The Hybrid & The Hunter

Chapter 4 - Honesty

Things had turned out just as Daniel expected. Eyewitnesses saw my car. s**t! he thought.

His anger simmered beneath the surface, directed not at the police or the media, but at himself.

He had promised to keep Avery safe, but in his haste to get her out of the house, he had failed to cover his tracks properly. Now, with reports of a black Camaro spotted near the scene, he was becoming a suspect in the murder investigation.

He knew that his anger was misplaced, that he had acted in the heat of the moment to protect Avery. But he couldn't help feeling frustrated with himself for not being more careful.

This werent good news for Daniel, people would be suspicious of his car everywhere he'd go. He needed to lay low for a while and get his Camero off the roads ... but where? He rubbed his temples thinking of his next move. Never in his life did he attract so much attention to himself and now he could possibly be the prime suspect of a murder and kidnapping. After a moment, he finally came up with a plan.

"Get some sleep, kid. We leave first thing in the morning" He said, getting off the bed.

"Where you taking me?"

Daniel let out a loud sigh, Again with the f*****g questions.

"Look-" He began but stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes finally met with Avery's. His first thought was that she looked incredibly hot and wondered how was it possible that a haircut could make a difference to someone's appearance. But the more he looked at her, the more he found himself getting lost in her beauty. He wondered if she noticed the way he was looking at her, but he couldn't bring himself to look away. For the first time since they had met, he saw her as more than just a kid he had to protect. She was a beautiful young woman, and he couldn't deny his attraction to her.

"Is something wrong?" She asked confused and looked down at her clothes suddenly feeling insecure.

Daniel was staring at her, his mouth slightly open. He then looked away and took a deep breathe before he could speak.

"I told you, people must not be able to recognize you. That was the point of changing your hair" He said sternly. The idea of her looking better than she did angered him and he used that rage to reprimand her.

"I did as you said though. What's the problem now?" Avery snapped exasperated.

"You didn't listen to a thing I said" Daniel was now yelling at her but she didn't back down. Instead she matched his tone.

"You said my hair was too long and I need to cut it. That's what I did - I cut it!"

"The point of this was to be invisible. Are you trying to get everyone's attention?"

"No, that's the last thing I want" she murmured, grabbing a fist full of her hair and looked at the ground.

"Forget it," Daniel said annoyed, "we leaving first thing in the morning."

Avery watched him as he reached for another beer. Suddenly she was having second thoughts about running off with him.

"Where are we going?" she asked again, setting Daniel off.

"For Christ's sake!" he yelled, throwing his hands in the air, "What difference does it make?"

"I know nothing about you! For all I know, you could be the cause of all my problems"

Daniel was wounded by her words. After everything he'd done for her, this was how she felt about him. But he admired her honesty and smiled cruelly.

"Thank you for your honesty kid." he said setting his beer down on the tv stand and walked towards her slowly, "And since you're being honest, I should do the same. The reason I won't tell you where we're going is because I don't trust you. Everything about you and your parents death is unnatural - and that's coming from me. When I look at you and I see a darkness in your eyes."

Avery was stunned by the coldness of his words. He was standing right infront of her. He seemed so much taller. He could barely contain his anger and Avery saw the vein in his neck bulge each time he spoke. For the first time since they met, he actually frightened her.

"Yes, I am helping you stay safe. But if I was being honest with myself, I'd say I'm actually watching you." he said coldly, "So maybe, just maybe, I did kidnap you but I'll sleep peaceful knowing everyone else is safe and no one ends up like your parents."

Tears were running down Avery's cheeks. Daniel didn't trust her, he thought she was to blame for her parents death. She was shattered by the accusation.

Daniel turned, going back for his beer and took a large gulp, trying to regain his composure. He watched as Avery wiped away her tears but he didn't flinch. Taking another swig of his drink, he said calmly, "I'm a man that works on facts. Here's two for you,

1. A hellhound killed your parents and could possibly still be after you.

2. You're free to leave whenever you want but you'll be dead soon after."

With that, Daniel gulped down the last of his beer and walked out their room, banging the door behind him.

