by A. R. Ford
The Hunter
A.R. Ford
The Hunter
A.R. Ford
Copyright 2019 © A. R. Ford
All rights reserved. This book or any portion
thereof may not be reproduced or used in any
manner whatsoever without the express written
permission of the author, except for the use of
brief quotations in a book review.
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing, 2019
This is a work of fiction. All characters,
places, and events are figments of the author’s
imagination. Resemblance to any person, living
or dead, is purely coincidental.
https://arfordauthor.wix.com/mysite
[email protected]
About the Author
A.R. Ford lives in the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia with her husband. She enjoys quilting, crafts, and traveling. She is an avid reader with a preference for books in the romance, erotic romance, and erotica genres.
Ms. Ford prefers to write dark, twisted, erotic tales filled with action and suspense. If you would like to stay updated on Ms. Ford’s books, visit her website located at https://arfordauthor.wix.com/mysite
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Books by A. R. Ford
Forever My Knight
Concrete Justice
Darkness Overcomes, 2/15/20
The Hunter
Dirty, Rotten Bastard
A Rose in Bloom
Dedication
To Julie Thorpe, my fellow author and friend,
for all your support and help while I’ve been busy
writing this book. I treasure you.
To Valerie Shell, my real-life muse. You never
turn me away when I need feedback. Thank you
for helping me choose the right photograph
for cover art. It is amazing!
Warning:
This book contains violence, kidnapping,
Sexual situations, and other material intended
only for adults 18+.
Part One
The Hunter
Luca and Nyssa
Chapter 1
Dreven
Crawlers were the dregs of humanity that lived or worked in the Catacombs. Dreven knew with certainty that every person in this pathetic, wasting town was no better than the crawlers. To him, everyone came from the bottom of the barrel. He hoped to make a fortune leading the Snake Eyes. Once he had enough money, he could head for one of the southern cities. He hated everything about the area: its climate, land, and especially its people.
His men brought the girl when she was just fifteen. She was a scrawny, brown-eyed thing with matted brown hair. Nothing special really. Then he heard from the men what she could do.
“Read minds, huh? You expect me to believe that crap?” Dreven spat on the floor between the girl’s feet.
“I’m telling you, boss, she can do it. Just ask her anything about you, she can tell you,” a chubby man with thinning dark hair and a handlebar mustache said.
Dreven leaned close, narrowed eyes examining the girl’s dirt-smudged face. “So, you can tell me what’s in my head, huh? How about you tell me how I got here.”
The girl stared at him without speaking until the men holding her arms shook her hard. “You killed your wife and kids, set the house on fire and ran. You wanted people to think it was an accident. You wanted out because of the woman you met at the bar. But she didn’t want you afterwards.”
Honesty does not always garner an appropriate response. The girl’s words incensed Dreven. He slapped her across the face before shouting, “You keep your mouth shut about that!”
No one could know about his past. The girl had to be legitimate, he was certain of that much. And he knew just how to put her to use. “Throw her in a room, make sure the door is locked. Shackle her wrists just to make sure she doesn’t escape.” His attention turned to the girl once more, fingers caressing her face before he leaned in and licked the blood from a lip split when he slapped her. “You’re gonna make me lots of money, aren’t you, sweet cheeks? And if you don’t? Well, just imagine with what you know about me what will happen to you.”
The sound of Dreven’s maniacal laughter followed the men as they dragged the girl out of Dreven’s office into a room at the end of the hallway. They shackled her just like he asked before tossing her into the room that was bare of furnishings. She began earning Dreven and the Snake Eyes money the very next day. They held her for three years before she escaped. Dreven missed the money when she was gone. His men started hunting for her that night.
*****
Nyssa
Growing up in an orphanage was not what Nyssa expected the moment she became cognizant of the world. Yet here she was. At least the nuns who ran the orphanage were kind to her and the others who called the place home. Hope bloomed within her as a flower blooms in spring the first time she saw a child leave with new parents. No one came for her. The hope withered and died much as a flower denied sustenance.
She became aware of the gift after a mind called out to her. It beckoned, waved, and sucked her in. It was only afterwards when the child cried and tattled to a nun that she realized the gift was actually a curse.
At the age of fifteen, far past the time when hopes of having a family were crushed, the men came and took her away. A handful of cash exchanged hands. Even the nuns were not blind to the wicked draw of money and the Snake Eyes. It was then that she questioned the existence of a deity.
Surely an omniscient being would protect the weak? An answer was denied her.
The men forced her to go with them. She feared being forced into prostitution. With three times the number of men as women in the world, the risk of rape or prostitution was phenomenally high. Even the nuns ensured each orphan knew the risks.
Dreven mocked, challenged, cursed, and hit her all within the span of a few minutes. Her stomach roiled when he licked the blood from her split lip. His mind was dank and dark and dead. She knew to obey without question. The things he would do if she ran were horrific. After all, she saw it in his mind. The evil there festered and writhed like a living thing.
