what?”

“Your secret. But I’m a patient man and a firm believer in having people make the right decisions themselves.”

“What makes you think me telling you my secret is the right decision?” she asked.

“I risked my ass to get you outta Hell. And I’d do it again. You can trust me.”

“I’m not trying to be difficult. You have to understand. The people who died tonight. That’s on me. My fault. Not yours. Not Viktor’s. My secrets are what put me in Hell. It’s why these assholes are here, killing people. They know it. I know it.”

“Look at me, Willa.”

She slowly raised her gaze to meet his, and as their eyes locked, his pulse raced. This beautiful creature was in his mind and his bed, his wolf urging him to take her.

“I want your agreement that you’ll stay with me for a while. Whether that’s here or wherever we find the wolves who did this. You can come with me when I track them down and we’ll go get whatever you need in New Orleans and Guatemala along the way. But I want your agreement on this.”

“And if I don’t?”

“I’m an Alpha. I can force you to stay here. I don’t want to have to do that because I know you’ve been traumatized already but I can’t…I won’t let you run off on your own, knowing full well they could try to put you back in Hell. Now, I know you’re thinking to yourself that I’m not your Alpha, that you’re not in a pack and can do whatever you want. While I’d generally agree and have no say, I simply cannot let you go off alone. You…” belong to me, “are my responsibility.”

“You’re not my guardian angel.”

“Make no mistake, I’m no angel, period. It’s not in my repertoire.”

“Why do you want to do this? Is this an Alpha thing?”

“Yeah, it’s an Alpha thing, but if I’m being straight with you, this is a friend thing. This is about someone who cares about you. Someone who knows there’s something different about you but who doesn’t care what your secret is. Someone you can trust to have your back.”

“It’s not like I don’t want someone to help me.” Willa’s face softened. “I just…what just happened. There will be others. They will do anything to put me back in Hell.”

“Let em’ try. I’ll be waiting. But in the meantime, I’ll be there for you, and when you’re ready,” because she is going to tell me sooner or later, “you’ll tell me your secrets. Stay.”

Hunter studied her as she took several seconds, mulling over his offer.

“I’ll stay for a little bit, but I can’t stay here long. I know I said I needed to go to New Orleans, but I’ve thought about it. I should go back to Guatemala first. There something I’ve got to take care of.”

“All right. Then I’m goin’ with. Whatever you’ve got yourself into is far too dangerous. If these rogues are using demon magick, they are going to be able to track you wherever you go.”

Hunter noted the mystery swirling in her dark brown eyes, as she drifted deep into thought. He’d stepped into danger more times than he could count. It was precisely how he’d landed his ass in Hell the first time, but he’d be damned if he allowed Willa to go it alone. She’d learn in time that pack was more than family. It was home.

“I’ve been many things in this lifetime. A daughter. A sister.” Willa exhaled slowly, her soft gaze drifting to Hunter.

In the moment of silence, the Alpha noted the sadness in her voice, and reached for her hand.

“A musician. An artist. A dancer. A doctor…ultimately a scientist.” Willa gave a thoughtful smile. “We wonder why we are here. Immortal. Blessed. Some say cursed to live forever. There are days when I truly wonder what the meaning of this life is.”

Hunter’s eyes painted over her lithe body as he contemplated the question that plagued so many immortals. It was both simple and complicated. “Depends what you seek. I’m committed to this pack, to leading for as long as the Goddess sees fit. While we live forever, I do not believe we are infallible. The vampires tonight are proof of that. Tell me, Willa. What do you seek?”

“I’d never been happier than as a doctor. I used my skills to care for the humans as best I could. But like we talked about, they are so fragile. When I lived in Brazil, I spent time searching the Amazon for medicinal plants, but in Guatemala, I discovered something special. You see, the rainforest is ripe with undiscovered species of plants, animals, bugs. And so…”

“What did you find?”

“A plant. It showed potential on its own. Specimen Alyamya, it’s just a name I gave it. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that it had the capability to quickly heal skin, generating new cells on cuts and scrapes. But it wasn’t like your average antibiotic cream. Within hours, a minor injury would heal.”