Page 23 of Hunting for Redemption

Axel nods his head slowly, gauging my reaction. He looks nervous and that’s the last feeling he should be happening. I smile so wide my cheeks hurt before pulling him into my lap, wrapping my arms around him tight and burying my face against his throat. I hold him for a long time.

Holy shit. I’m going to be a dad. That wasn’t something I’d let myself think about. Children aren’t really something I let myself hope for because I’m a hunter. My job is dangerous and scary and one wrong turn I would leave that kid without a dad.

Can I even keep hunting? Should I give up this life?

Holy shit.

“Are you upset?”

I pull back, looking up into Axel’s eyes. “Far from it,” I tell him seriously. I touch his cheek gently and he leans into my touch. “I’m overwhelmed but not in a bad way.” I tug Axel down, kissing his lips softly. “I’m happy, baby.”

“You are?”

“Yes. We’re gonna have a baby. We’re gonna have a child together. A family. It’s so much, but I’m also so, so happy, Axel.”

Axel’s fingers run through my hair. “I’m happy too. I never dreamed of meeting my true mate but now you’re here. You’re so good, Jeff. A hunter who takes care of those weaker than you. I admire you so much and I couldn’t be more proud that our baby will have a father like you.”

I feel my throat tighten at Axel’s words. “How can I be a hunter and a dad?” I ask the questions rattling inside of me.

Axel gives a small shrug. “I have no idea but I know we’ll figure it out. I can live in the RV. Or we can buy some different places around the country as home bases.”

“With what money? Hunting doesn’t really pay the bills, baby,” I say with a self-depreciating huff.

“Oh, umm, I can take care of that,” Axel says. “My fathers made sure I would want for nothing. They’ve been alive a long time and invested. I’m what the kids would call a trust fund baby.”

“Wait. Hold on,” I say, a grin spreading across my lips. “You’re my sugar daddy?”

Axel slaps my shoulder, letting out a giggle. “Shut it, Jeff. I’m just saying we can make this work. As long as you want to make it work?”

“Very much so,” I say without even needing to think about it. “I can’t imagine you raising this baby without me by your side. It won’t be a conventional family or home, but it’ll be ours.” Already, I can see it. Home bases all over the country and taking jobs close by, moving from house to house, having a place for the crew to park their RVs at. The plan is already forming in my brain and I love it.

I love him.

Which is why he deserves to know the whole truth. “I’ve never told you about my family,” I say slowly, holding onto Axel’s hand and leaning on his strength.”

“You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, Jeff.”

“I want to tell you,” I say right away, taking a steadying breath. “I come from a hunting family. My mom and dad taught me and my sister everything there was to know about the lifestyle.”

Axel tugs my hand up and kisses my knuckles. “That must have been a really hard childhood,” he whispers.

“You’d think, but we were still allowed to be kids. We played and traveled and would often stay with random relatives while our parents worked. We didn’t even realize the truth of what was happening until we were older to understand. My sister and I started training as a team. We were inseparable.” A pang of longing hits me straight in the chest. I missed that. Missed having her in my pocket, anticipating my moves before I even did them. I miss my sister.

“But something changed when we became adults,” I continue on, wishing this wasn’t so hard. I thought with time I would be easier but it hasn’t. “She started dating this guy. He was really nice to her and had a twin brother. I thought things were going well.”

When I pause, Axel whispers, “what happened?”

I clear my throat, looking away. “My sister went rogue. She killed the guy’s parents. And then she tried to kill him and his brother.”

“Oh gods,” Axel murmurs, covering his mouth with his hand.

“Yeah,” I say humorlessly. “It was awful. She died that night. The guy was a dragon shifter and she thankfully wasn’t prepared. When I found her, my parents took her side instead of seeing how fucking wrong it was for her to hunt anyone that wasn’t human.”

Axel carefully crawls into my lap, holding my face between his hands. “You do not have to pay for the sins of your sister,” he says and all the air leaves my lungs in one deep sigh. Emotions well up inside of me. I want to fight him so badly because I deserve to hurt for her sins. I should have seen the signs. I should have stopped her.

But I hold onto his words with everything I have inside of me. I hold onto them and fucking pray that someday I’ll believe them.

“That’s why my team lives by a code,” I whisper, my voice much softer now that Axel is in my lap. I meet his pretty brown eyes, willing him to understand.

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