Page 68 of Fated to the Hunters
“Vince started it. He performed an exorcism on the house and cleansed it of most of the silver. Though most of the guns still have silver bullets.”
“So, there are guns hidden everywhere?”
“Of course.”
“My room?”
“No. None in your room.”
He held her and she let her fingers travel down his back and pushed her hands under his shirt. Even there his skin was ridged. It made her terrified to see him naked. She knew without a doubt that she would shed tears if she ever knew the extent of his self harm.
They stayed there, tangled in each other until Mateo called for them. Dinner was a quiet affair and once everyone had finished their plates, she retreated into her room again. She curled up in bed, utterly exhausted, and easily drifted off to sleep.
Scarlett awoke sometime later from a soft knock against her door. “Scarlett?” It was Mateo.
Scarlett buried herself deeper into her bed, forcing her eyes to stay shut. “Yeah?”
“It’s almost noon and we were worried.”
Scarlett groaned, carefully peering out of the blanket—and into nothing but darkness. The sun strained to peek through the blackout curtains. “It is?”
“Yes, love. But you don’t have to get up. We just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
Mateo left, his footsteps echoing down the hallway.
She closed her eyes again, not ready to face anyone—not even herself. Surprisingly, she must have dozed off again because when she opened her eyes, it was to a very angry stomach. Not bothering to change her clothes, she went downstairs with the intention of raiding the kitchen for food.
To her relief, there was no one to be seen, and she immediately felt horrible for the thought. They were her mates. She wasn’t supposed to be relieved by their absence. There was a basket full of treats she’d never heard of in the pantry. After selecting a few that looked rather enticing, she retreated back into her room and threw the curtains open. Pillows and blankets from the bedmade for a lovely nest, and she took her spot in front of the window. It was a gorgeous day, with the bright sun glittering off the lake like diamonds.
Scarlett was desperate to be near the water and even though she’d slept the day away, she couldn’t bring herself to do anything. The lack of energy was something she wasn’t used to. Or maybe she’d simply never beenallowedto feel this way. Appearances were everything for an alpha’s child, and her father never accepted anything less than her best.
With her head against the warm glass, she soaked in the sun and gazed over her new home. She stayed that way until the sun disappeared behind the trees, letting the moon illuminate the water.
Eventually, footsteps came down the hallway and stopped by her door.
“You may only enter if you have food.”
The steps repeated themselves, only to reappear. The door swung open, revealing Vince with a full plate in his hands. Scarlett reached out for the food, and Vince took that as his permission to enter. “May I sit with you?”
“Yes.”
Vince retrieved his own plate and returned with two bottles of water. He sat opposite her on the floor and started eating. As always, he stayed silent, and Scarlett was grateful that she didn’t have to force conversation.
She barely finished half her food before she set her plate aside and leaned her temple against the window again. Now that the sun was gone, the glass was cool against her skin.
“Would you be open to answering some questions?” she asked once Vince indicated that he was finished.
“Of course.”
“What did Ezra mean when he said you never wanted to take a woman?”
Vince took some time to find his words, resting his back against the window. “My father was abusive. The older I got the clearer it became. I told myself I would never treat a woman as he treated her. The decision only solidified itself when I saw my brother repeat my father’s behaviour with his wife. But then I raised my hand against my girlfriend in anger and knew that I needed to do something else in order to break the curse. I set her free and promised myself never to put another woman in that position.”
Since mates were created for each other and were linked to each other’s minds constantly, domestic violence was not very common. Actually, Scarlett had never heard of it in her own pack.
“I didn’t hurt her, not physically. But any time I made a sudden movement, she would flinch. Especially when she could sense that I was in a bad mood. I couldn’t do that to her and let her go.”
“Is that the reason why you’ve been so quiet around me?”
