Page 120 of Fated to the Hunters
Vince wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her from behind, letting her take in the view. “Nature can be quite intimidating.”
Mateo and Ezra watched from afar. Vince didn’t take many moments with her for himself, so the fact that he was doing so now was a big improvement.
They were lucky enough to snatch a picnic table with a beautiful view, the rest area was filling up with hikers by the minute. It wasn’t crowded by any standard but compared to the quiet of the trail, it did seem rather invasive. They made quick work of their lunch and decided to get back on the trail after giving their legs a rest. Scarlett seemed upset at her lack of stamina, but she didn’t say anything. They tried repeatedly to reassure her that the frequent breaks didn’t bother them. They were worried about pushing her too hard on her period, but she’d reassured them she was fine, and it had never been very strong.
On the drive back to the cabin, Scarlett fell asleep as soon as the engine purred to life and stayed drowsy throughout the rest of the day. She only wanted to sleep on the couch, complaining each time they wanted to carry her to her much comfier bed. With that, they pulled blankets in from the bedrooms and settled in for the day.
The next few days were spent out on the trails. Scarlett loved it and every time they returned, she fell asleep as the guys set their hunting plans into motion. Today would be their last day together, with Mateo and Ezra leaving early the following morning. Because of that, they had a surprise hike planned for her. It was raining, but she insisted on going anyway. Despite that, the weather was still warm, so it was tolerable. They were much slower than anticipated with the slickness of the trail, but Scarlett wanted to keep going. They sure as hell wouldn’t be the ones to stop her.
Drenched and with muddy boots and legs, they finally arrived at the waterfalls.
“This is beautiful,” Scarlett admired.
“We hoped you’d like it.” With a kiss to her cheek, Mateo pushed her towards a hut that had been able to keep a few picnic tables dry. “Now let’s eat and get some rest.”
Ezra, however, had a different idea. He dropped his backpack and stripped, kicking his boots off.
“What are you doing?” Scarlett asked, worriedly scanning their surroundings.
Ezra laughed with a daring grin. “No one else is going to be crazy enough to come up here. And if they are? Fuck it.”
In nothing but his briefs, he let out a loud whoop and ran towards the lake.
Vince was surprisingly the next to strip, running out into the rain and splashing in the water.
“Well, that was unexpected,” Mateo chuckled.
Scarlett stared at him, then over to the lake. “What if someone catches them?”
“Then they’ll see three grown men acting like boys.” Mateo undressed to his underwear and kissed her cheek. “Just sit here and enjoy the view if you don’t feel comfortable joining us.”
The water was cool, not quite cold, and the rain still crashed down on them, with the waterfall being a white noise in the background. Vince was throwing Ezra into the water as Mateo dove in headfirst. Usually, Vince was the more serious one of the three, but he was actually laughing at Ezra’s failed attempt to lift him and throw him too. Mateo flipped onto his back and swam deeper into the lake, the rain pelting on his face.
When he turned back on his stomach to swim to the shore, he saw the most breathtaking sight. Scarlett was in nothing but her bra and panties, her toes dipping into the water as she tried to cover herself with nothing but her arms. Ezra was right on it, swimming back to the shore to take her hand and guide her into the water. Vince appeared at her other side and she took his arm, hugging herself to him while keeping hold of Ezra.
Mateo watched as he swam back to the shore. Even with her eyes still scanning their surroundings, she did seem to find this rather exciting. It may have been the most daring thing she’d ever done.
“This is what being alive feels like, princess,” Ezra purred, pulling her deeper into the water.
“Can you swim?” Vince asked rather worriedly.
“Yes, we had a pool and then the lake on our land.”
Ezra pulled until she was chest-deep, his voice rumbling over the rain crashing around them. “How about you show us how beautifully you can do it?”
Scarlett took one stroke, then another, swimming towards Mateo with her lips pulling up into a bright smile. Ezra and Vince both followed behind her. Mateo wasn’t sure how long they spent diving through the water with her. All he knew was this was perfect. Even Vince—stone-faced fucking Vince—grinned like a kid in a candy store until Mateo was sure his cheeks ached.
Scarlett was the first to step out of the water and back to the hut, where they all had trouble wiggling back into their wet clothes. Scarlett dressed first—with their help—and she was eager to return the assistance for each of them. They ate their lunch, and Scarlett even managed a small nap on the table before they hiked back to the truck.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Scarlett
Just like the evenings before, she’d dozed off on the couch with her mates’ voices as soothing as a white noise machine. She’d wanted to stay up and spend as much time as she could with them before they left for the hunt, but her eyes refused to stay open. She dreaded watching them leave the next morning. She of course knew it was necessary, so she tried not to show how much she hated the thought of their departure.
Ezra’s hum pulled her out of her daze. “Princess, wake up. I need you.”
Scarlett opened her eyes and found herself lost in his dark irises. “Ezra.”
