The Rogue Hunter's Mate [Paranormal Protection Unit 10] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Honor James

“Asshole,” Z groaned, pressing his hand to his head. He had a killer headache and everything hurt, a lot.

  Bethany wrapped the blanket around her top when the large man shifted off of her body so quickly. Wide eyes took in everything and then she frowned. “Where are we?” Shifting away from the large and snarling man at her side, she focused on him. “Zaidu?” He was growling, literally growling.

  “Here,” he growled softly as he carefully pried his eyes open. “You okay?” he asked her softly, pushing the growls down. Pushing himself upright, he groaned as he pressed his hand to his head and inhaled slowly. “Hi, Doc,” he muttered, squinting toward the doctor.

  Lifting her hand, Jess waved to Zaidu. “Are you going to let me have a look at you and your bond-mate, Z?” she asked bluntly. “Or am I going to have to tranquilize you so that I can see to her injuries and yours?”

  “What?” he squawked and then squawked again when he fell between the back and front seats followed by a snarling sound.

  “I think we’ll need a crowbar,” Talon said, shaking his head at the Wolf. Looking in at the woman, he smiled. “Hi, I’m Talon. We should probably have you come out first so we can get him out of there with minimal damage to everyone and the vehicle. Z, you shred those seats trying to get out and I’ll kick your ass myself,” he warned in a low, deadly tone.

  Bethany looked at the larger-than-life man and gulped. She was terrified. The growls and snarls were killing her, reminding her of why she had climbed a tree just before a freaking blizzard hit. With a sob she launched out of the back of the truck, holding the blanket around her body as she did so. Shaking, she moved to the woman and whispered, “What in the world is he?” Fear laced each word. “Is he like those things that kidnapped and chased me up a tree?”

  Jessica wrapped her arm around the woman and looked to Talon. “I’m taking her to medical. You deal with him. He’s scaring the shit out of her.”

  “Go,” Talon said and moved to grab Z by the scruff of his neck and hauled him up once the women were gone. “Good going, asshole, you scared her,” he said, looking him over and shaking his head. “How the hell are you even moving and conscious? You look like hell!”

  “I feel it, too,” he groaned softly, bending to hold his ribs slightly. “Is the female all right?” he asked, trying not to breathe.

  “Other than you freaking her out with the growling and snarling. Good job by the way,” Talon said, watching him carefully. “You’re not exactly making any friends there with her. Especially since she’s your bond-mate, bro.”

  “She’s not my bond-mate,” Z muttered, easing upright very, very carefully.

  “Oh she is from what I picked up off you two,” Talon said softly. “She’s terrified of Wolves and then you go and snarl in the same enclosed space as she is. She’s never going to let you near her again, so I suppose it doesn’t really matter. You never wanted a mate and she’s hating you, so it all works out, doesn’t it?” he shook his head. “Get your ass to medical and, if nothing else, apologize to her and behave for Jess when she goes to fix up your mangy hide.” Turning, he headed off. He had damage control to tend to and only part of it was their newest predicament.

  * * * *

  Bethany looked up when the door to medical opened and she felt fear crawling through her. She relaxed a bit, however, when she saw Zaidu and sighed. She looked to the doctor who was busy pulling a nasty splinter out of Bethany’s foot and asked, “Are you sure that he won’t hurt us?”

  “I’m sure that he won’t hurt you,” Jess admitted and continued to pull the piece of bark out of the woman’s foot. “You are going to have to stay off this foot for twenty-four hours. You’ve got a great deal of damage to the bottom of both feet actually.” She had winced when she saw the woman’s feet and immediately numbed the area so that she could work on them. Turning slightly, she looked to Zaidu. “Are we done with scaring the bejesus out of everyone?”

  Curling his lip in a soundless snarl he looked to Beth and sighed before moving toward a gurney and easing onto it slowly. Settling on his back Zaidu threw an arm over his eyes and lay there as his body worked on knitting itself back together. He hadn’t meant to scare Bethany but he’d been in pain and stuck on his back, not a position any canine liked. It left the underbelly exposed. And while he might be in human form, the instincts of the Wolf always overruled the mind of the man.

