The Hunter

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

There was a sudden pounding at the door. I rolled over on my bed and grabbed my phone to look at the time. It said 6:13 am. I groaned loudly, hoping that if no one answered they’d go away. That was not the case because the knocking continued. I threw the covers off myself and stalked towards the door. I threw the door open.

“What?” I growled. A smirking Malakai greeted me. He looked me up and down.

“Good morning, Sunshine.” He said, chuckling.

“What do you want?” I asked, unable to control the scowl that was on my face.

“May I come in?” he asked. I stepped to the side and sarcastically waved him over. He stepped in and began to look around the house. I looked down at my pajamas and cursed my warm body. Even in this crisp fall weather, I was always running hot. Damn wolf genes. I ran into my room, grabbed a sweatshirt, and threw it on. Before I stepped out, I grabbed some sweatpants and tugged those on. I walked out of the room and crossed the living room to make myself coffee.

“Coffee?” I asked, holding out the empty pot. Malakai turned around and nodded and walked over to the breakfast bar. I busied myself with making coffee before I attempted to make some conversation. I grabbed a bowl and poured myself some cereal.

“I take it you are not a morning person?” Malakai asked, closely following my movements. I put the bowl down across from him and leaned forward.

“I just don’t like being woken up,” I said, and put a spoonful of the cereal in my mouth.

“I apologize about that. I was meaning to talk to you last night, but you suddenly got whisked away by a very persuasive vampire.” He said. I lifted my eyebrows in agreement. The coffee was done, so I grabbed two coffee cups and set them down. I filled the two cups up and set the pot down. I grabbed my cup and took a big sip, closing my eyes at the taste of it on my tongue. I set my cup down.

“Talk to me about what?” I asked. Malakai grabbed his cup and took a sip before speaking.

“I was wondering if you would like to oversee the training of the warriors in this compound. Your particular set of skills would very much help them become better warriors against this vampire.” He said, meeting my eyes. I tilted my head to the side.

“My skills?” I asked. He nodded.

“You know more about all the creatures of the night than anyone here. We know the basics of vampires and we know how to take them down, but I know you have connections with the fairies and mortals. You have learned a lot this past decade. You know more than you let on.” He said, leaning back on the chair. His long gray sleeve matched his eyes perfectly.

“Neither of the vamps or wolves like or trust me. I think it’s a bad call,” I said, avoiding his gaze.

“Gen,” he said, his voice a little softer than before. I looked up and met his eyes again. There was a determination he didn’t have before. “I want you to help us. I know you are here for a different reason, Daniel informed me. But I genuinely believe you can help us. Maybe make them see that working together isn’t as bad as generations of stories have told us.”

I held his gaze. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, and I’m sure he could hear it too. Daniel only brought me along because of what I wanted out of this. I was never asked to help anyway. I came here to get what is owed to me. I took a deep breath.

“Malakai, I’m not the person you think I am. I’m not someone who wants to help unite the vamps and wolves. If Daniel told you the reason, then you should know why I am against me helping the two of you out in this endeavor.” I said. Malakai got up from the chair and walked around the bar. I followed his movements closely. He stopped close to me so that I had to crane my neck to see his face. His eyes turned a darker gray.

“I know you know the impact you’ve had on this generation. You have changed many people’s opinions of others. You have forged a path for there to be peace, and for new teachings to be taught. You have singlehandedly threatened an Alpha’s rule by simply being you. These close-minded vampires and wolves may not see it now, but you are the greatest thing that has happened to this generation.” He said in a low voice. He moved his hand up, and for a moment he hesitated before placing his large hand on my cheek. “You are amazing.”

I felt dizzy from his touch. It was like a thousand bolts of lightning were coming from the place our skin met. I instinctively leaned into his hand. My mind was racing just as fast as my heart was pounding. I’ve read stories of how it feels when mated wolves touch for the first time. Hell, I dreamt of it happening to me as a kid. But to be in this very situation was nothing as I imagined. I felt more whole than I have in years. And that scared me.

I took a step back from Malakai.

“I’m not amazing, I’m a survivor.” I said in a small voice. For the first time in a long time, I felt cold when I moved away from him. I was confused, frightened, and a little excited about what had just happened.

“You are extremely humble,” he said quietly.

