by Amanda Carol
You and Declan can go. I’ll meet you back at the cabin. I’ll get one of the wolves to walk me back, I think to Hunter.
He doesn’t put up a fight; he knows Abby needs me right now. Zayne and I sit in the clearing with Abby until she cries herself to sleep.
Sloane accompanies me back to my cabin after we take Zayne and Abby back to her cabin. I shut the door behind me, and Hunter stands up from the couch. I walk straight into his arms. He scoops me up and sits down on the couch. I rest my head in the crook of his neck and we just sit there.
“How is she?” Hunter asks.
“Sleeping,” I whisper, closing my eyes. Using that much magic took its toll on me. “Zayne is with her. I’m going to check in on her tomorrow morning.”
“Okay.” Hunter places a soft kiss on my head. “Where’s your head at?”
I don’t answer him. I don’t even know where my head is right now.
Hunter shifts me, and I suddenly find myself sitting on the coffee table and looking into glowing bright blue eyes.
“Don’t shut down on me now.” He tucks a lock of wet hair behind my ear.
“I wasn’t,” I reply truthfully. “I knew that Isabella was planning something, but this is bad, Hunter. The Titans? You don’t have to know much about Greek mythology to know that they are bad news.” I look down at my folded hands in my lap. “The pain that I felt when Isabella captured me is nothing that I would wish on other people. There was a moment while I was with her that I wished she would have killed me. The pain was just too much.” I wipe under my eyes. “I thought that maybe if I just let go, stopped fighting it, that I would get to see my mom and dad again.”
Hunter places a finger under my chin. “Look at me.”
I inhale sharply as my eyes lift up to him, and tears slip free.
“Don’t ever stop fighting,” he tells me. “You will see them again one day, but not yet.”
“I know.” I lean forward and rest my forehead against his. “If she had captured me six months ago, I probably would have given into the darkness. But I had you, and the thought of not being able to see you again was unbearable. Thinking about you helped me to keep breathing.” I close the distance between us, placing my lips against his in a tender kiss. “Plus, I’m a Matthews, and we’re stubborn as hell.”
He chuckles. “I love you.”
I kiss him once more, telling him I love him too.
“What are we going to do about Isabella?” I ask as Hunter grabs my hands.
“I’ll tell you what I’m not going to do.” He looks up at me. “I’m not going to let her get to your brother.” He brings my palm up to his lips and kisses it. “But we can figure the rest out tomorrow. Tonight, I just want to hold you."
“I’m going to spend the day with Abby today,” Aria says from her closet.
I’m watching her from her bed. Her bed is comfortable, but I miss my own. And I think that, later today, she and I should have a serious conversation about moving in together. I think I may have an idea about a studio room for her. I’m having Bennett meet me at my cabin to help me with it, and also so we have privacy for me to tell him about what happened with Artemis and what we learned from Luna.
“I think that’s a good idea,” I tell her, laying my head on my arm.
She grabs some clothes and comes back over to me.
“What are you doing today?” She sits down, and I adjust my head to look at her.
“I’m going to talk to Benny, then figure out what I’m going to do about Luna.” I scrub a hand down my face, then peek up at her. “What I really want to do is take a sexy shower with you, and then work on my car. Maybe even fuck you in the backseat.”
She bites her lip, and I can feel her slight shift on the bed.
“Oh, you’d love that, wouldn’t you, baby?” I tease.
I let my hand travel up her leg, and I hear her sharp intake of breath as my fingers gently brush the apex of her thighs. Still biting that lip of hers, she closes her eyes and tosses her head back as I rub her center through her sleep shorts.
She spreads her legs, giving me better access. I watch her slowly start to unravel as her hips start to move. A soft moan escapes her lips, and when she opens her eyes, they darken. In one swift movement she’s off the bed, discarding her shorts and panties. She rips the covers off me and I help her take off my boxers. She straddles me, and I feel her wetness coat my dick as she slides down on me.
“Fuck, baby,” I breathe, placing my hands on her hips.
I rub circles on her sensitive bud as she rides me. I sit up, reaching for her shirt and taking it off. With one hand, I reach behind her and unclasp her bra. I need to see all of her. I take one of her rosy peaks in my mouth as my thumb and index finger tug at the other one. She wraps her arms around my neck, holding my head between her breasts.
“Make me come,” she moans.
I growl as I wrap my arms around her, digging my fingers into her back. I lie back down, bringing her with me and holding her in place as I thrust in and out of her.
“Hunter.” My name leaves her lips in a breathy moan, and that’s it.
I quicken my pace as I feel my balls tighten. Her walls constrict around my dick as she comes, and I’m right behind her. I grab her face and kiss her passionately.
“That was unexpected,” I say breathlessly. “Not that I’m complaining. I love being inside you.”
I kiss her again, and she chuckles against my lips. She rolls off of me and wraps a blanket around herself. I lie back as she walks over to the door, peaking out down the hall. She runs out of the room and I hear a door close a moment later.
I open the link to her. I feel used.
