by Emma Dean
Kenzie studied Samuel, sensing he was being genuine. If nothing else, at least the tiger had always been honest with her. “Not yet, but I appreciate the offer. I might need it.”
“I’ll bury the request for investigation until you let me know when you’re ready,” Samuel said. “These matters can be sensitive and I’d rather not step on witchy toes more than I already have. Come up to my office before you leave, and try to keep the demon from opening another door?”
She snorted. “I’ll try.”
Eisheth and the lost girls.
It had a nice ring to it.
Chapter Seven
Kenzie
Fuck, what a long day.
Eisheth and the foxes had discovered the door had been created by a demon, but not only a demon. Someone had a demon working for them. They’d been in human form per the foxes so it was difficult to know just from the memory what kind of paranormal.
No pointed ears though so they weren’t fae.
In the paranormal world there was always a yin and a yang. There was something that existed that didn’t really ever coexist peacefully with something else. The human movies and books assumed wolves and vampires were mortal enemies, but that wasn’t necessarily the case.
There were witches of every variety and their counterpart was usually demons. Well…most of them. Kenzie didn’t think Eisheth really counted.
And they weren’t opposites really. They were reflections. So witches and demons.
The fae reflected the vampires, and the hunters…she supposed their reflection was the angels. Both were warrior classes. One would think it was angels and demons, but not according to her grandmother and what she’d read.
Shifters usually had their own reflection in the form of another shifter. The felines and the canines mainly, but there were other shifters that caused other issues like foxes and coyotes.
Could wolves get a demon to work for them?
She clicked through all the files she could find on the darknet and then started on what she’d backed up from the clan’s library.
Witches weren’t great at technology, but a few years ago Selene had Kenzie start on a project to digitalize everything. Just in case. It was one of those things they’d told no one about, so of course Edith knew.
Kenzie missed her grandmother. It was weird not having her or Selene in the same house. Though this computer setup Hunter had put together for her was fucking nice. A whole room to herself that connected to the boys’ office.
She loved it.
Next time she saw Hunter, Kenzie would thank him.
After they’d gotten what they could from the scar in the universe, Eisheth had told her he had a few things to check out and he’d be back to help her figure out who exactly had made that door.
Technically she and Selene didn’t have to find out who had broken in to Samuel’s warehouses. That wasn’t part of their agreement with him. But she was curious who had the balls to summon a demon to fuck with the Alpha of the West Coast Pride – who also happened to be on the Council of Paranormals.
Kenzie didn’t think it was another witch clan in the Bay Coven. That would be really, really stupid. She also didn’t think it was Brad. The Davis clan was all lawyers who represented Samuel and others like the tiger.
Ugh.
She needed to get out of her head.
Kenzie shoved away from the desk and went to her room to change. Maybe she’d take a run after lifting some weights. Working out usually helped her think.
With her favorite shorts and tank top on she jogged down the stairs to the foxes’ gym. It really was nice to have one in the house. Kenzie used to have to use her family’s garages. It was a giant pain in the ass when it rained.
She froze when she flipped on the light and saw Hunter in a handstand with his eyes closed.
That was hella creepy. Who did shit like that?
Then his eyes opened and Hunter watched her for a second before gracefully bringing down his whole body until he was parallel with the floor, still nothing but his hands propping him up. The position showed off every fucking muscle the fox had.
“You always work out in the dark?” she asked, wishing she’d brought her headphones if Hunter was going to be a weirdo. “Without any music?”
He didn’t answer and Kenzie watched him as she stretched out her tired and sore muscles. Stress really fucked with her shoulders.
Hunter moved his body back into a handstand and then did a few pushups. When he went to do them one-handed her mouth dropped open. Jesus, she’d known he was strong but this was ridiculous.
After a few one-handed pushups he did them on the other side. Kenzie could do some of the moves, but when he maneuvered his legs between his arms for an extended L-sit she laughed. That shit was hard.
“The dark helps me concentrate,” Hunter said as he slowly lowered himself to the ground. “Without music I can hear everything, but if you prefer to workout with the lights and music on that works for me too.”
“I don’t think I could work out in the dark,” she said with a laugh. “Selene hasn’t made me any more night vision charms after the last one broke. It’s on my list though.”
Hunter just shrugged. “Whatever makes you comfortable, Kenzie. This is your house now too.”
When he flipped over to do some of the most ridiculous looking pushups she’d ever seen…Kenzie felt exhausted just watching him, but—but it was the first time she felt herself see him as more than just the sexy, aloof alpha fox.
Maybe it was the fact that he was shorter than the other two? Maybe it was the clothes he usually wore? But Hunter wasn’t even wearing a fucking shirt and the way the sweat dripped…
Holy shit.
This was more than just shifter strength. This was dedication to making the most of that strength.
She realized the attraction she’d had to him before was…it was a fraction of what it really was as she watched him display the power he held. She’d known he had that dominance power the alpha shifters had, but this was physical, undiluted, and raw.
