A Hunter's Choice [The Hunters 2] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Suzy Shearer

  “Live şi lupta cu onoarea, Julie.”

  Honoured that he would greet her before the others, Julie stumbled slightly over the words but she returned the greeting, “Live şi lupta cu onoarea, Viorel.”

  Viorel then greeted Louisa and Tomas.

  “Where is Martin and the woman, what is her name?”

  “They should be here soon, her name is Avril,” Michael answered, then went to hug Louisa and kiss her before greeting Julie.

  “Would you like coffee or tea, Viorel, or would you prefer to wait until we eat?”

  “Thank you, Julie, if you don’t mind I would love a cup of tea.”

  Julie headed for the kitchen and Louisa followed her, and just as they reached the door Michael shouted.

  “Don’t forget those yummy biscuits, Julie!”

  “You ate them all,” she shouted back.

  “I know but you have some stashed I bet.”

  “Biscuits? Homemade ones?” Viorel asked Michael hopefully.

  “Yeah, Julie makes great ones.”

  Viorel came into the kitchen closely followed by the other two.

  Julie had just pulled out a couple of tins filled with goodies when he approached her.

  “I think I should take charge of these for you. Michael tends to forget others are around.”

  Julie went to give the containers to him when Tomas slid between her and Viorel.

  “Come off it, Viorel, we all know you are as bad as Michael.”

  It was just the banter needed to make Julie relax and she was laughing with the others in a few seconds. They all argued over who would get to hold the tins when Louisa announced the tea was made and that she would be in charge.

  “I need a bigger kitchen.”

  “I think we need to make it twice as big as we had planned, iubită, with this crowd there is barely enough room to turn.”

  Everyone headed back into the family room just as the doorbell rang, Milly running to the door, her tail wagging furiously.

  “That’s Martin and Avril.”

  “Come in,” shouted Louisa, “the door’s unlocked.”

  “Is that fresh biscuits I smell?”

  Martin was eyeing off the tins in Louisa’s hands as he and Avril entered.

  Viorel gave a sudden gasp and sank into a chair, holding a hand over his heart. Worriedly, everyone looked at him. He was sitting with a stunned look on his face. Tears began to fall from his eyes.

  Louisa gave the tins to Michael and quickly went to him. She knelt in front of him, her hands on his knees.

  “Viorel? Viorel, are you okay?”

  No one had noticed Avril in the commotion until Martin looked over at her. She had the same stunned look on her face as Viorel.

  Martin laughed loudly with joy. “Congratulations, Avril, Viorel.”

  He took Avril by the hand and led her to Viorel. Louisa stood, a hand to her mouth in surprise.

  “Viorel, allow me to introduce you to your One. Avril, this is Viorel.”

  Viorel seemed so overcome with emotion, ignoring the tears falling from his eyes, that he could do nothing but stare at Avril. Avril seemed just as stunned but then an amazing smile filled her face and she knelt down to take his hands in hers.

  No one spoke, they just watched as Viorel looked into the face of the woman who had been destined for him since his birth almost three thousand years ago.

  “I…I…” he stammered as more tears fell. He took a breath and continued, “I never thought, all these years I just gave up. I…”

  Avril laid her head against his.

  Michael and the others moved back into the kitchen to give them a semblance of privacy for this momentous event.

  “I can’t believe it! Imagine living alone for so many millennia and then when you least expect it, to finally meet your mate. I bet he can’t believe it, I know I can’t.”

  Martin looked at the others. They all wore the same dazed expression.

  Julie looked at Tomas. “I can’t imagine how he must feel. To go so many thousands of years all alone! He must have long given up on thinking he would meet his mate.”

  He pulled her into his arms. They all had the same thought. Soft whispers came from the family room as Avril and Viorel finally began to speak. It was impossible not hear them.

  “Iubită, I never thought,” he repeated. “To find you. To see you, to hold you, to love you.” His voice broke with emotion.

  “Hush, I’m here now and we will be together from this moment onward.”

  They all heard them both crying. After about ten minutes they heard Viorel call to them. They re-entered the family room. Avril was cuddled on Viorel’s knee, both their eyes sparkling with tears and the broadest smile on both their faces.

  “Thank you, thank you for saving my Avril. Thank you for all you have done for her, for protecting her.” He shook his head. “No, thank you is not enough.”

  “Never saw that coming, congratulations, my friend.” Michael grinned at him. “Avril, I think you should take him home so the pair of you can get to know one another without us. There is so much you both will want to say and do without us.”

  “Thank you. I do want to know so much.” She stood and shyly held out her hand for Viorel. “Will you come with me to my house?”

  Viorel had only eyes for Avril as he stood and put his hand into hers. She led him toward the door. He turned back.

  “I was going to talk about your strigoaică but…well…this is so new. I guess we’ll talk to you all tomorrow. Goodnight.”

  Everyone added their goodbyes to the couple, then sat as they heard the car driving away.

  Julie voiced what they were all thinking, “I wonder if Viorel had thought he would never meet his mate. I mean, after so many thousands of years. I think I would have gone crazy.”

  Louisa brushed aside a tear. “He is a very strong man, but all the same it must have been such a lonely life for him. I’m so glad.”