I hear her laugh all the way from the bathroom.
I love you! she answers.
I smile to myself as I get up, put my clothes from yesterday back on, and walk downstairs. Declan is sitting on the couch and looks up at me as I walk into the living room.
“Someone had a good morning,” Declan jokes as he types on his computer.
I grimace. “You heard that?”
“Oh, yeah,” Declan laughs. “You two should really get your own place.”
“Actually, I have an idea about that. I was thinking about turning part of my garage into a studio for her. She can paint while I work on my car. And then you and Ciera can have this place to yourselves,” I explain.
It’s what I’m getting Bennett to help me with today. I shifted some things around, and Knox will be taking over for Bennett tonight.
“I approve of that plan.” Declan grins.
“Yeah, I’m going to surprise her with it,” I say, taking a seat on one of kitchen chairs that are still sitting in the room. “Oh, I’m telling Bennett about everything too.”
“Sounds good.” Declan furrows his brow. “Can I tell Ciera?”
I study him for a moment. “Yeah, I don’t see why not.”
He shuts his laptop. “Cool. Can you drop me off at her cabin?”
When I nod, he runs upstairs to his room.
When Aria and Declan come back downstairs, Aria and I walk Declan to Ciera’s cabin, and then I walk Aria to Abby’s. Then Zayne asks me to take him back to his place so the girls can have some time alone. He tells me Abby is feeling a little better, but is still pretty worked up. That’s understandable. I can’t even imagine what must be going through her head right now.
Once I get back to my place, I go inside my garage and open the link to Bennett.
Hey. I’m back. You can come over.
All right, broski. Be there in a flash, Bennett replies.
I close the link off. I start moving things around in my garage. I’ve always had this extra space in here that I didn’t know what to do with. There’s a set of double windows back here that I think Aria will love if I set her easel up right next to it.
“Having a garage sale?” Bennett asks.
I look up to see him casually standing at the entrance of the garage.
“Very fu
nny. Come help me move this.” I point down to my long toolbox.
He walks over and helps me carry it over to the other side of my car.
“What are you doing?” he asks after we set it down.
“I’m moving things around in here. What’s it look like?” I quirk a brow, and he rolls his eyes. “I’m making room for Aria. I asked her to move in with me, but my place doesn’t have enough room inside for a studio, so I’m giving Aria her own space in here with me.”
“Gotcha. So Declan will be living on his own?” Bennett plops down on top of the toolbox as I keep moving things around.
“He’s asking Ciera if she wants to move in with him, and chances are she’s going to say yes.” I walk over and hit the button to close the garage door.
“I don’t know how I feel about my honorary little sister moving in with a boy,” Bennett confesses.
I shoot him a look. “You’re an idiot.”
I wait for the door to close completely before I open the trunk of my car, pulling out the bow and case of arrows and the dagger that Artemis gave us. I hand them to Bennett.
He whistles. “That’s a nice dagger.”
“Yeah, it’s from Artemis,” I say, and wait for that to sink in.
He looks up at me and cups his ear. “Say that again. I don’t think I heard you correctly. I thought you said Artemis gave you these.”
“That’s what I said. She showed up the night we got back from Maryland. The dagger is the only thing that can kill Isabella, but it has to be coated in Aria and Declan’s blood. The arrows are from her arsenal and can knock any vamp out. And that’s not all.” I reach for the moonstone necklace under my shirt. “She gave me this.”
“That’s pretty. Really brings out your eyes, man,” Bennett says making a circular motion around his eyes.
“Thanks. But it’s a moonstone. It makes me stronger, and faster. I also heal more quickly,” I explain.
“That would explain how you popped up at the cemetery so quickly after having your neck snapped.” Bennett lets out a breath.
“Yep. And there’s something else.” I lean back against my car. “It protects me from Wolfsbane.”
Bennett’s eyes widen as he looks up at me. “Well, I’m not at all jealous.”
“Honestly, I wish I had more to protect everyone.” I cross my arms over my chest.
I would love to be able to protect my pack with this Moonstone. I’m not sure if any more of it even exists. But there is still more that I need to lay on my best friend.
“Isabella plans on releasing the Titans,” I tell him.
“Well, fuck us, right?” Bennett stands and runs a hand through his hair. “Okay, let’s get this shit set up for Blondie while you tell me everything.”
Bennett and I clean my garage and make trips to bring Aria’s painting supplies here while I explain everything that Luna told us to him. Once we’re finished, he heads back to his cabin while I shower and get ready.
I feel someone try to use the link, so I open it.
Hey Hunt, we left what you asked for on your porch, Kai says.
I thank him and close the link, then walk out to my garage and wait for Jasper to walk my girl over here. I hear the two-howl signal and I press the button to open the garage door. It slowly rises and the look of surprise on her face was worth all the hard work today. With daises in one hand, I hold my other hand out to her.
“Oh, my God. Hunter!” Aria breathes as I hand her the flowers. “I love daisies.”
I flash her my dimples before I lean down to kiss her. “Come here. I want to show you something.”