Being forced to cheat for the Snake Eyes ate away at her soul. She doubted one existed within her after the first week of gambling. Life was ugly at the gambling tables in the Catacombs. Men swore and drank. They whored and threatened. On more than one occasion, Dreven’s men stepped between her and an irate man who lost the last bit of coin jingling in his pocket.
They still came to the tables. And she took their money time and time again.
Over the weeks and months that followed she learned just how cold and callous Dreven was. Starvation brought her to heel for wrongs he imagined. If starvation didn’t work beatings would follow. She hoped and searched for a way out every day for three years with no success.
A new member of the Snake Eyes was a ray of light in her dark, miserable world. He smiled, called her Miss, and gave her treats. There were times when he removed the shackles, allowing her to roam freely in the tiny room. Before his guard duties ended, the shackles returned.
“I hate they do this to you, Miss,” he sighed. Click. The shackles inevitably closed around her wrists and sometimes her ankles.
They were all pawns in Dreven’s sick, twisted game. She dared not tell them that Dreven planned to leave as soon a
s he had enough money.
One night she found the door unlocked. Without a second thought, Nyssa bolted through the door, breath coming in sharp, panicked puffs. The southern entrance was left unguarded. Darkness and freedom beckoned. Nyssa did the only thing she could...she ran blindly into the night.
Chapter 2
Nyssa
Gnarled limbs, and claw-like twigs caught, ripped at her clothing. A twisted root caught one foot, slamming her hard to the forest floor. Both knees ached. A trickle of warmth ran down one shin, an indicator that the forest claimed its first bit of flesh. She ran blindly, hands outstretched to prevent twigs or briars from slapping her face.
Air burned as it was expelled from her open mouth, now dry. Her lips were cracked and bleeding. An opening between the trees glowed, beckoning her on to possible safety. Lunging, stumbling, she fell through the gap onto all fours. Fingers scrabbling, a sharp whine of fear rising from her throat, Nyssa crawled toward the glow. Too late, she realized it was a trap. A dark mound rose up, arms outstretched, trapping her. A dirty hand tasting of earth, and forest clamped over her mouth. The scream died out after being cut off.
A rock-hard body did little to cushion her aching limbs. A deep voice growled in her ear, “Stop fighting. No sound.”
The body bore her back into cool, damp darkness. Mucus dribbled from her nose onto the hand. Tears stung her eyes. Kicking did no good. Legs knotted with muscle trapped her futile attempts to force whoever clutched her to release their hold. The panting breaths eased as her body sensed flight was no longer necessary. Instead of fighting physically she dug deep into their mind. Not to hurt, just to explore, assess, and learn about her captor.
Luca. He lived alone in these woods for the past five years, not long after the Great War destroyed almost everything known as civilization. He trusted no one. The land fed, sheltered, even clothed him. He knew pain, betrayal, lust, and vengeance. She knew there was no need to fight, no need to attempt escape. He would kill her before he allowed her to destroy the peaceful existence fostered in the wood.
With the sensation of being catapulted through a time tunnel, she snapped back to the outside world. Luca had tied both of her hands together with rough rope. He squatted by the fire staring at her with emotionless eyes.
“You. What’s your name? And don’t lie. I’d as soon kill you as not.” The voice had the quality of wheels crunching on gravels. It brought a shiver through her body, the hair on the back of her neck rising.
“Nyssa.” She scoured the surroundings for signs of them. The woods were heavy with silence. At least she managed to lose them before falling into Luca’s lap. There was no hope that this was better. It felt wrong, given what she found inside his mind.
“You have no business here. You’re leading someone to me, aren’t you?” The question came in an acidic hiss that spoke volumes.
Her eyes followed the outline of his body. He was huge, shoulders broad, arms bulging with muscles. The faint glow from the dying fire revealed blocky hands smeared with dirt. She knew his hands were covered in calluses. She’d felt them when the hand clamped over her mouth.
“I’m running from them. Let me go, I’ll be on my way.”
The hulking mound rose from the ground. He grabbed the rope lying on the ground. A fountain of dirt flew into the air, smothering the embers. Another gout of dirt ensured the fire was out.
Luca stalked into the darkness, feet thudding on the ground. A tug on the rope sent her flying, scrambling to keep her balance. Nyssa ran to maintain a pace similar to his. It was a losing battle.
She fell, cried out, and paid the forest a second pound of flesh before Luca stopped walking. By that time, she was exhausted, limbs trembling with the effort of walking through the cabin’s door.
It was a relief, really, when he shoved her into the corner. He tied the end of the rope to a bracket high above her head. He threw a threadbare blanket at her and moved to the fireplace without a word. Nyssa’s eyes drifted shut. There would be time later to learn more about her captor.