  Bethany looked over at Zaidu and smiled. “Thank you again, by the way. For getting me out of that tree.” When he turned to look at her she gave him a smile. “I just hate that you got hurt because of it. I’m so sorry. And your poor bike. I will buy you a new one because it’s my fault that you were in an accident.”

  “It wasn’t your fault,” he told her. “And you don’t even want to know the final sticker price that was attached to it.”

  She shrugged. “I can afford it,” she admitted to him. “Besides it’s the least I can do.” Yes, it hadn’t been her fault, but she felt terrible that the poor man’s bike was damaged as it had been. Plus it would give her a reason to see him again.

  Shrugging since he figured she’d just keep insisting, he closed his eyes and rolled carefully. He just wouldn’t tell her the cost and that would be the end of it. Licking his lips he scratched at his chest lightly. His ribs were starting to heal. “I’m sorry I scared you, Beth. I didn’t mean to,” he murmured softly.

  Beth nodded and took in a deep breath. “Is that the reason you were able to walk in the middle of all those Wolves without fear?” Her tone wobbled as she spoke. “Are you like them? Are you a werewolf, too?” The disbelief was clear in her tone from saying that word, werewolf.

  Snorting, he instantly regretted it and pressed a hand to his aching chest, letting air slip through his teeth on a hiss. “Werewolves are what humans term us because they can’t or won’t comprehend what we and other Changers truly are. I walked in there without fear because I knew I could get them before they got me. It’s my genetics and my training. I’m a Hunter of the Rogues of my kind both by birth and destiny. Makes me faster, meaner, and deadlier than any other out there. Am I Wolf? Yes. Am I like them? Not in a million years, Gaia be willing.”

  “Gaia? You are the second person that I’ve heard calling upon the Goddess.” She cocked her head to the side and asked, “Why?” She seemed to be trying to accept the information that he was giving her. The need to accept it was clear on her face. “And a hunter of the Rogues. I take it those are the bad people? So you are like a cop?”

  “Gaia is our creator, our mother if you will,” he said, moving again with care. He couldn’t find a position he was comfortable in and had a feeling he wouldn’t for a while. “Rogues are those that feel they don’t need to abide by the rules that govern all Changers. There are the general ones for all of us and then ones that are race specific dependent upon our abilities and traits. A Hunter is born once every couple of millennia, unless another dies, and is more of a judge and jury sort.” And more often than not, executioner, but he kept that to himself.

  “So the men who treed me, they will face punishment for what they did, right?” Because they had worked far too smoothly to have had that be their first time. “Will I need to testify in court or something?” she asked with a frown and winced. “Ouch, I think that the local you gave me is wearing off, Jess.”

  “Sorry, Beth. I will give you another.” She looked to Zaidu. “How you doing over there, Wolf? After I’ve finished with Beth I will come look you over. For now getting the shit out of her feet takes priority. Unless you think that there is something broken that I need to look at now?”

  “There’s a lot broken, Doc,” he muttered, shifting again. “But it’s all healing. Why do you think I’m squirming as I am?” He had to relieve the ache that a healing bone created and that only worked when he could sort of curl into it. “They’ll face the Council and more than likely be executed.”

  “Just wanted to make sure that you were all right and didn’t need immediate attention. Figured
you would want me to take care of Beth first,” Jess said and went back to working on Bethany’s feet.

  “Executed?” Bethany heard the squeak in her voice but she couldn’t have stopped it if she had tried. “Oh God, you mean they are going to die because of what they did to me?” she whispered.

  “She’s human and more prone to infection, of course you treat her first,” Z told the doctor, not paying any heed to the rest of the mess. “They’ll be executed because of what they did to you and the four human women before you that weren’t lucky enough or smart enough to climb a tree.”

  It took her several minutes but when his words seemed to click, Bethany turned to Zaidu with tears shimmering in her eyes. “Four others?” she whispered. “They hurt four other women? And you have to be the one to do that? I couldn’t imagine the toll that takes on your soul.”

