Page 109 of Fated to the Hunters
“There isn’t a lot of information and well… You said there are at least a handful of lycans out there in the caves. They seem huge and they seem so strong.”
“And that scares you.”
“It does.”
Mateo sighed and took her hand back, gently squeezing it. “It is a big risk, but we know our craft.”
“I know you do. I guess I just can’t imagine you fighting these giants.”
“We plan to separate them and trap them while we take them down one by one.”
“I didn’t mean to question you.”
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “I know. We know this is new and scary to you, so not telling you everything was our way of protecting you. Maybe some details will help with your anxiety?”
“But not too much.”
“Of course not. We can’t have our princess having nightmares.”
“Does it bother you? I mean… I know I’m clueless about hunts, but even more so with life itself.”
“It in itself no. However, the fact that your family did not prepare you for life grates on my nerves. It was their sole purpose to make sure you were prepared for a life outside oftheir family, yet they decided keeping you locked up was the best.”
“I often feel stupid, helpless even. You never made me feel that way, rather it comes from within.”
“We are here to teach you anything and everything you want. You only have to do it yourself if you ask us to step back.”
“And even then, you’ll look over my shoulder and step in when you see me struggling.”
“To a point, if you are in danger, yes. Struggle is part of life and helps one grow, but you can always count on us to catch you if you fall.”
“That is very sweet of you.”
She spent the next few hours reading through Mateo’s creature book, asking him questions here and there about certain species. From what he told her, most were extinct—or were believed to be. Mermaids were part of them, though some humans swear they’d seen them over the past few hundred years. They were hard to hunt and lived in the deepest, coldest parts of the ocean. Though a handful of hunter families had tried to find them with new technology, their searches had been unsuccessful.
She loved listening to him and before she knew it, he pulled off the highway and parked next to Ezra and Vince. She made sure to store the book away out of sight before taking Vince’s hand and following them into the next diner.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Scarlett
By day three, Scarlett was sick of the car, even though they’d taken plenty of breaks and let her see some tourist spots along the way. The mountains were her favourite, but being cooped up in a moving vehicle was starting to take its toll.
Traffic had been bad all day and when they finally arrived in Willesden, it was already dark. Even if it wasn’t, her eyes were too tired to try to take it in.
Mateo and Vince had already arrived having skipped a break to make sure everything was set up by the time she arrived. Little things like that made her fall for them more every second of the day. Mateo was the one to open the car door for her but instead of helping her out, he picked her up and let her wrap her limbs around him.
“You did so well,” he praised with a kiss to her cheek. “Food is waiting, along with a nice comfy bed.”
“Thank you.”
“There is also a bathtub, but I’d rather not have you fall asleep in there. We thought it was best to have that wait until tomorrow.”
Scarlett returned his affection and let him carry her inside. It was nice and cosy as promised, and despite the warm weather, the fireplace warmed up the space and the scent of lavender filled the air.
“No one has stayed in here for quite some time, so we thought the fire could help air the place out,” Mateo explained.
It had also been a rather slow, cold start to summer. The higher they’d driven, the cooler it had become, and she was actually quite pleased with the warmth in the cabin.
