Aiden nodded. “His day will come.”
Yes, it would. And Hunter would be front and center.
Hunter sat cross-legged on a plush bear pelt on the floor of Kars’s teepee. Modern clans, like MoonBound, had long since found that human-made camping equipment was superior to – or at least more portable than – Indian native equipment, but some clans, like ShadowSpawn, never caught up to modern times.
Sitting across from Hunter, Kars offered him a wooden cup of hollywine. Careful to keep the imprint mark on his hand hidden, Hunter took the cup to be polite, but he didn’t drink. Kars was rumored to have poisoned rivals in the past, and Hunter wasn’t taking any chances.
“This is a surprise, Kars.” Hunter searched the other chief’s expression for any hint of what he was thinking, but the male’s face was a blank. Like his personality.
Kars shrugged. “I missed my daughters and wanted to make sure you’re treating them well.”
Liar. “Is that so.”
“Mmm.” Kars’s noncommittal response made Hunter grind his teeth. “How’s it going with Rasha?”
“It’s not,” Hunter said, figuring that where he could, he might as well be straight.
Kars smiled fondly. “She can be difficult.”
Difficult? She was foul-mouthed, psychotic, callous, and abusive. “She’s more than difficult.”
Another shrug. “You’ll grow to appreciate her.”
Only if she was thousands of miles away. He’d appreciate that. “You didn’t come all this way to ensure that your daughters are happy. So why are you really here? And at the same time as NightShade?”
The smile fell off Kars’s face. “Tseeveyo shouldn’t be here until after the new moon. After you and Rasha are mated. It was agreed.”
This was getting weird. What were the odds that both clans would show up for the same female at the same time if they hadn’t arranged it?
Hunter put the cup to his lips, but he didn’t drink. “Why do you think he’s here?”
“For Aylin, obviously.” Kars waved his hand in dismissal. “Doesn’t matter. I’m going to take her home.”
Hunter’s hand jerked hard enough to spill blood-red wine on his hand. “Aylin is supposed to tend to Rasha until the mating ceremony.” Which obviously wasn’t going to happen, but he needed time to figure out how to avoid outright war.
“I changed my mind. She belongs at ShadowSpawn.”
Hunter took a deep, controlled breath. Stay calm. “Tseeveyo isn’t going to take that well.” No, the guy seemed to want Aylin in a bad way.
“I’ll handle Tseeveyo.”
“You should have done that a long time ago.”
Kars went taut. “Meaning?”
“Meaning Tseeveyo is a rabid dog.” Hunter leaned forward, wanting the other male to see every flicker of emotion that crossed Hunter’s face. “And you promised your daughter to him, which makes you even worse than he is.”
Kars snarled, spitting wine and flashing stained fangs. Had he never heard of a toothbrush? “I promised her a life! Without Tseeveyo, she’d have nothing and no one. If I died, the other clan members would tear her apart.”
Did he truly believe that what he’d done was done out of concern for Aylin? That handing her over to a fiend was for the best?
If so, something wasn’t adding up. “If life is so bad at ShadowSpawn for Aylin, why do you want her back? And don’t give me some sob story about how you miss her. We both know that’s a bunch of elkshit.”
Kars gazed at Hunter with shrewd eyes, as if he was trying to decide whether to tell the truth. Finally, he chugged the last of his wine and tossed the cup over his shoulder. “I’ve found another mate for her.”
Kars’s blunt announcement was like an icicle through the chest. “Who?”
“One of my warriors,” Kars said. “By mating her to Fane, I’m guaranteeing her safety and assuring that when I’m gone, my clan will be led by a worthy male.”
“Fane?” Hunter shook his head in disbelief. “You want to mate her to that ass**le?”
“He’s strong. Brave. Aylin is deformed and weak. He’ll protect her, and with the Raven’s help, their children will inherit Fane’s strength of character instead of hers.”
