maggieveach@g*******m

Hunter's Choice Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Plans 

"Alright. Here goes. My plan is to go back to Hunterdom, walk down the aisle and say no. They may or may not throw me in the dungeons. I'm not sure what the penalty is for refusing to marry a man." 

"That is your plan?" 

"Yeah, that's my plan. I know it has a few kinks to work out. I know that once I say no, Julian will let me go. He won't keep on pursuing me. It's gonna hurt him, I know it will. But, I can't keep on running away from this. I don't want to look over my shoulder for the rest of my life. This is the only way. I can figure out how to break out of the dungeons or how to escape punishment after I say no." 

"I do not approve of your plan." 

"Yeah, well, I didn't ask for your approval. I'm doing this." I go to the door again and he steps in front of it. Dammit, he is so fast! 

"I will not allow you to endanger yourself unnecessarily. I have another plan that will work."

"Oh, this should be good." 

"It is, love. You and I venture to this Hunterdom, and you renounce your title as hunter." What?! 

"No way in hell am I doing that. I'm a hunter, I will always be a hunter." 

"Even though your people forced you from your home and are disrespecting your choice and free will to choose the man you wish to marry?" Dammit, he makes a really good point. 

"I understand what you're saying. I do. Everything about my life is upside down right now. The one thing I do know, is that I'm a hunter. I hunt monsters and save people. That is what I do. That is what I will always do." 

"It is a noble cause. And yet,  you must ask yourself, who are the monsters and who are the people?" 

"I know. We keep going back to this. I know not all non-humans are monsters. I get that now. But, if some vampire wants to rip someone's throat out, then they have to answer to my sword. That is crystal clear. That hasn't changed." 

"Nor will it ever change, love. There will always be rogues. So, an amendment to my plan. You and I go to Hunterdom and you renounce yourself as their hunter. You will state that you now hunt in the name of supernatural kind. Does that sound good to you?" 

Huh. That's an interesting plan. If i renounce myself as a hunter, I won't be subject to hunter traditions. But, I still have to answer to hunter law. 

"It's an interesting plan. It saves me from the marriage. But, I'm not sure what happens when a hunter renounces being one. I really wish I'd paid more attention when my Mother was going over the rule book." 

"We will cross that particular bridge when we come upon it." 

"Right. Then we'll go with your plan. Don't go getting a big head or anything. It's just better than winding up in a dungeon." 

He laughs and it sneaks through me, causing my heart to beat faster. Dammit! 

"Do you really have to laugh like that?" 

"What do you mean, love?" 

"Your laugh, it's creepy." 

"Is it? I will endeavor to make it less 'creepy.'" 

"Thanks. So, um, we go at nightfall." 

"Yes, we do. Now, we have time to discuss our relationship." 

"We don't have to do that. Besides, do you really want to hash it out, here in the foyer?" 

"You do have a point." He grips my waist and we're off. Damn him! 

He sets me down on his bed. What the hell?! Of course he takes me to his bedroom, the manipulative son of a b***h. 

"Now that we are here, let us discuss the terms of our relationship." 

"There is no relationship. I don't want anything to do with you." I feel the air move and I'm pinned to the bed. My arms above my head and him cupping my chin. This seems to be his favorite position. 

"Are you sure you do not want me?" 

"Yes, I'm sure. No matter how many times you pin me, it doesn't change how I feel about vampires. And you are a vampire. End of story." 

"Well then, what I do next will not affect you." Wait, what? His hand moves from my chin to my neck. His tongue flicks against my skin. It's alright, he did this before. I can handle it. Hmm, it feels so good though. His fingers enter my mouth. What the hell?! How did this happen? Dammit, I need to be on my guard. I need-oh, his fingers taste good. He's moving them in and out of my mouth. s**t, this shouldn't be so erotic. But, it is. His tongue continues to lap at my neck. Hmm, I can't handle this. I can't. 

He pulls his fingers out and stops licking. He looks at me. 

"Damn you, you son of a bitch." 

"You did not enjoy my touch and taste?" 

"No, I didn't. Not one bit." 

"I see. Then I will stop. I do not wish to do things you do not enjoy." He moves off of me. 

"So, you're letting me go?" 

"No. Cassandra. I will never let you go." Hmm, the way he says my name. f**k, it curls through his mouth and pierces me. 

"We're at a stalemate." 

"I believe we are. Again, how may I court you?" 

"I don't want to be courted. Nothing you do will ever change the fact that you're a vampire." 

"We are going in circles again. Which means, you are lying to me." 

"No, it doesn't. You just can't accept the fact that I don't want you. You think you're so charming, so sexy that I  won't be able to resist you. That I'll swoon at your feet. Well, that's not happening. Ever." 

"I do not wish for you to swoon. Merely to accept the small flirtations I bestow upon you." 

"Well, I don't. I don't accept being yours or anyone's." 

"I do not wish to cage you. I do not want to make you into someone you are not. I am not your hunter friend." Dammit! That hurt. That's it, isn't it? How does he always do this? How does he get under my skin? Focus, Cassie. Focus. 