  “Is he the oldest Hunter that had not found his mate?” Julie asked the others.

  “No, there is one other Anthanasius Vaduva. I told you about him.” Michael looked sad as he answered, “He is one of the original Hunters.”

  “Original? Oh my goodness. He must be thousands of years old!”

  “Yes he is, over four thousand four hundred years. As I said he is to Hunters what you would call a king. He is an amazing man and we all look at him with much honour.”

  Julie looked shocked. How anyone could conceivably be that age and be alone for all those thousands of years made her eyes fill with tears.

  “How strong he must be to be so alone and not go insane.” She shook her head, so incomprehensible to her to imagine living that long.

  “So all the others have mates?”

  “Well, those alive do. Four were killed very early on when the Hunters were still learning their skills. Then one entered the sun when his mate died. Three more also entered the sun—they couldn’t cope with being alone for thousands of years.” Michael’s voice hardened. “And three more were killed by mortals, trapped and murdered in fear.”

  He was silent a few minutes then continued, “So there are nine of the original twenty still on this earth, including Viorel’s father.”

  It was too much for Julie to fathom, the way these men lived for thousands of years. She gave a giggle and Tomas looked at her enquiringly.

  “I was just thinking how strange it is to hear you talk about living for thousands of year and then I realised that I’m going to do just that.”

  He kissed her and Louisa grinned. “I still get overwhelmed by the numbers, too, Julie.”

  Julie picked up her tea, but it had gone cold. She gathered the mugs and went back out into the kitchen to make fresh ones, her thoughts on the couple that had just found each other. Tomas came out, stood behind her and put his arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder.

  “Totally amazing and wonderful!”

  Julie nodded her head in agreement. To
mas helped her carry the mugs back inside, where they discovered Martin and Michael helping themselves to the biscuits. Martin looked up and nodded his thanks as Julie passed him a mug.

  “I’ve been thinking if we go out early tomorrow, before the sun sets. Then we could pour holy water over the threshold of the strigoaică’s lair. We should then be able to kill it without any risks to anyone.”

  “Yes, I was thinking the same thing, Martin. We stopped off on the way and got a supply of holy water.” Michael grabbed another biscuit before continuing, “It would be so much easier if we could always do that.”

  “Why can’t you?”

  “Well, if we know where they are then we tend to Julie, but often we have no idea of the location of the lair. So when we find one we just destroy it regardless. If we wait until sunrise, there’s a chance the strigoi knows we’re after it and will desert the lair and find another.”

  They discussed ways to hunting, mainly for Julie’s benefit, for another hour, then Julie and Louisa made a meal of sweet chilli and tofu stir-fry and jasmine rice. When the meal was finished, they went back into the family room to drink tea and chat.

  About midnight, Michael stood.

  “Think we’ll go home.” He raised an eyebrow. “Martin, you better come with us. I think your room may be occupied.” Everyone laughed as Martin answered.

  “Good idea. Anyway, once we destroy the strigoaică tomorrow night then I guess I’ll be assigned somewhere else.”

  Tomas looked in surprise at Martin. “Gee, I was thinking we could be partners for a while if we didn’t locate Avril’s mate. Guess I’ll have Viorel. Although he is a council member and travels all over the world. Wonder what will happen now?”

  “Good question, kiddo. Maybe Viorel will tell us tomorrow. Anyway, we’ll be here about five, that’ll give us plenty of time to fly out, then destroy the beast. The sun doesn’t set until just after six.”

  The three of them bade Tomas and Julie goodnight then dematerialised, leaving Julie and Tomas alone.

  “I still can’t believe it. Viorel is a good man, and a great friend. How he had survived all these years alone I just don’t know. He threw himself into organising the council thousands of years ago, maybe that’s what has kept him sane.”

  “I have enough trouble getting my head around your age, to know someone has lived for thousands of years. The worlds he must have seen, the lives he has lived. He would be a walking encyclopaedia!”

  They sat in companionable silence for a while.

  “Want to try a little flying?”

  “Now?” Julie was excited at the idea. “Please, yes.”

  “Okay, come, let’s go outside. We’ll only fly around here, just to get you used to it. I don’t want to travel far from the house.”

  Tomas took her hand and led her into the backyard.

  “This works in the same ways as when you changed into a wolf. Keep the image foremost in your mind. You will naturally fly but in the beginning it feels a little weird, especially with the wind.”

  Julie felt Tomas merge with her and watch as he changed back and forth into an owl. After several times he made her do it with him, “holding her mind” until he was confident she was able to control her image.

  “Ready? Let’s fly.”

  Julie changed back into her owl and spread her wings. Hesitantly, she launched herself into the air. After a few clumsy strokes with her wings, she got the hang of it and flew around the yard.

  “Let’s go around the house, iubită.”

  Tomas changed and flew close to her. They circled the house, Julie revelling in the freedom. Tomas allowed her the chance to fly higher. She swooped up and down, delighting in feeling the wind beneath her wings, the air currents lifted her as she made circuit after circuit. Finally she landed on a tree close to the chicken’s pen, her landing a little rough, but still she managed to keep her balance.

