maggieveach@g*******m

Hunter's Choice Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Trial

The ropes hug my torso, binding my legs and arms. 

"I was wondering, how exactly am I going to eat with my arms tied?" 

Magda chuckles. 

"You're right. Guess I'll have to help you eat. I'm sure you understand." 

"Of course." If it were me, I wouldn't unbind her for any reason. Werewolves are strong, fast, and able to shift at any given time. They're strongest on full moon nights. It's still a mystery to me and to my people. She holds out a scone and I chomp down on it. God! So soft and yummy. 

"Like my scones, do you? Bet you've never had a good meal in your life. Hunter's probably cook for shit." 

I swallow down the bite. Lick my lips clean. 

"We don't have time to cook properly. We're too busy." 

"Yeah, busy killing innocent people." 

"Monsters aren't innocent people. They're monsters." Her eyes shimmer and I can feel a change in her. Her claws come within inches of my nose. 

"Would a monster take you in and feed you? Would a monster have saved your life?" She withdraws her claws. 

"I'm sorry. I know that you aren't a monster. You've shown me kindness. I'm grateful. And I'm happy that I got to you before I died." 

"You assume the Council is going to kill you. You know what happens when you assume things. And here I thought you might be different than the others." 

"I'm not. I was born and raised as a hunter. I've hunted monsters, I've killed them. You wanted to know my life story. That's it." 

"Oh no, that's not the full story. We both know that." She feeds another bite of scone. Damn, that's good. I swallow it down. 

"You're right. If I do die, someone should know who I really am. I was raised by my parents, my Mother and ....my Father. When I was 10 years old, he was killed on a hunt. His throat was ripped out and he was left to die. My Mother took care of me after that. I was trained to fight at the age of 12 with my friend Julian. The same friend who went behind my back to my Mother and planned my arranged marriage. Important things to know about me are, that I love to fight, and I'm good at it. I love to read and have a ton of books back home. Most importantly, I hate vampires." 

Magda sits in silence for a moment. I think she's taking it all in. 

"Hmm, it was a vampire that killed your Father?" 

"Yes. It was." She rubs her chin in thought. 

"It's an interesting life you've led so far. I am sorry for your Father. No child should lose a parent." 

"Thank you." 

"But, that doesn't change how I feel about hunting or hunters." 

"I don't expect it to." 

"Good." Magda hauls me out of my seat and carries me over to her couch. 

"Now, I'm sure you're curious as to who I am. But, I'm not telling you a damn thing. In fact, I'm surprised you've told me as much as you have." She sits down in a big chair. 

"You seem like a good person." 

"Oh, so I'm a person, am I?" 

"Alright, I get it. Not all....non-humans are monsters." 

"Had to really search for the word didn't you? Not used to calling us anything else." 

"Can't help the way I was raised." 

"Actually, you can. You can be better than the ones who raised you. You already on the path. You just have to walk it. And on that note, I'll leave you to think. I've got some things I need to do." 

"You're just gonna leave me here? Aren't you worried that I'll escape?" 

"No. I'm excellent at tying knots. I know you're not going anywhere. Have fun with your thoughts." Magda walks out. 

Well, that was...unexpected. I feel the ropes and dammit, she's right. I'm not going anywhere. This is what I get for running. I should've just stayed and said no. I just didn't want to hurt Julian. I didn't want to give him false hope and then shatter it. And now I'm going to die for my f*****g stupidity. At least I met someone interesting. Magda's right in that I probably shouldn't have told her all of that. But, I just have this feeling, she's a good person. It doesn't make any sense. Nothing makes sense anymore. Everything is upside down. 

I just have to face my fate. I wonder what dying feels like? Will it hurt? 

-------Time passes-------

Evening. 

Magda and I are standing in a forest. I had no idea that there was a forest this close to the city. But, maybe that's the point. The Council is in front of us. At least, I think that's who they are. What I don't understand is, why are they just standing there? 

A whoosh of air goes through the trees. 

"I am sorry for being late. I had matters to take care of." Holy s**t! It's pony tail vampire. What are the f*****g odds? He's dressed similar to before, with his big coat and nice clothes. He must be the vampire representative. 

"Now that everyone is here, we may begin. Please bring forth the hunter." A tall woman states. Magda pulls me a step towards the Council.  

"My name is Magda Parnish and I have arrested this hunter. I bring her before this Council to be tried as is our law." One of the men growls and that must be the werewolf. Alright, we're figuring this out. 

"The Council thanks you, Magda Parnish. Now, hunter, state your name and the reason for us to pardon you." This is really weird. 

"My name is Cassandra Ventner. And, the reason you should pardon me is...." Dammit. Why should they? I mean, I've hunted their kind. I've killed so many of them. They were monsters, or were they? Everything is so confusing. 

"Yes, we are waiting." 

"You shouldn't pardon me." The whole Council looks completely shocked. 

"Excuse me, did I hear right? Did she just say she shouldn't be pardoned?" The werewolf chimes in. 

