Page 175 of Fated to the Hunters
Vince stayed silent, and though Ezra had known Vince’s position all along, anger boiled in him. He wanted Scarlett, more than anything, but he couldn’t have her if Vince didn’t agree.
He was about to storm upstairs when Vince’s voice stopped him in his tracks. “I’ll agree if she does.”
Ezra spun around and stared at Vince, his tranquillity seeping into Ezra’s soul. “You will?”
“I will and therewillbe boundaries.” Vince stood, straightening to his full height and closing the distance between them. “You stay out of my head. You will not use her to find your way in.”
Though Vince was only a few inches taller he had to look up at him.
“You will respect hers as well. She is allowed to have secrets from us, and she will not be punished for seeking her quiet moments in someone else’s mind or her own. You will learn to restrain yourself so she doesn’t regret this entire thing.”
Ezra’s answer was instant. “I accept your conditions.”
Vince nodded and returned to his seat as if nothing had happened.
“Would you like to tell her?” Mateo asked as he returned to prepping the vegetables . “We could talk to her after dinner.”
Standing in the midst of the room, he felt dumbfounded and lost. He hadn’t expected to get this far. He’d prepared himself for disappointment, especially from Vince.
Mateo chuckled and pointed at the cabinet that housed the plates. “Make yourself useful, will you? I feel her coming closer.”
These days, dinner was filled with endless chatter on Scarlett’s part. She always came in excited to fill them in on how her day went. Though Ezra wanted her to become her own woman, the fact that she’d become less dependent on them was something he continued to struggle with. He’d loved how much she’d needed them, how she could barely leave the house without feeling insecure and now, she slayed all her fears like the queen she was born to be.
When she went to the freezer to grab their dessert, Mateo’s phone started to ring. He picked up and put it on speaker, but stayed silent.
“The dark night hides what we search to hunt.”
“The stars will rise above,” Mateo continued the hunters’ greeting.
“So I, Hunter son of Allen, may find my way.” With the same breath Hunter continued, “The witches said you sold it to them.”
No one needed to ask what ‘it’ was. “We did.”
“There have been a few suspicious killings around the greater Chester area. From what I could gather, it sounds a lot like a lycan.”
“Interesting.” Though Mateo was clearly intrigued he kept his voice cold.
“Wanna hunt?” Hunter asked.
“Why would I want to hunt with you?”
“I can give you a fair share.”
“So, you want all of my experience to kill a beast that you thought was extinct and then call it a fair share?” Mateochuckled lightly. “Nah, that’s just using me so you can add to your trophy shelf. Knock yourself out.”
“Oh, I forgot you three are too good for all of us,” Hunter snarled.
“Well, just a little piece of advice: put your ego aside and don’t hunt alone or you’ll end up dead.” Without another word, Mateo hung up the phone and shook his head. “He’s going to kill himself.”
Ezra chuckled darkly. “Or he’s going to start a massive hunt and no one gets a piece of the cake.” He’d never liked the Allen family, even before going into hunting. They were arrogant bastards that charged entirely too much for their own benefit.
“So, you think there might be more lycans out there?” Scarlett asked, placing the dessert on the table.
“We might have scared them out of their hiding spots. Maybe we missed one that was too scared to show itself.” Mateo shrugged and guided them all towards the couches. “Who knows?”
“Doyou want to go and hunt it for yourselves?” she asked and though she seemed worried, it wasn’t as deeply rooted as it was with their last hunt.
Ezra shook his head. “Once word spreads—and it will—too many will be out trying to catch it.” He took her hand and pulled her with him to the couch. “Would you like a foot massage?”
