Hunter Maximus

Chapter 23

Maximus takes me to the weapons room, and helps stack a bunch of weapons to my belt. He gives me a small axe, three daggers, and a short sword. He carries nothing but a sword, strapped to his back.

"Don't you think this is a bit much?" I ask him, "I thought I wouldn't need these many weapons to bring down a hunter."

"You won't be using any," Maximus says, shaking his head and giving me an amused smile, "You have to get use to carrying them as you hunt. I'll teach you how to use them in here with our sessions with Darrius when we train," Maximus seems proud of me as he speaks of our future together. I was a bridal dress maker, now I was a hunter of vampire hunters. It was crazy how fast life could change. I give him a small smile as he turns and walks from the weapons room and I follow.

I watch his back muscles ripple behind the sword and it's sheath. His skin had a golden sheen and I bit my lower lip as I imagined running my nails down that hard back.

You can dig your nails down my back anytime, my little hunter.

I stop walking and go a little red in the face. Then I have to quickly catch up with his long strides.

I forgot he could hear all my thoughts, read my mind, and communicate to me mentally through our bond.

"I don't like you inside my head," I snap, blood still rising to my cheeks as he looks over his shoulder and gives me a slow wicked smile.

"I like being inside you," it's a low drawl, and my insides go all warm and tingly. That gorgeous face and those cheeky eyes were so enthralling. I believe there was a double meaning behind what Maximus said so I decide I should change the topic – go to safer ground.

"Do you kill vampire hunters when you drink their blood?" I ask, curious.

"That's our job, darling."

"Oh," I walk up to beside him as we enter a staircase through an emergency exit, "Which way is this?" I notice he lets me walk ahead of me into the fire exit before he surprises me with a black blind fold coming down over my eyes, "Hey!"

"Can't let you know the exits," Maximus ties the knot tight at the back of my head and leans down to say next to my ear, "I can't have you escaping again, Isobel. You have to remain here, with me. You still belong to me – my little hunter." His sexy drawl both pisses me off and turns me on. Damn him!

"Whatever," I hiss, "Ah!" I cry out as he suddenly sweeps an arm under my legs and scoops me up against his chest.

"Relax, Isobel," Maximus says with a chuckle, "I'm just carrying you outside so you don't remember the way out."

"Lovely," I growl out, "I thought I was your equal now that I'm a vampire."

"You still have to follow my orders," Maximus reminds me, "I'm stronger than you, and you're bonded to me. Once we are outside you have to stay with me. If you try to run away and piss me off – I won't take you hunting again until you learn to stay by my side."

"Sounds like a plan," I say dryly, with little amusement, "So where are we going tonight?"

"We're going to pay a visit to your friend you've been thinking about quite a lot since you've been turned, darling," Maximus says quietly. I can tell he is holding something back.

"So?" I'm annoyed he has been reading more of my thoughts, "What do you mean by 'visit'?"

"You think he'll accept you for what you are," Maximus says with more cruelty, "He won't accept you. When he attacks, you'll see that he can't be trusted. Then we're going to kill him – and all of his kind."

Maximus is dead serious.

I start to feel sick to my stomach.

"I will not kill my closest friend," I say, and Maximus suddenly drops me to the ground and I can feel an outside breeze on my face. When he takes off the blind fold I open my eyes and adjust to the black night of an alleyway.

"He isn't your friend, Isobel, he is your enemy," Maximus comes to stand in front of me, looking down at me, using his height to make me feel smaller and more vulnerable, "You're going to lead the way. I'll look out for trouble."

I just stare up at him, glaring at him dead on.

Sometimes I hated his arrogant attitude so much.

"I. Won't. Kill. Luke." I say it slowly – with deadly calm.

Maximus studies my face for a few moments, tilting his head to the side.

"Listen to me," Maximus grabs my chin with one hand, his thumb against my dimple on my chin, "You'll have to kill him when push comes to shove – trust me. It'll be you or him – and if you don't defend yourself, his death will be at my hand."

"I'm going to prove you wrong," I say.

"Lead the way then, little hunter – it's about time you learnt some harsh life lessons about being a vampire."

I suddenly regret urging him to take me on my first hunt.

Tonight was going to be interesting.

"Which way, Isobel?" Maximus prompts me, giving me a gorgeous smile. I can feel him in my head – reading my discomfort at the situation.

"Follow me," I turn on my heel and walk to the nearest street – getting my bearings in the city.

We're closer than I first imagined.

Luke's apartment was only a few blocks away from our current location.

I gulp down a lump in my throat.

Everything was going to be okay.

I'd be fine – Luke would still look at me the same way.

He would still be there for me.

The problem was, the more I tried to convince myself of a positive outcome...

...the more I started to doubt it.