"Oh really? You keep saying that I'm yours. That I'm your mate. That you won't let me go. That sounds like a cage to me." 

"There is a certain amount of possession in any relationship. You are my mate and I will not let you go. On the other side, I belong to you. I am your mate as well. So, it is mutual possession." 

"And that makes it okay for you to dictate to me? To tell me who I can and can't hang out with? Where I can and can't go? For you to make all my decisions?" 

"That is not what I wish to do. Again, I am not like your people. I do not wish to dictate to you." 

"Then, what was with those rules in your note?" 

"Those were for your protection and for the protection of my people." 

"Right, because I'm the big bad huntress who needs to be kept in check." 

"No, because I did not want you to be alarmed by seeing other vampires. I wanted you to know you could count on me for any of your needs or wants. That while you are in my home, you are taken care of completely." No, that's not what was in that note. He wanted me to tell him when I was leaving. He wanted...dammit. Looking back on it, it was all about taking care of me. The line about my meals, and saying if I needed anything, to go to him. Dammit, I hate it when I'm wrong. 

"I'm sorry. You're right. You were just being a good host. Again, I'm really sorry." 

"That is alright, love. I forgive you." 

"But, that doesn't change my view on relationships. Not at all." 

"You are incredibly stubborn. It is charmingly frustrating." 

"Oh please, you hate it. You just don't want to admit you hate it. Don't lie to me." 

"I am not lying to you. I will never lie to you. Your stubbornness is charming and frustrating. Frustrating because you refuse to see me as anything but your enemy. And so it makes it difficult to convince you that is exactly the opposite of who I am to you." 

"You're a vampire. Of course you're my enemy." 

"That is your default excuse for not seeing me as I am. If I am such an evil vampire, then why did I take you in? Why have I not killed you? Why am I forming plans to save you from a marriage you do not want? How do these actions make me evil?" Dammit, he's good at this. 

"Look, I appreciate all of the help you're giving me. I do. But, that doesn't mean I give up my independence or my freedom." 

"Again, I am not the one taking those things from you. I am attempting to help you keep them." 

"Yes, so you can have me all to yourself. All of your actions lead me to you." 

"Yes, they do. But, they also lead to your freedom and to what you want." 

"We're going in circles again." 

"We go in circles because there is something you cannot or will not admit." I don't want this. I don't want to be caged. That's what he wants. He says he doesn't. He acts kind and good but then he'll stab me in the back. I'll let my guard down and he'll hurt me. Just like....oh. 

"s**t. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so dense. This isn't about you. This was never about you. This is about Julian. I trusted him. He was the one person I trusted to have my back, to protect me, to respect me, to be there for me. And he stabbed me in the back. He's trying to control me. Trying to pin me down. When I thought he was the one who supported me the most. And that still hurts. It's still so fresh." 

"Of course, love. I am sorry. I am being inconsiderate to you. I should have realized that you were not ready for this conversation. You are not ready for me. Not yet. One day, perhaps. Until then, I will respect the pain and grief you are going through." 

"Thank you, Mal. I appreciate it. I want to be honest with you, I do. It's hard for me to fight the way I was raised. A part of me will always jump to you being my enemy. I know you're not. I do know that. It's just hard to change years of ingrained hatred. Especially with my Father's death, it's just hard for me to ally myself with a vampire." 

"That is understandable. I know it will take time for you to adjust. I will endeavor not to rush you. And I like your nickname for me, it is adorable." He likes it! Wait, why the hell does that make me so happy? 

"Thanks. And, um, there's also the....uh....attraction." 

"Attraction?" 

"Yes. I am attracted to you. It scares the crap out of me. Whenever I feel it, it's overwhelming. I've never been like this with anyone else. I've been attracted to other men. But, I've never felt such...um...heat. It unnerves me." 

"It is alright, love. I will court you slowly so as not to overwhelm you." 

"Um, okay. Thanks. I mean, not that I want you to court me or maybe I do. I don't know. I'm all kinds of mixed up about all of this. What with Julian and the fact you're a vampire and my whole history and everything that's happening. It's a lot." 

"Yes, it is. I will do my part to lighten the weight on your shoulders." 

"Thanks, Mal. I appreciate it, I really do. So....now what?" 

"Now, the real fun begins." He cups my chin with his hand. His lips brush lightly over mine, a caress of breath. Hmm, I want more. I cup the back of his head and pull him closer. My lips answer his and my tongue invades his mouth. His tongue curls around mine, weaving his heat into me. Hmm, so f*****g good. He breaks away. No, don't stop. Wait, what am I saying? s**t. 

"I had intended that to be a chaste kiss. Not that I mind." 

"Right. Yeah. Um, let's strategize our plan." He smirks playfully. 

"Do we really need to, love?" 

"We need to be prepared. Just in case." And I need to think about something other than that hell of a kiss we just had. 

"I thought you were not going to lie to me anymore?" 

"Dammit, fine. I just need to take my mind off of what we just did or I'm going to implode." 

"Alright, love. Let us strategize." This bastard is going to be the death of me. 

End of Chapter 6