  “They did a lot more than hurt but, yes, basically,” he told her. His words were the truth, he couldn’t lie to anyone. His Wolf disliked lies with a passion. He could gloss over the truth but never outright lie. “It’s part of my duties as a Hunter and it only takes a toll when you let it.”

  Bethany nodded and closed her eyes for a moment. “I hope that you have something you can do to help the toll that it takes on you.” When Jess handed her some pills she took them, not even asking what they were. “Some way to shake off the negative energy that would be associated with that type of final action.”

  “There isn’t any when you know what you do is right and as the Goddess wills it,” he told her, moving once more on the gurney. This time he groaned, barely biting back the growl that wanted to pour out from the burning pain ripping through his body. He hated getting hurt, but he did like the healing abilities of his position in the Packs. It was faster than others of his kind.

  Wincing when she watched the pain that fluttered across his face, Beth bit her lower lip and whispered, “Zaidu, are you sure that you are okay? Perhaps Jess here can give you something for the pain?” She didn’t know why but she truly hated to see him in pain, a great deal.

  “Drugs don’t work on them like humans,” Jessica said with a sigh. “And he’s far enough into the healing process there’s not much I can do either.”

  “She’s right, I’ll live,” he said and rolled off the gurney to pace around holding his ribs. He had to walk. Lying there hadn’t been working. But maybe if he kept moving he wouldn’t notice the aches and pains as much.

  “And it didn’t help that I was plastered on top of you for the ride here. I’m sorry that I made your hurts even worse than they were beforehand,” she admitted.

  “You were warming me up. There wasn’t much pain with how numb I was,” he said, moving around in circles and staying as far from her as he could. He could feel the doc’s eyes on him and her confusion scented the air, not that he cared. She knew something was off with how he was acting but he wasn’t about to explain himself to anyone.

  Bethany looked to Jess and frowned. “What did you just give me?” she asked sleepily, yawning as she asked the question.

  “Just something for the pain and something that will make sure that you rest,” Jess admitted and smiled. “Don’t fight it, Beth. Rest. Right now that’s one of the best things you can do,” she murmured as she bandaged the woman’s feet and lower legs. Walking away from her and toward Zaidu, Jess asked, “All right, you going to let me look you over now?”

  Growling softly at her, he moved to the gurney and sat again. “No more than absolutely necessary,” he told her. He hated being touched with a passion, doctors especially since they seemed to like to poke and prod.

  “No more than necessary,” Jess agreed and put on her stethoscope so she could listen to his breathing sounds. “Lungs sound good, so that is one worry that I can mark out.” She had thought that there was a high possibility of a punctured lung. “You are built to handle a great deal, aren’t you?” she asked as her gloved hands moved slowly over him, noting mentally where the sore spots were. “You aren’t going to just walk away from her, are you?” she asked softly when she was sure that Beth was sound asleep.

  “I’m built to take a beating and keep on going,” he said quietly. “Hunters need to be able to take on many opponents at once or rabid Rogues that have no regard for any life.” He didn’t answer the last question. There was nothing to discuss about Beth. While Gaia may have decided she was the one for him, he didn’t want a mate and never had, so the Goddess could take that and do what she would with it, like give Beth to another.

  Nodding, Jess put the scope back around her neck and rocked back on her feet. Shoving her hands into her pockets, she said, “I’m keeping Bethany overnight. If you don’t want her in your life I suggest that you are in your rooms on the base when the drugs wear off. Talon will work his magic with her and ensure that she keeps knowledge of us under her hat, so to speak, and get her home.” She sighed and shook her head. “I wish you would reconsider but”—she shrugged—“I’ve learned not to try to get any of you to change your minds. It’s up to you whatever happens. I just feel bad for her and for you as well,” she admitted. “Now then, I’ve more patients to see. I will have her moved into a private room in about ten minutes.”

  Getting off the gurney he shot the doctor a dark look. “You should also learn to hold your tongue with unwanted and unsolicited advice. If it’s about medicine, then say your piece. Otherwise keep it to yourself. It’s our lives, not yours being affected,” he said sharply. Heading to the door he didn’t look back. That wasn’t his future and never had been.