He needed some fresh air so he walked to the parking lot and stood next to his car trying to collect himself. Suddenly a wave of guilt hit him and he regretted every word he said to Avery. It was true, he didn't trust her but she was still a victim who needed his help. His parents would be disappointed by his actions. He ran his hands through his hair and tilted his face upwards towards the sky enjoying the cool breeze against his hot skin. Avery's face came to his mind's eye. f**k. She's so beautiful, he thought.

He realized that he was facing a predicament. Deep down he fancied Avery's appearance but he didn't like her either. She needed his protection but how could he if she was becoming a distraction? He had a job to do, he had to protect her and get to the bottom of her parents death. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he had to put his hatred aside and whatever else he felt for her. No emotions, no attachments, no feelings - thats how lives are saved, he reminded myself.

He stood outside until his legs started aching, then finally walked back to their motel room. Avery was already asleep and he thought she looked so peaceful aside from her wet eyelashes and swollen lips. His seen her cry many time but knowing that he was the recent cause of her pain made him feel ashamedof himself. She's been through so much already and here he was adding salt to her wounds. He sat on the edge of her bed and caressed her hair while watching her sleep. "I'm sorry Ava, for everything" he whispered.

The next day Avery and Daniel drove in silence for hours and the tension between them was obvious. Neither of them attempted to make conversation - Daniel didn't want to say anything that would upset Avery and Avery didn't want to experience his fury again. Finally they drove through a small town and Daniel thought it would be a good idea to stop at a diner and have something to eat. It was his attempt at trying to cheer her up.

"How long are going to be? Is it okay if I go in and use the bathroom?" Avery asked, her voice sounding strained.

"Well, I thought we could go inside, sit down and eat so yeah you can - But I'd feel better waiting outside the bathroom."

"Really?" she asked in disbelief, "-wait, don't answer that." She said getting out of the car.

They found an empty booth and sat across from each other. A waitress with redhead approached their table and took their orders. She purred at Daniel, obviously finding him attractive but he didn't take notice of her.

"So, did you sleep well?" Daniel asked. He could've kicked himself but hey, he was trying.

"I did." Avery said looking down at her hands afraid to look him in his eyes.

"Great", he whispered, a small laugh leaving his throat. He ran a hand through his hair nervously then spoke in a low voice, "Avery, I... I wanted to apologize for what I said yesterday. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Avery looked up at him and saw the sympathy in his eyes. He was being sincere but she couldn't understand the sudden change to his attitude. "You don't need to apologize, its good that we know where we each stand. Besides, we hardly know one another."

He was taken back by her response. She was mature for her age he thought.

"You’re right." he said as the corners of his lips switched, "You know, we're going to be together for a while so I guess, maybe, it would benefit us if we got to know each other. Maybe that way we could work towards trust."

She looked at him suspiciously. "Sure... what do you want to know?"

Daniel shrugged his shoulders, "Anything you're comfortable telling me."

Avery looked away and thought for a moment then began telling him about herself briefly, " Well, there's nothing much to tell. I'm an only child, I love to read and stay indoors, I'm allergic to peanuts... I was close with my parents. I almost died as a baby-"

"Really?" Daniel asked, his dark eyebrows shooting upwards.

"Yeah, my folks got into an accident and my mom went into labour."

Daniel stared at her for a moment, "Don't take this the wrong way... I'm thinking out loud here. Is it possible that maybe your parents made a deal in exchange for your life?"

Avery thought about this for a moment, "My mom did say I was her miracle baby." she said slowly. " Daniel, I don't know what to think or believe but I can assure you, I'm not responsible for any of this."

Daniel smiled at her and nodded his head, "I believe you kid- Ava."

She smiled at him, "Well you already know so much about me" she pointed out. "Tell me about yourself. Your childhood, hobbies -"

Daniel took a deep breathe and ran his hand over his face suddenly feeling shy, "Lets see, I was born in Canada. My birth parents relocated to Florida when I was five-"

"Wait, you're adopted?" Avery asked sounding surprised as if everything now made sense.

