The Skinwalker Hunter

Chapter 13 - Mia

I could feel his arms wrapped tightly around me. His body was close to mine. Get a hold of yourself girl. I scolded myself, mentally slapping myself again. I was doing a lot of that lately and yet it wasn't doing a thing to control my wayward reactions. My body was amid a full-blown mutiny and my heart rate was in cahoots with whatever was responsible for making my cheeks blush.

"Mia," he purred. His breath wafting over me making my stomach do a series of flips. I didn't trust my voice not to join the mutiny with the rest of my body so all I could manage was a nondescript sound. "I can read every reaction and thought that crosses your face, but why you react is what I don't understand."

My eyes shot open and his intense gaze had me pulling away. His arms loosened from my waist but he didn't release me. Heat burned at my cheeks now and tears started to sting my eyes. First, he laughs at me then informs me that I'm some sort of wrong reacting, wrong thinking freak in the history of the world.

"I'm a freak, " I admitted, more to myself than Evan. His fingers brushed my cheek as he lifted my face to his. Short of squeezing my eyes shut, there was no avoiding the intensity of his lavender coloured eyes.

"Why would you say that?" His words were gentle yet still questioned my mutant thinking ability. "You are a breath of fresh air amongst the masses of cookie-cutter excuses that have passed for the human race in the past."

I tried to squirm out of his hold. I needed to get out of here. Run for the hills, meagre belongings piled in the boot of the only friend I had in the world. Okay, so claiming that I had no friends apart from fabricated sheets of cold steel held together by a few bolts, rust and years of dirt, was a bit much. I needed to put an end to this pity party and fast. "So why did you laugh at me, if I'm not a huge joke to you?"

"Is that what upset you," he asked, releasing his hold of me and taking a step back. "Oh Mia, I'm sorry if I offended you. I don't think you are a joke, far from it."

"But you laughed at me," taking a small step backwards I increased the distance between us, instantly feeling the hormonal fog start to clear up. "For a really, really long time!"

"Mia, you are a passionate young woman with enough conviction in your voice to lead an army," he explained, slowly walking to the edge of the clearing. "However, every emotion or physical reaction you have to your environment is visible on your face. I reveal my vampire traits to you. You reacted with anger and disgust which was as readable as if the words were written your across forehead yet you were only surprised. Rosa's vampire traits compelled you to run as far away as you could."

He stopped circling the clearing and turned to face me, running his hand through his thick black curls. "Nostradamus himself wouldn't be able to predict how you will react to something. You told me that my perception filter was broken, I believe that you may need to get yours fixed as well."

My eyes fell to the ground searching out figures and shapes from the flowers around me. I spotted a rabbit riding a scooter and a giraffe stretching up to eat as his words swam around my mind, breaking apart, sticking to other words and slowly forming an understanding. The smile stretched out across my face as I looked up and met his eyes. "Do they have a perception filter shop in town, we might need to grab a couple when we go."

He winked at me, his smile reaching his eyes. They were truly stunning to look at. Every shade of violet danced in those magical crystal orbs that had seen more than I could ever imagine. I shook my head snapping out of fantasy land and back into reality. A cheeky smirk crossed over his features so quickly that if I blinked I would have missed it. I started towards the walkway no longer wanting to run from the scary vampire in my basement but willing to get to know her first. Turning back to Evan I watched him look around the clearing nodding his head. "Are you staying here?"

"I'll escort you back to the house," he said from the other side of the clearing one second and by my side, the next. I flinched at the quick movement and he looked at me apologetically. "It'll take some time to get used to, hopefully, we can desensitise you so it won't be a distraction during training."

"Training?" The word came out slow and deliberate as I arched one brow at him. "Grandma already trains me, and distractions have never been an issue with her?"

"We think it would be beneficial if you receive training from each of us. I will help you extend your magical knowledge and skills, your grandma will intensify your Wiccan training and Rosa will train you to fight."

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and started shaking my head wildly from side to side. "No, no, no, no! Not happening! Nope! Yeah, Nah! I'm not fighting! I'm not built for fighting! Rosa will rip me to shreds! I'm not fighting a vampire!"