  Jess let out a sigh and shook her head. “Such is life,” she whispered quietly and ensured that Bethany was still out before moving to check her other patients, putting the Wolf and human out of her mind as she moved.

  Chapter Six

  Standing on the balcony overlooking the city, Bethany turned over in her mind once more all that had happened in the last few weeks. Sipping on the wine, she tilted her head to the side and closed her eyes as the breeze flowed over her face. “Happy birthday, Brian,” she whispered with a small toast. She knew that it was silly to toast a man that was a monster, but he was still her twin. Drinking down the last of the wine she turned and walked back into her penthouse home.

  Closing the sliding door behind her and ensuring that it was locked, Bethany began turning off lights as she headed toward her room and the cold bed that awaited. “Happy birthday to me.” She spoke softly in the darkness of the room. “Tomorrow is a new day.” She had a packed day tomorrow, just as she’d had pretty much every day since she had been brought home.

  Sliding between the sheets, she turned off the final light and sighed. Closing her eyes, she allowed the small amount of wine she drank to pull her under and into dreams. Hopefully tonight she wouldn’t have another dream about “him.” One could hope at least. There were some things that a person could learn that they wished that they could forget completely. That’s where she was with what had happened several weeks earlier. Realizing that there were other beings out there that were far more than human had been easier to accept than what she had learned by accident, that a man who she had been born for chose to walk away from her forever and live alone instead of speaking another word to her. Yep, some things a woman wished she could just forget.

  * * * *

  Scrubbing a hand over his face, Z shook his head. He had to sleep soon. He was at the end of the line. Yawning again, he forced his eyes to focus on the computer screen and the latest reports. Part of his job was to weed through the police reports of the various agencies across North America and see if there were patterns or any hints that a Changer was involved. Then he went and tracked them down.

  Unfortunately his eyes didn’t focus for more than a few seconds before everything went blurry again. Giving up, he shut the laptop and headed for bed. A couple hours and he’d get back up and start working again. Falling into his bed, he yanked a pillow under his head and relaxed. Just a couple hours and he’d get back on track.

&
nbsp; Walking from the shadows of his dreams, Gaia watched the Hunter. Shifting his dreamscape into one she felt more comfortable in, she took a seat on a fallen tree by the stream and spoke to him, quietly. “To even the ones of my Children that I have to have walking the finest lines of darkness and light I give a bond-mate. Why shun yours?” she asked without hesitation or waiting for him to acknowledge her in his dreams.

  Groaning softly he turned in the dream to stare at the Goddess. Of course she was there. Why wouldn’t she be? Watching her for a moment, he shook his head. “I’ve never wanted a mate, Gaia, ever since I knew what my role in life would be. Everyone knew this, which means that you had to know, too,” he said quietly. “I’m sure she’s a very nice person, likely perfect for me, except that I don’t want anyone having to live the life I do, especially a human that can be killed.”

  “And yet I can see in your soul.” Gaia shook her head. “Why do you fight the desire that you feel for her? That’s not something that I can affect, by the way. That’s completely you and your pull to her. I just simply tie the souls together that should be together.” Waving a hand, she allowed the blooms of his homeland to seek the sunshine in his dreams. “Your father wanted your mother,” she whispered quietly. “Even though she wasn’t as strong as he was, he wanted her because he could see that she was more than what was on the surface.”

  Rising to her feet, she walked closer to Zaidu. “What you might think is weaker than you sometimes is far stronger than you could imagine. Sometimes the monsters aren’t of my Children but are children of Man. That’s where her monsters lurk,” she told him quietly. “And she’s stronger than you might think she is.” She shrugged and moved back to the fallen log. “Is it because you still long for a lost love that was never meant to be, Zaidu?”

  Looking at her sharply he shook his head. “No, that was lust, nothing more,” he told her truthfully. “What I refuse to live with is when my mate dies or is killed like my mother. I saw what it did to my father. I was the one to hunt him down when he went Rogue. I won’t bring more pain to my line than that. I’d rather it died out completely than ever have to live through that or with that.”