It made her wet as hell when he looked at her the entire time he did those pushups.
Instantly Hunter stopped and pushed himself up hard so he was now in a standing position. Kenzie always forgot he was taller than her. Always. It was some dumb brain thing because he was a lot shorter than the other two so she just forgot despite their six inch difference.
When he approached her she had to look up at him and it was disconcerting.
Kenzie cleared her throat. “Thank you for the office and computer setup. It’s perfect.”
“You’re welcome.” Hunter stared down at her and narrowed his eyes. “You’re attracted to me.”
The way he said it, she could detect a tiny hint of surprise in his voice as well as a bit of...accusation.
Kenzie felt her cheeks flush and she didn’t know what to do with her hands. They all made her feel like a teenage idiot. “Uh, yeah…I am.” It was so weird admitting it. And it wasn’t like Hunter couldn’t smell it. “Why are you so confused?”
“I didn’t think you were,” he said simply. “Not…in a sexual way.”
It was so hard not to laugh at that statement. “Why did you think I kissed you then?”
He shrugged and looked her up and down. “Because you were grateful for my help.”
Kenzie arched a brow at him and crossed her arms over her chest. The jealousy she could feel flaring in her chest shocked her. “You just let people kiss you all the time then?”
There was that fucking head tilt of his and Hunter’s eyes narrowed again. Then he moved so fast he blurred and suddenly his hand was on her neck and he’d yanked her against him. “Sometimes I let people kiss me. Do you want me to stop them from now on?”
Her hands were against his bare chest. Hunter was slick with sweat and his muscles were hard as a rock...among other things. Kenzie licked her lips as she considered how she felt. “I don’t want anyone else touching you until we decide wh
ether this bond is something we want or not.”
Somehow he got closer and Kenzie could practically feel his lips against hers. She tried not to squirm against him, against the hard length of him pressing between her legs. It made her breathing quick and erratic.
Part of what turned her on when it came to Hunter was the fact that she never knew what the fuck he was going to do. Was he going to kiss her? Would he press her up against the wall and fuck her right here and now?
Kenzie moved against him at that thought, holding onto his waist as she didn’t dare blink.
What did she want him to do?
“I can agree to that,” he said mildly. “You’re allowed to explore the bond with Ash and Finnick of course.” Then he caressed her skin with his thumb, tracing the line of her jugular. “What do you want from me?”
“Right now?” she croaked.
The corner of his mouth twitched and she could feel his amusement through the bond. “What would you want from me if we were in a relationship? What would you need if we were to be bonded? I’m not…great – at normal things. I might not be able to be what you need. So I’m asking before we go further.”
She blinked in confusion.
It wasn’t something she’d ever really considered to be honest. It wasn’t even something she’d thought about with Finnick. Not really.
“Um, loyalty and honesty,” she said, taking a step closer. Kenzie couldn’t resist the urge to press her whole body against his, to see what that felt like. “I don’t want you to ever lie to me or cheat on me.”
Hunter smiled slightly and it took her breath away. “I’m not sure I can even handle you, let alone anyone else. But I can agree to loyalty and honesty. Anything else?”
She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed up against him. The hard length of him against her belly made her ache and Kenzie stared up into Hunter’s gorgeous gold-brown eyes. “I want to know you. Having you there for me is nice, but I don’t really need someone to talk to with three of you available. I don’t think sex or affection would be too much of an issue for you…I just—I want to know who you really are.”
The lust in his eyes dimmed at her words and he caressed her jaw sweetly before releasing her.
Instantly Kenzie felt cold and bereft and…hurt.
“I don’t think you want to know who I really am,” he said, turning away from her to grab his shirt. Hunter used it to wipe off the sweat.
“Why?” she snapped, mad because she felt so defensive. Mad that she’d put herself out there and then managed to get hurt just like she’d known she would.
“I’m not a nice person,” Hunter told her, grabbing his water and taking a swig. “I don’t think you’d like who I really am.”
“I really don’t think it’s up to you to decide what I do and don’t like.” Kenzie wasn’t just mad, she was furious. “You’re a coward, not even willing to try.”
Hunter whipped around so fast she flinched, but he didn’t take a step toward her. “Watch what you say Kenzie, you might just get what you want.”
Oh she wanted to push him to the breaking point and make him show her what he hid behind that blank expression other than the flickers she could feel through the bond.
“Are you scared? Afraid I won’t like what I see and reject you?” She scoffed, knowing she was playing with fire. “I dare you to show me.”
Hunter snarled and it echoed through the room, giving her goosebumps but it wasn’t just the sound. Suddenly she was pressed up against the wall with his arms caging her. Hunter shoved his knee between her thighs and forced them apart so he could press against her.
Those sharp, partially shifted teeth made her gasp when he raked them across her throat, yet still not breaking the skin.
“I’m a monster,” he whispered into her ear, the words vibrating through her bones. “I have no soul. It would cost me nothing to destroy the world. And I’d do it all with a smile on my face.”
