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Mateo

Ezra had a full-blown storm raging inside of him, but his face remained calm as he stared across the table at Scarlett, who was deep in the pages of Valantine’s diary.

“I found a page that located his first encounter with the lycans around here.” Mateo pointed at a red dot he’d added to the map the night before. “According to locals, there are many caves out there that everyone avoids due to tragedy. Most search parties won’t even touch them anymore.”

“Sounds like the right spot for a little trip.” Ezra’s dark, sinister voice caught Scarlett’s attention. “Of course, it’s no place for a little princess,” he added, disguising the darkness with humour.

“I also thought about that since you said you would like to join,” he quickly continued. “There is a little town here, Willesden. It’s not the closest, but the closest civilisation. I found a nice rental, not far from the essentials. You would be safe there.”

Scarlett bent over the map and squinted her eyes to find it, before typing it into her phone and scrolling through the images. “Looks cute.”

“We could spend time with you there until you are comfortable. It also gives us time to explore the area.”

“You won’t go hunting right away?”

“I think it is best if we scan the terrain first.”

“We will need to know our surroundings,” Ezra added, seeing that she didn’t fully understand yet. “We need to know how to escape—multiple ways, along with finding the perfect spots to set traps. This is a big hunt, especially because of the size of our target.”

“Oh, so basically a plan A through Z.”

“Yes, love.”

“Clever princess.”

“This will take time,” Vince grunted, running his finger over a second more close up map of the terrain. “We need to do this before winter hits.”

“But it’s barely summer.” But Scarlett stopped herself and bit her lip. “Oh, yeah, the time aspect.”

“When will you have that piece done you’re working on?”

Vince shrugged. “Two, maybe three days.”

“Gives us enough time to pack.” Mateo looked up at Scarlett. “It’s up to you. If you don’t feel ready yet, we’ll wait until next summer.”

Scarlett slowly shook her head and looked back down at her phone. “If you’ll be with me for a little while, I’m fine.”

“We will slowly inch closer to the lycans breeding grounds, week by week. We’ll always return in between. We’ll take the truck, which has all-wheel drive, and there are plenty of trails for bikes to get through.”

Scarlett pondered the thought, then nodded. “Okay.”

“We should take two cars when driving up.” Vince stated. “One with her and one with the prey.”

“Ah, yes, our princess can’t get her hands dirty.”

Her eyes rested on Ezra as if she could see right through his facade. “I have one condition.”

“And what is that?” Ezra asked, staring back at her, with the dark grin that had become his day-to-day accessory until Scarlett came into their lives.

“I want you to drink that luck potion when you actually go hunting.” Scarlett scanned the room, landing on each of them. “All three of you.”

“Not sure if I’m willing to share.”

She whipped her head around, glaring daggers at Ezra. “You share me , so you will share that potion too.”

Mateo and Vince seemed to hold their breath, bracing for the impact. But Ezra only nodded. “As you wish.”

They started their planning by renting the cabin and then moving on to their pack list. Scarlett listened as they started to talk weapons. Her nose crunched up a few times when they reached the dirty details: which would be best to kill them and if it was best to behead them or not.

“I don’t want to waste any of them, but we might need to take them apart there,” Ezra said, looking over their Hunters’ Guide.

“Sell what we can in the area before heading home,” Vince suggested.

“Do you know anyone up north?” Mateo asked Ezra.

Ezra’s eyes lifted, flickering to Scarlett who eyed him curiously. “I might. There’s what we call a ‘magic village’ maybe a day’s drive away.”

Scarlett’s face lit up. “Witches?”

“Yeah, but mostly old dried out blood.”

“Oh, so nothing like the pure gold that flows through your veins,” she teased, bringing a grin to his face.

“Precisely, princess.”

“Will I meet your ex-girlfriends?”

“We might have to put a stop to our training,” Mateo chuckled rather to himself than the others.

“Will you scratch their eyes out and let me watch?” Ezra asked, his eyes narrowing as he leaned closer.

“I have a feeling that’s what you’ll want me to do.”

“I’m yours, aren’t I?”

“You are, but I’m also your princess and everyone knows princesses don’t get their hands dirty.”

Mateo and Vince simply stood by, grinning and watching the conversation like the latest TV drama. Ezra had clearly met his match, and Mateo loved seeing them both like this.