  “Fly to the ground but, as you are about to land, imagine yourself back as a person, fully dressed. Take care.”

  “Okay.”

  She spread her wings again and glided toward the back verandah, changing the image as she neared the ground. She stumbled a little when she misjudged the height but overall was very pleased with herself.

  Tomas materialised beside her, grinning in delight.

  “You were very good, iubită, did you enjoy it?”

  She beamed. “It was amazing! I loved it.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “You will be careful, won’t you?”

  “Iubită, don’t worry. There are three of us and we are going before the sun sets, which means the strigoaică will still be asleep. There’s no danger for any of us.”

  Julie laid her head against Tomas’s chest as she fearfully watched Martin and Michael stash knives and bottles of holy water about themselves. Tomas had already hidden three knives—one in a holster on his ankle and the other two on his belt.

  Michael and Louisa kissed passionately and Tomas reassured Julie once more that they would all be safe before he kissed her. Louisa and Julie gave Martin a hug and the three men vanished.

  “They’ll be fine, Julie. This, believe it or not, is easy. Knowing where the creature is means they can attack before it wakes. They’ll be back within a few hours.”

  “I know you’re right, Louisa, but I can’t shake off a feeling of dread.”

  “Come on, let’s lock up your chickens, then make a cuppa.”

  The two girls and Milly locked the hens in their coup after collecting a couple of eggs. Milly was prancing around, throwing her toys and trying to get the girls to play with her.

  “Come on, Milly. Inside and you can have your dinner.”

  The three of them went inside to feed the dog and make tea, before settling down in the family room to wait.

  * * * *

  The three Hunters took to the air a short distance from Julie’s house and flew to the area they had found in the search a few days previous. Michael indicated they land and then spoke.

  “Okay, the lair is in the centre of this area. Let’s get this over as quick as possible. We have another fifteen minutes before the sun sets.”

  The three flew off again, following Michael. As they got closer to the centre of the search area, they began to notice traces left on the trees. The stench in the area was getting stronger with each beat of their wings until it was almost overpowering. Below they all saw it.

  A large cave entrance.

  Landing, it was obvious they were in the right place. Bones were scattered about and an overwhelming smell of rotting flesh hung about. Quickly they set about pouring the holy water across the threshold before entering the lair.

  “Fuck!”

  “Where is she?”

  “What the…?”

  The three simultaneously yelled when they discovered the cave empty except for two rotting corpses.

  “I don’t believe it! We came nowhere near here so she wouldn’t know we had figured out her lair. I mean she would know we are in the area but she’d think we hadn’t located here.”

  Michael was furiously pacing up and down, while Tomas picked up a rock and threw it outside. Martin was standing, shaking his head in disbelief.

  “Okay, let’s take the two bodies and leave them somewhere easy for people to find. It’s back to searching.”

  Tomas took one body and Martin the other. They flew off toward the city outskirts and found a park where the bodies would be easily discovered. They all hated this part of the job but always tried to return bodies so families could have some tiny sense of closure.

  Michael had stayed at the lair and was searching the area around it for any other trace. Their hopes of destroying the creature tonight were dashed, then sun had set and she would have risen ten minutes ago.

  “Michael, do you want us to come to you?”

  “Yes. Back to circling the area, hopefully we can pick up another trace of the new lair.”

  The two men flew off, Tomas flying in o
ne direction and Martin the other to complete circuits around the general area of the lair.

  * * * *

  “Looks like you were right, Julie. She wasn’t there.”

  “What will they do now?”

  “Keep looking until they find her.”

  Julie still felt on edge.

  “Something still isn’t right, Louisa, I just know it.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. I feel so uneasy, I recognise the feeling, I’ve had it before when something was about to happen. It was the same feeling I had when the monster came here the other night.”

  “Okay. I’ll warn Michael to be careful and tell the others.”

  “You believe me?”

  “Of course. Julie, we are psychic, that’s why we are mates to Hunters. I felt you before we met and your ability is far stronger than mine, stronger than a lot of psychics I have met. So if you are uneasy, so am I.”

  The two women sat together uneasily for another thirty minutes when suddenly Milly began to bark at the same moment as the two women felt it.

  “She’s here!”

  Quickly they both sent messages to the three men.

  “We need to warn Viorel just in case she goes after Avril,” Julie whispered.

  “I will.”

  “Viorel, the strigoaică is here. She wasn’t in the lair when the men arrived. Now she is here. Watch Avril in case the strigoaică decides to attack there.”

  “Thank you, Louisa. I’ll protect her. Stay inside.”

  “We will.”

  Milly was barking like crazy as Julie raced to slam the back door shut so she couldn’t go outside.

  A loud voice called to them. “Come, little Hunters, come out and play!” Surprisingly, the voice was masculine. That horrid voice jarred their ears as he taunted them.

  “Come, show me how brave you are.”

  “What do we do?” Julie was terrified. “That isn’t the female, where is she and what is this?”

  “The strigoaică has tricked us again. Another strigoi. As to what we can do—nothing. As long as we are inside, he can’t touch us. His power to control you has gone now that you are immortal. You now hear and see him as he really is.”