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CHAPTER 19

“ G lad to see you made it back alive,” Shamus remarks as he steps into his office.

Tem sits on the floor at my feet. I could not make him sit at my level. I did, however, get him to wrap a blanket around his waist, though he could not understand why.

He kept asking if I did not like looking at him.

My cheeks are still red from that because damn it, of course I do. He’s the epitome of beauty and he knows it. If what he said is true, then he has adapted to become what I desire, and it’s working against me.

“And you brought a guest.” Shamus smirks as he sits down heavily in his chair, looking at Tem.

I follow his gaze to the man sitting at my feet, one hand snaking along my leg like he cannot resist. When he feels my gaze, he glances up at me, smiling brightly. How someone like him has survived so long, I will never know.

Ronan is right. He’s like a happy, little puppy, just centuries old and more powerful than any other being.

Black strands escape his tied back hair, and his features are wide and strong. His nose is thicker than when I first saw him, as is his jaw. His eyes are bigger but just as black, and his skin is dotted with freckles. He’s huge and muscular and far too pretty.

“You are lustful. Do you wish me to serve you, mistress?” he asks.

“Fucking hell.” I pinch my nose and look away. “No, just, go play with Ronan or something please.”

“Wait, what?” Ronan groans. “I am not your puppy sitter.”

Shamus’s eyebrow arches as he looks at Tem then me. “So I was right. He is a tempest. It’s interesting that you managed to seal the bond.”

“You knew,” I snap.

“I suspected. I heard whispers in my dreams for years, magic I understood. When I felt them again tonight and heard the alarm, I knew they found him or felt his magic. It all worked out, did it not?”

“I nearly died.” I lean forward, annoyed.

“But you didn’t,” he counters. “I knew you were strong enough to endure it.”

Sitting back, I cross my arms in irritation as the fae steps behind Shamus and meets my gaze over his shoulder. He has been quiet until now, but the first words out of his mouth are batshit insane. “He insults you. Would you like me to kill him for you?”

“I can help,” Tem offers.

Shamus waits, surrounded by powerful, immortal monsters who could destroy him, yet he doesn’t argue or seem afraid. He stares back at me, one eyebrow slowly arching.

“No.” I sigh. “If anyone ever kills this asshole, it will be me.”

The fae shrugs and heads my way, kneeling at my other side, and I keep my eyes on Shamus, ignoring them. “What now?” I query.

He watches me for a moment. “I have a favour to ask.”

I blink in surprise. Shamus does not seem like the type to ask for favours. “What is it?”

“Before you go after Black, I need you to go somewhere for me.”

“Another to collect?” I scoff.

“Not this time,” he admits, leaning forward. “I need you to do what you do best—hunt. I know you want revenge, but this is important. Monsters are turning up dead, and eyes are turning to us. In retribution, our people, good hunters, are being slaughtered. I need you to figure out what it is and make it stop. After, I will tell you everything I have on Black, and you can hunt him to your heart’s desire. I will even help you.”

“I am to kill whatever is doing this, yes?” I frown. “And if I do, you’ll let me hunt Black and my old team?”

“Yes.” He sits back and slides a tablet across to me. “You have access to my personal hunting gear and garage. Take what you need, but get this done fast. I am worried about what this means for both us and them.”

“You worry an awful lot about monsters for a hunter,” I murmur as I grab his iPad and scan the information.

“This world needs both of us. It needs balance. I might be a hunter, but I do not hate monsters. I simply do not want the evil ones to take over. I have my reasons like most hunters. I was born human, and I fight for my people and now theirs. I grew to a place of power to be able to do that. Now, I’m asking for your help. You’re the best there is. Moreover, you are someone I can trust to do the right thing.”

“You know what it is?” I ask after looking over the report. There’s a map with pinpoints where the bodies are. Whatever it is, it isn’t targeting a specific type of monster. There are vamps, wolves, trolls, and even a minor god, which would not be easy. It is strong and deadly, so I can understand his worry, and that many bodies will cause the monster community to be out for blood, thinking it’s a rogue hunter or one of us.

“Not a clue, but every single body had one thing in common,” he admits.

“What’s that?” I question, lifting my head.

“They were exsanguinated,” he answers.

“Vampyr?” I frown. “Though drinking from other monsters would poison them, not make them stronger.”

“Exactly.” Shamus nods. “I will deal with the returning hunters. Go figure out what it is and stop it before it’s too late.”

Standing, I glance at my new . . . team. “Are you ready to become hunters?”

“I am not wearing a uniform,” the fae drawls as he stands.

“I am!” Tem exclaims.

Ronan salutes me. “Sir, yes, sir.”

Looking back at Shamus in pain, I wordlessly beg for his help. He simply smiles.

That beautiful bastard.

“Good hunting, angel.”

It doesn’t take long to pack up. I am used to being on the go at the drop of a hat.

Heading down in Shamus’s personal elevator, we stop at a different level and step out into his private armoury.

Neon lights flicker on, throwing everything into a slightly blue hue. There are silver, metal shelves built into the walls filled with every weapon imaginable. There are also clothing racks to the left and a private garage with a bulletproof SUV, a truck, and two motorbikes at the back.

I whistle as I look around. No wonder they call him the stalker.

Putting my bag down on the metal table in the middle, I rip the duffle open and browse the shelves for anything I might need.

I grab a couple of daylight grenades, just in case it is a vampyr, and some holy water and chains. I pile them in my bag with my usual weapons, ignoring the fact I have a tempest, a fae, and a ghost. I will not depend on them if I do not have to.

I was a hunter before them, and I will continue to be after them.

Pulling a new jacket down, I slip it on and braid my hair as best as I can, but it’s short and finicky, and I get annoyed until the fae takes over and does it for me.

“Thanks,” I mutter as I grab the keys to a car and click the fob before my eyes land on a pair of brand-new leather gloves sitting on the table.

They are too small to belong to Shamus.

Heading over, I finger them. Did he get them for me?

I slip them on, and I’m surprised when they fit perfectly, but I’m not questioning it as I zip my bag, sling it over my shoulder, and head towards the car. “Come on, time to go.”

Something that is new, though, is that we do not need to spend hours travelling by car, which I did not think of.

“I am not riding in that tin box for hours.” The fae snaps his fingers, opening a portal. “Let’s go.”

Giving the car one last look, I peer through the portal, admitting it would be easier. I guess I need to adapt, but annoyance runs through me. Didn’t I just say I didn’t want to rely on them? The quicker we finish this hunt, though, the quicker I can get on Black’s tail.

It’s the only reason I step through the portal, trusting the fae to get us where we need to go. Once I’m out the other side, I find myself in a park, the city stretching before us—the monster’s hunting ground. The fae steps through, then Tem and Ronan, and it closes. I glance at them and frown. “Let’s go.”

“Where do we start?” Ronan asks, bouncing up and down.

“At the end, with the dead,” I reply.