I lead her into my garage and stop as she spots her easel in the back by the windows. I set up some twinkly lights over the windows to remind her of her old room and cleaned off my work table and set it up with all her paints. She releases my hand and walks over to it.
“Do you like it?” I ask.
“No.” She spins around, and her eyes sparkle in the lights. “I love it!” She runs over to me and leaps into my arms, wrapping her legs around me. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
She kisses my cheek, my neck and then my lips, then she pulls away abruptly.
“Oh, I have an idea!” she exclaims.
She kisses me once more, and I set her down. She walks over to her paints, picks out some colors, a few paint brushes, and a blank canvas and goes over to her easel.
“Oh, here, check this out,” I say.
She looks over at me. I turn on the radio and it sounds throughout the garage. Her face lights up even more.
I walk over to her. “I solved both our problems. Now you can move in with me.”
She smiles up at me and lights up my world.
“We can talk more about it later. I need to go talk to Luna,” I sigh.
Her face falls. “Want me to come with you?”
“No. You stay here and paint. I can handle this.” I kiss her once more and turn to leave.
Just as I get to the entryway, I hear Aria’s voice.
“Come home to me.”
I smile to myself as I leave the garage. She knows I’m staying on the Compound, but finally home has a whole new meaning for us.
I walk over to our old cellar, and when I get there, it’s not being guarded. I rush down the steps and find that it’s empty. Anger courses through my veins as I realize what’s happened. I shift into my wolf and take off running toward my parents’ place. I shift back just as I leap onto the front porch and walk inside. I make my way to my father’s office and slam the door open. I see Blaine sitting in front of my father’s desk.
“Where’s Luna?” I ask, not caring that Blaine is sitting right here.
“I was informed that Luna told you everything she knew, so I took matters into my own hands and forced her out of the Compound,” my father replies.
I glance down at Blaine. He’s got a smug look on his face. How the fuck did he know?
“What about Abby?” I ignore Blaine because if I acknowledge his presence any longer, I’ll rip his throat out.
“Abby was not the traitor. Therefore, she can stay,” my father replies.
I’m so angry that I’m starting to see red.
“You know what, Dad?” I glare at him. “Fuck you.”
I slam his office door shut and storm outside. I don’t get very far before I hear his voice.
“You will respect me, boy,” my father calls.
I whirl around on him.
“Why? You don’t respect me. The way I see it, respect is earned. And you, sir, haven’t earned my respect in years. I had that situation under control. Luna is not a threat,” I spit out.
Blaine and my mother walk out onto the porch. And then all the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as I sense them.
Vampires.
I slowly turn and see that there’s about one hundred of them, led by Ronan.
I turn back to my father. “This is why we needed Luna. She’s the only one who can put up the wards around the Compound and you fucking let her go without getting her to put them back up. Whoever we lose tonight, their blood is on your hands.”
I set down my paintbrush as the familiar feeling that a vampire is near washes over me. I walk over and hit the button to open the garage door. The breeze blows my hair back as the door slowly opens. The sight before me makes my breath hitch in my lungs.
At least a hundred vampires are on the Compound. And leading them is none other than Ronan.
“Oh, Declan, come out, come out, wherever you are!” His voice booms throughout the Compound.
My heart drops.
I spin and head for Hunter’s trunk, popping it open and grabbing my new bow and case of arrows. I know we said we would wait, but I think we need to use this tonight. I feel the air grow thick with power as I reach for the dagger that can kill Isabella. I wrap my hand around the hilt, but then a hand wraps around mine. Startled, I look over and see a man with curly light brown hair and light eyes.
“Hello, lo
ve,” he says. His accent sounds British, like Grace’s. “This will not be needed tonight.”
“Who are you?” I ask, thinking he might be Apollo.
He smirks at me as he pulls the dagger from my hand and places it back in the trunk. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am the God of War.”
My mouth drops open. “Ares?”
“The one and only.” He steps over to me, and I stand still as he leans down to whisper in my ear. “I’ve got high hopes for you, love.”
I turn my face, and he’s still leaning in close, so close that our noses almost touch. Then he disappears, leaving me standing there alone in Hunter’s garage. I shake my head, grab my silver dagger, and run out of there, hitting the button to close the door.
“You’ve got until the count of three!” Ronan shouts into the night as the wolves shift and stalk forward.
I hear growling, snarling, and teeth snapping as I quietly make my way over to Declan. He’s crouched down on the side of the cabin with Ciera, and all the lights are out.
“We’ve got to do something,” I whisper as I reach them. “You are not getting caught tonight.”
“I have no plans on giving blood any time soon,” Declan whispers back. “Ciera, take my dagger.”
He hands Ciera his silver dagger.
“What about you?” Her voice quivers.
“Don’t worry about me, sunshine. I’ll be okay, but I want you to run as fast as you can to Luna’s cabin, okay? You need to get Abby.”
“Okay,” she murmurs.
He kisses her deeply. “Go.”
Declan nudges Ciera, and she takes off running toward Luna’s cabin.