Despite her racing heart Kenzie arched her neck, practically begging for more. “It’s nothing the world doesn’t deserve,” she murmured, wishing he would just bite her already.
Her words made him hesitate. “I don’t think you understand. I’m not sure if I’m capable of loving you. That is the kind of monster I am.”
“You never asked about love. And I never requested it.” Kenzie gripped Hunter’s wrist and turned her head, and then bit down.
She didn’t know why she did it, some weird instinct, but the second her teeth sank into his skin Hunter groaned, though it sounded more like a growl.
“You don’t need me to love you?” he asked, burying his face in her neck to breathe deep.
Kenzie shook her head and closed her eyes, wishing he would just fuck her already. “I just need to know you,” she whispered, kissing the mark her teeth made.
Hunter rubbed his nose along her jaw as he considered.
When he finally kissed her she melted against him. All her instincts screamed to yank down his shorts, wrap her legs around his waist and ride the fuck out of him. But Hunter had her pinned against the wall and the only thing she could move was her hands.
She buried them into his thick, soft hair and yanked hard. It must have stung, but still Hunter resisted. He gripped her wrists and pinned them above her against the wall, biting her bottom lip. When she arched so more of her body touched his he pulled back, his breathing harsh as he studied her swollen lips.
“I’ll think about it. Telling someone…everything…it won’t be easy. Will you give me time?”
Kenzie nodded, licking her lips. “You have six months.”
He chuckled at that and gave her the gentlest of kisses. “I suppose that’s fair. And sex is only allowed after?”
Why the fuck were these questions so hot?
“Not necessarily,” she managed, trying not to make it painfully obvious that she meant he could take her right now and that would be totally okay with her.
“And a date?”
The Fates save her from gentlemen. “Only if you want to,” she growled. “Are you going to fuck me already?” Kenzie pressed her hips against his, practically inviting him right in.
There was that heart-stopping smile again. “No, I’m not. Maybe later though.” He released her slowly and then picked up the shirt he’d dropped, not even bothering to hide his raging hard on. “Have a good work out, Kenzie.”
Fuck.
She’d have to work her ass off to get rid of the jitters Hunter had left her with. But nothing would ease that ache except dick.
Fucking bastard.
Kenzie pulled out the heavy weights and resigned herself to a long night.
Chapter Eight
Kenzie
“Everything all right?” Ash asked her.
He could probably sense how riled up she still was from the incident with Hunter, or hell, feel it through their tiny bit of mating bond.
Thankfully Ash had come down to the gym and gotten her before she’d worn herself out. Kenzie had completely forgotten about the plan to get the next set of girls before Brad could murder them.
That was how much Hunter had fucked with her mind.
She felt a little guilty – forgetting like that. But Hunter was…he was something else.
Up until the moment when he’d asked her what she wanted from him, Kenzie hadn’t really thought Hunter was going to be an option. Sure he was nice to her and sweet and he considered her as part of his little chaos of foxes, but she didn’t think he was even really interested in her like that.
I don’t think I can love you.
Did that even really matter to her?
The hard on he’d sported and the way he somehow managed to possess her every time he touched her…it was in the way he ran his thumb along her jugular. Kenzie should have been terrified, but she’d known without a shadow of a doubt Hunter would never hurt her.
What she really needed to find out was why he thought he was a monster. Hunter was very disassociated with the r
eal world – a high functioning sociopath some would probably say. Kenzie didn’t think it would be far off the mark. But there were things he cared about – things he would do literally anything for and as he said, he would smile no matter how awful those things were because to him it was worth it.
Why did that level of dedication for a specific few turn her on so much? There had to be something wrong with her.
“Kenzie?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she told Ash, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel. “Just have a lot to think about.”
Now that she’d requested honesty and loyalty from Hunter and had basically said she wanted him to herself, Kenzie had to do the same. She had to be honest. Because she needed that from all three of them right now.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked. When she rolled her eyes Ash shrugged. “We have another hour in the car before we get there. Maybe I can help.”
The fox turned off the music and the silence between them wasn’t uncomfortable exactly, just potent. He wasn’t going to let her out of this, especially after her new demon godfather had poked and prodded at him.
Instead of answering she decided to ask him what Hunter had asked her. Maybe some ground rules between her and the foxes were a good idea.
“What would you need from me for a successful relationship?” she asked. “What do you need to be happy? Because sure, you had no choice in who your mate was, but you do have a choice in accepting me or not. Nothing and no one is forcing you to be with me.”
“Fuck Kenzie,” Ash muttered. “Way to go right for the sore spot.”
“You asked,” she reminded him, signaling to get over despite no one else being on the road. Why did all these people on the list have to live so far from the city? Probably part of Brad’s little deal when he paid them off.
Ash ran his hand over the back of his neck and considered. It was easier to talk to him in the dark, and for a moment Kenzie understood why Hunter preferred it. It was easier to think, to hear, and to feel what Ash was feeling through their bond.