"Yeah, two years after moving here my dad was murdered, he left the office late one night and was mugged. The guy shot him in his chest. My mom went into depression and a few weeks later, she got really sick and died ... I was then put into foster care."

"Oh my goodness. I'm really sorry Daniel." She said, sympathy and sadness evident in her voice.

"It's okay. I was really young. Anyway, a couple of months later a demon attacked the orphanage. Turns out, one of the caregivers was playing around with witchcraft. Lets just say things got out of control when this demon became a physical threat to everyone. A few kids were already killed by the time my foster parents arrived. I was hiding under the bed while my dad was fighting off a possessed teenager. The kid had a knife to my dads throat, he was unarmed and my mom weren't there to help so I came out from under the bed, picked up a baseball bat and hit the kid at the back of his head - I have no idea what happened to him to this day." he shrugged then continued, "I don't know, I guess my dad saw something in me that I didn't but three weeks after the situation was dealt with they came back and adopted me."

Avary was silent as she processed all the information.

"So, you've been a hunter since you were about eight years old? Is that even legal?"

He laughed at her but before he could respond, the red-haired waitress stopped at their table to give them their food. She brushed her fingers over Daniels hand before leaving, finally getting his attention. Wow, great legs, he thought as he watched her walk away. Avery turned to look at the waitress too and rolled her eyes as she turned back to her food unaware that Daniel was watching her closely. He wondered if Avery was jealous of the contact he made with the waitress and suddenly an idea came to him.

"No, my parents put me through school, I got a proper education until my mom died and that's when I decided to drop out and help out my dad. He hated my decision but he knew he couldn't work alone especially since he and my mom had been a team for years." he continued, "My dad died three years ago. He was possessed by a demon. I pulled the trigger."

Avery dropped her fork. She was shocked. She reached across the table and took his hand in hers. "Daniel, -"

"Its okay, now its just me and sexy ride. I get to go wherever I want with no one ordering me around." he said pulling away from her then he put his hands behind his head trying to make the conversation a little lighter. Avery didn't laugh or smile. She just sat and looked at with pity. His lost so much and she wanted to comfort him.

"Well, I guess we've both got something in common then." She said lightly.

He smiled, "I guess we do". Daniel felt good talking to her. She's the only person his ever opened up to. However, Avery's mind was all over the place. There was an explanation to why Daniel is such an uptight asshole and she felt good knowing that he weren't really a jerk, he just kept his guard up.

The waitress came back to check if they were okay and the entire time she only focused on Daniel as if Avery weren't even sitting there.

"Is there anything else I can get for you?" she asked putting her hand on his shoulder.

He smiled at her and put his hand over hers "Just the cheque please."

Avery felt her blood boil as she observed the waitress. Her uniform was short and tight and there was way too much cleavage showing. So this is his type, she wondered.

Avery could feel herself getting annoyed as the waitress continues to flirt with Daniel. She tried to focus on her food, but she couldn't help but watch this woman throw herself at him. She was more annoyed by the fact that he seemed to be enjoying it. Avery never felt this way before - jealous of someone else getting attention. She couldn't help but wonder if Daniel was interested in the waitress, even though she knew it was ridiculous. She'd never been in a situation like this before and didn’t know how to handle it. The feeling of jealousy mixed with insecurity was making her uncomfortable - worst of all, she didn't understand why she even felt that way to being with.

Suddenly the waitress turned on her heels and looked straight into Avery's eyes. A cold chill went through her body and the familiar burn of her birthmark started once more. She turned and watched as the waitress walked away unable to shake the feeling she had. When she turned back to Daniel, he was looking at her strangely.

"Are you okay?" he asked, with a crooked smile. Avery nodded and looked away trying to contain herself. Slowly, fear crept through her body as she recalled the last memories she had when she felt that way - when she felt the cold chill in her spine and goosebumps ran over her body. It's the same feeling she got the last time she went home.