THE LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS - BWS

seven

On my way to William's office, I replayed every encounter I had with him in the last few days. From the moment I ran into him in the hall at the hospital, to the dinner we shared together and to our conversation in the parking lot in the morning. No matter how many times we had met, I had felt that strange tingling feeling and odd sense of awareness. My body had also felt on fire every time he had been near me, but I attributed that to its attraction to him — my mind wasn't though. There was something off about him, but every time I tried to fit the pieces together, it felt like something was missing. I was missing the central piece.

The more I thought about him, the more convinced I became that he was a Hunter. There simply wasn't any other explanation as to why he would hide evidence and how he so easily figured out I wasn't from the Bureau. Because he clearly had. The way he talked to me made it pretty clear. Why would he have kept quiet about it if he wasn't a Hunter himself?

As I compared our lives, I wondered how he managed to juggle those two opposite lifestyles. He was a respected surgeon who dedicated his life to save others'. When did he find the time to hunt? To track and kill creatures? Surely those two jobs were not compatible. I already struggled with one job, how on earth did he manage two? Especially knowing the countless hours he spent at the hospital. Or he wasn't working alone. Most Hunters I'd met in the past few years hunted in groups, or at least with a partner. It was rare to meet solo hunters like me. But I wasn't really solo, I had Dee and she was the best hunting partner anyone could ask for.

When I arrived in front of Dr. Stoker's office, I stopped and took a deep breath. I felt nervous about the outcome of our conversation. Would he trust me enough to share information with me? Would he let me help and work the case with him? Or would he threaten me again to make me leave? I wasn't sure. He had been impossible to read.

Drawing in a breath, I knocked on the door directly connected to his office. The sound of footsteps approaching echoed softly and the door opened to a smiling William. He looked as fresh as he had in the morning, his brown curls falling loosely on his head, framing his face. The dark green cardigan he was wearing outlined the sharp muscles underneath, and the thought of what he looked like under the clothes crossed my mind. I shook my head when I realized where my thoughts were drifting and cleared my throat.

"Hi," I said, my heart speeding up in my chest. The tingling feeling was back, leaving a weird sensation of tiny needles poking my skin.

His smile grew larger as his eyes narrowed on me. He stared at me for a second, with a half smile that showed a dimple and his signature amused slash intrigued look before he answered, "Hi." He didn't move an inch as he continued to stare, his bright hazel eyes scanning my face silently. His gaze lingered on my lips, and I wondered if I had something there.

I was about to say something to break the growing awkwardness I was feeling when he lifted his eyes back up to mine.

"Please, come in," he said as he moved out of the way to let me walk inside the room. I did so and discreetly brought my hand to my lips in an effort to wipe whatever had caught his attention there.

He walked towards the small settee sitting below the window and offered me a seat before sitting in the armchair facing me. He sat back, looking as comfortable and relaxed as one could, and crossed his leg so that his ankle rested on his opposite knee. I wondered how he could act so at ease considering the circumstances. He looked as if he was a step ahead of me. Was he really?

"As much as I enjoyed sharing some outings with you last night, isn't this more comfortable?"

Heat creeped up my cheeks. This time there weren't any doubts whether or not he knew I was following him to the adult store. Thinking twice about it, that was probably why he even went there in the first place. Bastard.