Hunter's Choice Chapter 15
1753 Words
Chapter 15: Alliances
-------Cassie's Perspective------
I close the door behind me. The tears won't stop falling. Dammit!!! I'm not supposed to be this weak. I need to be better. I need to do better. I need....Mal. No! I'm not some weak person, I don't need him. I can do this. I can handle this. I can't lean on him for everything. I need to be better. I need to be stronger. I need....Mal.
I hear the door open and I turn around. Mal shuts the door behind him. I can feel myself going to him.
"I need to be stronger than this. I need to stop leaning on you so damn much." I feel him pick me up and take me to the bed. He holds me close to his chest.
"It is alright, love. Crying is not a weakness. It is a strength."
"How?"
"It helps you to let go. To grieve and move on." Right. Every time I cry, I feel a weight lift from me. I wipe the tears from my eyes.
"Doesn't change the fact that I lean on you too much."
"You can lean on me as much as you like, love. You are my mate. I love taking care of you."
"Yeah. I just wish I could take care of you for once." He looks at me with mirthful blue eyes.
"It's not funny. I really want to take care of you. The way you do for me."
"Of course, love. I would be overjoyed to have you take care of me." Oh. He wasn't laughing at me, he was just happy. I need to stop assuming things. Especially when it comes to him. Mal is always taking care of me, comforting me. He does so much for me. I need to do something for him.
"Um, what do you want?"
"What a way to ask."
"You know what I mean." He gives me his typical smirk.
"I want you."
"What does that mean?" I see his blue deepen with lust. s**t!
"Nope. Not gonna happen any time soon. Not ready." I get up and go towards the door. He comes up behind me and pins me against it. Hmm, I love it when he does this.
"I respect that, love. But, you really should not run from me." Hmm, so damn good.
"Would you chase me if I did?"
"To the ends of the earth, Cassandra." He really means that. He really cares for me. He's the only one who truly cares for me. Julian cares for me in a way a friend does. But, he doesn't understand me. How can I make him see her for what she is? I need a plan.
"You have gone quiet. Did I say something wrong?"
"God, no! Thank you for what you said. I just started thinking."
"Ah, and what trouble are you planning now?"
"I don't plan to get into trouble." He simply smirks at me. Okay, so I tend to find trouble.
"We need a plan. I need to change Julian's mind. Especially when it comes to my Mother." Think, Cassie. What would make Julian see her the way I do? There has to be something I can do or say. I already tried to reason with him. He won't budge.
"Do you have a plan?"
"Not yet. But I will." Just need to think. I turn and walk out of the door. I need to see him. Maybe then I can come up with something. I go down the stairs and Julian is tied to his chair. What the hell?!
"What's going on here?"
"Hello, Master. Hello, Miss. He tried to escape and so we had to tie him down." Charlie bows.
"I wasn't trying to escape. I needed to see Cass. They wouldn't let me go."
"I'm sorry, Jules." Wait....I called him Jules. I haven't done that since before the proposal.
"Cass." I can see how much it means to him. I can hear Mal growling behind me. Great. Just great.
"Look....Julian. I know this seems crazy."
"Cass, crazy doesn't begin to cover it. You're siding with the enemy!"
"Mal isn't our enemy. The vampires here aren't our enemy. They're just trying to live their lives in peace."
"Do you even hear yourself? Vampires drink blood. Human blood. Where do you think it comes from?"
"The vein, of course. And it would be incredibly impractical to drain our supply completely." Mal sits down next to Julian.
"Mal, seriously. Not helping."
"You see, Cass. He's a monster. He sees you as food, nothing else."
"Dammit, Mal. You just set back all the progress I made."
"I am sorry, love." He can be so impossible sometimes.
"Just, don't help."
"Cass, why can't you see him for the monster he is?" I sit down in the other chair.
"Jules, it's not like that. Mal doesn't see me as food. It's...hard to explain."
"Explain it." Why the hell couldn't he just keep his mouth shut?
"Fine. If Mal was to drink from me, it wouldn't be for food. It would be....for other things." I can feel my cheeks heat up. Dammit! Mal chuckles. I swear.
"What do you mean, 'other things'?"
"Would you like me to help, love?"
"No! I can handle this. Alright. A vampire's bite can be...um...pleasing."
"What the hell are you talking about, Cass?" s**t, I'm gonna have to spell it out for him.
"Dammit! It's s****l, okay?! It's for s*x. You really are an idiot." I can see the shock and disgust go through him.