Hunter wanted to leap across the space between them and beat the ever-living f**k out of Kars. But something wasn’t sitting right, and until he knew what it was, he had to proceed carefully and with fewer homicidal thoughts.
According to Riker, it was called diplomacy. Di-plo-ma-cy, he’d said. The smartass.
“Come now, Kars. We both know there’s no damned mystical Raven.”
Kars shifted uncomfortably and spoke in a hushed voice. “We don’t speak of these things.”
“You don’t. I do.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I’ve been through the trials. I’ve passed the f**king tests.”
Kars shot to his feet, fangs bared. “And you dishonored Rasha to do it! How dare you take her unworthy sister?”
“Dishonored Rasha?” Hunter asked incredulously as he came to his own feet. “She dishonored herself by refusing.”
“That was her choice.”
“And it was a choice I couldn’t accept,” Hunter snarled. “I would never give up my child to a demon. Aylin was willing to fight for what Rasha wasn’t. And she was magnificent.”
Kars jabbed his finger at him. “You took a foolish chance.”
“I – Wait.” Hunter frowned. “How did you know I took Aylin instead of Rasha?”
Kars’s eyes flared, but a heartbeat later, he waved dismissively. “You traveled outside your territory. You think I don’t have scouts everywhere?”
Plausible, but Kars’s tiny eye flare stuck in Hunter’s craw. Something was very, very wrong about this entire situation, from two clans arriving at the same time and both demanding Aylin to the reasons they were giving for wanting her.
Neither Kars nor Tseeveyo had any respect for Aylin, so the keen interest in her meant that something had happened to spur them to this.
Oh… oh, f**k. There was only one logical answer.
Somehow they knew about Aylin’s new ability. They knew she was now one of the most powerful vampires in existence.
Which meant that neither clan was going to let her go.
36
Aylin had been summoned to Hunter’s chamber. Apparently, he’d gone to the lab to find her, but she’d gone to the library. There was something so hugely calming about a room full of books, and right now she needed calm. She wasn’t ready to see Rasha again… didn’t know how she’d react when she did see her. And the news that her father and Tseeveyo were both camped out just a quarter-mile away had rattled her.
Now, with Hunter asking her to his chambers, she couldn’t help but wonder if he’d decided to hand her over for the sake of his clan.
She rapped tentatively on the door, and a heartbeat later, Hunter was there. Sweet Spirit, he was gorgeous, his hair pulled back with a leather thong to reveal the angled planes of his face, his black T-shirt stretched over layers of muscle, and black leather pants that fit him like a glove.
Anxiety wracked her… until he tugged her into his arms. His mouth found hers in an almost desperate kiss that left no doubt how glad he was to see her.
When he stepped back, she felt dazed, both from the arousal he so easily called from her and from relief that nothing had changed between them after his visit with the two enemy clans.
“Join me,” he said. “I’m playing video games.”
Baffled, she followed him inside, where he plopped down on the couch and picked up a controller. “Video games? Did my father and Tseeveyo leave?”
His expression went dark, but oddly, he dived into the game with a vengeance. “Nope.”
A knock at the door startled her before she could get him to elaborate.
“Enter,” Hunter called out.
The door opened, and Bastien swept in with a huge tray of something covered in cheese and red chunky stuff.
“Thanks, kid,” Hunter said. “Just leave it on the coffee table.”
Bastien gave a silent, shy nod, his face turning bright red when he noticed Aylin. He ran out of there like his feet were on fire.
“Bastien is just discovering females,” Hunter said, amusement lacing his tone.
“Just now? How old is he?”
“He’s twenty, but until three months ago, he lived in a cage inside a Daedalus lab, so he’s a little behind the curve.” Hunter winked at her, and she would have been charmed if she wasn’t still hung up on what he’d just said. “He’s catching up fast, though. The females love him.”
A cage? In a human laboratory? Aylin would never complain about her life again. “How did he get free?” She blinked. “Wait… isn’t he Riker’s son?”
