First Hunt [Diablo Falls]

by Alexis Calder

  I glanced over at her covered arm. There was a way to tell if she was a hunter. I'd met enough of them in my life to know that one look under her sleeve would tell me everything I knew. For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to do it and I had no idea why I was so terrified to find out.

  The only thing I knew was that I owed her. If she was a hunter, she clearly wasn't very good. She'd spent the last hour with a shifter and said nothing. She did nothing. She made no threats against me. If anything the only thing this meant was that I needed to send her on her way as quickly as possible.

  I grabbed my cell phone and made a call. I was going to need some help when I got home.

  Chapter 6

  Violet

  My head pounded and my tongue felt like sandpaper. I groaned and rolled over, forcing myself to swallow. My mouth tasted like copper. With careful movements, I adjusted my position then opened my eyes.

  Everything started to come back to me. The restaurant, the waitress, the demon, and Jackson. I sat up too quickly and the whole room spun, bile rising in my throat. I covered my mouth with my hand and swallowed it back. Sinking back into the pillows, I took a few deep breaths with my eyes closed before risking opening them again.

  This time, the room stayed still and I was able to look around. I was in a small bedroom. The double bed I was in was covered in a red and blue quilt. The walls of the room were covered in wood panels and everything smelled like cedar. A tiny bedside table was next to the bed. A lamp and a glass of water on top of it. At the foot of the bed was a cedar chest piled high with folded quilts.

  The single window had thin, red and white striped curtains and I could see sunlight filtering in through them. It looked brighter than it should be based on the time I'd last seen the sun.

  I glanced around for a clock, wondering what time it was. Had I slept all night? How long had I been here? Where was I?

  The door opened and a tall, lean woman with sandy hair and ice blue eyes walked in. She was probably in her early twenties and was dressed in a similar manner as Jackson had been: jeans and a long sleeve button up shirt.

  She stopped just past the threshold then turned and closed the door behind her. "You're up."

  "What time is it?" I asked.

  "Two," she said.

  "I slept all day?" I asked.

  "You slept all night too," she said.

  "Where am I?" I asked.

  "The Double Horn Ranch. Jackson brought you in last night. You're pretty beat up. How you feeling?"

  "Everything hurts," I admitted.

  She walked over to me and sat down on the edge of the bed. She opened the drawer to of the nightstand and pulled out a bottle of Advil. After pouring a few pills in her hand she passed them to me, then handed me the water. "It'll help take the edge off."

  I accepted the pills gratefully, hoping they could help reduce the throbbing in my face.

  "Why the hell did you take on that asshole?" she asked.

  "Horace?" I asked, remembering the big guy's name.

  "He's serious business," she said. "You could have just run away."

  I shook my head, then instantly regretted it as the room began to spin again. I took a deep breath to regain control. "He was hurting Jackson. Jackson helped me."

  She smiled. "You seem nice. For a hunter."

  My eyes widened.

  "Someone had to get you cleaned up."

  I looked down at my clothes and realized I wasn't in the same thing I'd been wearing. Someone had changed me into an old band tee-shirt and boxer shorts. My shoulders slumped. "Fuck."

  "Yeah, fuck," she agreed.

  "Wait a minute," I said. "How do you know? Are you a hunter?"

  She laughed. "You're new, aren't you?"

  I felt my cheeks heat. "I guess so."

  "I'm not a hunter," she said. "I'm one of the things you're supposed to be hunting."

  "I'm not a real hunter," I said. "I left them. I never even made a kill."

  "That's not true," she said. "And I should know. I spent an hour scrubbing demon blood off of you."

  I felt the blood drain from my face. She was right. I'd killed. I swore I wasn't going to but I'd done it anyway.

  "Thank you," I said. "For helping me."

  "We're not all bad, you know." The woman stood. "I didn't tell Jackson yet. I'll let you tell him."

  "He knows about hunters?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

  "He's another one of those things you swore to kill when you got that tattoo." She walked to the door and let herself out.

