Page 5 of Alien Huntsman (Alien Wolf Tales #2)

CHAPTER 5

T essa drifted slowly back to consciousness. Her mouth felt dry, her tongue like sandpaper against the roof of her mouth, and her head felt fuzzy. She tried to move her hand to rub her temples, but her wrists refused to separate. Panic jolted through her body as she realized both her wrists and ankles were bound with strips of soft leather—tight, but not painful.

The night air carried a chill that hadn’t been present in the village. The clean scent of pine trees floated by on the breeze, and overhead, stars glittered more brilliantly than she’d ever seen them. She was somewhere in the mountains, far from home. But where? And why?

The last thing she remembered was the woodshed, the pups, and then… golden eyes. Her heart hammered against her ribs as she blinked away the remnants of whatever had been used to render her unconscious.

A soft whimper drew her attention, and relief flooded her as she spotted the adyani pups huddled together in their blanket near her feet. All seven accounted for, their tiny bodies rising and falling with sleep. At least they were safe.

A sudden shower of sparks drew her attention to a campfire. Beyond the dancing flames sat a huge, broad-shouldered figure. His face was partially hidden in shadow, but there was no mistaking the golden eyes that seemed to glow in the firelight—the same eyes she’d seen in the village, the same eyes that had been the last thing she’d seen before darkness claimed her.

“You’re awake.” His deep voice carried across the small clearing, neither threatening nor particularly welcoming.

She struggled to sit up, her bound limbs making the task awkward. He neither objected nor offered to help, simply watching her with those unreadable eyes.

“Who are you? Why have you taken me?” she asked once she was upright, trying to fight back a wave of panic. She was afraid she already knew the answer.

“…need her gone. You understand?”

“What you’re asking for comes at a price.”

She was the one Lenora wanted gone. Her stepmother had hired this man—this Vultor—to get rid of her.

“You’re the one Lenora was speaking to. She paid you to take me, didn’t she?”

The Vultor’s expression remained impassive as he reached for something beside him. She tensed, fear momentarily overriding her anger. But instead of a weapon, he produced a small bundle wrapped in cloth.

“You should eat.”

“I don’t want food. I want answers.” She struggled against her bindings, wincing as the leather tightened and dug into her wrists. “Where are you taking me? What does Lenora expect you to do with me?”

Even as she asked the question, the realization washed over her, as chilling as winter rain.

“She hired you to kill me, didn’t she?” Her voice trembled despite her best efforts to control it..

The Vultor’s golden eyes reflected the firelight, his expression unreadable, but his silence was confirmation enough. Her stomach twisted into knots.

“How much?” she asked, anger giving her strength. “How much did my stepmother pay you to make me disappear?”

He ignored her questions, moving around the fire with a predatory grace that made her pulse race. She tried to scramble away as he kneeled beside her, but his big hand closed around her forearm, his palm warm against her chilled skin. He was so close she could feel the heat radiating from that big body and catch his scent, clean and somehow wild.

She started to pull away again, but his fingers tightened.

“Stop fighting me,” he said, his tone mild, as he extended his other hand. She gasped as sharp claws emerged from his fingertips. “Now hold still.”

She obeyed, her pulse hammering in her throat as he let go of her arm and reached for her bound wrists instead. He cradled them in one big warm hand, then sliced through the leather bindings with his other hand, his claws never once grazing her skin.

“Drink,” he ordered, handing her a waterskin.

She gave it a suspicious look but her mouth was too dry to resist. She drank thirstily while he watched.

“Now eat.”

He unwrapped the bundle, revealing dried meat, berries, and a small loaf of bread that looked suspiciously like one from her own bakery. He pushed the food towards her before returning to his place across the fire.

She rubbed her freed wrists, watching him warily as a fragile tendril of hope unfurled in her chest. If he’d wanted her dead, wouldn’t he have killed her already? Why feed her? Why cut her bonds?

Her stomach growled traitorously and she reached for a handful of berries, then pulled off a hunk of bread. It would be foolish not to eat while she had the opportunity, but she only managed a few bites before her nerves got the better of her and she pushed the food away.

The pups stirred at her feet, one yawning widely before settling back down. At least he hadn’t harmed them. They were alive. He could have killed them or simply left them to starve, but he’d brought them along. That had to count for something, didn’t it?

“If you’re going to kill me,” she continued, forcing herself to meet those intimidating golden eyes, “I’d like to know what will happen to them. They’re too young to survive on their own.”

