Hunter's Attraction

PART 1 - A New Beginning

Jean-Pierre sprung from his bed! Fire was everywhere! Flames surrounded him! There was nowhere to run! He couldn’t see; he couldn’t breathe! He ran to the window; it wouldn’t budge!

JP sprinted back down the stairs and tried the front door. “Hssss!” JP exhaled through clenched teeth, tearing his hand from the doorknob. Right, he thought as he shook his hand to ease the pain, not supposed to do that. Shift! Jean-Pierre gritted his teeth and flexed every muscle. Nothing! Jean-Pierre cursed as he frantically searched for an escape. There! A clear path leading to the backdoor. Jean-Pierre sprinted with all his might. Freedom! He could taste it. Ow! He silently screamed. A massive beam crashed down on him, pinning him in place. “Ah!” his screams tore through the air as he thrashed and scrambled to free himself. Each movement inflicted a fresh surge of agony, escalating the pain to an unbearable level. He clawed at the floor, desperately trying to get up. But the weight pinned him down, trapping him in place. His stomach churned. He was going to puke. He was going to—“Ah!” JP screamed as he woke in his bed, his limbs flailing and tangling in his blankets before he tumbled to the floor with a thud. “Ow,” he groaned, cradling the back of his head as his bedroom lights switched on. “Ah,” he covered his eyes with his arm. “¡Mamá!” he gasped, his voice shaking, still caught between the nightmare and reality.

“Mijo!” his mother fell to her knees by his side. “¿Qué te pasó? ¿Estás bien? Why are you yelling? What happened?”

“¡Estoy bien! ¡Bien! ¡Bien! ¡Bien!” he tried to wave his mother off and sit up. “Ah!” he gasped as a fiery pain engulfed his right side.

“¿Dónde?” his mother gently prodded with her fingers.

“Aquí, aquí,” JP maneuvered his mother’s fingers. “Here.” Jean-Pierre sighed as cold air hit his bare skin as his mom moved his blankets out of the way.

“¡Caracoles!” his mother gasped, covering her mouth.

“What? What’s wrong?” JP panicked. He looked at his mother. Tears were pooling in her eyes. “You have a mate mark,” she pointed to his side. Jean-Pierre looked down to see a big, bright red mark tattooed on the right side of his ribcage. “Una flor,” his mother said as she softly touched his mark.

“Ow!” JP moaned as a fiery pain raced up his side once more. “Mamá,” he groaned.

“Lo siento,” she apologized. “Do you know what this means?”

“No.”

“My baby has a mate,” his mother cupped his face. “This happens only once every few decades to a chosen few. This is wonderful.”

Jean-Pierre’s face fell at the news. “Yay,” he frowned. “Exciting.” It was such a wonderful start to his brand-new life. Just what I needed, he thought with an eye roll, a freakin’ mate tying me down. “Fantastic,” he remarked sarcastically.

***

Lily slowly closed her bedroom door, doing her best to not make a peep. She limped to her bathroom, every step a reminder of the night’s ordeal. Once she turned the light on, she filled her tub with hot water, hoping the sound of water wouldn’t disturb her sleeping family. Thank goodness Sirena had moved out, Lily thought. I definitely wouldn’t have been able to sneak in and out with that wolf-hearing of hers.

Slowly peeling her shirt from her sweaty and bloody body, Lily bit down hard on her lip, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth as she held back a painful scream. Why couldn’t I have been blessed with Aiden’s quick healing? No. Instead, she got the really good eyesight. What kind of gift was that? Even with her swollen right eye, her vision was still inhumanly amazing. So…maybe that was a plus?

Finally getting her shirt over her head, Lily's heart pounded as she cried aloud when she saw the giant bruise spreading across her ribcage like a storm cloud. Can’t cover that with makeup, she thought ruefully. Her black eye? Yes, those were easy. The possible rib fracture? No. Maybe…maybe she could use the period excuse again? No, she shook her head. She had used that excuse two weeks ago. She was running out of excuses. She didn’t want to get him in trouble; he wasn’t a p*****t. They kissed once, and she was the one who initiated it. She was 18. It was legal. But that didn’t make it any less wrong. He was rougher with her than the others, but it was her fault—wasn’t it? Her parents forbade her from dating and training with that scumbag. (“…but he’s an amazing hunter,” Lily had said at the time. Her dad only replied with a firm ‘no,’ stating he didn’t trust the hunter.) Now she was learning the hard way that her parents—her father—had been right. She was trapped in a situation she couldn’t escape, not without exposing the truth and facing her parents’ disappointment.