  I closed my eyes and layed my head back against the pillow. What had I gotten myself in to? If Jackson was a supernatural creature how had I missed it? I had to be the worst hunter ever.

  The minutes seemed to drag by as I focused on my breathing. My face throbbed and my lip stung. My shoulders ached and my hip was bruised. For the first time, I understood why the trainers had told us we'd be grateful for our injuries during training. We had to learn to fight through them. To ignore them and continue on with our life.

  I opened my eyes and tossed the covers off of me, wincing in pain as I moved. The room spun again and I cursed under my breath before falling back agains the pillows. I wanted to leave. To get up and move around. But I knew I wasn't going anywhere fast until I could sit without felling like I was on a carousel.

  A gentle knock sounded on the door and I turned toward it, my heart pounding in anticipation.

  "Violet?" Jackson said.

  "Yeah," I called.

  He opened the door and walked in, a smile on his face. I swore his shoulders sagged in relief when he saw me.

  My heart sank. He wasn't going to be as relieved once he found out what I was.

  "I'm so glad you're okay," he said as he made his way over to the bed. He stood in front of it and fidgeted awkwardly.

  "Sit." I patted the bed.

  He looked relieved as he sat down next to me. "You're insane, you know that?"

  "Maybe," I said.

  "I was so worried about you."

  "Thanks for taking care of me," I said.

  "That was all Cori," he said. "She's the one who got you all fixed up."

  "She seems great," I said.

  "Yeah, we're lucky she was in town. She's been traveling a lot lately." He paused but looked like he wanted to say more.

  I took the chance to speak. "Listen, there's something I have to tell you."

  "You don't have to say anything."

  "But I really do," I said.

  "No, you don't. You saved my life, I owe you."

  "You picked me up off the side of the road, I think we're square," I said. "I have to tell you this."

  "I figured out that the alpaca farm was a lie," he said with a grin.

  I laughed, then winced.

  "You need to take it easy." He stood. "I should go. Let you rest."

  I grabbed his sleeve and tugged. "No, stay."

  He let out a heavy sigh. "Violet, sometimes there's things about people you just don't want to hear."

  "I know. But I have to tell you."

  He sat down on the bed. "Okay."

  I knew I shouldn't care. As long as I got out of here alive, what did it matter? Why did I care so much what this stranger thought of me? He was a supernatural. I still didn't even know what kind of creature he was. I knew I should be terrified. I'd been taught to fear and hate all of them. But there was nothing in me telling me to fear him. Nothing telling me to run.

  "First, I want you to know that I left. I'm not like my family. But I was raised as a hunter." Time seemed to freeze as I waited for his answer.

  Chapter 7

  Jackson

  Her words didn't surprise me. Not really. I suspected when I found her knife but didn't want to believe it. Now, the question was where did I go from here? Right now, I wasn't ready to send her away. She seemed so clueless. For a hunter, she wasn't very good at her job.

  I'd never met a hunter who traveled alone. I'd also never met a
hunter who wasn't weary of new people or crazy suspicious. I thought it was pretty clear what I was but to a human hunter, shifters could still blend in. We were stronger and larger than most humans but we weren't outside the realm of reality.

  "Thank you," she said.

  "For what?" I asked, surprised.

  "For helping me after that thing fell on me." She straightened in the bed, pulling herself into a more upright position.

  I could tell it was uncomfortable for her to move but I didn't intervene. I wouldn't want someone to help me and I had a feeling she was similar in that regard. She'd killed a demon on her own. "Why'd you kill it?"

  "It was trying to hurt you," she said.

  "That's it? Not the whole honor-bound to destroy all supernatural beings?" I asked.

  "I told you. I left that life behind. It's not my calling."

  I leaned over and gently lifted the sleeve of her shirt revealing the tattoo then dropped the sleeve and leaned back.

  She tugged her arm away from me, cradling it with her other arm as if she were protecting it. "It's harder than you think to say no to everything you know. To walk away from your whole family. Your whole life."

