aHunter4Life (aHunter4Hire)

by Cynthia Clement

All Selena cared about was stopping. They had driven without a break since taking one of the SUV’s from the cabin. Catal hadn’t said a word about her decision to come with him to Montana. He’d helped load the children in vehicles and then they’d left. That had been four hours ago.

  Fifteen minutes later, she watched as Catal carried Tarrin into the separate bedroom of the suite they had rented for the night. It was larger than they needed, but it was the last available room. Selena threw the cellphone her brother had given her into the wastebasket. As promised, she’d contacted him and let him know that Tarrin was safe. She had also mentioned that after talking with Catal, it looked like Pablo had probably been the traitor. Now she lay across the bed. After days of worry and fear, she was exhausted. There was still one more thing to do before she could sleep.

  She needed to talk with Catal.

  They had to discuss where their relationship was headed.

  Catal came back into the room and shut Tarrin’s door. “I don’t think much would wake him now.”

  “It’s a reaction after all the terror of not knowing what was going to happen to him.” Selena sat up. “I know exactly how he feels.”

  “Get some sleep.” Catal sat in the chair by the window. “I’ll keep watch.”

  “Is that necessary?”

  He shrugged. “Force of habit more than anything else. We should be safe here. We’re in a different state, and the others won’t tell the authorities where we’re going.”

  “So we can talk without interruption.” Selena couldn’t keep the anxiety from her voice.

  What if Catal refused?

  Selena didn’t think she could bear that. Now that she had found him again, there was no way she would be able to leave him. He was essential for her existence. He had invaded her thoughts and her soul. To move ahead together, they had to be clear about what their expectations were.

  “If that is what you want.” Catal leaned forward in his chair.

  Selena cleared her throat. “You haven’t said a word since I agreed to come with you.”

  “What’s there to say?” Catal’s jaw tightened. “I appreciate that you are traveling with me to see Ardal. It’s important that Tarrin understand his heritage. Ardal is clan Rioge, a leader. He will oversee and be responsible for Tarrin, just as he is for all Hunters on this planet.”

  “That’s not why I came with you.” Selena touched his arm. “I want to be with you.”

  Catal frowned. “You’ve said you always loved me, but you may still leave me. I will accept whatever your decision is.”

  “Just like that?” Selena couldn’t keep the exasperation from her voice. “What about fighting for what you want?”

  “I fight all the time.”

  “I mean do you care enough to fight for me and Tarrin.” Selena threw her hands down on her lap.

  “You’re a woman.” Catal’s voice showed confusion. “You make the decisions and I must accept them. I am bonded to you for life. There will be no other woman for me, but you.”

  “And that means you will just let me go?”

  “Never.” Catal shook his head. “I want you to be my mate, but I can’t force you. I obey the Sacred Code and that means I honor a woman’s wishes.”

  Selena tilted her head. “I haven’t issued you any orders.”

  It was suddenly clear to Selena. Despite being bonded to her, Catal would not force her to stay. She had rejected him once. She was the one who had to make him believe that she wanted him always. It was crazy. Catal had moved heaven and earth to find Tarrin, he had taken a bullet protecting them, and yet he didn’t trust that she would always want him as her mate.

  There was only one thing she could do.

  “So you have to obey women?” Selena stood.

  “Women make the decisions on Cygnus.” Catal’s eyes narrowed as he watched her approach.

  “Well I’ve made a decision.” Selena squatted down in front of Catal and put her hands on his knees. “I am bonded to you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I’ve decided that there is only one man for me.”

  Selena paused and looked directly into Catal’s eyes. “I want you to marry me.”

  “You want me as your mate forever?” Catal’s voice held awe.

  “Yes.” Selena stroked a finger down his hand. “I was a foolish child when we were first bonded. I had been sheltered and knew nothing about the world or how others could manipulate it.”

  “You know I didn’t betray you.” There was a catch in his voice as she bent her head and kissed his hand.

  “True.” Selena leaned back and smiled up at him. “I should have spoken to you about the incident. I loved you, but I didn’t trust myself, or our love enough, to ask the tough questions. That’s how mature people work things out. Running away only made it worse.”

  “At first, I thought something had happened to you.” Catal’s fingers twisted around hers. “I searched for you always, even after I had accepted that you didn’t want me to find you. I never stopped desiring you.”

  “I was a foolish girl.” Selena stood. “Now I am a woman. I know what I need.”

  Catal’s eyes never left hers. “And what is that?”

  “You.”

  Selena leaned down and placed a light kiss on Catal’s lips. A gleam of light appeared in his eyes. She held her breath, waiting for his reaction. It didn’t take long. Before she had taken a second breath, he had gathered her in his arms, and was carrying her to the bed.

  “I hope you’re certain.” Catal’s arms tightened around her. “I couldn’t bear to lose you again.”

  “I have no intention of letting you go.” Selena clasped her hands around his neck. “Do you know how many nights I couldn’t sleep because the memory of your kisses haunted me?”

  “Every waking hour, I longed to hold you again. You invaded my thoughts. I would be pleasuring you in my dreams, only to be torn from your arms by the dawn of a new day.”

  “Then let’s not waste any time.”