*****
The next morning came with the cold, hard-packed dirt floor sucking the warmth from her body. Nyssa shivered, a groan coming as the dozens of bruises, scrapes, and cuts screamed to life. A few embers glowed teasingly from the fireplace. She crawled toward it, nearly sobbing in frustration when the rope kept her from reaching the feeble warmth radiating from the embers. She huddled against the wall with the threadbare blanket clutched around her body while the mountain of flesh and bone that took her slept.
An aching bladder and cold combined to force her into action, doing something she normally would never do. She gave his mind a poke, a gentle one, in hopes he would wake up. It worked. The mountain roared to life, narrowed eyes locking on her instantly.
Nyssa drew closer to the wall when he thundered toward her wearing only a pair of red-and-blue checked boxers. A huge finger thrust into her face. Luca squatted in front of her, leaning close enough that she could feel the hot breath fanning her face.
“What did you do to me?” he roared.
“I need to pee, and it’s cold. Please.” Her voice shook from fear and cold combined. A grunt came as he stared at her with icy, cerulean eyes.
Luca stood up, slipping on a pair of jeans, flannel shirt, and leather boots. He untied the rope, tugging her along to an outhouse situated a distance from the cabin. Nyssa’s cheeks flooded with color, embarrassed at having to empty her bladder with him listening. The color deepened when the distinctive sound of Luca emptying his bladder on the ground outside reached her ears.
She had no choice but to follow him into the cabin. A finger pointed to a chair by the fireplace. “Sit,” he grunted. Not wishing to risk stirring his anger this morning, she did as he asked, huddling with legs drawn against her body.
The fire roared to life after a few dry sticks were added to the coals in the fireplace. Nyssa watched with interest as Luca set a coffee pot near the flames. A cast iron pot filled with what looked like a mixture of dried meat and vegetables found a place on a cast-iron hook over the fire. A cast-iron skillet shoved close to the coals was filled with thick slabs of meat. Her stomach growled emphatically as the smell of cooking meat teased her senses.
“Who were you running from?” Luca’s question caught her unaware. “Don’t lie to me.”
“Snake Eyes. I’d rather die than go back there.”
“Who is Snake Eyes and what did he do to you?”
“Not who, what. Snake Eyes is a gang in Walden. They made me gamble for them. Cheating. If I didn’t, they beat me or starved me. Most of the time it was both.”
Another grunt came at her words. All the grunting made her nervous, not that she would ever complain to someone the size of Luca. Sizzling meat, percolating coffee, and cracking firewood were the only sounds for some time.
Nyssa took the time to look more closely at her captor. Dark hair cut short covered his head. Several days growth of scruff roughened his face. He was tall, much taller than the Snake Eyes. More than six feet, closer to seven she estimated. His body rippled with raw power. Muscles bulged in his chest, arms, and legs. Thighs the size of tree trunks supported his weight. A dusting of dark hair covered his chest, arms, and legs. In short, Luca was a veritable giant.
As if sensing her assessment, Luca raised one eyebrow. “You through looking at me? How about you tell me how you cheated.”
This was always the fun part of things. Nyssa would explain to him that she could walk around inside someone’s mind and he would laugh. She would show him. The reaction after that point varied.
Some people feared her. Others were furious. Some were insulted. Fear was an equally common reaction. From Luca she expected fury. It was her least favorite reaction.
“I can tell what people are thinking, what they know. Sometimes things they will do in the future.”
Luca’s laughter was loud and long. He threw back his head, roared at the roof, and even pounded his chest with one fist. “Good
one! And you expect me to believe that? Why don’t you tell me what I’m thinking right now.”
The challenge was one of her favorites. His reaction was a wildcard. “You think I’m lying to you. Reading minds is bull. And you’re wondering if you can trick me, keep me from knowing what you’re thinking. You can’t. Don’t ask where it came from. I have no clue. And you’re hoping the coffee is ready.”
He scowled, grunted, and stood up without a word. He returned with two cups filled with coffee. He handed one to Nyssa. He bent to the task of untying the rope so she could drink and eat more easily. “Pretty good guess. I still don’t believe you though. You’ve got to come up with something better than that.”
A sigh fell from her pursed lips. “Just remember you asked for it. I didn’t volunteer.”
Walking inside someone’s head felt like being sucked out of your body, then being plopped into another person’s world. Luca had all the roadblocks up. Walking around in his head was difficult. It drained her energy. There were things he kept hidden from other people. Things he didn’t want anyone to know. Like the number of people he killed when fighting with the resistance against One World, the government that formed after the Great War. His name was The Hunter then. He killed with brutal skill to advance the resistance’s cause.
She found the red head named Cinnamon who lived in Arkala. Luca slept with Cinnamon when he went to town for supplies. Nyssa shuddered at seeing inside the red-head’s mind. Sometimes the minds of others leaked into the mind she walked around in. Cinnamon’s mind was ugly, twisted, and hungry for power. Luca wasn’t interested in that information either. All he wanted from Cinnamon was sex.
Popping back into her body was painful. A yelp followed by a grimace indicated she was out of Luca’s head. “You sure you want me to say what I found?”