I stood there for a moment contemplating what he had just said. Sure, I was extremely skilled and knowledgeable, but that was not by choice. I’ve been known to do some shady deals and learn things that could end up getting me killed. And that is why I have several targets from several creatures on my back. I may be worth more than my weight in gold, but no one ever dared to take me down. I was valuable. I sighed.

“Does Daniel know?” I asked. Malakai looked up.

“Yes.”

“I need to know what I’m working with before I start teaching anyone anything.” I said defeatedly. Malakai gave me a lopsided grin before he took a step forward and engulfed me in a hug. I froze in place. I was flooded with Malakai’s scent and the sound of his strong beating heart. It was steady and loud in my ear, and it was just pleasant enough for me that I could fall right back to sleep listening to it. I didn’t have a chance to count more beats before Malakai pulled away quickly. I looked down as I felt my face go hot.  

“I’m sorry, that was uncalled for.” He said, briskly walking to the other side of the bar. I moved slowly to my coffee cup and took a few sips before I dared look up at Malakai.

“When do we start?” I asked him. He gave me his lopsided grin again.

“As soon as you want,” he stated.

“Tonight.”

~

I looked at the two separate groups that were just scowling at each other. The tension was so palpable that anyone could cut it with a plastic knife. Luna came to stand beside me as I was leaning on the tree. She sighed.

“What have you got yourself into?’ she murmured. I looked up at her. She had rejected the idea of me training the vamps and wolves, claiming that it would not amount to anything. She only ever cared for me, but any other wolf that she saw made her skin crawl.

“I will just be training, nothing more.” I said, pushing myself off the tree as I saw Malakai and Daniel walking towards the group.  

“Sir, what is the meaning of this?” one of the large male wolves asked. Malakai just gave him a pointed look, and the male bowed his head. They reached the front of the group as I came to stand to Malakai’s right. Olivia gave me her infamous glare when she noticed where I was standing.

“Good evening,” Daniel began. “Tonight, we start your training.”

“We will train side by side so we can be better prepared for our enemy,” Malakai said, stepping forward. “While the King and I will be observing your progress, the one mainly responsible for your training will be Gen.”

“You’re kidding me, right?” a brunette vampire spoke. Daniel looked over at her. I stood there with my feet shoulders width apart, hands on my back. If I was going to survive this announcement, I was not going to let them know I had my anxieties about being their trainer.

“It is the best course of action. She will improve your training with what she has learned. She is skilled in hand-to-hand combat, weaponry, hunting and surveillance. We have made this decision solely based on facts.” Daniel’s authoritative voice boomed as he stood tall. The vampire who spoke merely nodded in response. These warriors did believe in each respective King, and they understood right there that they had no ulterior motive but make them better warriors. I stepped forward, taking a deep breath.

“I am not here to choose a side, neither wolf nor vamp. I am here to train you all as warriors. Please be respectful of your Kings’ decision. I am only here to see you all improve. I have watched on the sidelines and can attest to each of your skills. I will respect each of you. All I ask in return is your undivided devotion to become better for your people and King.” I announced, scanning the crowd as I spoke.

I wasn’t wrong in my statement. Half, if not more, of these creatures all have some skill. I was just contracted to make them better.

“With that being said, I need each of you to pair with someone who is not the same of your kind.” I spoke and there was an erruption of disagreement in the crowd. I closed my eyes before speaking louder again. “You will learn more about your enemy by pairing up with someone just so you can each see the skill of the other creature.”

The brunette who spoke earlier stepped forward and walked up to a male wolf more than half her size in length and width. It took everything in me not to smirk at her. She had guts.

“What is your name?” I asked her. She looked towards me.

“Sierra, ma’am.” She spoke. I nodded at her.

“If she has the balls to do what you can’t, I see no point in training everyone and just focusing on her to be the best killer out there.” I said to the crowd. That seemed to get through their heads. Slowly, the divided crowd became one and, after a few minutes of interaction, everyone had a partner. They stood chattering amongst themselves as I observed them.

Each of them all had different body language. By observing, I knew which would be better in hand-to-hand combat, as opposed to others which would be perfect for weapons. I excused the Kings to step aside and stood next to Luna. I asked her earlier to be my second during the training, mainly for support, but I knew she would be willing to show anything if need be. I did train her in the last couple of years after coming into a situation where she confessed to feeling weak.

“For tonight, I will only be observing you all as a group. Your official training will start tomorrow. Tonight, I will evaluate your level of skill. Luna,” I looked at her. “If you could please take an offensive position?”

