Hunter’s Revenge: Willow Harbor - book 3

by Juliana Haygert

  I finished my homework in ten minutes and went to the kitchen.

  With a dishtowel on his shoulder, Landon added salt and pepper to the omelet. Slowly, I made my way to him and leaned on the counter three feet from him.

  I sniffed and the scent of rich butter and bacon filled my nose. “That smells good.”

  A lopsided grin stretched his lips. Almost a smile. Almost. “It tastes even better,” he said. “But probably not as good as your dinner last night.” He glanced over his shoulder to the carrot cake on the kitchen island. “Or that cake.” He turned back to the frying pan. “This is all I can do. Paninis and sandwiched and omelets.”

  “At least you can cook. A lot of people can’t.”

  “True.”

  He reached for the plates he had set on the counter and split the omelet in half, as if I ate as much as he did, but I didn’t say anything. We took the plates to the island, grabbed water, and then sat down on stools side by side.

  I took a forkful. Yes, butter, eggs, bacon, ham, tomato, spinach. The perfect texture. I moaned. “This is good.”

  Landon cleared his throat. “Thanks.”

  We ate in silence, but despite our arguments lately, it wasn’t a tense silence. It was a nice, comforting silence. Somehow, I felt safe and not alone beside him.

  I ate two thirds of my omelet, and then gave him the rest.

  “You eat like a bird,” he said before shoving the last big bite in his mouth.

  “I already told you, I eat like a bird, but I eat often.” I pointed to the carrot cake. “I’ll be back in about one or two hours, and I’ll have a piece of that.”

  He chuckled. “Ending the day with something sweet.”

  I smiled. “Something like that.”

  He finished the omelet, and then took our plates to the sink. I stared at him, while he rinsed the plates and the glasses and put them on the dishwasher. Then, he closed the dishwasher and turned around, finding me boring holes into his back.

  “What?” he asked, drying his hands on the towel that had been on his shoulder moments ago.

  “We haven’t researched or talked about our demon all day,” I finally said. “You want to go to my father’s office and try to make sense of all we learned this morning?”

  While Amber and I had been watching the movie, I had written notes on my phone about what I knew about this case, so I could try to make sense of it while Landon was out with Aidan. Turned out, I didn’t know much and I couldn’t find any sense of anything.

  I bet Landon had more notes, and maybe if we put our heads together, we could see something there.

  He frowned. “I don’t want to talk about that tonight.”

  “What? Why?”

  He sighed. “Because I’m freaking tired of this demon, and I want a breather. That’s all I want.” His tone wasn’t harsh, but it wasn’t his normal either.

  “Okay,” I whispered. Suddenly feeling like I was suffocating inside the kitchen, I stood and turned to the outside door. “I’m gonna go for a walk before I grab a piece of cake and go to bed. Good night.” Without looking at him, I marched out of the kitchen and onto the wide stone patio outside.

  It was dark out, but the moon was high and full and, together with the many lamps outside the manor, illuminated enough of the large backyard. The gentle, warm summer breeze brushed against my skin, and I lifted my face, enjoying it.

  If I closed my eyes, I could imagine this place was a castle, and instead of demons hunters, all the people who lived here were princes and princesses, living happily ever after. That was what I wished for them. Enough of deaths and hurt and wounds and loses. They needed a long streak of good luck and happiness.

  “I like coming out here at night too,” Landon said from behind me. Letting out a long breath, I opened my eyes, but I didn’t turn to look at him. “When I’m here, looking at this beautiful place, I feel safe. Like everything will turn out okay, you know.”

  I felt a knot forming between my brows. His words … it had been somewhat similar to what I had thought. “Why are you telling me that?”

  He stood beside me, his body turned to the backyard too, as if bathing in the moonlight. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a jerk lately. I promise I don’t mean to be. It just happens.”

  I glanced up at him. “What’s wrong with you?”

  The lopsided grin was back. “There’s nothing wrong with me.”

  “Yes, there is. You’re never this cool or relaxed.” I pointed to his face. “And that almost smile. I’ve seen it twice tonight alone, when in reality, you never smile.”

  “I smiled last night. I even laughed.”

  Could we stop talking about last night? Last night was when he had kissed me and then regretted it. “Yes, you smiled and laughed at Cole’s silly jokes.”

  “He can be a goofball when he wants to.”

  Oh my word. “Landon, what’s wrong?”

  He shrugged. “Despite the fact that there is a demon out there leaving bodies left and right and I can’t seem to catch it? Nothing.”

  “It doesn’t seem like nothing.”

  “Tessa, just … stop worrying and enjoy the peace and quiet of the night.” He gestured toward the immense darkness of the garden.

  “There’s definitely something wrong with you.” He chuckled and I gaped at him. “See? You’re practically laughing.”

  A smile—a real smile—appeared on his lips and my heart did a little pitter-patter. “You’re cute when you’re trying to solve a mystery.”

  Narrowing my eyes, I turned toward him and put my hands on my hips. “Are you admitting you’re a mystery?”

  The smile held, shining bright and causing more turmoil inside me. “Perhaps. I think everyone is a mystery; some are more and some are less.” Eyes fixed on mine, Landon reached over and tucked a lose strand of my hair around my ear. His smile faded. “Like you. You’re a mystery to me.”