  Catal captured her lips in a searing kiss. His tongue delved into her mouth and explored with a hunger that couldn’t be denied. Selena answered him back, pulling him closer until there was no space between them. Her body burned with the desire she had suppressed.

  She couldn’t wait any longer.

  She brought her hand down along the front of Catal’s shirt and pulled it up from the bottom. “You have too many clothes on.”

  “So do you.” Catal laid her on the bed and then joined her. “Let me help you.”

  One by one his fingers fumbled with the small buttons of her blouse until he had the shirt open. He pushed it aside and ran his palm over her stomach, before moving up to her breasts. His fingers feathered across the lacy front of her bra and a sharp jolt of electricity shot through her. Her body flushed with warmth and yearning.

  Catal unzipped, and moved her jeans and underwear off her hips. His fingers trailed down her legs as he pulled the pants off her. Liquid heat flowed where he touched. His lips and tongue traced a path upwards. When he reached her stomach, he stopped and frowned. His finger traced over the faint white scar across her lower abdomen.

  “This is new.” He looked up at her. “What’s it from?”

  “I had Tarrin by Caesarian.”

  “They cut him out of you?” Catal’s voice held horror.

  “He was a large baby.” Selena took his hand in hers. “I was too small to deliver him naturally.”

  “I should have been there.” He shook his head. “I can’t imagine how you could have gone through that alone.”

  “It was my decision.” Selena smiled. “Can you forgive me for keeping Tarrin a secret?”

  Catal’s eyes widened. “There is nothing to forgive. The choice has always been yours.”

  “Then I chose to continue making love.” She pulled him up beside her. “Now you need to get rid of your clothes.”

  “As you command.”

  Catal pulled off his shirt and then his pants. He thr
ew them on the floor. Then he lay down beside her on the bed. His arms encircled her and pulled her close as he started to kiss her. All thoughts ceased as his hands roamed over her body, pushing and pulling the rest of her clothes off, until she was as naked as him.

  She trembled with need.

  Their passion burned.

  Too many years had passed, and the hunger was too great, for them to take their time. All Selena wanted was to feel him deep within her. Only that would ease the ache that had been with her since the moment she had ran away from him. Even in her anger at his supposed betrayal, she had known that she would only feel whole with Catal by her side. The bond they shared was unique.

  Catal’s hands became more insistent. He skimmed over her back and then flitted across her breasts. A sharp jolt of desire touched her womb. Her hips moved against him in a restless invitation for more. He didn’t disappoint.

  His lips left hers and moved along her neck and then her breasts. His tongue flicked across one nipple sending a shudder of pleasure throughout her. A delicious tension built within. He left her breasts and moved down to her stomach. His lips caressed her abdomen, licking and soothing every inch of her scar until she was a molten ache of need.

  Then he shifted lower.

  He moved her thighs apart with his hands, letting them smooth across her skin. Shards of bliss jolted through her and settled in her inner core. His fingers caressed and teased. It had been too long since she’d felt his touch. She couldn’t wait any longer.

  Her need was too great.

  She reached down and grabbed his shoulders. She pulled him closer. Catal inhaled sharply and then lifted her to him. He watched her face as he entered her with a slow, steady motion. She closed her eyes and savored each delicious sensation that spread through her as inch by inch he slid into her. When he filled her completely, he paused.

  She opened her eyes and smiled. “It’s like coming home after a long exile. How could I have lived without this?”

  “You won’t have to ever again.” Catal pulled back and thrust deep. “I will always be here for you, as long as you desire me.”

  A shiver of delight raced through her. “That will be forever.”

  All thought ceased as Catal continued to stroke within her. The tight spiral of tension that had been building was close to the edge. She lost herself in the joy of joining with the one man who completed her. Together, they moved with a rhythm that their bodies remembered until they both exploded into ecstasy.

  They shuddered with the aftermath of their lovemaking.

  Catal gathered Selena close.

  She cuddled into Catal’s chest. “I missed you.”

  “Every day you were in my thoughts.” Catal pulled the sheets over them. “A Hunter only bonds once. Our myths told of the despair he would feel if he was parted from his mate. The truth is worse than the legends.”

  Selena kissed his chest. “Never again. We must promise each other to always discuss our concerns.”

  “No matter what we have to talk about, or however painful it might seem, nothing could be as bad as these years apart.”

  She looked up at him and marvelled that he was here with her. It was as if a light had been switched on. She basked in the brilliance of its glow now. With Catal by her side, she could face anything. She reached up and touched his stubble roughened jaw. He hadn’t thought about anything but saving Tarrin and Gates these past few days.

  “I love you.” She blinked back the tears in her eyes. “I don’t ever want to be parted from you again.”

  He bent and brushed his lips across hers. “I will want only you for the rest of my life. You and Tarrin are the only things that matter to me.”

  “You can’t forget you’re a Hunter.”

  “No.” He gazed at her with unblinking eyes. “But I will give it up for you.”

  “You’ll walk away?”

  “If that’s what you need.” Catal kissed her forehead. “I am bonded to you. You are the only thing that matters. These past years have been hell. I can’t go through that again.”

  “You won’t have to.”