“Sure.” She said and faced me, raising her hands up in front of her. Before I faced her, I spoke to the warriors.

“She and I will serve as a demonstration purpose. I will ask each of you to do something similar after we are finished. I am looking at all your movements and see where I can improve your fighting skills.” I turned to Luna and gave her a wink.

She came at me fast, drawing her right arm back for a punch. I moved ever so slightly at the last second and hit her in the back of her head with a flat hand. She paused and went with a round house kick. I ducked out and grabbed her outstretched leg and made to move her up to slam her down. She wiggled in my grasp, swung her legs around my neck and used her body weight to bring me down. I cursed silently, as I felt her legs tighten on my neck. I punched her side a few times until I hit a soft spot and she gasped and released me. I flipped backwards and got to my feet as I saw her coming towards me again. She went for a right kick, which I blocked. I grabbed her leg once again. This time I brought my elbow down on her thigh hard. She yelped, lost her footing, and dropped to the ground. I threw her leg hard enough to twist her body. I grabbed her by the root of her hair and flung her back into a tree. She hit it with a sickening crack. She fell to her hands and knees and collected herself for a second before she went for the next attack.

She went for a right hook to my face, but I blocked it by grabbing it, twisting her arm back and pushing her into a tree. I placed my body over her to restrict her hips so she wouldn’t escape. With a single pull of her arm, I dislocated it and she yelled out in pain. I released her and she fell to the ground and cradled her arm. She popped it back in with a loud crack. Luna stood up and ran towards me, grabbing my waist and attempted to slam me down on the opposite tree. With my free elbow, I brought it down to her head a couple of times. She staggered slightly before I kicked out her left foot. She released me, I caught myself against the tree as she went for her next attack. I kneed her on her chest, and she flew back. She twisted in the air and landed like a cat. She pushed off the ground, sending grass and dirt flying back. I saw her claw her hand before she dug her elongated nails into my forearm. I punched her in her sternum, but she didn’t budge. I grinned.

She fainted a punch with her left, which left me momentarily confused. She slammed the sole of her shoe on my chest and felt my skin rip on my arm. I felt myself suspended in the air before I slammed on the ground. I coughed and some blood came spewing out of my mouth. I got to my knees as I saw her running towards me. I placed my hands on the ground and pushed myself off the ground with all the strength I could muster. I flipped in the air, landed behind Luna, and grabbed her by the back of her neck with my left arm. Holding her at arm’s length, I kicked her in the ribs. She crumpled down to the ground as I saw an indent on her side. She got up and faced me, black blood running down her mouth. She went for a high kick. I grabbed her leg and with a twist of my body, I twisted her knee out of her socket. I turned in place and threw her in the direction of the warriors. She flew until she landed on the ground, inches from one of the wolves’ feet. I ran to her and put my foot on her neck and applied just enough pressure on her neck. She tapped my foot and let her go. I let her recover for a few seconds before I extended my hand to her. She took it and I pulled her to her feet. I glanced at her ribs, and I could see them slowly healing.

“So, what did you observe?” I asked the vamps and wolves.

“Clearly not to mess with you.” A wolf said from the back. A few chuckled at his statement.

“That should have been obvious,” Luna said as she rubbed her rib.

“No, I wanted you all to observe one simple thing: how to identify offensive and defensive fighting. I want to see how each of you handle being in each position. With your partner, I want you all to show me defensive and offensive strategies.”

With that, I watched as the group of warriors spread out and began the drill. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Luna walk to her father and then disappear. I knew she would be feeding to accelerate her healing. I made my rounds to the warriors, putting my input on some of the creature’s fighting stance, or lack of proper punches. I would have them occasionally switch positions so I could fully observe everyone.

Occasionally, I would catch Malakai staring at me intently. And every single time we meet eyes, I could feel my body growing colder. It puzzled me, because all I knew about the mate bond was purely on an educational level. I watched my parents as a kid, but even then, those memories were hazy. So, whenever Malakai and I make eye contact, I am always first to break it. After several hours of watching and making mental notes, I stopped them from their drills.

“Good job everyone, that is it for today. Eat some food and heal.” I said while clapping my hands together once. A few of them groaned, but I did notice the vampires and wolves conversing with each other after the training. I crocked an eyebrow up, but I said nothing.