  I gulped. “Why?”

  His fingertips lingered on my jaw. “Because … you were pushed aside by your father. Your mother got married again and had another family, one you don’t feel a part of. Your father adopted a random boy and raised him as his own.” His fingers traveled down my neck. I suppressed a shiver. “Then you lost said father. And here you are. Still bright, still happy, still smiling at every chance you get, still trying to make the most of every moment, still loving your sisters with all your heart, still caring for your mother and helping her out when you can, still trying to make a bunch of depressed hunters see that there’s more to life than hunting and killing and death.” His feathery touch trailed over my shoulder. “And, even though you didn’t know your father well, you’re trying to avenge him with everything you have. Besides all that, you’re kind and smart and beautiful. Stunning, actually. How in the world can a single person be this … complete? This perfect?”

  Warmth spread through my cheeks and I looked down at my feet. “You don’t need to lie to me, Landon.”

  His fingers traveled up my neck and pushed on my chin, forcing my head up. My eyes met his. “I’m not lying. You’re incredible and … I’m drawn to you. Like a moth to the light. I can’t …” He took one large step, towering over me. His body was only a few inches from mine, but I felt the heat, the energy, rolling off him in waves. I sucked in a sharp breath. “I tried staying away from you. I really did. But I can’t.”

  “What—?”

  My question was silenced by the pressure of his lips on mine. This time, I didn’t hesitate. I was surprised, yes, but since last night, I had imagined kissing him several times, even though I thought it would never happen again.

  Wait … Why had he pushed me away last night, but was kissing me again tonight? It didn’t matter right now, not when his lips moved against mine, so soft, so warm. With a moan, I parted my lips and let him in. He groaned, pushing his tongue inside. I leaned into him and wound my arms around his shoulders, gluing my body to his. His hands trailed to my back and pressed me tight against him.

>   Going lower, he clasped my waist, lifting me up. Surprised, I let out a yelp against his lips. My ass met the cold stone railing around the patio. I opened my legs and Landon stepped in, pressing his chest to mine once more. I wrapped my legs around his hips and tugged with my feet, wanting him closer.

  He groaned as he bit my lower lip. His lips peppered kissed along my neck, and I moaned, loving the trail of fire his lips left on my skin, loving the way his hard body felt against mine, loving the way his hands grabbed at me as if he would never let me go.

  Not really remembering where we were, I tugged at his T-shirt, wanting, needing, it off.

  He pulled back a little and locked his gaze on mine. The heat in his hazel eyes, the want and lust in them, it was enough to make me shiver.

  “We don’t …” He swallowed hard. “We don’t have to do anything.”

  I ran my tongue over his lips. His eyes fluttered close and he inhaled sharply. I loved seeing my effect on him. “I want to.” My voice was firm and clear. “I want you, Landon.”

  His mouth crashed on mine again, his hands cupping my face, holding me in place, as if he was afraid I would change my mind and leave him.

  Finally, he broke the kiss and stepped back. His hand shot out between us. “Come on.”

  With a smile, I took his hand.

  Together, we practically raced to his bedroom.

  Twenty

  LANDON

  * * *

  I woke up in the middle of the night with Tessa tucked between my arms, her back against my chest, her fine ass against my hips. Her scent invaded my nostrils, and I suppressed a groan. Shit, this girl messed with me more than I should allow.

  But I was powerless. When it came to her, I was powerless. I learned that well a couple of hours ago when my body was tangled with hers—the best place on the entire planet. I had never desired someone this much; I had never felt like that, like having sex with a pretty girl could become more, like I could actually fall for her.

  Lasting relationships weren’t on the menu for hunters. The only way to have a family in this business was when two hunters got married, had kids, and introduced them early to the art of hunting. Yet, nothing was guaranteed. Even here in our little group, too many families had lost a father, a mother, or a son too early to demons, witches, and whatnot.

  I didn’t want to fall for her and then lose her.

  Besides, her father had gone to great lengths to make sure she wasn’t involved in this life. And here she was, involved in this life and wrapped around me in my bed. Shit, if Isaac were alive, he would kill me.

  With a sigh, I pulled away from her and stood. My eyes traveled down her perfect body—her smooth back, her thin waist, her round ass. I groaned and turned my back to the bed. It was all I could do not to crawl back in there with her and hold her against me.

  I put on my boxers and sat in the armchair in the corner of my bedroom. I leaned over the arm, toward the round table beside the chair, and opened my journal. I reread all my notes on the demon and his victims so far, and the things Lola and Liz had told me earlier today—all the while stealing glances to the angel in my bed.

  There had to be something I was missing, something I hadn’t seen, something there to make a connection.

  I put on my jeans and T-shirt and went down to Isaac’s office. I pulled opened the secret closet behind the painting on the wall, and among the hunting gear, I found the big, plastic box with all of his journals, his father’s journal, his grandfather’s journal, and his great-grandfather’s journals.

  When Isaac had first adopted me and told me I would be a hunter like him, the first thing he did was sit me down beside this box.

  “Now you read,” he said.