  Selena put her hand on his chest. His heart beat at a frantic pace. It beat only for her. For the first time, she really understood what that meant. He would walk away from his brothers if that was what she needed. At one time she had abhorred everything he stood for. Now she knew better.

  Catal stood for honor and justice.

  “I could never ask you to turn your back on who you are.” Selena inhaled and looked up at him. “Loving someone means accepting everything about them.”

  Catal frowned. “You hate violence.”

  “I love you.” Selena’s voice’s was a low whisper. “You help others. I see that now.”

  “I haven’t always been on the right side of the law. That won’t change in the future.”

  “You were always a Hunter.” Selena kissed his chest. “Even when you worked for my brother, your unit didn’t do everything he ordered.”

  “It was against the Sacred Code.” Catal’s tone was puzzled.

  “That’s what I mean.” Selena smiled up at him. “Despite all of the horrors humans put you through, you still respected your code. You didn’t harm women or children. You still had honor.”

  Catal swallowed. “You don’t hate me for hiring out as a mercenary?”

  Selena shook her head. “You had few choices.”

  “What does this mean for us?”

  “You are a Hunter.” Selena kissed his chin. “You fight for righteousness and that is a noble cause. I am proud of you.”

  Catal exhaled. “So you don’t want me to leave the others?”

  “No. I love the man you are today.” Selena stroked up his chest. “I loved the man you were before, but I was too young to understand what that meant.”

  “I didn’t believe that I was bonded either.” Catal shuddered. “By Cygnus and Warrior, I cannot lose you again.”

  “So many wasted years.” Selena felt tears prick her eyes.

  “Nothing was wasted. We learned how precious the gift of our bonding is.”

  Catal pulled her close and captured her lips. A fiery heat pulsed through her. His fingers framed her face and chin sending delicious jolts of sensation racing across her skin. He increased the pressure of his lips and she opened for him. The feel and smell of him was intoxicating. He had always been ready to make love. She reached out and stroked his hardened manhood.

  A shiver of delight pulsed through her.

  Catal never disappointed.

  She’d been too innocent to realize how rare that was, but now she knew better. In the past, they had made love all night long. Molten heat settled in her womb at the thought of his stamina. She ached to feel him deep within her again.

  “Love me.” Her voice was husky with desire.

  “Always.”

  Catal held her hands above her head and then brushed his lips over hers. She arched her body toward him, but he moved to the side. His free hand stroked and fondled her breasts. She trembled as exquisite bliss flooded her senses. Anticipation and yearning throbbed within her.

  “I intend to pleasure you all night long.” His voice was low and seductive.

  His tongue darted between her lips and slid over hers. She moaned and curled her tongue around his, savoring each delightful stroke. By the time his lips moved away, a restless heat suffused her body. His mouth roamed lower, nipping and soothing along her neck until he reached her breasts.

  His tongue flicked across a nipple, tasting and licking before taking it into his mouth and sucking. A jolt of intense rapture vibrated every nerve in her body. Tension coiled and tightened within her.

  She was on the edge of climax.

  She arched her hips, begging Catal for the release she craved. Instead, he moved to her other breast and repeated his ministrations. Her head thrashed from side to side as the taunt spiral of pleasure became almost unbearable. Only then did Catal enter her.

  His penetration tr
iggered a shudder of ecstasy that exploded into bliss.

  He continued to move within her as she reached fulfillment time and again. Only when she was completely satiated did she feel Catal shake with his own release.

  She must have slept.

  She surfaced from what felt like a fog, to feel Catal’s fingers stroking the sensitive skin on her inner thigh. His lips were a light caress against her neck. She shivered as a spark of excitement came to life again. She felt boneless with satisfaction, but she couldn’t deny the hunger Catal’s touch caused.

  “You’re insatiable.”

  “I have eight years of loving to make up for.”

  Who was she to argue with a man on a mission?

  She surrender to his expert touch, letting herself get lost once again in his lovemaking.

  Chapter 20

  They reached the reservation late in the afternoon of the next day. Catal had driven non-stop from the hotel. When they arrived at the house, Niail’s mate, Kimi, had shown Selena the room that they would be staying in. Selena was exhausted and was now sleeping. Catal felt a twinge of guilt because he’d been the reason she hadn’t slept the night before.

  Ardal, and his mate Fiona, hadn’t arrived yet.

  He’d already heard from the other Hunters that all the children had been delivered safely to their homes. The last child was Gates, and Partlan was taking the boy home personally. The others were on their way to the reservation to meet up with Ardal. They’d arrive sometime tomorrow.

  Catal surveyed the landscape of the reservation and relaxed. The air was clean and there was open space as far as you could see. Niail had assured him they would be safe, and Catal had to agree. No electricity or communication with the rest of the world offered an invisibility that was hard to find on this planet.

  He felt right in his soul for the first time.

  Selena was in his life, and her love made all of the anger he’d felt toward humans, dissipate. He’d been lucky to be able to witness Ardal and Fiona together. Ardal was the first Hunter to find his mate, and that’s when Catal had learned that some humans were good. Selena’s love had also taught him that anything was possible. There was one thing he had left to do.