“What a shame.” Ezra leaned back again and focused on the words on the page. “I’m sure they’ll buy anything we offer.”

Mateo nodded. “Good. So, we’ll sell what we can up there and bring a full body or two back here.”

“Then we should ride with three trucks,” Vince suggested.

“Legal plates on Scarlett’s both ways.”

Ezra and Vince both agreed and even though Scarlett must have had questions, she didn’t ask. As if it were an old habit, she disappeared after a while. It was probably what she’d been taught over her lifetime: leave the room while the men were working.

Once they had everything set, they ventured to their separate bedrooms and began to pack.

This was their biggest hunt yet. At least, it felt that way.

There was a lot at stake, now more than ever with Scarlett in the picture.

Mateo retreated into the office, making sure bills were paid up for at least three months while also making sure Scarlett had access to all their accounts in case anything would happen to them.

Mateo worked for hours, only looking up when there was a soft knock in the doorframe. “Did you have anything planned for dinner?” Scarlett asked. “I was going to cook for us while you guys do your thing.”

Mateo’s first thought was to argue—it was his job to take care of her. But then he remembered how important it was to her to earn her keep. “There are potatoes that need to be used. I hadn’t planned more than that.”

Scarlett nodded. “Okay.” And then she was out of sight again.

He finished up, then followed her to the kitchen where he found Scarlett all alone. He hugged her from behind as she cut the potatoes into thin slices. “Thank you.”

“I’m glad I can help.”

Running his nose over her neck, he pushed his fingers under her shirt and flattened his palms against her stomach.

“You can be part of the planning. I know we kind of left you out of it, but we just fell into our routine. If any of this is not to your liking, you can tell us. We want you to tell us.”

“I know, but I have no idea what is going on anyway. I trust you.”

“That means a lot to us.”

“I know you’ll be very busy and active, but would it be possible if we all went for a hike while we’re out there?” Scarlett shook her head and chuckled to herself. “I mean, it’ll be a slow walk for me since I wouldn’t be able to keep up with you guys.”

“We would love that very much. I’m sure they have at least one beautiful beginner trail around that area. Maybe if you are brave enough, we can camp out for a night.”

“Only because I know you’ll protect me from whatever scary creatures lurk in the darkness.”

“We’ll always be there to have your back.”

“I know.” Scarlett gave him a sweet smile. “I knew from the moment I realised that you’d come and killed those hunters that I could trust you. You could’ve taken me. You didn’t have to leave me and call my dad, but you did. You kept your promise.”

“Some of us had more trouble than others,” he chuckled, remembering Ezra’s rage. “My only regret is not moving the bodies.”

“Yeah, that gave me trouble for a while.”

“I’m sorry.” He kissed her cheek and then steered the conversation in a different direction. “You’ll need hiking equipment if you want to go into the wild with us. How about we take you out for a little spoiling shopping trip?”

Scarlett’s smile widened. “I suppose that could be necessary,” she teased.

“We also have to stock up on a few things.”

“We should get started then.”

Just like every night, they had dinner together and when Mateo declined Scarlett’s offer to do the dishes, she vanished upstairs. Vince helped him clear the kitchen, then disappeared to make copies of their findings.

“Feeling good about the hunt?” Mateo asked, joining his friend in the office.

Vince nodded without looking over at him. “How is she doing?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I’m not sure if she is distancing herself because we’ve been hovering, or because she’s hiding her emotions.”

“Both, likely.”

Ezra appeared in the doorway, leaning against it with his hands in his pockets and one foot propped against the wood. “Gossiping, I see.”

Mateo only rolled his eyes at him, sitting on the desk and directing his next question at Vince. “Are you coming shopping with us tomorrow?”

He nodded silently, letting the printer run hot with more copies.

“Such a spoiled princess, three bodyguards with endless amounts of money to shower her with.” Though despite his theatrics, Ezra was clearly looking forward to it.

Mateo let his eyes run over Ezra, feeling into his still wild emotions. “How are you feeling about the hunt?”

“Good.”

Something else lingered there. “But?”

Ezra’s teeth ground, and his features darkened. “It’s not just us this time. She’s a distraction.”

“She is, but do you feel like we should still take the risk?”

“Yes, though she might not like what happens out there.”

“No, she might not. Maybe also a reason why she’s distancing herself.”

As usual, Vince stayed silent, but he clearly had similar emotions stirring him up.