Page 36 of Hunted By Darkness

Her concern for him was another punch to the gut. She promised to be careful, but she was dreaming to think I’d ever let her go anywhere without me. Where she went I went, and nothing and no one could stop me.

Scanning the buildings, I kept an eye out for surprise attacks. My detection magic was quicker than the human eye could see, so it slithered across the tops of the buildings and down side streets, checking on anything that gave off a magical flicker. Plenty came back, but nothing I worried about.

I wasn’t the only one on the lookout.

The other two wankers might be out of sight, but they were certainly not out of mind. Nika had said in so many words they maintained their ability to smell dark magic even in their phantom forms. Nifty trick, that. It could make all the difference for my little Soul Collector. We weren’t sure what else they could do. It took touching her for them to take their physical forms, and I’d rather eat glass.

It had to be some sort of cosmic joke that these two brutally good-looking blokes needed my goddess to unlock new parts of themselves. That they were given special access to Nika no matter how I felt about it, and I couldn’t see or hear them until they put their filthy, undeserving hands on her.

It'd only been a few days since the three upended our plans and boggled our heads with a mystery none of us could make any sense of.

I was at the end of my metaphorical rope. I’d been a proper twat since Nika revealed the animal souls turned handsome ghosts. Little got to me. I was a man who’d killed for centuries, who’d faced down the most powerful of our time, but anything to do with my bird and I lost my head altogether. I dissolved intowhat Nika often called her “big pouty baby.” Imagine calling the deadliest assassin this side of the business a big pouty baby.The things this woman did to me…

The things I’d never hesitate to do for her.

Nika hadn’t been given time to review the book we took from the Dark Fae Society, and she hadn’t found anything in her nan’s journal to explain what happened with Bear Claw or his two animal souls, but she’d cleverly reasoned that it was easy enough to review along the way. Staying on the move and finding Rilas should be our priority, and I couldn’t argue with the logic.

I might want to keep her locked away, but it was undeniable how beautiful my bird was with her lips lifted and eyes wide, living life the way she was never allowed to. I might not like what brought her to this city, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t absolutely chuffed to watch my rebel laugh and enjoy herself for once.

Moments like these were far and few, and after losing this undeserving lot of head squatters to Rilas, she’d lost her spark. With them back, her fervent energy had returned. I didn’t have to like them, but I’d tolerate them to keep my goddess happy and smiling.

My rebel was thirsty for a life she’d chosen for herself, and I’d do whatever it took to give it to her.

As if she couldn’t help herself, Nika stared in open wonder at anything that captured her interest. She and the lad were arm in arm, strolling as if they were on a visit to town rather than a mission to find a demon.

Lev, her tour guide, pointed out a few of the finer things in this vibrant, overpopulated human city. He’d been its frequent visitor over the years, and he knew it well. Most of us did. It was a well-known Normie city, and it attracted all walks of life—the desperate to live however they wished, the degenerates out to hide or hunt, and the tragic lot caught in between.

Her head turned, and our eyes met. The gentle smile that grew across her lips like wildfire settled the savagely jealous thoughts in my head. She always seemed to know when I needed attention, and she always gave it to me.

Oh aye, I was a simple man, I was.

Lev dragged her to a human stall set up along the sidewalk. The two squabbled over what to buy, and I stopped to keep an eye out for anyone or anything that might exploit their fun. The street light cast a bright beam on the two as they ordered from the vendor.

My little rebel was finally laughing again, trading banter with her friend like nothing could hurt her. And nothing would, not while I still breathed.

The huge wolf bastard stood shoulder to shoulder with me, his intense stare fixed on Nika. I was surprised when he spoke first. “I didn’t want her to come tonight, either. I was in that bastard’s head. He’s a sick fuck who’ll do anything it takes to make her his. Anywhere we go, she’s in danger. I don’t think he’s powerless even with what that old fox did to him.”

I might not like it, but Bear Claw had proven he cared about what happened to Nika several times over. He’d been the first to argue with her when she demanded she go. Even sought my help to convince her. It was the first time I’d fought with him instead of against him. But to keep her safe, I’d be whatever version of shameless bastard I needed to be.

Trouble was, Nika wasn’t someone you could convince once she’d made up her mind. She was stubborn and did whatever she wanted. Neither of us stood a chance against her. A fact made increasingly obvious when we both transformed into blubbering trolls barely able to rebuke her astute reasoning. Had I not been right there with him, I would’ve taken immense joy in Bear Claw being tamed like the animal he was.

I didn’t look at him and brushed back the hair that’d fallen into my face. “My rebel does what she wants.”

Smirking, I watched Nika shove her street taco in Lev’s face, snickering behind her hand when he glared at her. Sauce was all over his mouth, cheeks, and nose. She hadn’t been kind. My bird was a brutal prankster, and I’d never been so proud.

“That’s true,” he agreed in a soft voice, as if he hadn’t meant to say it out loud. “That woman can’t be told what to do by anyone.”

My eyes flitted over to the quiet tribesman. I didn’t miss the ghost of a smile or the way every part of his face softened the longer he looked at her.

My gaze snapped back ahead. I ignored the pang in my chest when faced with how uncharacteristically tender the oversized shifter had become aroundmy bird.If I thought on it too long, it’d rouse the jealous beast living inside my head.

I cleared my throat and did another sweep of the area. “She’s had to fight that demon every time on her own, and every time she’s won. You’ve seen what she can do. She’s more powerful than any of us. And when the time comes, it’s only her who can fight him. I don’t like it, but that point has been made plenty clear to me, yeah? So I’ll get her what she needs, even if it means humoring a bunch of undeserving twats along the way.”

“The feeling is mutual.” Bear Claw’s wolf eyes beamed before they disappeared into the dark abyss of his irises, then his head turned my way. “The next time has to be the last, Sparkles.”

Grunting, I nodded. “It will be, Sally.”

His lip pulled back into a sneer, probably wishing his wolf hadn’t spat the nickname several times around the rest of us. It served him right. He’d called me Sparkles since I’d unwittingly been named the Shimmering Assassin, and I’d never bothered to call him much more than wolf bastard. Thanks to the blonde-haired mutt, I had a new name for him.

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