"That's correct. I shouldn't be pardoned. I'm a hunter. I've hunted your kind, I've killed your kind. I believed them to be monsters at the time. In meeting Magda, I've begun to question what a monster truly is. She's one of the best people I've ever met. She saved my life, took me in and fed me. She also arrested me and tied me up. But, she was just doing what she needed to do. I don't fault her for it." 

The Council is taken aback. Pony tail vampire steps forward. 

"I must interject. I have encountered this hunter before." 

And now the Council is in complete uproar. 

"Silence!!" The tall woman screams above the yelling. 

"Lord Malchior, please explain." 

"I was out for a walk when I happened to witness two rogues who looked as if they were going to attack an innocent woman. I police my own and so stepped in. I executed both rogues. It was not until afterward that I noticed the stake in the woman's hand. We spoke briefly. She inquired as to why I did not kill her. I replied with the same question. She said and I quote, "You're fast." And so, I let her go. I had taken a kill from her and so I thought it right to allow her to leave. You may chastise me or punish me as you see fit." 

I don't believe this. He actually remembered me. Wait, that's not what's important. What's important is that he spared me. He could've brought me in front of the Council to be killed, or killed me himself, but he let me go. What the actual f**k? Is everything turning upside down. 

"Well now. That is good information to have. Thank you, Lord Malchior. Does the Council wish to punish or chastise for the release of this hunter? All in favor raise your hand, all opposed stay silent." I watched as no one raised their hand. I look at Magda and she seems to be looking at me differently. 

"Good. As to the matter of the hunter's fate, raise your hands if you wish to pardon her. All those opposed may simply say no." Alright, here it is. I can only hope that it doesn't hurt. Pony tail's hand goes up first. The tall woman also raises her hand. And now everyone is raising their hands. What the hell?! 

They're pardoning me? But, why? 

"It's a consensus. The hunter is pardoned and may be allowed to dwell amongst our kind." Wait, what? I don't understand. 

"Excuse me, oh Grand Council, what do you mean by 'dwell amongst our kind?'" 

"Magda explained your situation to us over the phone. She asked for safe harbor on your behalf. She didn't tell you this?" 

"No, she didn't." 

"How interesting. Well, you may stay with our kind as long as you wish." The ropes all of a sudden fell off of me. I turn to Magda. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" 

"Because I didn't want it to affect your testimony. I wanted you to come in with clear eyes." 

"Well, doesn't matter now. I don't know how to thank you for this." 

"You can thank me by staying the hell away from me. I don't want your problems raining down on me." 

"But, I thought-" 

"I bargained for safe harbor for you amongst our kind. I never said that it was with me. Find your own way." She turns from me. 

"Wait! Is there something I did that caused you to act this way? Was it my testimony?" She looks back. 

"No. It was the fact that the only reason you didn't kill him is that he was too fast for you. Lord Malchior is a kind leader and good to his people. If he died, our community would never recover. And you considered killing him. I want nothing to do with you." Her eyes turn cold and she walks away. 

I didn't know. But, that's the point. I didn't know that a vampire could spare me. A vampire of all beings. 

"I am sure she will come around some day." Geez! He needs to get a bell or something. 

"Did I frighten you?" I turn around and he's extremely close to me. 

"Um, no." 

"Of course. Nothing scares the big bad huntress." He smirks. 

"I don't know about that. Right now, I have nowhere to go. Guess I'll just sleep in the woods like a squirrel." He laughs and it curls through me like a silk ribbon caressing my skin. Damn. I can't let him affect me like this. 

"You can stay with me, if you like. I have plenty of room." What the hell? Why on Earth would a vampire open his home to a hunter? I really don't understand this guy. 

"Are you sure you want to invite a hunter into your home?" I blink and he has me pinned against a tree. One hand wrapped around my throat, the other pinning my arms above me. His hand is like a vise around my throat, and my wrists are being crushed into the bark of the tree. 

"I feel extremely comfortable inviting you into my home. I know you will be on your best behavior. If not...I can always discipline you." I should be f*****g terrified right now. I should be wetting myself with fear. He is so damn powerful. And yet, I feel so turned on right now I can't even think. s**t, f**k, damn! Get it together, Cassie. Get it together. Get it together. 

"I promise...I'll be...good." He lets go of me and I gasp in a breath. 

"It is settled then. You will stay with me." I have no idea if I'll survive staying with him. I've never reacted like that to a man before. It has to be some vampire trick. It has to be. Because the alternative is f*****g terrifying. 

"Shall we go?" He extends his hand to me. 

"Yes." I take it and he grips my waist with his other hand. 

"Hold on tight." I hold his body to mine. I need to think about something else, anything else. The wind whips around us, I can feel how fast we're moving. It's way too fast to comprehend. My feet hit the ground and we are standing in a huge foyer. 

"Welcome to my home." 

"You weren't kidding when you said you had room." This place is huge. There's a giant staircase in the middle of his foyer. I think I'm inside of a castle. He laughs again, it flows like waterfalls rushing through my being. Damn him. Damn his f*****g laugh. 

"I'm not that funny." 

"Oh, love, you are right. You are not funny." He grips my chin playfully. "You are joyous." 

I pull away from him. Dammit, he's so confusing. 

"Come, love. Allow me to show you to your quarters." Well, here we go. 

End of Chapter 3