  I stood. "You should rest."

  She clenched her jaw. I could tell she was furious with me but I didn't have the energy to deal with this right now. We hardly knew each other. The smart thing to do would be to throw her out immediately. The kind thing to do was to throw her out after she healed. The absolute stupidest thing to do would be to let her stay.

  I walked away from the room before I could tell her what I was actually thinking. It wasn't a great idea to tell a hunter that you understood what she did. That you found yourself inexplicably drawn to her. That you wanted her to stay with you.

  I was definitely leaning toward stupid decisions.

  The house smelled of fresh brewed coffee. I wandered into the kitchen to find Cori sitting at the table, sipping from her mug. I grabbed a cup and filled it, then joined her at the table.

  "How'd she take it?" she asked.

  My brow furrowed.

  "She didn't tell you?"

  "She told me she was a hunter if that's what you're asking." I took a sip of the bitter black liquid.

  "And when you told her you were a shifter?" she asked.

  "I didn't tell her."

  Cori lifted her brows. "Did she ask?"

  I shook my head.

  "Odd. I told her we were supernatural but didn't tell her what we were. I thought for sure she'd want to know."

  "She said she left her family. Gave all that up. She said she never wanted to be a hunter," I said.

  Cori stood and walked to the counter. She came back with Violet's knife and set it in the middle of the table. "For someone who didn't want to be a hunter, she sure was prepared."

  "Most human women carry tasers or pepper spray," I said. "What's the difference?"

  "The difference is that this is designed with a specific intention."

  "Why do you think she didn't ask me?" I asked, changing the subject.

  "Maybe she's telling the truth." Cori shrugged. "Or maybe she's waiting till you fall asleep so she can kill you."

  I chuckled. "That's a pretty elaborate set up to take out a single shifter."

  "Maybe," Cori said. "I don't know a lot of hunters but the few I'm met are insane. True believers convinced of their authority and importance."

  "I don't think she's like that," I said.

  "Or are you thinking with your cock?" she asked.

  "Why does everyone keep asking that?" I said. "She needed help. I helped her. Just because I'm not ready to condemn her on the basis of where she was born and who her parents were doesn't mean I'm looking for a booty call."

  "She's pretty cute, though," Cori said. "You gotta admit that."

  "Yeah, she is." I took another drink, keeping the steaming mug up by my mouth longer than necessary to give myself a moment to think. Finally, I set the cup down, then stood. "I'm going to talk to her again."

  Cori stood, then handed me the knife. "Take this with you. Maybe she'll stab you and get it over with quickly."

  I shook my head but grabbed the knife.

  "I'm out of here but I'll come by tomorrow to see if there's a body that needs taken care of," she said with a smile on her face.

  "There are three wolf shifters that live here. You think we can't handle one hunter?" I asked.

  "What if it's her body that needs taken care of?" she asked.

  "Tuche. Come on, I'll walk you out."

  Chapter 8

  Violet

  As soon as he left, I was off the bed. The pain made me move slower, but the Advil kicked in enough to take the edge off. Breathing through it, I made my way to the door and opened it a crack.

  I could hear Jackson and Cori talking. About me. And it wasn't sounding good. They were wolf shifters? And so were his brothers? So I was stuck in a strange house with three wolf shifters. I frowned. If he'd shifted, I bet he could have taken the demon. Instead, I'd blown my cover and his remained a secret.

  Suddenly, I wondered if I'd been the only human in the restaurant he'd taken me to. Thinking back, I realized most of the people there did not look normal. Fuck. I really was the worst hunter. It was a good thing I'd decided not to make it my life's work. I'd probably already be dead had I gone on the assignment my family sent me on.

  "Touche. Come on, I'll walk you to the door," Jackson said.

  I heard footsteps and knew that this was my chance. I was weaponless, penniless, and had no idea where I was. All I knew was that the conversation between Cori and Jackson did not sound like it was going to end well for me.