Hunter nodded. “Riker’s first mate, Terese, was pregnant when she was killed while in human captivity. Riker thought his son died with her until he and Nicole found Bastien in a Daedalus laboratory.”
Great Spirit have mercy. “There really are no words for how awful that must have been for everyone involved.”
“I know. That’s why we don’t talk about it much.” Hunter removed his feet from the table and patted the cushion next to him. “Take a load off, and have some totchos.”
“Some what?”
He gestured to the plate of stuff Bastien had brought. “Totchos. Tater tots with nacho toppings. Awesome.”
Aylin had no idea what nacho toppings were, but the smell was making her mouth water. She sank down onto a cushion next to Hunter… but not too close, which made his mouth quirk with amusement. He reached out and lifted a tot off the plate and popped it into his mouth. She watched him chew for a moment, watched the way his throat muscles worked with every swallow. Damn, even when he was doing nothing but eating, he was the sexiest thing she’d ever laid eyes on.
Stomach growling, she followed his lead and ate one of the little things. An explosion of flavor burst onto her tongue… creamy, tangy, sharp. Onions, tomatoes, cheese, and other flavors she couldn’t identify made her moan with delight.
“Good, huh?” Hunter asked, and all Aylin could do was nod as she shoved another into her mouth.
She ate a dozen more bites, chewing slowly, but all she was doing was delaying the inevitable. Finally, she wiped her hands on a napkin and turned to Hunter. “Okay, so what’s going on?”
He did something on screen that caused an explosion. “Obviously, you know ShadowSpawn and NightShade are here.”
“That’s all anyone is talking about.” The totchos suddenly weren’t sitting well. “Why are they here?” Please don’t say Tseeveyo is here for me.
“They’re here for you.”
She was going to throw up. “Why would my father be here for me, too?”
Pausing his game, Hunter shifted on the sofa to face her, his expression alarmingly serious. “I think they might know about your ability. Who did you tell?”
“No one.”
“Not even Rasha?”
“I don’t trust her,” she said, the ache of her admission eating at her like a betrayal. “Her loyalty is to ShadowSpawn, not me.”
Hunter’s raw curse scorched her ears. “I was sure she’d gotten the word out.”
Aylin couldn’t blame him for thinking that, but she doubted even Rasha would tip off Tseeveyo about Aylin’s newfound gift.
“Where is she? I haven’t seen her.” She assumed Hunter would have tossed her into the pit or the dungeon; it was what her father would have done in a similar situation. But deep down, Aylin couldn’t help but hope for mercy. Rasha was hard-hearted, but given her upbringing, how could she have turned out any other way?
Hunter’s dark eyes burned with anger, but his voice was strangely gentle. “She’s confined to her chambers, with Katina as her guard.”
Relief spread through her. “Thank you,” she said, aware that Hunter’s mercy was out of consideration for Aylin. “What are you going to do about Kars and Tseeveyo? You have to give me up, don’t you?”
“Fuck, no.” He threw down the controller and took her hands in his. They were so warm and strong, so capable of both fighting and pleasuring. What if she’d found him only to lose him because of what was going on outside MoonBound’s walls? “If I have to hand over MoonBound to Riker and take you halfway around the world to keep you from those bastards, I will.”
Aylin’s heart fluttered, and warmth spread through her veins. Hunter was willing to give up everything for her. Everything.
Which was why she wouldn’t let that happen, even if it meant she had to run away by herself. He belonged with his clan, not hiding from both humans and vampires while trying to protect her.
But she also knew that an imprinted male wasn’t going to just let his female take off without him. And a male like Hunter would chase her to the ends of the earth. Obviously, running away, together or separately, would be a last resort. Hunter would have another plan.
She brushed her thumbs over his knuckles, still amazed that he’d chosen her. Not just chosen her but dedicated himself to her. “So what are we going to do?”
“I was going to kick them both off my land, but if they know about your gift, they’re not going to go easily. So I want you to practice handling portals, and I’m going to lay it all out to Kars and Tseeveyo. They should be here any minute.”