"If you want to live you have to fight a vampire. The hunter is a vampire with centuries of power, strength and experience. If you don't train to fight, you may as well serve yourself up on a silver platter and ring the dinner bell." He circled the clearing in vampire speed stopping off to the side. Reaching out he grabbed the trunk of a tree and snapped It off like a twig. Taking up a baseball pose he swung the tree, stopping it inches from my face. "Do you think you can handle yourself?"

"Of course," I said straightening myself up and mustering all the bravado I might need to bluff my way out of this one. "I'm no stranger to fighting. Being a woman isn't a handicap, it's a skillset!"

"So you're ready for anything?" His expression was unreadable. Why couldn't his thoughts be written on his face? I nodded my head, gulping down the lump of doubt stuck in my throat and adopting a ninja karate defence stance is picked up from somewhere. My eyes stayed trained on him as he zipped around the clearing at vampire speed. I was about to pat myself on the back for a job well done when he disappeared into the bushes.

"Crap," I muttered scanning the bushes for any sign of movement. I started turning around in awkward half spins and clumsy footfalls when something leapt out from beside me and tried to grab me. Screaming I slapped my hands at the attacker, managing to land a few before hands wrapped around my body and soft lips brushed against my neck.

"Gotcha," Evan whispered in my ear before kissing me softly and letting go.

"That's not fair," I complained struggling to catch my breath. "You didn't stay in the clearing where I could see you."

"The hunter won't be playing fair and he won't be kissing your neck." I knew he was right but fighting an immortal with my soft, fleshy, breakable body was not something I wanted to do. "I want you to live, Mia and the best way to make that happen is to prepare you for the worst"

"I want to talk to Grandma first." I knew it was a losing battle and Grandma would throw me under the bus but I needed to dig my heels in and have my say about my life.

"Rosa and I will organise a training schedule so you both know what to expect." He chuckled at the exaggerated pout on my lips and continued to lay down the plans that Grandma was guaranteed to agree with. "Maybe you and your Grandma will have some suggestions we can work on as well."

"Fine," I said, pushing past him and stomping down the walkway. I didn't get very far before I yelped out in pain as my bare foot stomped down hard on a broken stick immediately followed by a sharp stone to my other foot. Leaning against the closest tree I assessed the damage to each foot. No broken skin thankfully, but that stone was going to leave a bruise. "Dang it!"

"Are you okay?" Evan sidled up beside me and I cringed at his question. "What's wrong?"

"I hate that question," I explained gingerly testing the damage to my foot.

He tilted his head and glared at me. His confusion was the first obvious emotion I had been able to read on his face. "How can someone enquiring about your welfare be so offensive?"

I let out an audible sigh and started hobbling back to the house. If he wanted an explanation he'd have to keep pace with the cripple. Maybe cripple is a bit over the top for a stone bruise but any pace less than the immortal speed of light he was used to was bound to bother him if nothing else. "Asking someone if they are okay has nothing to do with any genuine concern. It's more about making them look like they actually care, but they never do."

"I don't care if anyone thinks I care or not. It's only you and me," he said looking way too comfortable keeping with my slower pace than he should be. "Why would you think I'm not being genuine!"

I shrugged my shoulders not wanting to answer the question. "I don't know, it's more of a redundant question with only one acceptable answer. God forbid answering with a no."

"Why ask in the first place," the whole appearing to be concerned without the effort of actually caring was the crux of modern interaction and I was guessing Evan was social media challenged.

"There is reality, and then there is virtual reality," I told him. "The fiction novel worthy lives created online are the security blankets everyone hides under. As long as they look good in the eyes of others, they can feel good about themselves."

"Why bury your head in the sand like an ostrich when you think you're a swan? You're still an ostrich." Lifting my arm over his shoulder, Evan supported my weight, instantly easing some of the pain.

I giggled leaning into him for the support. "Welcome to my world. It's rare to meet an online swan that can fly like a swan."

"Does that mean I'm a swan," he smirked pulling me into his arms to carry me up the stairs?

"Yes," I grinned as he gently deposited me onto the couch.

"I don't want to be a swan," he pouted. "Can I be an eagle?"

I burst into laughter snorting through my nose. Slapping my hand over my mouth in embarrassment I muffled my laughter just long enough to gain some control back. "Definitely, I wouldn't want an eagle pretending to be a swan now would I?"