The Hunters Heart

Chapter Three

Theo

Instincts won as I rushed towards Damon’s side and threw myself between him and the next attack, if there was another. It was obvious they were targeting him, but I wasn’t sure why.

There was a ringing in my ears as I tried to think of a way out of this. I could hear a fight raging somewhere outside and I stilled, trying to listen to what the enemies had on their side.

Weapons. Guns. And definition some muscle.

“Where can you hide?” I yelled at Damon who stared in shock at my cowering body over him. Perhaps he was even more shocked than I was that I would risk my own life to protect his.

He couldn’t hear the way my heart was in sync with his, he couldn’t feel the buzzy feeling I get from being close to him, and the way my body instinctively wants to be close to him. I could not fight it, this was something beyond my control. But I would be damned if I showed it to him.

Cursing myself, I got off of him and brushed debris from my body. Damon got up from his position on the floor and did the same, before shooting a glare.

“I am perfectly capable of protecting myself, thank you very much. Need I remind you that I am the Alpha of my pack?” He practically growled at me, his eyes darkened.

I snorted, “I don’t know if you’re aware of the fact that I threw myself on you so the bullet doesn’t hit you, and thankfully it did not hit me. So a thank you would be nicer than a n attitude.”

Damon didn’t respond, he pushed farther away from me and I instantly felt the gap between us like a sharp chill in the air. I resisted the urge pull myself to him, but instead bringing my head back to the current trouble.

The fight downstairs was dying down, but there was still some struggle. I rushed out of Damon’s office without turning to see if he followed me. If he was any smart, he would stay behind. It wasn’t smart to get into a fight if you were the sole target.

I tried to think of Damon’s possible enemies but there was so much. He was an Alpha yes, but he was also the CEO of a multimillionaire company. He could have enemies from either side of his life.

And it could be Lyra. Damon’s tone changed when he spoke of her, and due to his files it seemed she had a lot of power over him. She was a heiress of sorts, and she knew how to cause trouble and disappear.

A loud crash from ahead made me hurry up into the lobby of the building as I hurried there, heart beating inside my chest. It was a wreck.

Funitures were scattered all around, broken glass decorated the floors. I could see a lot of fallen bodies, but I didn’t have time to check if it was the enemy or my side.

I halted my thoughts, my people weren’t here, these were Damon’s people. I didn’t owe them this, I definitely should not be risking my life trying to save him. But it was so easy for me to get into position, this fight-or-flight state.

It was the fates bond between us, the one I couldn’t shake off. Of course I was biologically engineered to protect my mate.

Before I could get the hell out of here and maybe rewire my brain with some beer, two men approached me.

They were in completely black outfits, faces hidden behind ski masks. They were carrying guns, easy. These weren’t werewolves, or maybe they just didn’t decide to fight in that form. But it felt wrong to underestimate them just yet, because they did manage to breach security. There had to be to be more of them, but for now I could tackle these.

“It seems you are a little lost here boys,” I called out to them. The slightly taller one approached with his gun high up trained at me and I smirked at him. The other one barely gave me a thought, instead rushing towards the elevator to get to the upper floors. I turned to him with a stern motherly look, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

They looked at me like I was foolish because I didn’t have a weapon to me. Well, not one that they could see anyway. I raised my hand up in surrender.

“Don’t move.” One od them called, voices muffled. I could tell from the way they moved that they had no idea who I was.

I gave them a small smile, my green eyes watching their every move and assessing their weaknesses while they crept closer to me. The first guy seemed to be limping slightly to the right, while the other seemed ready to attack me without planning any defense.

I smiled at them, “I don’t think you’re who you’re looking for. Humor me and tell me who it is.”

They did not respond, instead walking closer, a little less defensive when they realized I was nothing, I could do nothing.

That was their fatal mistake.

Without breaking a sweat, I lept into action. My leg attacked the limping guy, pulling him to the ground before he could make a sound, while I swerved and grabbed his falling gun and shot at the second guys arm, causing his own weapon to fall.

It was almost too easy.

I snickered as I grabbed for the second gun too, pointing at the fallen men before me. Two seconds was all it took for me to disarm them.

“Not very impressive boys, I have dealt with much worse.” I said, before shooting their legs several times , ensuring they have no way of escape. When I was sure to be done with the bullets in the guns, I threw them aside.

They were both bleeding, in agony, their legs beyond salvation.

“Who sent you?” I asked them, but all I got in response were moans. I leaned down and stripped the ski masks out of their faces, and I had no idea who they were. Only one distinct feature on them, marked across their faces so grotesquely that it was impossible not to see.

They were roses, crooked and filled with thorns tattooed across their faces like a mark. I frowned at the sight, but I could make no sense of it. Perhaps-

The clicking sound of a gun made me halt my thoughts. I caught my breathe, and stilled. Someone was pointing a gun at me from behind.

There was a third person after all.

“If you move an inch, I will shoot you and I don’t miss.” Came the voice of the person behind me. From the firmness of his voice, I knew he wasn’t joking. But I could swerve, I could dodge. I just had to disarm his mind a little.

“Oh but what if I need to itch myself?” I asked, intentionally making my voice airy.

The man was clearly annoyed from his tone, “Do not move for anything. Step aside from my men.”

“I thought you said I shouldn’t move.” I inquired, still keeping my voice airy.

The man grunted, I could feel him weighing the gun from one hand to the other with the way he moved. He was getting tired.

“Move when I tell you to. Now turn around and walk away from then.” He instructed and I did, turning around just in time to see Damon approaching the man from behind, holding his mahogany desk in his hand and he practically bulldozed the attacker with his entire weight before throwing the large desk on him.

I watched as the desk crashed onto him, and broke into a thousand pieces while Damon stood aside, looking like he just saved the entire world.

“Now we’re even.” He said, grunting as I hurried over to the assault.

“I did not ask you to do that, I had it under control.” I said, rolling my eyes. “You ruined your desk for nothing. Was that to show me how strong and powerful you were.”

Damon glared at me and it made me realize that no one probably spoke to him like that, nor ever.

“You’re welcome.”

“I wanted to know who sent them.” I sighed, reaching for the man to check if he was still alive. He was, albeit very much unconscious without any possibility of him waking up now.

Damon grunted, “How can I know you weren’t the one who brought these men, no one has been able to breach my security before.”

I rolled my eyes at that, “My men would have done a better job, believe me. The first bullet wouldn’t miss.”

“Wow I feel very safe now.” He said. I eyed him, the very idea of a Damon being sarcastic was ridiculous.

“I can’t believe I save your life and this is how you repay me, with suspicion. I leaned to pry the ski mask on the guy away from his face, knowing exactly the mark I would find there.

“Technically, I just saved your life too.” He chided as he leaned down beside me.

Ignoring him, I tugged the material over the guys face and there it was, the same wretched rose tattoo plastered across his face.

Damon stilled beside me, his earlier wit escaping him.

He sighed heavily, “These are Lyra’s men.”