"You aren't serious? You can't be serious! There's no way you would ever even think of having s*x with a monster like him."
"That's none of your business. I told you how Mal sees me. That's all you need to know."
"Cass, you aren't attracted to him, are you?" Dammit. This isn't the line of conversation I wanted to talk about.
"None of your business. Speaking of business, is there any way you can see the world the way I do?"
"No, Cass, I can't. Monsters are monsters. Nothing will ever change that. I don't understand how you can even be in the same room as him. Especially after what he did."
"Jules, he's not a monster. He may have killed my Dad, but he isn't evil. He was doing what he needed to do. He admits what he did wrong and he's sorry. He is making up for his actions."
"How?"
"By taking care of me. He's the one who picked up the pieces of your mess. He was the one who took me in when I had nowhere to go. He was the one who was there for me when I renounced my hunter title. And he was the one who held me as I cried for my Dad. He was the one to comfort me and take care of me. He's proven what he needs to in my eyes."
"I'm sorry, Cass. I never meant for this to happen. I didn't mean to make you run. I didn't mean to turn you away from hunter life."
"It's alright, Jules. I forgive you. And I can do that because I know you mean it. I know you're sorry and that you want to make up for what happened. So, help me."
"Cass, you want to change thousands of years of traditions and laws. How the hell would I even begin to help you?" How can he help me? I need a plan. A really good plan. The plan to beat all plans. Dani comes in with a piece of paper.
"Momma! Look at this! I drew it for you and Dada." I take the piece of paper. It's a drawing of me, Mal and Dani. We're holding hands. So damn cute. Wait a moment. No, that's cold. I can't do it. I can't.
"It's beautiful. Just like you."
"I'm not." She looks down. I pick up her chin and see her eyes swirl.
"You are. Anyone who says differently will answer to me."
"And me." I look over to Mal to see a soft smile on his face.
"Now, run along. Dada and I need to keep talking grown up stuff."
"Okay." She runs off. No, I can't do that. I'm not using my child as bait.
"I can't do it, Mal. It would make me pure evil."
"I know, love."
"Good. We need a plan."
"Wait, what are you talking about, Cass?"
"It's okay, Jules. Just a bad plan. Don't worry about it."
"You've changed, Cass."
"Yeah, I probably have."
"So, how am I supposed to help you?" My Mother won't be convinced. She's set in her ways of thinking. She's cold as ice. And yet, Julian vouched for her.
"Jules, why do you side with my Mom?"
"This is a dangerous subject. Look, I know your Mom didn't handle things well, but she's not evil. I know she's the one to kill you if you turn bad. But, I think it'll hurt something inside her to do it."
"That's just it. I haven't turned bad. I'm still a good person. I still hunt evil and protect the innocent. But, she'll never believe me."
"No, I don't think she will. Unless..."
"Unless?"
"This is a crazy ass plan that you'll probably hate. What if we pretend that you came back? We pretend that you heard me out and decided to come back. We act like everything's normal. Then, when the time is right, you can talk to her about the changes you want to see."
"I don't know. I still don't think she'll change. She's set in her ways."
"You were set in yours when I met you, love."
"Seriously? You want to do Julian's plan?"
"As long as it does not involve him marrying you, your death, or your capture, I am fine with it."
"Possessive bastard."
"Yes, love, I am."
"So, we go with my plan?"
"Yeah, we go with your plan. It's the only way to change anything. And when things have changed, I'll come back."
"Right." Mal unties Julian from his chair. He gets up and stretches out his arms.
"Again, really sorry about the ropes."
"It's alright, Cass. It's like your Mom always says: The pain is a lesson learned."
"Yeah. I guess I need to say goodbye." I walk over to Mal. I can see the emotion swim through his blue gaze.
"Take care of Dani for me. Make sure she understands what's happening. I don't want her thinking I abandoned her."
"I will, love." Dammit, I'm gonna miss him. So damn much. f**k it. I kiss him passionately, my tongue meeting with his. Hmm, such warmth. His arms wrap around me, holding me close to him. His body fits so perfectly with mine. I'm gonna miss this. We break apart.
"Come back to me, love."
"Always." I pull away and go out the doors with Julian.
"You love him, don't you?" I look at Julian in shock. No, it's not love. Not yet. Can't be.
"Shut up. Let's go." We start towards the outer gate. Here goes everything.
End of Chapter 15
- Writer