Another pup rolled over, exposing his soft belly in sleep. Such trust. Such vulnerability. She gently stroked his fur, drawing comfort from his warmth even as fear and uncertainty clawed at her insides.

The Vultor’s face remained impassive, those golden eyes reflecting the firelight without revealing any of the thoughts behind them. He simply reached for a stick and prodded the fire, sending another shower of sparks spiraling into the night sky.

Anger flared inside her, hot and sudden. She’d spent years swallowing her words, keeping her head down, enduring Lenora’s cruelty with quiet dignity. But not now. Not when her life had been snatched away from her.

“Look at me!” Her voice cracked through the night air. “I deserve to know why I’ve been taken from my home. What did she promise you? What’s the price of my life?”

One of the pups startled at her outburst, letting out a tiny whimper. She immediately softened her tone, stroking his fur until he settled again.

“If I’m going to die,” she continued, quieter now but no less determined, “I have a right to know why and how. And what will happen to them.” She gestured to the sleeping pups. “They need care. They need protection.”

The irony wasn’t lost on her—pleading for the safety of creatures the village feared, while at the mercy of a predator the village feared even more. But these pups were innocent. They deserved a chance.

“Was it because of Edgar?” she pressed when he remained silent. “Did she think I was stealing him from her? Or was it just… me? Has she always hated me this much?”

Her voice faltered on the last question, years of rejection suddenly crashing down on her shoulders. She’d tried so hard to earn Lenora’s approval, to be the perfect stepdaughter. Had it all been pointless from the start?

She watched his face, searching for any flicker of emotion. His features remained carved from stone, but something in his eyes shifted—a subtle softness as he glanced at the pups curled beside her.

“Why did you bring them?” she asked, her voice softer now. “You could have left them behind. It would have been easier for you.”

For a long moment, she thought he wouldn’t answer this question either. Then he exhaled, a sound somewhere between resignation and irritation.

“They would have died.” His deep voice rumbled through the night air. “Without you.”

“You care what happens to them?” she pressed, hardly daring to hope.

Golden eyes flicked back to the sleeping pups. “They’re innocent. Not their fault what they are.”

A supposedly ruthless predator who had kidnapped her but saved orphaned pups he had no obligation towards. The contradiction made her head spin. A truly heartless killer wouldn’t have bothered with the pups at all.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “For not leaving them.”

He grunted, clearly uncomfortable with her gratitude. “Don’t thank me yet. You don’t know what comes next.”

But for the first time since waking with bound wrists, she relaxed a little. The Vultor had shown mercy to helpless creatures. Perhaps there was room for compassion in whatever fate awaited her.

One of the pups stretched in his sleep, tiny paws reaching toward the warmth of the fire. He’d recognized her connection to them—had honored it even while carrying out Lenora’s orders. That had to mean something.

“I’ll keep taking care of them,” she said quickly, the words tumbling out. “If… if you let me live, I promise I won’t be a burden. I can cook, clean, mend clothes—whatever you need.”

His expression hardened. “I don’t need you.”

The blunt response stung more than it should have. She swallowed, fighting back the ridiculous urge to cry. What had she expected? That he’d welcome her offer of domestic services after kidnapping her?

“Then why am I here?” she whispered.

He ignored her question, pulling another strand of leather from his pocket. “Give me your hands.”

She hesitated, clutching her freed wrists protectively against her chest. The brief taste of freedom made the prospect of being bound again almost unbearable.

“Please,” she said. “I won’t run.”

“Your hands.” His voice left no room for argument.

Reluctantly, she extended her arms. His fingers were surprisingly gentle as he positioned her wrists together, careful not to pinch her skin as he wrapped the leather around them. The contradiction between his actions and his careful touch confused her.

As he secured the knot, he looked up. Their eyes met and the breath caught in her throat as that same strange sensation of recognition washed over her—a feeling of connection that made no sense. She’d never met him before yesterday, yet something about him felt… familiar.

His eyes widened slightly, as though he felt it too. For a heartbeat, neither of them moved.

Then he abruptly broke the contact, jerking his hands back with somewhat less than his usual grace. He rose to his feet in one fluid motion and stepped away from her.

“Stay put,” he ordered, already turning toward the trees. “I’ll be back.”

Without another word, he stalked off into the darkness of the forest, leaving her alone with the sleeping pups and her racing thoughts.

She let out a shaky breath. Whatever Lenora had paid him to do, he hadn’t done it yet. For now, at least, she was still alive.