Lily finished undressing and slowly, painfully, stepped into her bathtub, turning off the water. Usually, she would add bubbles, but not tonight. She didn’t have time to relax. She needed to come up with a story, an excuse, anything to keep her suspecting parents off of her back. Unfortunately, or fortunately for her, Lily had underestimated her exhaustion. She didn’t remember falling asleep. One moment, she was sinking into the cold water, and the next, sunlight was blinding her, and her mother’s frantic screams were filling her room. Lily blinked up at her mother, her mind groggy from exhaustion. But now, the memory was a blur as she jogged down the street, the morning sun warming her skin. Lily waved to another walker as she ran, a big smile on her face. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining. Today was her first day at a new college. A fresh start. After school, she would begin her first shift at the campus café. It was bittersweet for her. Bitter because she’d be spending less time at the animal shelter; sweet, because she’d finally be making money, allowing her to pay rent. Her brother and Sirena told her it wasn’t necessary, but this was something Lily really needed to do.

Looking at her wristwatch, Lily blanched when she saw the time. She had a class in 3 hours. Picking up the pace and turning around, she began to mentally prepare for her morning routine. If she didn’t want to be late, she would have to settle for five miles. Oh well, she shrugged.

Slowing to a walk, Lily placed her arms over her head and breathed. Now, it was time for her to do something she absolutely used to hate doing. Thinking. Silencing her thoughts. Just…being.

Lily knew exactly what people saw when they looked at her: pink clothes, high heels, lip gloss—just another rich girl. They immediately assumed airhead, flirt, someone who had it all. And to be fair, she used to play into those stereotypes, especially in high school. There was a reason she was popular, and it wasn’t because of her stellar GPA. But those same people never saw the scars. The ones she hid beneath layers of makeup and designer clothes.

Lily frowned. She didn’t even graduate high school. With three months left in the school year - she had just turned 18 when she met…him. Her average grades plummeted; she was skipping classes…which wasn’t anything new. In the end, Lily had to settle for her GED…which she obtained a year ago.

This was a fresh start. A new beginning. College. Despite her messy past, she had always dreamed of going to college—even if it was for all the wrong reasons. Growing up in a world where she trained to fight creatures out of some Twilight knockoff wasn’t what she wanted for her life. She only took the training semi-seriously to make her dad proud. And then she met him. She trained even harder, just so she could get his attention. Now, she trained harder than ever—despite him.

Lily shook her head, clearing the thoughts. That’s all in the past. Now it’s time to focus on the future.

***

Lily inhaled the clean mountain air as she approached the house—a blend of rustic charm and luxury. Technically, it was Sirena and Aiden’s place, but who was she kidding? It was Sirena’s house, built from the finest materials her wealth could afford, with Aiden's craftsmanship adding warmth to the structure. If anyone asked about ownership, Aiden would jokingly say, “The house is Sirena’s; I’m just the hot handyman she’s having an affair with.”

Lily shook her head and smiled. Oh, to have a love like theirs! It was something she still longed for—and she hated that she still longed for it.

“Hey, Lils, how was your run?” Aiden called out, emerging from the backyard with a crossbow slung over his shoulder, sawdust clinging to his shirt.

“I only ran five miles,” she pouted.

“Wow,” Aiden smirked, wiping his hands on his jeans. “Only five miles? You’re slacking.”

“Shut up,” Lily shot back, playfully punching her big brother in the arm. He threw his arm around her shoulders as they walked toward the house. “So, are you going to make me those special waffles?” she asked, her grin wide. “It is my first day of college, after all.”

Aiden raised an eyebrow. “You sure you’re ready for it?” He was understandably concerned.

Lily paused at the front door, her hand hovering over the knob. “Well, I never pictured myself at a community college. I always thought I'd end up at some fancy university,” she admitted, glancing at the smooth, custom woodwork. “But this is a good step. I need this.” She sniffed the air. “Wait, is something burning?”

“Sirena wanted to make breakfast this morning,” Aiden said with a grin, nudging the door open.

Lily scrunched her nose. “Oh, great.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make the waffles. Just don’t hog the hot water this time. We live in a cabin, not a spa.”

“I make no promises,” she teased, flashing a mischievous smile before disappearing inside.