  Pushing the door open slowly, I crept through the door. My bare feet making no sound as I tiptoed over the wood floor. I could see the kitchen and two abandoned mugs. That must be where Cori and Jackson had been. Through the kitchen, I saw a door but no sign of the shifters.

  Hoping they went through another door, I made my way into the kitchen. Quickly, I turned the deadbolt and unlocked the doorknob. Then, without looking back, I threw it open and closed it behind me.

  I took off at a run but didn't get far.

  Sliding to a stop, I tried to ignore the pain as I stared up at two men who were obviously Jackson's brothers. They were both over six feet. In fact, I think they were taller than Jackson. They had the same dark hair and muscular build. One of them was clean shaven while the other had a full beard.

  They were both only wearing jeans which meant I had a very nice view of their broad chests and washboard abs. Seriously, what the hell did they feed these guys? They had no right to be this sexy. And three of them all in the same family? That wasn't fair at all. Maybe it was a shifter thing. I'd been told a whole lot of lies.

  "Well, well. You must be Jackson's new friend," one of them said.

  "Where are you going to with no shoes?" the other asked.

  "Away," I said. "Please let me pass."

  "I'm afraid we can't let you do that," the one with the beard said. "Our mother raised us to be gentlemen."

  "Please, just let me go."

  "And where are you going to go?" Jackson's voice came from behind me.

  I turned toward him and glanced at my knife tucked into his belt. "I don't want any trouble."

  Jackson pulled the knife out of his belt and I tensed, wondering if I could outrun him. In human form, maybe. If he shifted, I was done.

  He turned the knife so the blade was facing him and extended his hand, offering it to me. "You left this behind."

  Jackson's walked around me, joining their brother in front of me. The bearded one looked at the knife. "Is that Fae metal?"

  "Yeah," I said.

  "Beautiful craftsmanship," the other said.

  "Thanks." I took the knife from Jackson before he could change his mind.

  "You know, it isn't very effective on shifters," Jackson said.

  "I didn't bring it for shifters," I said. "It's spelled to take out demons." />
  "I noticed," he said.

  "We're missing something," the clean-shaven brother whispered.

  I turned to them. "I grew up in a hunter compound, okay?"

  "I was not expecting that," clean-shaven brother said.

  "Does she have the tattoo and everything?" the bearded brother asked.

  "She does," I said. None of this was going as I expected. They seemed fascinated by my hunter title rather than worried about it.

  "It's kind of hot," he said.

  Jackson stepped forward. "Ignore them. They nave no manners."

  Both men were grinning at me. I should have been annoyed but just like with Jackson, I found myself wondering what they looked like with no clothes on. Something is seriously wrong with me. For some reason, these brothers had me acting like I was in heat. I wanted take them all back to the bedroom with me despite the throbbing in my face.

  "Jordan, just finish the fence," Jackson said.

  The bearded brother winked at me then walked away from us.

  "Need some help getting her back in bed?" the other brother asked.

  "I got this, Jake," Jackson said.

  Jake leaned closer to me. I could smell sweat mixed with leather. I breathed deeper and his scent nearly made me feel light headed. "I'm here if you want anything."

  I stumbled as I took an involuntary step away from him. Jake seemed pleased at my response. He cocked an eyebrow that made his smirk look borderline dangerous. I bit down on the inside of my lip. Holy shit. These brothers were like pure pheromones. Was that a wolf shifter thing?

  Jackson set his hand on the small of my back, gently turning me so I was facing him. A breeze blew past him, blowing my hair in front of my eyes. He moved it out of the way and as he leaned closer the breeze carried the scent of his smoky musk. My knees felt wobbly.

  I wasn't supposed to be falling for a group of wolf shifters. I'd been raised to hunt their kind and kill them. Yet, here I was, practically drooling over them. My supposed enemy. They knew what I was and where I'd come from but instead of hurting me, they were taking care of me.