  “Which one?” I asked, lost. I remembered hating to read back then.

  “All of them.”

  I thought he had been kidding. But in time, I realized he wasn’t. He would quiz me on the stories, the lore, the different kind of supernatural beings and how to kill them before we started real practice, which was what I really liked. If I got the answers wrong, there would be no practice, which meant my debut as a hunter would take even longer.

  Even though I remembered wanting to read all of the journals, training had been more important, and I skipped quite a few. When Isaac asked something I didn’t know, I winged it, and most of the time, my intuitive hunter mind came through and I got it right.

  Now I hoped I found the few journals I hadn’t read and the ones I knew by heart, and that one of them contained something about this demon.

  I pulled the box to the center of the office, sat down beside it, and began my quest.

  For at least two hours, I flipped through the yellowed pages, reading, skimming, searching. Shit, there was so much here that I didn’t remember. Reading it now, I knew I had read it before, but I had forgotten a lot of the passages. It was too much information for little use. Which meant it was time to reread and study all of these journals again. What if my next case was related to something I had read before but forgot? What if this case was like that?

  Shit. I kept looking, reading, perusing.

  Then, in the middle of one of the dozens of journals from William, Isaac’s grandfather, a drawing caught my attention. Often, we tried to draw the demons so we had a visual aid. And this entry had one.

  Here, it looked more like a zombie, but I recognized it. Human figure, long limbs, dark marks around eyes and mouth, faint lines all over its body. One drawing had the demon standing as if posing for a picture, the other drawing had the demon holding the victim by his neck and something like light was coming from its eyes and mouth. The lines across the body were darkened, and the victim’s chest was darkened too.

  Shit, this was it.

  I quickly read the entry.

  Sin-eater demon

  * * *

  This demon is summoned when a person who committed a sin feels guilty, his mind and heart are too heavy, and he can’t deal with the sin. The sin-eater demon feels the person’s desire and is brought back from hell. Once the demon eats the sin of the victim, it kills the victim by burning his heart from the inside. Usually, the demon goes back to hell, but if the demon senses other people with similar sins, it’ll go from person to person, following the line of guilt that connects them all, and eating away the sins and killing the victims.

  If a person not related to that sin gets in its way, the demon will attack, and if the person committed even the most simple of sins, like lying to a parent or stealing candy from a sibling, the demon will still eat the sins and burn the person’s heart.

  That explained so many things.

  Liz and her friends had accidentally killed Peter many years ago. Vanessa, Peter’s girlfriend at the time, felt guilty every time Lola came back to visit her parents because she probably saw Lola around town a few times. She must have summoned the demon by accident. The demon sensed the other people who participated in Peter’s death and followed the sin, killing them one by one.

  Which only left Liz, since the demon didn’t kill her the first time, George Marsh, T.J. Dale, and Johnny Holt left.

  But with T.J. and Johnny living in another town, I could bet all my money that the demon would go either for Liz or George next.

  It isn’t easy to stop this demon. Demon traps work to hold it for a few minutes, but the demon is too strong and breaks through them easily. Silver bullets and demon daggers don’t work—they only slow the demon down.

  The only way to kill the demon is related to the sin that brought it back. If the person’s sin was to steal, then the hunter has to steal something from the demon. That was my case when I faced this demon. I cut off its hand, stealing a limb, and then pierced my demon dagger in its chest, where its heart should be.

  If the person’s sin was cheating, then I don’t know how to solve that. For a murder, I’m guessing the only way to kill the demon would be to replicate the murder—using the same kind of weapon and wound.

  You’ll know it
worked when the body of the demon shrinks and becomes a mass of pale dust.

  Which meant I had to get a game hunting knife and impale the demon with that.

  Could it be that simple?

  Warning: the sin-eater can shapeshift into its previous victims and their sins, so it can shock its victims even more, and they won’t fight back.

  I wasn’t worried about that, but it was good to know that I might have to impale a human-looking demon.

  I rubbed my hand down my face. Could this be it? So simple?

  I quickly pulled out my journal and wrote all my new discoveries, while pointing out Isaac’s grandfather’s journal, so I would know which one to look for if there was a next time. Which I hoped didn’t happen soon.

  Then, I picked up both my journal and William’s journal and raced up the stairs. I went back to my bedroom, but once inside, I paused. Tessa was still in the same position, sleeping like an angel in my bed, wrapped in my sheets and comforter. My heart tugged, but again, I swallowed a groan and moved. I finished dressing with my usual hunting uniform—leather jacket and combat boots—picked up a small bag for my gear, took my journal and William’s journal, and shoved them in my bag. Then, I reconsidered and left the journals behind on the small table near the corner of my bedroom. There was no reason to take extra weight. I glanced one more time to the woman sprawled in bed.

  Damn, it was hard to leave her.

  But I had to.

  I was going to avenge her father and keep her safe.

  * * *

  TESSA

  * * *

  Coldness invaded my hot dreams and I shivered. When I opened my eyes, it took me a second to remember where I was and what had happened. Hunters’ manor. Landon’s bedroom. Landon and me. A smile spread through my lips and heat warmed my core again. Damn, that had been fantastic.